He sounded very much like his usual smug self again, and Geva grinned down at him, even as she rolled her eyes. “Or, stop sticking to you, apparently,” she said, with a shudder, as she peeled her upper body away from his. “Oh, goodgods. This inn will never let us stay hereagain.”
But Rathgarr was grinning back at her, with such impossible fondness in his glimmering eyes. “Rubbish, my sweet. For I have brought yet more bedding, and I ken” — he sniffed purposefully at the air, and then slapped at her arse — “Killik is creeping out in the hall. Go tell your Skai you wish for a bath, ach?”
Geva rolled her eyes again, but soon managed to unstick herself, and strode unsteadily toward the door. Toward where Killik was indeed lounging against the wall outside, and frowning irritably toward her. “Ach, ach, I heard,” he snapped. “I only do this because you finally made him beg, as he ought. And because I do not wish to smell your fresh Ash-Kaistenchall night.”
With that, he spun and strode off down the hallway, as if he weren’t even slightly concerned about the prospects of acquiring a bath, in a decidedly human inn. And Geva was still smiling to herself as she turned around again, finding Rathgarr now standing tall before her, streaked all over with messy white seed. While his greedy eyes raked up and down her similarly painted front, catching on her breasts, her groin, the certain chaotic mess of her hair. Which, yes — Geva sighed, even as she smiled — was unquestionably streaked with him, too.
“You are so stunning, my sweet,” he whispered now, as he drew her close, and inhaled slow and deep against her hair. “The most stunning creature ever to bear my scent, ach?”
Oh. Well. Geva squeezed him back, as tightly as she could, the shivery warmth again welling up in her chest, almost too strong to bear. While Rathgarr gave a shaky exhale, his hands drawing her even tighter, his claws pricking gently against her back.
“And you must never think I have not gloried in commanding you, or bending you to my will,” he murmured. “Or that I should ever wish to stop this, ach? Or” — he drew away a little, his eyes glinting dangerously on hers — “that I shall allow you to misbehave, poppet. You shall need to be very,verygood, to again earn this right to teach me my lessons.”
Oh, damn him,praisehim, because it was a new challenge, a new game, and Geva’s breath was already catching, her eyes alight on his — at least, until he abruptly spun her around, and half-carried, half-dragged her to the bed. And then propped her up on her hands and knees on it, opening her wide, just how Sigarr had done to Abjorn… and then he thrust himself all the way inside, while she yelped and flailed upon him.
“But — Rathgarr!” Geva choked between gasps, twisting around to look at where he was blatantly eyeing her arse, as he steadily plunged in and out beneath. “Killik — is coming back — with the bath!”
“Ach,” Rathgarr replied coolly, raising his brow toward her. “And he shall find the pretty, brave, sign-speaking schoolmarm on her knees, being pumped full of my fat Ash-Kai prick, and my sweet Ash-Kaistench.”
Geva attempted to make a face at him, but he only drove in faster, making her shake and moan upon his onslaught. “I ken these sneaky Skai schemes,” he said darkly, his voice only slightly hitching with his thrusts. “Creeping uponmywoman. Helping her inmyschoolroom. Running away with her, againstmywishes! As if it is not plain what he longs for? A sweet mother for his ward, I ken! A woman to share withUlfarr!”
He actually growled at that, slamming in faster, and oh, it felt so good, and he was so enraging, so appalling,hers. “As if I shouldeverallow this,” he hissed, between thrusts. “You are mine, woman. You shall bearmysons, and none shall ever touch you again, butme!”
And with that, he plunged in one last time, his groan rough and deep as he surged out inside — and damn him, it was at that very moment when the door banged open, and Killik strode in carrying a hot, steaming bath. But he didn’t cast a single glance toward Rathgarr and Geva, not even when Rathgarr — curse the smug bastard — ground himself deeper, and gave Geva’s arse a firm, satisfied slap.
“Very good, my pretty poppet,” he said approvingly. “Your tight little womb is sweeter each time I plough it, ach? Each time it sucks me whole, and drinks out my —”
“Ach, shut your ever-flapping mouth, you ungrateful Ash-Kai,” snapped Killik, with palpable menace. “ElseIshall spray in your fool bath, and you shall both reek of Skai all the rest of your days!”
That effectively shut Rathgarr up, and Geva couldn’t help a choked laugh, a flush-faced glance over toward Killik, while fighting to ignore the sensation of Rathgarr’s half-hard cock still twitching, draining out inside her. “Thank you, Killik,” she said meekly. “We’re very grateful for all your help.”
Killik loudly huffed, and then stalked out, again slamming the door shut behind him. While Geva laughed aloud, and Rathgarr kept viciously scowling toward the door, like the stubborn, thwarted Ash-Kai he was.
“You aren’t already plotting something against him, are you?” Geva asked warily, once he’d drawn away again, resulting in yet another predictably shocking mess. “I think you need a break from all the scheming, love.”
Rathgarr didn’t look at all convinced, though his eyes had softened as he guided Geva’s still-shaky body to the bath. “It is notscheming, poppet,” he said, with highly dubious casualness. “Only guarding what is mine, as a good Ash-Kai should.”
Geva was laughing again, and shaking her head, and then pulling him down for a long, slow kiss. Her gorgeous, greedy Ash-Kai. Her mate. Hers.
The kiss soon led to more mess in the bath, of course, but Geva didn’t complain as Rathgarr washed her in it, even her hair. And then they switched places, and she washed him, telling him a tale as she combed out his hair — and then, when he didn’t seem even slightly inclined to move, she ended up braiding his hair, too, putting it into multiple neat plaits, while she kept telling him tale after tale. The reckless rat. The funny fox. The porcupine who lost his shell. And then, even Kesst’s tale of the skunk, but at the end, his scent instead turned sweet, and he covered the maiden all over with it, until he would be sure never to lose her again.
Once she’d finished the tale, Rathgarr gave a slow, shuddering sigh, and he turned to face her, with a rapt, flickering awe in his shining eyes. And it occurred to Geva that she’d never actually seen his face for any of her tales, because he was always curled up behind her in the dark — but gods, it was stunning, and so was his smile, slow and warm and sweet.
“You are a marvel, Geva Okoro,” he whispered, so soft. “And you aremine. Ach?”
And maybe it was greedy, it was selfish, it was the Ash-Kai in him, always there… but maybe she was just the same, smiling back toward her beautiful, powerful mate, caught forever in her words, her clutches, her desperate longing heart.
“Yes, Rathgarr,” she whispered. “Yours.”
EPILOGUE
If Geva Okoro never needed to find a missing eye-mask again, it would still be too soon.
“What do you mean, you’ve lost it again?” she asked Erik, with as much patience as she could muster. “Haven’t I already given you three new ones this week?”
Erik’s little eyes blinked with wide, glimmering confusion, his head shaking. “No, Miss Gee,” he said, with genuine-seeming regret. “It was four, I ken.”
Geva’s irritation was already rapidly crumbling beneath his adorable gaze, and she sighed, and patted his little head. “Don’t worry, Erik, we’ll find another one,” she said, glancing helplessly around the room — but wait, there was Cecily, smiling as she strode over toward them, a little black eye-mask in hand.
