Now I'm even more confused, but highly intrigued. "How? What do they do?"
Zahreenah laughs and takes my hand, fitting it over one of her lovely 'teets'.
And I almost spill my seed then and there.
Sucking in a breath, I find myself stilling, the soft but heavy weight in my palm. I have never felt pleasure in holding something before. Well, besides my cock. But this? This warm softness filling my palm? Fuck, it's making me tent my cloth almost painfully.
"They don'tdoanything per se," Zahreenah continues as if she hasn't just gifted me permission to touch her. "But guys back home would pay me money to see 'em so yeah, they pay their own way," she chuckles.
I almost don't hear her words, I'm so transfixed with her 'breast' in my hand. But then I do. A growl releases from my throat. "I'll gut them with my spear," I grunt, my hand moving a little with my words, andfuck, her breast jiggles a little against my touch with the movement. The sensation has me mesmerized.
Zahreenah laughs. "Why?"
I'm not entirely sure why either. Only that something inside me screams that they did not deserve to lay their eyes on my lovely Zahreenah, let alone her bared 'teets'. I do not care if they made her offerings, I do not care if they won the privilege through battle. She is mine and I'm coming to see that I have rather territorial feelings when it comes to my little-light.
Zahreenah shifts closer, her chest pushing more securely into my palm and I cannot help the groan that slips out of me. She's looking at me like she wants to do that mouth-on-mouth 'kissing' again and I would love nothing more than to please her in that way. Even if it means I might very well spill my seed in my cloth.
"Well, how about you take me and Alana out to the ship again, and maybe I'll let you do more than see my tits?"
All I do is blink for a while, her words sinking into my head like a heavy foot on mossy ground. "What do you mean?" I ask, my hand still cupping her beautiful flesh.
Zahreenah wiggles closer, her nose almost brushing mine. Like this, I can count the flecks of gold amongst the green of her eyes. "I could teach you things," she whispers, "Pleasurable things. I just need you to-"
I yank my hand away as if singed by fire. "You want me to risk your safety? You want to...exchangemy touches for something you want?” It was a manipulation. This whole 'nap' thing was a way to change my mind about allowing the females to return to the ship carcass. Zahreenah knows I don't want them to go back out there. She also knows that I want to touch her and hold her more than almost anything in the world. She didn't invite me to this 'nap' out of wanting my touches. She did it to get something out of me.
I pull away, my tail unraveling from around her calf and my wing settling at my back. Goddess damn me, but pulling away from my mate is quite possibly the hardest thing I have ever done. What she's done has stung me though. I thought that when we were gifted with females, and I a mate, the difficulty would be in keeping them protected with no temple to shield them. I never imagined they might play tricks on males - thatshemight play tricks onme.
Chapter 20
SERENA
Fuck. Fuck, fuck,fuckity-fuck! I was not subtleat allin trying to persuade Rynn. I've never had to be before. All my customers already know I'm in it just for the money.They knowthat I'm going to try and flush every single dollar I can out of them. They're aware of the situation and where we stand with each other right from the first click on my site. Rynn, though?Shit,I feel really bad for trying to manipulate him.
Imeansomething to him. Or at least, I do right now. Maybe his heart-twinkles will stop twinkling one day? Who knows? But the fact of the matter is, I tried to use his attraction to me to manipulate him and it wasn't fair. Poor guy was so elated just to touch my boob, too. His expression had gone from the boy who'd got everything he'd ever wanted for Christmas, to a kicked puppy in the blink of an eye. He'd left me there in his nest not long after that and I feel awful.
I'd brought him here to his hut on the pretense of taking a nap. Of course, I hadn't planned on doing any sleeping. I'd imagined doing a number of things but none of them involved getting some shut-eye. And now, laying alone in Rynn's nest-bed, not only do I feel guilty but I feel disappointed that I didn't get to show him all the fun things a girl can do with a male like him.
The two Trixikka Protectors Rynn must have instructed to guard me once he'd left stand to attention when I poke my head out of the doorway. They're straight-spined and set-jawed, each thumping the butt of their spears into the dirt ground twice as if in greeting. "High Spear Rynn has given us the honor of being your personal Protectors, my High Spearess," one of them tells me.
I blink at that. High Spearess? I'm not so sure about that. "You can call me Serena." Neither of them say a word, but they do exchange a look with each other. "Where is Rynn?" I need to apologize and make it up to him somehow. Maybe I should just explain that we need to check out the information the ship's computer might hold. Doing that without explaining and outing Alana's predicament will be tricky, but it's better than manipulating him.
"The High Spear is training with his Protectors."
I look up at my two guards, squinting. "Can you take me to him?"
***
The training area happens to be a short flight away, on the banks of a river. Being held by someone other than Rynn as we fly feels odd. Rynn is locked in battle when we land, his focus on the younger Protector he was so deftly besting in hand-to-hand combat. He'd been circling, clashing together, and then shouting out commands to his trainee, advising on how to better handle himself against a foe. I'd been so mesmerized, I hadn't let go of the Protector who had flown me here, my body still cradled in his arms. Had I thought that Rynn's sole focus had been on his sparring opponent? "Zatiryk, if you don't put my mate down, I swear on tribe and Temple I'll rip your limbs from their sockets!" he growls, menacingly, his eyes not leaving his trainee as they circle one another. I guess he noticed me after all.
Zatiryk promptly drops me, clearly fearing for his life expectancy. He and my other designated Protector take a couple of healthy steps away from me for good measure.
In the small clearing surrounding the banks of the river stand fifteen or so of Rynn's Protectors. Rynn is giving his instructions to his opponent, telling him how best to face those horrible mimyckah while others watch and listen. The air is thick with that masculine scent of sweat and testosterone, the like of which you'll find at a bro-infested gym. Only, this smells more pleasant somehow.
There's a gleam of perspiration on most of the men here. They must have all had turns sparring. Rynn is no different and although I'm now used to him and the other Trixikka being completely shirtless the whole time, the primal way he holds himself now, ready to attack or defend stirs something low in my belly. I stand, watching as Rynn's opponent leaps forward, making a grab for his High Spear's arms. Rynn deftly manages to outmaneuver his sparring partner and with a few grunts and a quick evasive move, ends up turning the Trixikka around with his arm around his neck in a choke-hold, one wing tucked against his back and the other splayed out awkwardly as he struggles to break free. A few black feathers float down to the ground, casualties from their scrap. "You give away your intentions too easily," Rynn says in a calm voice, still holding onto the younger Protector. "I can read you as easily as the Elder's teachings scribed onto the walls of the Eyrie Caves." Rynn lets him go, sweat gleaming on his muscled chest. He eyes the small crowd of trainees, gaze quickly dancing over where I stand. Ouch. I guess I deserve that. "None of you will be trusted to protect our females until each of you can best me!" he bellows, rolling his shoulders and neck before dropping into a crouching stance of challenge. "Come on,next."
More than half the Trixikka do not, in fact, best Rynn. A few of them do, but he doesn't make it easy for them. I must have been here close to two hours, watching him wrestle, punch, choke, shove, trip with his tail, and intimidate with his wings. Most concede to him, ending their session damp and panting. It was quite the watch if I'm honest. I must be as basic as they come because something about witnessing my Rynn fight all these guys? Yeah, my girl-parts liked the sight very much.
Once their High Spear dismisses them, the Trixikka turn to the river, wading into the waters to cool off and wash the sweat from their skin. Rynn approaches me, his breathing still heavy from exertion. I try not to ogle his bulging muscles or the sheen of sweat glistening on them. I fail. "I left two males to see to your protection at the village," he says, jerking his chin at me, his intense gaze briefly flicking over to where my guards stand a safe distance away. There's a small cut to his lip where one of his opponents managed to get a swing to land (he hadn't lasted long after that).
