...well, more like hobble away. It takes some time before I can straighten, my cock throbbing like a hot coal in between my thighs.
CHAPTER 4
APRIL
Well.
I suck in a deep lungful of the cold night air, trying to clear my mind. My khui is thrumming mercilessly in my chest, making my entire body sensitive and overstimulated.
I was trying to have a reasonable conversation with Dawn when Chalath showed up at the door and started barking out questions at us. He pissed me off and I've been steaming over his rudeness, because he acted like I'd been the one who somehow made resonance happen. Like I was planning on seducing Valmir away from his bromance buddies. It didn't matter that I told him this wasn't my plan. He didn't give a shit. It pissed me off so much that I was raging to Dawn about him, changing my rants from how shit Valmir was to how shit Chalath is.
Then the cat guy showed up at my door again, and my anger boiled over.
Except this time, it was Valmir. Seeing him there made some of my frustration turn to arousal, which pissed me off. Am I going to be visited by every gladiator on the beach? Who next? The Ghost of Christmas Past? Doctor Who? It doesn't help that I'm amped up and aroused, and when Valmir palmshis enormous, hard dick in front of me, it turns me on and makes my mouth water.
I'm not even disgusted that he asked to shoot his load on my door. Maybe Yesterday's April would be revolted, but Current April is fascinated and ever so slightly appalled. Just ever so slightly. But I need to play it cool. "You want to jerk off on my door like some nutjob? Go punch your buddy Chalath in the face. He's a dick."
I expect him to say no. He's friends with the other gladiator. They have some weird hierarchy about when to fight and when not to, and me demanding that he punch his best friend should close everything down.
Instead, he lights up as if it's his birthday and races away as fast as his bent-over body will go.
I...might have just fucked up.
Grimacing, I shove my boots onto my feet and throw my coat on, racing out after him. The gladiators have been warned not to start fights, and I just demanded Valmir punch Chalath for no reason. I'm going to get in so much trouble for egging this shit on. It should not be nearly as hot as it is, either.
Like, damn. I snapped my fingers and Valmir raced off to attack his buddy? That's a heady feeling.
Almost as intoxicating as whatever my khui is doing to my body. I have to remind myself that I loathe the man. That he's been nothing but awful to me and to everyone since we arrived. That I don't want him or anyone else, and that whatever I'm feeling right now is fake as hell.
But I still run to see what he's going to do.
There's a huge crowd by the main fire pit, with several smaller fire pits strung out in a line so everyone gets a warm seat and gets to feel like part of the group. Everyone is gathered around and eating. Someone is dancing to a drumbeat, and Flor and I'rec are seated in the place of honor at the front of thecrowd, seated upon two stools taller than all the others. Both of them are wearing a few beaded garlands over their furs while a kid leans over Flor and paints her face with bright colors. Everyone looks like they're having a blast, passing around food and drink, and it's so packed that I don't immediately see Valmir.
Someone topples. There's a scream and the loud thud of a fist hitting flesh.
Found him.
I race forward, pushing through the crowd just in time to see Rukh and Vordis pulling Valmir off of Chalath. He swings at the other cat-alien again, and the other red a'ani — Thrand — dogpiles onto him.
Fuck, why is this so hot? I'm a sick, twisted puppy to get off on the sight of another man being jumped. It's just...he did it for me. Because I asked. Because he wants to please me.
Chalath sits up, rubbing his arm over his bleeding face.
"What the fuck was that?" Liz shouts, storming forward. "What have we told you taters? And at the Ding-Ding Feast of all fucking things? Can't you play nice?"
"He started it," Chalath says with a glare at Valmir.
"He was mean to my female," Valmir snarls back.
"Wait, wait, waaaait," I screech from my spot in the crowd. "I'm not your female!"
"Not yet," Valmir says in that sly voice I hate so much.
Liz turns on me, her eyes blazing. "You started this, April? You want to share with the class what's going through that rock you call a brain?"
That I'm getting turned on because Valmir hit a meanie and now he gets to jerk off on my door? "No," I say sullenly. "I don't."
"No feast for you," she declares, stabbing a finger at me. "Go to your hut and think about what you did. Allthree of you."
