She repositions her armor as if it itches. “Zorin’s pretty transparent. What you see is what you get with him. He needs someone to care about him as strongly as he cares about all of us.”
Davarok chuckles. “Azrim on the other hand, total Dirender. He’ll go off and punch holes in ships…”
“Or he could come up behind you with a claw out.” Kren shivers.
“But you trust him?” I ask.
Davarok shrugs. “Eh. As much as someone can trust a reaper with a hard on for causing fear and playing with souls before he rips them out.”
“Dude.” Kren motions to me.
“Sorry.” Davarok shrugs. “I’m just being honest.”
Kren lets out a deep sigh. “At least he’sourreaper. No matter what, both of them fight the good fight. And they’ve carried far more pain than most of us. Sure, a lot of us are the last of our packs, but that’s nothing significant. Being the last Aegeris isn’t easy. So being chosen by him is no light matter.”
I watch Zorin climb out of the water and shake off. His tail swings as he walks down the riverbank away from us. “I understand the mission. Thanks guys.”
“Don’t you want some ice cream?” Davarok asks. “I was hoping to steal some.”
Kren swats him in the side. “All you think about is food.”
“And females.” Davarok grins, showing his pointed teeth.
“Hold this.” I offer Carnas the ruby egg, which he promptly takes and cradles like a pup, catching Esrynne’s attention. I waggle my brows at her, to which she wrinkles her nose.
I start after Zorin, feel them following me, and pause. “Hey, can we have just a little space? Geist isn’t coming after me. I think I’m safe now, right?”
Kren and Davarok exchange looks, but they stay behind as I sneak toward Zorin.
Zorin needs someone to fight for him. But first, I’ve got to find a way to get him to believe I’m not going anywhere, no matter what anyone says.
He’s right. It’s time I start fighting for what I want.
24: Zorin
I wash away Geist’s blood in the river, hoping I didn’t scare Tessi.She definitely looked frightened whenshe saw the blood in the daylight.
But I do not regret it.
He was on a Denarsoan ship filled with Nebs, and as much as I wanted to stay and wreck their plans, I know protecting Tessi is more important.
She’s safe with Kren and Davarok.
And the portal cloak is safe inside my armor. I’m not dumb enough to throw away a tool I might need in the near future.
The cold water helps my Shifter chill out. I thought getting a taste of Tessi when no one was looking would be enough to calm my desire to mate with her. But it’s only made it stronger. It took every ounce of control to keep from ripping my armor off and burying myself in her.
I peel myself out of my race suit and wash away any evidence that Tessi can make me ejaculate with a simple moan. I get hard just thinking about her delicate, musky flavor, and the smoothness of her beautiful pussy.
No one touches my female.
Even when I’m done washing, I know I’m in no condition to be close to her. I can’t take her, and a large part of me still doesn’t feel like I deserve her. She’s too anomalous in my life. She is everything war and my world are not: patient, kind, understanding, loving, a place I can curl up and feel wanted.
A soft giggle echoes through the rocks. I still and listen. Rocks rattle over others. I turn to look and catch a hint of movement on the beach behind a row of boulders.
I keep myself low, just in case it isn’t who I hope it is. Stalking through the rocks, minding every paw placement, I search for her.
A soft breath of her fragrance draws me between boulders. My claws dig in, and for a moment, the urge to barrel my way through the rocks to chase her down and take her nearly overwhelms me. I pause and force myself to inhale deeply. When my racing heartbeat eases just enough, I keep hunting.
