PEARL

When I came across the threshold, Ogrik whispered twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes. What did that mean? Did that mean he had twenty minutes left to live? That I had twenty minutes to talk to him?

I swallowed panic because that didn't seem like a lot of time. Why did this shit have to be rushed?

Then I saw him. Actually saw him, and it felt like someone had punched me right in the gut.

My heartbeat roared in my ears, threatening to drown out my fast breathing. What I saw nearly dropped me to my knees. The door shut behind me, leaving just me and a shattered man.

My first thought when I saw him restrained with blue, glowing restraints, was: what if he doesn't recognize who I am? Is he too far gone?

My second thought was my self-preservation kicking in—the very thing that Shadrach proclaimed I lacked.

Danger! Danger! Danger! it screamed.

But I knew better than to listen to the voice that told me to run away. To listen to every cell of my being that told me this being, this holy creature, was every bit as dangerous as he looked.

But I wasn't the kind of person to run away from something like this.

His eyes were closed, almost serene, and his lashes were wet—achingly beautiful, the sharp features of his face pinched. The awe of his beauty quickly fizzled out when I realized he was in pain.

There were dark circles under his eyes, darker than ever before. His breathing was labored. His shirt was off, revealing tight, chiseled abs covered with what looked like bright, blue tattoos.

His muscles were... glorious.

And from this angle—or any angle, really—he was frighteningly huge.

How did I not know he had the sick glowing tats? Probably because I had never seen him with his shirt off.

What a shame.

Despite my reservations and the fear crawling up my spine, I took a step forward. My breath caught in my throat as his eyes snapped open.

Instead of purple, they were black and dilated. As soon as he made eye contact with me, his head dipped. My eyes filled with tears. Something told me that this was a bad idea, and maybe it was dangerous, but—

I approached him anyway because this was Dumuzi.

My voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm here."

A glowing blue energy held his wrists in place. The white hair on his shoulders was wild and matted with sweat; an angry spew from a volcano. His large, muscled chest was covered in cuts, no doubt the result of the fight he had got into. His lips were bitten all to hell and bleeding.

I took in a shuddering breath. "Dumuzi?"

He did not respond.

Okay, this is bad, very bad.

I took another step forward.

I put my hands in his hair, soothing. His eyes closed and he sighed. A hand, although restrained, had enough room to touch my hip and travel up to my waist. His fingers were feverish against my skin, and not gentle, which should have worried me a little.

My heart pounded in my chest as I ran my fingers through the long white strands, putting as much compassion into my touch as I could. I will press the button on my bracelet if he's too much. I swallowed hard and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

His fingers dug into the flesh of my side, almost pleading.

He wasn't a threat.

Not like this.

I dropped to my knees, putting my hands on either side of his cheeks, my heart aching. His eyes were still closed, every muscle straining against his confines as if he wanted to get closer.

I rubbed my thumbs on his cheeks, trying to snuff out the tears in my voice. "You look like shit."

He tilted his head to the side, eyes closed, and inhaled deeply. A sad, quiet chuckle escaped him. "That is... not the first time you have told me this."

Relief rushed over me. He's still there. My voice came out shaky. "I don't mean it in a bad way. But... why let it go this far? Why start duking it out with your brethren instead of coming to me? This situation is fucking horrible."

His lip quirked and his eyes slit open. My senses prickled with awareness, of the reality of how deadly Dumuzi was right now. He was like an atomic bomb restrained by flesh, and I had seen what he could do with his power.

I couldn't imagine having that turned on me.

I shivered. Although I wasn't sure if it was from fear.

"That arrogant fuckhead deserved no less."

I would have laughed, because he cussed, but his tired and raspy voice sobered me. He should have said something to me. This was ridiculous. This should have never happened. "I would have fucked your brilliant brains out long ago if I knew this would happen. But maybe not. I wish there was a way... a way out of this other than—"

"And if there was another way?"

Another way other than solidifying our bond? Another way for him to live without tying himself to me? It was obviously the most prudent, logical choice. But he told me he found nothing in his research to reverse Osa from tying us together.

"Then you should do it, Dumuzi."

"No."

No?

I sputtered, "Why?"

"Come a little closer to me, dear Pearl, and find out exactly why."

I couldn't stop the shiver that ran down my spine. His fingers snaked up to my ribcage, raking over each bone, to stop when they reached my armpits. They were achingly careful, when really, I wanted him to hold on to me and not let go.

"You want this?"

"I do."

My eyelashes fluttered closed. "So long as you don't regret what comes after."

He stepped into me—and I wasn't even sure how he did that, given that he had limited space to move. Reflexively, I lifted my shoulders. "And what comes after, Pearl?"

"Being tied to... me." I looked up and sucked in a sharp breath. His eyes glowed, purple and deadly, as he stared down at me. His scent filled my nostrils and my mouth watered. My nose was an inch away from his lower chest. "For, uh, for the rest of your life."

"That frightens you?"

"No. You should be scared."

"A mouthy journalist alone cannot do me in." A restrained hand curled a finger under my chin, lifting it. "All I have to do is denounce the bond. Can you believe it is that simple? I've searched everywhere... and the answer was right under my nose the entire time." He shook his head. "But no. I want all of you, Pearl. It will be my privilege to own every part. Both the good and the bad. The more that you give, the more I will worship you. I have seen your fire. You give me plenty of reasons to adore it. I want you. You silly, unruly thing."

"I—" I swallowed, overwhelmed by his revelation and taken aback by his words. My stomach was a handful of butterflies. Nervous, flitting butterflies. "I want you, too."

I truly did. Being this close to him made my nipples harden and heat gather in my lower belly. Not only that, but it felt right.

"Good."

The binds holding him vanished. Before I could think or respond, arms snared around my waist. He swept me off the ground and into his hold before I could even blink.

I whizzed through the air. I was weightless, gliding like a paper airplane, but I wasn't afraid. The arms that held me were too strong to let me drop to the stone floor.

His lips were on mine before I could react to the sudden change of position. And shit, he tasted so good. My back was pressed against the silky comforters as a ravenous, huge alien pinned me. Wait, there was a bed in here?

He was all muscle and smooth, delicious, lean body, so it was hard to make sense of how I got from point A to point B. All I could think about what his mouth, how it slanted over mine, and the demanding assault of his tongue.

He did nothing else besides press himself into me, which wasn't enough. I wrapped my legs around him, closing the last bit of space between us, and grabbed a handful of his hair. Even though it was a bit of a mess, it felt like silk in my palm.

"Don't hold back," I gasped around his kisses.

He answered me with what only could be described as a deep, masculine growl.

A hand snaked to my dress to pull it up over my shoulders. The way his tongue dipped in my mouth to claim mine, and the way his hands on me softened, told me that yes, he was definitely holding back. I rather liked this wilder, more dangerous side of him, but I felt like I was dancing on a delicate edge.

Part of me didn't care.

My dress and undergarments did not go gently. The fabric tore with a shrrrkkk and snapped, leaving my breasts and sex exposed to the chilly air. A satisfied rumble reverberated through my shoulders. He must have liked what he saw.

His appreciative sounds spurred me to run my hands up and down his chest, fingers touching the glowing blue patterns, grazing over nipples and a beautiful chest I would have to ogle at another time. When I cupped the side of his face with my hand, he flicked his tongue out and ran it across my pointer finger.

Oh, god. For an ancient virgin, he certainly shouldn't know how to be so—

He nipped at the end of my finger with his teeth. "Your scent. Your taste. It is... intoxicating. I fear this will not do."

I didn't have time to respond even if I could, because his hands were under my knees, pulling them forward and underneath the cage of his massive body. A startled squeak left my throat and I willed my heart to slow its frantic beating.

Although his hands were rough and feverish, his mouth was tender as it pressed against the inside of my thigh. Skillful hands cupped the roundness of my hips, sliding down, ghosting over my knees.

The rasp of his flesh on mine sent a thrill straight to the aching part of me that demanded his attention. I knew I was wet. How could I not be?

His fingers spurred fire and shivers at the same time as pleasure intensified, building like a crescendo under his touch. Soon I was arching into him. "Dumuzi. Please."

This was torture. Touch me already!

His face dove between my legs, kissing the very place that I needed, and I nearly shot off the bed at the pure ecstasy that pulsed in my veins. A hand reached up and cupped my breast, flicking a finger over my nipple. Roughly. Exactly like I needed it, almost as if he knew.

I hissed. "Fuck!"

Dark eyes looked up at me and I thought I was going to burn alive under the heat of them. "That is the plan. Calm your heart. I will not hurt you."

My thighs relaxed around him as his hands drew back and thumbed circles on my hip bones. This was who I chose to be with, after all, so I focused on steadying my pulse. My chest was rising and falling rapidly.

I nodded. "I know."

Then he returned to that spot.

I came apart, split in two. One half was lost to the warm tongue that explored me, and the other part could not comprehend the desperate sobs tearing out of my throat.

Could anyone else hear them?

My thighs trembled. As he dipped his tongue in my channel, it was as if he was possessed by some deep, primal instinct, and the need between my legs was almost unbearable. It felt so, so good, and I was about to–

Oh no, I can't–

As his mouth spurred heaven from me, I gasped and nearly screamed, "I don't think I can take any more of this!"

I had felt nothing so intense.

I wanted to let go, but this was too pleasurable. His mouth... the pleasure... it was going to fucking kill me.

He pointedly ignored me and I whimpered, "Please... don't... stop."

His tongue continued to work wonders—circling, tasting, leaving me breathless and thrashing as I bucked feverishly against his hungry mouth. Words were leaving me, strange blubbers and half-choked pleas.

I cried out when a finger sank into me, arcing at an angle that had me seeing stars. "Dumuzi! I—I can't."

"It is yours, Pearl. Take it," he spoke against my heated flesh, adding another finger. My spine straightened and my toes curled as he stretched me.

With a cry, I let go.

Wave after wave of blinding pleasure washed over me. I sank into that lovely abyss, falling deep. I knew I would resurface an entirely new woman–as if every part of my life had been burned to ash.

Mine, a voice in my head growled.

I cried out, tangling my hands in his hair, and rode out the ecstasy. If I wasn't so preoccupied with the aftershocks of my release, I would have freaked out that I was hearing voices in my head.

Or, rather, Dumuzi's voice.

The glowing letters on his skin pulsed, along with the light on my bracelet, every time I heard it. Mine, mine!

I was in two bodies suddenly, two minds. As the scorching pleasure subsided, leaving behind whispers of something more tender, I could feel my warm flesh in his mouth. I could taste myself on his tongue.

"Remarkable," he rasped. "I will demand much of this from you in the future. But I fear we have limited time."

His own need for releases hit me like a ton of bricks. Mine was a blazing fire, and his was the entire surface of the sun. The overwhelming desire he had for me–to bury himself in me, left me breathless.

It was like bloodthirst, but instead of violence, it was desperation. With a few fluid movements, the scant clothes on him were gone.

Toned, large thighs slid against mine, his face a foot away, eyes reflecting my hair sprawled out on the pillow behind me like an inkblot. My own eyes raked down his abs to the 'v' at his hips, to the large, hard member digging into the skin of my belly.

I sucked in a breath.

He was flushed at the tip; like the tones of a rose and the sunset, beautiful and uncut. But too thick and long for me not to feel apprehension. How was that going to fit?

He brought his forehead to mine, cutting off my view. We were in our own private tent of white hair spilling down his shoulders. He dove for my neck, teeth nipping there, as he thrust his hips gently. He must have sensed my apprehension.

I reached down between us and grabbed him and was rewarded with a quick hitch of breath. I swam through his head, trying to find his own apprehension, but I couldn't find much other than need. But there was a hint of surprise.

Good.

In my palm, he was warm, hard, yet silky smooth. My thumb ran over a bead of moisture at the tip, and I thought I heard him growl. Everything happened quickly then, because that did what I wanted it to—taking away his last bits of restraint.

With a movement, he was at my entrance, spreading my legs wide and baring myself to him. His purple eyes narrowed and flashed. "Mine."

He pitched his hips forward.

I ignored the pinch of stretching as his thick, blunt length sank into me inch by torturing inch. The pain didn't bother me; I danced in it. I thrust my hips to meet his—he was being too slow, too gentle, and maybe I wanted to burn for once.

The only thing to keep me from crying out at the fullness was the weird way I was in his head. From his perspective, I was tight, slick, and pure satisfaction so hot that it left my head swimming. I focused on that as he bottomed out.

"Ah." He shuddered as my inner walls clamped down around him. "You feel incredible."

A bead of sweat snaked between my breasts. I dug my fingers into the skin of his arms. He took me exactly like he had moments left to live; demanding, passionate, and with desperate thrusts that left my toes curling and my vision turning a stark white.

In his mind, he needed me more than he needed air. I couldn't tell where my body ended and where his began; we were one, body and mind, as mine, mine, mine, came with each move of his hips.

My body twitched. Everything was too much. His pleasure, my pain, my pleasure, his pain, I wasn't sure. His lips were on mine again, his tongue plunging into my mouth in tune with his movement, and I spasmed around his hardness. His pace increased as he hissed.

Mine, mine!

With a few short, quicker thrusts, he shattered.

Torture yet bliss, lava and morphine, and he wasn't so vocally reserved as I had been. My shoulders vibrated with his roar. My teeth clamped on my tongue, filling my mouth with blood.

It seasoned his own tongue.

He swallowed, shuddering with each pleasurable spasm as he filled me with warmth, even though there was no more room for anything. His fingers fisted the sheet by my head, and he buried his face in my neck.

We stayed that way for what felt like an eternity as I drifted on a cloud of infinite bliss. Every part of my body hummed happily. I ran lazy fingers through his hair, willing my heavy lids to stay open.

He tilted his face to mine and opened his eyes. His glowing purple depths were back, gazing at me with such tenderness that it pierced my soul. He stared at me as if I was a goddess; as if I were the many suns that gave life across the universe.

Dizziness overcame me. I was inside my head again, where only the pain was.

I winced.

A thumb moved to brush against my bottom lip. I tried to wiggle out from under him, but was only met with more pain.

"Try not to move, my hearts." His voice was rough. He said hearts. Did he have more than one? "Are you hurt?"

"No. But I think something is wrong."

It seemed like we were stuck together, and no amount of squirming could dislodge the rock-hard member in me. He was still hard?

He grabbed my hips and stilled me. I fought through the sudden onset of sleepiness in my mind, but all it did was leave me cross-eyed. There were two Dumuzis now. Both looked sated, and for the first time in a long time, calm.

He rested his head on the crook of my neck again. "We will remain locked like this, and you will sleep."

Sleep?

"We're stuck together? For how long? Will this happen every time?"

It was uncomfortable. I was entirely too full. He shook his head against my neck. A no. A breath of relief left me and I frowned. "What set you off?"

His body froze. I did, too, because maybe now was not the time for my questions. There was peace in him before, but now, not so much. Leave it to me to mess the moment up.

He positioned me with his arms, turning us over. He did it in a way that was gentle and caused no more pain.

I laid my head down on his chest. "Thanks."

"The council. They have said no. I am sorry that I failed you, Pearl. I promised to try."

His hands brushed the hair out of my face as I contemplated that, dread creeping into my chest, chasing away the bits of happiness that I was floating on.

Earth is doomed. No...

I gritted my teeth together and my breath hitched.

His fingers traced a lazy pattern on my shoulder. "Why are there tears?"

I groaned and turned my face away, hating the way the tears he spoke of spilled over my cheeks and onto him. Ugh. "My fault. I should just—why can't I just keep my fucking mouth shut?"

Before he could respond, the door interrupted our sad yet calm little bubble, slamming open with a thwack. "Yes!"

I jolted, looking up at Dumuzi's dark expression. He reached for sheets, draping them over our conjoined bodies. He glared murderously at the Enuki who barged in. "Get out!"

His voice shook the walls and made me shrink against him. It had been the first time I had heard him yell, and if I wasn't attached to him, I would have hidden under the bed.

Dumuzi rubbed my back; he must have realized that.

"I know in her culture this is immodest, but it isn't for us. Relax." Ogrik strolled casually through the room, his eyes glowing like two blue flames. He smiled. "I am just relieved. I thought she had died, by the frightening noises she made! Hydration for you," he said in a sing-song voice, giving me a bottle of water. I took it with shaky fingers, stuffing it somewhere in the bed, glaring at him too, because what the hell? "And you are alive, too, Dumuzi. This is wonderful news. The bond is complete! Do you feel any different?"

Any different?

No, not really. Other than being incredibly full.

My face was on fire and I was about to yell at him to get out as well, but Dumuzi got the jump on me. "You are not due for a few hours. You are no longer needed."

Ogrik froze, cocking his head to the side. "No longer needed?"

"Pearl is going back to her dwelling."

I was?

"What?" I asked, confused, no longer caring about our privacy. I met Dumuzi's gaze. His face was... dark. "Aren't we supposed to keep, er, enjoying ourselves for the next few–"

"No."

I blinked at him. Although he was still very much inside of me and hard, showing me he still wanted me, his words said the opposite.

Ogrik was about to protest, but Dumuzi held up a finger. "Gather her things. Once we are separated, she will go to her dwelling and rest. She will remain there."

More tears came. I furiously rubbed them away, putting my head back on his chest. Not only was I upset about the counsel's refusal to save Earth, but I was hurt by his rejection and seriously confused. I was too drowsy to sort out whatever was happening right now in my head.

What did I do wrong?