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His misdeed repaid in his findings, Warol crouched beside her as she looked through his basket, while Kyx reclined on the furs watching from a safe distance. Despite being coated in white residue, the male’s good temper had returned, and he was amusing himself by watching and shouting suggestions to the pair by the tree. Rager settled on the fur next to him, the mellow atmosphere lulling him into a peaceful doze—until their mate shrieked with joy and jumped to her feet.
She hugged Warol quickly and held up her prize: a small green plant with tiny white berries. Rager frowned. It seemed like a lot of fuss over a tiny plant. His eyes widened when she held the plant over Warol’s head where he crouched and leaned forward to plant a kiss on his lips.
The tiny leafy plant inspired kissing?
Arie pulled back with a giggle. “I can’t believe you found mistletoe!”
Warol shrugged with a pleased look on his face. “It was high in a tree. I know it is not colorful, but I thought the berries were pretty enough that you might enjoy them for your tree.”
“Oh, it’s definitely pretty enough for the tree, but that is not where we will put it.”
All three of them watched with interest and no little confusion as she pulled out some more sinew and tied it tightly as she would any of her other ornaments. However, instead of placing it on the tree, she glanced around the cave before her eyes settled on a spot. She walked over near the entrance and looked back expectantly at her second mate.
“Warol, lift me up, please.”
The male complied, lifting their soft mate high in his arms so she was able to reach a protruding edge of the rock. She wedged the cord so it hung off the edge, the tiny plant spinning with the slight draft blowing against it. Its shiny green leaves looked almost cheerful. She sat back against Warol’s shoulder to admire it, patting his arm in a silent signal to put her back down.
He dropped her down the length of his body, a low growl rumbling from his chest as she slid against him. She gave him a flirtatious look and another kiss as they stood there beneath the plant, her fingers trailing over the fur of his chest and dipping down to his abdomen.
Arie walked to the fire and dipped a scrap of leather into a bowl to wash any hint of pine sap from her hands before she joined them on the furs. She leaned up against them, looking over the modest cave with a soft shine to her eyes. Rager nuzzled her, aware that she was probably thinking of her mother. She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him close as he settled supportively behind her back, his arms drawing around her. For the first time in his life, he envied humans.
He would give anything to have human lips. His lips on his muzzle were flexible and had sensation, but while he loved receiving her kisses, his mouth was not made to bestow kisses like hers. Oh, he could tangle his tongue with hers when she pressed her mouth to his, sealing their breaths together, but he wasn’t physically able to kiss like humans could. He dropped his head to her shoulder.
“Do you miss it?” he asked.
She looked back at him, her brow furrowing. “Miss what?”
“Being with a male who can initiate a kiss like you deserve rather than have to wait to receive them from you.”
Her expression softened. “No, I don’t miss the way human men kiss. Their lips were always too wet and soggy. Your lips are soft and just damp enough to be enjoyable.” She dragged her fingers through his fur before sliding them down one of the numerous braids in his mane.
“You can initiate a kiss just fine,” she said. “If any of you want a kiss at any time just press your lips against mine, and it will be a kiss to me.”
He tucked her against him, his heart warm with happiness, glad that she didn’t see it as something that he lacked. That she considered what he could do more than enough to please her returned that tarnished bit of his confidence back to him. He felt truly blessed.
Arie settled more firmly against him as she snuggled into his fur. “Are there any traditions the Ragoru have for the Withering Days?”
Warol didn’t even put much thought into it from where he lay near her feet. He gave her a flirtatious look and said, “We fuck.”
She burst out laughing and Kyx rolled his eyes as he shoved their brother with his foot.
“That is not all we do,” Kyx objected. “For those who are mated, it is about wooing our mate, as the Dark Fathers wooed the Eternal Mother. It is a celebration of senses and being secluded in comfort away from the world. The whole cave smells of burnt offerings, especially of sweet things like summer flowers that have been dried and preserved. You will rarely see a mated family come out of their den during the Withering Days,” he added.
“My siblings and I used to hide in the farthest sub-chamber we could find away from our parents’ room,” Warol offered with a laugh. It was perhaps the first time Rager had ever heard the male laugh when recounting a memory of his family. Usually, all memories were too painful for his brother, but it seemed that there was a certain amount of healing that had begun.
Kyx chuffed and nodded in agreement. “That too, but I remember watching in awe as my fathers dragged home the finest hunt with which to impress my mother. Feeding our females is symbolic for Ragoru as a sign of our love and devotion to our family, but it is also a great pleasure for the males. And of course, all of rogs eat very well during that time with the tasty bits that we are given to escape with to our own chambers.”
“What about those who are not mated?” she asked with a slight arch of her brows.
“They give offerings and prayers in hope of finding their own mates… and dream of fucking,” Rager supplied with a grin of his own. “Thank the gods that they’ve answered us at last.”
It had been a long wait, but he truly did feel blessed by them at last.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Arie noted that mates took the Withering Days very seriously, indeed. It became abundantly clear to her when they began to hunt in earnest, even Warol who had been pleased that he’d recovered in time to contribute to it. Rager, who usually stayed in the den with her while the other males scouted, also began to rotate with the others in order to help provide the food gifts for her despite her protests that she had everything she wanted and needed. The entire experience was proving far more decadent than she was used to.
