Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75650 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75650 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I turn and head back to the cave, my stomach churning with unease.
Inside, I do not see my mate, just the destruction of the cave. Baskets are torn apart, their contents spilled. They will have to be discarded, the meat thrown away because metlak are filthy creatures. It is a waste, but I do not care. All I care about is my mate.
I enter the second chamber of the cave, and Stay-see is there, clutching Pacy tightly to her chest. My son hiccups and begins to cry, and Stay-see’s cheeks are wet with tears, her eyes closed.
“My mate,” I say, voice hoarse as I stalk toward her.
“I’m okay,” she chokes out. “Really. I just need a moment to recover.” Her fingers smooth over the kit’s mane, and I see her hand is trembling.
I wrap my arms around her, the kit squeezed between us. “It did not hurt you?”
“Just a few scratches,” Stay-see tells me, shaky. “Nothing big. I think it was just hungry. It had a baby, Pashov.” She hugs Pacy to her, even tighter. “Oh god. I kept feeling sorry for it, and yet I was terrified it would see Pacy in his basket and hurt him.”
I smooth a hand down her hair. “I am here. You are safe.”
She nods jerkily, pressing another kiss to Pacy’s cheek as he wails in her ear. “We’re lucky,” she says after a moment. “Lucky all it wanted was food.”
I continue to stroke her hair, though I feel helpless and frustrated. “They fear fire. I do not understand why this one approached—”
“She had a baby,” Stay-see says with a shake of her head. “She was scared of the fire, but she still came inside looking for something to eat. Maybe her tribe or her mate didn’t survive the earthquake? She was starving.” She focuses on me, eyes wide. “You don’t think it’ll be back, do you?”
I want to reassure her, but the truth is, I do not know if it will be back. If a metlak is brave enough to storm inside a cave with both fire and sa-khui scent, I cannot predict if it will stay away. Metlak are cowardly creatures for all their viciousness, and usually the sight of fire or the scent of a hunter will keep them at bay. They rarely disturb hunter caves.
But this one was hungry enough to confront my mate. I hold her close against me again, feeling her soft, trembling warmth.
So fragile. Her and my son both.
“I will make a big fire tonight,” I tell her. “And we leave in the morning to rejoin the tribe.”
Stay-see does not protest this. She nods and kisses Pacy’s cheek again.
I cannot endanger my family. We cannot stay here alone through the brutal season, after all. I will need to hunt, and after today, I will live in fear of the thought of more metlak returning. What if that one has gone to get its tribe and they will return tonight to steal more of our food?
I wish I had killed it. Mother or not, it has put my family in danger. This place is not safe, after all. We will rejoin the tribe because it will be safe for Stay-see and Pacy there.
I will simply have to woo my mate while we are with the tribe. I want the closeness with her that we once had…but not at the risk of her life, or that of my son.
Their safety comes first. I press my mouth to Stay-see’s hair and try to calm her trembling. “Tomorrow morning,” I promise her. “We will repack the sled and leave at dawn.”
“What about tonight?”
“I will not sleep tonight,” I vow grimly. “I will watch the fire.”
10
STACY
Five days later
“Are we there yet?” I tease from my spot on the sled.
“We are close.” Pashov’s voice floats back to me. He glances over his shoulder, casting a smile in my direction. “Not too much farther.”
I can’t say I’m sorry to hear that. While we haven’t had any issues with traveling, I’m more than ready to be done and settle in to our new home. It’s been a long week, and my face still feels windburnt and frozen, no matter how much cream I put on it. I’m cold, tired, hungry, and physically exhausted to my bones. I feel like I could sleep for a week…except that wouldn’t be fair to Pashov, who is probably just as tired and is doing all the work.
My mate is tireless. Over ridge and valley, through waist-high snow or rocky plateaus, he moves forward with sure feet and endless, bountiful strength. I’m both incredibly grateful for his stamina and a little worried at how vulnerable Pacy and I are. If anything should happen to him, we’re screwed. It’s just another reason why I’m so glad we’re heading back to rejoin the tribe. There’s safety in numbers, and as much as I enjoyed our time at the little cave, I’m ready to rejoin the tribe.