Children.Wow.Dude was already thinking about us having kids together.Talk about moving fast.But I didn’t experience a glimmer of panic as we stood close in the clearing, his hardness pressing against my stomach as he continued painting a happy picture of the life he wanted us to share.
“I will treasure you always, sweet Brenna, and provide you with any comforts from the human world that you miss.Knowing that I would likely claim a human female one day, since there are so few Montikaan females left in my tribe, I’ve already begun preparing my alcove for your arrival.But if there’s anything you ever need, all you must do is ask and I will do my best to provide it.I will fish for you every day and cook for you, and I will make sure you and our children never go hungry.I will keep you warm during the winter season, and I will slaughter anyone who threatens you.I will strive to make you happy for every day that we are mated, and I pray to the Great Spirit that we will share in a long, joyous mating union.”
Though his eyes remained glowing with affection, I noticed a hint of uncertainty clouding his pale blue depths, and it took me a few seconds to realize he was nervous, perhaps worried that I would reject him.
We were strangers, yet there was an intense attraction between us that rivaled anything I’d ever felt for another man, even during the initial love-drunk phase of an early relationship.
He was staring at me with an expectant look, and I knew he wanted my answer.He wanted to know whether I was willing to become his mate.
Should I accept?
Each time I imagined choosing another Montikaan male or leaving the mountain entirely to go find another hiding spot, my chest tightened and my heart splintered with grief.I’d never given much thought to the idea of fated mates, but the longer I stared at Karm and savored the warmth of his gaze, the more I started to believe it might be true.
“The sooner you allow me to claim you, sweet Brenna, the safer you will be.Once we share a heart-bond, I’ll be able to sense if you’re in danger.I’ll be able to track your location.”
“What’s a heart-bond?”
He stroked a hand through my hair, and I basked in his gentle touch.“It’s the unbreakable bond that every mating pair eventually shares,” he explained.“It’s eternal love.Though I’ve never experienced it myself, I have heard it’s an overwhelming feeling of affection that never burns out, and it usually develops soon after the first mating occurs, though I’ve heard of a few cases where it developed before a couple became lifemates.”
“Oh.I see.”I swallowed past the dryness in my throat.A heart-bond sounded like a dream come true.Lifemates.Karm wanted us to become lifemates.I never in a million years thought I would find myself on a snowy mountainside with a handsome Sasquatch who wanted to mate with me, but here I was—an escaped outlaw on the run with very few options.
“Say you’ll be mine,” Karm said, tightening his grip on my shoulders, but only slightly.Given the size of him, I knew he could hurt me if he really wanted to, but his grip wasn’t bruising.I still felt very safe in his presence.“Say it, sweet Brenna.Say you’ll become my lifemate.”
I drew in a deep breath.
Here goes nothing…
No big deal—only the rest of my life.
“Okay,” I blurted before my courage had a chance to falter.“I agree.I-I’ll become your lifemate, Karm.”
Another growl of pleasure escaped his throat, and his eyes glowed brighter.To my shock, he swept me into his arms and started carrying me up the mountain.The wind ruffled my hair a little, but I wasn’t cold because he held me close to his chest, and as I nuzzled my face in the warmth of his fur, a sense of belonging resonated in the depths of my soul.
Lifemates.I’d just agreed to become lifemates with a huge Sasquatch named Karm.My heart fluttered and I snuggled deeper into his arms.
Chapter4
KARM
When I returnedto the cavern, there weren’t many Montikaans lingering in the entryway, just a few males who were coming back from patrolling the borders of our lands.They aimed curious glances in my direction before they headed to the large common area, likely to inform our people that there might be a celebration tonight.
If Brenna turned on all fours and offered me the use of her mating hole, I would roar loud enough to shake the cavern walls when I mounted her for the first time.The mating call was always cause for celebration among my people, and my heart resounded with joy as I tightened my hold on the sleeping human female.
I carried Brenna into my private alcove, pushing aside the woven, grass curtain as I entered.She stirred in my arms and blinked up at me.My heart constricted in my chest.Mine.My female.She had agreed to belong to me.Agreed to become my lifemate.I vowed to cherish her until the end of my days.
“I must’ve fallen asleep,” she said, glancing around my abode.“Have we reached your people’s cavern?”
“Yes.”I placed her on a chair I’d recently swiped from an abandoned human cabin, then set her backpack on the floor.I knelt before her and tugged on her boots.“We are in my private alcove, though I will show you around the larger cavern tomorrow morning.Let me help you get undressed.You will soon overheat if you stay in these clothes much longer.”As I removed her boots, her socks came off with them, and I was stunned by the smallness of her feet.Her toes were so delicate and tiny, I couldn’t help but stroke them.
She giggled and jerked her feet away from my touch.“That tickles,” she said, and I noticed the color of her face was darkening, a pink hue clinging to her cheeks.Beautiful.I could scarcely fathom the level of her beauty.My shaft thickened as I beheld her loveliness and delved a hand into her blonde locks.The glowing sun-moss that covered the cavern walls bathed her in radiant hues of gold, illuminating her splendor.
After setting her boots aside, I reached for the fastening of her snowsuit, pulling it open with a sharp snapping sound.Her breath caught in her throat, and the scent of her feminine need soon reached my nose.Aroused.My sweet Brenna was becoming aroused, and I hadn’t even finished undressing her yet.Hope echoed through me as I realized she wanted me as much as I wanted her.
“So,” she said, her blush deepening, “how exactly do we go about this?”
Confusion rippled through me.“Go about this?I am not certain I understand your meaning.”
A smile tugged at her lips.“Um, I mean how do we… mate?Is there anything I should know ahead of time?Any specific rituals, or maybe vows we need to recite to one another beforehand?”
