“No.”
“I am a light sleeper. I will not snore or lash you with my tail—”
“Farli, no. Okay? Just no.” He lies down and fluffs a pillow behind his head. “Go to sleep. Lie down.”
He is determined to send me to bed like a kit, is he not? Frustrating. I lie back in the bed and stare up at the ceiling.
“Lights off,” Mardok says in a low voice.
The entire room dims and grows dark.
I gasp, sitting up. “How—” I am filled with wonder. “Lights on,” I call out, hoping it’ll respond.
“This room is programmed to my voice. Sorry. Get under the covers and go to sleep.” Mardok says. “I can show you how everything works in the morning.”
I lie back again, but it is stifling hot and I am wearing far too many layers for sleeping. Get under the furs? I will sweata lake if I do. I stare up, wishing Mardok was here with me and wishing he was not so determined to ignore me. Still, if I am to be ignored, at least I can be cooler. I undo the ties at my waist and begin to peel off Niri’s borrowed tunic with the legs built in. If he notices my squirming atop the blankets and their strange platform, he does not say anything. I think he is trying to ignore me to sleep. I finish stripping off the leathers and feel a little cooler. I am still wearing a fine sheen of sweat, but at least my skin can breathe. I blink in the darkness, thinking about my dvisti. “Do you think Chahm-pee is all right?”
“He’s fine. Niri’s got him all patched up. The only thing med bay can’t reproduce quickly is artificial blood, but that should be taken care of by morning.” I hear his blankets rustle as he turns over. “Do you…need to be somewhere? Will your parents be looking for you?”
I chuckle. “Not likely. I have been hunting on my own since I had my first flow.”
He’s quiet. Then, “Uh, if you don’t mind me asking, how old are you exactly?”
I am amused by the question…but only for a brief moment. Then I realize what it means. He thinks I am a kit. Is this why he pushes me away constantly? He worries I should be at the teat and not trying to claim him as my mate? I swallow my hurt. “I have seen the seasons turn over twenty-two times.”
“And the years are longer here, right?” He exhales deeply. “Thank gods. I was worried for a moment there.”
“How old are you?” I taunt him back.
“Thirty-eight years by my world’s reckoning. I guess I’d be a little over thirty-five of yours.”
I snort. “Barely old enough to be a hunter yourself.” In truth, he is young but in his prime—the perfect age for me. Maybe I’m a little wounded that he thinks I am a silly kit,after all. Is this how Sessah feels around me? I must remember to be nicer to him.
“A hunter, huh?” He chuckles into the dark, and the sound is warm and delicious. “I like that. Beats being a soldier.”
His laughter feels like a caress, and I hate that I am up here on this platform and he is down there. Why can we not be in the furs together? I will gladly sweat in this heat if it means I can touch him. He is just below me, and if I were on the ground, we would be close enough to touch.
On impulse, I move to the edge of the bed and then roll off the side. I land on his chest, and my forehead knocks into his. My khui’s song increases.
“Ooof,” he groans, and then touches my arm. “Are you okay, Farli? Did you fall off?”
“I wanted to visit,” I say. I am breathless with excitement at how close we are. I can taste his scent on the air, and it is making me aroused. My khui just sings and sings, pleased I have found my mate.
Mardok pats my arm, and then he hesitates. His hand moves up to my shoulder, and then his breath hisses out of his lungs. “Are you…naked?”
“It is hot in here,” I tell him. “Too hot to sleep. Is naked a problem? My people are naked whenever they please.” I put my hands on his shoulders. Still clothed. Hmm. If we are going to mate, he is going to need to take some layers off.
“Naked is only a problem if it’s been three years,” he mutters.
“It is just skin.”
“Farli, I shouldn’t be here.” He very gently tries to pry me off of him. “I’m flattered—hell, I’m attracted to you like crazy, too, but we can’t do this.”
I ignore his words, focusing on what I like. “You are attracted to me, too?” It makes me wiggle with pleasure.
He groans, and his hands go to my shoulders, as if trying to hold me still. “Stop moving like that. You’re going to kill me.”
I brush his hands off and lean in, letting my fingers trace his features in the dark. He’s not pushing me away, so I grow bolder. “You like me?” I repeat again. I need to hear him say the words. “You do not think I am too young?”
