Saying my request aloud doesn't feel as powerful as it did last night. I'm distracted. I can't stop thinking about the mental image of him with his body over mine in the furs. Holy shit, I'm absolutely touching myself to that one when I'm alone later. I'll hate every moment of it, but I can't shake the visual out of my head. When did Valmir become my spank material?
Ugh, this guy.
"A flower," he echoes.
I nod. It was picked as a challenge because flowers aren't common here. I'm told that higher up in the mountains, there are different plants and some of them flower, but other than that, the only flowers to be found are in the fruit caves. Either way, it's a journey of a few days and it'll give me time to think.
"A flower," he says, agreeing, and then holds the second portion of fish out to me. "Here."
"You're not hungry?"
"I'd rather watch you eat. The satisfaction of feeding mymate gets me hard enough that I could paint your door again right now." He practically growls the words, and it makes my heart race.
"I'mnotyour mate." But I take the food and lick a bit of the spice from the juicy fish, because I'm enjoying this sick push-pull between us.
He doesn't get offended by my protest. He just smiles. "Not yet."
CHAPTER 8
VALMIR
A perfect flower.
That is my next task. I did not ask the reward, because we both know I'm going to do whatever it takes to get her to be mine. I dream about April all night — that she is petting me like she did the wounded two-fang. That she runs her hands over me and coos soft noises to soothe me. When I wake up, my belly is wet from my seed and my cock is still aching and hard. It's a good thing I decided to sleep alone in a supply cave, because I reek of desperation. I jerk my cock again to get it to go down and then wash the stench of the night's dreams off my fur.
I think about flowers.
The obvious answer is that all the flowers are at the fruit cave. It's a journey of at least a day from the beach encampment if you walk fast, more if you are slower. Walking all that is not normally an issue, but today my cock throbs with need and makes movement difficult. My clothing feels uncomfortably tight, and every time I pick up April's scent on the air, my khui sings wildly. I don'twantto leave.
So, like the gift of the creature, I must think of other ways to fulfill her request.
I wander the camp at the fringes, noticing that April is near the fire with the others through the morning meal. She is chatty and comfortable with the others, sharing stories and enthusiastically helping with chores. She likes being part of a big group, likes being one of a bigger family. I do not know what to do with a big group. There are no established guidelines in my head on how to behave in a crowd, so I avoid company, slinking around the fringes and watching to see who I can approach and ask questions about plants and flowers.
A dark-skinned human female — Yasmin — and Set'nef of the Ancestors head off to the cliffs with digging tools and a heavy basket resting in the male's four arms. I have not had a chance to speak to either of them, but Set'nef seems knowledgeable enough for someone who has lived his entire life underground. Didn't someone say they had plants under there? Maybe he will know about flowers.
I follow after them, keeping a safe distance behind. I'm not stalking. I'm just...observing. Waiting for the right moment to approach.
The couple arrive at the cliffs and take the path up, moving to higher ground. Once up there, they move towards a strange square that has been marked off by leather streamers on the ends of femurs. The bones stick out of the ground at four points, and in between those points, the snow has been shoveled to the side. It forms a low wall around the markers, and my curiosity gets the better of me. What is happening here?
I prowl closer, watching.
"You're welcome to join us," Yasmin calls out.
I remain where I am, because surely they were not speaking to me. I am well hidden.
Set'nef sets down his basket and leans toward the female. They talk, and the male walks away from her...heading in my direction. Just a coincidence, I am certain.
When he walks right up to my hiding spot and says my name, I must concede that perhaps the wind changed. "Valmir?"
I stretch, ignoring his greeting, and try to make it seem as if I were here all along. "Don't approach me while I'm hunting. You could have scared away my prey."
Set'nef frowns at my words, not understanding them. He doesn't have the language chip implant that the rest of us do. I'll understand what he says when he speaks, but it'll be a one-sided conversation. He glances over at Yasmin, but she just rolls her eyes at me.
"You're not hunting up here," she says.
"I might have been," I say, stubbornly sticking to my story. "You don't know."
"There's nothing up here. No animal caves. No water supply. That's why we're trying a garden in this area." She gives me an irked look. "There's not even a game trail along this section. Did you need something?"
