Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
And the things she said…my skin heats just thinking about them again.
I nuzzle the spot where I bit her. I had not meant to, but in the moment, I feared losing control and muffled myself the only way I could. Her skin is bright red there, and I press my lips to the spot. “Did I hurt you?”
“No. I couldn’t feel it.” She gives me a blissful little smile. “Things have been going numb a little today. It’s the cold, I think.”
Frowning, I rub her arm and shoulder. “Is this better?”
“I’m fine, I promise.” R’slind yawns, plucking at the front of her tunic, where my seed covers her. “Would you be terribly offended if we cleaned up a little?”
“Not offended at all,” I reassure her. “Stay there and I will take care of it.”
She closes her eyes, and perhaps it is my worry surging, but she looks pale and wan, her eyes hollow. Her strength is fading, and that frightens me as much as the numbness she mentioned. I get to my feet, grabbing a handful of moss from the strange, verdant floor of the cave and wiping my cock clean as best I can. I will get more moss and some water for R’slind, I decide, and head over to retrieve one of the tubes of water from Set’nef and his brother.
They eye me as I approach. Set’nef has disapproval on his face. “You are making this difficult on yourself, stranger,” he says in a low voice. “The more you touch her, the harder it is going to be upon you when she passes.”
“Let him have his joy.” Tal’nef shakes his head, and he wears a look of envy. “At least he has a female, even for such a short time.”
I do not like their words, either of them. They are so convinced that R’slind is going to die that it bothers me. With a scowl, I snatch the nearest water-tube from them and return to her side. R’slind seems to be half-asleep as I clean her thighs and her tunic. I will not let anything happen to her, I vow. A mate must be protected above all things.
Yet so far, I have seen no creatures from which I can steal a khui for her. If we do not find something soon, I fear she might grow too sick to accept one. I eye Set’nef and his brother. Would I kill one of them to steal their khui for her? Even if it meant it might interfere with resonance?
I decide that I would.
“Hey, R’jaal?” R’slind asks in a tired voice. “What were they saying to you?”
“Nothing important,” I lie. “They tell me we should sleep so we are rested for tomorrow.”
“They weren’t shaming you for our hanky-panky, were they? Good.” She reaches for me and pulls me in close. “Come warm me up. It’s too cold and lonely without you.”
My heart feels as if it will burst with joy. I lie down next to her, pulling her into my arms, and try to give her as much heat as possible. I twine my legs with hers, my tail stroking her backside. “Better?”
“Mmm.” She sighs with contentment and then taps a finger on my side to get my attention. “What do you think the oracle is?”
“I do not know. I know nothing of the people that live here and their customs.”
She is quiet for a long moment. “In mythology, an oracle was a priest or priestess that would consult on prophecies or try to divine the future. Do your people have one?”
I consider this. “There is a male in the Croatoan tribe that knows the weather before it happens.”
R’slind does not seem impressed. “That’s just weather patterns.”
“And he knows if a kit will be male or female.”
“Lucky guesses.”
Her disbelief amuses me. “You do not think he can sense things others cannot?”
“I believe in knowledge. Science. Books.” She yawns. “Please tell me you have books.”
I do not know what books are, and I do not want to make her upset. I focus on a different part instead. “I know this word sigh-ens. You would be great friends with D’vi. She is the mate to one of the males of Strong Arm and speaks constantly of sigh-ens and ee-voh-loo-shun of the fish of our world.”
“Okay, yeah, she sounds like my kind of nerd.” R’slind presses her cheek to my chest. “Your purring has slowed a bit.”
Has it? Is it because I spilled my seed all over her that my khui is temporarily satisfied? Or because she is in my arms? I stroke her mane back from her face. “Sleep. You keep talking when you should be sleeping, R’slind. Tomorrow we will need our strength.”
“Not me, apparently. I’m going to be carried like a baby.” And she sticks her tongue out like a child.