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Elodie glances at me. “Do you have an issue with a female leader?”

“What reason would I have? Females can be powerful beings. Dasha is being raised by a great shefir who will teach her all he knows. Being physically strong is not the only thing that makes a leader. It is also intelligence, patience, respect, and the desire to do what is best for their people so they may thrive and continue growing. It is perhaps females who are actually more suited to be leaders than some males are.”

Elodie’s softness presses against my side as she leans close. Her breath is warm caress along my ear and the sensation makes my cock hard and my knot swell. “That is probably one of the sexiest things you could have ever said.”

She sits back and all I can do is stare and will my hardened length to soften. Gannen’s gaze bounces between us as if he too is trying to understand what is occurring between Elodie and me. She spoke so quietly I am certain he did not hear her. The way she is looking at me is the same way she looked the prior turn when we were leaving the river. The way Iris looks at Kala. It is the way Elodie looked at me outside her tent last night after we kissed.

She gently nudges me. “You better eat before it gets cold.”

Words get lodged in my throat. Instead of trying to push them out, I do as she bids and go back to my meal. Gannen returns to filling the silence with his recitation of how he and Elodie had remained occupied for the rest of the turn. Once I am finished, he takes my platter and runs it over to the fire where a small stack still needing to be cleaned lies.

“That was called flirting,” she tells me while he is gone. “In case you were wondering.”

“I do not know this human word.”

Elodie chuckles. “Ah, of course you don’t. I doubt flirting exists in your culture. It’s a way a person shows another person they like them. It’s a kind of…teasing I suppose. Like sexy banter. Or a lingering look or touch.”

“You have done this flirting with me before.” I do not pose it as one, but it is a question nonetheless.

“I’ve tried, but our wires got a little crossed. Flirting is useless if the other person doesn’t know you’re doing it.”

A noise rumbles in my throat. “I will pay closer attention in the future so that I might recognize this flirting that you do.”

“Feel free to try your own flirting, if you want,” she tells me.

“Perhaps I will practice this ritual the next time we are alone.” I attempt to change the tone of my voice. To one I would use with her if we were together in my furs.

Elodie smiles broadly. “If that was your first attempt, then I think you’re going to be a quick learner.”

Any chance I have to try this flirting again is gone when Gannen returns. “You both have weird looks on your faces. What were you talking about?”

I am not certain I know how to explain what is happening between Elodie and me. Luckily I do not have to, because she answers before I can. “Your Gogo and I were discussing whether he is a better student or not than I am. Given how poorly I did with axe throwing, he might have me beat.”

“Kala is far superior in his axe throwing skills than Gogo, so perhaps he is not the best student either.”

Elodie laughs loudly and the way her eyes bore into mine sends arousal running through me. “I don’t know. I think he’s a better one than you’re giving him credit for.”

Chapter 22

Elodie

I had no idea how fun it would be flirting with Ortak. He’s actually really good at it. Given how damp I am between my thighs and the fact my nipples have been hard pretty much the whole night, I’d give him an A+. After he finished eating, we went back to his and Gannen’s tent, although we stopped at mine first to get the data pad.

We played a few games of Pac before we switched to me reading to them out loud from a book on the device. The storyline is more age-appropriate for Gannen who lies curled up against me while I read. I’m not far into it yet, but that’s mostly because I’ve stopped a bunch of times when he asks me questions. They’re smart questions, too, like he’s really thinking about the book.

With each one though I tell him to wait and find out. It’s more fun when the story is revealed along the way than it is knowing the answers before you get there. He grumps every time, but quiets and is soon reinvested. At least until he pipes up with a new question.

Ortak quietly moves around the dwelling, like he can’t sit still. He brought me a cup of water when I asked for one after my voice grew scratchy. When I passed it back to him empty, our fingers brushed and I could tell it was intentional on his part. Score one for Ortak in the flirting column with the lingering touches.

“I believe he is asleep,” he says.

I glance down at Gannen and sure enough, his eyes are closed and he breathes evenly. He’s too adorable. I scoot over and bring the fur up to his chin. He doesn’t flinch so I reach up and gently stroke his floks away from his face. Love swells inside me. God, I think I might actually give anything to hear him call me Momo, which means I am well and truly fucked.

For another few minutes I watch him sleep. The image shifts, and it’s a much smaller version of Gannen lying there. A tiny version. One with two itty bitty tusks bracketing a vertical mouth slit and a cap of wavy dark hair similar to what I’ve seen in the mirror. The tiny version has much paler skin, but there are hues of green and black visible. Eyes open to stare up at me—blinking owlishly—and they are coal-colored, but with bright flecks of silver like stars in the night sky. There’s no mistaking who the little one belongs to.

I blink and Gannen comes into focus. The sight of him opens the floodgate of everything I want, and what I want is him. I want to watch him swim with his friends and improve his axe throwing skills. I want to see him become an excellent hunter. I want to see him grow up and become an amazing adult.

Even more than that, I want Ortak. I want to flirt with him each night and again in the morning. I want to kiss him and touch him and learn all the ways we can bring each other pleasure. I want to spend time with him. Hold hands with him while we explore the different areas around the village. I want to teach him how to laugh, and I want nothing more than to grow old with him.