I wake up slowly.
I feel safe, but it takes me a second to remember where I am, what happened, and why my chest feels so heavy.
I blink a few times before my eyes focus on Andrik.
He’s curled over my body like a protective wall of fur and muscle, face half-buried against my stomach, eyes locked on mine.
“Uh... hi,” I rasp.
“Good morning,lûvenkae,” He murmurs, his voice thick with sleep.
“How are you feeling?” I yawn.
“Better now that I know you’re safe, and don’t want to leave.” His gaze drops slightly, like he’s still bracing for rejection.
“I don’t want to leave, Andrik,” I reach for his face. “I want to be here... with you.”
He exhales slowly and presses his face a little deeper into my belly.
How something so big and inhuman can still long for acceptance shocks me. I guess it doesn’t matter what species you are; we all crave to belong somewhere.
I run a hand over the thick fur on his shoulder, then scratch at the coarsest patch with my nails. His eyes roll back.
“Does that feel good?” I ask.
“Have you ever seen those videos of lions scratching their backs against tree bark?”
The mental image of Andrik watching lion videos on a tiny phone makes me snort.
“I can’t say that’s part of my daily YouTube lineup,” I tease. “But yeah, I know what you’re talking about.”
“It feels so good, please don’t stop.” He groans.
Straight. To. My. Vagina.
I start on his other shoulder, scratching both sides at once. His head falls back, and his legs begin shifting.
He lets out a low whine.
“No one’s ever done this for me,” he murmurs. “I’ve never let anyone close enough to touch me.”
My heart cracks. But then…
“Wait, Andrik. Are you saying no one's ever touched you? Like...anywhere?”
He blinks slowly, like a sleepy snow-panther.
“Are you asking if I’ve had sex, Lumi?” he asks, in the most smug voice ever.
Before I can answer, he interrupts, “You will be the first and only woman I ever give myself to.”
My hands still in his fur.
I don’t even know what to say to that.
Thank you for waiting thousands of years for my hoo-ha?
His nostrils flare, and his eyes trail lazily over my body
