Page 46 of The Hunter

Somehow, he resisted long enough to reach the ground and help her down from his hindquarters. Immediate cold settled over him in the absence of her touch, and his hide tingled with loss. Thankfully, before Telok could act on the impulse to drag her back, Garahk asked him and Ayali to venture out of camp on a brief hunt, hoping to further preserve the food they’d brought along.

Telok was at once glad for the distraction and irritated by it. The best way to calm his desires was to be apart from Lacey, yet he bristled at the thought of her being out of sight. What if she got hurt? How could he trust anyone but himself to protect her?

When Telok and Ayali returned with fresh meat, the fire had been rekindled. Telok had his share and moved aside to clean his spear as the humans cooked and everyone ate.

After wiping the blood from the blackrock head, he found himself staring down at the weapon. Though newly shaped, it had already proven reliable and effective, and yet…

And yet his hands itched for something else. For something that felt familiar despite its newness, something with a weight that extended well beyond its heft.

He laid his spare spears on the ground and unwrapped them. His eyes fell immediately upon the spear Lacey had made for him. Before he consciously thought to do so, he swapped his current weapon for the gifted spear. The shaft fit in his hand just as naturally and satisfyingly as Lacey’s body fit against his. Once he’d resecured the other weapons and donned his bag, he rejoined his companions.

His fingers instinctually sought the braid dangling from the spear shaft, and his thumb absently stroked its length. The other trinkets Lacey had attached to it were small trophies from hunts that Telok had earned through tenacity, toil, and skill. But the braid was different. A gift given freely, not won through conquest.

That made it special, made it uniquely meaningful. And it also teased at the most primal part of him, which insisted this simple trinket was a sign that Lacey was eager for him to claim her, to conquer her.

As though she’d sensed his thoughts—or his attention—Lacey glanced his way. Her eyes flicked to the spear, to his fingers toying with that braid, and widened even as her lips parted. She met his gaze again for a heartbeat’s length before looking away with pink blossoming on her cheeks and a small, soft smile curling her mouth.

My mate is pleased to see me carrying her gift.

His mandibles rose, and he barely held back a trill. How had he spent so long avoiding Lacey, making her feel despair and rejection, while knowing how warm and full her joy made him feel?

By the time everyone had eaten and gathered their belongings, the first rays of sunshine were breaking through the canopy. With Droztar scouting ahead, the party resumed their journey.

Though Koss offered to take the rear, Telok insisted on doing so himself. He wanted to see Lacey as they traveled so he would know she was safe.

But he couldn’t deny there was another reason beyond her safety, a selfish reason he would not admit aloud.

He wanted to see Lacey’s ass as she walked.

Her pants clung to her, molding to every curve, tantalizing him with every step she took. That they hid her skin only made him yearn even more to peel them off, hungry for what lay beneath.

Perhaps taking this position was a poor choice…

Telok’s eyes wandered to Lacey frequently as they traveled. Each time he beheld her, he could not recall why he would’ve thought this a mistake. Of all the wondrous things he’d seen in the Tangle, in Takarahl and Kaldarak, no sight compared to his Lacey. So what if gazing upon her was a unique torment beyond his ability to end?

The jungle around him seemed ever-changing as he strode on, and yet it all felt the same as anywhere else. Moments flitted by faster than he could count them, but the day seemed to crawl, clawing for every heartbeat it advanced.

He knew why. Having Lacey within sight but needing to keep her out of reach was maddening, warping his perception of his surroundings. Occasionally, one of the thornskulls fell back to speak with him, providing a welcome distraction, yet his attention inevitably returned to Lacey.

Another agonizingly long day.

Whenever another male neared Lacey or spoke to her, Telok had to fight back a growl and resist the urge to abandon his duty, charge forward, and attack the would-be challenger. More than once, the claws of his clenched fists threatened to puncture the hide of his palm, and he came to fear that his intense grip would wear uneven grooves in the shaft of his spear before he even had a chance to use it.

Somehow through all that, he kept watch and did what he could to obscure the party’s trail without falling behind.

Not long after the sun reached its peak, the ground began to rise in a gentle incline. It was barely noticeable at first, but it grew gradually steeper, making each stride require a little more strength than the last.

Though the vrix’s pace was only slightly slowed by the terrain, the effects were far more pronounced for the humans.

Cole and Lacey used their spears for extra support, walking with their upper bodies bent forward against the incline. Both of them glistened with sweat. But while Cole’s steps remained vigorous and spry, Lacey’s became steadily heavier, along with her breaths. Every movement of her legs exuded effort from her entire body.

The gap between her and Telok dwindled as her pace faltered, yet she did not stop. She kept striding. Rather than braiding her hair today, she’d gathered it and tied it high at the back of her head, leaving it hanging to sway with her steps. Its motions were almost as mesmerizing as her ass.

Walking beside her, Cole nudged her with his elbow. “What’s wrong, Lace? Never done a 10K uphill through a jungle in sweltering heat before?”

A growl built in the back of Telok’s throat, and he squeezed the spear, half tempted to throw it instead of a rock this time.

Lacey chuckled. “I guess you really improved your cardio since we came here, huh?” She poked Cole’s upper arm. “I think you’ve lost muscle though. Might need to build yourself a weightlifting set next.”