My eyes shot open as I took in a bedroom that was completely unfamiliar.

In more ways than one.

Instead of painted drywall, these walls were a cool, gray rock, with shelves carved in them. The bed I was on was more of a pile of soft pillows and blankets on top of a strange feeling mattress. On a table were oddly shaped containers and cups, made of what looked to be hammered gold.

Drakein moved into my line of sight, his designer suit out of place in what I realized was a cave. Turning my head to scan my surroundings I realized that cave was a vast understatement. It was an enormous cavern, with a smooth ceiling instead of protruding stalactites that I had seen in documentaries. Mineral deposits reflected the lights from the many oil lamps scattered on the walls.

It was ... beautiful.

“Do you like o -- my home?” Drakein’s soft question drew my attention back to him. The tightness in his mouth told me that my answer was important to him.

“Yes, it’s magnificent.” I tilted my head. “Why do you live in a cave? I thought that was your penthouse I was in earlier?”

“It was, but this is my true home. This is the place that I can truly be myself in. In your world, I have to hide what I am and constantly be on my guard.” His nose screwed up. “And the stench. I will never understand how you humans can survive the constant stink caused by your pollutions.”

Every muscle in my body froze. Human? Did he just say you humans? I knew there’d be a damned drawback to the hot man with delicious cock.

He was fucking nuts!

Drakein took a deep breath then hung his head. “You fear me now.”

Why the hell did I want to tell him no, I wasn’t afraid of him? I watched him in silence as he turned to a table. He picked up a plate filled with familiar fruits and slowly held it out to me.

“You should eat, Hudson.”

My stomach growled, loudly so I couldn’t just say I wasn’t hungry. Maybe playing nice would be for the best at the moment. “Okay.” I sat up and took the plate from his hand. I looked it over but didn’t see anything off about the food. After a slight hesitation I grabbed a golden apple and took a bite.

Drakein breathed a sigh of relief when I took a bite. “Thank you for trusting me.”

I was grateful he let me eat my fill without saying another word. I was starving. In fact, I didn’t recall the last time I had been this hungry. Finally, I couldn’t eat another bite. My fingers plucked at the burgundy blankets before I asked, “Where are we? Upstate somewhere? Why did you bring me here?” More to the point was how had he without my waking?

I remembered the lethargic haze and was afraid he’d drugged me.

“Brekken made a mistake. If he had known who you were to me he never would’ve touched you. I also made a mistake in not telling him about you. I should’ve trusted him. But that doesn’t matter now.” Drakein stared at me. “He bit you and because he realized you were resistant to his influence, he injected you with a small amount of venom. It was intended to make you easier to control so he could wipe the memories afterwards. He didn’t realize it would be dangerous to you.”

My hand flew to the side of my neck. When I felt the raised, irritated skin, fear skittered through me. “That wasn’t a nightmare? That really happened?”

Drakein nodded, watching me intently.

“You said venom?” I swallowed convulsively when he nodded yet again. “Will it kill me?”

Pain flashed in his gaze. “No, I did something to counter the venom.”

Hazy memories came to the front of my mind. Another bite, one that had me writhing in overwhelming pleasure as I begged for Drakein to fuck me harder.

Will you accept me?

“What did you do?” But I knew, deep down, I knew because I could feel him somehow. I sensed his determination, for what I didn’t know, but more than that, I could sense his longing for me.

Drakein met my wide-eyed gape steadily. “I claimed you as my mate.”

With those words, my fear took over. I scrambled off the bed and ran for the tunnel, racing through it as the light grew brighter. Then I was outside, on a ledge overlooking a meadow filled with bright flowers and off in the distance I could see a vast beach, with water lapping at the oddly colored sand.

With a sense of inevitability, I raised my gaze to the sky.

The lavender sky that was filled with a sun and two moons.