"are you scared again tonight, cidra?" he didn't move as she slipped in beside him. she could feel the tight tension in him.

"yes," she whispered. but not of the jungle outside, she added silently. she was frightened by the remoteness in him, terrified by the memories he must be rerunning in his head. he cradled her against him, and she felt the taut muscles in his arm. he hadn't even begun to relax, but she knew he must be thoroughly exhausted.

"go to sleep, cidra."

"i won't be able to sleep until you do."

he turned his head to look down at her as she lay in the circle of his arm. "then you're going to be awake a long time."

"i know." she put her palm on his bare chest.

"cidra, i think you'd better go back to your own sleeper. i'm not feeling normal. i'm not feeling in control."

"it's all right, severance." she nestled closer.

"i want you."

"i know."

"you don't understand," he said roughly.

"i understand." she waited.

severance shuddered, then turned suddenly and pinned her beneath him. his mouth came down on hers with the urgency of a man who is running toward the promise of safety in a wild and uncontrolled land.

chapter twelve

cidra was startled by the sudden intensity of hunger she felt in him. severance overwhelmed her. she had thought him exhausted, in need of comfort and human warmth; she had wanted to offer him gentleness and relaxation. but he was gathering her to him as if what she had to offer was life itself. as though he would feed on her in some manner.

"sweet harmony in hell, cidra. i need you."

his urgent mouth tasted her, following the line of her jaw to the curve of her throat. she flinched in surprise when she felt the edge of his teeth and then shuddered from the excitement of the sensation. her gilded fingertips sank into his sleek shoulders, and she turned her head into his throat. he groaned when she touched him first with her lips and then tried out her own sharp little teeth. the shudder that went through him was reward enough to tempt her further. cidra's arms slipped higher, curving around his neck.

"yes. tighter. hold me as tight as you can, cidra." she obeyed, her uncertainty fading as a new wave of feeling took its place. his mouth locked on hers, in an intimate contact that enthralled her. she parted her lips at his urging, allowing him inside. severance didn't hesitate. in his hunger he would take everything she gave. his tongue tangled with hers. cidra moaned softly as the wealth of sensation poured through her. she closed her eyes and let herself edge closer to a whirlwind she could not yet name.

severance's hands had been cupping her face, holding her still for his heavy kisses. now his palms slipped down, seeking the fastening of the shirt cidra wore. he raised himself a little bit away from her, and she shivered when his fingers parted the material. then he pushed aside the fabric and lowered himself back down on top of her. cidra's soft br**sts were gently crushed beneath the unyielding hardness of his chest. it was a strangely satisfying kind of pressure, and she instinctively moved beneath him.

"cidra, my sweet, strong cidra. you're so soft." the words were a dark murmur against her skin as severance shifted his weight.

cidra felt his hands gliding over her shoulders and down to her br**sts. when his fingers found one budding nipple and began to stroke it, she whispered his name far back in her throat.

the small cry seemed to please him. it also fed the physical urgency in severance. he lowered his head, taking the taut nipple between his teeth. cidra shivered as excitement unfurled deep in her body. her leg moved languidly, sliding over his. the fabric of their trousers was an unnatural barrier, one she no longer wanted.

severance took instant advantage of her small, unconsciously enticing movement. he pushed his leg between hers, letting her feel for the first time the waiting heat in his lower body. even through the clothing cidra was made fully aware of the straining male power in him. she wanted time to grow accustomed to the physical changes going on in herself as well as in him. but severance seemed driven now. he went to work on the unfastening of her trousers.

"lift up, cidra. hurry, sweetheart. i can't wait much longer for you." his hand was under her bu**ocks, raising her slightly so that he could force the pants down her legs.

his hand followed the clothing as she pushed aside the trousers. she felt his fingers curling into her hips, her thigh, and her calf. then the trousers were gone and she lay nude beneath him. her lashes lifted, and she found herself looking deeply into his shadowed gaze.

there was a drawn harshness in his face that brought back some of her earlier uncertainty. this wasn't how she expected a wolf to look when he made love. she had always imagined that there would be more gentleness, a kind of lingering tenderness.

she felt very vulnerable. at the same time there was a heated excitement flowing through her that even the uncertainty couldn't quell. this was severance. everything was all right with him. tentatively cidra drew her palms down his back, feeling the strong, muscled contours.

his hand flattened on her stomach, and he stroked her as he whispered rough words of desire against her throat. she responded to the words as much as to the touch, trembling a little as his hand moved lower. when his fingers tangled in the dark nest of hair above her thighs, she gasped.

"it's all right sweetheart. it's all right. it's going to be so good. i swear, it's going to be good. i need you so much. let roe touch you. just relax and let me touch you."

under the soothing onslaught of his words she parted her legs, allowing him an intimacy that left her feeling dazed. his hand slid lower, fingertips drawing strange, curling patterns over a part of her that had become unbearably sensitized.

"severance?"

"you're so hot and damp." he seemed awed by the response he was evoking. "so welcoming and ready. i want everything, cidra." he rested his head on her br**sts. "i know i should take this more slowly. but i can't.... you don't know how it's been for me. i want you so damned much."

she laced her fingers into the depths of his hair. "i want you, too, severance." the whispered confession startled her. but as soon as the words were out, she realized that they were nothing less than the truth. all thought of dispensing comfort or human warmth had vanished. she ached for something else now. there was a growing need to have him closer. his hand moved again between her thighs, and this time she knew she wanted more. she lifted herself, pleading silently for even more intimacy.