Chapter 8
Laro’s eyes followed the female—Uma—as she slid past him. Their bodies did not touch and yet he was still aware of its heat and feminine scent whispering past him. His skin shivered reflexively and Laro drew in a deep breath of fragrant air that did not help at all. She was admirable but she was not what their triad had agreed on. They wanted a soft female with a sweet and giving nature.
A female that Vrin would likely terrorize.
He winced at the stray thought but could not set it aside completely. It was not entirely wrong. Vrin was the one who insisted that any female they take as their own be submissive, sweet, and easy to please, but Laro’s gut tightened anxiously at the thought of such a female in their den with them. Vrin in one of his moods would eat her alive, and as for himself... Laro knew that he not always tractable and agreeable enough. It was not just his scars that frightened so many of the females away at the tavern. He was moody and silent in a way that made him seem even more foreboding than he was when taken with his appearance. The only male who truly would be one that a gentle female would feel safe turning to was Kam.
For a moment his mind drifted to the small female he had seen with Uma. Small and soft with her light golden complexion, big brown eyes, and short dark headfur that framed her face at her jaw, she stood out amongst the guardswomen in a way that was opposite from Uma. Truthfully, she was exactly what Laro had in mind when he ventured into the citadel with his triad. She was so small and vulnerable in appearance, practically swallowed up in her armor, that she seemed more suited to reclining on furs in a den than facing off with potential dangers of the citadel.
That thought alone should have stirred his protective instincts, but he could not restrain the grimace. Vrin would eat her alive.
“Why are you over here staring murderously at a pile of metal?” Vrin asked as he stepped close to one of the large metal disks Laro had painstakingly removed from the room and nudged it with his foot.
Laro chuffed and shook his head. “You overexaggerate... like always.”
Vrin’s ears twitched and he shrugged as he crossed his upper arms over his chest. “In my defense, murderous is your default expression. It is not something I can help with if that is how you look. You see for yourself how the females run if you so much as frown in their direction.”
His observation was met by a chuff of amusement and Laro’s gaze drifted over to Kam as the male loped over to join him. For all that he had maintained that speed while he explored the farther end of the room, Laro noted that Kam was not even a little out of breath as he peered down at the collection of metal piled in front of him.
Taking advantage of the males’ open curiosity, Laro launched into an explanation of the things that Uma had called weights and the method of using them according to her explanation. As expected it spurred the males to action, and they began to quickly rearrange and put together the barbells with varying degrees of enthusiasm as they experimented with lifting them in the manner Laro showed them.
“Do you think that this will draw the attention of a female?” Kam queried as he watched both sets of his arms pump the laden metal bars he held in each pair of his hands.
Vrin grunted, unconvinced. “If that were the case, why would they have them here for their use rather than in a place where they can enjoy watching males use them? No, it is clearly just a tool for the females to acquire the strength necessary to guard the citadel.”
This observation earned a quiet grunt of agreement from Kam and even Laro dipped his head in agreement. It seemed reasonable. Uma had not expressed any interest in remaining by his side and watching after introducing him to the use of weights. It made him wonder if all humans were so unaffected by shows of male strength. It was certainly highly valued by female Ragoru and a necessity in a desirable male. But why was he thinking of her again? His ears flicked with impatience as he pushed the thought away.
“Speaking of females,” he rumbled in ragii now that his triad brothers were present with him, “what is your opinion on the small female?”
He was admittedly curious if they had experienced the same oddly visceral reaction to a female who was, of all the females of the citadel, the closest match for what they were looking for in a mate.
Vrin grimaced. “That one? No.”
“Really?” Kam stared at their brother in open surprise. “I did not expect that from you. Were you not the one who insisted on having a female who was small and meek? I am surprised you are not clamoring for us to steal her away back to our den.”
A growl rose from Vrin as he made a face and drew back warily as if Kam were on the verge of forcing the female into his arms to take back with him. Laro bit back a laugh at the male’s miserable appearance but kept silent as he too was far too interested in their triad brother’s response.
Vrin’s ears twitched uneasily and flattened. “I was certain she was about to cry,” he admitted in a low grumble. “I do not want that one.”
Kam barked a laugh and shook his head as his mouth parted in a grin. “Look at him thinking that we have all the time we want. Can you afford to be so choosy when we are about to be expelled soon from the citadel?”
“But we have not been yet,” Vrin countered with a sharp grin and snap of his teeth. “As long as we do what we are told, we can keep looking at other citadels. I am in no hurry. But as for females—not that one.”
A taunting smile flashed briefly across Kam’s face as his arms continued a rhythmic pump. There was nothing vicious about it, however, so Laro did not bother to correct him. Even Vrin remained unbothered in the face of it, though he feigned a growl of annoyance that had Kam laughing with a playful flag of his tail.
“Okay, not that one,” he agreed easily. “I was only trying to help. I do not have the same specific tastes. But, as you say, we can keep looking, though I would remind you how far the other citadels are from us.”
Laro nodded. “A good point. It is important that we choose Old Wayfairer for a reason because we do not leave our territory vacant for too long. Once our scents began to fade, it would be too easy for another to try to claim it.”
Vrin and Kam silently nodded in agreement but with nothing further said about the small guard.
Kam glanced between them with a playful smile. “I am all for just stealing the captain.”
“No,” Laro growled in unison with Vrin.
That their protests lacked any true strength behind them was something he chose to ignore. They had a clear idea of what they wanted. He would not let this strange, temporary fascination distract him from what would be better for all of them in the long term.