by Ruby Dixon
I swallow, then nod.
“I did not do that for Zalah.” His voice is achingly gentle. “I would not do that for anyone else. But you, Jo-see, I would follow.”
My eyes brim and hot tears start to slide down my cheeks. I nod again, because what else can I say? He’s right - I was looking for words when all along, he’s been a man of actions. Words are easy to say, but actions are everything.
He reaches up and gently brushes the tears from my face. “I have never had a mate before, Jo-see. I will not always do the right thing. I will not always give you the words you feel you need.” He cups my chin and forces me to look up at him. “But make no mistake - if you leave this world, I will not be long behind, because I cannot live without you.”
I burst into tears and fling my arms around his neck.
Who needs a few love words when you have a guy like Haeden?
19
HAEDEN
One week later
It takes many, many days for the resonance to sing through our systems. Perhaps it is because we have both denied it for so long that it is now insisting upon regular matings to feed its need for Jo-see to carry my kit. I am glad to comply. Mating with my female is a joy, and filling her with my seed seems to fill my heart as well. We explore each other over the days, learning what makes the other aroused. I learn that Jo-see’s ankles are very sensitive, and so are her bountiful teats - which she insists are quite small. I learn that when she starts repeating my name over and over, her cunt will start to milk my cock hard, and the pleasure doubles. I learn that she loves to wake me up with her mouth on my cock.
I shamelessly enjoy that, as well.
But after two hands of days in which Jo-see and I do nothing but sleep, eat, and mate, I am ready to leave the cave and turn homeward. This hunter cave is sufficient, but it is cramped and the winds blow right through the cave late at night, which sets my small mate to shivering against me. The furs need a good airing after our repeated matings, and we are low on rations. I can always go hunting, but I worry about leaving my mate alone for long periods of time. Every time I think of leaving her behind, I see the sky-claw swooping low and snatching her away, and I head back into the cave and hug my female tight against my chest.
And then we mate frantically once again.
Jo-see and I must return to the tribal caves, though. If Har-loh and Rukh have not yet sent hunters out in search of our trail, the tribe will eventually worry why we have not returned from visiting the Elders’ Cave. And I must warn them about the sky-claws that have appeared. Raahosh takes his mate Leezh out hunting with him, and they must be careful.
Above all, we must rescue the females in the cave. Jo-see reminds me of this daily, but I have not forgotten. I just will not put her in danger to save them.
So as my mate sleeps against me, her cheek pressed to my chest, I lie in bed with her and think as I stroke her soft mane. I ponder ways that I might travel back to the tribe with my mate safely at my side. She cannot walk back; I still have nightmares of her being snatched away again. I consider a sled, but she can be plucked as easily from the top of a sled as she can from walking. And I cannot leave her alone in the cave as I head back. We are still two or three days of slow travel from the tribal caves.
So I ponder.
She makes a soft waking noise and then nuzzles at my chest. My cock gets hard and my khui awakens in my breast. The painful urgency is gone, and I hope it means that my kit is even now growing inside Jo-see’s body. The thought fills me with pleasure and terror both. She must be brought safely back to the caves. My own safety is nothing compared to hers.
“Is it morning?” Jo-see murmurs. She doesn’t get up, only flings a small arm over my chest and hides her eyes in the crook of my shoulder. She clings to me like a kit. Amused, I imagine standing up and seeing if she would crawl atop me and hold on, her arms around my neck so I can carry her.
My eyes widen.
That is the solution.
* * *
“We’re going to what?” Jo-see’s mouth opens in shock as I pack her things into my backpack and then hoist it over my shoulder.
“I am going to carry you,” I tell her. She’s shrugging one of her furs around her, preparing to travel. One end trails on the ground because the fur was made to fit my larger body, and so I move forward and tuck it around her. “Like a kit. I made a wrap.”
Her mouth drops open again. “You’re going to carry me like a baby? Why?”
“Because you are small and easy to carry.” I pull the fur forward, making a hood for her mane. “And while you are strapped to my chest, I will not have to worry about a sky-claw pulling you from the ground and devouring you.”
“But…carrying?”
I nod and loop the full water skins over my neck, settling them against my belt. Then I take the long length of fur that I have sewn to another and offer her one end. “I am going to put this around you and tuck it into my belt.”
“Oh God, you even made a baby carrier!” She holds one end with a look of horror on her face. “You’re not joking about any of this.”
“I am not.”
A short time later, Jo-see’s arms are around my neck, her legs are around my hips, and the fur is wrapped tightly around the both of us, strapping her to my chest. Her cheeks are bright red and she wriggles against me in a way that makes me wonder how far we will manage to travel. I can feel her cunt resting against my cock through the furs, and my khui starts a humming song.
But she is safe this way, and her weight is nothing. I can walk with my cock aching in my breechcloth – have I not done so for more than a turn of the moon?
I take a few steps and she sucks in a little breath and clings to my tighter, her teats pushing against my chest. “This is…very personal,” she says, a quiver in her voice. “I’m not sure if this is the best idea, or the worst.”
I am not certain, either, but it will keep her safe.
We start out from the cave, my gait awkward but sure. A fresh snow has fallen and my steps crunch with every landing of my boots. All of this just confirms that my decision is a good one. The air is crisp and refreshing, but Jo-see shivers against me. It is colder than usual, which means the sky-claws will be hungry and seeking prey. Not my mate. Not this day.
I walk faster, one arm resting against her bottom to hold her in place. Her face is pressed up near mine, but she is silent. She does not seem happy with me carrying her, but I am pleased with my decision; now I can walk as fast as I need to, and she is safe. This is best. I jog a little, eager to get home and take my mate into our cave.
Jo-see’s hands grip my leather vest tightly and she moans, burying her face against my neck.
I stop “Jo-see?”
“I’m fine,” she mumbles. “Carry on.”
Her words are confusing. Her body is tense against mine – I can feel it – but she pretends otherwise? It concerns me, but we must leave the safety of the small hunter cave and start our journey home. She cannot hide in it forever and I will not leave her. So I press a hand to the small of her back, my other supporting her tailless bottom, and continue forward.
We walk, continuing on. The flat, open snow changes to spindly trees, and a distant cliff lines the edges of a valley. On the horizon, there is a herd of dvisti, and the churned snow here tells me that they came from this direction. I move to follow the herd, as it will be easier for a sky-claw to pick off a dvisti kit than a human, but I will not let my mate walk, regardless.
Her arms clench tighter around my neck and she moans again. I feel her thighs quiver around my hips, and a surge of lust grips me. A moment later, I smell her scent on the air.
She’s aroused?
“Jo-see?”
“I know,” she mumbles against my neck. “I’m sorry. I just…this position is really wild. Every step you take pushes me against your dick and I thought I could just kind of quietly endure it but why did you have to be so sexy?” Then, her small tongue flicks against my skin.
I nearly stumble. My cock is achingly hard at once, and my khui - quiet until now - begins a loud, insistent song. The need to claim my mate overwhelms me once more. We will not be able to travel if this continues, and it is a problem I am all too eager to resolve. I look around for something to lean my mate up against, and finding nothing suitable, I reach between us and begin to undo the waist-tie of my leggings.
She gasps and wiggles against me. “What are you doing?”
“I am going to pleasure my mate,” I tell her. “Keep your arms tight around my neck.”
“Oooh, we’re stopping?”
“We are not stopping,” I tell her. At least, that is my hope. I free my aching cock and my leggings slide to my thighs.
She notices this and a breathless giggle escapes her. “We’re not going to get far with your pants around your knees.”
“Hush,” I tell her, nipping at her earlobe. I rather like having her against me like this - I do not tower over her this way. Our faces are close together, like in our furs at night. I fumble under her tunic to find the tie to her leggings, and her hand pushes mine out of the way so she can free herself. She shoves the material down, but not very far - her spread legs gripping me will not allow the leather to give much.
It does not matter; I can feel her warm cunt, smell her perfume on the air. I lick at her soft neck even as I take my cock in hand and guide it into her warmth. I sink into her easily - she is wet and eager. Jo-see cries out when I enter her, arms tightening around my neck. Her thighs squeeze against me and she moans my name. It is a tight fit like this, but thrilling. The smallest rocking motion of my hips makes her slam down on my cock, and my spur glides through her folds, hitting the third nipple that makes her cry out with such excitement.
“Damn,” she breathes into my ear, and tries to raise her hips in an awkward bounce. She wants more.
I grip her body, anchoring her to me, and begin to thrust. Not deep strokes, but small, quick motions, my hands pulling her down onto my cock with each surge of my hips forward.
She cries out again and clings to my neck as we move together. She doesn’t last long; I don’t either. The khui makes us desperate with our need, and once she comes and her cunt begins to squeeze around me, I thrust harder, releasing inside her with a ferocity that surprises me.
Every time with my Jo-see, it is better. It does not matter how fast or how slow we go, we burn hot for each other and it is always, always good. I wrap my arms tight around her, holding her against me as I pant to catch my breath.
“Whew,” she says after a moment, giving me a dazed look. “That was intense.” She leans forward and presses a kiss to my mouth. “But awesome. Maybe there’s something to being carried after all.”
“It is not that,” I say. “It is that my female is insatiable for her male.”
She gasps, then giggles and mock-slaps my shoulder. “Don’t turn this around on me, you show-vuh-nist!”
I do not know the word, but her meaning is plain, as is the smile on her face. I give her an affectionate nuzzle and then reach between us to lift her off my cock. We are both sticky with our release, and I grab a handful of snow from the ground and clean us off, despite my mate’s squeals of protest. Then I tie my laces again, one handed. The knot is not as tight as it could be, but it doesn’t matter. I suspect, due to the pleasant hum of our khuis, that this will occur more than once. I leave Jo-see’s leggings unlaced.
Once the leathers are secured around us, I heft my light mate back into my arms and on we go.
By the time we crest over the next valley, Jo-see shifts against me and I hear her khui begin to sing again.
“My mate?” I ask. “Do you need your male again?”
“What? No!” she squeals. “I’m fine! Ignore me.”
Very well.
We continue on.
“Oooh,” Jo-see moans again a short time later.
“Do you need your male?” I ask again. My cock is already ready for her.
“Not yet!” I continue on, and then she adds, “Maybe.”
When we crest onto the next ridge, her ‘maybe’ turns into a yes.
* * *
We do not travel far that day. But it is the most enjoyable travel I have ever enjoyed, and my mate is well-pleased by the time we stop for the night.
JOSIE
“I see the cave in the distance,” Haeden murmurs in my ear as I drowse against his chest. “Do you wish to walk in or shall I continue to carry my female?”
“I need to walk,” I tell him, stifling a yawn. I’m exhausted. Between the marathon of five long days of travel, we’ve been stopping regularly to have sex thanks to the awkward-but-delicious position that Haeden carries me in. I’m pretty sure we’ve had more sex in the last week than I’ve had in my entire life. No complaints here, but as I yawn, I think I’m ready to have a break from travel at the very least. It’ll be good to be back in the cave where others can help out when you’re too tired to do everything yourself. Where there’s other women to talk to when the guys disappear and go hunting. Where there’s a bajillion babies to hug and kiss on.
And soon I’ll have one of my own. Warmth floods through me at the thought, and I squeeze Haeden’s neck tightly and press a kiss to his check.
“Eh? One more time before we reach the caves? Insatiable female.” He reaches between us and begins to undo the knot on his leggings.
“Wait, that wasn’t what I meant,” I protest. But when he nips my ear in that sexy way, I figure one more romp won’t hurt matters. “Just a quick one,” I amend, tugging at my own clothes.
He sinks into me and we work quickly. I’ve figured out that grabbing the front of his vest to anchor myself and letting him do all the heavy lifting works out best. Gravity does the rest, and within a span of a minute or two, I’m biting my lip and coming so hard that I’m seeing stars.
“My mate,” he hisses into my ear possessively. “My Jo-see—“
“Ho,” calls out a distant voice. “Haeden? Jo-see?”
I squeal in horror and shift against Haeden, just as he comes. Oh my God, someone’s going to see him nailing me and then it’ll be all over the cave. “Babe,” I say in his ear. “They’re going to see us—”
“I need a moment,” he bellows.
My ears ring but I’m glad he said something. I bury my face against his neck as his entire body shivers with the force of his orgasm. He bucks one last time and then nuzzles my cheek. “I should put you down.”
It’s sweet that he sounds strangely reluctant to do so. I press a kiss to his face and then slowly peel off of him. “Love you, baby.”
He still doesn’t grasp my human need to say what he thinks is obvious, but when he grabs a handful of my hair and gives me another fierce, breathtaking kiss, I know he means it just as much as I do.
Then we straighten our clothing and Haeden tucks me under his protective arm - even though I’m assured that no sky-claws come this far over the mountains - and we go to meet the hunter waiting for us. To my relief, the big blue shape on the horizon has given us some space and headed back down the track-covered paths leading toward the tribal cave. There’s a plume of smoke on the horizon and I feel a strange pang of happiness at the sight of it. To think I wanted to leave and never come back. A lot has changed in a few weeks.
I touch my stomach, wondering if even more has changed than I imagined. I really, really hope so. I think of Haeden’s baby in my stomach. I think of us as a family and it makes me shiver with happiness.
He pulls me closer and tugs the furs over my chest closed. “Cold? We will be home soon.”
“I’m good.” I loop my arm around his waist, reaching for his tail. “I promise.”
“Are you anxious?”
I consider this. I am returning home failed in my mission to defeat my cootie. But I’m also really happy the mission didn’t work. I know everyone’s going to be watching us like hawks to see how we react to each other. Ideally I’d like another month alone with my
man, maybe get a bit more of the frenzied fucking out of our systems and settle in to being a couple, but I keep thinking of those two girls in the pods back in metlak and sky-claw territory. They need a rescue. And really, I can handle a few people smirking because I finally got laid. “Not nervous,” I tell him. “You?”
He snorts as if the question is ridiculous, and I grin.
“Ho,” the other calls again as we approach, raising a hand. I can tell from the long, smooth hair and the shade of blue that it’s Salukh, Tiffany’s mate. I’m suddenly eager to see my bestie. Up until she mated with Salukh, she’d been my roomie from day one on the ice planet and I’ve missed her more than anyone else.
I wave back.
He jogs toward us and I see his eyes widen a bit at the sight of Haeden’s arm around my shoulders. I guess it is a little surprising to see us so snuggly. I’m not even bothered by that, strangely. I don’t care. I’m happy and no one’s going to burst my bubble.
“It is good to see the both of you,” Salukh says as he approaches. He leans over to clap Haeden on the shoulder and smiles at me. “Many have been worried. I think if you were not back in another moon, the chief would have sent us to find you.”
Haeden makes an irritated sound in his throat. “Jo-see is safe with me. Vektal would not send anyone because he knows I am a good hunter. There is no need for a rescue.”
Salukh just gives us a calm smile and takes Haeden’s overloaded pack from his shoulder, slinging it onto his own. “Of course.” That’s just how Salukh is - he’s chill. Nothing bothers him.
“How’s Tiff?” I ask as we head down to the cave. “She have morning sickness?”
“She is very good,” Salukh says, grinning over at me. “No sickness at all.”
“That bitch. It figures.” I smile. Tiffany is like perfection come to life. She’s beautiful, smart, talented, and nice to boot. I’d hate her if I didn’t love her like the sister I never had. “She’s probably going to be the most perfect pregnant person ever.”