by Ruby Dixon
“Seriously. I hate the guy and he hates me.” She plucks another feather. “I think if we ended up resonating, it’d be the end of the world or something.”
I say nothing, because I know that feeling. It’s how I feel when I think of what would happen if I resonated to Bek. I’m lucky that for whatever reason, my khui hasn’t kicked in and made me resonate. Maybe it’s just being choosier than most. Maybe it knows that Bek is bad for me.
Maybe the darn thing’s better at relationships than I am. I denude my bird of feathers as Josie chatters on and on about how irritating Haeden is. I listen to her talk, murmuring an acknowledgment every now and then. I finish my bird, help her finish hers, and then we rub them down with fat, stuff them with herbs, and spit them over the fire pit to slow roast. By the time we’re done, we’re both messy and gross.
“Ugh, I need soap,” Josie comments, wiping her hands on her dirty tunic. “And I’m out. Let me go check storage for some berries.”
“I’ll wait here,” I tell her, slowly turning one of the spits so the birds can brown evenly on both sides. The sa-khui don’t care for cooked meat, but they’re curious about our holiday meals. There’s going to be so much scythe-beak that everyone’s going to get a taste. Nearby, Stacy is cooking root-latke after root-latke in her greased makeshift skillet. They must be good, because every so often, little Esha toddles in and asks for one.
There’s no sign of Ereven in the caves, so he must be outside playing more soccer. I think about him, his sweaty hair clinging to his neck, and feel the oddest shiver of desire ripple through me. Wow. I haven’t had sex in months - good sex in a lot, lot longer - and I’m surprised at the force of my need. Bek was all right at first, but the moment I moved into his cave, he stopped trying and the sex got abrupt and unsatisfying. The other women go on and on about their mates and their spurs, but maybe Bek’s deficient in that area, because all it ever did was jab me in uncomfortable places. I wonder about Ereven’s spur. Then I feel a bit like a perv for thinking about it.
We’re just friends and he’s doing me a favor. I’m crazy to torture myself like this. In two days, I’m going back to my cave and he’s staying here. Who knows when we’ll see each other again?
Harlow’s cutter starts up, a high pitched whine that soon turns louder and louder. Rukh stalks out of the cave with baby Rukhar cradled against his chest, the baby’s ears covered with fur mufflers. The incessant drone of the cutter seems to get louder and louder, the sound becoming more grating as it cuts into rock. I grit my teeth and give the scythe-beaks on the spit another turn. Stacy looks over at me and says something, but I can’t hear her. I tap my ear to indicate it, and she rolls her eyes and waves a hand, telling me never mind.
Something appears out of the corner of my eye. It’s so loud in the cavern that I didn’t hear the person approach, and I jump, startled.
It’s a necklace. Pretty bones have been bleached and dyed and carved into different shapes, then strung on a leather cord. It’s beautiful. The hand that holds it, though?
Bek.
My stomach knots unhappily. I look at the necklace and feel a lot of guilt. It clearly took him a lot of time. He wants me back. That’s obvious. But I feel so much better without him that I know I can’t, no matter how guilty I feel at the thought of hurting him. I need to talk to him and get everything out in the open. He’s not a bad man. I know he’s not. He’s just high-strung and overbearing, and I’m such a wuss that I’m the last person he should be with.
So I touch his arm and point at the cave entrance. We can talk outside, where we should be able to hear ourselves think.
He offers me the necklace once more.
Again, I ignore it. Instead, I get to my feet, wipe my hands off on a thin leather towel, and then head out. I look behind me to see if he’s following, and he is, but there’s a fierce frown on his face that doesn’t bode well.
Yeah, I’m guessing he doesn’t want to hear a break-up conversation. I mentally steel myself. Too bad, because he’s going to have one. I walk out at his side. In moments, we’re out in the crunching snow, and as always, the brisk air takes my breath away. Even with the twin suns up, it’s still bitterly cold on the ice planet. Always. Nearby, there’s a game of soccer going on, and Farli flings herself at old Vadren, trying to distract him away from kicking the next goal. Ereven’s out on the field with the others, laughing. Most of the fit hunters are out on the sa-kohtsk hunt, and the field is populated with the elderly and the few tribal women. There’re a few men that have lingered behind - Bek, obviously, and Ereven, though I’m puzzled as to why he stayed. Maybe he’s more into the holiday spirit than I realized and wanted to celebrate more than hunt.
We head along the cliff wall, staying out of the wind, until we’re a good distance away from both soccer players and the cave entrance. Out here, Harlow’s cutter is only an annoying hum, not an ear-splitting screech. On a distant ridge, I see Rukh walking, his son cradled against his chest, keeping him away from the noise as well. I’m not dressed for the cold, wearing only a loose leather tunic and leggings, but I’m hoping this won’t take long. And if it does, I have a good excuse to go inside.
I cross my arms over my chest and look at Bek. “We need to talk.”
He holds the necklace out to me. “I worked many hours on this.”
“And it’s very pretty. You’re really talented.” I gentle my voice to hide my annoyance, and push it back toward him. “But I can’t take it from you. I don’t want to be with you anymore. Please understand. I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m just…not wanting the same things out of the relationship that you do.”
Bek scowls. He flings the necklace into the snow. “You are my mate—“
“I’m not,” I butt in. “We never resonated. I doubt we ever will. There’s nothing that ties us together except shared living quarters and feelings, and right now there are neither.”
“You are being impossible,” he snarls, looming closer. “Is this another one of your human rituals that I am not understanding? Are you saying this to anger me?”
I refuse to back down. He can growl and stalk all he wants, but I’m not going back to him. “I’m trying to be nice about this, Bek. We are still part of the same tribe and that’s not changing. I just don’t want to be your fur-warmer anymore, okay? Let’s be honest with each other. You don’t want me, either. You find me annoying. You think I’m useless. You hate it when I cry. There’s a long list of things I do that annoy you. I think you just don’t want to lose me because having a mate is some sort of pride thing. But we’re really not good for each other, I promise you.” Gosh, I’m talking so much I’m sounding like Josie. “Can’t we just agree to part as friends and not make this hard?”
“I am not your friend,” Bek sneers. “I am your mate, and you are mine.” He leans closer, and he’s practically got me pinned against the rock wall. My heart starts to hammer, anxiety ratcheting through me. Bek leans in --
And then is shoved viciously aside.
Ereven’s there, standing over Bek, who’s fallen into the snow. His normally calm face is full of fury, and his lips are pulled back in a snarl, revealing sharp fangs.
“She said no, Bek. Leave her alone.”
Bek slowly picks himself up off the ground, glaring at Ereven as if he’s the problem and not me. “I see she has already moved on to another’s furs. You think she won’t tire of you like she did me, Ereven?”
I laugh. Both men turn to look at me, but I can’t help it. The idea strikes me as completely ludicrous. Even though I haven’t been close with Ereven for long, I’ve seen his good heart. I know he’d never try to grind me down like Bek has. With Bek, all the signals were there, but I willfully ignored them, believing that I needed safety more than love.
Now that I’m safe, I want more.
Bek scowls at my laughter. I try to stop it, but my heart’s racing as if I’ve just ran miles. I’m pretty sure my feet haven’t moved an inch, though. It just pounds and pounds, and
I put a hand to my breast, willing myself to calm down. Bek has the picture now. I can see it on his face. Ereven’s made it clear he won’t let me be messed with, and Bek only likes to bully those who don’t stand up for themselves.
As my ex-mate picks himself up from the snow and stalks away, Ereven turns to me. He cups my face in his hands and scans me as if I’m something precious he’s worried got damaged. “Are you well, Claire?”
I nod.
He leans in and brushes his lips over mine, an act that startles me. Sa-khui have to be taught what kissing is. I’m surprised that he knows to kiss me.
Actually, I’m surprised that he’s kissing me, too.
“Do not go back,” Ereven says, and he sounds as breathless as I feel. “When the others leave, stay with me, in my cave.”
My eyes widen. “I thought you were just pretending.” Now my heart starts hammering all over again. It’s pulsing so loud I swear everyone’s going to hear it over Harlow’s ever-grinding rock cutter.
“Pretending?”
“Pretending to like me. To court me.”
His brows draw together and he looks upset. “Do you think we were pretending, Claire? I asked if I could court you. You said yes.”
Oh. I’m so stupid. He did ask. I’d just assumed…well, that he was doing it to be nice. Not because he liked me. When he pulls away, I grab his hands. “Wait. No, I’m glad.” He pauses, and I rush on. “I thought, you know, that I was liking you and you were just being…nice.”
“Nice?” He releases one of my hands and clenches a fist over his heart. “Nice? The sight of you makes my heart pound as if a dozen dvisti run inside my breast.”
Funny, I’m pounding the same way. And I feel flushed, and excited. Kind of…excited all over. Tingly. On a hunch, I put a hand to his chest, covering his heart.
At the same moment, we both begin to purr.
7
CLAIRE
I gasp. It seems unbelievable. The timing couldn’t be more perfect, but there it is.
We’re resonating, Ereven and I. We’re to be mates. My khui has chosen his. My mouth hangs open in surprise, and I’m resonating so loud I can hear the purr coming from my throat. It’s so…strange. Strange and yet, perfect.
Ereven’s hand goes over mine, and he clasps it against his breast. His mouth curves into a smile, and it broadens, wider and wider, until he’s grinning ear to ear. “It seems our khuis have decided we are taking too long to get together.”
I laugh, giggles overtaking me. “I guess so.” Oh, I’m so happy. I feel…complete. And it’s not just the resonance, it’s Ereven. It’s knowing we’re linked, that we’re meant to be together. It feels so right. “I can’t believe it—“
“I can,” he says, utterly serious. He reaches out and caresses my cheek. “I’ve been drawn to you ever since I met you. Ever since you came to this place.”
Ever since…but it’s been over a year. Longer than that, even. My jaw drops again. “But, why did you never say anything?”
“You immediately went to Bek.” He shrugs. “I wanted you to be happy more than anything, and you seemed happy with him.”
I shake my head and put my hands on him. I can’t seem to stop putting my hands on him, actually, and I love the feel of his slightly sweaty skin under my fingertips. “I went with him because I was scared and he seemed interested. I never…saw you.” For some reason, this makes me weepy. Hot tears rush forward and I begin to cry. “God, that sounds so awful, but it’s true. I never saw you, Ereven. I never paid attention. And I spent a year with him—“
“Hush,” he tells me, tenderly brushing aside my tears. “It happened as it did, and I have no regrets, because you are mine now, and no one can interfere.”
I’m not so sure about that. “Bek—“
“Even Bek’s stubbornness is no match for resonance. He has lost you.” Ereven leans in close and pulls me against him, and his nose nuzzles mine. “You are mine and I am yours.”
Oh, I like the sound of that. Impulsively, I tilt my face up to his, and press my mouth against his. He kisses with his mouth closed, which tells me he’s never really kissed before. There’re lots of things I can show this man. My hands twine in his tangled hair as his arms go around my waist, and I coax his lips into parting with small nibbles and flicks of my tongue.
When I delicately stroke inside his mouth, he stiffens and pulls back, clearly surprised.
“Did you not like that?” I ask, hesitant.
His cheeks seem to flush a darker hue of blue. Is he blushing? “I liked it far too much. I just did not know…” his voice trails off. “Can we do it again?” he blurts after a moment’s thought. “With the tongues?”
“We can do it with tongues as much as you want.” And I show him just how much. I don’t think of myself as the world’s best kisser, but with Ereven? It doesn’t matter. He loves every caress of my mouth against his, every brush of my tongue. Even when our teeth clash together, it’s still sexy. He responds with enthusiasm and soon mimics my kisses with his mouth and tongue, and then I lose myself in him, moaning as his mouth conquers mine in a way that leaves me utterly breathless and full of need. Our chests, pressed together, practically vibrate with the force of our humming khuis.
My khui isn’t the only thing humming. My body feels pulsing and alive with Ereven’s touch. I feel as if I’m waking up for the first time - being with Bek was nothing like this. Not even close. It’s like comparing Kool-Aid and wine. One’s rich and velvety and delicious, and one’s just…red. My nipples ache under my clothing, and there’s a tingle between my thighs that feels as if it’s been a long time coming. I want this man, horns, blue skin, sharp teeth and all. We continue to kiss, devouring each other with our lips.
As if he can read my thoughts, Ereven hefts me into his arms, lifting my feet from the ground. Our mouths are still locked together. He starts walking up the ridge, and I pull my mouth from his hot kisses, surprised. “Wh-where are we going?”
“We are going to mate,” he tells me, and nips at my lower lip.
It sends a tingle shooting through my body and I have to bite back my moan. “Where?”
“Somewhere private. I am not going back to that cavern, not while it’s brimming with people.”
He’s got a point. But I’m cold, and I haven’t exactly dressed for the elements. “Somewhere warm?”
The look in his eyes is scorching. “I’ll keep you warm.”
I shiver with need. I just bet he will.
Resonance hums through us and each step seems to take a million years to complete. I can’t stop kissing him; my mouth moves against his jaw, his cheekbone, his neck, his ear. I never want to stop kissing him. Then I’m filled with joy when I realize that he’s mine now, and I never have to stop kissing him. Ever.
I look up from tonguing Ereven’s ear when I realize we’ve stopped moving. We’re in a small copse of the pink, flimsy trees, with the high walls of the cliffs surrounding us. The wind is less here, but there’s still snow and open air. Is this where we’re stopping? I open my mouth to ask, and as I do, Ereven pulls me against him and buries his face against my breasts.
And I moan, forgetting all about my reservations. I don’t care where we have sex, just as long as it’s soon.
Ereven sets me gently on the ground, and his hand goes to the laces on the sides of my tunic that fit it close to my body. While he pulls at them, I rip at the laces on his leggings. I’m desperate to touch him. The moment I free his cock, I moan again, because God, he’s got some nice equipment. I’m no shy virgin - wasn’t on Earth, either - and I love the look of a gorgeous cock. His is perfection itself, slightly curving up so it’ll hit me in all the right spots. The head is thick, and as I stroke his shaft with my hand, I notice he’s nice and thick, a vein tracing along under the skin. His spur is longer than any I’ve ever seen, and I feel a shiver of excitement at the sight of it. Now that? That has potential.
Like all sa-khui men, his cock is ribbed (for my plea
sure!) and ridged. My mouth waters at the sight of it. I want to put my tongue all over him, but there’s time enough for that later. For now, we need to satisfy our khuis - and our own longings.
His breath hisses out as I touch him, and his mouth captures mine again. My tongue slicks along his and I match my strokes of his cock with the movements of my mouth.
“Your hands,” he murmurs into my mouth. “Never did I think I could imagine such pleasure.” He pushes into my leggings and finds the wet heat of my sex, and slides his fingers into me.
I cling to him, desperate for more. “Please, Ereven.” My khui’s throbbing so hard in my chest I feel as if I’m about to split apart. “Need you.”
“Take off your clothes,” he tells me.
I release him and do as he asks, tearing at laces and stripping away leather as fast as I can. I need him. I want him. I’ll die if I don’t feel his warm skin against mine in the next moment. By the time I finish stripping, he’s naked, too. I press my body against his, not caring if he thinks my tits are small or my hips too wide. Somehow, I suspect he’ll think I’m just fine. I know I can’t find any fault with his long, lean body and the taut muscles under his blue skin. I itch to put my hands on him, imagining how soft and velvety his skin will feel against mine.
Then he pulls me against him, and drags one of my legs up his thigh, holding it against his hip. It forces me to change my balance, until I’m pressing against his cock, and my pussy is open and ready for him.
He grabs a fistful of my hair with his other hand and tilts my head back. “My beautiful mate,” he murmurs, and licks the cords of my throat gently.
Oh God, I’m going to melt against him. I cling to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. My breasts push against his chest, and the soft suede of his skin contrasts against the rough, thick plating that protects his arms and the center of his chest.
“Want you inside me,” I pant. I’m desperate and greedy for him, and I absolutely do not care. I need him like I need air, and if I don’t get stuffed full of him in the next moment, I might start screaming. I’m sure some of that is my khui. I’m not sure if I should thank it or grind my teeth with frustration.