by Ruby Dixon
“My female,” he rasps as he claims me. “My Mar-lenn. My wild mate. Is this what you wanted? Tell me.” When I moan, he drives me down harder on his length. “Is this what you need? To be claimed this hard by your male? To have him take you and take you?”
“Yes,” I cry, lost in his intensity as he fucks me so hard and says filthy things to me. My pussy clenches tight, and then I hold onto him for dear life as my orgasm bursts inside me, harder than I’ve ever come before, and every limb in my body seizes up in response.
He snarls low, then buries his face against my throat as he clenches me against him and his big body jerks with the force of his own release.
With a sigh, I cling to him, waiting for my thoughts to settle now that he has fucked them all out of my head. I am dimly aware of the warm water around us, his hand traveling down my back in a slow, steady caress, and the twitch of his big cock still inside me.
Zennek strokes a hand down my wet hair. “Did I hurt you? Just now?”
“Mmm, no. It was delicious.” I lift my head so I can meet his eyes and smile at him. “We must do that again, and often.”
He grins back at me. “Anything to please my mate.”
And I love to hear that.
12
ZENNEK
When I can delay no longer, I guide Mar-lenn back to the ship and the others. Resonance has quieted for us, our khuis singing a gentle, contented song instead of the frantic one from last night. We must have taken right away. I have heard that some resonate for days on end, but it seems we are not so lucky. I am proud that she carries my kit so quickly, but part of me would have liked to stay alone together for several more days, just devouring one another with kisses and caresses until we could stand it no longer.
But we do not have the supplies for such a stay. I would have to take her farther out, much farther out to the next open hunter cave…and it seems smarter to take her back to the others where she can rejoin her people. She would probably rather be with them than a shy sa-khui hunter.
So we head back toward the campsite of the others. We get there to find it deserted, the torn-up snow and easy-to-follow trail making it obvious that they were headed to the Elders’ cave.
When I tell Mar-lenn we must continue walking for a while longer, she does not complain. She just smiles at me and says one of her fransh words. I think she is agreeing, but her belly growls and I feel like the worst of mates. I have no food for her, no fire, and I continue to drag her along behind me in the cold. She does not protest, but I am angry at myself for not taking better care of her. I look around in frustration, and see a distant curl of smoke in the wrong direction.
A hunter cave, then. Someone has a fire. That will be Dagesh and his mate, hunkered down in a well-stocked cave. I watch that curl of smoke with a stab of resentment, and then grab Mar-lenn’s hand.
My mate is bold, and I will try being so as well.
Mar-lenn follows me without protest as we double back a short distance, heading toward the hunter cave. I remember last night the sounds of Dagesh mating his human and how uncomfortably hard it made my cock. I have heard others mate in the past, of course. We live in a community cave and I have seen and heard everything. But last night it affected me in a way it never has before, because every time his human cried out with pleasure, I imagined my human doing so, and it made my cock incredibly hard.
I hope they are quiet this afternoon, or I will be spending the rest of the day trying to walk with a stiff cock.
It is quiet as we approach their cave, and I pause a short distance away, at the edge of the cliffs. The privacy screen is over the entrance of the cave, and it goes against all manners to ignore it, but my mate is at my side and her stomach growls fiercely with hunger. We will be with the others by tonight, but I do not want her to wait a moment longer.
“Stay here,” I say to Mar-lenn, releasing her hand.
“Right here,” she agrees, a smile playing on her lips. “This time I will not wander.”
I give her a nod, and then because she looks so small and fragile, I give her a fierce kiss and then rush away. “I will not be long,” I promise her, and head toward the hunter cave with determination.
Hunter caves are for all to use, I remind myself. They are stocked full of supplies by all because it is expected that one will have to stop in from time to time due to bad weather or simply because of a late day checking traps. Anyone caught in a storm can seek shelter in a hunter cave and know that they will be fine for days and days upon end.
Really, everything in that cave is mine as much as it is Dagesh’s, I reason, and so I push the screen aside and enter.
Dagesh is in the furs with his mate, his female pinned underneath him. Her feet are on his shoulders and her face is bright red from exertion. They both hum with resonance, reminding me that my resonance mate is standing outside in the cold.
She gasps at the sight of me and pulls him down against her. “Dash!”
“Zennek,” he growls, tugging the furs higher to cover his mate’s pale body. “What are you doing? This cave is taken.”
I look away, because I have no interest in them. “My mate needs food. I am taking some of your trail rations,” I tell him, heading to the baskets at the back of the cave in the storage area.
The female makes a breathy noise, and I do not know if she is upset or aroused.
Dagesh just sighs at me. “Take it and get out. We are busy.” And he moves over his mate, her sounds turning to ones of pleasure.
Even an intruder does not stop them in their mating. I can feel my face heating, and I dig through the baskets quickly, looking for what I need. There are trail rations, in a small leather pouch. I grab them and tuck it into my belt, and then see another basket, this one with leather strips and remnants, and a small sewing kit. I grab it, too, and a waterskin, then turn and leave.
Dagesh does not even acknowledge me with a grunt—he is too focused on his mate.
I return to mine, my belt heavy with my new prizes. Mar-lenn gives me a curious look, her brow wrinkling as she studies me. “Everything all right? I thought I heard voices.”
“They sleep,” I tell her, my face hot. “I woke them.” It is only half an untruth—they were in bed after all.
“Should we go and say hello?” Her gaze searches mine.
“No,” I tell her. “We leave them alone.” I press the pouch of food into her hand. “Eat.” I shake the waterskin and it is half full, so I hand it to her. “Drink. We still have farther to travel before we reach the others.”
She takes a small bite, then coughs. “Spicy.”
I give her a worried look. I did not stop to think if she could even eat what a sa-khui eats. Her teeth are different than mine…maybe her gut is, too? “This is bad? I can find a cache, thaw a kill for you—”
“It is fine, very fine,” she tells me, and takes a sip, then offers me the waterskin. “But we will share, non?”
I drink, and when she holds a square of kah up to my mouth, it feels like a gift. I eat with relish, and like that she chuckles at my enthusiasm.
I wish I could stay out here with her forever.
* * *
For the first time in all my days, I am disappointed to see the Elders’ cave. In the past, I have always viewed it as a fascinating place, one of old stories long forgotten and curious artifacts. Now, though, it is full of people when I would rather be alone with my Mar-lenn. The other humans receive her happily, and she kisses cheeks and hugs people, smiling back at them as Vektal gives me a nod of approval.
That nod makes me blush. I know he is pleased that my mate looks happy and that she is not scared, but he does not know Mar-lenn like I do. I have learned in the last day that my mate is many things, but timid and afraid are not on that list. She is easy-going and quick to laugh, and does not save room in her heart for worries. I will be the reluctant one in our pairing, I think, the one that pauses to consider all options. I do not mind this. I like my mate’s boldness and I plan on
encouraging it.
Thinking of all the ways I can encourage her boldness makes me blush again.
“You need to get the language,” Vektal’s mate says. Her name is Shorshie, and she already carries herself with an air of authority, steering my mate toward one end of the cave. “Everyone is getting the language before we leave. I promise it’s painless.”
“Bon,” my mate says, and gives me a sly look. “Be gentle. It’s my first time.”
She winks at me as Shorshie snorts with laughter, and I bite back my own smile. Mar-lenn is deliberately trying to make me blush, I think. I like her teasing…and I plan to do some of my own when we are in private. I cannot be as flirty as her around the others, but I just smile back, because I will give as good as I get later. I think of how fiercely we mated in the stream, and how she demanded more with hungry little gasps even as I drove into her. She teased me because she wanted more mating. Is that what this is? If so, she will get it later tonight when we are alone once more. I vow to find a quiet place to sleep with my mate so I can lick her cunt until her teasing stops and her begging begins.
I like that thought very much.
Protective of my mate, I follow as Shorshie leads her toward the thing in the Elders’ cave that shone a red light into my eye and gave me Mar-lenn’s words. I watch, on alert, as my mate stands in place, unafraid, and waits for her turn, and when she collapses, I am there to catch her.
“She will be out for just a little while,” Shorshie reassures me. “And then she’ll be able to speak your language.”
I touch my mate’s face and look up at Shorshie and my chief. “Mar-lenn has more than one set of words, though.” When they look at me with confusion, I add, “She speaks fransh. It has words I do not recognize.”
Vektal looks to his mate, frowning, but Shorshie nods. “I can tell by her accent. Lots of humans speak different languages than mine.”
“I want the fransh words,” I tell them. “When she speaks any words, I want to be able to know them.”
“If the computer has it,” Shorshie says, and tilts her head, staring at the wall. “Do you, computer?”
“Please speak a few words of the language requested so I can identify it.”
Shorsie looks at me blankly.
“Mercy,” I remember. “As ‘thank you’. And ‘wee’ as ‘yes.’”
“Oh, I know a few words,” Shorshie says, clapping her hands. “Moulin Rouge! Um, baguette? Frère Jacques?” She snaps her fingers and begins to sing nonsense words aloud.
“Maman,” I add. “That is her mother’s name.”
“Language identified,” the strange disembodied voice of the cave says. “Would you like to acquire the language ‘Continental French’?”
I look at Shorshie and Vektal. “Would I?”
“That’s it,” Shorshie says, beaming. “Step right up.”
I move forward, waiting for the Elders to give me the words of my mate so I can know all her thoughts.
* * *
I wake up with a pounding headache a short time later and immediately search for my mate. She lies on a pallet of furs, stretched out next to a few of the other females. I move to her side and curl up next to her, brushing her mane away from her brow as she sleeps. I slide my tail around one slim ankle, needing to be closer than close to her. Her khui thrums low, singing to mine as I hold her tight. I will not be easy until she opens her eyes and smiles at me once more.
Others come in and out of the Elders’ cave. I see Aehako and Rokan, bringing in a fresh kill, and my brother Salukh is near the fire, talking gently to a few of the huddled females as he makes fresh tea. There is less fear on their faces today, but some of them still look quite unhappy. I am glad my Mar-lenn is of light spirits.
She stirs, groaning, and I rub my knuckles along her cheek. “This is worse than a hangover,” she mutters, squinting one eye open at me.
“Hang…over?” I bite back despair—did I receive the wrong words? I do not recognize this one.
“It means my head splits as if I drank too much.”
That I understand. “We have a tea that is good for headaches,” I say, touching her face. “Shall I get you some?”
“Yes, thank you.” She kisses my nose. “You are a good man.”
I am an impatient man, I decide, because all I want to do is fling her down into the furs and see if I can get her ankles on my shoulders like Dagesh’s mate’s feet. But she hurts right now and she does not need me pawing her. I stroke her soft mane and force myself to get up.
I move toward the fire, watching my mate out of the corner of my eye. She gets to her feet, speaks with another female, and then heads behind a screen. Behind it, I know there is a pot for relieving herself. I still keep an eye on her location as I stand by my brother near the fire.
“Tea?” he asks. “For your mate?” And he holds a bone cup up to me. His cup, I notice, and for some reason I feel a stab of irritation. I will not let my mate drink from his cup. She will drink from mine and mine alone…but mine is not here.
I am being foolish. “Is it headache tea?”
He nods. “Heads are heavy with too many words this day. There are aching brows all around.” He holds it out to me.
I take it, but my mate has stopped to talk to another female. They whisper, voices low, but my mate looks over at me and winks to let me know she is thinking of me. I will wait by the fire, then. I do not want her to feel crowded. Or…does she want me at her side? I do not know. This is my first time to be mated—pleasure or otherwise—and I doubt myself at every turn now that we are around the others. When we were alone and in the grips of resonance, it was easy. Lick her cunt. Claim her body. Make her wet. Wait for her sheath to clench with her release, and then take my own. Now, everything is different.
“What is it like?” Salukh asks, interrupting my thoughts.
I look over at him, confused. My thoughts are so full of Mar-lenn I have not been paying attention to my brother. “Eh?”
“What is it like? Resonance?”
It feels odd to have my capable, self-assured brother asking me about such things. I am the shy brother, the one no one thinks of first. “It is…not what I expected.”
“Better?”
“In all ways,” I admit. “She is perfect.”
He looks over at my mate, who listens as another female talks excitedly. She smiles patiently, and then glances over at me and licks her lips in a blatant fashion.
My brother laughs. I blush.
“I did not expect you to resonate to one such as that, I admit,” Salukh says. “I thought if a human resonated to you, it would be a quiet, timid one. Not one like that.”
“She is very different from me,” I agree. “But I like those differences. They are a good thing.” My Mar-lenn is bold enough to lead in the furs when she needs, and gives me the confidence to take the lead from her. She does not look ashamed to be with me. If anything, she looks as if she wishes to get away from the other females and return to my side, which fills me with pride. Perhaps I do not need to be a fierce hunter anywhere around her except in our furs. I catch myself smiling and notice she smiles back.
“I am happy for you,” Salukh says. “I have never seen you filled with such joy.”
I do feel as if I have smiled more in the last day than I have in all of my life. But I look over at my brother and his expression is thoughtful as he glances at the humans near the fire. He did not resonate. Both Pashov and I did, but Salukh’s khui remains silent. I put a hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry it did not happen for you, brother.”
“It will, at some point,” he says with a shrug. “Or it will not. At least now there is a chance.” He gestures at the tea pouch hanging over the fire. “We need to set up a second pouch and make a stew for the humans. They will not eat their meat raw.”
“No? But that is when it is juiciest.”
He shrugs. “Humans have different ways of eating.” I notice his tongue moves around their words easier, too. �
�Does your mate eat raw meat, then?”
“I do not know.” I look over at her. “She has eaten kah but nothing else.” I am suddenly filled with guilt that I do not know this simple answer. How do I not know what sort of meat my mate will eat? I want to rush to her side and ask her about this, but she is sitting with the females a short distance away, talking quietly to a teary-eyed one. She has my sewing kit out—she must have picked it up after she spoke with the others and threads a needle as she chats with the other female. Mar-lenn casts a smile in my direction, one that feels as if it is just for me.
“Come,” Salukh says. “Help me butcher the dvisti that was brought back. Or are you going to stare at your mate all night and be useless?”
I bare my teeth at him. Duty to the tribe always comes first, especially if my mate is safe near the fire. I follow Salukh and get out my knife, ready to assist with the messy work of butchering a fresh kill. My brother’s company makes the work go by fast, and I situate myself where I can watch my mate as I work. Salukh takes over the preparation of the meat while I scrape the gristle off of the hide, and as I work, I watch Mar-lenn.
My human mate is in the midst of the females, but I notice that she lets the others speak and she listens and observes. She participates, but I notice her head bends over her sewing and she talks to the crying one at her side more than any others.
Maybe my Mar-lenn is like me in that she is content to let others stand closest to the fire and take the lead. Perhaps we are not such an odd match after all.
Salukh elbows me, making my scraper skid across the hide. “You grin like a fool.”
I snort. “You would too.”
He grunts. “I suppose I would.”
13
ZENNEK
Being around the others again makes the night feel endless. The humans huddle by the fire, talking and drinking tea and eating bowl after bowl of a meaty, thick stew. Most seem content to pile together and chatter, and Mar-lenn is seated in the thick of them. I am too awkward to retrieve my mate, to boldly claim her from them and drag her to a private corner for touches. We will have privacy back at the cave, I tell myself, willing my body to be patient. We will claim one of the caves for ourselves, and set up a nest of thick furs so I can keep my mate warm as I devour her cunt all night long.