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“I. Do. Not.” I bare my teeth at her. “How many times must I make it very clear that you are my mate? That when I am with you I am complete? That I lack for nothing because you are everything I have ever wanted? That the thought of touching T’ia now, when you are nearby, makes me want to chop my own hands off?”
Her mouth twitches, and I see my strong words are getting through to her. “You’re full of drama, you know that?”
“I am full of love for my mate,” I tell her. “No one else.”
“I just…I don’t want you to feel like you’re making a mistake. Or you’re cornered by being with me. I know I’m not a cute young thing like her. I’m older and—”
“You aremine. If T’ia was being attacked by sky-claw and you had a splinter in your finger, I would let them chew freely upon her because your hand comes first.”
F’lor looks up at me, her skepticism fading. Then she sighs. “Why did that sound so romantic?”
“It is because you love me and you carry my kit.” I slide closer and press a kiss to her brow. “You want to spend your nights in my furs and your days at my side.” I kiss her nose. “You love my cock. You love my spur. You love my tongue.”
“The rest of you is kind of annoying,” she mutters, but she loops one arm around my neck and brushes her lips against mine. “But as long as you’re sure.”
“I have never been more sure of anything in my life,” I reply, nipping at her upper lip. “Trust that I wish to remain at your side.”
“And take care of my splinters?” she teases.
“I will handle all of your splinters,” I agree. “I will warm your cold nose. I will rub your tired feet. I will fill your needy, aching cu—”
She claps a hand over my mouth. “I get the idea!”
“Do you?” I counter. “Because I tell you how I feel, and you say I am wrong. I show you how I feel, and you pretend like I have not caressed you and made you come. I feed you and honor you and you still doubt me and—”
F’lor presses her lips over mine, kissing me hard. “I love you,” she tells me. “I’m sorry. I love you. I do. It’s just—”
“I know,” I say. I press my brow to hers, closing my eyes. Just feeling her. Just breathing in her very being. “The letters. But understand me well, my mate. I do not think I was ever in love with T’ia. Perhaps my head thought so, but my heart did not. I think back on the messages she sent, and I realize there were no feelings involved in them. She would tell me about herself, but she would never ask about me. I think to her, I was just a male because she needed one, and in my eyes, she would be my female because I was impatient and did not want to wait for my khui to decide. It was foolishness, because if I had not been so stubborn, perhaps I would have seen you sooner.” I kiss her again. “Perhaps my khui just pointed out what was obvious to everyone but myself.”
“Well, you are stubborn,” she says, breathless. “I just want to be sure that you’re not having regrets.”
“I know if I left and went after T’ia, I would have regrets. If you need me, even if only to stand behind you while you give orders, I want to be at your side.”
She sniffs, and her eyes are suspiciously wet. “All I’ve ever wanted is for you to want me for me. Not because the khui tells you to.”
I shake my head, my chest full of warmth and the beauty that is my mate. “You and I are alike. We are both stubborn and we both can be demanding. We like to be an integral part of the tribe. We both like to talk about the foolish decisions others make and judge them.” She chuckles at that, and I continue on. “But most of all, you do not need me, my F’lordeliza. You have a hut. You can hunt. You can take care of yourself. You do not need me. And yet I stay, because I want to be with you and no one else. It is different with you. It is different in every way.”
She smiles up at me and then tilts her face up for another kiss. I make this one last longer, cradling her face in my hands as my lips move over hers. I stroke her tongue with mine, a promise for later, when we are alone, and she makes a hungry sound in her throat that immediately sets my khui to singing. It is not the noisy song of resonance, but a purr of satisfaction, one that says that my mate is nearby, and we are pleased.
“All right,” F’lor says softly. “All good points. I believe you.”
“I will prove it to you again tonight,” I promise, grazing her bottom lip with my fangs. “When we are alone and our new helpless kits are settled in their furs.”
She makes a choked sound of amusement and clings to me, holding me tight. I think perhaps she is upset and needing reassurance, so I wrap my arms around her and tuck her against me, her face nestled against my shoulder. F’lor only bites my earlobe and then licks it, whispering, “Tonight I’m gonna ride your face again.”
I groan, wanting to toss her into the snow and have my way with her right now. But there are too many standing around and watching us. A’tar has an amused look on his face and two of the splices watch me touch F’lor with interest. The females near the fire…well, the females are staring at the naked A’tar with frank stares.
Reluctantly, I pull away from my mate and clear my throat. “If you are not staying, A’tar, perhaps you will help us prepare this camp and make it more comfortable for our new people? We must stay here until D’see and O’jek arrive tomorrow.”
A’tar nods. “There is a hunter cave a short flight from here. Would you like to come with me and bring the supplies back?”
I would not, actually. I do not want to leave my mate, not even for a moment. But F’lor brightens at A’tar’s suggestion and I can tell she wants me to do this for our people. I bite back a sigh. “Can you carry two of us? We will bring one of the males to help out.”
“I’ll go,” says the human male, getting to his feet.
One of the other males snorts—the scaled one—and pushes forward. “Your race is puny. Let the strong ones handle it.” He gives me a confident look. “I will assist.”
He does look much stronger than the human male. I nod. “Come. A’tar, will you take us to the nearest hunter cave? We need supplies for our humans.”
