“Why not send the humans along?” Kyvar settled into a chair, stretching and relaxing his wings back.
“A human is hardly built to take down a small tree climber, let along an aggressive hykh.”
“Not to help, to see. It’s a large part of our culture. It’s how we feed ourselves without using those horrible artificial meats and foods from the galactic exchange.”
“Jacqueline cannot go on the hunt. She doesn’t like death.”
“I wouldn’t have known that by how they ran out into the wilderness by themselves. Like an offering to the old gods.”
I ignored him. “I will assign Gylesh to take our meat preparers and sellers to hunt and I will take Jacqueline—and the other humans if they wish—to gather.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “You never go to gather. It’s boring.”
I flicked a hand. “All the better for me to be with that group of vorpyrren to show my thanks and support for their work as their Vorazyr.”
“Oh, that’s all. I had thought that you were growing soft toward the human female.”
I gave him a look that could wither his fangs. “Meanwhile, you are to keep track of the predators to our vorilhand keep up on the reports from the warriors we have out looking for the missing female.”
He tapped his wings in acknowledgement, still smirking. Maybe I needed to give him more work.
“Are you allowing the humans to attend the last celebration?” he asked.
I was suspicious that he’d heard my order to Junyv, but it didn’t matter. “Yes, they are being allowed more freedoms.”
“Hmm.” His gaze flicked to the floor-to-ceiling windows of my office. “I can guard Tatiana that night. She can accompany me.”
It was my turn to smirk. “You fool no one, Kyvar.”
His eyes flashed, and there was retribution in his gaze. “I believe our species are compatible. Have you really not tried to rut the tall one? She would look good bent over a—”
A snarl tore from my chest and he leaned back. I studied him, satisfied now that he wasn’t envisioning Jacqueline in a way no one but me should.“You have mated the other one?”
Surprise flashed across his face and was gone just as quickly. “No.”
“Then how do you know we are compatible? They are small, their sheath might not stretch enough for us.” I didn’t like that thought.
“When aroused, her cunt relaxes and becomes slick and wet. Our species wouldn’t react to each other like that if we weren’t compatible.”
“You’ve aroused the small one?” I had no reason to be jealous that he’d gotten the other human female excited and ready for him while Jacqueline still looked at me with wariness. No reason.
He shifted, uncomfortable, tapping his left wing on the floor in a quick staccato, a nervous habit he’d never been able to break. “We should plan to have the parties leave soon if we want to hunt and gather before the storms of erythrahalcome.”
I allowed him to change the subject, pleased that I now had something to rib him about later. “Traders from Luuciyn’s province have recently been by and we have enough provision in our city to last through the storms, but I still want to go before they come. Stretching their wings before the storms hit and having the extra delicacies will keep everyone calm while unable to go anywhere. We’ll leave four days after the festival.” That would give my vorpyrren time to sleep off the drink and intense mating that always accompanied the festivals. This was the time of year where the most vorpyr found mates and when females were filled with babes. It was a time of pleasure and fun and coming together, as many had distant family that would travel here for it.
He inclined his head and got to his feet. "I’ll let our vorpyrren know to get ready to leave after the festivities.”
I’d barely got through another two hours of work I needed to catch up on when one of my advisors appeared in the doorway. Never one to hide his feelings, Ihyl scowled as he approached my desk and clapped his wings together. I sat back and waited.
“With all respect, Vorazyr, why is captain Jzulyk still in enforced solitude?”
“He is no longer a captain, Ihyl.” I reminded him cooly.
“Some of us are wondering why he’s being punished for expressing what all of us agree with.”
“And who are these vorpyr that think this?”
He shifted and glanced away before looking back at me with determination. “There are some of us who agree that the humans are wasting resources. They’ve proven they aren’t of use to us.”
