by Dixon, Ruby
And every time I look, Thrand seems to be ahead of me. I know my brother a’ani is skilled with his hands and determined, but I never thought he would excel at such a task. Yet he finds more wood than anyone else, and trades with some of the other men for pieces that fit his floor perfectly, and as a result, I am not yet even half done and he is almost finished. Thrand is reckless much of the time, but when it comes to building Angie’s hut, he has all the careful precision of a master craftsman.
Which irritates me all the more.
By the time the suns go down and the beach empties out, I am full of frustration. The floor I am making looks good, and I am carefully choosing pieces of wood that fit well together and make the floor relatively even, but I will not be done nearly as quickly as Thrand. After the floor is finished, I want to make her a padded bed to place under her furs and a screen so she can separate her furs from Glory’s when the child is older. I want it to be comfortable and pleasant, and I want her to love it. I want her to gaze upon it with that wonderful shine in her eyes and then turn to me with the look on her face that makes me feel as if I am so much more than just a gladiator, a clone who dares to reach above his station for a female. So I work later than the others, not caring that it is dark and icy. I walk along the beach looking for logs that the others might have missed, or that might have washed up in the hours since I last walked these shores. I am exhausted from hauling the large logs all day, plus carefully shaving down the knots with the crude stone tools available. All of this takes time and effort, but Angie is worth it. By the time I head back to the tent I share with Thrand, I want nothing more than to crawl into my furs until daylight so I can start all over again, but I turn toward Angie’s cave instead. I won’t be able to sleep until I know she’s safe and comfortable. I pick my way past the cave where the unmated females cluster in together, sharing warmth, and see that the screen in front of Angie’s cave is cracked and her fire has coals. I duck my head in to see if she is awake, and my eyes meet hers.
Her smile is brilliant and immediate. “There you are. I was wondering if you were going to come by.” Her voice is a soft whisper, and her arms are empty, Glory tucked into a small basket next to her furs. She waves me in and I enter carefully, sliding the screen over the entrance behind me.
“It is late. Why are you not asleep?” I kneel beside her fire, stoking the coals to give off more heat. She will be chilled if the fire dies.
“It is late. Why are you peeping into my cave if that’s the case?” There’s a tease in her low voice, and she pats the furs at the foot of her bed, indicating I should sit with her.
I shrug and move to where she directs. “I would not be able to rest if I did not check on you and Glory. How does she do this day?”
Her smile is a little troubled. “She’s been fussy. Well, for her. Just restless and isn’t eating all that well. Harlow says it’s normal, that every baby waiting for a khui gets like that because the atmosphere here starts to affect them. She says it’ll get better when she gets the khui, but…it’s still hard to see.” Discreetly, she pulls the basket a little closer to her, as if needing to reassure herself that the baby is well.
“Trust Harlow,” I reassure her. “She has done this before. If you need anything, I will get it for you, though. You only have to ask.”
Angie smiles, her expression distracted, and then picks up one of the leather cloths she uses for the baby. She dips it in a nearby bowl of icy water and then brushes it over my arm. “You’ve got mud on your bicep.”
I glance down. I am filthy with sand and mud, and I am tracking it into her cave. “I should leave,” I tell her, disappointed. “I do not want to make a mess here.”
When I start to get up, she holds onto my arm. “No, Vordis, stay.”
My blood heats, surging through my body. Need roars through me, and I force myself to be calm as I look over at her, at her shy expression and shining eyes. My female. My Angie.
I will gut Thrand if he tries to touch her.
The violence of my thoughts is stunning—and shameful. Thrand is my brother and companion. He cannot know how strongly I feel.
“You can clean up in here,” she’s saying, her beautiful lips moving. Her fingers brush over my skin, and my cock throbs in response. “I…have a favor to ask.”
“You need me for warmth?” This day is turning out better than I had hoped. Spending tonight curled up with Angie, breathing in her scent, touching her skin? It will be the most exquisite torture.
“Not if you don’t want to. I’d love that, but…something else, actually.” Angie bites her lip, the charming gap between her front teeth pulling my attention to her mouth. “The sa-kohtsk hunt is tomorrow, to get Glory a khui, and Liz and Raahosh’s new daughter, too. There’s going to be other sa-khui hunters there, of course, but I was wondering if you’d go with me…unless you’re busy. If you are, that’s totally okay.”
She looks troubled. As if I would refuse her such a simple request. It will mean I will lose a day of working on my hut, and Thrand will pull ahead in the race. He will finish before I am even close…but I can refuse my female nothing. She needs me, and so I will be there. “Of course, my Angie. Anything you ask shall be yours.”
Her smile widens, and she strokes her hand up and down my arm again. This time…I do not think she is cleaning it. I think she is enjoying touching me, and my heart races at the realization.
I wait for her to kiss me, to touch me like she has before—or even more arm-stroking. I will take anything she gives me…but she just smiles awkwardly and drops her hand. "So I guess I'll see you first thing in the morning?"
I almost nod agreement, disappointed she does not want me in her bed. I should tell her that I will greet her when the sun rises, but some of Thrand's craftiness comes out in me and I clear my throat. "Do you find it cold tonight?"
"Cold?" Angie looks surprised.
"You were shivering," I say, even though she is not. "It is my duty to keep you warm." I try to keep my expression neutral, guileless, even though the lie hangs in the air. Surely she will see through my selfish plan. "I will not leave your side this night, not when you are so cold."
Angie looks confused for a moment and then gives me a shy smile. "All right. If you don't mind. It does get cold at night."
For a moment, I am surprised she is inviting me to her bed. Hot pleasure soars through me, and I find myself grinning. She is beautiful and I am the luckiest of males to be here with her right now. "Excellent." I rub my jaw and then grimace as sand brushes off in my hand. "I should clean first."
"I have water and cloths," she says, yawning delicately as she gestures. "Feel free to use them."
"My thanks," I tell her and get to my feet, crossing the small cave. I take the bowl of icy water and move it away from where Glory sleeps so I do not spill any on her. There is a small flat area off to one side that Angie is using as a shelf of sorts, and I move towards it, setting the bowl down carefully. As I do, I see a variety of small objects neatly placed together—the treasures I have brought her. My carvings look terrible, but she has kept all of them, and they are lined up in the order I gave them to her. "You kept everything," I say, surprised.
"Mm?" When I glance over at her, she cranes her head, trying to see what I'm looking at. "Oh, yes. I love them." Her smile is beautiful in the low firelight. "You always make me feel special." She shrugs and settles down in her blankets. "Are you sure you want to stay here tonight? I, ah, normally have to get up and feed the baby a few times. Is that going to bother you?"
"I am a warrior," I tell her, secretly pleased she is not objecting to my presence. I wet one of the cloths and wipe water over my arms, washing away grit and sweat as quickly and efficiently as possible. "I have gone days without sleep before."
"Really? I thought you fought in arena battles."
"For a time, yes. When Thrand and I were first cloned, we were guards on a prison planet, though. It was run by a corporation who thought that a'ani would be chea
per than paying employees. The prisoners were very crafty, and many times they would try to break out, so there were days upon days that we would work double shifts, just to make sure that there were enough males on guard. And then, of course, there were the survival arenas."
Her eyes are wide. "Prison planet? Survival arenas?" Her lips part and she studies me closely, her gaze following the cloth as I wash. "Wow, you've really lived an interesting life."
Now I am the one that is surprised. "No more than any other clone. They are not interesting stories." I am not used to having someone pay such close attention to my tales…Thrand is my only constant companion and he has lived them all beside me.
"They sound interesting," Angie says, turning on her side to watch me. Her eyes are sleepy, but her gaze is intent, as if she finds nothing more interesting than watching me clean myself. It is…odd. If I were watching Angie, I would be hard with need, thinking of the softness of her skin and how perfect she is. I do not understand why she watches me, though. I am a mere clone, and one of many warriors here. I straighten my shoulders, washing with deliberate motions to draw her attention to my chest, my arm, my stomach. Her gaze follows everywhere I touch myself and my cock is as hard as metal at her fascination. “Then I will tell you more, if you like.”
Her smile is shy. “I like hearing you talk.”
I shake my head, because such things are still surprising to me. “I am just a’ani, Angie. Nothing special.”
“Not to me,” she murmurs, and heat courses through my blood.
I finish washing and turn to her, my skin damp. Bathing no longer interests me. I want to know if the words she speaks are true, if the smiles she sends in my direction are for me—for Vordis—or just simple politeness. “You kissed me a few days ago,” I say slowly. “Do you remember?”
She gives a little laugh. “You think I go around kissing so many people that I’d forget? You’re overestimating the wiles of a pregnant lady.”
Is that all she sees herself as? It surprises me, because there is no other female as desirable and sweet as Angie. She is loving, and beautiful, and strong. The fact that she carried a child just makes her more worthy in my eyes, not less. Are human men so ridiculous? “So you have kissed no one but me?”
“No one else,” Angie agrees, her face averted.
“I would like to kiss again.”
She bites her lip. “I…Vordis, I’m not supposed to have sex for at least a few more weeks after Glory’s birth.”
I look at her in surprise. “You are offering to mate with me? For a kiss?”
“I…” Her mouth opens, then shuts. “No, I mean…that wasn’t what I meant.” She grows flustered. “I just wanted to set expectations for the kiss.”
“All I wish is to touch you and put my mouth on yours,” I tell her. My aching cock demands more, but it is easy to ignore.
Well…not so easy. But I will endure the throb of it as long as I get to hold Angie.
“Oh.” She touches her mouth. “Okay. Yes. If you want to.”
“I would not ask if I did not want to.” I set the towel down carefully and move to her side, my gaze locked on her lovely face.
Angie gazes up at me, her expression vulnerable. She touches a lock of her hair self-consciously, tucking it behind her ear as she moves over on the bed, a silent invitation for me to join her once more. I sit down across from her, and she puts a finger to her lips, indicating the baby’s basket. “We should be careful not to wake her up,” she murmurs.
As if I am going to start shouting if I kiss her? But I notice her hands are trembling—she is nervous. I take the finger she has pressed to her lips and bring it to my mouth, kissing the pad. “Do not be afraid,” I murmur to her, kissing her soft skin. “It is only Vordis. We have kissed before. Nothing has changed.”
Her little laugh is huffed and breathless. “I’ve had a baby since then. I’m not feeling my most beautiful—”
“Nothing has changed,” I state again softly, and then pull her into my arms. She touches my face, and then her lips are on mine, and then nothing else needs to be said.
16
ANGIE
Having Vordis in my furs is wonderful. We don't do more than kiss and caress, but it's nice to be held throughout the long, chilly night, and to feel his warmth against me. I wake up twice to feed Glory, and each time, he runs his hand over my body when I get up, as if he's reluctant to let me go. He watches me nurse her, and when I change her soiled wraps, he watches closely because he says he wants to learn.
A gorgeous, protective man interested in my baby? Be still my beating heart.
Before I know it, it's morning, and Vordis awakens me with a caress on my cheek. We eat quickly and then dress in our warmest furs. I see that the beach encampment is busy despite the early hour. Some are going with us, and others look busy making new huts. Interesting. But then Liz is at my side and pulls me along, and our group is off to go trekking through the snow after the sa-kohtsk.
I've been told that traditionally the sa-khui hunt down the enormous things for their khuis. Every creature has a khui, but the sa-khui people believe that the sa-kohtsk have the best ones, the strongest since they are the largest animals in this world. It makes sense, and I figure nothing’s too good for my Glory. Liz’s daughters are back at camp with Gail and the others, so Liz and I double up on a sled with our babies. Raahosh pulls it through the snow while Vordis and several other hunters jog beside it. The air is brisk, and Glory's a little fussy, chirping her distress as the wind brushes against her face. I keep her wrapped as tightly as possible and when Vordis offers me his fur cloak, I take it and pull it over my front like a blanket, tucking Glory underneath it.
Liz already looks as slender as ever, and if it wasn't for the baby in her arms, I'd never know she'd just given birth. Ahsoka is a cranky child, though. Liz shows her off proudly—she's all pale blue skin and dark hair like her father, and her little mouth screws up with angry cries constantly, which Liz finds adorable. "She looks like her dad and is pissy like me," she says proudly. "Couldn't ask for a better combination in my darling little shit stirrer."
I just laugh. Here I was thrilled that Glory was such a good baby, and Liz is thrilled to have an angry one. I think of her little family—sly Raashel, huggy Aayla, and now the new baby. Raahosh is clearly a doting papa, and he fusses over Liz despite the fact that they've been mated for years. At one point, Ahsoka's so fussy and unwilling to settle that Raahosh hands the sled “reins” over to Pashov, and he pulls us while Raahosh takes his tiny daughter and walks around with her tucked against his chest.
"He's got the magic touch," Liz whispers. "They all freaking love being held by him. It's the big hands."
I smile, thinking of Vordis and his big, crimson hands and how they feel against my skin. Being held by someone so large definitely has a comforting factor to it. I look over at Vordis and notice he's watching me, and I beam at him. I hope he's going to sleep with me again tonight. And tomorrow night.
And every night.
And who knows what will happen when I get the all clear to have sex again?
I blush at my thoughts, but the more I play with the idea, the more natural it feels. I'm fascinated by Vordis and his protective nature. He's always seen me for me, ever since I got here, and he always makes me feel safe. Sure, he's an alien, but less strange than some of the islanders or even Gren…and Gren's mate Willa is ecstatically happy. If I can take a chance with anyone, it's Vordis.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. I just had a baby. There's plenty of time to figure things out. We're not going anywhere.
"It is up ahead," someone calls out, one of the trackers jogging back to our small group. "Just over the next rise."
The hunt begins, and then there's no time to think about anything else. Liz and I sit off to the side, guarded by Raahosh as the others descend into the valley and bring down the massive, ugly creature with spidery legs, stringy fur and too many eyes. The chest is cracked open and the khu
is exposed, and then we bring our babies to its side. Since I have no mate, Raahosh is the one that gently cuts Glory's tiny neck and I'm a little sickened when the glowing string of spaghetti that's the parasite wriggles its way into her and she goes limp in my arms.
"It's normal, I promise," Liz reassures me, holding Ahsoka out for the same treatment.
Then, we wait. The only thing that keeps the panic at bay is Liz's calmness as she cradles an unconscious Ahsoka against her chest, calmly chatting with her mate. I remember that I got my own khui not so long ago, and I fainted after that, too. It's just a thing, I guess. I won't rest until she opens her eyes and looks at me, though. As I rock her against me, I look around for Vordis's big body and the sight of him, stripped to the waist as he helps the others butcher the kill helps to distract me. We're not eating the sa-kohtsk, apparently, but we're not wasting the meat, either. Some will be used to bait traps, and some will be stored in back-up caches for emergency times. I'm told that the meat is stringy and unpleasant unless smoked, cooked, and smoked again, but when you're hungry enough, it'll do. The people here waste nothing. Vordis and Taushen work on skinning the creature for its massive hide, and it involves dexterity, climbing, and a lot of hard work, and the sight of all those sweaty crimson muscles does a lot to distract me.
Then, when it seems like forever has passed, Glory stirs in my arms, peeping. Relieved, I look down at her, brushing the blankets away from her sleeping face, and she blinks up at me with bright, khui-blue eyes. My own fill with tears, remembering how beautiful her catlike purple ones were. There's just a hint of cat now in her pupils, but the blue glow overwhelms everything. I feel like she's lost something, and I sniffle, full of emotions.