Page 98 of The Hunter

CHAPTER 22

Lacey stirred, slowly drifting to consciousness from dreams that were whisked away like smoke on the wind. She was first aware of the warmth surrounding her, and then of the solid feel of limbs embracing her. Inhaling deeply, she took in the scent of warm cedarwood, moss, and campfire smoke. She smiled.

Telok.

Opening her eyes, she lifted her head and looked down, wrinkling her nose at the bit of drool she felt at the corner of her mouth and the tiny pool of it on his chest.

Ugh, gross.

Way to go, Lacey. First time sleeping on top of Telok and you drool on him.

Sheepishly, she wiped away the spittle from her mouth and his hide. She peered up at his face, ready to apologize, only to find his eyes closed.

Was he really still sleeping?

“Telok?” she whispered.

Sure enough, his eyes remained shut and his body remained relaxed beneath her.

For as long as she’d known him, Telok had been an early riser, waking before the sun. It always seemed like he’d been ready to go for hours by the time everyone else crawled out of bed.

Every single time she’d slept with him on this trip, Lacey had awoken to find herself wrapped in Telok’s arms with his gaze focused on her face. It was like he’d watched her, silent and still, the entire night, memorizing every little detail of her features. But before she could even blink the sleep from her eyes, he’d withdraw from her and rise to carry her groggy ass down from the tree, setting her on the ground so he could attend to his other duties.

Lacey smiled as she stared down at Telok’s face. Now, she finally had the opportunity to study him, and she wasn’t going to miss it.

His hair had come loose from its bun, allowing strands to fall over the side of his headcrest in silken threads of black, green and white. Her fingers itched to stroke through it. His eight eyes, each pair a different size, were closed, but unlike the eyes of a sleeping human, there was no movement beneath their lids. His mandibles, often so animated, were lax, resting on either side of his jaw.

His features, which had been so alien and monstrous to her months ago, had become endearing.

She looked at the jagged scars on the left side of his face. There were two of them, one stretching from his jaw all the way up to his headcrest, the other starting at the faux fang along his mouth and running diagonally upward to bisect the first.

It was these scars that had made Telok more menacing than the other vrix when she’d first met him.

Lacey reached out and lightly traced the scars on his face with her fingers. They were deep grooves in his hide, and her heart squeezed at the thought of how painful the wounds that had left them must’ve been.

Her gaze dipped to the three scars on the right side of his throat. Deeper and longer than the rest, they ran parallel to each other, like claws had been raked across his neck.

Had they been caused by beast or vrix?

Brow furrowing and mouth falling into a frown, she trailed her fingers over those scars. So much damage, so much pain. These might’ve been why his voice was so gravelly.

As her touch followed those scars toward the center of his throat, something bulged against her pelvis, hard and insistent.

Telok’s hand caught her wrist, lifting her fingers from his hide.

Lacey started, her wide eyes flying up to meet Telok’s, which were now open to slits, glowing green in the dim light as he stared at her.

She grinned. “Good morning.”

He let out a grunt, then drew in a heavy breath as his lower hands slid down her back. Those long fingers curled around her bare ass, cupping it and pressing her more firmly against him.

Lacey gasped as that bulge ground against her mons and sent a rush of arousal through her.

That was his…cock. And her body was the only thing holding it inside his slit, since his claspers were on either side of her hips, stroking.

“Um, Telok?”

“Do not move,” he grated.