Текст книги "Surviving Skarr"

Автор книги: Ruby Dixon

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

I hold him tight against me, burying my nose in his ridiculous boy-band hair that I love so much. Even if we decided to just fuck resonance out of our systems, Skarr has ruined me for other men with his two cocks and his love of touching me. There’s no coming back from this, I realize with a small smile to myself, and press a kiss to his shoulder.

And I’m perfectly fine with that.

Chapter Thirty-One

SKARR

When I wake up the next morning, a scent is tickling my nose. Vivi’s mane is in my mouth, my own is damp with sweat, and our skin is sticking together. We’re also still resonating, which is the only thing that ruins this otherwise perfect moment.

I remain still as she sleeps, listening to the incessant thrumming of the khuis in our chests and wonder what we did wrong. We mated. Isn’t that enough for resonance? Is it possible there was something else we needed to do in order to sate our khuis? Or am I yet not enough to satisfy her? The worry churns in my chest, building as I listen to her doze.

What if her khui declines my body? What if my seed is not satisfactory to her? What if her khui decides that it does not want a ssethri splice for a mate after all? What if—

“Mmm.” Vivi rolls over in the furs and moves toward me, tucking her face against my chest. “You smell good.”

I open my mouth and flick my tongue out into the cool morning air, wanting to taste all of her scent…and then cough. The over-sweet smell of old meat is in the air. “Our kill is starting to reek.”

She sits up, her eyes sleepy slits, and her mane tumbles over her glorious shoulders. She squints into the cave, looking around with a yawn. “Guess we’d better get up, mmm?”

“If you like. Are you tired?”

Her smile curls and she burrows back under the covers against my side. Her hand goes to my chest and she draws circles over my nipple, teasing it. “I’m wiped because someone kept me up all night.”

I chuckle at how adorable she is like this. All of the fierceness is gone from Vivi, replaced by a sleepy, shy female who wants nothing more than to touch me. Truly, I am the luckiest of gladiators to win her mating rights. Then I remember that we are yet resonating, and my smile dies. “Vivi…listen to your chest. Is it possible we did something wrong? We still resonate.”

She pauses, listening, and then presses her lips to my skin. “That. Yeah. Veronica said it might happen after a few nights. Some couples have to mate a lot before it takes. I hope you’re okay with that.”

“I will suffer in silence.”

That makes her snort with amusement. “I know you, and you have never suffered in silence. In fact, I’m not sure you’ve ever been silent.”

“Cruel warrior.” Just for that, I ought to finger her until she’s squealing. The thought is extremely appealing. But then I breathe in, and the stink in the cave hits my nose. “Can we get that thing out of the cave? It’s killing the mood.”

But Vivi shakes her head, sitting up again. “We want it nice and ripe. We want our friend to smell it.”

“Something the next valley over is going to smell it at this rate.” I hold my nose, coughing.

She bats at my chest. “It’s not that bad.”

“You say that because you have human senses,” I grumble.

“I do.” Vivi lets out a heavy sigh and yawns again. “But we should get up. We have a lot of skiing to do today.”

I watch her appreciatively as she climbs out of the furs. Her long legs are sleek and beautiful, her buttocks each just the right size for fitting in my palm. One has a dimple in it and I find that incredibly erotic. I need to bite it. I need to drag her back to bed and push my cocks into her. Last night we mated many times, and yet I hunger for her this morning even more than I did before.

It is as if now that my khui has had a taste of her, it is ravenous.

There are a few small bruises on her thighs in the shape of my fingers, and I wince at the sight of them. I get to my feet, running my hands over her as I do. “Did I hurt you last night?”

“No. Why?” When I point out the marks, she laughs and waves them off. “We both got carried away. If you hurt me, I’ll let you know. I’ll punch you in the mouth.”

“Oh, good.” I am relieved. That is a signal I will not miss.

Vivi laughs even harder, shaking her head at me. “Skarr, you’re bigger than I am and sex is physical. We’re probably going to mark each other up every now and then.” She runs her hand down my arm, where I carry marks of her nails as they dug into my skin. “But I will tell you to stop if you ever hurt me, all right? I’m not the type to suffer in silence. I will make sure you know I’m not happy.”

“Please do. The thought of hurting you destroys me. I-I do not want to mess this up, Vivi. This mating. I want to be the best mate. You deserve nothing less.”

She tilts her head back, gazing up at me, and then pulls on my neck until I lean in and kiss her. “So far, you are doing an excellent job. Ten out of ten, no complaints.”

“Good.” Because Vivi has become the most important thing in my world. Not battles. Not victories. Not sparring with worthy opponents. Not breeding faster than anyone else on this planet.

Just Vivi and her smile. That is all I want.

“Let’s clean up,” she tells me, her hands moving to her hips as she surveys the cave. “We made a bit of a mess last night. We’ll clean up and air the place out, and then we’ll ski back to where I saw the tracks for our snow-cat. Once we find him, we’ll deliver the package and hopefully, fix him up so he can have a new start.”

“It might be kinder to kill him,” I point out. “The sa-khui do not eat much predator meat but they will not turn their noses up at it. We can kill him and be back at the main camp before dark.”

But Vivi is shaking her head emphatically. “Just because he’s got a flaw doesn’t mean that he should die. If he’s fighting this hard to live, I want him to live. He shouldn’t be killed just because someone else has decided that he’s not worth the trouble.”

Now I understand why this means so much to her. “You mean like us?”

“Exactly like us. Someone discarded us because we weren’t what they wanted, whatever that was.” She shakes her head, and I love the fierce, determined expression on her face. “But we’re living, breathing creatures that deserve a chance. This cat does, too. And if there’s a hope that we can help him out, I want to do it. If there’s not…then we’ll put him down peacefully. But I want to try. I have to try.”

And because Vivi wants it, I will make it happen. “Say no more.”

“Oh my god,” Vivi breathes. “Look at how thin he is.”

Her face is full of sympathy as we get the first look at the creature we’ve been tracking all day. It has been a journey to find him, but Vivi reasoned that if he was injured, he would not be able to go far. Once we found his trail again, we followed him until we saw a small, rocky cave. Vivi felt confident this was his hiding spot, so we tossed our dead hopper onto the snow and retreated. We’ve been waiting for him to come out, and all the while it grows colder and the suns continue their journey toward the horizon. It will be another night in a hunter cave, I suspect. We will not go back to the village this evening. My khui hums in my chest and I am foolishly pleased at the idea. I like spending time alone with Vivi.

At least, I am in a good mood until I see the creature.

Vivi says he is thin—but that does not matter. He is as tall as she is through the shoulder, his head heavy and full of fangs. His hipbones jut out even as his tail lashes back and forth, and he stalks forward, sniffing out the scents we’ve left behind.

“Poor thing,” she breathes, and I stare at my mate as if she is crazed.

That “poor thing” could destroy her with one swipe of its paw. I know a formidable opponent when I see one, and it does not matter that this snow-cat is injured or thin. He would make short work of her. “I am having second thoughts, Vivi.”

“I’m not. Look at his leg. The front one.”

We’ve placed the dead animal stuffed with leaves in the midst of a snowy clearing so we can chase off anything else that approaches our kill. We settled the drugged meat on the snow-cat’s trail in the hopes it would be the first thing to come after our lure. It has, and as it lopes forward, its gait is all wrong. There’s a strange bend to its front leg in a place there should not be a bend, and it’s clear the snow-cat is avoiding putting his weight upon it.

Vivi doesn’t take her eyes off the creature. She reaches out and grabs my hand, holding me tight with excitement. I have misgivings about the sheer size of the cat and the fact that it’s wounded. It will fight harder, knowing it cannot run.

“What if the leaves don’t work on it?” I whisper to Vivi. “What then?”

“We ski away and hope he doesn’t catch us,” she whispers back. “Watch, he’s taking the bait.”

I look over at the injured snow-cat again. He’s nosing the dead animal and looks around again almost as if he suspects the trap. I could swear his gaze lands on us for a brief moment, and I hold my breath.

But then the snow-cat grabs the dead animal in his mouth and swallows it in two bites.

Vivi makes a strangled sound of excitement, shaking my arm.

“I see it.”

“I don’t know how long it’ll take for it to work,” she hisses at me, her gaze locked on the cat. “We’ll follow him when he leaves and watch for signs of him slowing down.”

This seems like yet another terrible idea. What if he returns to his cave? I am not letting Vivi go down inside it to check if the animal is drugged. Absolutely not. I do not care how fierce my human mate is, I will be that much fiercer if she even suggests such a thing.

The cat lowers his head again, sniffing the trail, and takes another shuffling step forward. His mouth opens and he tastes the air, his head swinging towards us again. A low growl starts in his throat and I grab my spear.

Then, the cat sways and topples over in the snow.

“Shit, that was fast,” Vivi exclaims, racing out from our hiding spot behind a fall of nearby rocks. “Did we give him too much?”

“Wait.” I grab her by the waist before she can charge forward. “Wait and make sure he stays asleep before we get close. It might be a trap.”

“It’s not a trap.” But she waits at my side and we watch the creature for movements. When it remains unmoving in the snow, she looks over at me again.

I nod. “All right. Let’s check it out.”

Vivi skis over to the snow-cat’s side with gliding movements. I stumble after her, less skilled on the skis, and then give up and jerk them off my feet, racing to her.

She prods the creature with the end of her ski, testing him. There’s no reaction, and she looks over at me. “I think he’s out. Either out or dead.”

“Not dead. He’s breathing.”

Vivi nods, discarding her skis and kneeling next to it. “So thin. He’s starving. He probably can’t hunt because of that bad leg.” She runs a hand over his side, eyeing the animal. “I don’t see any other injuries. Let’s get him tied up so if he wakes up sooner than anticipated, he won’t attack us.”

I pull out the rope and get to work.

A short time later, the enormous snow-cat is tied up. I’ve wrapped rope loosely around the huge muzzle to slow him if he tries to bite. His two back legs are lashed together, and then the third is lashed to the back ones. The only leg that is free is the broken one, and Vivi runs her fingers over it, frowning. “It’s healed badly. The bones don’t move if I push on his leg. It’s an old break, I think. Remember how quick my pinky healed? It would have frozen in place all wrong if we hadn’t set it and splinted it. That must be what happened to him.”

“What do you want to do?” I await her order—if she wishes to kill him out of mercy, I will do it for her. She only needs to say the word.

Vivi considers for a moment, burying her fingers in the soft fur of the creature. Then she looks at her ski pole and nods to herself. “We’ll break one of the poles and use it to splint the leg.” Her gaze flicks to me. “And we’re going to have to re-break it so it can heal properly.”

“We?” I arch an eyebrow.

“My big strong mate is going to help me, yes. You’re a gladiator. You’ve broken bones before, right?” She gives me an encouraging smile.

I swallow hard. There is a difference between snapping a limb in the heat of battle and this. For some reason, the idea of re-breaking the limb is making me queasy, but Vivi is giving me such an expectant look that I cannot fail her. I wipe my sweaty palms on my fur cloak and inwardly brace myself. “Show me what you would like done.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

VIVI

It’s a long, awful afternoon.

In my head, I’d foolishly thought that we’d find the cat, pop the leg and send him off again, right as rain. The reality is a lot more intense. Re-breaking the bone is hard, tricky work, because we have to make sure we’re doing it just right, and that we’re doing it clean. We discuss how to approach it, and Skarr handles the worst part.

I know I’m going to hear the sound of that cracking bone in my dreams, though.

Once it’s done, I set the bone as best I can. It might not be perfect, but it feels as if it will heal straight if it remains in place. I snap my ski poles in the middle and wrap them around the wounded limb, snaking leather straps in and out to hold the poles in place against the leg. They form a crude cage around it, but I think with a few days of it being braced, it’ll be better than it was.

I hope. I’m not a veterinarian, and I’ve never set a bone before. Why did I think we could do this?

Because there’s no other choice, that’s why, I remind myself. It was this or a mercy killing. We still might have to come out here in another week or so to finish him off if it doesn’t take, but I’ll handle that when the time comes. For now, the leg is splinted and the cat remains asleep.

“Come,” Skarr says, putting a hand on my shoulder. “It’s getting late and there is no more we can do.”

“Oh, but…should we leave him? He’s vulnerable like this.” I bite my lip, hesitating. “Something could come across him and eat him.”

“And if that is the case, then there is nothing more to be done for it.”

Even so, I fret. “What if he pulls the bandages off? What if—”

“Vivi.” Skarr helps me to my feet. His expression is gentle as he looks me in the eye. “You have done all that you can. We will take the ropes off and check on him in the morning. If something happens between now and then, you have done what you can. Remember that this is a fierce predator who has been hungry for a long time. You do not want to be around when he awakens.”

He’s right. I know he’s right. I’ve just invested so much in giving this cat a second chance. Logic tells me to leave before it wakes up and decides we’re prey. “What now, then?”

“Now we retreat to our cave and wait.”

I hesitate. We’re a few hours away from the village, with a hunter cave probably about a half-hour from here. Skarr needs a warm place to sleep tonight, and I’m exhausted from this day, mentally and emotionally. Part of me doesn’t want to leave, but I remind myself that this wasn’t about fixing him. It was about giving him another chance.

That’s why we’re on this planet, right? This is our second chance after the universe decided we’re rejects. We’re not guaranteed anything, and I’m fine with that. I just want the opportunity to create my own happy ever after.

I want the cat to have the same. So I untie the ropes holding him down and let Skarr lead me away. “We’ll be back in the morning?”

“Absolutely.”

We skip the skis, since we have no poles, and make our way back to the hunter cave on foot. It’s late by the time we get there, the moons high in the skies and the dark bitter cold. My boots feel wet and slushy and by the time we get to the cave, I’m relieved to start a fire. Skarr doesn’t complain, but when we cuddle under the blankets, I can feel the chill setting into him. I kiss my mate and roll him onto his back, and this time I ride him until I come, taking turns on both of his cocks. Skarr comes moments after I do, and we hold tightly to one another under the furs, listening to our khuis sing.

I’m happy, I realize. It’s strange to think about, but I’m happy. I have a mate and a home. I have friends, and at some point, I’ll have a family. This might not be what I’d envisioned my life turning out to be, but those were someone else’s dreams, someone else’s life.

I make Vivi’s future, and I’m liking how it’s shaping up. I run my fingers over Skarr’s touchable green skin, and I’m struck by the lack of the tattoo on my finger once more. The quotation mark, to remind me to speak up.

Doesn’t feel like me anymore, that symbol, but I think I’d like something there. “I think I’m going to tattoo my finger in the morning,” I tell him. “I heard that if you rub ash into a mark, it’ll leave a permanent stain. I think I’ll try it out.”

Skarr’s hand lazily trails up and down my spine. “You can tattoo me, too.”

“I have to make sure it’s going to work, first,” I tell him, grinning. “But I can try it. What sort of tattoo do you want?”

He shrugs, his body rippling under me. “What are you going to have?”

I hold my index finger up to him, pointing at the side of it. “I’m going to put a tiny cat scratch here. Just to remind me that I’m in charge of my own fate.”

Skarr slides his hand down my backside, giving my butt a squeeze. “Perhaps you can put your name on me.”

That makes me pause. “You want my name on you?”

“Why not? You are the best thing that has happened to me. Is it wrong to want to wear your brand proudly?”

“We’ll talk about it,” I tell him, leaning in to kiss him again. Maybe just a small V somewhere on his body, because I don’t want the others noticing. I like our secrets. I like having things that are just ours.

There’s plenty of time to decide, though. We have all the time in the world.

Epilogue

VIVI

Flor’s wedding feast is the biggest party that they’ve thrown on the beach, Elly tells me from our spot at the edge of the group. Elly’s like me in that she likes to quietly hang out on the fringe of things, and I’ve noticed her and her mate saving a spot for us near the back of the seats around the main fire. It’s nice to have a friend, and even nicer that Bek and Skarr get along well. It’s also nice to know that others get exhausted by being social and aren’t afraid to leave a party early.

Skarr is in his element, though. I watch from my seat near Elly, sipping a bit of hot tea as he gestures, telling a story about a battle he won. Pak and Rukhar are seated in front of him, listening intently. Z’hren has his thumb in his mouth, one of his other hands clutching his tiny spear as if he can’t decide whether or not he wants to fight along with the story or if it scares him.

Bek returns to Elly’s side, their daughter tucked under his arm. He brings her a bowl loaded with food and sits down with a scowl on his face. “I still do not understand why everyone keeps calling it a ding ding feast.”

“It’s because of Liz,” Elly tells him in her soft voice.

“Enough said.” He settles his daughter on his thigh, pulling a chunk of root out of Elly’s bowl and blowing on it before handing it to little Emma to gnaw on. He glances over at me. “You and your mate did not see any of the Ancestors when you were out in the mountains?”

I shake my head. “All we saw were snow-cats.”

It’s a bit of a lie. We only saw the one snow-cat, and less of him than I’d liked. We’d remained out in the mountains for another day, looking for the wounded cat. When we’d returned the next morning he’d been gone, a chewed leather strap the only thing remaining in the spot we’d left him at. I’d fretted over that, worried he was going to chew off the splint and ruin our hard work. I haven’t seen him since, but I’ve been out in the hills, looking for tracks every day since. And while I don’t know for sure if my snow-cat is still in the area, I haven’t seen the drag-marks again. Once, I saw snow-cat tracks that looked as if it was favoring one leg slightly, the spacing between the paws off, but not necessarily injured. I like to tell myself that it’s him, and that he’s doing better. I might never know the truth, but I’m at peace with it.

We gave him a second chance, it’s up to him to take it.

Skarr and I expected to get a lot of grief about being away from camp for days, but not long after we returned, more strangers arrived. Two of them were missing tribespeople named Tia and R’jaal, and they brought with them a handful of four-armed strangers. More aliens, these from an underground village. It’s enough to make a human’s head spin. They’re here at the feast, too. They don’t speak the language, so there’s a lot of gesturing to try and include them in conversations.

“Do you want a wedding feast like this, Vivi?” Elly asks me, taking a delicate bite of meat.

My eyes widen at the thought. “God, no. Flor likes attention, and I bet she loves this party. That’s not my thing, though.”

“Yeah, that’s how I feel, too.” She gives an encouraging smile to her mate as if trying to point this out. “I don’t like a fuss.”

“I would fuss over you if you wished it,” he tells her in a low, intense voice.

“Oh, I know.” Her hand goes to his thigh.

I glance over at my mate, amused. My khui hums a gentle song as our eyes meet and he jogs over to my side. That’s another change in the last few days since we returned and others arrived—our resonance song has lost its frantic edge. I think that means I’m pregnant now, but I haven’t approached the healer to find out. I figure I’ll give it a few more days before confirming. I sure don’t want to bring it up tonight, not with a party on.

Tonight is all about Flor and I’rec, and I’m happy to keep the focus on them.

Skarr collapses dramatically at my feet. “Did you catch my story, Vivi? It was an excellent one, and you haven’t heard it yet.”

“It’s too noisy,” I tell him, running my fingers through his floppy curls as he rests against my legs. “I can barely hear myself think.”

He nods agreement, his gaze moving over the crowd around the fire. Everyone’s here tonight, with bowls of food piled high on every surface. Raven and U’dron have their musical instruments out and Flor and I’rec are seated at the front of the group, wearing crowns made from leaves. I’rec is watching his mate with unabashed devotion, as if nothing exists but her. Flor is eating all of this up, as I knew she would. She chats excitedly with people as they hand her presents, and there are so many faces and voices around the fire that they all blur into one.

“Does anyone know why Sam and Sessah left?” Bek asks, eyeing Skarr. “You are friendly with Ash-tar. What have you heard?”

My mate shrugs. “Just that they wished to visit his family in the Coldtown village.”

“Croatoan,” I correct gently, grinning.

“Bah, as far as I am concerned, it sounds like Coldtown. A bunch of huts inside an ice crevasse? You will catch me dead before I go there.” Skarr leans back, gazing up at me. “Would you like a plate of food, my fierce warrior?”

I nod and he hops to his feet to make me a plate. He’s not wrong, I realize. We’ll never go to the other village, Croatoan. It’s in the mountains, where the weather remains far colder than the cove here at Icehome. It would be dangerous for Skarr, and I’m not about to risk him for anything. There’s nothing over at the other village for me anyhow—just more strangers.

Someone passes me a skin and I sniff it. Fruity. I shake my head, passing it on to Elly and Bek. That drink got me into trouble before. Besides, I might be pregnant now. That changes everything. I resist the urge to touch my stomach to see if it feels any different and look over at Elly and Bek instead. Their little girl is seated happily on her father’s lap, chewing on baked roots. Elly reaches over and brushes a lock of dark hair out of her face, smiling, and Bek gives his wife a look that could melt stone. They’re so happy together.

That’s going to be us, I decide. We can even make a tiny set of skis for our baby when she gets old enough and she can go out into the hills with me and her father. I like tracking, but more than that, I like exploring. I’m not going to be one that stays at camp and never leaves. I want to wander around in the fresh air and snow and enjoy nature.

My dad would have loved this place. The thought of him makes me fond instead of miserable. Maybe if we have a boy, we could name it after my father…if I ever remember his name. If not, well then, we pick something else. I’m not going to stress over who and what I am any longer.

The music gets louder and someone—Vaza—starts singing in a low, ululating voice that decides it wants to hit all notes at once. I try not to wince, because Vaza is giving it his best, but alien singing is definitely an acquired taste. Someone claps their hands and two of the children get up and start dancing by the fire, which makes Flor laugh with delight. She’s having a wonderful time at her ding ding feast.

I look for my mate, wondering if Skarr is much of a singer. He’s not paying a bit of attention to the antics by the fire. He’s busy loading a plate with food from several bowls while deep in conversation with Valmir. The cat-like splice has been slinking around camp in a crappy mood for the last few days now, and Skarr told me this morning he resonated to April, who refused him. I scan the people by the fire, but I don’t see April. No doubt she’s avoiding resonance.

She’ll get over it soon enough. I think about how hard I tried to get away from Skarr at the beginning, not realizing that underneath all that bluster was a very tender heart and a man who turned out to be exactly what I needed. She probably won’t want to hear from me, but maybe I’ll find her in the morning anyhow and offer moral support.

Skarr returns after a few minutes, thumping down onto the ground at my feet again. He holds the plate up to me and I pick up a rib of something, giving it a nibble. “What was that all about? You and Valmir?”

He shrugs and eyes my rib. I hold it out to him and he takes a bite, then licks his lips meaningfully. “Doesn’t taste as good as you.”

My face gets hot. “Don’t change the subject.”

He just smiles wider, sending me a heated glance as he relaxes at my side. Mari steps over his sprawled legs, carrying her child to bed, and Liz and Harlow bring out bowls of dried fruit and offer tidbits to everyone. Skarr continues to eat the rib in the most blatant way possible, his tongue sliding along the bone and making me blush.

When the others finally get past, I lean in close again. “So what was it with Valmir?”

“He resonated to April and she is not impressed. He wants to win her with a show of strength. He wishes to fight me but insisted I throw the battle, and I said no.” He licks his lips. “I asked him‘how would that look to my mate? He said you were already under my mind control and it didn’t matter.”

Oh lord, not the whole “mind control” thing again. “There’s no mind control—”

“If you say so, my mate.”

“—and tell Valmir he can’t go around punching people to try and impress women. It doesn’t work that way.” I pluck a mushy root from the plate and taste it. It’s covered with spices and falls apart in my mouth, forcing me to lick my fingers.

As I do, Skarr’s gaze focuses on my mouth. “I punched Chalath and I got you.”

“That was coincidence.”

“Mmm, I do not agree.” He offers me another root. “I told him I would fight him, but it would have to be a fair fight and if he lost, it would not help his cause any. He said he was trying to come up with a new plan and would keep me alerted.”

I can only imagine. Valmir is far too sly for his own good, watching everyone with a cold, assessing gaze. He’s a bit too much of an opportunist. At least Skarr is honest, if rather loud.

“Perhaps he should fight one of the newcomers,” Skarr muses as we eat. He flexes his arms. “You know, the ones with all the limbs.”

I smack him lightly on the shoulder. “No, and hush. They’re friendly. Not everyone wants to fight.”

“They look like they wish to fight to me.” Skarr wiggles his brows in my direction. “Did you see how strong they were? Perhaps I will ask them to spar instead of Valmir.”

“Just make sure they understand it’s sparring before you do?” I give him a pleading look. “I’m just now starting to like you. Maybe you don’t give anyone a reason to decide they want ssethri-skin boots?”

“As if they could best me.” He gives me a challenging smile.

“You are quite impressive,” I tease back. “I hear you’re the best gladiator on the planet.”

His gaze heats. He loves it when I flatter him. “You know I am.”

“Get a room, you two,” Liz says as she strolls past again, holding the dried fruit basket. “Your flirting stopped being adorable five minutes ago. You’ve moved on to the cloying stage. Fruit?”

I snag a piece from her and decide to give a little sass back. Liz intimidates the heck out of me, but I don’t want her to know that. “You’re just jealous.”

“Hell yes I am. The first bloom of resonance? Without three kids hanging on your legs?” She tilts her head to the sky, sighing dreamily. “All resonance is great, but there’s something special about your first one. I hope you two are enjoying it.” She glances around the crowded fire, looking for her mate. I look for him, too, and have to stifle a giggle when I see him. Fierce Raahosh has a stoic expression on his face. He is holding a bowl for his youngest daughter to pick at, with her on his knee. On one side is his daughter Aayla, playing with her doll and talking to her father, and on his other side, Raashel is painting swirls on his face with a determined expression.

“He looks miserable,” I comment with a giggle.

“Are you kidding? He’s loving this shit and he’s never looked sexier.” Liz sighs at the sight of her mate. “There’s nothing better than a girl dad, trust me.” She takes her basket and saunters over toward her mate, who wears a hint of a smile when he sees her.

“I should like to be a girl dad,” Skarr comments, watching them.

I’d like that, too.

By the time the food is down to scraps, we’ve heard far too many people sing, a few drunks have danced, and it looked as if Sabrina was flirting with both Kyth and Jason. People start disappearing from around the fire, and Elly and Bek take Emma to bed.