CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR（Untitled）Branikk

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Branikk

The next two days are a bizarre mix of strategy meetings discussing how to handle the next sluagh attack and playtime with the pups. Grace remains fairly quiet whenever all the warriors gather to plan, though she did make a second net gun and numerous cartridges. All agree her human weapons will help us win the day, yet no one has an easy answer for the fact that only she and I have the hands required to use them.

Perhaps it's no wonder, then, that she only comes alive when we're with the pups. With extra warriors here, Riselda, Rune's sister and the pack's current leader, now allows the little ones playtime in the open area in front of the dens. After being cooped up for weeks, they have an excess of energy to burn off, and a new favorite person to do so with.

They leap around Grace now, in the mellowing light of evening. "Bubbles!" "Make the cat blow bubbles!" "Play with me!"

My bride laughs—truly laughs, the sound echoing through my soul—and her wide mouth stretches into the most glorious smile. Even as I gladden to see it, I want to make her smile in such a way myself.

She spins in a slow circle, waving the pink cat in the air, bubbles pouring from its mouth.

The pups have created a new game, each trying to pop the most bubbles and counting their "kills." They leap, slashing with clawed paws and snapping with tiny fanged mouths, echoes of the warriors they will grow into. Yet somehow, that potential future deadliness only makes the younglings cuter.

My moon bound has a way with them, breaking up tussles using distraction instead of harsh words. When I praised her for it earlier, she shrugged. "I've worked around kids a lot. Kids are simple. Most can't hide what they're really thinking, so you know what you're dealing with."

Her words only confirm what I already know. She will be the most amazing mother. I can already picture her playing exactly so with our child.

My bride breaks up a squabble now, Astrid and Agnar arguing over their tie for first place when both reached the final bubble at the same moment.

"I know what we'll do!" Grace says, loudly enough to be heard over their yips and snarls. "We'll have a bubble off!"

"A what?" Agnar stops pawing at his twin sister.

"One last round, just the two of you. Winner wins the whole game."

"Bubble off! Bubble off! Bubble off!" the pups chant, little faces looking up at her in adoration.

She laughs, head tipped back, mouth wide, and the sound pierces me like an arrow to the heart. By the goddess, I love my bride's laugh.

Grace places the two competitors in front of her and starts the device, the wide mouth of the cat spitting bubbles straight ahead. The twins leap and dive, cheered on by their friends.

They end up in another tie until Astrid makes a spectacular leap, snapping a bubble out of the air with her teeth.

Grace calls out, "We have a winner!"

The pups all cheer as the twins fall into little panting heaps, tongues lolling.

When she catches her breath, Astrid says, "The only thing that would make it better is if the bubbles came out the cat's butt."

"Butt bubbles!" Agnar yells, rolling with delight, his little legs kicking up at the air.

Yips of laughter fill the air as Grace meets my eyes and offers me her beautiful smile.

"Where are you taking me?" Grace asks that evening as I lead her away from the dens.

"It's a surprise."

This time she offers no protest that she hates surprises, and I take that as good sign.

When I went hunting with Rune and some of the others earlier, I asked him about private spots. The canine fae gave us our own den, large and dry and comfortable enough when softened with furs. Yet it shares a tunnel with other dens, and there's no door. The close-knit community offers little in the way of privacy.

Our footsteps crunch over dried needles. I don't bother to quiet mine, simply walking casually beside my bride. The forest around the dens is safe, the non-magical animals of Alarria recognizing the cu sith as predators even if understanding nothing of the fae's true nature. Golden larks flit through the pine trees, calling out to each other in evening song. The relaxation of the past few days spent playing with the pups infuses both of us, and I enjoy our new ease with one another.

Soon the repeated splash of lapping water sounds from ahead. The trees open on a lake, the deep-blue surface rippled by a soft breeze that caries the scent of fresh water. A sandy beach reaches from the end of the woods down to the lake's edge, dotted here and there by boulders. The trees of the other side blur into dark green, their shapes softened by distance and the fading light. Orange streaks the open sky, the color reflected on the western edge of the lake.

"It's beautiful!" Grace says, her voice quiet with awe. A soft smile brightens her expressive face, her eyes shining.

"It is."

When she catches me watching her instead of the view, she ducks her head, looking embarrassed and noticing what waits on the beach. She walks over to where my spread tent makes a blanket topped with covered food. A small fire ready to be lit sits nearby.

"You did all of this?"

"I did." I pull out the fire stone and start the fire, feeding it small twigs until it burns steadily.

"Why?"

I clasp her hands and pull her down to sit beside me on the blanket, looking out over the water. "I did it for you. Everything's been so hectic since you first got to Alarria. Even now that we're in a relatively safe place, the pups barely leave you alone."

"I don't mind. They've been so bored."

"You're amazing with them." I tuck an escaping lock of her hair behind her ear, my fingers lingering on its softness. Then I pull off both our pairs of boots, happy to see the way her toes curl into sand still warm from the day's sun.

Reaching over, I add several larger pieces of dry wood to the fire. "You said you want children." We only discussed it briefly that one time, but seeing her with the pups brings it to mind.

"Yes, but…" Her fingers twist in the hem of her shirt.

What makes her hesitate? She clearly enjoys younglings—she comes too alive when playing with the pups not to. "But what?"

"I've never thought I'd have any," she says in a rush. "That anyone would want to… with me."

I pluck her nervous hands from her lap and clasp them in mine. "It would be my greatest honor to father your children."

Her shocked eyes meet mine.

"Come." I stand and pull her up with me, toward the water.

She glances back over her shoulder. "What about the food?"

"The leather bags are imbued with preservation spells. It can wait." This cannot. I will show my moon bound bride exactly how much I want her. I peel my shirt over my head and enjoy the way Grace's eyes rove over my bare skin, full of hunger.

"Your turn." I curl my finger under the hem of her shirt and tug upward, the soft fabric sliding easily from her raised arms. That contraption made of scraps hides her breasts from me, and I bare my tusks at it. Yet I now know its tricks. It will not defeat me. My fingers slide around her and ghost up her back in the most teasing of touches, then release the clasp.

Grace shrugs the straps from her shoulders, and the pale-pink fabric falls from her glorious breasts.

"Goddess, you're beautiful." I groan and plump the heavy weight of one with my palm. My thumb brushes over her raspberry nipple, making her gasp. How I love that sound.

Her hands work at the closure of my pants, and my cock jumps against the tight leather, eager to greet her. Then they're open, and I pull away before she can touch me. At her hurt look, I cup her face and hurry to explain. "I don't want to get orc seed on you yet. It brings great pleasure but also much haste."

I remove my leather pants, then crouch to open her human ones. My hands glide down the amazing length of her legs as I peel them from her. Then I hook a tusk in the leg of her underthings and pull, the smell of her heady and rich with arousal.

A growl rumbles through my chest as I stand. "One last thing." I pull the final scrap of pink fabric from her hair, loving how the golden waves spill around her shoulders, catching the last light of day. Grasping her hand, I tug her into the water with me.

It's sun warmed at the surface, but cooler around my calves as we move out far enough for it to reach her breasts. The soft silt is silky underneath my bare feet, the occasional rock rounded and smooth.

I duck under and stand, slicking my hair back from my face and loving once again how hungrily my bride looks at me.

"Can you float?" I ask.

"Sure."

My hands find her hips, and I tip her backward.

She gives a startled yelp, her hands flying to my upper arms, then laughs when I pull her lower body to the surface so she's horizontal.

"Don't sink." I smirk at her, teasing my tusks with my tongue. "I'd hate to drown before I'm through."

"What—?" She breaks off with a gasp as I sink into the water and spread her legs wide. Contrary to my words, my hands hold her lovely ass to help her stay up.

And to keep her right where I want her.

My bride floats without purchase, me her only anchor point, as I lean forward and lick her. Salt and tang and female burst on my tongue, and I groan, lapping like a man starved. "You're already wet for me. I can taste it."

She tries to lift her head to look at me, but it makes her sink.

"None of that." I smack her butt cheek, the water removing most of the sting. "You lay back and leave me in charge. That's an order."