“Oh, should we?” Dra’vik raised an eyebrow at her mockingly. “And why do you want to talk about that?”
“You know damn good and well why, so don’t tease me,” she snapped. “This…situation is driving me freaking crazy. I need some relief and since you say you’re a doctor, you must know what I can do to make it stop!”
“I do,” Dra’vik said simply. “But you’re not going to want to do it.”
“What? Of course I want to do it!” she exclaimed, glaring up at him. “I’ll do anything. This has got to end!”
As she spoke, she shifted restlessly, wincing in apparent pain and discomfort.
“Anything, you say?” Dra’vik murmured. “All right, what if I told you that the only solvent that can rid your flesh of the pleasure blooms’ poison is male Monstrum saliva?”
“Er…what did you say?” She was frowning—obviously he hadn’t made himself clear enough.
“The only way to get the stuff that’s making you so sensitive off of you and out of you is to let a male Monstrum lick you,” Dra’vik told her patiently.
“What? You’re lying!” she said at once, putting her small fists on her full hips.
Dra’vik shrugged.
“Why would I lie?”
“To get a chance to…to suck my nipples and…and…”
“And lick your soft little pussy?” Dra’vik growled softly. “Did I offer to help you get rid of the pleasure blooms’ secretions? No,” he said, answering his own question. “I simply told you how to get rid of them.”
She took a deep breath and he could scent her embarrassment again, a slightly sharper edge to the sweet feminine fragrance she was exuding.
“All right,” she said. “I shouldn’t have assumed that. I apologize.”
“As for whether I’m lying or not, I can show you the chemical formulas and the way they interact if you want,” Dra’vik told her, not acknowledging her apology. “Though you couldn’t see them in the dark with your weak, human eyes. And I fucking doubt you could understand them, even if you could see them.”
The little female bristled.
“Listen up, you big asshole, I’ve got a PhD in botany with a specialty in rare and exotic plant species and I got straight A’s in both Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry so if you think you can show me a formula I can’t understand, your arrogant ass needs to think again!”
“I seem to have struck a nerve,” Dra’vik murmured, inclining his head. “Maybe it’s my turn to apologize.”
“All right.” She took several deep breaths and it was clear to him she was trying to calm down. She had a hot temper, he thought. Which didn’t put him off—in fact, he rather liked it. “Apology accepted,” she said at last. “And thank you for the information, from one professional to another.”
“You’re welcome, little girl,” Dra’vik rumbled, smiling a little, though she couldn’t see him. “If you don’t mind me asking, how do you plan to use the information, though? Do you already have a Monstrum you know well enough to ask him to suck your nipples and lick your soft little pussy for you?”
His words seemed to make her uncomfortable, because she shifted from foot to foot again, wincing as she did so.
“You don’t, do you?” Dra’vik murmured. “You only talked about Commander Rarev and I know he recently got bonded to another human female, so he’s off the table.”
“I know other Monstrum!” the little female jutted her jaw at him. “There’s my guide—Stor’kuum.”
“Stor’kuum?” Dra’vik couldn’t stifle the laugh that rumbled up from his chest. “Sorry little girl, but he’s old enough to be your great, great grandsire! Are you really going to ask him to help you out that way?”
“I…I don’t know,” she admitted, frowning. “I was just saying that I do know other Monstrum. And I don’t know you. And besides, like you pointed out, you’re not offering to help me.”
“What if I was?” Dra’vik murmured. Suddenly, he wanted her—wanted her with a fierce intensity he’d never felt before. He knew it was wrong—she was much too small for him and she would take one look at his Breeding Barb and run away screaming.
But her scent was calling to him and her obvious sexual desire was working on the male parts of him—the instinct that every Kindred, no matter what kind, had to help a female in need—was coming into play. He wanted to taste her and hear her moan…but he also wanted to end her pain and discomfort.
“I still don’t know if I should believe you,” she whispered.
“I can send the chemical formulas for both the pleasure blooms’ secretions and Monstrum saliva to your suite,” Dra’vik offered reasonably. “You can take the night to study them and come to your own conclusions. Then you can either come back and find me, or look for another Monstrum to help you. It makes no difference to me.”
Except it did, he acknowledged ruefully to himself. As ridiculous as it was to picture the two of them together, he didn’t want the little female to go find another warrior to help her. He wanted to be the one to ease her pain…and bring her pleasure. But he wouldn’t do it against her will—she had to ask for his help.