Chapter Twelve #2
Turning away to hide my frown, I stepped toward one of the cubbies carved into the cavern wall and began removing my belt and korrvek.
“Leave your belongings in one of these when you use the main pools. The floor must remain safe for others to walk.”
Taryn nodded, fingers moving to the hem of her top before stopping. She had said nudity didn’t bother her, but that had been within our home, when I would be the only witness. Here, there were other eyes upon her.
The omega with her family rose from the water, tail flicking droplets as she strode to a stack of drying cloths. Her alpha kept part of his attention on her, but it was likely habit. No one else looked her way. Nudity was unremarkable.
Taryn watched from the corner of her eye then sighed, shaking her head.
“When in Rome…”
I had no idea what she meant or what Rome was, but a moment later she was pulling her top over her head.
I turned away again, pretending to focus on removing my boots.
Or I attempted to.
The fabric slid across her skin with a soft rustle, the movement sending a wave of her scent towards me. She still smelled like a sweet fruit with a hint of tartness, but there was an underlying floral note now, and the musk of an omega.
My kethra brightened and shifted towards yellow before I forced myself to calm.
I had seen countless naked bodies, in these caverns as well as during training.
I’d witnessed several Zha’Khorr Valryn, watching the couple as well as the audience rut.
A body was nothing more than a tool, shaped for the purpose it was meant for.
But my gaze drifted back to Taryn despite myself. I couldn’t even blame it on curiosity over the differences in a Human, since I’d seen Serenya bare when Kael claimed her.
Perhaps it was because Humans guarded their bodies that made viewing Taryn unclothed different.
Or maybe it was the knowledge that I would do more than look when her heat came.
Taryn shifted beside me as if she wasn’t sure whether to wait or dash to the water so she would have a semblance of cover. Her bare skin was illuminated by the dim glow of the cavern fungus, her kethra pulsing, a beacon in the dark.
She was shorter than Morraki females. Softer. Curved in ways my people’s bodies weren’t. It was clear she wasn’t a warrior, but her body had a more important purpose that violence.
The teal lines of her kethra traced along her ribs and around her belly like delicate vines. More curled around her legs, my mouth watering at the thought of tracing them with my tongue.
I looked away again, biting the traitorous organ that wanted to do more than skim over her flesh. The pinch of pain helped me focus, and I finished removing my clothing with my back to her.
She was an omega. Nothing more. One not yet claimed, that stirred instincts I couldn’t help. One I would have to claim once I—
My thoughts stopped when I faced the water. Taryn had left my side and entered the river, the water lapping around her thighs and leaving glistening droplets behind.
She let out a soft sound that struck somewhere deep in my chest, making my stiff shaft throb where it jutted from between my legs. There was no denying the craving I felt to be the one to cause sounds like that to escape her throat.
Striding into the water, I headed for a deeper section, telling myself it would help disguise my reaction despite the pulsing yellow lining the edges of it.
Across the cavern I noticed the other warriors watching, and the tide of possessiveness only increased the desire. Tail lashing beneath the water, I put myself between them and Taryn to give her what privacy I could, but turning my back on them put her within my view again.
Taryn dipped beneath the water, pushing her hair back when she resurfaced. The motion lifted her breasts, the generous mounds swaying.
Suddenly my mouth was dry, and it took several tries to swallow and find my voice. Somehow I was half the distance I’d been from her.
Glancing around, I spotted one of the baskets of cleansing powder on the pillar beside her.
“That will remove the dust and sweat.”
Touching her fingers to the pale grains, she stared at them when they clung to her wet skin before bringing them to her nose for a careful sniff.
“I saw this in the ship but hadn’t been certain what it was for. Someone had left things from Earth in there, so I used those when I washed. Is this soap?”
I tipped my head, focusing on her question instead of the fact that she was within reach and there was nothing stopping me from taking hold of her. Not even the others watching, since mating, like nudity, was considered natural and acceptable. Even in public.
“Similar.”
She scooped a bit more into her palm, rubbing it between her fingers.
“It smells like crushed rocks, but it lathers.”
I shrugged.
“That is because it is crushed rock, mixed with fungus spores.”
She blinked at me then let out a snort that echoed off the pillar. Shaking her head, she rubbed the powder across her arms, watching it foam when it touched moisture.
“Your planet might end up killing me. Fungus on Earth can be edible, but it can also be incredibly poisonous.”
It was a good thing she hadn’t been looking at me since my focus was on following the trail her palm left across her body.
“The other two Humans who have been here haven’t died so far.”
She looked up, catching my eyes with a raised brow.
“Comforting.”
For a breath we simply stood there. The river flowed around us, the glow of the cavern lights reflecting across its surface like scattered stars.
Taryn’s expression shifted. She was less tense, her muscles loose despite being unclothed before me.
The river seemed to have eased the lines of discomfort around her eyes that had followed her since receiving the injection.
Her movements were less rigid, and it made me realize how tightly she had been holding herself for several days.
I’d always considered Humans weak. Their bodies and minds both. Serenya had seemed an exception, yet Taryn was proving she wasn’t the only one. Her form might not have been as large or strong as mine, but her will was as hard as any warrior’s.
My pulse quickened again but I forced myself to turn away, moving back to the deeper water. The space between us helped.
Just not enough.
Behind me I heard soft splashes as Taryn washed, unaware of the effect she had on me.
It was better that way, because if she realized how difficult it was becoming to keep my distance…
The careful truce we had built during the journey to Morrakan might collapse, and I wasn’t certain either of us was ready for what came next.