Chapter 15
Zalik
I have been awake since long before the sun rose. Daveel came to get me and together we watched as Dane’s ship took off in the distance. A great relief swept over me that he listened to Riley when she told him to depart. Hopefully he will stay gone. My mate will be relieved.
As quietly as I am able, I step inside our tent only to find her sitting up in our furs. Her long red hair lies in tangled curls around her shoulders and drapes down to cover her chest mounds. The furs lie pooled at her waist. She glances up at my arrival.
“Good morning. Have you been up long?” she asks.
“For a little while. I went to the river to catch some peshku for the midday meal.”
“What’s peshku?”
“Eloise says it is most similar to what you would call fish.”
“Ah. Lara was allergic to seafood, so the replicator at their home wasn’t programmed to serve any kind of fish. I’ve never eaten it before.”
“Hopefully you will enjoy it.”
Riley shrugs. “Anything tastes better than a protein bar. I’m not a picky eater.”
“I will admit to not caring for bizeles. Other than that, I too am not picky.”
“Bizele is something else I’m not familiar with.”
I make a shape with my hand to represent their size. “They are a fruit we grow that is about this big. The humans say it tastes a bit like a peach. For me, they are too sweet. Now that I think on it, that might also be why I do not use shurup nectar in my kokkra. It is too sweet for my taste.”
“Peaches are one of my favorite fruits so I’m excited to try these bizeles when they’re in season.” Riley licks her lips and my gaze is drawn to her mouth.
It glistens with wetness and now I am remembering what I thought had been a dream last night but that my mate says otherwise. As if she too is thinking of our encounter, her chest mounds harden in the center and the musky scent of her arousal fills our tent.
She clears her throat and glances away. “Um, so what’s on the agenda for today?”
I know what I wish for us to do, but I am sure that is not what she means. The turns since finding Stella have been spent caring for her while she is awake and assisting the other tribespeople while she sleeps.
“Since you and I are newly mated, I will stay within our boundaries until you are more familiar and comfortable with our people. There are several things I offered to help with. I would enjoy your company if you do not mind joining me.”
“I’d be happy to. If there’s anything I can help with, please ask”
“Wonderful. While you get ready, I will feed our kit and get her ready as well.” I pause “Unless you would prefer me to give you privacy. I forget that humans do not have the same disregard for being without coverings around others.”
Riley’s cheeks darken, but she shakes her head. “You don’t have to leave.”
“Are you sure?”
“Considering yesterday and last night, I think we’re past the point of modesty between us.” She chuckles.
“So last night really was not a dream?”
“I guess it depends on what you dreamed.”
Several dreams visited me, but only one was the most vivid. “I brought you pleasure with my cock and my hand.”
Riley coughs slightly. “That about sums it up.”
Horror hits me. “I did not force you, did I?’
She startles and goes wide-eyed. “What? No, not at all. Nothing you did was against my will. I enjoyed and wanted everything you did.”
The tension leaves me. “I am glad to hear. I would never want to touch you in a way you do not welcome.”
To my surprise, Riley leaves our furs. My focus instantly goes to her shapely legs, bare of any coverings except the tiny piece of material that hides her cunt from my view. She comes to me and lays her hands on my chest. Mine automatically go to her hips. Her bare skin is soft to the touch.
“There is not a single way you could touch me that would not be welcomed.” Riley strokes my flesh. “I’m not saying I’ll always be in the mood to have sex, but I will tell you, if that’s ever the case. Otherwise, you are welcome to touch me any time and anywhere.”
“Your chest mounds?” I palm one of them like I did the previous turn.
She laughs. “Oh. You mean my breasts.”
“Yes, breasts.”
“Open season for touching.”
I will take that as a yes.
“Your waist?” My hand drifts down to cover her slightly rounded belly. It twitches beneath my fingertips.
Riley’s eyes darken and her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “Still open season.”
Much slower—whether out of caution or anticipation—I drag my hand farther down. Heat rises from the damp, soft place between Riley’s thighs. I cup her center and the scent of her arousal strengthens.
“Has the season closed, yet?”
She draws in a ragged breath and shakes her head. “N—No.”
I slide my fingers back and forth over the damp material that grows wetter with each pass. Her body trembles and for a moment I worry I will have to catch her before she falls, but she gathers strength and straightens. This only locks her legs tighter around my hand, trapping it in place.
The dark, round parts of her eyes have blown wide, and her cheeks are pink with desire. Her chest mounds—breasts—rise and fall with each breath she takes.
“You are so beautiful.” Every female should hear how much her mate desires her.
“So are you,” Riley tells me.
A loud cry from the furs breaks us apart. Stella cries again, the one I recognize as the one when she has soiled her diaper.
“I have her.” Regretfully, I step away from my keeshla and pick up our kit.
While I clean her, I cast multiple glances at Riley. She bends to open the chest of her belongings and I stare at her plump, tailless backside. Apparently I am not paying enough attention to Stella because she fusses far more than she has before.
Riley glances over her shoulder. I do not tear my gaze away fast enough. She laughs and gives her backside a shake. For a single beat, I wish our kit was currently with Alesha and Wakiel so I could take my mate back to our furs and sink my cock deep inside her cunt.
Stella grows crankier with my lack of focus so I swiftly return my attention to her and my task. I finish cleaning her and putting on a fresh diaper and clean coverings. Riley has placed all her own coverings on. She comes over to us and takes Stella from me.
“It’s your turn to get ready, Baba.” She kisses my cheek.
Normally, I would head back down to the river to wash, but I settle for using the remainder of the clean water in the basin.
I will dump out the dirty water and refill them both before the midday meal.
With all of us clean and ready, we head for the central fire for the morning meal. On the way, we pass Eloise and Zedam.
“Greetings,” Zedam says.
“Greetings to you as well. This is my keeshla, Riley.”
“Hi.” She waves at them.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Eloise and this is my mate, Zedam,” She glances at me. “I’m glad we ran into you. Would you be able to take evening meal duty tonight?”
“Of course. We will help where ever we are needed.”
Eloise sighs in relief. “Thank you. We won’t keep you guys.”
She waves and Zedam nods before they continue their walk. I guide Riley toward the central fire again.
“What’s evening meal duty?” she asks.
“Those assigned to that task are responsible for stoking the central fire early, preparing and serving the evening meal, followed by cleaning everything up afterward.”
Riley stops. “We have to cook? I’m terrible at cooking. What if I accidentally give everyone food poisoning?”
“You will not poison anyone. I will show you how it is all done. There is no need to worry.”
She does not appear convinced, but does not speak on it again.
“All will be well, keeshla. I swear.”
She huffs. “If you say so.”
It is not easy to hide my smile. “I do.”
The remainder of this turn is spent with the tribe brothers and sisters I said I would assist. Riley and I, along with Stella, wash all of Nellora And Gitesh’s coverings down at the river so she does not have to leave his side.
Jodah’s baba will be joining the ancestors soon.
Which means Nellora will be as well. The entire tribe does everything for her so their remaining time left can be spent together.
We also assist Zara in the forge by transporting her latest weapon creations to the weapons stores. With each new task we perform, I admire the way may keeshla never hesitates to step in. She makes friends with each new person and promises to bring Stella back to visit.
By our evening meal duties, Riley felt more confident and no one was poisoned.
“It was not as bad as you feared, was it?” I tease her as we clean the vessels and implements at the river.
“There’s no need to gloat.” She scrunches up her nose in an adorable way so I kiss it.
She tries hiding her smile, but fails. We finish cleaning everything, return it all to the central fire for the next meal, and head to our tent for the night.
Stella has already fallen asleep. Riley places our kit in her own furs and then sits in the chair to remove her foot coverings.
She crosses one leg over the other and rubs her foot.
I sit in our furs and pat the area near me.
“Here, let me do that for you.”
She raises her brows. “What, rub my feet?”
“Aye. Come.”
Riley pushes herself to standing. “I won’t say no to that.”
She settles next to me and places a leg over my thighs. I gently mold her small foot, and my cock hardens when she moans. “Be careful,” she says. “I could get used to this. You might find yourself giving me a foot rub every night.”
“If that is meant to be a threat, I am afraid it is not a very good one.”
Riley snorts and leans back on her elbows with her eyes closed. “I’ll try to think of a better one next time.”
This quiet intimacy with my mate and kit has what I have been seeking my entire existence. With the threat of Dane gone, life has never been more perfect than this.