by Ruby Dixon
“I come,” I shout to her, jogging through the snow as I follow the long wall of the Elders’ Cave.
The only response I get is a breathless moan.
Worried, I speed up, racing to her side. “Are you injured, my pretty Kate?”
“No,” she moans again. “I think it’s starting.”
As I approach, I can see that she still sits on the rock, but her hands are shoved down the front of her leggings. Her face has a look of intense concentration on it, and at first, I think she shivers.
Then I realize she is not shivering—she is rubbing herself, her hand on her cunt.
I growl low at the sight, a surge of possessiveness rocking through me.
My mate. Mine.
I approach the last few steps slowly, fascinated by the sight before me. Such need and lust as I have never felt before courses through my body, and I watch as her hand moves in her leggings, her mouth forming a perfect circle as she pleasures herself. “I did not realize I was gone for so long that you would start without me,” I murmur.
“It’s not funny,” she half-laughs, half-sobs. “I was thinking about you, and it got me all turned on and I couldn’t help myself. God, this is awful.”
“Then let me do it for you,” I tell her, tossing down the pack and the blankets in the snow.
“Do what for me?” she pants nervously.
“Ease you. Pleasure you. Whatever you wish to call it.” I move to where she is perched on the rock and pull her hand gently from her pants. The scent of her wafts up to me, stronger than I have ever experienced, and my mouth floods with hungry saliva. I take her hand and lift it to my mouth, sucking her juices from her fingers.
She gasps. “Oh, Harrec.”
“You are my mate,” I tell her, licking her fingers. “Let me ease you.” I press a kiss to her palm and then release her hand, tugging on her leggings.
Kate moans and lies back on the rock, spreading her legs wide. “Right here? Right now?”
“Here,” I agree, because I do not think I will be able to walk with how stiff my cock is. It does not matter. My mind is full of nothing but Kate, Kate’s scent, Kate’s taste, Kate’s touch. “No one will come to see. They are warm by the fire.”
She shivers but makes no protest when I pull her leggings down to her knees, exposing her sweet cunt to the air. “Sh-should we…”
“Do you wish to travel while you are aching?” I ask, and press a kiss to the pale curls shielding her cunt from my gaze.
Her response is a low moan. “No…”
“Then let me pleasure you.” I drag the leggings off of her and then press a kiss to the inside of her thigh. Her flesh is chilled already, and when she shivers, I worry that it is not all enjoyment. I give her a teasing flick of my tongue then get up. Her little protest is delightful to hear, and I pluck one of the thick furs off the ground and toss it over her bare legs. “I cannot have my pretty pleasure-mate freezing while I try to lick her cunt.”
Kate gasps when I duck my head under the blankets and pull her down against me. Now both of our bodies are under the blanket, my head entirely covered. This way, she is warm, and she is shielded in case anyone should come upon us. My tail flicks with arousal at the thought. Though I know Kate would hate it, I like the thought of the others seeing me claim her, knowing that she is completely and utterly mine. With a low growl, I bury my face into her soft folds and drag my tongue over her wetness.
“Oh, dear god,” she moans. “Harrec, please—”
I know what she wants. I have thought about nothing else. My tongue finds her third nipple—her clit—and I begin slow, steady strokes over it. Her cry tells me that I have indeed hit the mark, and the swift jerk of her hips indicates that she will not last long. Already my Kate is close to the edge, her lush folds wet and ready. I want to lick every drop of her juices, but I know she needs my tongue on her clit. Over and over, I lick it in the slow, steady motions that made her so excited last time, and I press a finger to her entrance, testing her reaction.
Her thighs jerk near my head, and her hands grip my horns under the blankets. “Oh, yes, Harrec. Just like that.”
That is all the signal I need. I thrust a finger into her core, and her breathless little gasp of response makes me nearly spill in my loincloth. I pump into her with my finger, working her with tongue and hand at once. Over and over, I taste her juices on my lips, and it drives me to continue. There is no sweeter taste, and today, she seems to taste better than ever. There is nothing like it, and I could happily spend the rest of my days here under this blanket, between her thighs.
Kate quivers all over, a moan rising in her throat. Her legs jerk against me, and I can feel her cunt tightening around my finger. I groan into her folds, because I want nothing more than to bury my cock where my hand is. I want to claim her as mine, fill her with my seed. Mine. My mate. My lovely, tall, strong, pink Kate with her cloud of hair.
Mine. Forever.
She gives a low cry, and then I feel a rush of her wetness against my tongue. She comes, hips rocking against my finger, her hands clenched tight on my horns, her clit on my tongue as I continue to lick her, wanting to draw out her pleasure. Eventually, she shivers and pushes my head away, and it takes every ounce of my strength to pull back. I want to keep licking her, to have her taste on my tongue for hours.
I am craving her like no other.
Kate gasps, and I lift my head out from under the blankets. Her hands are clasped over her chest, and she stares, eyes wide. “Do you hear it?”
My heart feels as if it stops in my chest. “You are resonating?”
She nods, a dazed look on her face. “It’s like a low hum…no, more of a purring. Oh, it feels so strange. Come listen.”
Instead of doing as she asks, I pull the blanket down over her thighs and cover her. I do not want another to come up and see her nakedness, not when it will embarrass her. As I do, I look around, waiting.
Whoever she is resonating to must be near. My khui is silent, and it feels as if there is nothing but ice in my chest.
“Harrec?” She reaches for me, still sprawled on the rock. “Are you okay?”
I gaze around us, but I see nothing, no one. Only snow and the twilight skies. “Who are you resonating to? Do you know?” I have the sudden and violent urge to attack whatever male comes close to her.
“I don’t know,” Kate says, sitting up. Her hand presses to her breast again, and a look of utter disappointment crosses her face. “It’s not you?”
I shake my head. “If it were, I would feel it.” All I feel is gnawing, furious jealousy, mingled with the ache of my cock and…
And…
Oh.
Perhaps it is me after all.
14
HARREC
I press a hand to my chest, my heart pounding with hope. There is a small murmur in my body—a flutter against my heart. I wait, holding my breath, willing my emotions to stop going wild so I can concentrate.
There it is. Soft. Steady, and growing louder. Resonance.
I grab Kate and drag her off the rock, laughing and triumphant. “It is me!”
“It is?” She gives a little cry of joy and flings her arms around my neck. “Are you sure?”
“Here! Listen!” I set her down and rip at the strings of my tunic, revealing my chest to the cold air. She presses her face against my skin, and we are both silent, waiting.
There it is. The rumbling song of my khui grows greater with every passing moment. I can feel it now, all the way to the tip of my tail and down the length of my cock. Resonance, hard and sure. I thought it would come on like a lightning bolt, but it seems mine is like a wave crashing over my body—slow to build and then impossible to stop.
“Mmm, I hear it,” Kate says happily, her voice husky. Her hand slides into my tunic, moving against my skin. She straightens, gazing up at me.
And another surge of need rocks through me, another crashing wave of hunger.
I grab my mate and pull her
against me in a kiss. She moans and tears at my tunic, urgency in her touch. I feel it, too. With the resonance pushing through us, it seems imperative to mate, right here, right now. No waiting. Time to claim my female, just as I have always wanted.
I snarl and bear her down to the snow. Her mouth remains locked on mine, her tongue sliding against my own with frantic need. Her legs are bare, and I can feel the heat of her cunt as I pull my loincloth off, freeing my cock.
“Blanket,” she murmurs between frantic kisses. “Need blanket.”
I grab the fur off the rock and pull her against me with my other arm, hauling her smaller body against mine. Her limbs go around me, arms locked around my neck, legs around my hips. Her need is as great as mine. Within moments, I have the fur spread out onto the snow and my loincloth off. I bear her back down, and then we are both panting, struggling to pull off our leathers so we can touch, skin to skin.
Never have I felt such urgency, such need.
“Harrec, faster,” she moans, and I know she is feeling the same thing. All rational thought has gone away, leaving only a ravenous beast in its place.
A beast that is resonating, oh so sweetly, for his mate.
But this is also my Kate, and even as I fall over her, my weight pressing her down into the furs, I am aware that I do not wish for her to be frightened of me. I claim her mouth with my own, kissing her deeply. “I will try to go slow—”
“Fuck slow,” she breathes, and digs her nails into my back. Her leg hooks around my waist, and she raises her hips. “I need you.”
“Yes, I will fuck slow—”
“No,” she pants. “I mean, don’t go slow. Go as fast as you need to. Make me yours!”
Oh.
With a groan, I hold her against me, my hand going to her raised hip. I anchor her body to mine, settling my cock against her. Her cunt is hot and slick, and I drag my length up and down her folds, wetting it. She pants my name as I do so, as eager as I am to fulfill resonance.
I guide my cock to her entrance and push slightly, testing her reaction.
She sucks in a breath and holds tight to me.
“Is this all right?” I ask.
Kate nods. “Keep going. I’ll let you know when to stop.”
I push forward, and then it feels impossible not to slowly push into her. She is tight and hot and so, so good. I have never felt anything like this before. Not even her mouth compares to the suck of her tight cunt around my length. I go slowly, because I know it is her first time, and I want her to enjoy this. She makes a little noise of protest then bites down on her lip.
I lean in and kiss that lower lip, wanting to take away her discomfort. My mate. My Kate. My female. Mine forever.
The thought fills me with such intense pleasure that my hips jerk involuntarily.
She makes a startled noise, and the thrum of her resonance grows louder. “Oh!”
“Did I hurt you?”
“I…think I felt your spur.” Her words are choked.
I put a hand between our bodies, and I can feel my spur nestled in the slick heat of her folds. “Is it bad—”
“Fuck no,” she breathes. “It’s hitting my clit when you push forward.” Her nails dig into my skin again. “I’m gonna need you to do that again, baby.”
This, I can do for her. I want to chuckle, but there is no room left in my body for humor. There is only Kate, and resonance, and the intense need to fill her, to mate with her, to become one with her. I stroke into her again, keeping my movements slow and steady, as she likes when her cunt is licked.
The air hisses between her teeth. “Oh my god.” Her eyes close, and she tilts her head back. “So good.”
I grit my teeth, because her reactions are making it hard for me to keep control. I want nothing more than to ram into her, to pound her sweet cunt with my cock until I spill violently inside her.
To try and calm myself, I think of blood. I think of her pricking my finger with the awl as I slowly thrust into her again, rocking my hips in a smooth motion.
But…that makes me think of Kate with her mouth on my finger, sucking. Kate with her mouth gliding over my cock, exploring me. And suddenly I am not thinking about blood at all.
Just Kate.
The resonance song of my khui is so strong it is overwhelming my thoughts. “Kate, I—”
“Faster,” she breathes. “I need you to move faster.”
Never was a word so sweet. I try to keep control, but my movements begin slow and speed up despite my best efforts. Kate does not seem to mind, though. She meets every thrust of my cock, every surge of my hips, every pound into her body with eager cries, and they drive me on. I move faster, rougher, until I am pounding into her, unable to slow down. We are carried along in resonance, our bodies meeting with a fierce slap of skin each time I rock into her.
Kate is senseless with need. Her cries carry through the snowy landscape, and I want to tell her to quiet down, but I am making just as much noise. My groans match hers, and the pleasure is so intense I do not care if the entire cave is out in the snow, watching us. All I care about is my mate writhing under me.
She gives a hoarse little cry, and then her thighs lock hard around my waist. I feel it the same moment she does—not only is the khui in my chest singing so wildly that my entire body shakes with the force of it, but I can feel her cunt tightening around my cock as she comes to her peak. Her cry turns into a wail, and I feel her shuddering as it overtakes her, and her pleasure affects mine. With a fierce surge, I pump into her, on the edge myself. Heat rises in my cock, and I can feel my sac grow tight and heavy—a new sensation.
In the next moment, I lose control. With a shout, I pour myself into her, filling my mate with my seed as I thrust deep. Over and over, it feels as if I am emptying my entire self into Kate, until I collapse atop her, spent and panting.
She holds me close, silent. The only sound is that of our harsh breathing and the distant call of a hunting scythe-beak.
My chest still sings its song, my khui as relentless as it was before. “Mine has not stopped,” I feel I have to point out.
Kate giggles. “Mine hasn’t either. I guess we’ll have to do this again.” She pushes a sweaty lock of hair off her face. “Once we catch our breath, of course.”
“Of course.” I press a kiss to her soft shoulder. “Are you cold?”
“Not with your body covering me.” She tightens her legs around my hips and gives a little wiggle that makes my cock stir. “I like the way you feel.”
“I like the way you feel, too. Especially your cunt.”
She chuckles again. “So…what do we do now?”
I kiss her shoulder again, and when she obligingly tilts her neck so I can kiss it, I continue on, letting my mouth trail over her fragrant, lovely skin. “Do you still want to escape to a hunter cave?”
“Seems kind of silly now. I guess we can go inside the ship and do the walk of shame.”
“Walk of shame?”
“Long story. Basically it’s an “everyone knows you were having sex” retreat back to your bunk.”
“Ah. Then yes, I will do this walk of shame with you.” I twine a curly lock of her mane around my finger, fascinated by it. “I will do everything with you, my Kate.”
She sighs happily, her arms tightening around me. “We can go back, then. Everyone seemed nice.”
“They are nice. Do not let Rukh or Mardok scare you.” I picture the big males. Rukh is not very friendly, and Mardok, well, he looks odd.
“Scare me?”
“With his facial art.”
“Oh, his tattoos?” She snorts. “Those don’t scare me. I can’t believe you haven’t noticed mine yet.”
I lean back on my elbows, surprised that I have forgotten such a thing. “I remember, but I have not seen it. Where?”
“Yep.” She wiggles underneath me again, and my cock surges to life. “It’s on my butt cheek. It’s just a flower, though.”
“I shall have to see this—an
d lick this—for myself.”
Kate’s mouth quirks in another smile, and then her expression grows serious. “I’m glad it was you, Harrec.”
“I am glad, too.” There is a knot in my throat. The words do not seem like enough. Never have I wanted something so badly. I am the luckiest hunter ever to have received it. I will do my best to be worthy of my glorious mate.
She bites her lip. “I’m not sure I’m ready to be a parent, though. What about you?”
I shrug and cannot help but tease. “We have just adopted a kitten. How much harder can a kit be?”
My mate stares at me.
Hard.
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
I let my grin slip. “I am joking.” I lean down and give her a light kiss. “I welcome any kit that we have together. I love the thought.”
Kate sighs with relief and gives my shoulder a little slap. “You’re the worst.”
“I am the best.”
She sighs again, this time happily. “You are.”
Epilogue
SUMMER
The fruit cave is quiet as heck. It’s so quiet I swear I can hear myself thinking.
Not that that’s a good thing. I like noise. I like conversation.
With Warrek? There’s neither. I’ve never met anyone so quiet. He doesn’t make a sound when he walks, always choosing his steps carefully. He doesn’t bang baskets around or scrape at his weapons all day long like some of the other hunters. He’s always so silent.
And talking? Out of the question. I think since we left on this stupid little trip, Warrek’s said three words to me. He pointed at the cave and said “There it is.”
That’s the extent of conversation I’ve had in the last day.
It sucks. I tried talking to him, but he just stares at me, or worse yet, doesn’t even look at me. It makes having a conversation pointless. I never thought I was much of a people person…but I’m definitely not a silence person.
I sigh and pick a mango-like pink thing off of a vine and stick it into my basket. I don’t know how much fruit we’re supposed to be picking, so I just keep filling baskets of stuff that looks ripe. Warrek hasn’t corrected me. He just hands me another basket and sends me on my way when I fill one. It makes me grumpy.