Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
When she was mostly dry, Taurex wrapped the large towel around her like a cloak. Only then did he attend to himself, using a second towel to scrub roughly over his own head, horns, and body.
Once dry, he lifted her again. She felt even smaller wrapped in the towel, a bundle of trembling warmth. He carried her to the room he had prepared for her—a cozy space with a bed grown from living, yielding moss, draped in soft fabrics. She had loved it earlier so he hoped she would feel warm and comfortable.
Gently, he laid her on the edge of the bed.
“Try to rest, Terra,” he murmured. “You are safe here. Nothing can get in.”
She looked around the room, her eyes wide and shadowed in the soft light. Her gaze fixed on the round, transparent window that looked out into the bioluminescent garden and the bathing pool beyond.
Taurex saw her eyes widen and then she shook her head—a quick, jerky movement
“No. I can’t…can’t sleep here. What if… what if they come after me again? What if they get through the window? I mean, I let one of them inside me and then they all attacked.”
Her voice was a thin thread of sound, laced with a fear that made Taurex’s heart fist in his chest. She wasn’t just frightened—she was traumatized. The logic that the blooms were rooted outside and couldn’t get through the window was no comfort to her primal fear. He made a decision in an instant—the only one his heart would allow.
“Then you will not sleep here,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. He gathered her back into his arms. “You may sleep with me, if you wish it. My room is safe—nothing will disturb you there.”
He felt her tense for a moment, then a shuddering sigh escaped her, and she melted against him, her head finding its place once more on his shoulder.
“Yes,” she whispered. “That’s what I want. Take me to your room, please, Taurex.”
He carried her to his own chamber, a larger space dominated by a broad, low bed grown from the same resilient heart-wood as the rest of the house. It was covered in blankets woven of heather-fur—a dense, soft plant that really did feel like fur. He placed her in the center, where she immediately drew her knees up, the towel still clutched around her.
“I will be right back,” Taurex said softly. “Will you be all right if I leave you for a moment?”
She hesitated, then nodded.
“As long as you’re not long.”
“I won’t be,” he promised.
“Good.”
Taurex retreated to a dressing alcove, pulling on a pair of loose, soft sleep trousers. He took a moment, bracing his hands on the wall, hanging his head and breathing deeply. The scent of her fear was fading, replaced by her natural fragrance and the clean smell of the moss-silk towel. It called to him on a level deeper than instinct.
Mate—she’s my mate! I need to make her mine so I can protect her!
Every instinct demanded it, but he couldn’t rush her—especially after what had almost happened to her in the bathing pool.
He took several steadying breaths, schooling his features into a mask of calm, before returning to the bed. Later—he would tell her later—and try to make her understand they belonged together.
27
TAUREX
Taurex slid in beside Terra, leaving a respectful space between them. He had barely settled against the pillows when she moved.
She turned to him, her eyes luminous in the dim light. Without a word, she closed the distance, curling her body against his side. One small hand came to rest on his chest, over his heart.
“Hold me, Taurex,” she whispered, a plea that shattered his last pretense of detachment. “Please.”
A low rumble of pure need vibrated in his chest—a sound he didn’t even try to suppress. She wanted to be close to him—she felt the bond that was trying to form—the bond that wouldn’t be completely real until he took her completely.
Carefully, as if handling spun glass, he brought his arms around her. One arm curled beneath her shoulders while the other draped over her waist, his large hand splaying across the towel at the small of her back. Gently, he drew her in, tucking her head beneath his chin.
Terra sighed—a sound of utter peace and contentment. She fit against him perfectly—every full, beautiful curve of her body aligning with the hard planes of his own as if she had been designed for this very purpose.
She was, his soul whispered. She is your fated mate—why don’t you tell her?
But he didn’t want to scare her. He needed to wait until just the right moment.
So Taurex simply held her, feeling the residual tremors finally still…feeling her breathing deepen and slow against his skin. She felt so fragile—so delicate and perfect in the circle of his arms.