Page 11 of The Naga Warlord’s Virgin Mate

I’d told the Queen proudly that decapitation had worked and she no longer needed to worry. Then I’d ignored the many cheers and pats to the shoulder and hauled that sack out of there before anyone could demand to have a look inside. I’d told my warriors I was going to ensure the Clan’s safety by disposing of the corpse far away from the Hearth caves, in case it could spread sickness or foulness to the Clan.

Then I’d slithered into the warren of tunnels beyond the Hearth Caves and tossed that damn sack into the deepest abyss I could find just in case anyone decided to check on it. When I returned I’d been greeted with a wasteful feast at the central gathering place. Naga dancing around the fire and gorging themselves on food stores we could not afford to consume so rapidly.

I’d been so furious at the sight, at the glee and happiness of my Clansmen over the supposed death of Naomi. I couldn’t partake any longer than was polite, and then I’d slunk off to run drills with a contingent of warriors until I was covered in bruises and dirt. My body heated from the exertion until the scales along my back rattled to help cool me down.

On the eve of war, even with a feast going, most warriors were working; making final preparations. I was happy to see that they were working diligently despite the temptations. At least some of the Clan knew what had to be done. Aser was at my side for hours, aiming me at one issue after another to help solve. From a lack of fletching for the last arrows that needed to be made, to disputes over who was to lead which strike of my carefully drawn up battle plan.

When I finally reached the nearest well to my home to wash up, I was exhausted and deeply worried. What if someone had discovered my mate in my home? What if someone uncovered the lie I’d spun for the Clan? They would turn on me in a heartbeat, despite all that I’d done for them and all the sacrifices I’d made.

“Sir,” Aser warbled from my left. I thought I’d finally shaken him after I’d straightened out some warriors on their assigned tasks half an hour ago. But there he was, ducking out of a small alley between two rather lopsided homes, abandoned right now because the occupants were still at the feast raging at the gathering place.

The male was not as big or fierce as most warriors, he was a bureaucrat more than a warrior. I realized that maybe that was what made him such a good assistant, even if I found him rather grating. His ego didn’t want to compete with my own, and his skills weren’t on the battlefield, they were in management.

“What now, Aser?” I asked wearily. I was too tired for more crap, and I wanted to return to Naomi and hold her in my coils. I wanted to feast my eyes on her strange, pale features and know that she was absolutely safe.

He wasn’t as carefully coiffed as he normally was either. The soft brown robe he usually wore, tied shut with a red sash, was dusty and dirt-stained along the hem. His long black hair was a fuzzy braid instead of the slick oiled thing I’d seen him with that afternoon. Yeah, maybe he was proving that it wasn’t so bad to have an assistant, he’d kept up with me all day.

“Sir, I just wanted to say thank you… I asked for this position, you know.” The words were offered quietly, and he dared to duck close to the well next to me. He spoke as if he was sharing a secret, and maybe he was. I had such a reputation for scaring off anyone functioning as my second, as my assistant, that it was a hard position to fill, and most didn’t last long. For Aser to have asked for the job… That would be rare indeed.

“I believe that you are the only one in the Clan who is trying to do what is needed. The only one who cares, Sir. That’s why I asked for the job. And Sir, today just proved that to me. Thank you.” I stared at the male suspiciously, wondering if he knew what I’d really been up to with my mate. If he was implying that he knew of my trickery, I’d have to kill him.

But Aser offered me a partially toothless smile, slick and ingratiating. Then he dipped into a bow, “This campaign will serve to feed us. I, like you Sir, could no longer stand by and see our younglings starve.” He dipped into a bow, and then he was gone, slithering back into the warren of the village without a backward glance.

I was still trying to decipher if there were any suspicions of my deception in his words when I finished my quick wash and hastened back to my home. It was only when I was nearly there that a disturbing discovery shook me from my thoughts. Naomi’s scent, it tinted the air around my home like a fine perfume.

Because she was my mate I knew I was particularly sensitive to her scent but this was strong enough for anyone to pick up. Fear filled my chest as I searched the shadowed homes that surrounded mine. Most were dark, either filled with the sleeping or abandoned for the party. The scent of the nearby latrine tunnel was just strong enough to overpower most other smells. Was it enough to hide Naomi’s presence from my brethren?

I unlocked the door to my home with the wooden key from my pouch, anxiously listening for any sounds. If one of my warriors approached me now, they’d instantly know, the open door would release even more of her delicious scent.

It felt like a blessing when the narrow path remained empty and I could duck inside without being seen or noticed. This wouldn’t do, I’d have to fix this situation as soon as possible. But how? My mind was racing with all kinds of possibilities but my instincts were telling me there was only one option. My mouth went dry as I thought it through but once the thought had its hooks in me, it was impossible to shake it.

The fire had died down to nothing but little embers in the hearth but my eyes were adapted to see in low-light settings. I could make out the shape of my mate with perfect clarity beneath the pile of furs in my nest. It should have covered her scent with my own, but the delicate perfume that was all her was filling my lungs. Her fragrance settled there like a balm, and tight muscles finally unwound in my shoulders and back.

Her long, yellow locks had spilled above her head in these luscious waves. They picked up little glimmers of light from the embers. She had pulled the furs up high, so all I could see was the shape of her shoulder and hip beneath the mount. The tip of a delicate pink ear sticking out, the curve of her soft, round cheek, and the tip of her dainty little nose.

She was asleep, her breathing a soft whisper, and I was flooded with tenderness and excitement as I watched her. I stripped myself of my weapon and weapon harness as quietly as I could so I wouldn’t wake her. Then I approached, itching to curl up beneath the furs with her and wrap her in my coils. To cover her with my scent.

Already, my cock ached and pushed against the slit of my pouch. I wasn’t nearly as inclined as before to hold myself back. Leaning over her, I picked up the edge of the furs and raised it. “Scree! Hissssss!” The sounds were the only warning I had, then a green bundle of something flew from beneath my furs, straight at my face. It clawed at my eyes and forehead, screeching, hissing, and growling furiously. I clawed back, trying to pry the beast from my head.

“No! Don’t hurt him! Kiwi!” Naomi yelled. I thought she was warning the damn Sleara attacking me not to hurt me. But when I finally managed to pry the beastie off me, slinging it across the room, she yelled and dove carelessly from the nest to go after it. “Krashe! What did you do? Kiwi, are you okay?”

I managed to catch her before she could harm herself on the hard stone floor, my tail already partially coiled around her legs. Even during my struggle with the Sleara, part of me had reached for her, instinctively trying to protect her from the threat, minor as it was. My face ached from the few scratches along my hairline the beast had inflicted, my pride hurt even more.

Across the room I could see that the little Sleara had clambered onto my workbench, his emerald green wings spread wide as the small male hissed and growled at me. He wasn’t approaching though, clearly not so ready to go another round with me. He was posturing and puffing himself up, as if he thought my mate was his. I bared my fangs and growled back, the sound rattling up my chest, my scales clattering threateningly along my back.

“What did I do?” I demanded angrily of my mate when the Sleara snapped his wings shut with a huff and sat down. He’d conceded the battle, for now, but he was still giving me a baleful glare from across the room. “He’s the one that attacked me! I just wanted to go to bed!” I had wanted to do much more than just sleep, but I refrained from saying that.

I had her tucked in my arms, cradled against my chest, and she just had to tilt her head back a little to look me in the eye. She was squinting which made me realize she did not have sight adapted to the dark like the Sleara and I had. I wasn’t going to say it out loud, but it was adorable the way she was looking at me. Her glare was landing south of my eyes, probably fixating more on my chin horn, a brighter spot visible in the dark.

“You shouldn’t have hurt him! He was just protecting me…” she said, and my scales bristled along my spine some more. Damn it, what about me? I was the one with blood dripping from my hairline. I hadn’t hurt the Sleara, but he’d clawed me up good. Her lack of worry for me had my temper soaring and a snarl ripped from my throat.

There was just a hint of fear in her scent, her eyes growing wide as they swiveled back from the damn creature to me. “You don’t need protecting from me,” I told her fiercely. Pressing her back into the furs, I slid into the nest with her, pinning her in place with my coils. I kept my weight off her slight form with one arm and I pressed my hand to her chest.

Beneath my palm her heart was rapidly beating, her breathing rising and falling in a fast pattern. I made sure I was looking at her eyes, my tongue extended to catch any hint of scent, and then I palmed one of the soft mounds on her chest. “Your scent betrays you,” I said as she thrashed beneath me. I wasn’t just talking about how her scent was spreading outside my home which could give her presence away at any moment. I was talking about the musky scent of her arousal that had already overpowered any hint of fear.

“Fuck you, Krashe,” she spat at me. “Don’t touch me. I did not agree to be your mate, remember?” I would have liked that fiery response but the angry chittering of the Sleara on my workbench infuriated me all over again. The pest must have slithered in through a crack in the back wall. Why the fuck was it getting between me and my mate? It had no right, and I was even more furious that I was being threatened by a Sleara, a bottom-feeding rodent.

“The blood on your shirt is giving you away,” I said, and with my claws I made short work of ripping through the fabric. She screamed much like the Sleara did, angry hissing and growling that wasn’t nearly as impressive as either of them thought it was. Yanking the fabric free from her body, I tossed the bloodstained cloth onto the slumbering embers where it caught fire, incinerating the incriminating smells.