The patter of claws woke her from her trance. Tiern was back.

"Hey, fuzzy butt. How has your day been going?" Her chipper tone froze him in his tracks.

The enormous lion strode toward the little nest she had made on the bed and he elongated as he walked, shifting to two legs when he reached the dais that supported the round mattress.

As a man, he was extremely tall. Over six and a half feet if she didn't miss her guess and all taut skin and rippling muscle. One appendage caught her gaze and it was definitely taut, but not a muscle. A deep silver cock seeped a liquid that was reminiscent of mercury as he approached.

His chiselled features and high cheekbones flattered his dark brows, aquiline nose and full lips. An intricate design of tattoos marked him on face and body. Tiern was meant to be seen as a whole and not divided into parts. He was beautiful.

"Wow. You're pretty." It slipped out of her mouth before she could say anything intelligent.

He preened. There was no other word for it as he flipped his waist-length hair behind him and bowed formally to her. "And you have a beauty like no other I have seen. You glow from within, Lora of Terra."

"You looked me up. Was it the tattoos?" She glanced down at her belly and grimaced. The solar system that she had grown up in was stylized on her abdomen.

"That and there is a bulletin out for your safe return. A reward has been offered and all Alliance outposts have been alerted. You Terrans are quite the commodity." He was coming to her slowly, stalking her.

She couldn't help but respond by backing away from him until she was against the headboard and he was crawling toward her with disturbing feline grace.

"I am guessing that you are not going to be in a hurry to collect the reward."

He was slowly moving until he was hovering over her. His hands in the sheets at her side and his knees between hers. How she had let him get the better of her, she didn't know, but she was not upset about it. Her body was reacting to him, she wanted him and judging by the heat and hardness pressed against her, he was reacting to her as well.

"You have guessed correctly. I have never tasted a woman like you before."

She was instantly suspicious, it didn't sound flattering. His mouth was hovering over hers when she asked, "Why, what do I taste like?"

He leaned back and his eyes glowed dark silver in the light of the dome, "Mine."