by Ruby Dixon
“You yelled at Hemalo—”
HIs eyes flare and suddenly my playful Aehako is gone. In his place is a wild-eyed, teeth-baring, snarling man. He stabs a finger at the ground. “Because he is not doing as he is told! Hemalo is not thinking of you and our kit!”
I stare at him, aghast.
“He is being selfish!”
“Will you listen to yourself right now?” I shake my head. “Aehako, love, they live here, too. They can’t just tiptoe around for the next year because I’m pregnant.”
He flings his hands wide. “Why not?”
I’m worried about him. We were both a little anxious when I got pregnant, because we knew that I shouldn’t have been able to get pregnant. That the khui fixed the problems that had led to me being sterile, so we were cautious at first. But as time has gone on, I’ve become more and more comfortable with being pregnant, and it’s clear Aehako has…not.
“You need to calm down,” I tell him in my most level-headed, soothing voice. “You’re stressing yourself out, and you’re making me worry about you. I love you, Aehako, but I don’t love how you’re acting right now.”
My big alien mate drags a hand over his face. “I…my apologies, my mate. I just saw him at work and it made me angry.” He drops to his knees in front of me and pulls me into his arms, nestling his head against the slight swell of my belly. “I think only of you and our kit.”
I put my hands on his head, run my fingers lightly over the short hairs of his scalp. “They live here, too,” I say gently. “If the scent bothered me enough, I’d talk to him. Do you really think Hemalo would do anything deliberately to try and spite us?” Hemalo is so kind and gentle, I can barely imagine him with Asha, much less doing anything to be cruel. “He’s just working on his leathers because he likes to. It’s nothing to do with you or me.”
Aehako sighs heavily, his cheek pressed to my belly as I massage his scalp. “I just…worry.”
I want to ask if it’s because of Asha and Hemalo’s empty arms, but if their loss isn’t on his mind, I don’t want to add another worry to the pile. “You’re supposed to be the carefree one, remember? I’m the ‘Sad Eyes’ and you’re the happy one.” I trace my fingers down his scalp, caressing one ear lovingly. “I hate that you’re so upset, love. Talk to me about it. Don’t take it out on others.”
His arms tighten around me. “I…have had bad dreams.”
“About?”
“You and the kit.” His words are thick, reluctant. “That terrible things happen to you both and I am helpless to do anything about it.” He buries his face against my tunic, as if he can’t bear the thought of even remembering those dreams.
I chew on my lip. “Like…Rokan type dreams?” I ask hesitantly. His brother Rokan has a strange connection with his khui, and always seems to “know” a bit more than he lets on. If Aehako has the same…
“No. Nothing like that.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “So just bad dreams that make you wake up in a terrible mood.” I caress his head as he rubs my belly and nods. “I understand. They’re just dreams though, love. I promise you I feel fine and I’d let you know the moment I didn’t.”
“I know.” His big hand cups my belly even though it’s nothing but the slightest of bulges. “I just wish that the healer was here. I would feel better knowing she checked you and said everything was fine.”
It’s a brilliant idea, and one I immediately latch onto. If seeing the healer will make him return to his laughing, carefree self, I’m all for it. “Great. Let’s go see her, then.”
Aehako looks up at me in surprise. “What?” He shakes his head. “It is the brutal season. You should not leave the caves.”
“I don’t care,” I say, smiling. “It’s a half a day’s walk to the main caves, right? I can walk for half a day.”
“It will take longer with bad weather,” Aehako admits.
“Then we walk for a full day. Look, if it’ll ease your mind, why don’t we do it? I think it’s a great idea.”
He frowns, running his hand over my belly again. “I cannot take my mate out in the brutal season.”
I let out a frustrated puff of breath. “Why not?”
“It is cold.”
I chuckle. “It is always cold, love. I’m not going to snap like an icicle the moment I go outside.” He looks alarmed at my choice of words and tugs me a bit closer. “Besides, I’d like to see the healer, too.”
“You said nothing was wrong?” Aehako blurts immediately.
“Nothing is wrong,” I quickly reassure him. “I just would like to see Maylak. I’d like to see Georgie and Liz, too. We can compare notes about human-sa-khui pregnancies.” I touch his cheek gently, running my thumb over his high cheekbones. “I want to visit with my friends. I want to relax in the heated pool in the center of the cave and not come out for days. And we can visit your mother and father. That’d be lovely, wouldn’t it?
The more I think about the idea, the more I love it. Maybe we need a vacation. Just to get away from everyone else in the South Cave for a few days. Because it’s the brutal season, everyone’s underfoot and getting on each other’s nerves, and Aehako is more stressed than I’ve ever seen him. Being the leader is an extra burden, and he’d probably do well talking to Vektal, too.
It’ll be wonderful for both of us, and I’m willing to put up with a little snow and a terrible day’s walk there to do it.
But my stubborn mate shakes his head. “It is too dangerous.”
I’m not deterred by his refusal. “Is it really? You and the other hunters go out in the brutal season when the weather is decent. It can be done, but it’s just unpleasant, right? I can live with a little unpleasant.”
Aehako traces his fingers over my belly. “It is also far, far colder—”
“Then we bundle up.”
“The weather might blow up and catch us by surprise—”
“Then we bring extra supplies and stick close to the hunter caves. If it takes us three days to get there because we have to keep pausing at hunter caves, I’m fine with that, too.”
He gets to his feet and gazes down at me, his face so full of frustration. He smooths my hair back from my face, troubled. “It is a lot of walking and you are carrying my kit.”
“I don’t mind walking—”
A thoughtful look crosses his face. “Though we could make a sled.”
“To carry our stuff?” I ask eagerly.
“For you to ride on.”
“Oh.” It’s not my ideal situation—I’d much rather walk—but he’s the expert. If he says it’s too nasty in the brutal season for me to walk to the main cave, then it’s too nasty. It doesn’t matter. I’ll ride in a sled if it means we get a chance to visit the healer and just take a break from things. “We can do all of that,” I tell him. “If we have a sled, we can pack it cram-full of extra supplies so we know we’re totally prepared for anything that comes up.”
Aehako still looks doubtful. “I will need a few days to prepare everything. And we must wait for good weather.”
“I’m fine with both,” I say, grabbing his hands. “This will be wonderful.”
He squeezes my hands. “Are you sure you wish to do this, my mate? It might be best for you to stay here, curled up by the fire. I do not want you to push yourself just for me.” His gaze is a mixture of worry and relief both.
“It’s not just for you,” I reassure him. “It’s for me, too.” And for the rest of the cave, because I’m pretty sure Aehako will snap before the brutal season is over. “As long as we go in totally prepared and take our time, I’m not worried about anything. You know this land. You know the paths, snow-covered or not. I trust you.”
Aehako smiles at me, and then drops to his knees to press another kiss to my belly. “Then it looks like we will be taking a journey. I will let the others know.”
I beam at him. I hope this is enough to take his mind off of all the stresses. Right now, my poor love is driving everyone crazy
with his good intentions. And if this doesn’t help…we’ll figure something else out.
3
AEHAKO
For the next several days, I barely sleep. My mind is too full of preparations. I must ensure that everything is perfect and that we are ready when we finally step out into the brutal season snows. I will not risk my mate in the slightest.
So I work. I build a sled out of sa-kohtsk bones and thick hide, and some of the other males, bored with their confinement in the caves as the snow and wind roar outside, assist me. Eventually it is big and sturdy enough that it will glide over the snow with ease, and has plenty of room for my delicate mate, her growing belly, and the mountain of supplies we are going to take with us to ensure that we are prepared for any and all situations. I strap extra bone runners and leather to the sled, just in case it breaks. I pack bags of trail rations, even though there are caches scattered throughout these valleys and I am familiar with all of them. I prepare additional waterskins. Tea. Medicinal roots for my mate’s belly in case she wakes up ill. Extra clothing. Extra boots. Extra furs. Blankets. Tools. Knives. Spears.
Kemli’s mate Borran takes one look at the growing pile atop the sled and laughs until his entire body shakes. I do not care. I will be prepared for every situation.
My Kira says nothing about my enthusiastic packing. She just smiles at me and rubs a hand over her small belly, a sweet expression on her face.
It takes me two handfuls of days before I feel we are ready to go. I can think of nothing else to add to the sled, now bulging with its contents. I head out into the driving snow and practice pulling it, re-balancing things to ensure that the sled will not tip with my precious mate sitting atop it.
And then, finally, a day comes when the skies dawn clear and snow is not angrily flooding from the skies.
It is time to begin our journey.
“Today?” my Kira asks as she wakes up.
“Today,” I agree, and my belly is filled with dread and determination both. More than anything, I want to take my Kira to see the healer, to reassure us that all is well…but I hope this is not foolish. I hope this is not a mistake. I frown, thinking of the bags I have packed. “Perhaps I should get one more pouch of trail rations before we go.”
“How many do you have?” Kira asks, yawning as she crawls from the furs and begins to straighten things.
I think for a moment. “Eight.”
She sputters, turning to look at me with wide eyes. “We can eat off of just one bag for a week. Eight seems excessive.”
“I want to be prepared,” I tell her with a grin, and decide to quietly add one more bag. Just in case. “Now, come. I have extra furs for you to wear while we travel.”
“Oh no.”
“Oh yes.” I cup her cheek and smile down at her skeptical little face. “I will take good care of you, never fear.”
“Oh boy. Should I put my boots on?”
“I have boots for you.”
“Oh boy,” she says again. But Kira puts her hand in mine and lets me lead her out of the cave.
I have our sled and supplies waiting at the entrance to the cave, so I begin bundling my mate after she says a quick goodbye to the tribe, most of whom are watching us prepare to leave. I layer one set of leathers on my mate, and then another, and another, belting them to keep the clothing tight against her body so no wind can cut through and chill her. After a few more layers, someone snickers quietly nearby.
I study my mate, and then add another heavy fur vest, one of mine that hangs to her knees on her and nearly wraps around her twice. I belt it tight and then start to add another layer, just in case.
Kira sputters. “Aehako, how many layers do I need?”
“All of them,” I tell her cheerfully.
She giggles and when I pick up a cloak, she touches my hand. “Enough, love. I can barely walk in this.”
“You do not need to walk at all. You are going to be on a sled.”
She shakes her head, bouncing her arms against her well-padded sides. “I look like a snowman.”
I have seen the rounded figures the humans sometimes make out of snow at the cave entrance and…she is not wrong. It is adorable, though. I lean in and give her small nose a kiss on the tip. “I bundle you because you will be sitting instead of walking. Trust me when I say you will be cold enough to be grateful for all these layers.”
Kira gives me a skeptical look, but nods. “All right, then. You’re the expert.”
I get her seated on the packed sled, then pile furs atop her and swaddle her like a kit, until she’s laughing at my protectiveness. Perhaps I am overdoing it a little, but I do not care. She is more than precious to me, my mate, and I do not mind looking foolish if it saves her a moment of discomfort. When I am convinced she will be warm enough, I toss on my own wraps and loop the strap for the sled around my waist, harnessing it to my body. Even if I should drop the leather ropes, she will not slide away from me.
With a cheerful wave goodbye, I haul the sled out into the cold. The day is mostly clear, a thick cloud-cover hiding the suns from sight and keeping the temperature icy. The wind is high, biting at my exposed skin, so I tug a wrap higher around my nose and make sure that Kira’s covers most of her face, and then set off.
We set a good pace, the snow thick on the ground, and I choose a path that will stay close to the cliffs but will not entail dragging the sled up the steep slopes of the nearby rocky surfaces. The farther we get away from the South Cave, the more concerned I am that it is perhaps far too cold for Kira. Her human skin cannot take the cold like mine can. She is sitting, which is bound to make her colder, and the clouds look as if they are growing thicker by the moment.
A short time later, I spot the trail to a hunter cave. I immediately head in that direction, moving toward it. The privacy screen is up to protect the cave’s contents, but no one is inside. I pause, considering the skies once more, and then turn to my mate.
“We are stopping here for the day,” I announce, unstrapping myself from the sled.
Kira pulls off the thick fur covering the lower half of her face like a mask and gives me an odd look. “We haven’t gone very far, have we? It’s not even been a few hours.”
“I will not chance getting caught in a snowstorm with you and our kit,” I tell her, moving to her side and taking her hands to help her to her feet. “You said you did not care if this took many, many days, right?”
Her mouth quirks in a hint of a smile, but she nods at me. “I did say that.”
I help my mate waddle into the cave (perhaps I did wrap a few too many layers of furs around her) and start a fire so she can warm herself while I unpack. As if the skies have decided to agree with me, large flakes of snow ride the wind, and the day grows dark despite that it is mid-day.
“You see?” I tell Kira as I haul our packs inside. “Your mate is always right.”
“I’m gonna ignore that,” she teases, holding her pink hands toward the fire to warm them. “Do you need help?”
“If you go near the front of that cave, I will spank you like a naughty kit,” I promise her. “Sit and warm up.”
I work on unpacking the sled that I just packed not too long ago, and by the time I am done, the snow is easing up. I wait for Kira to point this out, but she says nothing, feeding bits of fuel to the fire and setting up a tripod and pouch so we can make tea. She has stripped most of her extra layers off and created a nest of furs in the back of the cave, and when I put the privacy screen over the entrance to block the wind, she straightens and smiles at me.
“All done?” she asks, a smile on her face.
I nod, taking the food satchel out of her hands. “I know you think I am overprotective, but I would rather be cautious than caught out in the cold with you and the kit.”
“Did I say anything?”
“I could hear you thinking it,” I tease her. “You think very loudly.”
“Not loudly enough, it seems,” Kira says, moving to my side. She unties the
belt holding my clothing to my body, letting it slide to the ground. She pulls at my clothing, peeling one layer off and then another. “I was just thinking that there’s nothing wrong with us taking our time. Spending a little quiet time together, just you and me. I think you could use a vacation.”
“A vay-cay-shun?”
She nods. “It’s where humans take a little trip to get away from their worries.”
“You think I have worries?”
She tugs on another thick layer of furs over my chest, smiling up at me as she leans close. “Or maybe you just need to get away for a little bit.” She lets the fur slide to the ground and then I am in nothing but a vest and my leggings. Kira moves behind me, her hand sliding across my backside.
“Are you seducing me?” I ask her. “Should I expect a courting gift?”
“No courting gift. But…would it be so bad if I was seducing you? Should I stop?” She presses her cheek to my arm and hugs me from behind, her hands on my stomach. “Is it so bad if I like touching my mate?”
“It is not bad at all.” My breath quickens, and the press of her smaller body against mine makes me hungry for more. I ache to touch her, to fling her down onto the furs and just rut into her welcoming body…but she is carrying my kit. We must be careful. “Are you tired?” I ask instead. “Should you lie down and rest?”
“Rest? From sitting in a sled all morning?” She lets out a derisive little snort and one of her hands slides to my cock. “I’m feeling pretty good, actually.” Her fingers graze up and down the front of my leathers. “It seems you feel pretty good, too.”
I groan at her feather-light touch. Just that small caress is enough for my cock to harden, and I pull my mate tighter against me. I tilt my head back, giving my body over to her touch. “It is because I have the finest mate in both caves,” I tell her. “Just knowing that she is mine makes me impossibly hard.”
“It’s a wonder you’re not hard all day,” she teases, rubbing her mouth against my bare arm and then biting me lightly. “Just wandering around the hills of snow, your dick standing up for all the world to see.”