"Naked, but not eager.I could sense your fear."
"I wasn't afraid."I pushed his chest and he backed up a few steps."I was nervous, there's a difference."
“Is there?”he mused.“Or do you say that so you don’t have to admit you have fears?”
He was more right than he knew, but I’d eat glass before I admitted it.
23 Dargo
Iwatched my mate frommy spot near the fire.She was acting strangely.Her movements purposefully casual as she wandered past a rack of weapons and grabbed a small ax.I'd been watching her from a distance all day, doing my best not to follow her around like a lost child as she familiarized herself with the camp.
Taz was not a trusting female.I knew she wasn't as content here as her friends, and I'd overheard her asking if they wanted to leave multiple times.That my mate wasn't as enamored as I was didn't bother me.After all, she hadn't glanced twice at another male all day, even the ones who'd tried to win my claim from me.
Beside me, Adak was watching his own female.The scent of her was all over him and for a moment I regretted not gentling Taz last night.It was a heady honor to have a claimed mate, something no band of males could boast.But I wanted my female to want me back, not merely allow me to claim her out of a sense of duty.
"This is a strange world," Adak muttered, his good eye following his female's path as she carried armfuls of supplies to their tent.
"It is."I leaned back against the branch I'd claimed.It wasn't as comfortable as the old eksine saddle I'd rested against on Oska and I felt a pang of longing for the steed I'd left on my planet.I'd spent many nights beside the fire, resting against his saddle, listening to the slow chuffs he made in his sleep.
It had been years since I’d ridden him across the plains, reveling in the power and freedom I felt atop him.No doubt my friend was long dead, his bones worn down by the harsh winds of my home planet.
"Is your female causing you trouble?"he asked.
I chuckled, even as I watched her make off with another weapon and a couple of med packs.She was planning something, no doubt preparing for an easy escape.I almost hoped she ran, it would be worth the effort to see the look on her face when I caught her.
"No more trouble than I can handle."
Adak snorted."You would claim the wildest mate you could find."
"I didn't plan on claiming a mate at all," I admitted."There's too much to do now that we're free.The sytos won't leave us here without a fight, and there are too many males for one band to manage."
Adak nodded, still gazing at his mate like there wasn't another being on the planet.
"Without a proper chief, there will be blood in no time."
I nudged his shoulder.
