Chapter 21 #3
“Telok!” Lacey squeaked as he cradled her against his chest. “I said I could walk.”
“I heard.”
“I swear I can feel a draft on my bare ass. Let me down, or we’re going to be giving everyone a very different kind of show.”
Neither option was acceptable. The merest possibility of anyone seeing her naked body sparked rage within him, but now that he was holding her again, he refused to let go.
Telok raised a lower hand, running it over her backside to smooth the fabric down. Then he cupped that rounded flesh with the same hand to hold the dress in place. “Fixed.”
Her cheeks darkened, and her ass tensed. He curled his fingers, squeezing that soft, yielding flesh.
“Telok…” she warned, almost breathlessly.
A growl built in his chest, and it took every bit of Telok’s willpower to keep his fingers from straying to another part of her body that was just within reach.
“God, you’re so handsy. Fine.” She flicked a hand in front of her. “Go forth to our den.”
Our den.
It alarmed him how much he liked hearing those words come from her lips.
The sounds of the gathering faded behind them as he strode onward. The rest of Tovuunshai was quiet, with no winddancers in sight. Though there were more fire bowls placed throughout the village, they were sparse, and the diminished light made the place feel abandoned.
It was enough for Telok to pretend he and Lacey were the only two there.
Lacey yawned again before resting her head against his shoulder. Her tension melted away in his arms, and she remained relaxed even as he carried her across the swaying rope bridge that led to the platform holding their den.
When he reached the building they’d claimed, he stopped and glared at the doorway—the short, narrow doorway, perfectly sized for winddancers and humans.
He’d had to hunch down and tuck in his arms and legs to fit through.
There was no way he could carry Lacey inside without striking their heads and limbs on the doorframe.
How difficult would it be to break the frame and widen the opening?
Lacey lightly patted his chest. “We’re here. You can set me down now.”
He huffed. With great reluctance, he lowered Lacey onto her feet, though several heartbeats passed before he could bring himself to release her.
She smiled up at him. “Thank you, kind sir.”
Rising on her toes, she pecked a kiss on the underside of his jaw before disappearing into the den.
Heat tingled where her lips had met his hide, creeping across his face and down his neck, and he could not immediately draw breath. His hands curled into fists. That brush of flesh, so soft, so fleeting, made his core quake with want.
Inhaling deeply, he ducked into the doorway, bracing his hands on the frame to pull himself through.
A small fire bowl with low flames sat in an open-faced box made of flat stones inside, filling the room with a dim orange glow and faint, welcoming warmth.
He wasn’t sure what this building had been used for; it had contained only a few empty baskets and bare shelves when the winddancers had offered it earlier.
Lacey was on her knees arranging the furs, silk blankets, and cushions their hosts had left to use as bedding, piling them to create a large pallet. The back of her skirt had ridden up, exposing more of those pale thighs.
He gritted his teeth, unable to tear his gaze from the sight. A single gust was all it would’ve taken to blow that dress up and expose her ass and pink slit to him. His want grew into need, into gnawing torment that made his cock thrum and radiate pain in protest of its confinement.
And as Telok stared, he found he quite enjoyed seeing Lacey on her hands and knees. If only there was no silk barrier hiding his mate’s flesh from him…
“Are we starting early tomorrow?” she asked.
Telok slowly stood upright, grateful that the ceiling allowed him to do so with more than a segment of clearance overhead. “Starting what?”
“The hunt.”
The hunt.
She’d said those words casually, but they crashed over Telok with all the biting, bone-chilling cold the humans had described experiencing during winter on their distant homeworld.
“No,” he rasped.
She back sat on her heels, hands resting upon her thighs, and looked at him. “So…we’re not starting early?”
His fists clenched tighter, digging his claws into his palms. “You are not going.”
Her brows slashed downward. “Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly? Because I swear you just told me I’m not going.”
Telok’s mandibles twitched. That cold pooled in his gut, sinking into his soul. “It is too dangerous, Lacey. You cannot come.”
“I am going on this hunt.”
“No.”
“Damn it, Telok!” Grabbing a cushion, she drew back her arm and hurled it at him.
He caught the cushion with a snarl and threw it aside. Whatever closeness they’d shared during this journey felt like it was burning to ash now.
“We’ve been over this already,” she said, getting onto her feet. “You don’t get to dictate what I can or can’t do. I’m not going to stay here while you all go out there. I want to help the winddancers, and I want to help you.”
Telok stepped closer to her, angling his head down to hold her gaze. “It is too dangerous.”