didn’t understand,” he muttered, unwilling to explain the details to Amara or anyone.
She scoffed, her eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “Let me guess. Sheila wanted you to fuck her, to show her all the forbidden pleasures only possible in human form. She teased you, wrapped her scent around you, until you couldn’t control yourself any longer.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about and it’s none of your business anyway. What happened is between me and Sheila.”
“There’s two problems with that attitude.” She held up her index finger. “First, you hurt Sheila badly enough that transformation didn’t heal her. Now the humans are involved.”
This was unexpected, but not hopeless. “She won’t say a word and neither will the leopards. This is between me and them.”
“That brings me to the second problem. Grayson marked you. Transformation didn’t heal the bite on your neck. If Major Young gets one look at you, the leopards won’t have to say a word. She’ll know exactly who attacked Sheila, and then none of us will be able to protect you.”
Izak touched his fingertips to the side of his neck and they came away smeared with blood. “Damn him. I will not hide from those wretched humans!”
Amara shrugged, a cruel sort of amusement creeping into her gaze. “Then turn yourself in and beg for mercy. They’ve always been so reasonable with our kind in the past.”
* * *
Pausing to savor the reality of having Sasha chained at the foot of his bed, Grayson absorbed the fire and tenderness cascading through his body. For so long he’d imagined her in restraints trembling with need and anticipation. He’d always thought it was an unattainable dream. No hard-ass soldier would surrender control to anyone.
He’d accepted that he would have to suppress his dominant nature if he wanted her in his bed. He’d even prepared himself mentally for the compromise. Then he’d glimpsed her secret fantasies.
He knew she was uncertain. Not afraid of him per se, but unsure if their relationship would be worth the disruption it would bring to the rest of her life.
For that reason, he moved slowly, allowing her time to accept each new phase, each new intimacy. But it wasn’t easy. He was ravenous for the feel of her soft body writhing against his, and the scent of her arousal as she gave herself over to pleasure.
And her taste! She would not leave until he’d imprinted her taste on his senses. He’d explore her soft curves and silken hollows and drink from her creamy slit while she shuddered in release.
“I’ve kept my side of the bargain.” Her gaze hesitantly lifted to his. “Who was the tiger you challenged, and why did he attack the leopard female?”
He pressed his hands against her neck, thumbs supporting her chin. “I suggest we start with the fundamentals of my people and work toward the specifics of that incident. Our agreement is until sunrise, so we have plenty of time.”
She tensed, her lashes suddenly shadowing her eyes. “Despite the fact that I mistook a leopard for a jaguar, I’m not as ignorant as you’re presuming. I was fully briefed before I came here, and this is my second assignment at a morph colony.”
His hands slid to her shoulders and he swayed toward her, stopping just short of pressing his chest against her breasts. “So enlighten me. When and how did the morph colonies come into existence?”
She hissed out a breath so deep her nipples brushed his chest. “You’re going to insist that whatever I believe is wrong, so why don’t you enlighten me?”
Her skin fascinated him. Not a hint of hair marred the ivory perfection. In humanoid form female morphs possessed transparent fuzz that made their skin feel like velvet. Sasha’s was truly smooth. Even her pussy was devoid of hair. He couldn’t wait to feel those silky nether lips with his fingers and his tongue.
The longer he kept her talking, the longer he would have to wait for the pleasures he was