Page 96 of The Hunter

She smiled up at him. “Thank you, kind sir.”

Rising on her toes, she pecked a kiss on the underside of his jaw before disappearing into the den.

Heat tingled where her lips had met his hide, creeping across his face and down his neck, and he could not immediately draw breath. His hands curled into fists. That brush of flesh, so soft, so fleeting, made his core quake with want.

Inhaling deeply, he ducked into the doorway, bracing his hands on the frame to pull himself through. A small fire bowl with low flames sat in an open-faced box made of flat stones inside, filling the room with a dim orange glow and faint, welcoming warmth. He wasn’t sure what this building had been used for; it had contained only a few empty baskets and bare shelves when the winddancers had offered it earlier.

Lacey was on her knees arranging the furs, silk blankets, and cushions their hosts had left to use as bedding, piling them to create a large pallet. The back of her skirt had ridden up, exposing more of those pale thighs.

He gritted his teeth, unable to tear his gaze from the sight. A single gust was all it would’ve taken to blow that dress up and expose her ass and pink slit to him. His want grew into need, into gnawing torment that made his cock thrum and radiate pain in protest of its confinement.

And as Telok stared, he found he quite enjoyed seeing Lacey on her hands and knees. If only there was no silk barrier hiding his mate’s flesh from him…

“Are we starting early tomorrow?” she asked.

Telok slowly stood upright, grateful that the ceiling allowed him to do so with more than a segment of clearance overhead. “Starting what?”

“The hunt.”

The hunt.

She’d said those words casually, but they crashed over Telok with all the biting, bone-chilling cold the humans had described experiencing during winter on their distant homeworld.

“No,” he rasped.

She back sat on her heels, hands resting upon her thighs, and looked at him. “So…we’re not starting early?”

His fists clenched tighter, digging his claws into his palms. “You are not going.”

Her brows slashed downward. “Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly? Because I swear you just told me I’m not going.”

Telok’s mandibles twitched. That cold pooled in his gut, sinking into his soul. “It is too dangerous, Lacey. You cannot come.”

“I am going on this hunt.”

“No.”

“Damn it, Telok!” Grabbing a cushion, she drew back her arm and hurled it at him.

He caught the cushion with a snarl and threw it aside. Whatever closeness they’d shared during this journey felt like it was burning to ash now.

“We’ve been over this already,” she said, getting onto her feet. “You don’t get to dictate what I can or can’t do. I’m not going to stay here while you all go out there. I want to help the winddancers, and I want to help you.”

Telok stepped closer to her, angling his head down to hold her gaze. “It is too dangerous.”

“Are you going to tell Sophia that? Because she’s going too. What about the winddancers? Are you going to tell them they can’t go because it’s too dangerous for them? How about Cole?”

He snapped his mandible fangs together. “I do not care about them like I care about you!”

“And I care about you! But I’m not telling you to stop hunting, am I? Even though I know every time you go out there you could get hurt or killed.” With a growl, she took a step back, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “God, I feel like a broken rehkord.”

She dropped her arm and glared at him. “I am part of this world now, Telok, and I am not going to hide from it. I don’t want to hide. Facing the dangers out there will only make me stronger.”

The Tangle devours all.

No amount of strength was great enough to stop it, no skill could ever be honed enough to defend from it. Death was inescapable in the jungle. Heat danced beneath his hide, clashing with the cold at his center to create a churning, ominous storm.

Telok exhaled heavily and shook his head. “I cannot let you come.”