Chapter 20

Maeve

It's incredible how someone's entire life can change in just one week. It's only been seven days since Benham and I sealed our mate bond for the first time, and yet I feel like a completely different person. One who walks a little taller. Smiles a little bigger. And loves a lot more.

Four months ago, I thought I was going to die. But today I have a wonderful, if not simple, life with best friends and a mate who worships and adores me. I have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure I'm not dreaming.

The dull cracking sound of wood against wood grows louder as I head in the direction of the training arena. Benham is working with the children today, helping them with their fighting skills. Change is happening to us all around. My man is attempting to become less of a loner who keeps to himself. He's also working on becoming more patient, mostly with the adult men who have joined the warriors in their daily training and hunting sessions, including a few from the human settlement.

With the threat of the Krijese gone, and with a lot of communication—as well as patience—the Tavikhi and the other humans are interacting more. The ones from the settlement often come to the village and vice versa. Some of the warriors hope to find their mate amongst any of the single women living there.

As for Benham and me, we must be influencing each other, because I'm making an effort to grow my confidence and get rid of the fear that's been haunting me for a year.

"Greetings, Maeve," one of the elders approaching me says.

I smile and wave. "Hi, Alesha. I was going to come by later with that pair of Benham's pants—leg covering—that need repairing, if that's okay?"

She nods. "You are always welcome in our tent."

"Thank you." I wave again. "I'll see you later then."

I pass several more tribespeople who nod or say hello until I come to a stop at the top of the hill and scan the large arena below. Ten children, paired off in five sets of two, spar against each other with small wooden swords and wooden staffs similar to Remi's.

Most are Tavikhi children, but I count four humans. Three boys and—I grin—one girl. The smile slips for a second. That could have been Lucy. Laughing and playing and getting to grow older. I send a prayer up to Deeka or whatever other divine entity there might be that she's in a better place.

The lone girl, Cecily, is paired off with Talek, whose little tail thrashes behind him as she gives his sword a good crack that makes him stumble. I chuckle at his shocked expression and carefully make my way down the slope holding the fur I'm always wearing and not just because it keeps me warm. I hang it in the tent I now share with Benham every night so it absorbs his scent of smoke and cocoa. That way, I get to have a reminder of him every day while he's either hunting or training. I can breathe in its fragrance whenever I want.

I'm almost to the bottom when his gaze shifts and our eyes meet. The same flutter in my belly starts up and my heart races. His lips curl up sharply and I nearly stop breathing like I do every time Benham smiles like that at me. He's gorgeous and all mine. Finally I reach him and step straight into his arms.

His hold tightens giving me the kind of hug I love so much. "Greetings, keeshla."

I lean back and come up on my tiptoes as high as I can. He meets me the rest of the way for a lingering kiss. "Greetings to you, as well. How goes the training session?"

The soles of my feet touch the ground again, and I stay within Benham's embrace but turn sideways so I can stare out at the children. He barely loosens his hold around my shoulders and the familiar and comforting weight of his tail sits on my waist.

"They are improving daily. Or at least they are when not too busy playing and doing nothing more than chasing each other around the arena," he says with a soft chuckle.

I'm glad he's teaching them to be tough, but also letting them be children. He's going to make a wonderful father someday. Something I'm beginning to hope is sooner rather than later. I would love a little girl with his hair and beautiful eyes. My gaze shifts to Talek again. And let's not forget the adorable tail. London and I have both talked about our desire for kids. Remi isn't in any hurry. She's enjoying the hunting and fighting too much.Another heavy bout of sadness comes out of nowhere and I rest my head on Benham's abdomen.

His palm grazes my cheek. "What troubles you, keeshla?"

It amazes me how easily he can read me. Then again, I have almost no difficulty with him, either.

"I'm worried about Sage. She's barely left the healer's tent in days. Zara says she hasn't been back in their tent to sleep, either. The last time I checked on her there were dark circles under her eyes and she looked like she hasn't been eating well, if at all." We all feel helpless. "London and I have brought her several meals, but I'm not sure she's touched them."

Benham strokes my hair. "Deeka will watch over her. Just continue doing what you can. All will work out."

God, I hope so. Zara is taking it hard. She told me it feels like she's losing another sister. But my mate is right. We just need to be here for her and if she's not taking care of herself, then we'll do it for her.

"All right, that is enough for today," he calls out to the children.

They let out a collective sigh, although I can't tell if it's relief or disappointment.

"Eat well and get some rest tonight. Tomorrow we continue training."

This time their groans are obvious, but Benham only chuckles lightly. We stand together as the children clamber up the hill until the last one disappears past the rise. I turn into his arms and tip my head back to stare up at him.

"I've missed you, today." I rub myself against him so there's no mistaking my meaning.

Benham's eyes flare and against my stomach there's a growing hardness. "And I you."

"Maybe we should go back to our tent and you can show me how much." I've never seen myself as a seductress, but with my mate it is a lot easier than I expected. Maybe because he makes me feel sexy and wanted.

Before I can guess his intent, he sweeps me off my feet with one arm behind my back and the other behind my knees. I screech out a laugh.

"Oh my god, what are you doing? Put me down."

"I am taking my mate back to our tent so I may pleasure her for hours before the evening meal," Benham says, not even breaking stride. "Now be still."

Since there's no use fighting him on it, especially since I enjoy being held in his arms, I snuggle closer against his chest and rest my cheek on his shoulder. A devious little voice whispers in my ear though. Listening to it, I lift my head and plant kisses wherever I can reach and flick my tongue out to taste his cocoa-scented skin along his jaw and neck. My life would be even more perfect if he actually tasted like chocolate as well. But I still love the smokey wood flavor I get instead.

Benham nearly stumbles but catches himself. He growls, a low rumble that vibrates through me and lands straight between my thighs. I clench them together and shift.

"My keeshla is playing with fire."

I take another lick before meeting his molten eyes. "But only you can make me burn."

Without releasing his gaze, I nip his flesh and he hisses. I soothe the sting with my tongue. Benham's pace picks up until he's at a slow jog and within seconds we're outside our tent. He doesn't even release me. Just shifts his grasp, flings the hide door flap aside, and ducks inside.

As usually someone has already been in and stoked the fire so the interior of our home is toasty warm. It'll only get hotter from here. I can't wait to go up in flames. Already my body is getting ready for him. I'm wet and getting wetter, especially when he lowers me to my feet and I slide down the whole length of his body. I shiver at the raw desire in Benham's gaze.

"I need you." This is the reason I sought him out at the training arena in the first place.

He yanks my shirt up and tosses it away. "I will always give my beautiful mate what she wants."

This time when bends, it's to palm my ass and lift. My legs wrap around his waist on instinct and my naked breasts flatten against his hard chest making my nipples tighten even more. I pant with want. Slowly, Benham lowers us to our furs and the second my back touches them, his scalding mouth closes over my breast.

"Yes," I hiss with pleasure.

I thread my fingers through his hair and clutch him to me. The contrasting hot and cold from one bared breast to the other that's being feasted on makes my body go haywire. So many sensations batter me including the friction he's generating rubbing himself between my thighs. With each movement he catches my clit and I shudder.

"Show me where you want my touch," Benham demands in the tone I've discovered makes me soaking wet.

He's testing my boundaries of pleasure, but never without my consent. But his commands thrill me in a way that I won't—can't—say no. They make me go wild. I push his head farther down my body with a shiver as he rains kisses down my belly to the waistband of my pants. He lifts his gaze and drags them down my legs with his lips following in their path.

I part my thighs farther and Benham's breath is like an inferno across my sensitive clit. He flicks his tongue against the bit of flesh, and I nearly erupt, I'm already strung so tight. A devious smile lights up his face and he buries it where I'm empty and wanting. I cry at as my mate feasts. The wet sounds and his low grumbles make me squirm. When his tongue spears my channel, I buck. It's too much. Too intense.

"Does my keeshla like having her cunt tasted?"

Benham's been working on his dirty talk, something I wasn't sure I'd be into. Sometimes I can't decide if I should be embarrassed or if I want even more filth to come out of his mouth. Today, I want more. I nod frantically.

"I want to hear you say it." His teeth graze my clit and I cry out. "Tell me how much you love having me lap up all your sweet juice. That you need my tongue to slide deep inside you, filling you up, but still will not satisfy you completely until my cock takes its place. Tell me you want me to consume every last drop of wetness that spills from your cunt until you shatter, and then fuck you hard until you shatter again."

My head thrashes side to side. "Yes, please. Fuck me."

That's all it takes. Benham latches onto my clit and sucks it hard. At the same time something thick fills me. He thrusts his finger in and out. There's a slight stretch when he adds a second one. Tension builds in me, and I'm wound so tight. My clit pulses and tingles and deep within it the nerves spark. My entire body shakes and twitches as my orgasm hits. Sounds I didn't know I could make spill from my lips.

I'm buzzing with pleasure and open my eyes. Benham's yanking his pants off so fast, I wait for them to rip. He covers me again long before the rippling waves of my release have settled and buries himself to the hilt in a single thrust. I cry out and dig my nails into his back anchoring him to me. He holds himself still, letting me adjust to having his thickness inside me.

"Your cunt grips me so tight. I do not ever want to leave," Benham rasps above me.

I have to tip my head back to meet his eyes because he's so much taller, even lying down. "I don't want you to leave either."

Nobody ever told me sex could be this good. This perfect. Maybe it only happens between two people who love each other. I lock my ankles behind his back and grip his sides to urge him to move. He does, with shallow thrusts at first that lengthen with each roll of his hips until he's pounding hard into me. Benham hits me so deep inside that it almost borders on pain, but I won't tell him to stop. I know the pleasure waiting at the end is worth it, especially when soft brushes against my interior walls spreading his mating fluids around stimulate every nerve ending with pure ecstasy.

Cool air sweeps over the sweat slicking across our bodies, but the heat of his flesh sizzles through me and sets my blood on fire. "Please. More."

My brain can't form complete sentences. It only craves one thing. Release.

Benham's grunts join my mewling sounds as he pushes me closer to my peak. He's braced himself on his elbows above me with my head caged in between them. His pelvis grinds against mine and grazes my clit with each thrust. Something swirls around the fleshy nub and I realize it's his tail. The combined sensation of being so full and the intense pressure on the swollen bead is too much.

My vision fills with a kaleidoscope of colors and I cry out Benham's name. Only a few thrusts later, the tendons in his neck tighten, and he roars. Warm fluid spreads inside me and for a second, I hope that we made a baby. Benham's rasping breaths slow but his chest still heaves until it too moves at its normal pace. Carefully he pulls out of me and rolls off me and onto his side. I lazily—contentedly—move as well until we're face-to-face.

He drags the furs up over us and brushes a few stray strands of hair stuck to my cheek back behind my ear. "I was not too rough?"

I lay my palm on his chest, directly over his heart. "Never. It was perfect."

"You are what is perfect," Benham says. "I thank Deeka every day that she brought you to Tavikh. My life was dull before you arrived. Now, it is filled with the most beautiful colors and you are directly at their center. Never has a male been as blessed as me. My soul light shines brightly for you and will until I travel into the lands of the goddess."

My heart swells with all the love I have for Benham. "I didn't think I could love anyone as much as I love you. And if you think Deeka has blessed you, she has done even more so for me. You are the other half of my soul and will be until I too travel into her lands."

He wraps me tightly in his embrace and I snuggle closer. I'm the most content I have ever been. Whatever path my life had been on before, I know, deep down in my heart, this is always where I was being led. To this planet. With this male, who healed my broken heart and glued all the pieces of it back together with his love.