Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
“Hunting alone?”
“Of course. Some hunt with their mates, but I have not had the opportunity,” I say, feeling shy. Should I point out to him now that we are mated? That even now, I am resonating to him because I wish for our bodies to join together? It does not feel like the right time. Not yet, with Niri in the next chamber.
“Fire?” he echoes thoughtfully, then shakes his head. “I can give you an electronic light source, but it’d be easier if you stayed here overnight.”
Here with him? He’s finally inviting me to touch him? Pleased, I move forward eagerly. “I would love to share your furs.”
His expression grows stiff. “No, Farli, that’s not what I meant.” He clasps my hands in his, but gives a small shake of his head. “I would not use you like that. You can have my room, and I’ll sleep in the storage locker.”
I pay no attention to most of that. Use me? Use me how? I would love to mate with him, but he is gazing down at me like it is a terrible idea, and I do not understand why. “You want me to sleep in your furs, but not with you?”
“Just to give you someplace safe to sleep.”
He gazes down at me, and the expression on his face is hungry—just for a flash, but it’s there. And I feel a little better. He is attracted to me, I think, but does not know how to handle it. Maybe with his people it is not appropriate to show interest? I do not know any of the rules and feel a little lost. “All right,” I say softly.
Mardok glances over at Niri, who is watching us. “Farli’s going with me,” he tells her. “If you need her or her pet wakes up, buzz my room.”
She nods, and her mouth thins out again. “I’ll let the captain know.”
“You do that.” His tone is short, and I am puzzled again. I thought they were friends.
Mardok leads me out of the room and down a series of dark, narrow halls. It smells like the Elders’ Cave in here, that strange hard scent that Har-loh calls ‘metal.’ We turn down another passageway, and I hear the sound of voices, in the strange language. Mardok halts and tucks me behind him, against the wall, and listens to the others.
It must be the two males I met at dinner. The elder and the sly one. I did not care for either, and I feel ashamed about that. Perhaps they just need time to adjust to me, like the humans needed time to adjust to living on our world. I should not dislike them just because they made me feel foolish at their strange dinner. In their strange way, they were trying to be polite.
I think.
But Mardok does not seem to be in a hurry to leave. He is attentively listening to them, and since I cannot understand them, I focus on him. The muscles on his neck and shoulders are covered with a thin tunic, but I remember the sight of all that blue skin and the drawings underneath. This close, I can see the lines of his skull where it meets his thick neck, and admire the shiny covers on his horns. I put a hand on his back, because the scent of him this close is irresistible, and I feel him stiffen at my touch. I can hear his breathing speed up. It sends an answering pulse of excitement through my body, and my khui grows louder, so loud that I feel it is shaking my entire chest with its enthusiasm.
He puts a finger to his lips, indicating quiet. As if I can control my khui? It chooses who to sing to, not me. I do not say this aloud, of course. Instead, I find myself staring at his raised hand. It is the arm that is capped with the shiny stone, like his horns are, and I wonder what the story is behind that. His tail flicks against my leg, its shortened length holding a story of its own.
This male is so full of stories, of mysteries. I cannot wait to find them all out. I sigh happily and press my cheek to his shoulder, pleased. I have not felt this right about a male, ever. The moment I saw him, I knew he was mine. This is why I have never had interest in Taushen, or Sessah. I have been waiting all this time for my Mardok. I slide my arms around his waist, holding him close and breathing in his scent. It does not matter that he is cooler to the touch or that his people are strange. He is mine.
The talking dies away, and Mardok’s hand covers mine, pressing against his stomach. “We can go now. My quarters are just down the hall.”