Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
I am so happy.
“My mate,” I say with joy, and extend my hands to him. He does not move forward, but he takes the cave part from my hand, and our fingers brush. My pulse thrums with delight at that small touch, and I feel a growing slickness between my thighs. I want him. I am ready to mate, right here and right now.
He gazes at my hand in wonder, where our fingers touch. Surely he feels the same thing I do. “My mate,” I say again, and put my hands on his face. He stares at me with wide eyes. He is shocked, I imagine, but I will be a good mate to him. I lean forward and press my mouth to his in the human mouth-matings that the others make look so very pleasurable. His lips are cooler under mine. His skin, too. Is he cold? He will warm up when he takes his khui.
The male jerks backward, away from my touch.
“It is all right,” I tell him, excited. “It is a human gesture, nothing more.”
He says something again, and his gloved hand goes to his mouth. He touches his lips, then glances over at the cave, where the entrance opened. He speaks, spitting out a string of fluid-sounding words.
“I do not understand your language,” I say, fretting. We no longer have the Elders’ Cave to teach languages. It is on its side. “Perhaps you have something in your cave that can teach you to speak with me?” Now that I am standing so close to him, I want to pull off the strange leather tunic he wears that covers him from boot to neck. He has a bit of colorful leather tucked around his throat, and I can see it move as he swallows hard, then slurs another round of gibberish at me.
He rubs his arms and repeats one word, gazing at me. “Fasang?” Oh. My mate is trying to communicate. I smile at him and listen patiently, but I am more fascinated by the dancing lines that cover one side of his face. They have not moved, and they did not feel wet when I touched them. It is almost as if they are permanently on the skin. Would that not be fascinating? I wonder how he did it, and how he got his horns so shiny and silver. He rubs his arms again and repeats the word. “Fasang?”
Is he asking if I am cold? I laugh, because the idea is so funny. “Why would I be cold? Today is a perfect day.”
His expression changes. The frustration fades from his face, and a hint of a smile tugs at the corners of his hard mouth. “Fasang la?” He rubs his arms again and then touches my arm with a small shake of his head.
I decide that I love his smile. It seems so hesitant, and I want to make him smile more. Actually, I want to press my mouth to his again and try more mouth-mating. “Do you want to mate here, or do you want to go back to my cave?” I gesture at the distant hills. There is a hunter cave nearby, full of furs and supplies. “We will be alone there.”
“Fasang la?”
Are we still on that? I want to see him smile again. I want his touch. So I take his hand in mine, and note the strange glove he wears. It feels like thin, slippery leather. I tug at it to remove the glove.
He jerks his hand away.
I draw back, wounded. “What did I do?”
He shakes his head and says something new, something different, and then offers me his other hand. Strange. I touch the glove again, and he nods, indicating I can continue. All right. I pull the glove off and notice his strange markings on his face continue onto his skin here. “So beautiful,” I breathe, tracing the whorls and dark lines. “What does it mean?”
He says nothing, and I wish we understood each other better. I will just have to learn patience. I cannot wait to hear all the exciting things he will tell me.
He is not pulling his hand out of my grip this time, though, and I smile at him, stroking his palm. It is hard and callused, like that of any hunter. He does not feel as warm as I do, but I do not mind. He is mine. I take his hand and place it on my teat. “Mate? I am ready.”
I feel his shock ripple through his body. His mouth opens slightly, and he stares at me in surprise, but he does not remove his hand. My khui sings so loudly between us, and I am practically throbbing with the song of it. I am nervous, too. Will he take me up on my offer, or will he fight against it, like Jo-see did to Haeden? I ache to feel his big hands everywhere. I want everything he has to offer me, and more.