Page 20 of Selected By the Dragon Alien
Turi moved closer, her hand slipping into his. “But you’re not that any longer. You can fight back.”
He looked at her, into green eyes so hopeful it made his heart hurt. “Until they take me and wipe my mind again. I don’t think your people can survive another few centuries of suffering until I remember who I am.”
Her gaze hardened to green shards. “Then we must make sure they don’t take you.”
THIRTEEN
Turi threaded the needle with steady hands, her gaze focused on the task before her. The needle was thick and the thread strong, but she handled them with practiced ease. Sewing was a skill all Terian females learned early in life, necessary for mending clothes and fabrics that were as old as the settlements themselves. Now, she used those skills to tend to Ellion’s wound.
She knelt behind him where he sat on the bed. Her knees pressing into the soft fabric of the cushion behind his narrow hips. The air in the room was thick with tension and the faint metallic scent of his dragon blood. The torn wing was thick and hard to pierce, and she worked with great care to align the edges so it would heal properly. Her fingers brushed against his scales, cool and smooth under her touch.
Ellion sat motionless. His massive wings were partially unfurled to give her better access to the torn membrane. His breathing was steady, but she could sense the underlying tension in his body. She was acutely aware of the heat emanating from his skin, the way his muscles shifted and bunched beneath her touch. The scent of him—a heady mix of something dark and spicy—filled her senses, making her heart race. It was bothexhilarating and terrifying to be this close to him, to touch him so intimately.
With each stitch, Turi’s attraction to Ellion grew stronger. The proximity was intoxicating, and she found herself drawn to him in a way she couldn’t fully understand or explain. It was more than just physical attraction—it was a connection that seemed to transcend the boundaries of their vastly different species.
As she worked, Turi found her gaze drawn to the strong lines of Ellion’s face—the sharp angle of his jaw, the fullness of his lips, the intense dark of his eyes that seemed to see right through her. There was a vulnerability in his expression that she had never seen before, a raw honesty that made her ache for him. Despite the revelations about his past and the role he had unwittingly played in the Terians’ suffering, she couldn’t deny the depth of her feelings for him. He was not the monster she had been raised to fear. He was a victim, just like her people, trapped in a web of lies and manipulation spun by the Axis.
Her heart raced as she tied off the final stitch and snipped the thread with a small pair of scissors. The wound was closed, the edges of the tear now joined by her careful handiwork. She placed the needle and thread on a small table beside the bed, then allowed herself to take a moment to simply admire the powerful being before her.
“There,” she said, sitting back to admire her handiwork. “That should hold until it heals.”
Ellion flexed his wing gently, testing the repair. Ellion’s scales shimmered with an iridescent sheen, reflecting the soft glow of the ion fireplace. A faint wince crossed his features, but he nodded in approval. “You have a talent for this,” he observed, his voice carrying a note of admiration that warmed Turi from the inside out.
“I’ve always been good with my hands,” she said, a hint of playfulness creeping into her tone. “I’m glad you weren’t lying about knowing how long you’ve been here, Ellion,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “And I forgive you for not telling me the truth about the Terians being prisoners. I understand why you weren’t eager to share that. It’s a lot to take in.”
Ellion’s eyes met hers, the deep silver depths reflecting gratitude and something else—something that made Turi’s breath hitch in her throat. “Thank you, Turi,” he replied, his voice rough with emotion. “I wanted to make sure you trusted me before I told you.” He shrugged. “And I needed to trust you, too. I couldn’t have you trying to run back to the settlement to tell them.”
“I won’t be doing that. They wouldn’t believe me, anyway.” She put the needle and thread away, her movements deliberate and precise. The tension in the room had shifted, replaced by an undercurrent of something electric and charged. Turi’s pulse quickened, her body acutely attuned to Ellion’s presence.
Being this close to him was intoxicating. She was drawn to him, as if a force constantly beckoned her closer, urging her to close the space between them. The air crackled with a palpable energy. A connection that went beyond the physical. Turi’s gaze lingered on the broad expanse of his chest, the smooth, scaled surface that rose and fell with each steady breath.
Her voice was a whisper, her words tinged with a boldness she hadn’t known she possessed. “Can I…touch you?”
Ellion’s breath caught at her request, his eyes shifting to an impenetrable darkness. “Yes.” The single word was heavy with unspoken desire.
With trembling fingers, Turi reached out to trace the contours of his chest, feeling the hard planes and ridges of his muscles beneath her touch. His skin was warm, almost hot tothe touch, and the scales that covered him shimmered with an iridescent sheen. She explored the lines of his wings and the thick ridges of muscle that supported them. Her hands moved over the sensitive wings as they quivered under her fingertips, and the powerful column of his neck.
Ellion sat perfectly still, allowing her to explore, his body rigid with restraint. But when her hand slipped lower, brushing low on his abdomen, a low growl escaped his lips—a sound that was both a warning and a plea.
Turi’s eyes flicked up to meet his, a rush of heat flooding her cheeks as she realized the effect she was having on him. “Oh. I’m sorry.” She pulled her hand away abruptly. “I shouldn’t have—”
“Turi,” he said, his voice a low growl that sent shivers down her spine. “You should have.” Turi’s heart raced as Ellion’s hands encircled her wrists, his grip firm yet gentle as he placed her hands back on his body. His touch ignited a fire within her, a longing that she had tried so hard to suppress. His gaze bored into hers, reflecting the turmoil of the day and the raw desire that simmered just beneath the surface. He drew her closer until their bodies were almost flush against each other. “I want you to know how much I desire you. How much I want to be with you, to explore every inch of you with my hands, my mouth…”
His words trailed off, and Turi could feel the heat of his breath on her skin, smell the intoxicating scent of him—a heady mix of something dark and spicy that was uniquely Ellion. Her own breath hitched in her throat as she processed his confession, her body instinctively leaning into his.
Turi’s heart raced in a wild, frantic rhythm that matched the tumultuous storm of emotions swirling within her. The revelations about the Axis, the penal colony, and Ellion’s past were staggering, and yet, here they were, teetering on the edge of something new, something forbidden, and something inherently theirs. “I know where it would go if I did continue,” shewhispered, her voice trembling with anticipation and a hint of fear. The sensations were overwhelming, and she could feel the wetness between her thighs, the aching need that throbbed in time with her heartbeat.
Ellion’s gaze dropped to her lips, and he licked his own in a gesture that was purely predatory. “Yes,” he acknowledged, his voice thick with desire. “Eventually, it would lead to me burying my cock deep inside your cunt, claiming you as my own. But not now. Not tonight. It’s been too much today for both of us.”
Turi’s eyes widened at his blunt words, but they only served to stoke the fire burning within her. She could feel the hard length of him pressing against her belly, a tangible reminder of his desire and the promise of what was to come.
“But I want you to feel this,” he continued, releasing one of her wrists to trail his fingers down her arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake. “I want you to remember the way I make you feel—wanted, desired, cherished. And I want you to understand that this…this is only the beginning.”
His hand moved to her face, cupping her cheek tenderly as he gazed into her eyes. Turi felt as though she were melting under his touch, her body yearning for more, for the intimacy they both craved.
“Ellion,” she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I… I feel it too.”
His thumb stroked her cheekbone, the sensation sending ripples of pleasure through her. “Good,” he said, his voice filled with satisfaction. “Because I intend to show you just how good it can be between us. Soon, I will make you mine in every way.”