The Barbarian's Captive by Maddie Taylor Page A

enjoy the ride as he thrust into her one more time. As he came, he shouted her name and claimed her as he did that first night.
    “Forever mine, Eva. Maes eternium .”
    As if she could ever forget it — or had any other choice.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 7
     
    T he thick, fluffy towel felt good against her damp skin as he gently rubbed her dry.
    “The burning has subsided?”
    “Yes. It wasn’t as bad as earlier, and yet, every time we, uh, join and you, well, you know.”
    “Spend my seed inside you?”
    “Yes, that. It seems to raise my body temperature several degrees. This morning, it was like I had a fever. The heat this time is more like the sting of a sunburn, but I still don’t think that’s normal.”
    “It’s the transformation. The reaction occurs in your cells, affecting your body fluids, including your blood, the oils on your skin, and the juices of your sex. It is spurred by our joining, the friction as we move together, the rising of our body heat, and our kisses, but the strongest catalyst is my seed which is the true transformer. The elevated temperature and burning sensation aren’t uncommon and should diminish each time as your body chemistry attunes to mine. This morning, the first time after the breaching, should have been the worst of it.”
    “Let’s hope.” She glanced back at him shyly as she wrapped the towel around her, overlapping the ends and tucking them between her breasts. Like every other man she’d been with, which she could count the sum total of on the fingers of one hand, excluding her thumb and including Kerr, he was nonchalant about talking about sex. When she tried, she stuttered and stammered over the words like a shy teen, despite her training and degrees. “I can’t imagine what it would be like if we weren’t matched.”
    “Little one,” he replied patiently. “If we weren’t destined to be mates, nothing would happen and your body wouldn’t change.”
    “Oh.” Silently, she processed all that he’d told her. “Do the males transform in any way, or is it all on the woman?”
    “We do, although not in the noticeable ways our females do.”
    “You mean your hair won’t turn blonde and your eyes green?”
    “That has never happened to my knowledge, no.”
    “What happens then, exactly?”
    “We call it the hunger, because that’s how it is described by our men. It begins as desire, often on first sight, and with touch, time in proximity, and ultimately physical joining, we develop an appetite for one another that doesn’t fade over time, only growing stronger. It is nature’s way of propagating the species.”
    “It sounds disturbingly obsessive.”
    “To have your mate long for your body, and desire to be with you, is disturbing?”
    “We don’t have such a thing on our planet; there is desire, infatuation, lust, although that ebbs over time. That is why divorce is so common.”
    He frowned. “That word does not translate.”
    “I guess in your world that would be like becoming unmated.”
    He snorted. “Impossible. As I said, Primarians mate for life.” He brought a length of her hair to his nose and inhaled, before holding the same lock against her own, the scent, his scent, as stirring as it was startling.
    “Physical proof makes it more tangible than all of my words and explanations combined. Isn’t that true, doubtful Eva?”
    She met his gaze, his liquid eyes twinkling with a mix of humor and desire. Three times in less than a day and he still wanted more; he wasn’t human!
    “I’m Primarian. Our stamina is unrivaled.”
    “Does the transformation allow you to read my mind, as well?”
    “No, but you have a very expressive face.” The trace of laughter in his voice and his casual affection, warmed her, her cheeks flooding with heat at the capacity he had for readily discerning her thoughts and emotions. He let her off easy, though, and changed the subject. “I ordered some clothing brought in. It should be in the