27. Chapter 27

Exhausted, I slept through the night. I only woke a couple of times when Tzar-Than came in to have me drink some water and eat a few pieces of meat. Fuzzles stayed with me the whole time, chirping and purring. Every so often he left through the tent flap, only to return a little while later with wet whiskers or a leaf in his hands he nibbled on.

"You're a resourceful little creature ; aren't you Fuzzles?" His dark eyes took me in quietly, and then, after a moment, he snuggled up by my head, burrowing himself into my hair.

When I woke the next morning, I didn't feel a hundred-percent like my old self, but I did feel a ton better, Good enough to assure Tzar-Than I would be able to travel. My only worry was that I didn't want to take Fuzzles from his home, and I didn't want to go on without him either. I scratched him behind his ears which he seemed to enjoy .

"It might be time to say goodbye." I heard the sob in my voice, and so did Fuzzles as he tilted his head adorably, large pointed ears standing up like wings. He was the most precious thing I had ever seen.

With a small groan, I rose, but the pain I was expecting wasn't there. My eyes drifted back to Fuzzles. Could it really be like Tzar-Than said, that the little critter had healing powers? I snorted, shook my head. Vandruk is getting to you. You're starting to become as superstitious as Tzar-Than , I scolded myself. But I couldn't help the nagging feeling that Vandruk was special, different. The same pull that had driven me forward since I was a teenager was still in me, more settled now that I was here, but it was slowly morphing into something else—a deep love for this planet and its inhabitants, one in particular.

He came for me , my mind jubilated, reminding me of last night when he and I had slept snuggled up on a nest of fur, him ever careful not to jostle and hurt me. It had been perfect, natural, and so meant to be that I was slowly starting to believe in fate. I wasn't ready to believe in Tzar-Than's Vorag or other gods, but fate? Yes, I was definitely beginning to believe in fate.

Outside, I heard the unmistakable sounds of tents being taken down and the smell of cooking drifted through the open tent flap.

"Hungry?" I asked Fuzzles, and my little passenger ran up my arm to sit on my shoulder when I stepped outside.

The light was blinding at first after so many hours in the tent. I blinked a few times. Tzar-Than and Dzur-Khan stood by a fire while the two warriors who came with Dzur-Khan were taking two tents down.

"Good morning," I greeted the two men, whose eyes had followed me since I had stepped out of the tent.

The two warriors also stopped what they were doing, watching me. All those eyes on me made me self-conscious, but I managed not to fall on my way to the fire, over which something delicious roasted.

"Are you alright?" Tzar-Than asked, his eyes roaming my body head to toe.

"I feel fine," I assured him. "Ready to seize the day," I added with a smile, trying to assure him that I was.

The warriors resumed packing the tents. "I should help," I mumbled. This was something I had learned and was quite good at.

"You will do no such thing," Tzar-Than declared.

"But—"

"You were injured. You will need your strength for the walk," he interrupted firmly .

Dzur-Khan looked from one of us to the other, not understanding what we said. He handed me a cup. "Koshu."

Grateful, I took it. Fuzzles chirped. "You want some, too?"

I dipped the tip of my finger into the cup, gathered some liquid, and made sure it wasn't too hot, before I offered it to my little passenger. Fuzzles's little hands grabbed my finger, and he greedily lapped the liquid off. Without further ado, he made his way down my arm to where I was holding the latt in my hand. He was so light, I barely felt his weight. Gripping the rim, his entire body shook as he dipped his head forward.

"Fuzzles, it's hot," I warned.

Fortunately, his head was too big to fit into the cup. "Hold on; be patient," I admonished. I switched the cup in my hands, cupped the one where Fuzzles was sitting on my wrist and gently poured some of the contents into my palm.

Fuzzles entire body quivered as he leaned forward and began to lap at my hand. His tongue was rough and tickled. When he finished, he looked up, chirped at me again, his eyes glued to the cup.

"You want more? How much should I—" I broke off mid question when I noticed how all four men stared at me as if I were an apparition.

"What?" I asked.

"Velviph," Dzur-Khan said almost reverently.

The two warriors had dropped what they were doing and stepped forward, talking fast and animatedly with one another.

Tzar-Than snarled something in Vandruk. He sounded pissed off, and the two warriors took a step back. He spoke some more, and the only word I understood was velviph and mine.

He pulled something from his pocket, and my heart leaped in joy, my necklace. Tzar-Than held it up high. Words like Vorag, xynthrax, khadahrshi—the last spoken while he pointed at me—blended together in his deep voice, sending chills down my back. I would have given anything to know what he was saying .

Whatever he said, though, made the other three Vandruk look at me with something akin to awe in their expressions.

Careful not to disturb Fuzzles, he placed the necklace back around my neck. My stomach warmed, and my heart leaped. I placed my hand on his and gazed up at him when he had finished tying it.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied. His voice was soft, softer than I had ever heard him speak to anybody, and it filled me with an inner glow of happiness. I felt it again, that sense of rightness that we belonged together.

"What did you say?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

"I told them to back off, that you are mine. My khadahrshi. That the gods willed you to be mine," he replied.

There was so much that was wrong with that statement that I couldn't even begin to break it down. From chauvinistic to macho, to… alpha barbarian… to… but all I clung to was mine . His. I was his.

The realization didn't even frighten me anymore. Somewhere along the way— in the span of a few days , my mind supplied. Shut up , my heart said—I had not only fallen for Vandruk, but also for this man too. I had been hoping that, if I had to mate one of the Vandruks, it would be him, Tzar-Than. Now that he had said it, my heart leaped because I wanted him too. I liked our little verbal sparrings. I liked butting heads with him, but I liked it even more when I lay snuggled against him or when he looked at me like he did right then .

"Is that a proposal?" I teased.

"I'm a khadahr. I don't propose to a gallis; I pick her," he stated with some of his smugness back in his voice.

I would have loved nothing more than to call him out on this, but I was slowly becoming aware again that we had an audience.

"We'll need to work on this," I replied with a smile while Fuzzles chirped to remind me of his presence and insatiable appetite when it came to koshu.

With a heavy heart, I put Fuzzles down on the ground when it was time to leave. "I guess this is where we say goodbye, little friend."

A tear rolled down my cheek and fell onto the pebbled ground. Fuzzles looked up at me with his big eyes; his ears lay to the side. "Thank you for your company. I think… I'm pretty sure you saved my life, little guy. I'll always think about you." My heart ached, and another tear slipped down my chin. Within seconds, I was full out sobbing.

Alarmed, Tzar-Than pulled me into his arms. "We can put him in a cage, take him with us," he suggested.

"No, no," I said rigorously. The idea of putting Fuzzles into a cage was as abhorrent to me as it hurt leaving him .

"Come on, then." Tzar-Than led me forward, away from Fuzzles. The other three Vandruk were already waiting for us a few paces away, watching.

Fuzzles chirped, and I faltered in Tzar-Than's arms. "You can come with us if—" I broke off as Fuzzles took off into the bushes. "Guess not."

I sniffed for an entire mile, always looking back, hoping to catch a glimpse of the little violet fur ball, but there was nothing.

It was probably only an hour or so after we started marching that Tzar-Than called for a stop. I knew it was for my benefit,and I felt guilty, but I needed it nevertheless. He offered me water and a few pieces of meat when something darted by us so fast, that at first I didn't make out my little friend.

"Well, I'll be damned," Tzar-Than said, and the three Vandruks echoed his words in their language. With a chirp, Fuzzles made his way up my arm to pry the piece of meat from my fingers.

"Greedy little monster," Tzar-Than reproved, "that was meant for you."

His expression took the sting out of his words and made me laugh.

For the rest of the day, Fuzzles would either ride with me or run through the bushes by himself. For something with such short, stubby legs, he was extremely fast.

"You should really bargain for some horses next time, not just women," I told Tzar-Than, only half joking after a while. Riding on some kind of contraption pulled by horses sounded a lot better to me than walking. Faster too .

"Horses?" he followed up.

"Yes, horses. They're big animals you can ride, and they can pull things. Wait, do you guys even have wheels?" The idea that they didn't made me giddy to be the one to teach them.

"We do have wheels." Tzar-Than destroyed that notion. "We have carts people pull. Are you saying you have tame beasts who do that?"

"Yes, and they're large, too," I boasted.

Tzar-Than turned to Dzur-Khan, who was walking besides us, and filled him in on what I said in Vandruk. I heard the word horse and smiled. It was a quick smile since walking brought some of the aches and pains back.

Dzur-Khan seemed to like the idea as well, as he animatedly talked back to Tzar-Than, and the two of them fell into a conversation, which suited me just fine because talking and walking was more challenging than I thought it would be when we set out that morning.

A warmth that he came for me filled my chest. I wasn't hurt or insulted that it had taken him a full day to notice my absence. I fully blamed Kenley for that. To me, it only mattered that he came posthaste as soon as he found out what happened.

He wasn't exactly fretting over me like a human man might have or babying me. But his concern was real, and I suspected he had probably suffered graver injuries than me and moved on. He had never once cried out during the lashing or even mentioned it since, even though I was sure his back had to still hurt like a son of a gun. His world was just different from ours, where my injuries would have sent me to bed for a week.

This wasn't possible here. Although, had I truly needed it, I was positive Tzar-Than would have given me the time to lie down.

"How are you holding up?" Tzar-Than asked later when we were alone in the tent that his friend was generously allowing us to use.

"Better than I thought I would. The pain is hardly noticeable."

He handed me a wooden plate filled with what looked like cheese, bread, and meat. "Is this cheese?"

"Matt assured me it's similar to cheese. Dzur-Khan's people are famous for making it," Tzar-Than said.

Before I had a chance to take a bite, Fuzzles was there. Chirping, he demanded his cut. To my surprise, Tzar-Than offered him a small piece.

Tentatively, the velviph sniffed Tzar-Than's hand before he moved closer, grasping Tzar-Than's finger into his smaller hands before he took a bite. I watched Tzar-Than, who seemed frozen in awe. My chest expanded at seeing this hard warrior leader melt in front of me.

For a moment, I had a vision of Tzar-Than holding a baby in his arms—our baby—and a rush of warmth flooded me. I had never thought much about having a family, but with him… yes, I wanted that. With all my heart.

When it was finally my turn and I bit into a slice, I nodded in agreement. "Tastes like cheddar cheese, just better."

"I'm glad you like it. You need it to get your strength back. It'll help you heal faster. "

We sat in companionable silence while we ate, each of us following our own train of thought and sharing bits with Fuzzles.

Outside, the noises of our small camp died down, indicating that everyone except the sentries had gone to sleep.

"Gwyn," Tzar-Than interrupted the silence, and when I looked up at him, my heart skipped a beat. His usually dark orange eyes were smoldering in a red so deep it looked black. "I swore that I wouldn't touch you again until we were officially mated."

He did?

My breath slowed.

"But I find myself enraptured by you in ways I never thought possible."

His body leaned forward, anticipation for a kiss rushed through me, and I couldn't take my eyes off him.

"In the old days, we would have held a competition, and the strongest warriors could stake their claims if the female accepted them. I have a much smaller version planned for us when we arrive in Farruk, where I will gladly prove myself to you but—"

This was a side I had never seen of him before. He was always so collected, so strong, and sure of himself. I wouldn't have exactly described him as a blubbering mess—he was way too male for that—but it was close.

Having mercy on him, I interrupted, "Tzar-Than?"

"Sa?"

My arm moved forward, my hand clasped his tooth necklace that matched mine, and I pulled him forward. "Shut up and kiss me. "

The corner of his lips rose in his trademark arrogant sneer, but before it could reach his eyebrows, his mouth was on mine, and when his tongue entered my mouth, all coherent thought left me.

Both of us rose onto our knees from our sitting position. One of his hands dug into my hair; the other moved over my back, up and down, fanning flames of desire coming from my core.

I held on to one of his biceps, to his shoulder with the other, before my arms encircled him. His shoulders were so wide that my hands never touched as I snuggled into his embrace, feeling the hardness and nakedness of his chest against my breasts.

His eyebrow rose in question, and I licked my lips, tasted him on them. That's when it hit me that he might never have had sex before.

The idea of this virile man having been denied this pleasure saddened me, but I was too filled with desire for him to dwell on it. Instead, another emotion flooded me: one of power. The thought that I held power over this strong barbarian sent a flurry through my pussy, followed by a gush of liquid.

Counting on his strong arms supporting me by the small of my back, I grabbed the hem of my shirt, watching his face carefully. The arrogant sneer was still there, but there was also curiosity and wonder. His eyes followed my shirt as I ever so slowly pulled it over my head. For a fraction of a moment, I couldn't see until it was off me, but when I could, his eyes were riveted on my tits.

Heat spread through me, but for once, my face didn't flush. Instead, the power I had felt earlier returned full force, and for the first time in my life, I was grateful for and sure of my body. I had always hated how large my breasts were and had seen them more as a hindrance than an asset, but now, seeing his gaze glued to them, feeling a tremble go through this commanding man, I experienced the full power my anatomy had over him.

Sure that one of his arms would be enough to support me, I leaned backward and took his other hand to bring it between us.

"Touch me," I whispered, closing my eyes in anticipation.

I felt the heat of his hand before his palm touched my skin, and I shuddered as he gently cupped my breast to explore it.

Rough callouses brushed over my nipples, creating a jolt that moved all the way to my clit, making me gasp. He withdrew his fingers at once. I opened my eyes and reclaimed his hand.

"You didn't hurt me. It felt good," I assured him.

"So soft," he rasped, tentatively fondling my breast. An expression of awe and delight spread over his face.

"I want to kiss you there." His voice sounded hoarse.

Instead of replying, I arched my back to give him better access as his head lowered and desire flooded me, overriding any pain I might have still felt in my bruised body.

His calloused hand moved under my breast, gently caressing it, followed by his exploring lips. I closed my eyes once again and allowed my head to fall back to just bathe in the sensations he rose in me.

It didn't take long before he greedily sucked my nipple into his mouth, where his tongue moved it up and down, swirled around it while my core tightened and clenched in rhythm. God, that felt good. I never wanted him to stop. For a moment, I even thought I would come just from him playing with my tits. No, this wasn't an inexperienced man. He knew too well how to give me pleasure. Asking him about it lay on the tip of my tongue, but his mouth on my nipple flamed so many sensations in me that it turned my mind into mush. This wasn't the time for talking.

Something hard bobbed against me and nudged my thigh. His cock.

As if pulled by a magnetic force, my hand moved down Tzar-Than's hard chest, moved over the grooves and valleys so firm and solid. I hesitated over his scars, another question I wanted to ask lingered in the back of my mind, but just like the first, it melted into a fog of dizziness.

His loins jerked forward, and I found his rigid shaft through his pants. I glided my hand up and down it, trembling when I realized how long and thick it was. And there was something else… it was ribbed. A shudder moved through me, and my pussy drenched itself in preparation for the exquisite pleasure I was sure would follow once he was inside me.

With the help of my other hand, I opened his bindings, and his cock bounced free against his stomach. My eyes wandered down between us. Liquid glistened in the little light coming from the small tent opening at the top. Precum.

He was as ready for me as I was for him.

My fingers danced along his shaft, up and down, relishing in the friction the ridges gave me. I didn't dare fist it, fearing it would make him come and embarrass him, even though he shouldn't have feared that. But I thought I knew my proud barbarian enough to be careful in what I did. His sharp intake of breath supported my theory.

Slowly, I rose to my feet, regretting that the move forced him to let go of my breast, but that couldn't be helped.

His eyes watched me like a predator, but it didn't intimidate me or make me fearful at all. It was the opposite. I felt like a goddess under his hot stare.

I opened my pants and rotated my hips to shuck them down simultaneously with my panties. He got the idea and followed my lead.

My heart flopped inside my chest at the sight of him, fully naked in front of me. Naked and beyond aroused. His shaft stood up vertically, bobbing against his chiseled abs in anticipation. It looked so thick.

"I don't want to hurt you," he rasped.

"You won't," I promised. "Lie back."

I watched him move back down and lie on his back. I knew I was wetter than ever, ready for him. I just wasn't so sure about his size. The mushroom-shaped head of his cock appeared huge. It beckoned me to lick it, but there would be time for that later.

I stepped over Tzar-Than, straddled him and slowly let myself down over his hips. Grabbing his cock, I felt it vibrate and pulse, and swallowed hard. It felt like no cock I had ever touched before. My insides constricted, followed by a deep ache to feed this cock to my pussy.

I watched his face as I gradually lowered myself onto his shaft. His chest moved up and down more rapidly, and I would have loved to feel the hard beat of his heart, but my hands were guiding his shaft into me.

His head was right at my entrance, and I forced myself to relax. It teased my opening. It was soft and yet unyielding as it entered me, filling me.

My toes curled at the sensation of fullness spreading through me. My eyes rolled back with every inch his massive cock conquered. When he was fully sheathed, I paused. It took me a moment to adjust to him. A sensation of feeling complete shook me to the core, and I allowed myself to bathe in it before I gently began to rock back and forth.

His ridges were everything I had anticipated as they rubbed against my walls. My earlier observation of it vibrating and pulsing returned. Fuck me, nothing had ever felt this good. It was like a slow hum inside me—warm, pleasing, and oh-so fucking arousing.

His hands grabbed my hips and stilled me. His expression was tight. "Give me a moment." He breathed heavily, fighting his urge to come.

He might not have been a virgin, but I didn't think he had had sex in a long time. That he was taking my pleasure into consideration turned me on even more.

"It's okay, come for me," I coaxed, placing his hand back on one of my breasts as I bobbed up and down on him, not careful any longer, but with purpose. God, those vibrations, on top of the ridges, I was near coming myself .

I pressed one hand against his chest for leverage. His heart beat so hard and fast underneath it as I increased my rhythm, wanting nothing more than to be one with him.

"Gwyn," he pushed out warningly.

The ache inside me had already spread throughout my body. My muscles were knotted and ready to let go, to experience that exquisite rush of sweetness and heat that would follow the release of the knot.

"I'm ready," I panted as my body hovered on the cusp of my orgasm. I pushed my chest into his hand. His fingers grasped my breast harder as they spasmed under the onslaught of his climax. He roared my name, which set off my climax. After that, all I could do was sit on him, absorbing the waves and waves of pleasure rolling through me as his cock pulsed inside me—spreading my walls, releasing them, spreading… Fuck, I felt another hot wave go through me. With a cry, I collapsed on top of him. Our chests touched, heart to heart, pounding in sync, while his pulsing cock filled me with his seed.

I've died and gone to heaven .