Chapter Two
ARGHET DIDN’T KNOW why he felt protective around the big bastard when he knew Skehl could protect himself, but something about the giant seemed vulnerable. He couldn’t figure it out, but Skehl felt almost…innocent.
Thinking such absurdity irritated him, and he wondered if the male did that on purpose, made others underestimate him before he destroyed them.
When they’d stood shoulder to shoulder in the clearing, phelthar had surged between them. It had been especially strong. Arghet felt the male to his toes, and to his shock, his body had responded. Lust for a male when Arghet had never wanted more than one female to bond with. It didn’t make sense.
Though Talzec and many others had taken to male pairings to satisfy their sexual needs, Arghet kept his tamped down. He fucked a female or two and always left them pleasured, but lately sex felt lacking. His body released, but his mind and soul remained apart. So now he abstained.
Perhaps too long if his body considered Skehl a potential partner.
With a grunt of annoyance, he fetched two large hunks of crisp flehik and returned in search of Skehl. What he found shocked him.
Skehl seemed fascinated by a trio fucking against a tree. The female sucked one cock, and while she worked him, another took her from behind. The threesome didn’t mind their audience, as Arghet noticed several other warriors watching, many of whom soon took enjoyment in each other.
“You would join them?” Arghet asked his new clanmate, nodding to several warriors beginning to engage in sex.
Skehl shook his head, and Arghet saw that Skehl wasn’t aroused. Arghet wasn’t either, his mind on tomorrow’s bout, and oddly, of the frustrating female he had yet to capture.
He and Skehl walked away, taking a moment apart from the others by moving deeper into the jungle. With so many barbarians in the vicinity, it wasn’t easy to find space apart. But Arghet had come to the last set of games, and he knew a few areas not heavily trafficked.
Some distance deeper into the jungle he found a flat slab of raised rock surrounded by red-stems that not only smelled lovely but provided some semblance of privacy. He and Skehl settled on the rock and ate. Arghet shared the water skins he’d brought, foregoing the ale many others had been consuming.
Though the festive air encouraged one and all to let loose and mingle, Arghet didn’t trust so easily. Though they all were part of the Cloud Tribe, not everyone subscribed to the ideals of brotherhood. Just look at the Nasuhl.
“Why do you not have others suck your cock?”
Arghet choked on the bit of meat he’d been swallowing. When he could catch his breath, he stared at Skehl, who remained expressionless. “What?”
“The others pair often, but you never do.”
“You don’t either.”
“I don’t feel the need. Not usually.” Skehl frowned. “In my old clan, there was much screaming, blood, and beating involved with sex. It didn’t seem worth the price for release.”
Arghet considered what the big male was telling him. “Skehl, have you ever been with a woman?” He paused. “Or a man? I know the Nasuhl didn’t believe men should have sex with each other, but they must have. You didn’t have many females in your clan.”
Skehl shrugged. “Everything pleasurable with the Nasuhl had to be hidden. The alphas didn’t want us happy. They wanted us mean, hungry.” Skehl paused. “I did what I was told. In my way.”
“What way is that?” Arghet asked quietly. He couldn’t always get Skehl to talk to him, so he didn’t want to ruin anything now. Perhaps he could learn what it was about the giant that bothered him.
Skehl looked into his eyes, and the marker on his cheek began to glow. “I do what is right. And only what is right. Nothing else.”
Passive resistance. Who would have guessed the berserker had it in him?
Arghet found himself impressed despite his reservations. “You’re a lot smarter than others give you credit for, aren’t you?”
Skehl stared at his face, his gaze intense.
“Skehl?”
“Fucking. What does it feel like?”
Arghet blinked, trying to keep up with Skehl’s thoughts. “Ah, well, it’s good. Very good. The heat around you builds. Pressure between your legs, then it’s gone when you release your seed.” Arghet had a strange thought. “You do know about a male’s seed, don’t you?”
Skehl shook his head.
Arghet’s cheeks heated. He felt awkward having such a conversation. Typically the older males instructed the younger ones in the ways of sexual desire upon a male’s first awakening into manhood. But Arghet wasn’t always good with words.
