25

Serik

Kaitlyn is beautiful, but her grumpy pout is my favorite. Waking at dawn after less than a day of rest to migrate south made her grouchy. Loading our mushroom babies into protective boxes onto a sleigh with a pair of wild reindeer to pull it distressed her. Leaving the cat in our central home pissed her off. Every grumbled complaint from her pretty frown is adorable. Her attitude reminds me of our first day together when she aimed her fire at me. Frankly, she'd reach back and slap me if she knew how many times I nearly rammed our sleigh into Sergei's because I watch her butt jiggle instead of our path.

If she ever finds out I steered us over ruts and rocks on purpose, I'm a dead male.

"Thank you for driving a second sleigh for our mushrooms," I shout to Sergei as we park them in front of my dyla weturanya.

"It was convenient since my mate migrated to the southern grounds without me," he says with a puff of pride. I bristle at the implied slight. Sydney took to the Chuchunya like she was born here, and Kaitlyn struggles with the idea of driving a sled on her own.

"Yes, thank you," Kaitlyn says sweetly as she climbs out of our sleigh. "I'll remember your help when Sydney asks to barter our mushrooms. She'll get our first deal."

Take that, Sergei. I love how my mate takes no prisoners without raising her voice. Her words bring Sergie and Sydney to our level…or is it the other way around? They are the golden couple everyone aspires to be, but we have our merits, too. They will raise kits and raise hell as they hunt, but we raise mushrooms—a delicacy that's new to the clan.

"Do you need help carrying the plants inside?" He asks to earn more favors for Sydney with Kaitlyn. I get it. I'd be the same way to please my chernyrozd. As irritating as I found the way males melted for their mates before I claimed Kaitlyn, I'm embarrassed at my younger self's attitude toward them.

"Fungus," I say, lifting the first few boxes. "They aren't plants. Mushrooms are fungus."

"We're fine, Sergei," Kaitlyn says with a wink to me. "I'm sure Sydney is waiting for you."

"Do you mind if I take the animals with me? Your home is too close to humans to let them loose. I'd hate for them to meet a human's bullet after they served us," he replies.

"Of course," I say, dipping into the atrium of my southern dyla weturanya to set the boxes inside. I help him untie the animals from the sleighs. With an exchange of hugs that bristles my fur, he tows three reindeer behind the one he rides into the night.

"If you are cold, you can wait inside for me to finish unloading," I say to Kaitlyn when I catch her shiver out of the corner of my eye.

"No way," she says, lifting another mushroom box. "This is our first night in our southern home. If you think you are getting out of carrying me over the threshold, christening every flat surface, and aftercare in your bathing pool, you're sorely mistaken. The sooner we release our mushroom babies from their Styrofoam prisons, the sooner we can start the adults-only part of the night."

"Maybe not every flat surface—"

"Scared mate? That doesn't sound like the Serik I know."

"We must sleep while it's dark," I say, snagging her around the waist. "We are in danger of confusing our days and nights. We must align our sleep schedules with the sun. It's not safe to roam around the forest at night."

"If you are asking me to tuck you into bed each night as the sunsets, I'm up for the task. I'll even tire you out, so you fall asleep quickly," she whispers in a sultry voice.

Her hands smooth up my arms as I flex for her benefit. She pulls my neck until our lips lock. I'm swept away by the sweetness of her kiss and the silent request for more affection. Our love blooms between us as an owl interrupts the silence.

A twig snaps. Kaitlyn jumps and ducks into my embrace.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I didn't know who else to trust," Gleb stammers as he steps from the shadows.

"Cockblock," Kaitlyn whispers against my chest.

"Trust with what?" I ask with a growl at him for sneaking up on us.

"I took her," he whispers, approaching us with slow, hesitant steps. "The female with hair the color of fire. She's mine, so I took her. Sergei said I couldn't until I asked her to come with me, but what if another male claims her? She already—"

He clamps his fangs closed on what I already suspected. The male who drowned was related to this female in some way. I understand why he came to us if Sergei said to leave her with the humans. If Sergei said no, then Timor would say no way in hell. Artyom wouldn't say anything but go away, so I'm next in line…except Kiril, who says he wants to be our leader one minute and chases my mate the next. The muscles in my jaw tick as I grind my molars. These males! They ignored me until I had a mate.

"She won't jump into bed with someone when she's unconscious, idiot," Kaitlyn snaps from my arms. "Help us carry these mushrooms inside before the sun rises and someone sees us. We will talk inside."

"But Serik stole you—"

"First off, I wasn't unconscious," she sneers, counting on her fingers at him. "And second, Serik rescued me from bad men with guns, not stole me. Third, Serik knew I lived with Holly, and we were both unattached. Fourth, he had his pick of females from Adam before he approached me. I blame Adam for that blunder, not Serik. Your situations couldn't be more different."

"Come on, Gleb, I'll take Kaitlyn in while you pile the boxes outside our inner entrance," I say, with some pity for the young Chuchunya. I can see his mistake since we don't interact without the group. He hangs off Sergei's every word, so if he overheard Sergei telling Sydney our story, I can see where his pea-brain would twist the words. In claiming his mate, he made an enemy of his best friend and mentor. I pass him a large box that's too heavy for Kaitlyn and motion him to follow her.

Showing Kaitlyn the hallway to our southern home has half the celebration I want. My foraging baskets and knife collection hang on the walls in disarray because I ran to the central grounds last season. I forgot Patricika, and I were at each other's throats the last time I was here. My mood goes from tense to sour.

Kaitlyn hides her face against my chest as we squeeze through the opening crevice. She hates it. Flicking on the overhead flashlights doesn't make her reaction any better. The tiny front room was Patricika and Adam's love nest. They left a mess of the furs in the front room.

"I know it smells of sex, but you must believe I lived in the back room," I say, setting her down. "The back room is large with the bathing pool. I never let them use more than this room, so if you want to bathe…" I let my words trail off before I admit being in this room makes me want to bathe.

"You don't owe me an explanation," she says, toeing the messy furs with her boot. "What happened here was before you knew I existed. After a nap, we will clean it out for our fresh start."

"Do you mean that? You don't want me to confess to what I did with Patricika—" She stops my babbling by placing her hand over my mouth.

"No," she replies with a smirk. "I never want to hear about what you did with your ex-girlfriend. I'm grateful you have skills. Let's leave it there."

Relief fuels my arms as I sweep her into my arms. I lift her legs around my waist and lean her against the rocky wall. Our kiss starts as a brush of lips, but soon blazes with the fire of true love. She tugs my hair and scratches my back with her intensity. I yearn to connect us and revel in the bliss of our mating, but there's a pissant who already messed up his mating. If I am to honor the gift of dushevnayasvyaz, I must help the next male in line.

"Gleb," I call with my lips against Kaitlyn's soft cheek. "Get in here. I'll talk to you while we smoke these furs, and my mate relaxes in my bathing pool."

"Thank you, Serik," he says, stepping through my entrance without the rocks scraping. It hits me. He's astoundingly small—almost Kaitlyn's height. I lower her to her feet next to him, so I can compare them. She comes up to his nose. Has he had his last growth spurt? I don't remember his parents. Were they small? "I'll do anything for some advice. I don't know what to do."

"Alright, just don't cry," I snap. I kiss Kaitlyn's nose and she pats me over my heart to tell me she's pleased. "I'll join you shortly, chernyrozd."

At my fireside, we cleanse the furs of my failed relationship and Adam's mating with Patricika. Jealousy, betrayal, and anger float into the spring morning with the swirling smoke. I try to listen to Gleb's mess while blocking the images of Adam at this fire. The last time I sat at this fire, I bargained with Adam—trading females like reindeer. My shame burns in my chest, hotter than the flames.

Maybe I should move.

"Smell me," Gleb interrupts my thoughts by sticking his armpit in my face.

"Dushevnayasvyaz," I choke, pushing him away. "Kaitlyn and I could smell it over the gas fumes of the bus."

"If you could smell it, then Sergei could. Why would he keep me from my mate? I know I haven't endured as many lonely zima seasons as you. Being younger shouldn't mean I don't deserve a mate. How much suffering is fair?" His drama drips from his words.

Kaitlyn's eyes would roll so hard that they would pop from their sockets.

"It's not about age," I start, wishing I had thought to bring tea from below. I'm exhausted from traveling all night. I want to worship my mate for forgiving my past faults and allowing us a fresh start. Hell, I want to make our fresh start now! In truth, there are a million places I would rather be than listening to Gleb whine like a kit. "It's because she didn't accept you. You took her to your northern home without asking her if she wanted to leave. She didn't get the chance to say whether—"

I quiet. My blood runs cold.

"Gleb? Gleb? Where is the girl now?"

He shuffles his feet to snuff out the fire with dirt.

"If you stole her on the northern end of the Chuchunya grounds, and you sit with me on the southernmost tip of the Chuchunya grounds. Where did you leave the girl?"

"Hannah was too injured and sick…"

"Gleb, did you leave the girl alone in your northern home? Gleb! Answer me!" I jump to my feet to scream in his face.

What has he done? If he assumed she was self-sufficient, but she needed a hunter like Kaitlyn, she could be starving. Kaitlyn nearly starved to death after four days because she was too scared to butcher the kills I left for her. We left the northern grounds three days ago. And I never left Kaitlyn alone. I sat outside to listen to her sobs and made her tea to keep her warm and hydrated…on the central grounds…

The northern grounds could freeze a human to death without a generator, fire, or dushevnayasvyaz to keep them warm.

"He owes me answers too," Timor announces, dismounting from a reindeer. I didn't hear him approach us because fury clouded my brain. "What should I hear about first Gleb? Why you abandoned Manya and put her life at risk to watch humans? Why you weren't at your place or Sergei's when I looked for you?"

"With all due respect," I say, lowering my chin to Timor. "I want to know where he left the girl."

"Manya's at my place."

"Not her," I say after Gleb doesn't volunteer to share with our leader.

"What girl?" Timor asks with his eyebrows flying to the top of his head.

"Me," squeaks a small voice. The red-haired woman in the pink coat steps out of the trees on shaky legs. "I'm Hannah. The game's over. You don't have to remove your masks or take off your furry suits—just let me go. My boyfriend, Jack, is surely looking for me by now. I want to go home."

The guilt written on Gleb's face says everything is wrong with his dushevnayasvyaz. He didn't rescue her. He killed her pleasure mate and kidnapped her.