AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yeah. We leave them with the males for breeding season, and when they lay their eggs, the males care for them so that the females can hunt. Their bipedal partners help where they can, but waiting out the breeding season is rough on us all.”
“Why?”
“We are linked to our partners on a very basic level, and each of the riders has a ground-bound mate. When our birds are driven to mate, so are we. Things get a little rough, so we try to go in shifts.”
The birds extended their deadly beaks toward Iris, and she remained still until they started rubbing their heads against her. “Wow, they are really friendly.”
Rey blinked in confusion. “Yeah, they seem to be. Normally they would be flapping and screaming right now.”
Iris chuckled and stroked the two heads she could reach. “They know a fellow hunter.”
Rey stepped back and said, “They will let you know if they aren’t happy.”
Iris dug her fingers into the feathers and touched all three birds in turn. “I bet you were the first inhabitants on Avor.”
The chirp in her ear confirmed it.
A giant shadow crossed over her, and there was a rumble in the air. Iris’s skin started to tingle, and her belly felt electric.
Rey chuckled. “Oh, good. Lord Yavor is back. That’s his long-range transport. One of the males.”
Iris stood with her feet rooted to the stone as the midnight form settled a few metres from the others.
To her astonishment, the birds tucked her away against their chests like a chick.
Heavy feet thudded to the stone, and Yavor walked toward her. She held her breath and saw his dark shape pass her. When she heard Lily speaking to him, the birds caught on, and they moved her further down the row until she was on the far side of them and toward the large male.
A huge purple eye looked down at her, and she looked up at him. She smiled and heard his name in her mind. He reached out with his hooked beak and nudged her under him. Iris was pushed under the fluffy warmth of his body, and he settled around her.
It was less than a minute in warm comfort until a concerned chirp sounded and was met by low murmurs. A hand closed around her arm, and Yavor pulled her out from under his mount.
He was grinning when he pulled her free. “You are very nervous, Irith. They are trying to soothe you.”
She swallowed. “I can’t imagine why.”
He cupped the back of her head in his hand. His eyes looked over her. “You are well?”
She could feel the vibration in her body at his touch. “Yes, my lord.”
“The birds have taken to you.”
She had no comment on that. It was hard to comment while staring into the eyes of the person who had saved her from a life of servitude, only to tuck her into a life of the same. She had avoided the auction, but the result was the same, with the exception of her sister remaining with her. That was worth the world to her.
Now, she wasn’t so sure that she wanted her sister to watch what would happen to her.
He smiled. “You are thinking quickly, but your thoughts are not of me. Let’s change that.”
He kissed her, and she gripped the hand that cupped her jaw. The other held her head and kept her from backing away. She was his, and he was starting to prove it. This was the moment that their connection would begin.
Chapter Three
The first brush of his lips against hers made her freeze. The second and third brushes made her less wary. Yavor was being very careful. Very deliberate.
Iris was held between his hands, and he licked at her lips before he parted them. His tongue swept in to taste. He stroked his tongue against hers and paused. He lifted his head and thumbed tears from her cheeks. He dragged his tongue across her cheeks, the tip a delicate point. “You are frightened and hungry. They did not feed you.”
“I got a ration cuff.” She looked at him, memorizing his features. She wanted to do a thousand things with him, and only fifty could be managed on the wall.
She could count the number of sexual encounters she had had in her life on one hand. Just his kiss was more than she had felt in any of those moments. That was what spurred the tears.
