TWENTY-SIX

- kuvier -

Our first day is slow, but we make it to the cave before the final sun sets over the mountains. As we all file into the hunter's cave, I'm relieved that unlike last time, it is empty. I place Sedona on her feet and she immediately moves away, springing to help the other females unpack and start dinner.

She complains about being carried, but I know that she secretly enjoys it. It is the judgment of the others, especially the flaxen haired one, that she actually hates. But, she does not know how long I have waited to have her. Nothing will keep me from caring for her.

I turn to Enikk, who is watching his mate with a look of longing and agitation. I tap him on the shoulder and tilt my head toward the cave's mouth. We move towards the entrance to speak in private. The curly haired female, called Xiomara (I have finally learned how to say it), is quite nosey.

"You look troubled, clansman," I say, studying his tense expression and rigid body. I have a guess as to why, but I choose to let Enikk tell me for himself.

He runs a hand through his mane. "I am growing worried about returning to the clan," he confesses. "You know as well as I that I am the youngest male. Some may feel, ‘why should Enikk receive a mate when we have waited so long?' Pah! My mate barely stands my presence. What hold do I have to claim what is meant to belong to me?"

"Your mate was chosen for you by the Great Mother," I state simply. Though I have learned more about Sedona and these humans, the belief that they are gifts has not swayed. "That is all the claim you need to fight for what is rightfully yours."

"If I didn't think it would make Amari hate me," Enikk admits in a shameful, whispered voice, "I would steal her away and keep her for myself."

I understand his turmoil all too well. "I know the feeling," I concede. "But our females need to be with their people. You see how they love to commune and chatter. We cannot separate them."

Enikk's eyes meet my gaze, and he places a hand on my shoulder. "Whatever happens, I will fight with you, Kuvier."

"And I will fight with you, as well," I promise, gripping his shoulder in return. It is strange to consider, but this journey and this secret we have held together has done more to bond me to my clansman than years of camaraderie in hunting.

Enikk and I turn our attention to cataloging our supplies, separating what we will carry for the rest of the journey from what we will leave behind in the hunter's cave. We decide to take the choicest parts of the meats we have hunted as a hopeful peace offering to the clan. Perhaps it will ease the tension and help integrate our females into the commune.

As we work, the females do as well, unpacking and preparing for the night. Sedona's laughter rings out as she kneels at a cooking stone and uses a bone knife to push meat around. I am drawn to the sound like a meplaq to a carcass, and I abandon my duties to move near her. I hear, and promptly ignore, Enikk's irritated muttering behind me. He is perfectly able to count the last set of vifer stalks without me.

The other females pay me no mind as I approach. They are accustomed to me appearing wherever Sedona does. But, Sedona looks up from her cooking as I step beside her and gives me a wide smile. I settle on the ground, easily maneuvering my female into my lap, still close enough to the stone not to hinder her efforts to cook.

The aroma of cooking meat fills my nose. She has added a new combination of spices today. I place my hands on her hips and massage the muscles there.

"What are you making, my Sedona?"

"Just meat and mala, but I thought I might add some different flavor." She frowns, twisting to look at me. "Do you guys have bowls? Or a pot? Utensils? That would change how I cook a lot." She says it wistfully and though I don't know what some of these things are, I vow then to find my Sedona all the cooking items she could possibly need.

"No, but you will explain more to me what you mean later. I will get you what you need." She nods contentedly and settles deeper into my arms.

The other females are talking and joking around us, their laughter mingling with the crackle of the fire. Soon enough, Sedona joins in, giggling and chattering animatedly. I sit quietly, listening to their conversation. Though there are many holes in my understanding, I recognize more and more of their language as I notice the females do the Lieq language. The more Xiomara translates, the more everyone knows. It is a slow process, but we are learning to understand each other better each day.

The easy kinship of the scene weighs heavily on me in the best way. There have been many moments in my life where I have seen others gathered around a shared meal as they share their company at celebrations, but I have always looked on from my loneliness. It is only now in all of my thirty-three seasons that I have found my place at a communal fire, and it is because of my Sedona that I have this.

I place a kiss on her neck out of instinct and tiny bumps bloom over her skin. A sweet, enticing scent hits my nose, and I know that it is completely separate from the food that my mate cooked. My fingers grip at her hips, careful of my claws. She squirms slightly and the friction creates a line of desire that leads straight to my cock. Sedona stills when she feels my length grow hard pressed against her.

For a moment.

With a completely straight face, she shifts in my lap again, moving under the pretense of adjusting her position. But, the purposeful, slow grind of her plump ass into me leaves no room for guesswork about her intentions. It has been too long since I have watched her writhe in pleasure at my touch and my line of control is thin.

I put my lips to her ear, ignoring the conversation that has continued around us. "Behave."

"I am, aren't I?" Sedona counters as she twists enough that I can see the innocent blink of her eyes and the knowing tilt of her lips.

I shift her until her back is pressed flush against me again and bring my lips close to her pulse point. This is the spot I will mark when my mate allows me. On Lieq females, marks are placed on the wrist or shoulder where it can be visible through our downy fur. But, this spot on my Sedona calls to me. Exposed and so soft, I ache to sink my teeth into her and claim her for my own. Skimming my teeth over the throbbing spot, a shudder wracks her body.

"You know I do not care what others think of my behavior." My voice is a whisper, spoken against her skin and audible only to her. "So, be a good girl if you want me to behave."

Her body stills, but I feel her pulse jump under my lips. I smile against her smooth skin before nipping at it and pulling away. Sedona stays still for the rest of the night, but the pebbles never leave her skin, and with every passing moment the scent of her arousal grows thicker in the air.

I am grateful when fatigue finally settles over the group, and the females begin yawning and talking of going to sleep. We are the first to leave the fire area, as I pull Sedona to the back of the cave. I had claimed a spot earlier, that was half hidden behind supplies, giving the semblance of privacy.

Sedona sits down, settling into the bed of furs I had already laid out. As she does every night, she pulls off several layers. Tonight, with the air saturated by her desire, my eyes track her movements hungrily. My eyes zone in on a sliver of smooth brown skin that is exposed when the tunic gets pulled over her head.

I pull my cloak off and spread it over her, ensuring that it covers her enough. It only covers my top half, but I generate enough heat to be warm regardless. Sliding under the cloak next to her, Sedona automatically finds her spot in the crook of my arm. She nestles into me, her body fitting perfectly against me.

I hold her close, savoring the feel of her warmth and the steady rhythm of her breathing. We lie still for a long while and eventually even breathing fills the cave as the others fall asleep. Sedona is quiet and still, and I think that she has fallen asleep. I let my tail go to her ankle, making soft circles. When she shivers against my hold, I realize then that she is awake and from there I cannot help myself.

My tail slides over her legs, rubbing gently, starting at her ankle and moving higher and higher. The tip of it brushes along her inner thigh and her breathing changes, becoming shallow and rapid.

Light fingers skim over my abdomen and I inhale deeply, searching for my calm. With the draw of the unfulfilled bond only getting worse, I find myself fighting for restraint. It is a fight I am sorely losing. It seems that my mate is working against me in this when her fingers move lower until they are on the edge of the waist of my pants. She dips a finger under the leather waistline and I grab her hand.

"Sedona," I whisper, my voice rough with need and warning. I move her hand to rest back on my chest. She finds my eyes in the dim light, hers dark and leaden with hunger.

"Kuvier," she breathes my name like a promise, but her next words cause me to break. "Please touch me."

"The others?"

"I can be quiet. I promise."

Lowering my head, I capture her lips in a fierce trap. She responds immediately, her hand moving to tangle in my fur as she pulls me closer. Our tongues meet and the taste of her is almost more than I can bear.

My hands roam her body, finding the soft curves and the hidden places that make her gasp. Her skin is like silk beneath my fingers, supple and warm. She arches against me, her body pressing into me. My tail moves on its own, sliding under her thin, yellow tunic and tracing along her stomach. I slip it over the crest of her breast, rubbing back and forth over the rock hard bud. She shivers, a soft moan escaping her lips. I lean down to steal her sounds for my own. Enikk will hear nothing. These noises are for my ears alone.

Pressing my lips into hers, I take my time, enjoying the way she writhes beneath me. I roll us over, holding her to me until she straddles my body, her tanned legs coming to rest on either side of my hips. The position puts her cunt right over me, the warmth seeping into my cock and making it strain in my pants.

Sliding my hands under her hips, I tilt her so her back arches, making her fleshy ass stick in the air. I trail my tail up the back of her legs, slipping over her knees, and under the loose shorts she wears to bed. I almost lose it completely when I realize she does not wear the thin covering over her cunt that she usually does. I have immediate access to her; I can feel her wetness, and my tail slides between her slick folds with ease. She groans and I swallow the sound greedily.

I move my tail with purpose, teasing and stroking, listening for changes in her breathing and feeling for tenses in her body to show me the path to make her come undone. When my tail slips over that small nub at the apex of her folds, she jerks against me, her sounds barely contained.

I circle it over and over, and it is not long until she is trembling on top of me. Her cries come closer together, getting harder to stifle as she grinds herself into my tail with fervor. I can feel her body tightening, her breath coming in short, ragged pants.

When she finally shatters, her body convulsing in ecstasy, I hold her close, capturing every breath and sob in my mouth. Her fingers grip the fur on my chest tightly as she convulses on top of me. Soon, too soon, her trembles slow and her breathing evens. She relaxes onto my chest, still straddling me.

I let my claws trail gently up and down her spine, as I wrap my wet tail around her ankle. Her head rests against my chest, her breath soft and even. I stroke her hair, my heart swelling with a fierce, protective adoration.

She makes a move to slide off of me, but I hold her still. "Sleep, my mate. I will be here when you awaken."