But then Clau-dah makes another soft sound, and I am drawn back to her. To her face, dazed with pleasure. To her scent, filling the air around me with its sweet perfume. Clau-dah is all that matters. If she will let me claim her, the madness will go. I will have my anchor. So I lick her again, caressing her cunt with my tongue like I did her mouth. I want her to enjoy this so she doesn’t pull back and say the ‘no’ word again. I work her sweet, slick folds, licking and tasting her over and over with my tongue. I stroke it over her gleaming cunt, from that little nub that makes her shiver, all the way down to her hot core, then back up again. When her hands tighten in my mane, I want to give her more. I bend a finger and press a knuckle into her core, careful to keep my claws from harming her. She’s so very fragile—not like a drakoni. I will be utterly cautious with my Clau-dah. Hurting her during the claiming would be devastating. I would never forgive myself.

When she moans her pleasure, I thrust my knuckle into her cunt again. She gives a little cry, and her muscles tighten around my finger, milking it. I growl with pleasure at her response, recognizing her pleasure peak as well as the wash of scent that accompanies it. She will be ready for me to mount her now.

I look up, and beautiful Clau-dah is flushed, her skin dewy with sweat. Her chest heaves, breathless, making her breasts jiggle. Her mouth is soft and full, lips slightly parted. I want to taste her mouth again in that moment, feel it against my own. She is so lush and lovely, my strange female. I cannot get enough of her. I stand to my full height and am pleased when she puts her arms up. I pull her against me, and her arms go around my neck. She is not pulling away. I bend low to claim her mouth in another pressing of lips, and my tongue slicks against hers, sharing her arousal scent. She moans loudly, and her legs lock around my hips, her cunt rubbing up against my cock.

And she gives another little flex of her hips, as if she wants me inside her. It is another signal from my Clau-dah.

I…think.

I pull my mouth reluctantly from hers. As I do, her hands roam over my skin, and she holds to me even more possessively. She should be pushing away, turning around so I can mount her. Does she not want this, then? “Clau-dah?”

Her small hand goes to my cock, and the breath hisses from my throat. “Kael,” she murmurs, and then says some other words I do not understand, but they sound encouraging.

I wish I understood her language. My need grows, and my teeth ache with the need to sink into her. My fangs elongate in my mouth, and I can feel them filling with the fire that will lock her to me. She will be honored once I do, I think. I am a strong male, capable of defeating all rivals. She will be proud to be my mate.

So why does she not turn and present me with her cunt?

Instead, she grasps my cock and strokes the length of it with her fingertips, and the sensation is so incredible that my mind nearly goes black once more. The soft murmur of her saying my name is the only thing that keeps me from going over the edge.

Her hand grips my shaft. Then she positions my cock at the entrance to her cunt and flexes her hips, then looks up at me, waiting.

Clau-dah wants me to mount her…face to face? Is this how her people do it? Strange. I have always taken a female from behind, but the thought of claiming her in any manner is enticing. I grip her hips and pull her down against my cock. She is…very small. Despite the slickness of her arousal, it will be difficult to fit my cock into her.

I press against her opening, pushing the head of my cock into her. She moans, her blunt little claws digging into my shoulders. She pants and whispers words I don’t understand.

I can guess, though—go slow, take my time.

She is tight, my female, and I do not wish to hurt her. So I push a little, then touch the little nubbin of in her folds because she likes it stroked so much. Her back arches, mouth working silently. Her eyes close with bliss, and she is so very beautiful. I withdraw a little, then press my cock deeper, stroking a bit, working into her. The angle of our bodies makes it difficult for me to take my time—she is slightly above me, her hips angled oddly thanks to where she sits. With a growl, I withdraw from her and drag Clau-dah into my arms, pulling her off her seat and onto the ground. Here, I can lie out with her. Here, I can push into her as slowly as I need to.

Her eyes widen in surprise as I lay her down and my weight covers her. She hooks one leg around my hip, welcoming me, and I breathe in the wash of her scent. Her arousal is overpowering and heady, and it makes the black need swirl at the edges of my vision once more.

Claim her.

Make her yours.

Take her as your anchor.

I push the head of my cock against her core again and sink a bit further inside. She is so tight, she fits me like a second skin, her cunt clamping down around me in the most exquisite sensation I have ever felt.

My mate.

I growl with fierce pleasure, stroking into her again. Her breath catches, her little claws digging into my shoulders as she clings to me. She moans words again, a stream of them.

I pause, trying to understand her efforts to communicate.

As soon as I stop, she gives my arm a slap, her face frantic. “No, no,” she cries and wiggles her hips. The next stream of words are encouraging-sounding, urgent.

I understand this. She does not want me to stop. I am pleasing her.

The knowledge of this drives me wild. The madness that’s been playing at the edges of my mind bursts through with that pleasure, and then I am wild. I bare my fangs and push deep, seating myself to the hilt inside her. She gives a little yelp of surprise, but then her body quakes underneath mine, her cunt tightening around me in little spasms that feel intensely good.

She moans and mumbles more words, throwing her head back. Her little claws dig deeper. My female is senseless with pleasure. I thrust again, unable to help myself. Must possess. Must claim. My Clau-dah. Mine. I know I’m no longer being gentle and slow as the madness creeps in, giving a rough edge to everything I do. I focus on her, on the green of her eyes and the softness of her skin, but my control is close to slipping. I know I’m pounding into her with strong, rapid thrusts. Her body is so welcoming, so tight. I want to pull back, to ease out of the madness that makes me lose control, but the walls of her cunt keep tightening, Clau-dah reaching her pleasure once more. She throws her head back, the cords on her neck standing out.

It calls to me, that smooth, unbroken skin. My fangs burn with fire. She squeezes around my cock so tightly that I can feel her intense pleasure. I cannot wait any longer.