Daahn Rising by Brenna Lyons Page A

until we were collecting. ”
    Allow? Zondra bristled at that and knew it was seriously pissing Evan off.
    Is it intended to? She was sure Rayn wasn’t oblivious to the instincts of a mating male. That meant he had to be doing this on purpose. Doesn’t it?
    Evan’s mouth snapped shut with a clack of teeth against teeth.
    “ So, Duncan. What’s it going to be? ”
    “Fuck!”
    “ I’m sure that’s your choice as well, ” Rayn taunted.
    “When this is over, I’ll feed you those words... along with my fucking fist.”
    “ So every Xxanian male I’ve dealt with in the last thirty years has threatened, more or less. Until then, you need me, and you will follow my rules, Duncan. ”
    He’s challenging Evan to make his musk more potent. It was brilliant but suicidal. Rayn had a serious set of balls to do this to a male involved in mating.
    “And when this is over, and I don’t need you?” Evan countered.
    Rayn’s chuckle was dark and somewhat mean. “ I manage to stay out of a Dominant’s path until mating settles him. ”
    Zondra bit back a smile at that.
    “Awfully sure of that. Aren’t you?”
    “ As sure as I am that you’re about to choose to have sex with your mate and find some way to keep me from seeing her body. ”
    Evan hesitated long enough to make Zondra wriggle nervously in his arms.
    “You’re damned right I am,” he growled.
    “ See? You only wasted five minutes arguing with me, coming to that decision. ”
    Before Evan could reply, the speaker clicked off.
    “Fucking asshole.”
    Telling him Rayn had good reason to taunt him and torture him would be counterproductive, so Zondra kept her mouth shut. The more potent the musk, the less time they’d need to collect it, most likely.
    Maybe I’ll tell him once we’re mated. A completely outrageous thought made her smile. Maybe that’s how Rayn has survived this long.
    Her smile faded at the sight of Evan glaring at the mirror.
    Let him. The more time he wastes, the less time we have to wait later.
    He didn’t waste much time at all. Evan settled her in the middle of the mattress, her back to the mirror. Zondra started to peel his T-shirt off, but a sharp hiss from Evan brought her up short with the cotton blend material gathered beneath her breasts. He motioned downward with his eyes, and she smoothed the fabric to her waist.
    That settled, Evan dragged the button-down shirt over his shoulders and dropped it to the mattress. Zondra stared up at him, her mouth-watering at the sight of all that luscious man.
    And he’s mine.
    In the next breath, he was between her knees, his mouth parting hers. The kiss was hard and deep and tasted of a challenge.
    Most likely a challenge to Rayn.
    Zondra followed Evan’s lead, though she ached to be skin to skin with him.
    One hand kneaded a breast. The other traced the line of her hip from front to back, pausing at her spine. Then he slid it down and cupped her ass through the layer of skirt. Her breathing went ragged that simply.
    His voice was slightly muffled against her chin and throat. “I made you a promise, and I always keep my promises.”
    He did? Zondra would fully admit that her nearly photographic memory had deserted her. She couldn’t remember what he’d promised her, though she was sure it was sexual in nature.
    As if in answer, Evan lifted her and sucked her breast into the heat of his mouth.
    “I’m going to spend a long, leisurely time sucking those pretty titties.”
    That was the promise he’d made. The decree. Zondra reached up and tunneled her fingers in his light brown hair.
    There was nothing leisurely about what Evan was doing to her. The suction was bruising in its intensity.
    Marks. She understood perfectly why he wanted to leave marks of ownership on her. While human men often disregarded scent, marking was a sign they wouldn’t miss. Especially the human doctors that have only done the most preliminary testing on me so far.
    His sucking became harder and more avid,