her delicate little body turned him on. Even now, as she lay there in her pale pink dress, he had to fight the urge to touch her, to bring her closer to him and bury himself deep inside her.
The unsettling mixture of lust and tenderness she evoked in him was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Like many Krinar, Korum had always regarded sex as a fun recreational activity. Most of his prior relationships had been casual affairs, similar to the fling he’d had with Ellet a few years ago. He liked women and he enjoyed their company outside of the bedroom as well, but he had never wanted to be with one on a permanent basis – had never felt the urge to claim one as his own.
Until Mia.
For some reason, this human girl appealed to his darkest, most primitive instincts. The way he felt about her went beyond sexual desire, beyond a craving for her tender flesh. What he really wanted was to possess her completely, to have her be his in every possible way.
It was not an unknown phenomenon among the Krinar. In ancient times, Krinar males needed to hunt and to protect their territory – and they were far more likely to do an effective job if they were strongly attached to their mates. It had been a simple evolutionary adaptation at the time – a male’s obsessive fixation on one specific female. Deeper than lust, stronger than love, it was a powerful combination of the two that ensured a man would give up his life to protect his woman and their offspring.
Over the years, as Krinar society became more civilized, that kind of attachment became less important to the species’ survival, and the genetic tendency toward it weakened over time. It still happened, of course, but it was a fairly rare occurrence in modern times – which was why Korum hadn’t realized what was going on when he first met Mia.
He hadn’t understood at first why he was feeling that way. All he’d known was that he wanted her – and that he had to have her. Even her initial reluctance hadn’t been enough to deter him; if anything, her wariness had intrigued him, triggering the predatory instincts he normally managed to suppress.
He had never pursued someone like that before, had never been less than considerate of a woman’s wishes, but with Mia, he had been ruthless. He’d gone after her with all the intensity in his nature, disregarding all notions of right and wrong. In less than a week, he’d gotten what he wanted: Mia in his bed, in his apartment – his to take whenever he wanted.
It had taken him far longer to earn her love.
To this day, he couldn’t help the anger that stirred in his stomach when he thought about her involvement with the Resistance. Rationally, he knew he couldn’t blame her for fighting back, for not trusting him in the beginning. She was a mere child in comparison to him; he should’ve been more cognizant of her fears, should’ve patiently seduced her instead of forcing her into the relationship. Perhaps then she wouldn’t have believed the fighters’ lies, wouldn’t have betrayed him the way she did.
But he hadn’t been patient. The strength of his emotions had caught him off-guard, blinding him to everything but the need to have her. What had begun as a sexual obsession had quickly become something much deeper, and Korum hadn’t known how to cope with that. He’d acted out of hurt and anger, using her against the Resistance as punishment for spying on him, when he should’ve simply explained everything to her, made her understand his intentions.
The fact that she loved him now was a miracle – one that he was grateful for every day. And if she didn’t remember him when she woke up, then he would use that as an opportunity for a new beginning, as a way to make amends for what happened before.
One way or another, Mia would love him again.
The alternative was unthinkable.
Finally, her eyelids fluttered open. She blinked, looking confused, then stared at him in open-mouthed shock.
Gently
The unsettling mixture of lust and tenderness she evoked in him was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. Like many Krinar, Korum had always regarded sex as a fun recreational activity. Most of his prior relationships had been casual affairs, similar to the fling he’d had with Ellet a few years ago. He liked women and he enjoyed their company outside of the bedroom as well, but he had never wanted to be with one on a permanent basis – had never felt the urge to claim one as his own.
Until Mia.
For some reason, this human girl appealed to his darkest, most primitive instincts. The way he felt about her went beyond sexual desire, beyond a craving for her tender flesh. What he really wanted was to possess her completely, to have her be his in every possible way.
It was not an unknown phenomenon among the Krinar. In ancient times, Krinar males needed to hunt and to protect their territory – and they were far more likely to do an effective job if they were strongly attached to their mates. It had been a simple evolutionary adaptation at the time – a male’s obsessive fixation on one specific female. Deeper than lust, stronger than love, it was a powerful combination of the two that ensured a man would give up his life to protect his woman and their offspring.
Over the years, as Krinar society became more civilized, that kind of attachment became less important to the species’ survival, and the genetic tendency toward it weakened over time. It still happened, of course, but it was a fairly rare occurrence in modern times – which was why Korum hadn’t realized what was going on when he first met Mia.
He hadn’t understood at first why he was feeling that way. All he’d known was that he wanted her – and that he had to have her. Even her initial reluctance hadn’t been enough to deter him; if anything, her wariness had intrigued him, triggering the predatory instincts he normally managed to suppress.
He had never pursued someone like that before, had never been less than considerate of a woman’s wishes, but with Mia, he had been ruthless. He’d gone after her with all the intensity in his nature, disregarding all notions of right and wrong. In less than a week, he’d gotten what he wanted: Mia in his bed, in his apartment – his to take whenever he wanted.
It had taken him far longer to earn her love.
To this day, he couldn’t help the anger that stirred in his stomach when he thought about her involvement with the Resistance. Rationally, he knew he couldn’t blame her for fighting back, for not trusting him in the beginning. She was a mere child in comparison to him; he should’ve been more cognizant of her fears, should’ve patiently seduced her instead of forcing her into the relationship. Perhaps then she wouldn’t have believed the fighters’ lies, wouldn’t have betrayed him the way she did.
But he hadn’t been patient. The strength of his emotions had caught him off-guard, blinding him to everything but the need to have her. What had begun as a sexual obsession had quickly become something much deeper, and Korum hadn’t known how to cope with that. He’d acted out of hurt and anger, using her against the Resistance as punishment for spying on him, when he should’ve simply explained everything to her, made her understand his intentions.
The fact that she loved him now was a miracle – one that he was grateful for every day. And if she didn’t remember him when she woke up, then he would use that as an opportunity for a new beginning, as a way to make amends for what happened before.
One way or another, Mia would love him again.
The alternative was unthinkable.
Finally, her eyelids fluttered open. She blinked, looking confused, then stared at him in open-mouthed shock.
Gently
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