Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
~ Raith ~
Irub the back of my head. “So, let me get this straight. You’re sayin’ his cock reminded you about tampons?”
“What? No.” Shade shakes her head like I’m the one bein’ absurd. “Sleeping with Thane didn’t remind me about tampons. Being with him must have helped me to unlock a memory. I was reminded of the nickname, ‘Tampon.’”
“And who the devil would be nicknamed, Tampon?” Galen asks, lookin’ as fuckin’ bewildered as I am.
Our mate lets out an exasperated huff, and she waves her hand in the air.
“Oh, just some beast dude from one of my favorite books. But that doesn’t really matter,” she says, not bothering to go in depth with her explanation.
“The point is that it worked. Being with Thane helped to unlock some of my memories.”
“Yes, about tampons it seems,” Galen drawls with amusement.
“About books,” she corrects, nearly bouncing with excitement. “And if I can remember that, then maybe in time, I’ll gain my other memories, too.” She’s smilin’ so big, radiating happiness, and I can’t help grinnin’ along with her.
“Okay, so who’s next?” she asks eagerly. “Because like you keep reminding me, the games aren’t far away, and time’s a-wasting.”
Before the others have a chance to respond, I come up from behind, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close.
“No one else gets to enjoy you before I do, sunshine,” I rumble, still annoyed that Galen and Thane have now both had a chance to be with her before me.
“If you ask me, it’s pretty fuckin’ unfair that I’m the last one left. ”
Everyone looks at me, and I shrug. “Knox doesn’t count.”
My brother doesn’t argue. He simply listens from further away, standing beside an armchair and carefully watching Shade like he’s assessing her every movement.
“We still need to be careful,” Thane growls. “No more than two of us should be with her at one time. No bonding should happen unless all four of us are involved, but it’s better to be safe.”
No one protests at his suggestion. We all know we’re in a dangerous situation. If the queen discovers we found a way around her curse and have our mate in our beds, it’s going to end real fuckin’ badly for everyone.
“Agreed,” Galen says.
I hold tighter to Shade, my cock already hard. Her breathing quickens, and I’m tempted to start somethin’ while the others are watching until I remind myself what Thane just said. No more than two at a time… Fine.
Before I can whisk Shade to the next room, my brother speaks, pulling me from my thoughts. “We should go, or we’ll miss our opportunity,” he says coldly.
That grabs our little mate’s attention. “Miss what opportunity? Where are you going?” she asks.
Thane peers out of the window, at where the moon is shining high above the academy walls.
“Hunting,” Galen replies with a devilish smirk.
“More creatures for the games,” Thane explains gruffly, turning back to face her. “The foxrets will be out in significant numbers tonight before they return to their burrows.”
Shade tenses against me. “What are the foxrets?”
“A zenali creature,” Thane replies. “Half animal, half human, but they’re not like shifters. They’re always in their animalistic form.”
Galen flicks a spec of fluff off his shirt. “They’ll be out in larger numbers tonight, because it’s the night of the mating moon.”
“Okay, and what is that?” Shade says.
“Exactly as it sounds. It’s mating night for the foxrets.” I chuckle against Shade’s ear, and she shivers, goosebumps prickling over her skin.
“The unmated foxrets only choose their mates on one night of the year, during the time of the mating moon,” Galen explains. “It’ll be easy for us to grab a few while they’re distracted. After tonight, they’ll be tucked in their burrows, and we’ll have missed our opportunity.”
“But isn’t that. I don’t know…mean?” Shade asks, fidgeting with her fingers, clearly uncomfortable with the idea.
“Mating night is a bloodbath,” Thane says. “There are usually more unmated males than females, and the foxret males are very possessive. They do not share.”
“The males kill each other for their right to claim a mate,” Galen adds simply. “Many will not make it through the night.”
She looks horrified. “That sounds barbaric.”
“It’s nature,” Thane replies. “We’ll grab a few of the males who look less likely to find a mate. Even the weaker foxrets will be strong enough for the games.”
“Okay.” Shade nods slowly as she comes to terms with what we’re telling her. “And what do you need me to do? Let me guess, I’m bait again?” She makes a face, and she plants a hand on her hip.
“Your scent will help to draw some of the male creatures toward us,” I tell her, not sugar-coating it.
“My scent?” She blanches.
“Tonight, any female scent will draw the unmated male foxrets in the vicinity closer to investigate,” Kade growls.
“But after the last incident, you’re not going to be out there alone,” Galen drawls.
“That’s right,” I agree, holding her tighter against me. “I’ll be with you at all times, sunshine.”