by Ruby Dixon
Of course, once I’m out of sight of the cave, I’m greeted with nothing but endless snow. The area that the main tribal cave is in is relatively flat, and behind me there’s nothing but steep cliff walls. Ahead of me, it’s rolling hills of white dotted with some pink trees that flutter here and there. In the distance, I can see cliffs, and even farther away than that, the hint of mountains. The day is clear and cold, and the two weak suns are doing their best to give off some decent sunlight, but it’s still not enough to warm the place up. I trudge over a nearby rise, slogging through the snow, and when I’m far enough away that I don’t think anyone’s going to race after me and drag me back to the cave, I stop to put on my snowshoes and wrap an over-cloak around my body.
And then I walk. The last time I went out to try and hunt, Hassen bitched at me about following footprints, so I’m going to do as I’m told. I find fresh tracks leading away from the home caves and figure they have to belong to one of the hunters. Using my spear as a ski-pole, I trudge along, looking for Hassen.
Or another hunter.
Or animals, I guess, since I’m out hunting.
Of course, the farther I get away from the cave, the more open and vulnerable I feel. Last time I ventured out, it wasn’t like this. Last time when I set out, I hadn’t been attacked by a metlak and one of those ugly, skinny cat-things, though. I remember them and the fear and anger on Hassen’s face when he realized I was out. That’s when I figured I was in danger. Now, I watch the snow, worrying that there are hidden dangers I’m not seeing behind every fluffy white hill.
I’ve been gone for maybe an hour when a large figure appears in the distance and starts stalking toward me, distinctive black hair fluttering over blue shoulders. Twin spears are crossed over his back. Yeah, I know that guy. It’s Hassen, and he looks pissed.
Okay, he also looks pretty badass at the moment and it’s making me go sploosh in my non-existent panties. Because seeing that arrogant swagger? That angry stalking thing he’s doing? It makes me think of our intense little round in the storage room, and my body is screaming for round two.
I’ve never thought of myself as a particularly man-hungry sort of girl, but Hassen? He does it for me. Which is why I fooled around with him despite knowing it was a bad idea and knowing that he was the douche that stole my sister.
Plus, out of this entire happy tribe of do-gooders and mommies, he’s an outcast. And boy, can I relate to that. He’s the one that doesn’t fit in, that doesn’t belong when couples are gathered around the fire and being cozy. He’s the one that never gets what he wants, and he sure isn’t the hero.
That kind of makes him my people, though, because I know how all of that feels.
So it hurts that he’s angry at me after what we shared. What we had yesterday was pretty awesome. I’m down for more awesome, but not if it comes with him trying to claim me. God, what would Lila say? She’d look at me like I’d lost my mind. And maybe I have. A quick throwaway fuck is one thing. Shacking up with a guy as a replacement to my sister is another.
And no matter what Hassen says to me, I know what it’ll look like to everyone else.
It just reminds me that I’m making the right choice. That he might be good to sleep with on the down-low, but it can’t mean anything—to him or to me.
As he approaches, I try to look cool. Like I’ve got things all handled and I know what I’m doing out here. “Oh, hey, Hassen. How’s it going?”
“What do you do out here, Mah-dee?” He crosses his arms over his nearly bare chest, emphasizing the pectorals I didn’t get enough time to lick yesterday.
I smile brightly. “I’m going hunting, of course.”
“Again you are by yourself? What games do you play?” Hassen’s frown is so dark, I swear people cringed three states over. “This world is dangerous.”
“No games. I want to help out. I want to learn to take care of myself. There’s no one at the cave except for pregnant ladies and elders. Everyone else is busy. And I had a teacher, but he got all butthurt and changed his mind about showing me how to hunt, remember?”
He steps even closer to me, and now we’re practically touching. My breathing becomes quicker, because I’m thinking about yesterday. About his big body covering mine. About his cock pushing into me, and the way he kissed me, and—
“You changed things between us, Mah-dee.” His voice is low, husky. Wounded.
Damn it. “Don’t guilt me. You could have said no.”
“How could I say no?” The look he gives me is devouring. It makes me prickle all over, and a familiar pulsing starts between my thighs. “I wanted it.”
“You want a mate. I just want a bit of fun,” I correct him. “It was never about commitment. It was about mutual need and pleasure. That’s all.”
“I do not want one night of you in my furs. I want you in them every night.” He reaches out and caresses my cheek. His fingers are incredibly warm and feel delicious against the biting chill.
“I’m not saying it just has to be one night,” I amend quickly. I know I wouldn’t mind another round. “But I’m not committing. No girl in her right mind is going to sleep with a guy once and then move in with him.” When he keeps touching my cheek, it takes everything I have not to lean into his caress. “Haven’t you heard of casual sex?”
“No,” he says bluntly.
Gah. “People don’t sleep with other people just for fun in your tribe?”
“Sometimes they do. I am not one of them.”
No, I guess he’s not, considering he was a virgin until yesterday. Still, the whole ‘needs commitment’ thing could have come up before I had my hands on his dick. He could have said something and then I would have found someone else to play with.
Except…I don’t think I would have. Hassen’s perfect for my needs because he’s solitary. He’s not heading back to the hunter cave to bro-down with the others to gossip. And he’s an exile, so he knows what it’s like to be lonely. And with this timing…it just made sense.
All right, the fact that he’s the hottest guy on the ice planet doesn’t hurt things, either. I mean, overall as a race, the sa-khui are good-looking. They’re tall, muscular, well-formed, and if you can get past the blue, the tail, and the horns? Oh, mama. In my eyes, Hassen puts the others to shame.
So, okay, maybe I wouldn’t have found someone else to play with. I just wouldn’t have played at all. I haven’t been attracted to anyone else like I am to Hassen. “You’re ruining what could be a good thing,” I tell him, since he’s sticking to his guns. “We could have fun together.”
“Yes, we could.” He caresses my cheek, and his thumb skates over my lower lip.
I have a feeling we’re not talking about the same thing. Damn it. And I wish that his touch didn’t feel so incredible or make my nipples as hard as diamonds. “I’m not changing my mind. I’m not mating. Not you, not anyone.”
Hassen’s hand drops.
6
HASSEN
Are all human females this stubborn?
I gaze down at my mate—because I do not accept otherwise—and she looks up at me with determination in her eyes, a defiant tilt to her small chin. It would be adorable if she were not so frustrating.
As it is, I am tempted to grab her and drag her into the snow and show her how good I can make her feel. Our mating yesterday is branded into my mind. I cannot forget it and relive each moment. Last night at my lonely fire, I took myself in hand and stroked off to the thought of her. Over and over again.
Two days ago, I would have questioned what was motivating me to continue. I was defeated. Alone.
Now, I have purpose, and my purpose is Mah-dee.
She speaks of independence, of not wanting a mate, but when I touch her, she leans in to my caress. She gazes up at me with hunger, and I know she thinks of what we did in the storage room. It is all I can think of.
So…I must convince her that I am the right mate for her. That a pleasure-mating with me will be just as satisfying as
She has crept into my heart like a bolt of lightning and left scorch marks wherever she has touched down.
I curse the day that I saw Li-lah, because she was tiny and frail and scared, and I thought she was what I wanted. I thought that she needed someone to take care of her and that I could be that male. I thought when I saw her this morning that she was coming to me. To tell me she’d changed her mind.
Seeing her here, her expression stubborn? It has just convinced me that she is the mate for me. I do not need a mate that wilts and cries. I need a strong, capable female who will challenge me and push me to be better.
Mah-dee needs to let me love her.
But if she must be convinced, then I must convince her. I must coax her into realizing that I am the male she wants. If another so much as looks at her, I will tear his throat out like a crazed metlak. But I cannot think like that. I must find a way to return to the tribe, if only so I can provide a proper cave for Mah-dee. I must make it difficult for her to turn me down…starting now.
I look at the spear in her hands. “You wish to learn how to hunt, still?”
The look she gives me is wary. “Yes? You’re not going to go all cray-cray on me, though, are you?”
“Cray…cray?”
She waves a hand in the air. “Nuts. Crazy. Whatever. I need to know if we’re good.”
“Are we?” I want to touch her soft cheek again, feel her skin against mine.
Mah-dee puts a hand to her chest. “I want to be friends. I really, really need friends here.” Her voice catches in a way that makes my heart hurt. “And I was hoping we could be friends that also had sex. But if we can’t, then I really just need a regular friend, okay? A hunting partner and a friend that will talk to me.”
“I can be those things to you.” I can be so much more, but I will settle for that for now. And I can convince her, with time, that I can be the best mate possible.
She is mine.
Her smile returns, and her features grow soft with relief. “All right, then. Let’s just forget all about the sex and scratching itches and go back to being buds, all right?”
“Buhds,” I agree, though I am not entirely certain what I am agreeing to. I think she means friends, and I will be hers.
“Then can you teach me to hunt?” She bounces a little, hugging her spear close in a way no hunter would. “I’m so damn bored. Please, Hassen. Help me get a useful skill so I’m not a big fat leech.”
I cannot resist her, especially when she pleads with me. I nod. “It shall be as you wish.” And if I am to woo her into being my mate, it works perfectly for me to be around her every day. “I must continue to hunt and bring in food, but you can accompany me when I am doing my rounds near the tribal cave. You cannot accompany me when I venture farther out.”
“That’s fine!” The delight and eagerness on her face makes my cock ache with need.
“It will not be easy.”
“I’m tired of sitting on my big ass anyhow.”
Her ass is magnificent, but I do not tell her such, since we are buhds. For now. “I will not go easy on you.”
“Fine.”
“If you hinder my ability to hunt for the tribe, I must leave you behind.”
“I won’t!”
“And if I tell you to do something, you must do it.”
“Not a problem.” Mah-dee beams up at me. “Can we start today, or is this a bad time?”
“We can start today,” I agree, glancing up at the sky. The weather is holding and there are no clouds on the horizon, which means no incoming snow. This is a good thing; Mah-dee is dressed lightly and I do not want her to be caught in a storm. “No one is expecting you in the cave?”
She snorts. “They’ll probably be glad I’m gone. I think I make the other women uncomfortable.”
I smile to myself. I have heard complaints about Mah-dee’s throwing of things while her sister was with me. “If anyone asks, tell them you were with Asha. They will not like you spending time with me.”
“Because you’re the dick that kidnapped my sister?” Her words are harsh, but there is a teasing smile on her face.
“Because I am exiled,” I say, refusing to take the bait. I take her spear and check to ensure that the head is tightly fitted and wrapped. One of the elders is forgetful and tends to put his broken weapons in with the good ones. “Part of my punishment is that I am to be alone.”
“I won’t say anything,” Mah-dee tells me. “Are you sorry?”
“Sorry?”
“That you did it?”
My answer would have been very different two days ago. Two days ago, I would have said yes. But now there is Mah-dee, and all I can think of is that if I was not in exile, I would not be here with her. I would be hunting the sa-kohtsk for Maylak’s new son. I do not regret my actions, because they placed my feet on this path and brought me Mah-dee. “No.”
“No? Seriously?” Her jaw hangs open.
“I cannot change the past. But I also do not miss your sister.” I reach out and tap her mouth, indicating she should close it. “I do not look back because I cannot change the past. You should not, either. That is one of the first things you must learn as a hunter—do not regret what you do not have. Make use of what you do.”
Her brows furrow together. “I’m not entirely sure that all ties together, big guy.”
“It does,” I tell her confidently. “Now come. Today I will show you how to follow trails as I check my traps.” I turn and start to walk away.
“When do I get to use my spear?” She huffs, trying to keep up with me. After a few steps, she reaches out and touches my arm. “Slow down a bit. It’s hard to walk fast in snowshoes.”
Her fingers feel like ice. I stop, and she nearly skids into me, losing her balance. I catch her before she can tumble to the snow. “Where are your gloves?”
Mah-dee shrugs. “The big furry mittens I have? Those suck. I can’t hold anything tightly with those, and I thought I might need a good grip with some spear hunting.”
I take her smaller hand in mine and press it between my palms to warm it. She does not pull away, which tells me she is colder than she would like to admit. “You do not wear gloves at all times, but much of a hunter’s day is spent walking.”
“Oh. I’ll remember for next time.” Her hand curls into a fist, and she shrugs her cloak down over her exposed hands, covering them from the elements. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
I grunt. “There is a hunter cave along the path we will take today. We will stop there and get you hand coverings.”
“Sweet.”
“Until then, however, you must keep up.” And I turn and start walking again.
MADDIE
He wasn’t lying when he said he wouldn’t take it easy on me.
I wheeze a few steps behind him as we hike through the endless snow-covered valleys and hills that seem to make up the entire fricking planet. I can’t complain, because I said I wanted to hunt. I’m just out of shape and not used to trekking across so much snow. He’s right, though; my fingers do feel like ice. I keep tucking them into my sleeves, but that only works for a little while.
I wish he’d hold my hand again, but I suppose it’s my own fault that he won’t. Instead, he stalks along, avoiding anything that looks like a path. Occasionally he’ll squat down next to a set of footprints and then will indicate I should join him. When I do, he tells me about what creature passed through, how long ago, and anything else he can tell me. Some marks are crisp, which he says belong to snow-cats that lift their paws with every step. Others are more of a smear through the snow, which means a creature is dragging its belly. He points out each one and explains patiently, and when I’ve absorbed everything, he’s off again, power-walking to the next ridge.
And I have no choice but to follow.
Despite it being a little too athletic for me to handle, I’m enjoying the ‘hunting.’ The day is nice, and even though it’s cold, there’s a lot to see and I feel like I’m doing something useful. I didn’t realize how much my uselessness was bothering me until now. I guess I’m worried that when winter comes, no one’s going to want a fat, unmated human around eating all their food. If I can find my own, I can survive on my own. I won’t be dependent on anyone.
We head toward a sheer gray cliff, and as we approach, Hassen points at something. “Do you see that?”
I push my sweaty hair off my brow before it crystallizes and freezes there, and scan the snow. “What am I looking for?”
“The cave. It is a hunter cave. The cliffs have small caves in them, and there are many hunter caves set up. You should always be on the lookout for one in case you need supplies or a place to rest.”
“And do you know where all of them are?”
He nods. “I have visited them all many times. Hunters spend much of their time out in the wild.”
“It’s not all that wild out here, is it? We’re still pretty close to the home cave, aren’t we?” A few hours’ walk, maybe, but to these guys, that’s nothing.
Hassen glances at me. “It is an easy walk today, when the weather is good. On a stormy day? When the snow flies from the skies, even a short trip can be a dangerous one.”
He has a point. “So are we going in?”
“We are. We will check if it needs to be resupplied, and get you gloves.”
“All righty then. Lead the way.” I could use a break and a chance to rest my feet, though I would never tell him that. Hassen hasn’t been treating me like an incompetent fat chick and I’ll be forever grateful. Thinking about my sister and the fact that she’s out on a trip without me still stings.
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