Chapter 9

Jodah

Seeing Sage light up with joy makes pride swell inside me that I am the one to make her feel this way. I have enjoyed spending time with her the last seven turns of the sun. She has a way of putting me at ease now that the original awkwardness and tension between us has left. She has been much more open with her laughter. Her words. Her thoughts.

As have I.

I did not realize how much I have craved the companionship of a female despite my frequent prayers to Deeka since the humans arrived in the village.

Several turns ago I decided to stop wondering why my soul light has not ignited. My mating marks have shown me that Sage is my mate, and I am listening to Kyler's words of wisdom that a bond may grow. In fact, I believe the seed has already been planted. I will do what I can to cultivate that growth. She has a kind heart and any male would be proud to call her his mate. Over the past seven turns I have also become increasingly more aware of her beauty despite her not resembling a Tavikhi female. I too am coming to appreciate the differences between her and them.

Sage's skin is far softer than I had anticipated when I held her hand, an action I had surprised myself with. But the sight of her standing there had proven impossible to resist. I have never reacted to a female the way I react to her. She smells of the nenuphar blooms of this ‘lotion', but beneath it is another scent. One that I can only attribute to the female herself. It is a light, spicy fragrance unlike anything else. I find myself wanting to explore more than just her hands to discover if the rest of her smells this way.

We are not far from my tent, but I am not ready yet to part company with Sage. However, she has pulled her hands within the length of cloth that covers her arms and tucked them in the space beneath her shoulders. Benham gifted his Maeve the fur of the first luani he brought down. I do not have a luani fur, nor do I know what became of the one that nearly killed me, but I have plenty of other furs, including one from a dhembe.

"If you will accept one of my furs for warmth, I would like to continue with our walk. I have been stuck within the healer's tent for too long, and find I am not quite ready to confine myself to another just yet. Not even my own." We come to a stop next to my dwelling and I cast a questioning, and perhaps hopeful, glance at Sage. "Unless, of course, you are needed at the healer's tent."

She shakes her head. "No, I'm not needed. You were Kyler's last patient, and I made sure all the supplies were replenished and restocked. I'd love to go for a walk, and I'd definitely be grateful for a blanket. Hopefully, one day I'll get used to the cold season."

"Wonderful. Give me one moment to grab a fur." I duck inside my tent and drag the one I seek from my sleeping place. My baba took down the beast when I was a kit and gifted it to me when I reached my maturity.

I step outside with it and Sage's gaze widens. "Oh wow, that is so pretty. The colors remind me of the fiku trees. I've never seen a fur like this before. What is it from?"

She reaches out and strokes the hide with a sound of delight. I drape it over her and tug it tightly around her shoulders. "It is a dhembe. Because of its color, it hides well within the forest where it makes its home. They live within the trees which camouflage them."

"It's so pretty. Purple and black are two of my favorite colors." Sage strokes the fur again.

"Are those what these colors are called?" We do not have a name for them on Tavikh.

She points to the color that matches the wood base of the fiku tree. "This is black. And this is purple."

The other color of the fur is the same as the leaves of the tree.

"Black and purple." I place my finger on each as I speak it.

"Yep."

I reach for Sage's fire-colored hair and draw my fingers through its long length. It is as soft and smooth as her flesh. "What is this color called?"

"Auburn." Her voice is breathless. She caresses the strands of my own hair that hang down my chest. Her fingers brush against my bare skin. "And this is yellow or gold or blond."

The single touch makes my mating marks tingle. It is a pleasing sensation and further proof that perhaps Deeka did not make a mistake. I let her hair spill out of my fingers and caress her darkened cheeks. I am enjoying this color game.

"And what is this?" Her flesh is hot beneath me.

Her gaze darts away before returning to meet mine. "It's a blush."

I cock my head. "Blush?"

The color, similar to that of the bloom on the trendafili bush, darkens even farther. I am curious about its meaning.

"It's caused by a lot of things." Sage appears out of breath.

"What causes yours?" I want to know everything, but that is what I want to know most of all.

Several beats pass before she answers. "Attraction."

An answering heat emanates from within me. My gaze drops to my mate's mouth. I have seen the mouth touching the other Tavikhi have done with their females and it has made me curious. Sage's tongue flicks out and leaves her lips damp. The sight of the glistening wetness sends arousal shooting straight to my cock. I rub my thumb along her bottom lip and lift my gaze to hers.

"May I mouth touch with you?"

She nods slowly.

With great care, I lower my head until our breaths mingle, and I brush my mouth over Sage's. The light weight of her hands settles over my chest and warmth seeps through. The tingling I'm now coming to associate with my mating marks travels over me. There's still no flickering light within, but finally feeling her soft lips against mine takes all the attention away from that and puts it on this incredible sensation I'm getting by this mouth touching. My already hard cock hardens even more.

I raise my head and Sage's eyes flutter open. They have deepened in shade. I have never known anything to have so many different colors than humans. A sharp breeze blows, sending small flecks of cold dust swirling around. She shivers.

"Please accept my apologies for making you stand out here in the cold." I am not being a good mate.

She smiles. "It's okay, but maybe we should move around a little. That will help some, I think."

"You are certain? I do not want to cause you any discomfort." The humans do not tolerate the cold season as the Tavikhi do.

Sage loops her arm through mine and rests her head against me. "Really, I'm fine. Between the fur and you, I'll be warm enough. That is if you don't mind me holding on."

"I do not mind at all." What kind of male would complain about his beautiful female holding him close?

Together we walk through the village. It feels good to be out in the fresh air after having been stuck inside the healer's tent for so many turns of the sun.

"Will you tell me more about your life back on Earth?"

Sage stiffens briefly. So briefly, I may not have noticed if she had not been touching me. "There's not much to tell, really."

"You said you appreciate the differences between here and your former planet. What are some of them that make Tavikh a far superior planet?" I chuckle, wanting to put her at ease.

Thankfully Sage laughs as well. "Half of Tavikh is made up of my favorite colors, so I love to sit on the edge of the river and look at the forest and the sky."

"Ah, yes, this purple and black you speak of. That must make me appealing as well, since I am similar colors."

She makes a sound from her nose. "You certainly don't lack for confidence, do you?"

I actually think about her question, because up until recently, I am not sure I have possessed much confidence. Certainly not when it came to being worthy of having a mate. But now that I have been given one, perhaps that has been the change inside me.

"There have only been a few species I have seen before the humans arrived on our planet. Of all of us, I believe the Tavikhi to be the most appealing. Perhaps because they are my own people."

"If the rest look anything like the Krijese, then I agree with you about the Tavikhi being the most attractive." Sage grins up at me.

We walk near the central fire that is being tended to by one of the younger warriors. He glances at us as we pass and there is a flash of what I suspect is envy across his face. It is the same expression I had worn more than once since Zander mated with our shefira. I am sorry for him and his lack of a mate, but I am also glad that I am the recipient of such a look. It is not something I ever thought would happen.

"The Njeri and the Bohnari differ in appearance from the Krijese most definitely."

"I know the Bohnari are the people living on the neighboring planet of Bohna, but I don't think I've ever heard of the Njeri."

A human couple strides past us and nods in greeting, which I return. Their gazes dart to the mating marks and then to Sage before they are no longer in our line of sight.

"The Njeri live about seven turns of the sun from us, past the ujera, which is a massive body of water that can only be seen from atop the highest hilltop over there." I point in its direction and realize how fatigued I have grown with this walk. It is the farthest I have gone since getting injured. "They are not close allies, but they leave us in peace. I only saw them once when I was a kit even younger than Talek."

"I hadn't realized there was another tribe of people besides the Krijese that lived on Tavikh," Sage says.

"The planet is vast. It is possible more exist that have not traveled the distance to our village."

She nods and her hair brushes across my flesh, teasing with its softness. "I'm not sure why I'm so surprised. Earth is massive, and there are countries—large collections of villages—that are so far away I have never traveled to them. It makes sense that there could be far more tribes that live here than just the Tavikhi and Krijese."

Our pace has slowed and I spot my tent. I must have instinctively been bringing us back here as weariness is taking over.

"As much as I have been enjoying our walk, I believe I am going to need to rest for a short time." It is a weakness I have trouble admitting.

"I'm sorry." Sage strokes my arm lightly, but the sensation brings my cock to alertness despite my body's fatigue. "You should have said something."

We come to a stop in front of my dwelling. I turn and face her, bringing my hand up to cup her cheek. "I was not ready to end our time together quite yet."

She leans into my caress with a soft sigh. "I wasn't either. But I also want you to take care of yourself…for me."

I bend and brush my lips across hers for another bout of mouth touching. "I will do it…for you."

"Thank you."

For several more beats of my heart, I stare down at this mate of mine. Sage holds my gaze and there is a small piece inside me that shifts a fraction. There is no light and for once, I am not concerned. Perhaps I do not need a soul light to bond with her. Kyler may be right. Perhaps love can grow between us. I caress my mate's cheek one last time and duck into my tent to rest.