The territory was exactly as I remembered it from my single visit decades ago. The main cave—The Eyrie itself—sat at the highest accessible point on this section of cliff face, and the entrance faced south, giving clear sight lines for miles in every direction. Anyone approaching would be visible long before they arrived, which made this position nearly perfect for defense.
Hallie stopped at the entrance and stared.
"This is incredible," she said, walking inside slowly and taking in the space with that careful attention she gave to everything.
The cave system was extensive—multiple chambers connected by smooth passages carved by ancient water flow. Thermal vents provided constant warmth throughout the complex, and warmth rolled off the entrance. The copper-green veins were brighter here, more active, and the electromagnetic energy made my skin tingle pleasantly in ways I'd almost forgotten.
"Kethar abandoned this?" Hallie moved through the main chamber, examining everything. "Why would anyone give this up?"
"He didn't abandon it willingly. He was pushed out by a stronger male who wanted the territory for himself." I stepped to the edge and looked out over the landscape we'd just crossed. "Thorrax held this position for thirty-seven seasons before dying childless, and no one's claimed it since."
"And no one's claimed it since then because?"
"Too far from the portal site. Most males need to stay close to where females arrive, need to be there immediately when a portal opens." I gestured at the expansive view. "But for a bonded pair, this is perfect. Defensible. Resource-rich. Secure."
She came to stand beside me, staring out over the vertical world with its copper-green veins and thermal shimmer.
"You can see everything from here," she said, and I heard the tactical appreciation in her voice. "Approach routes, thermal patterns, even The Gap in the distance where we crossed. No one could approach without being seen hours before they arrived."
"No. They'd have to commit to direct assault, fly straight at us knowing we're watching and ready." Which meant only desperate males would try it, males with nothing left to lose.
She took it in. Then: "This is home."
I felt it too—the rightness of this place, the way the electromagnetic veins seemed to respond to our presence by brightening and warming. Welcoming us.
"Yes," I agreed. "This is home."
I spent the next two hours marking territory the way male instinct demanded.
Every entrance. Every boundary marker. Every high point where another male might land to scout our defenses. I marked them all thoroughly with my scent, making sure any male within a mile would know immediately: claimed, occupied, defended. The process was thorough because it had to be, because one missed marker could mean the difference between deterring a challenge and inviting one.
Hallie worked on the nesting chamber while I marked territory. She chose the deepest room in the cave system, the warmest and most protected, and when I returned from my final patrol I found she'd transformed it completely. Furs arranged perfectly for comfort and insulation, supplies organized within easy reach, weapons positioned strategically near every entrance. Everything placed with thought and purpose.
"It's ready," she said when I entered and surveyed her work. "Our nest is ready."
I looked around and saw not just practical preparation but ownership. This was hers now. Ours. The place we'd raise our young and defend against all threats. Home in ways The Warren had never been.
"Then we should claim it properly," I said.
Her eyes darkened, pupils dilating in that response I'd learned to recognize. "You want to breed me."
"I want to mark this place as ours. Breed you in our new nest and let the cliff itself recognize what we've built here." I moved closer. "Let the electromagnetic energy in the veins witness the claim."
She was already moving toward the furs. "Then come claim it."
The furs were soft under her back when I laid her down.
I took my time removing what remained of her suit, revealing skin I'd marked and changed and made mine over these past weeks. Her belly was swollen enough now that the eggs were visible as distinct shapes when I pressed my hand there, three separate masses that would soon be offspring.
"Three of them," I said, feeling each separate presence through her skin. "Growing strong. Another two weeks and you'll lay them, maybe less."
"Will it hurt?" Uncertainty colored her voice.
"Yes. But I'll breed you through the laying and the hormones in my seed will ease the pain considerably, make it manageable." I moved my hand lower, between her legs where she was already wet. "And after you lay them, I'll breed you again immediately. Get you pregnant again within hours. Keep the cycle going."
She clenched around the fingers I pushed inside her, and I felt the words land.
"You like that," I said, watching her face carefully. "Like knowing I'll keep you pregnant constantly. Keep breeding you. Keep your belly full of my offspring season after season."
