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Ours was one of the first huts up, because Juth wanted privacy…and I have to admit, I love it. It's cozy and cute, at the far end of the camp to give us space. Sometimes it's too many people around, which bothers Juth, so we're a little bit farther off from the main group. O'jek has set his hut up halfway between ours and the rest of the camp, with Daisy's (which O'jek built) in the midst of the camp, right next to Willa and Gren (and baby Shade). Most days I don't mind being the farthest out, but today, it's a long-ass walk, and my heaving stomach isn't a fan. I pause several times, and by the time I get to the hut, it's dark out. I step inside and the fire pit is banked to nothing but coals, so I work on them to get a bit of a fire going again. Once there's enough light to see by, I move to the furs and lie on my back, waiting for the nausea to subside.
In the darkness, it's hard to see the swirls and colorful handprints that Pak painted all over the inside of the roof, but I know they're there. It's just another way to make our little hut special, and I love the sight of our handprints just above the entrance. Juth's big one is next to my smaller one, and Pak's is next to mine. I rub my stomach—which is a little harder, but otherwise unchanged—and think about the baby, and putting another handprint on the roof.
I doze off.
When I awaken, there's a big, familiar body sliding under the furs next to mine. I breathe in deep, turning toward my mate, who smells like sweat and the outdoors and Juth—a mixture that I love. He runs a finger lightly along my forehead, and then presses a kiss to the top of my head. "I did not wish to wake you."
"Pak?" I ask, yawning.
"Eating dinner and telling everyone about his rock creature." Juth presses a kiss to the tip of my nose. "We have some time alone."
There's a suggestion in his voice that makes me clench in all the right places. Even so, I'm wary of my stomach, since it hasn't played nice all day. "Do we have time to let me rinse my mouth out and eat a few dried not-potato chips?"
That makes Juth sit up. In the darkness, I can see him frown down at me. "Sickness again?"
I pinch my fingers together. "Just a little."
"I do not like this. The healer should be helping you." He rubs his fingers up and down my arm in a caress. "What can I get you? What do you need?"
"Water. A handful of not-potato chips. Then, frisky time with my mate."
Juth immediately gets up, moving around the hut. His shortened tail swings back and forth in sharp, angry flicks. I know what that means. Possessive mode is now activated, and I'm going to have my mate hovering over me and coddling me all night long. And…I kinda love it.
Not as much as sex with Juth, but close.
"I'm sure I'll be fine after I eat," I promise him. "How was hunting?"
He grunts a response, moving back to my side, and then hands me a bone cup full of water. "Drink this. My day is not as important as making you feel better."
Oh boy. "It's perfectly normal, Juth. Everyone gets sick in the early part of their pregnancy."
"But you are not everyone. You are my mate." He hands me a dried circle of not-potato. "And I do not like it."
I gnaw on the circle. They're not exactly like the potato chips from home. They're dried out and smoked, chewy and nearly tasteless. We keep them around to add to stew when there's not a lot of fresh roots, but as food goes, they kind of suck. I keep them down okay, though, and when Juth gently pulls me against him and strokes my hair, I sigh with contentment.
"Feel better?" he asks, his fingers trailing up my arm.
"Getting there." I think about Bek and baby Emma. I can absolutely see Juth as an overbearing dad just like that when our baby is little. Pak is independent enough, but Juth has admitted to me that he worries. It makes sense that he does. He's had so little in his life that of course he's going to cling hard to what he has right now. Me personally, I don't mind the clinging. I'd spend all day and all night with him if I could, but he doesn't like me going hunting with him. He says it's too hard and I'm too “fragile.”
Which is cute. I'm the opposite of fragile as humans go, but I like that he thinks of me that way.
"How is hunting?" I ask him as I chew on another flavorless circle. "Is it too much now that Sessah is gone?"
