“Bravekalles.”
Chapter Thirteen
Iwas sweating by the end of it and thepyrokidid, indeed, hate me all the more for it.
But the deed was done and her wounds had been sealed after they had been cleaned. I sat back, feeling strangely ill, the scent ofburningflesh still lingering in my nostrils. The horde king was still kneeling by his creature’s side, winding thick swaths of bandage around her flank.
He cared for the creature. Tremendously. That much was obvious. And even though I didn’t like him, or trust him, his obvious love for her made me soften towards him. It meant his heart wasn’t only empty darkness and hatred if he could love.
After it was done and thepyrokihad closed her eyes, resting, theVorakkarrose and said, “Stay here. I will return shortly.”
“Where are you going?” I asked in mild alarm, still feeling like the remnants of the dried meat I’d consumed earlier would make a reappearance.
He jerked his head towards the shadowed line of the trees. “To wash. There is a stream not far. I will bring back water for you and then we will eat.”
He stooped down to gather the water skins we’d used to wash hispyroki’swounds…and then he stalked away. I could hear his hard footsteps and I saw the sway of his tail as he disappeared into the shadows.
Then I was alone. The bodies of thejrikkiawere piled near the base of the tree, a grotesque, disturbing mound of darkened fur. I huddled closer to the sleepingpyroki,drawing my knees up to my chest, and waited. I jumped when the fire crackled loudly.
I tensed when I heard a trickling sound in the distance but then I realized it was only water. I heard sporadic splashing, close enough that it was comforting.
My eyes went back to the mound ofjrikkia.
When the trickling stopped, however, and no sound came after that for many long moments, I found my hands trembling, my eyes trained between the two tree trunks where the horde king had disappeared.
What is he doing?I wondered, my belly beginning to churn in fear again. When the canopy of the trees rustled behind me, my spine tingled and then I was up on my feet, though my entire body protested in response. My backside throbbed from falling off thepyroki. The flesh on my inner thighs screamed as the hide of my pants brushed it but I hurried forward nonetheless.
It was perhaps a foolish thing to do but I stepped beyond the clearing, scanning what laid beyond the thick tree line. I didn’t need to go far. I found the stream—he’d been right, it hadn’t been far from where we were camping for the night—and then I stilled, trailing my gaze along the winding, babbling water, searching.
Until I found him.
And when I did, my mouth went dry, my eyes went wide, and I immediately ducked behind the wide trunk of a tree, the roughened bark of it pressing painfully into my back.
His head had been turned in my direction and I prayed he hadn’t heard me. My eyes stared, unseeing, into the darkness. He’d paused briefly in what he was doing and then I heard his roughened pants again, soft huffs of breath that escaped him, followed by an unmistakable rhythmic sound.
I didn’t know what to do. I was afraid he’d discover me if I returned to the clearing now. I thought it a miracle he hadn’t heard me when I’d approached—but perhaps he’d been too lost in his pleasure.
My face flamed. I didn’t dare breathe as the rhythmic sounds came faster.
I want to see, came the thought. I didn’t deny the wanting and it bloomed in my belly. It was curiosity, I told myself. Of males, of Dakkari males, ofhim. Nothing more.
Slowly, I turned against the trunk until my front was pressed against it. And, with a small breath, I peeked out from behind it.
The horde king had his head tilted back, the long, strong column of his golden throat exposed. He’d cleaned himself up, his hair dripping water across his bare shoulders. He had one hand braced on a boulder next to the stream, his back bowed. And his other hand was working between his thighs, stroking his thickened length.
My nipples immediately tightened beneath my tunic, pebbling hard against the material. A tingling sensation stroked from my belly to my sex, warming me. I’d always loved the sensation of arousal, whenever I’d felt it before. It turned my mind to mush. I’d continuously been in awe of its power but had always been too hesitant to explore it more.
I didn’t dwell on the fact that watching the horde king pleasure himself made me aroused. I didn’t want to think about what that meant, so I simply ignored it.
And I simply watched.
“Vok,” he hissed softly, his hips bucking, and my treacherous little heart leapt in delight, my breath coming more quickly.
When I shifted to see better, the rough bark of the tree dragged across my nipples and I bit my lip against the sensation. This was the power of arousal, I knew. Because I was covered in hispyroki’sblood, we’d been attacked byjrikkia, he’d been nothing short ofterrifyingto me…and still, I was watching his hand speed and then slow over his engorged cock with bated breath and rubbing my nipples against a damntree.
Arousal was dangerous.
Yet, I didn’t want it to end.
