Chapter 211

Chapter 211: Chapter 211

Tempest tried to pay attention. She really did.

Tine stood in the middle of the settlement with what looked like half the population surrounding her, pointing from one building to another as she explained where everyone would sleep. The injured would be kept together near Gerax so he wouldn’t have to run across the settlement every time someone needed him. Families with children would get the enclosed structures first. The humans who weren’t comfortable sleeping near the alphas would be given space on the opposite side of the settlement, while Crilium’s soldiers and the rest of Dron’s men would rotate shifts through the night.

Then there were the alphas who had surrendered after the attack. Tine was far more wary about what to do with them. They had surrendered their weapons and claimed they had no desire to continue fighting, but after everything that had happened, Tine wasn’t willing to take their word for it. They would sleep together in one of the structures closer to the edge of the settlement and remain under guard until they could figure out whether they were truly done fighting or simply waiting for another opportunity to attack.

It was a plan. A surprisingly good one considering nearly two hundred people had shown up on Tine’s doorstep with absolutely no warning.

Tempest should have been listening.

Instead, she shifted her weight for what had to be the tenth time. Something was wrong. Or maybe something was finally right again. She didn’t know which. All she knew was the strange pressure she’d been feeling during the journey had gotten worse. Much worse.

Tempest pressed her thighs together.

That didn’t help.

If anything, the friction sent a pulse through her that made her suck in a sharp breath.

No.

Absolutely not.

Not now.

Her body couldn’t possibly be doing this now. She had survived another attack. Watched people die. Walked through the remains of a settlement that had been filled with children only hours earlier. Then she’d spent what felt like forever trekking across a damn alien desert while people collapsed around her. Her body had been exhausted. Her heat had practically disappeared.

Apparently, it had only been waiting.

The moment Tempest had walked into Tine’s settlement and realized there were walls around her, people standing guard and somewhere safe to sleep, the pressure had started building again. Now it was becoming impossible to ignore.

"And Crilium believes his fighters can take the northern section tonight," Tine continued. "That will give the others time to rest. Tomorrow we can begin establishing something more permanent."

Tempest nodded even though Tine wasn’t talking directly to her. She had no idea why she did it. Maybe she was trying to convince herself that she was still following the conversation when she hadn’t heard more than half of what Tine said.

She shifted again.

Wetness slid between her thighs.

Tempest’s eyes widened.

Oh.

Oh, shit.

She glanced around quickly as if someone else might somehow know exactly what had just happened. Nobody was looking at her. Good. She slowly pressed her thighs together again and instantly regretted it when the movement sent another pulse through her core.

More slick leaked from her.

Fuck.

Her heat was back.

Not coming back.

It was ravaging her like it never had before.

The realization should have terrified her, but another throb rolled through her core so violently that Tempest almost moaned in the middle of Tine’s settlement. She covered it with a cough, but Mexyn still glanced at her.

Tempest smiled.

Mexyn frowned.

Tempest looked away.

Nope.

She was fine.

Perfectly fine.

All she needed to do was get through whatever Tine was talking about, find Dron and very calmly explain that apparently her body had decided now was the perfect time to lose its fucking mind.

Another rush of slick ruined that plan.

Tempest squeezed her eyes shut.

She needed Dron.

The thought came so quickly there was no hesitation behind it. No embarrassment. No attempt to rationalize what was happening or convince herself she could handle it on her own.

Dron.

She needed him.

Not eventually. Not after they figured out where everyone was sleeping. Not after he finished talking about armies and supplies and whatever the hell else needed to happen before they went back to Thraqe.

Now.

Tempest opened her eyes and immediately searched the crowd, but she didn’t have to look far.

Dron was already walking toward her.

Her entire body reacted.

Fuck.

That was new.

Or maybe it wasn’t. Maybe everything had simply been too muted by adrenaline before for her to realize just how bad this was going to get. Dron moved through the crowd with that same powerful stride that had always made Tempest notice him, only now she noticed everything.

His shoulders.

His arms.

His chest.

The way his thighs moved beneath his pants.

The black markings along his skin.

His mouth.

Oh God, his mouth.

Tempest swallowed and another rush of slick gathered between her thighs.

Dron’s expression changed.

He stopped.

Tempest stared at him from across the short distance separating them. His nostrils flared once, then again, and suddenly the realization of exactly what he was doing hit her.

Oh no.

He could smell her.

Of course he could smell her.

Because apparently having an alien heat cycle wasn’t humiliating enough.

Dron’s eyes darkened.

Tempest’s nipples tightened beneath her clothes.

She wanted him.

That wasn’t even a strong enough word for what was happening inside her. She needed to climb him. Needed his hands on her. Needed him so badly that even the distance between them suddenly felt offensive.

Dron started walking again.

Faster.

Tempest forgot Tine was speaking. Forgot Mexyn was beside her. Forgot there were people everywhere.

All she could see was Dron.

He reached her and immediately wrapped one hand around her arm.

"Tempest."

His voice was low and rough.

Her knees almost buckled.

"Don’t do that."

His brow furrowed. "Do what?"

"Talk like that."

His nostrils flared again before his entire body went still. Tempest watched the understanding move across his face.

"Your heat."

"Yeah."

"I thought it stopped."

"So did I."

Dron looked her over and Tempest wished he wouldn’t because she knew exactly what he was going to see. Her breathing was too fast. Her face felt like it was on fire, and she couldn’t stop shifting her thighs against each other no matter how hard she tried.

His gaze started to lower.

Tempest grabbed his shirt.

"Don’t look."

Dron’s eyes snapped back to hers.

"I can smell you."

"I know."

Moon Goddess, the way he said it.

Tempest squeezed his shirt harder.

"Dron."

That was all she managed.

His eyes changed.

Whatever calm, rational thought had still been inside them disappeared.

He leaned closer. "Room."

Tempest nodded immediately.

"Yes."

Dron turned toward Tine. "I need a room."

Tine stopped talking.

"What?"

"A private one."

There was something in Dron’s voice that made several people nearby turn toward them. Tempest wanted to die.

No.

Actually, she wanted Dron.

Death could wait.

Tine looked from Dron to Tempest and her eyebrows rose. Understanding appeared almost immediately.

"Oh."

"Now."

Tempest buried her face against Dron’s arm.

Could this possibly get more embarrassing?

Tine glanced toward the structures behind her. For a second, Tempest thought she was going to remind Dron that finding somewhere for nearly two hundred unexpected people to sleep was already difficult enough without him demanding private accommodations. Instead, she pointed toward the far side of the settlement.

"There’s an empty structure near the western wall. It’s small, but no one has been assigned there yet."

"Good."

"It only has one bed."

"Better."

Tempest’s head snapped up.

Tine’s lips twitched.

Oh, she knew.

Of course she fucking knew.

Dron started pulling Tempest away before Tine could say anything else and Tempest followed willingly.

For about three steps.

Then Dron wasn’t moving fast enough.

"Faster."

He looked at her. "We are surrounded by people."

"I don’t care."

"You will."

"I really won’t."

Dron increased his pace, but it still wasn’t fast enough. Tempest clung to his arm as they moved through the settlement, every step making the problem worse. The movement of her clothes against her skin was torture. Her breasts felt heavy and sensitive, and the pressure between her thighs had become a constant ache.

She needed him.

Her body kept screaming it.

Dron.

Dron.

Dron.

Someone called his name.

Dron ignored them.

"Mark Chief!"

He kept walking.

Tempest almost laughed. Normally Dron would have stopped. He’d spent the entire journey stopping every few minutes because someone needed something from him.

Not now.

Good.

They could figure it out themselves.

Dron belonged to her right now.

The thought was possessive and ridiculous and Tempest didn’t give a shit.

She stumbled and Dron caught her immediately.

"Tempest."

"I’m fine."

"You are not."

"I will be when we get to the room."

His jaw clenched.

Tempest saw it.

She also saw the way his markings were beginning to move. The dark lines shifted beneath his skin like smoke and her mouth went dry.

She remembered exactly what happened when they did that.

Her gaze dropped.

Bad idea.

Very bad idea.

Dron caught her chin and forced her to look at him.

"Do not."

Tempest blinked innocently. "Don’t what?"

"You know."

She did.

She absolutely did.

"I can’t help it."

"You are making this worse."

"You think this is bad for you?"

Dron growled.

Tempest nearly stopped walking.

The sound traveled straight through her and her body clenched hard enough to make her gasp. Dron froze when he felt her grip tighten around his arm.

"Don’t," Tempest whispered.

"You told me not to speak."

"Don’t growl either."

His eyes narrowed. "Why?"

Tempest stared at him.

He knew why.

The bastard absolutely knew why.

His mouth twitched.

"You did that on purpose."

"I did nothing."

"Liar."

Dron started walking again with Tempest practically glued to his side. The structure Tine had pointed out finally came into view and Tempest felt like she could have cried from relief.

Thank God.

She released Dron and practically ran the last few feet, grabbed the door and shoved it open.

She had never seen this room before.

She didn’t care.

It was small and clearly meant for no more than one or two people. There was a bed against the wall, a low table beside it and little else. It could have been a storage closet for all Tempest cared. It had four walls, a door and, most importantly, no one else inside.

Dron stepped through the doorway.

Tempest grabbed the front of his clothes and yanked him inside.

The door slammed shut behind him.

Finally.

Privacy.

Safety.

Dron.

The last thin thread of control Tempest had been holding onto snapped.

She shoved him against the door and kissed him.

Hard.

There was no hesitation. No slow buildup. No playful teasing. She had spent too long needing him without understanding just how badly she needed him. The battle had hidden it. Fear had buried it. Adrenaline had forced her body to wait until survival was no longer the only thing that mattered.

Now there was nothing holding it back.

Tempest kissed him again before he could speak. Her hands moved over his chest, shoulders and arms, unable to settle anywhere because touching one part of him only made her want another.

Dron caught her waist.

Tempest pressed closer.

Not enough.

Nothing was enough.

She broke the kiss just long enough to breathe.

"Dron."

"I know."

"No." Tempest shook her head. "You don’t."

She grabbed him again.

"I need you."

Dron’s control shattered.

He lifted her and Tempest wrapped herself around him before he even had to ask. Her mouth found his again as he carried her farther into the unfamiliar room.

This.

This was what her body had been screaming for.

The second Dron held her against him, some tiny part of the agony eased. Not enough. Not nearly enough. But enough for Tempest to know there was only one thing that was going to make the rest disappear.

She pulled away from his mouth.

Dron’s eyes were nearly black and his markings twisted beneath his skin.

Tempest grabbed his face.

"Mate me."

Dron went still.

Tempest didn’t.

She kissed him again.

"Now."