“Bravo.”
He shrugs, diving into his own food as Yri starts snickering. I look between the men, eyes widening as I start piecing it together.
“Oh my Fate, they’re your hoard too?!"
Honestly, that shouldn't be nearly as attractive as it is. If anything, it should make me more paranoid since chances are higher he'll have an interest in stealing from me. My instincts should be going haywire right now and throw me into defensive mode, yet nothing happens with the revelation. He must be running a similar train of thought through his head right now because his brow furrows before making eye contact with me, intentionally picking one up and shoving it in his pocket. He's outright challenging me, waiting to see if I'm going to attack him.
"The fuck?" Vyrian eloquently states in confusion. "Why isn't she stabbing you in the face?"
Soren laughs, but we're all stuck waiting for him to finish chewing before he elaborates. "Mates. I swear, how any of you graduated is beyond me. Once a female joins a flight, instinct takes over. The female is trusting you not only to protect her, but her hoard as well. All it means is she trusts us not to steal her shit and kill anyone that tries."
As if he doesn't believe him, Yri scoops up a handful and shoves them deep in his pocket. When it's clear I'm not freaking out, he reaches over to my bag and pulls out one of the dual blades I got from Vince and a snarl forms on my lips. He releases it instantly, hands raised in surrender as he backs up.
"Maybe I need to pass the next level to unlock access for that one," he teases and I snort, knowing exactly what he's implying.
"You're suggesting I need to sleep with you before I'll let you touch my things?"
He shrugs, going back to eating. "I'm just saying it couldn't hurt to try. You know, for science."
We dissolve into a fit of laughter as we finish eating and start planning our next move. As expected, Cai didn't run into any trouble in the city, but he also didn't overhear anything useful, not that we assumed he would. Deciding not to waste anymore time, we load up and head out, marching on for the rest of the day.
We set up camp, glad we've gotten this close without any incidents so far. Midday tomorrow, we should arrive, and the thought is as thrilling as it is terrifying. Now that I've already crossed that line with Cai, it's less imposing as it was before. Nobody is sure what exactly the ritual entails, but I would assume sex comes into play just by logic alone. To go from a life of celibacy to a ritualistic gangbang seems a little extreme, even for me. But it also means there's absolutely no going back. I'm not having second thoughts where the guys are concerned at all, but that sort of lifelong commitment is enough to make anyone freak out a little.
"Fuck, Ezra," Soren groans, shaking my shoulder to wake me up. "I'm not sure what you're dreaming about, but there aren't any cold showers in the woods. Any chance you can dial it back a bit?"
I sit up, shifting my thighs together and the heat pooled there. My skin feels tight and if I thought I was hot before? It's nothing compared to now. A whimper slips past my lips, sounding needy and foreign to my own ears. I've been dealing with a fraction of this for weeks, but this? Fuck, it's going to be impossible to walk another twenty miles.
"Where are the others?" I manage, trying to think of every unsexy thing that I can to no avail.
"You really have to ask?" he rumbles, smirking.
I shift my thighs together again, trying to relieve the insurmountable need building. "How considerate of them." I breathe out a small laugh.
The lumberjack is whacking wood alright.
"Don't look at me like that," he groans, swiping a hand down his face. "We voted I'd stay to guard you since I'm more immune than the others and could keep my hands to myself."
I give him an odd look. "Does something bad happen if I continue to have sex before the ritual?"
His grey eyes turn to molten steel. "Just continues to speed up the process throwing you into heat and higher chance you might get pregnant the closer you get to it," he admits, his voice low. "And none of us want you to think that's the only reason we want you."
I roll on top of him and he doesn't put up a fight, hands settling on my hips as he lies back. "So that's a no?" My words come out breathless, leaning down above him.
"It's reckless," he points out as I kiss him, squirming on top of him as another needy whimper slips out that he promptly swallows.
"That's not an answer."
The next instant he's tearing off my clothes as I help him strip, settling back on top of him. It's a flurry of hands, pinching and rolling my nipples as I rock against him, hot and needy, touching and caressing. My hands settle on his massive chest, lightly running my nails over his skin, tracing a path down. When I curl my fingers around him, guiding his length towards my center, he hisses in a sharp breath.
"Fuck," he grits out, jaw tight.
I rub the head of his cock back and forth over my slit, forcing myself not to slide down on top of him, just let him see how much I want this too. "Still not an answer."
It takes him a moment as he wars with himself, so I lift my hips, trying to let him think a little clearer. I have no doubt that he wants this too, but I don't want to pressure him into it. Based on Yri's reaction during capture the flag, I think honor means a lot more in their country than here, means more to them. I don't want to make him regret anything or doubt himself just because I'm a horny mess.
"Is there a river nearby?" I whisper. "We could jump in and try to cool off; clear our heads," I offer. "I don't want you to have to go back on your word."
He meets my eye, reaching out to brush his thumb over my cheek. "Do you want to stop?"
