AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I managed not to touch or stare even when I felt her gaze on me. But I knew I still showed something of my desire for her. I couldn’t help that. My hard staff would not lower fully no matter how hard I tried.
Her dark nipples tightened before my eyes, betraying her response despite the sweltering air. My training had not prepared me for her intoxicating allure.
My Sheleki is a warrior.
She is intelligent and beautiful.
And everything that I hoped for in a mate.
I looked up into her dark gaze, and my mouth went dry. All four of my arms ached to clasp her against me. I wanted to taste her mouth. My Wulfaen instincts urged me toward mating, but she was wounded and wary. She did not know me or trust me yet. She would never embrace me as a mate until she felt safe with me. Especially after what had happened to her.
I was not a slaver, selling females they barely knew how to keep alive. I was a Gladiator, an Alpha, and to rule others, I had to rule myself first by taming my more primal instincts—to rut with her while claiming her with my mating bite.
Tearing my gaze away, I took a deep breath to steady my racing pulse.
“My apologies,” I said, not actually one bit sorry to have caught such a lovely sight, but that was no excuse to act coarsely. “Us bathing together might make you uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, well. Coed bathing takes a little getting used to. Even in the field, we’re usually separated.” She inspected herself, wrinkling her nose when she saw a set of burns from a pain stick on the side of her arm. “They tried to avoid having us… ‘fraternize.’”
The translation hinted at a sexual meaning, and I frowned. “So these things are avoided in your military?”
She nodded. “It’s a distraction. It causes drama and morale problems, and if you’re captured by the enemy, a loved one can be used against you.” She smiled thinly as she worked on unknotting her curly hair with her fingers. I tried to ignore how the gesture made her large breasts bounce temptingly.
“A distraction.” My tone went dry as I tore my eyes away from her body again. “I can’t imagine why.”
She let out a snort. “Yeah, well, when you’re actually out there fighting in a war or taking part in covert ops, you don’t want any distractions. But fighting stirs up the old hormones.”
The last word didn’t translate fully. Something likebloodorchemicals.
To be a Gladiator was to fight and protect. The pack defended their sector from all attackers—bandits, rival packs, natural disasters, hungry wildlife, and even alien attacks. I had been a protector since I had been old enough to understand the duty of a Gladiator. And every single time, I had come home from defending my sector, craving a mate with every drop of my essence.
“Brushes with death make us crave the joys of life,” I replied, voice gone far too thoughtful.
“Not going to argue with that one.”
I glanced over and saw her gaze slide up my body until her eyes locked with mine.Ah. So she is interested and attracted to my form.
My staff throbbed with need under the water. I did my best to avoid drawing attention to it, but I wondered if she noticed how hard I was. If she liked what she saw.
She didn’t let on either way, which was both a relief and unsatisfying. I had already scented faint desire from her, but it grew slowly, gradually, as she relaxed around me. I would have to behave myself until her desire bloomed to its fullness like a flower, but waiting would not be easy.
“How do your feet feel?” I asked her.
“Well, I could walk over here, but it wasn’t fun. Neither was taking off those bandages. But that field dressing you put on really helped.”
“The wound spray was only so much help,” I explained. “It was necessary to pad your feet. I will do so again back at the camp.”
She looked at the ugly, tattered shoes she had come here in and winced. “Guessing all your shoes are way too big for me.”
“Boots, and yes. Even my sandals would have been too large for you.” I gave her an apologetic smile and then reached out to drag my pack over, digging for my over-tunic. It was pale as a cloud, made of petal-leather: something for feasts and celebrations. I set it atop the pack for when she got out. “I will rectify this as soon as we reach my sector. Meanwhile, you can ride Chaser.” I was too big and Chaser too old for him to carry both of us.
“Thanks. Riding Chaser is going to be interesting.” She smiled faintly. “You want to tell me how you ended up with six-legged dogs the size of horses?”
“Genetic engineering with an Earthling dog. We mixed the essence of your wolfhounds with that of a local predator. We need mounts to traverse the jungle until we can build proper roads, which may never happen because of our lack of skilled builders.”
“That’s why so much of the landscape is so undeveloped.” She settled lower to wash her hair. “What local predator did you crossbreed your riding dogs with?”
“A beast from the same family that we grew from,” I replied simply. “Pack hunters with two sets of forepaws with opposable thumbs. If you have a look at Chaser’s paws, you can see the similarity.”
