by Lily Thomas
“Weren’t we scaring them into a canyon where more hunters will be waiting to kill the mammoths as they panic?” Tor glanced between the two men as he wondered if he’d forgotten the plan.
“We are, but if I lose a spear in their thick hide, I want to make sure I have another.”
“He must not be a good spear thrower.” Tor chuckled.
Rir dropped the spear in his hand and tackled Tor to the ground. The spear in Tor’s hand skidded across the ground.
“Get off!” Tor roared at his friend as he raised a hand to block a blow.
“Is this really the time?” Daerk said with exasperation.
“Take it back,” Rir demanded as he rained blows against Tor’s arms, but the punches were halfhearted and not meant to land a serious blow.
“It was a joke,” Tor said before Rir landed a blow against his jaw and his teeth snapped together. “What’s wrong with you?” Now he was pissed, and he threw a hand up knocking Rir against the chin.
They continued to roll around on the ground as each of them tried to get the upper hand, but they were evenly matched, and neither got anywhere.
“Enough!” Daerk hollered at them before grabbing Rir around the scuff of the neck and yanking him off Tor.
Brushing off his clothing, Tor sat up and stared up at Rir in confusion. “You aren’t the hot-headed one.”
Rir gripped the hem of his shirt and tugged it down, back into place. “Instead of talking, I will prove I’m the better hunter.” A cocky smile spread across his lips before he bent over, snatched up his spear, and jogged off to join some other hunters.
Tor stood up and brushed off the bits of dirt and grass that were now adorning his tanned leather clothing. “Is there something wrong with him?”
Daerk watched Rir, who was now speaking with the other men in the hunting group. “I think he’s worried about ending up like Eron. Mateless. And it’s causing him to lash out.”
“Why? He’s young.” Tor picked up his spear. “Eron might be passed his prime, but Rir has plenty of time to find his mate.”
“We both have mates, and now he is left alone with no mate and no future children.” Daerk supplied.
Tor and Daerk weaved their way through the tall brittle grass as they caught up to the other men. “He needs to believe in the gods.”
“I know how he feels.”
Glancing over at Daerk, Tor caught a flash of despair in his friend’s eyes. What did Daerk have to be sad about? He had a mate, and she loved him. Tor was still fighting to win over his mate. He and Ezi may be intimate, but that didn’t mean he’d won her. He still hadn’t won her heart, and she didn’t want anyone to know they’d been together.
“How can you know how he feels?”
Daerk sighed and a couple of seconds passed before he said, “The gods have yet to bless us with any children. I’m wondering if they ever will.”
“They will.” Although it did disturb Tor a bit to hear of their troubles. He wanted offspring. Lots of offspring. He wanted them all to look like Ezi with cute little noses, and he could care less if they were pronghorns or sabertooths.
“Now isn’t the time to think of this. We need to focus on the hunt.” A smile spread over Daerk’s face. “One problem at a time.”
Tor nodded his head in agreement. “Yes.” But now there was a trickle of fear coursing through his heart. Either the gods were being cruel to Daerk and Aiyre, or it meant sabertooths and pronghorns couldn’t produce anything.
Shaking his head, he shoved his thoughts of Ezi and children away and replaced them with thoughts of mammoths. He would worry about children at a later time.
As they walked up to the rest of the group, Tor hugged each of the other warriors. Then Daerk pulled out a small bag made of an animal’s stomach. Pulling out a plug, he held it up. “May the gods bless our hunt. May no man get injured or die.” Then he took a swig and passed it around to the other warriors.
When it came to Tor, he put the opening to his mouth, tilted his head back, and took a swig of the bitter liquid. His eyes and nose scrunched up as he swallowed the nasty tasting liquid. It was one of the herbal concoctions that Eron made for their hunts. It was supposed to bring them closer to the gods so their spears would throw straight and their stamina would be increased.
He wished he could wipe his tongue off with a leaf, but he didn’t want to anger the gods. Their emotions could be fickle, and he wanted to remain on their good side.
He passed the stomach back to Daerk who capped it and tied it back to his waist.
“Eron needs to make those drinks better.” Jirk’s tongue shot out of his mouth as he used his teeth to scrape off the top of his tongue.
Tor raised a hand to his mouth, smothering the snort that threatened to come out as he watched Jirk’s tongue shoot in and out of his mouth.
“You men ready to hunt mammoths?”
All the men spun around to find Aiyre leading a group of women who were participating in the hunt. Aiyre’s hair was braided back behind her head, and her brown eyes sparkled with fire.
Then his eyes landed on Ezi. She didn’t hold a spear like most of the other women, and he was relieved she didn’t plan on participating. A mammoth hunt shouldn’t be anyone’s first hunt.
Stepping away from the men, he wrapped an arm around Ezi’s waist and drew her away from the groups.
“Is Flosa with Ake?”
Ezi turned her head up, her big jade eyes swallowing him whole. His heart pitter-pattered around in his chest. His head dipped lower, but before he could plant a kiss on her luscious lips, she danced out of his arms.
“She’s with Ake,” Ezi confirmed.
Disappointment soared through him that she’d pulled away. Someday he would be able to kiss her in front of others, but it wouldn’t be today. He reminded himself to be patient. All it would take was time, and he had all the time in the land.
“Have you been to a mammoth hunt?”
She shook her head, her brunette hair waving behind her. “I’ve seen them from a distance.” She tapped a finger against her chin. “Or maybe it was a wholly rhinoceros.”
Tor chuckled as he shook his head. “You would know the difference.”
“Then, I have no idea what I saw.” She shrugged. “But I will see one today.”
“You should see more than one.” Their hunt would be a disappointment if they couldn’t kill a couple of mammoths.
“Ezi,” Aiyre popped up beside them, and Tor jumped a little in his shoes. Aiyre made a great hunter because she was so quiet when she walked. It was like the woman never ran into any small branches or dry patches of grass on the ground. Her feet just dodged them. “If you come with me, I can find you a safe place to watch the hunt.”
Ezi glanced up at him. “I will see you after the hunt.”
“I will see you after the hunt then.” He agreed.
Ezi nodded as she followed after Aiyre. He stood there and watched her walk away… and then she stopped, turned, and her jade eyes bored into him. “Be safe.” And then she spun back around and left.
A slow smile crept across his lips as he realized she was worried about him. He would, of course, make sure to be safe, because he had a reason to live.
Sucking in a breath, he prepared himself for the hunt. He might have a limp, but he had to believe in himself. He was a skilled hunter, and no limp was going to ruin his ability to take down a mammoth.
With a small hop in his step, he rejoined the hunters, which were now a mix of men and women.
“Sorry about earlier.” Rir bumped a shoulder against Tor’s.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I don’t know what got into me.” Rir ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve felt tense, and then you insulted me, and before I knew it I was on top of you.”
Tor shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”
“No one is to change into their animal form!” Daerk speared them with his eyes, and both of them snapped their mouths shut. No need
to anger their leader. “We will hunt the mammoths from a distance with our spears from the cliff edge. If a mammoth charges, run and do not try to kill it.” Then he pinned Tor with his gaze.
“What?”
“You tried to kill a wholly rhinoceros by yourself.”
“I wasn’t thinking straight.” Tor grumped under his breath. Everyone was going to hang that above him for the rest of their lives, and he thought it was unfair. He’d been rejected by his mate and was going crazy.
“No hunting mammoths alone.” Daerk pointed a finger at him.
Tor rolled his eyes as Daerk began telling the hunters where they should go. With his limp, he wasn’t planning on doing anything risky.
Chapter 20
Ezi plopped down on the boulder. It overlooked the entire hunting area, and she would be able to watch everyone if she could drag her eyes away from Tor. He looked intimidating with the limp in his walk, and the spear clutched tightly in one hand.
Her mouth went dry.
She was worried about him. She feared his limp would endanger his life while hunting these giant beasts.
The ground below her vibrated, and as her eyes went wide, she glanced over her shoulder to see the mammoths coming. Her jaw dropped. Their enormous tusks jutted out from their upper lips sweeping out in giant arches. Their long trunks swept over the ground as they searched the area for something to eat, and she could have sworn their hair was long enough to hide in.
As they neared, the ground trembled under her, and she placed her hands flat against the boulder she sat on lest they bounce her right off the rock. There were so many, and among all the ginormous adults small babies ran about or trailed after their mothers.
Then sadness hit her square in the face, and she glared at the animals. They were the reason her clan had been slaughtered. If they had come earlier in the winter, then her people would still be alive, and she would be with…
Her eyes traveled over to where Tor stood. She wasn’t sure she would want Drakk now that she’d gotten to known Tor. He was kind, and yes, he was a sabertooth, but he’d been gentle with both her and Flosa. Her heart hitched in her chest as she watched him.
Tor crouched low in the grass disappearing from view.
As her eyes scanned over the area, she found no hunters. Her head zipped back and forth on her shoulders as she tried to locate anyone, but she came up empty. They must have all crouched low in the tall grass.
The mammoths moved slowly over the land heading straight towards the canyon where half the hunting party would be waiting.
Small rocks around her bounced with the heavy steps of the mammoths, and she watched them tremble around her.
When Ezi glanced back up, she spotted the lead mammoth heading straight into the canyon. The hunters in the tall grass bounced up and ran towards the rear of the herd. The mammoths raised their trunks and trumpeted in alarm. The air filled with the sound, ringing off her eardrums, and she raised her hands, covering her ears.
Then the mammoths stampeded straight towards the canyon.
Despite trying to pick him out, Ezi couldn’t spot Tor among the hunters. They all loped after the mammoths, jabbing their spears in the air to keep the mammoths going on track.
One mammoth broke loose from the rest of the group and charged the hunter closest to it. The hunter rolled out of the way, but then the mammoth set its eyes on yet another hunter, and this time she could make out exactly who it was.
“Tor!” She bellowed even though she knew from this distance, he wouldn’t be able to hear her.
The mammoth moved faster than she would have ever been able to guess. With such a large frame, she would assume it’d be slow and lumbering. It shook its head, waiving its large white tucks through the air.
Ezi sucked in a breath as she stood up in horror. The tip of its tusk brushed past Tor, dangerously close to clipping him. Tor darted out of the way, and another hunter poked his spear tip into the mammoth’s flesh.
The mammoth trumpeted again, but this time there was a high-pitched tone at the end as the tip of the spear met its flesh. The mammoth rounded and went after the hunter who’d poked it. It let out a bellow of challenge and barreled down on the man.
Ezi’s breath caught in her chest as both of her hands came up to her mouth.
Tor bolted forward, braced a foot, drew back his arm, and threw his spear. The long wooden shaft soared through the air before landing in the thick mass of hair covering the mammoth’s body. It let out a bellow of pain, its trunk rising high into the air, but it stopped charging the other man, allowing him time to get away from the mammoth.
More mammoths bellowed from down in the canyon, and from her position she could see hunters throwing spears down at the mammoths from high up in the cliffs. From the pained sounds coming from the mammoths, she knew some of the spears were hitting their mark.
Ezi’s eyes flickered back over to Tor, who was drawing the angered mammoth away. His limp slowed him down, but he managed to keep ahead of the enraged beast. She wanted to leave her boulder and help, but Ezi knew she would only get in the way.
Tor ducked behind some trees, and without a visual threat, the mammoth spun around searching for another target for its anger. When it didn’t see anyone else, it lumbered away, back to the rest of the herd, which was now fleeing the canyon in a frantic rush to get away from the hunters.
When everything quieted down, she once more searched for Tor but came up empty.
“Ezi.” A deep voice came from behind her.
Spinning around, Ezi clasped her hands together in front of her. “You’re safe!” She cried out before flinging herself into his arms.
Tor chuckled, and the vibrations flowed through her as she pressed her chest up close to him. “I was never in danger.”
“The mammoth wanted blood.” She buried her face in his shoulder and enjoyed the scent of man, leather, and trampled grass.
“You were worried about me?”
Ezi pulled away and straightened her shirt as she glanced up at him from under hooded eyes. “A little.” She had no idea why, but she had been worried. “I was afraid your limp would allow the mammoth to catch up to you.”
“But it didn’t.”
“It was brave of you to charge after it to save your clanmate.” She blinked. The man in front of her was selfless and courageous. Sucking in a deep breath, she studied him. He was strong and kind, and though he had stormed away for many moons, he was being patient with her now.
Feeling awkward about where her thoughts were headed, Ezi asked, “Should we join the others and see if they got a mammoth?”
“Yes, let’s go.” Tor reached out and placed a hand against the small of her back as he directed her down from her boulder. He leaped down to the ground and then held his arms up.
“I can climb down.”
“Jump, Ezi. You can trust me to catch you.” And then he whispered under his breath, “I will always catch you.” But it was just loud enough for her to hear.
Ezi’s heart hitched in her chest as her pulse raced under her skin. He would always catch her. And she wasn’t sure how to take that. Either he was saying he would always be there to catch her before she fell, or he was saying he would always catch her if she ran.
Either way, it excited her and reminded her of the times when she’d changed into her pronghorn form and demanded that he catch her.
“Trust me.” He repeated.
“I do.” And she leaped from the boulder.
Tor’s hands wrapped around her ribcage and brought her down against his chest before letting her feet touch the ground. His head descended, and his lips came down across hers. The kiss was demanding and sent heat coursing through her body. Her toes curled in pleasure as his kiss deepened, and then his tongue slid across the seam of her lips. Popping her mouth open, she welcomed him in. The tip of his tongue danced with hers before scraping across her top teeth and then pulling back into his mouth.
Tor broke away with a chuckle.
“We need to meet up with the others before they worry about us, or come looking for us.”
“I don’t care if they see,” Ezi was delirious with desire and could care less if someone in the clan caught them. Leaning up on her toes, she pressed her mouth to his and he purred against her.
Tor’s hands clamped down around her waist, and gently he lowered them to the ground, the tall grass protecting them from any wandering eyes. He pulled her into his arms, and one of his hands worked its way into her thick mane of hair. Then he pulled away and began kissing a trail across her cheek down to her neck and then she heard him take a deep intake of breath.
“You smell delicious, mate.”
Ezi’s blood froze in her veins at his words.
“Now you smell like fear, mate.” He pulled back until his blue eyes met hers. “I would never harm you.”
“Sorry.” She shook her fear away. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”
His eyes searched her face. “You do?”
Ezi nodded her head.
A smile cracked across his lips. “Good. I never want you to fear me.” One of his hands came up to caress the side of her face, and she leaned into his palm enjoying the contact.
Her heart swelled in her chest, and when he leaned in to kiss her again, she met him halfway. She murmured against his lips, “Take me, Tor. Take me.”
A growl left his lips vibrating through his chest and into her body. It only warmed her blood and sent tingles of excitement straight to her toes. Her hands wandered over him until they reached the leather ties of his pants. With quick fingers, she undid the strings and reached her hand into his pants where she found his cock hard.
A smile spread across her lips as they continued to kiss. Her fingers wrapped around his cock, and she stroked it with long pumps. He groaned against her lips.
“I need you.” He moved his hips, withdrawing his cock from her grasp. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he pressed her back against the ground before undoing the leather straps holding her shirt together halfway and then popped her breasts up above the collar. “You’re beautiful, Ezi. So beautiful.”
A blush crept up her face. She knew she shouldn’t compare Drakk and Tor because they were different men, but Drakk had never said anything like this, and he had never made her heart flutter in her chest like Tor did. There was something different about this sabertooth shifter.