FIFTEEN

- kuvier -

My mind is busy as the dusk light overtakes the white valley. The snow flurries about outside Sedona's cave as my thoughts swirl in the recesses of my mind. Enikk's appearance has thrown off all of my plans. In fact, the appearance of both Enikk and my female's companion have forced me to throw away all of the intentions I had crafted for Sedona.

I had counted on our being alone to properly court her and mate her. How am I to claim her body when you can hear and see everything in this small space? How am I to make her my own when we do not even have the time in the day to learn each other's words any longer? Still we cannot truly communicate past the most basic of needs.

I frown as I consider the setbacks I must now face. If I do not make moves soon, I will be at risk of ruining everything. Two hunters can only disappear for so long before they will send someone to look for us. The mountains are the first place they will turn to, and the valley will come soon after. I cannot risk being discovered before Sedona bears my mark.

Pondering this, I sit by the tended fire with vigilant eyes that alternate scanning the frozen scene before me and glancing back at Sedona's sleeping form. Inside the shipping crate, Sedona sleeps peacefully next to the stone eggs, huddling under the warmth of my furs. Her breaths and heart mix together in one steady and rhythmic beat. I find myself wishing that I was under the furs, warming my mate. I would like nothing more than to feel the soft curve of her body pressed against me in sleep, and yet I cannot bring myself to move from this spot.

In this place next to the fire, I sit between Enikk and my greatest gift and I cannot move an inch. The thought of Enikk stealing her away, though irrational, gnaws at my mind. Enikk has shown no particular interest in Sedona, focusing his attention more on the other female. Yet, the fear persists.

As if called by my thoughts, Enikk sits up from his place under the awning. He still fears the inside of the cave and does not venture far inside. This works perfectly, as I do not believe he has not yet figured out that the strange stone eggs hold additional females.

Enikk is not a male of bad intentions, I know this, but any male could become different in the face of females; our senses have the habit of betraying us when we see a beautiful face. If one of these girls is his mate, will he run screaming to the tribe of his great news? I cannot risk it. There is too much at stake.

"Kuvier," Enikk begins, his voice low and measured, "I see you are troubled. What concerns you so deeply that you forsake sleep?"

I consider him, my expression guarded. "I have much to protect, Enikk. I cannot afford to be careless."

He voices my unspoken fears. "You worry about your female."

I resist the urge to snarl at the mention of her in his mouth. It is the mate bond, I know. It is unfulfilled, and with every moment it remains such, I grow more restless, more possessive. Whatever the Elders described is nothing compared to what the bond is truly like. It is terrifying and captivating all at once.

"I worry about a great many things that are none of your concern." I am short with my words, but my patience is wearing thin. Enikk should not even be here; he forced his way in, and that is becoming more than a simple inconvenience.

"What are your plans with Sedona and Renata?" he asks, ever unphased by my surliness. "When do you intend to return to the clan and the atan to tell them of these females?"

The question lingers in the cold air. My eyes narrow and my tail begins to thrash against the stone ground with hollow thuds.

"I will return when I choose," I reply firmly. "You are free to go at any time, Enikk. If you remember to keep your silence."

"I do not wish to go anywhere, clansman." His response is measured and calm.

"And your purpose with Sedona?" The question is heavy with my own paranoia. I am not sure that any answer will be enough to settle me, but I would like to hear from him directly.

Enikk's expression is open and readable. "I have no intentions towards Sedona."

I hold his stare for a long moment, weighing my options, and then I determine to take a leap of trust. Maybe knowing will help him understand how serious I am. So, I open my mouth and confess what I have not fully told him.

"She is my bonded."

His eyes widen to the point of hilarity. "How do you know? She does not bear your mark. Have you not—"

"Watch your mouth." The words are more growl than verbiage, but he holds up his hands in peace.

"I am just shocked." The look on his face tells me that he is apologetic, so I allow him to continue. "Worry not, clansman. I do not want your female. Besides, I must now see if Renata is meant for me."

Does he not know that this is not how the bond works? Mate bonds are instant, a deep connection felt immediately upon meeting. Renata is not his by law of the Great Mother. One of the others may yet be, but he will not know until he smells her, and the eggs hide all smells. I choose not to point out his fallacy, though.

"It appears that these strange females do not feel what we feel as strongly." My eyes connect with him. "I will not leave this place until she bears my mark and no one can contest my claim to what the Great Mother has gifted me."

"My clansman, you need to know you have nothing to fear from me," Enikk declares, his tone more solemn than I have ever heard. "I would certainly not interfere with what the Mother has ordained."

I nod, accepting his assurances. His words bring a measure of relief, but still, my body remains tense, unwilling to yield to sleep. We sit in silence for several long moments before Enikk takes a swig of his water pouch and lies back on his furs, his back to me.

Speaking over his shoulder, he addresses me once more, "Rest, Kuvier. You cannot protect her if you exhaust yourself."

This is where I believe he is wrong. For my Sedona, I can do anything. I am her protector, and I will not fail her.

With this in mind, I stay awake through the dusk. I am awake to watch the second eye begin its rise in the sky, and I am awake when Sedona stirs in her sleep. When I hear her breathing pick up, my eyes find her. She sits up and throws her arms over her head in a stretch. My mind is a filthy place as I watch her stick out her ample chest and throw her head back. Her braided mane falls back, swinging behind her, and for a moment I imagine myself wrapping it around my hands and—

I have to discreetly adjust myself, glancing away from Sedona momentarily. The mate bond. I think to myself. I will blame my lack of control on the mate bond.

When I look back, Sedona pulls her body down from its stretch and runs a palm over her hair, trying and failing to smooth the wild tendrils already breaking out of her tight braids. Her hair grows more rumpled every moment but I find the escaped coils beautiful. I wish to see her curls undone and falling over her shoulders again.

Finally, she leans her head to one side, then the other, before her eyes search around. The corners of her mouth lift up when she catches me staring at her. Taking a moment to glance at Renata's still-sleeping form, she gingerly extracts herself from the furs and finds her way to my side. She folds herself down with less than a forearm's length between us and her smell floods my senses. I have to resist the urge to bury myself in the top of her head and just breathe in. She smells as she looks, soft and feminine, like the sweet fruit of the lycii tree.

Sedona scrutinizes me for a long moment, then she makes a gesture, placing her palms together and tucking her hands under head. It is not until she fakes a snore that I understand what she is miming.

"Did you…?" she asks the question in my language, trailing off as she realizes she doesn't remember the word she's looking for.

I supply it. "Sleep."

"Yes, did you sleep?" Hearing the words in my language tumble out of her mouth so easily fills me with pride.

"No, I did not sleep."

"Why?"

We do not each know enough words between our languages to describe the indepth reason, so I just answer, "For you."

"You did not sleep for me?" I nod, confirming her questions, and her brow creases. "Why?"

I hesitate, glancing towards Enikk, who is still snoring softly a few steps away. Sedona follows my gaze and seems to understand. Her face falls slightly, a mixture of disappointment and concern etched in her features. She does not voice her thoughts, and after several moments of silence, I decide to offer her something to eat.

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes, I am hungry," Sedona admits, moving closer to me. I shift just a few centimeters, putting our thighs together.

I grab food off of the flat stone where I had put it earlier and finish preparing it for her. I had intended to eat it myself, but for my mate, I will give anything. I offer bites to Sedona, feeding her by hand. She does not like me to do this when the other female is awake, but I am glad she will allow me to now.

She leans forward for another bite and I hold my breath without thinking. Her lips close over the bite of food, brushing over my fingertips ever so slightly. It is enough. The contact sends an immediate thrill to my cock.

Her eyes flicker to me shyly and I try my best not to scare her with the intensity of my gaze, but, Great Mother, this female is tempting my control. With the mate bond pushing at every nerve in my body, she is making it near impossible to keep my head steady.

Sedona eats her breakfast like this, taking each bite that I feed her and drinking gulps of water in between. It is not long before I am almost vibrating with desire. It is only the strength the Great Mother grants me that keeps me from pushing things further.

I try my best to control my thoughts so that I might have hopes of controlling my body. Instead, I focus on the other feelings. Such as the pride and satisfaction I feel in being able to feed my mate. It is I, Kuvier, who cares for her. It is I who cooked the meat and ground the mala seeds to make her bread. It is I whose hand she takes her bites from.

When Sedona finally has her last bite and holds her hands up saying, "Stop," I am disappointed that the moment must end.

Sedona holds out her hand to me expectantly, "Food, please." I pass her the food, curious. Maybe I misinterpreted the word ‘stop?' But, no, she does not continue feeding herself. Instead, she begins pulling pieces apart and holding them out to me. I eat from her hands as she did from my hands, and the moment of intimacy makes my heart swell.

After we finish, Sedona makes a happy sound and pats her soft stomach. I love the sloping lines of her body, the curves and bulges are beautiful and enticing, but this action makes me think of how she will look swollen with my kit. I feel I will love to look at that even more.

Sedona taps at my arm, drawing my attention back to her. She motions towards something near the supplies, but I do not know exactly what she is indicating. She gives a cute huff and stands, tiptoeing over and grabbing the sinew-wrapped sewing kit.

She tells me she wants to do something in her tongue, but the last word stumps me. When she references the kit, I finally gather her meaning and say the word in my language.

She nods and reasks her question. "Will you help me sew?"

"Yes, my mate." She beams at me, and I am especially glad in this moment that I listened when my mother told me that all people should learn to sew. Many of the males, the hunters and warriors, grow without ever knowing how to mend their own tunics.

The skill has never come in so handy as it does now.