[The Onic Empire 03] - Sinful Harvest Read Online Free PDF

mated? Ariss considered what Kerrick had been through; he had plunged into woman after woman without satisfaction only to find his pleasure with her. Would he be capable of another encounter? Her parents had deliberately kept her ignorant about not only the mechanics of sex, but the practicalities as well. Ariss was certain she could go repeatedly, but she didn’t know if he could.
    When she had finished harvesting all her sacrifices, she’d breathed a sigh of relief. With that part over, she now had the next season primarily to herself. Or so she thought. When her
paratanist
undressed her and began to rub more oil on her, she questioned the reason for his actions. In dulcet tones, he informed her that, according to the most ancient Harvest prophecy, she would now mate with her male counterpart.
    Stunned, Ariss had followed her
paratanist
with shaking steps. When she had first exited the Harvest room, shock had rendered her numb again; members of the elite lined her path. Their critical eyes seemed to touch her every private place with curiosity and, in some cases, mocking. When tears threatened to blur her vision, she deliberately lifted her head, thrust back her shoulders, and kept her attention on a spot far down the hall. If not for her servant’s plodding steps, she might have run in panic. As it was, his slow pacing forced her to live up to her nickname; they didn’t call her Rhemmy for nothing. They compared her to the frozen wasteland of Rhemna, for she too was cold, indifferent, and her icy gaze could strip the heat from a man within moments. The first time she heard the name she had cried, but then it gave her strength, purpose even. She would become hostile and frigid. So cold would her heart become that no amount of heat would thaw her frozen feelings.
    Only when she was alone did she let her tears fall.
    When she had finally made her way to the mating room and found the circular bed empty, she breathed another sigh of relief, but then fretted under the sheets. What would her counterpart look like? Would he be an animal as some said? Male Harvesters were notorious for their size, their strength, and their battle prowess; they were not known for looks or mental ability. How would a man like that be as a lover? Violent? She shocked herself when the image of him using her in an attempt to sate his insatiable hunger caused a deep, fluttering excitement in her belly. But what if he were a tender warrior; a manwho took out his aggression on other men so that he could bestow only the most caring touch to his chosen? This image, too, caused her body to react with an unnamable and untouchable longing. Ariss had fallen asleep wondering and waiting.
    Now she knew he could be both aggressive and gentle. She’d spurned him by rote, as she had been taught to do, and it was easy to maintain her disinterest when her body truly felt nothing. Without the protection of powerful drugs, she’d been overwhelmed by her response to him. She wanted all of him at once. A massive storm swept along her, making her frenzied and crazed. She wanted his hands, tongue, and cock to minister to every need within her tormented body.
    Tentatively, she lifted her head and glanced at Kerrick.
    He flashed an arrogant smile bursting with male pride.
    Did the conceited creature truly think her reaction was about him and him alone? Unwilling to disturb her comfortable perch atop him, she curled her head back down, resting her cheek against his chest.
    “Now that the moment has passed, you are shy again.” He stroked his fingers through her hair, teasing the strands and his fingertips over her responsive back. The texture of her hair was softer than the most expensive
astle,
but his fingertips brought the sensation of the strands flowing across her skin to a new and exquisite height.
    When she purred in pleasure, she realized her sensitivity had not worn off. A new dread washed over her. If she allowed herself to wallow in physical pleasure, she