by Stacy Jones
Every time I think I’ve made such great progress with their language, something like this happens.
He looked briefly disappointed when she didn’t translate what she’d said. Before she could try, he glanced down at the cub sitting patiently at his feet. Holding out his upper hand in a stop motion, Drrak told Trrak to stay before removing the bundle of branches from his back and carefully, cautiously beginning their descent.
It was a nerve-wracking few minutes, while Lily clung to Drrak, her eyes set firmly over his shoulder on the near vertical path behind them, trying to be as still as possible, lest she so much as twitch and send them skidding to their deaths.
She didn’t realize they’d stopped at first and stayed frozen. After a few seconds, Drrak stroked a hand over her back, petting her in the same soothing way her guys did when she was scared. Releasing a shuddering breath once she understood the worst of it was over, she relaxed slightly, still painfully aware of the drop behind her but appreciating him trying to make her feel better.
Turning her face to him, she leaned in to press a grateful kiss to his velvety cheek, but, like something out of a movie, he turned at the same time and her lips landed on his.
Both of their eyes went wide, staring at each other in surprise from less than two inches away, but neither pulled away. It wasn’t until he began to purr and the vibrations hit her in just the right spot that she pulled back and wiggled to be set down.
Her cheeks felt like they were on fire. She was a bit shocked at the ease with which he managed to turn her on, but she wasn’t upset about the accidental kiss. If anything, it was confirmation that her intense reaction to him during their heated embrace the other day wasn’t a fluke.
She knew herself well enough to know she needed to have an emotional investment to respond so strongly to a guy, but the situation she found herself in made her second guess her feelings.
She felt like she was a pretty adaptable, open- minded person, but how do you mentally prepare yourself for the possibility that your multiple alien husbands want you to take another husband? One that happened to be the twin of one of them…
How do you reconcile what you thought you knew of relationships, commitment, and love when you wanted it just as badly as they did?
Worse, how was she supposed to know if what she felt for Drrak was real when it had happened so quickly?
It wasn’t like they understood the concept of dating to see if what you felt was real and lasting. When they committed to a person, it was final and for life. While she liked that, liked knowing she would have a family that wouldn’t want to leave her, it was also a hell of a lot of pressure.
What if he had some deal-breaking flaw she didn’t know about?
What if he… well, she couldn’t think of anything that would negate all the good things she already knew about him, but that didn’t mean something didn’t exist.
It was, as usual, the unknown that made her worry.
L ily and Drrak set to work in heavy silence, picking at the exposed stone, filling the empty pouches Drrak brought, all the while stealing glances at each other. They broke off smaller bits to use for her arrowheads as well as bigger chunks for knives, since they’d emptied the tribe’s stores.
The entire time they worked, she was thinking. Thinking about her feelings for Drrak, the enormity of her decision, the dangers they faced, the unknown threat bearing down on them, if the tribe would ever truly accept her, and if she would ever really feel welcome among them .
She still felt the leery stares and hushed whispers whenever she came around, particularly from the women of the tribe. She didn’t blame them, and she wasn’t mad; she knew they were in charge of keeping everyone safe and Lily was an unknown quantity to them. But that didn’t mean she didn’t wish for acceptance.
She was tired of everyone going silent whenever she was near, of seeing fathers pick up their children and watching her like she was some rabid animal on the prowl, not to mention being under near-constant scrutiny. But, she also wasn’t anywhere near ready to give up.
Grams hadn’t raised her to be a quitter.
As she used to say: Never give up, never surrender.
When they’d filled the pouches to overflowing, Drrak began scooping up the dirt on the cliff, stuffing it into one of his mostly empty water balloons. It wasn’t until he tied off the balloon and squashed it, mixing the dirt into the remaining water, that Lily understood.
Mud for markings. Better than a tattoo, not quite as clean as plant dye, but I’ll take it.
Visions of stripping so he could paint her body suddenly filled her mind, making her breathing quicken as arousal heated her core and tightened her nipples beneath her makeshift dress.
As if he could hear her breathing deepen—and he probably could—Drrak turned to face her. His expression was confused until he caught the hungry look she was no doubt wearing.
His gaze sharpened and a purr began in his chest as his half-missing tail lifted behind him, waving jerkily in answering hunger.
He leaned toward her seemingly unconsciously, pinning her with the weight of his stare. Lily felt like an overeager rabbit ensnared in the gaze of a hawk, knowing she was going to be consumed, but wanting it anyway, over-thinking and doubts be damned.
She didn’t know what would have happened—but was pretty sure she would have gone exactly where her throbbing pulse was leading her—if Trrak hadn’t yipped from the edge above.
Sonofa …
“You have the worst timing,” she muttered.
Tilting her head back, she gave the cub the stink-eye. His response was to cock his head in puppy-like confusion, his oversized, pointy ears flopping to the side with the movement.
Unfulfilled need and arousal were a maddening ache beating a demanding rhythm between her thighs. She glanced back down in time to catch Drrak turning to the pouches to pack everything up, but not before she saw his shoulders slump and dejection spread across his scarred features.
He stood before she could do more than open her mouth, his eyes downcast as he slung the bags over his shoulders and attached them to his vine strap.
She didn’t know what she would have said, but the sight of him so bleak made her realize his feelings for her might just be as serious as hers were for him.
It was a fear she hadn’t voiced, even to herself: that she would fall head-over-heels in love with him just like she had Tor, Arruk, and Frrar, but would find out—when it was too late to protect herself—that his feelings were born of loneliness and not for her specifically .
She knew the empty ache of loneliness intimately and wanted to fill that hollowness in Drrak, but she needed a sign from him that what was between them, that his feelings for her, went deeper.
“Kur mer ?” she blurted before fear of the answer could halt the words, asking why me.
He paused in his packing and turned to her, his expression shuttered but questioning. Taking a breath, she asked again, searching his expressive eyes for the truth.
“Kur shh pari mer ?” she expanded, asking why he wanted her.
Understanding dawned, before he reared back slightly, as if the question stunned him.
He blinked repeatedly then frowned and squinted at her, like he was trying to tell if she were serious. Some of her concern, or maybe her insecurities, must have shown on her face because his gaze widened. He dropped the bags uncaringly then knelt before her.
He stretched all four hands out, hovering them over her cheeks and arms, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to find the words .
“Leelee ,” he began, his mispronunciation of her name doing nothing to detract from his serious tone. “Shh ta… dravec ,” he whispered, his voice breaking over the last word, one she didn’t understand.
“Dravec ?” Shaking her head and bouncing a shoulder, she told him she didn’t know that word, though her heart began pounding at the emotion she could hear in it.
Drrak growled a little, not in anger she didn’t think, b
ut more like he was frustrated with their language barrier.
She could empathize. Oh boy, could she empathize.
It was beyond irritating when you wanted so badly to just speak to someone in more than simple, broken sentences but couldn’t. You had to struggle and search for even a close approximation of the right word. You had to pause and think before you could string those elusive words together, and then you were left to hope what you’d just said was at least somewhat close to what you meant.
Reaching back suddenly, he dragged one of the bags full of stone in front of himself and dug through it, mumbling as he agitatedly matched different pieces together until he finally found two that fit perfectly.
He grunted in satisfaction and held them up to show her, one in each of his upper hands. Raising one, he shook it slightly and said his version of her name, then raised the other and said his name.
Drrak paused for a moment until she looked at him, then held her eyes as he slowly brought the stones together, showing her how perfectly they fit, each dip and groove matching seamlessly.
“Dravec . Leelee dravec tul Drrak. Me pari ha dravec tul shh ,” he rumbled softly, his yearning audible, his bright stare both begging and demanding she understand.
Tears filled her eyes as she gasped.
Perfect. It means perfect.
He’d just said she was perfect for him and that he wanted to be perfect for her.
Lily felt like her heart was breaking even as it swelled with happiness. That was exactly the sign she’d needed.
Knocking the rocks from his hands, she had time to see surprise cross his features before she tackled him, tipping him over backwards and sprawling across his chest.
She cupped his cheeks and kissed him hard, swallowing his alarmed exclamation.
Groaning, he wrapped his arms around her and returned her kiss with quick, hot presses, muttering something between each one. It took a second before she realized he what he was saying.
He was mumbling a new word between each kiss.
Perfect, tiny, fierce Pasha. I am yours. Choose me. Never fail you, always protect, care for you, love you. Mine. Mine.
Their frenzy of pecking kisses slowed after a moment, and Lily pulled back just far enough to see him. They stared at each other, smiling widely as their panting breaths mingled between them.
Trrak apparently approved of their embrace, because he was purring and warbling up a storm, his excitement obvious. Laughing, Lily peeked over her shoulder and found the cub doing a weird, wiggle-hop dance, his black eyes sparkling as he gazed down at them .
Drrak purred up at the cub in amusement, but snapped his head back down to her when the vibrations caused a small moan to escape her lips, stimulating that part of her that hadn’t calmed from her naked body-painting visions, the heartfelt revelation, and the kiss they’d just shared.
Through wide eyes, Lily saw first surprise, then a hungry kind of delight cross his rough features before his gaze dropped to her mouth, sharpening when she licked her lips.
She saw his eyes narrow and a barely-there smile curl his full lips before he purred again, harder this time.
A shocked whimper spilled from her lips, and her lashes fluttered as she involuntarily spread her legs wider around his hips, bringing her core in more direct contact with his stomach.
She felt his lower hands slip down her back to grip her ass, squeezing her flesh and inadvertently—or maybe on purpose—pressing her pussy harder against him. It was hard to know with him. He had a strange but fascinating mix of tentative hesitance and boldness when it came to how he touched her .
Growling at him, she attacked his mouth, making their kiss on his nest the other day look tame in comparison. Parting his lips with her tongue she swept inside, both of them groaning as she tasted him then sucked on his tongue. She could almost feel his control snap as his grip tightened on her and he returned her attack, his lips and tongue ravenous as they ate at each other.
Lily was mindlessly rocking her hips against his stomach, desperately needing stimulation. She started sliding her hand down his chest, her destination the knot of nerves above the base of his cock, beyond ready to let go of her groundless doubts and wanting to solidify their mating.
Just as her hand was hovering over her prize, Drrak jerked his mouth from hers.
His eyes were wild, and he was breathing like he’d just run a mile.
Before she could gasp out a question and ask why the hell he’d stopped, he hurriedly picked her up and set her on the ground next to him then jumped to his feet.
Dumbfounded and not at all happy about him putting on the brakes, Lily gaped up at him.
He was mumbling to himself as he turned in a circle, looking around frantically as if searching for something. She thought she heard him mutter Trrak’s name as he glanced at the top of the cliff, but the cub wasn’t there. Trrak was off scouting or snacking or whatever pantari do when they’re bored.
When the cub was clearly nowhere to be seen, he transferred his gaze to the ground, continuing to look for… something.
He stopped abruptly and glanced down at the vine strapped across his chest. His eye twitched in exasperation and he growled out a string of words, too fast for her to decipher, as if the pouches had been purposefully hiding from him just to vex him.
Lily was torn between alarm and laughter. He looked so agitated and harried. She thought if he had hair it would be standing on end in a wild mess from him fisting it in his hands. As it was, he dragged his upper hands over his face, pulling his lower eyelids down in such a clear show of annoyance that she couldn't hold back a snort of laughter .
He eyed her disgruntledly before his lips twitched and he returned her snort with a self-deprecating one of his own.
Sucking in an audible breath, he yanked at one of the pouches. He dug inside until he pulled free one of the glowing rocks she’d seen on his nest, followed by the almost solid gold knife, the flying flower—a bit wilted and beat-up but still beautiful—and what looked vaguely like a comb.
He knelt in front of her, upper and lower hands cupped together and outstretched, showing her the items. She just blinked at them for a moment, before he wiggled them slightly with an urgent-sounding grunt, prompting her to tentatively reach out and pick up the comb.
As soon as she picked it up, he exhaled in a rush and set the rest on the ground in front of her before standing again.
Muttering to himself some more, he took what looked like a deep, bracing breath and lifted all four arms.
He then flexed them in a familiar, if still bizarre, display.
Lily bit back a relieved laugh, feeling her heart swell as she finally understood what the hell was going on.
He wasn’t having second thoughts about being with her, they weren’t in danger, and he wasn't having a nervous breakdown, all of which had flashed through her mind.
This was something else entirely.
I think he's proposing, the big goof.
L ily watched, rapt, while Drrak continued going through the ritual she thought they referred to as displaying or showing. She was fairly positive he was doing it in reverse from what her guys had shown her back in the cave, but that just lent an adorably flustered quality that she found charming.
After the muscle flexing, he stood perfectly still and stared at her, waiting patiently, if a bit anxiously, for her to signal her approval, but she was suddenly frozen with indecision.
The silence stretched on longer than she was sure it was supposed to .
Despite making the decision to let go of her doubts, Lily was torn. She didn’t want to stop him, absolutely did not want to give him the impression she was rejecting him, but she wanted her guys there.
It felt wrong to do this without them.
Because he was watching her so closely, he caught her quick, anxious glance at the cliff above. It spoke to how intently he’d observed her since they’d met that he seemed to understand immediately what she needed.
Rel
ief crossed his scarred features before he voiced a low call, the same hooting call she’d heard tribe members use to signal others across a distance.
Who is he…
Realization hit her.
They’ve been following us this whole time, those sneaks.
A wry smile twisted her mouth as she understood her guys had arranged this. They’d wanted her and Drrak to be alone together but hadn’t been willing to leave her unprotected.
Tipping her head back, she watched the cliff expectantly .
Tor poked his head over the ledge first, giving her a cheerful wave with both his upper and lower right hands—a gesture he’d picked up from her that still managed to look odd coming from an alien regardless, or perhaps because, of how enthusiastically he did it.
Arruk was next, a bright smile lighting up his pale, patterned face as he looked down at her, and finally, Frrar. Frrar looked happier than he had in days and the stress she’d noticed him carrying seemed to have lifted considerably.
They disappeared just as quickly as they arrived, before she could say a word, apparently deciding she only needed to know they were there, though she wouldn’t have minded them staying. Still, their quick appearance and knowing they were close, that they were present, even if not directly, during such a monumental moment made her feel much better.
Looking back at Drrak, who was still standing motionless and waiting for her, she got to her feet so she was ready for what came next. Nodding her head to show him her approval of his patience, she felt her heart start to pound in anticipation when he slowly turned to present her with his back. She could sense his trepidation, but he hid it well.
Lily understood his nervousness.
The tail dance, which she’d learned was an absolutely crucial part of their ritual, wouldn’t be easy for Drrak since he was missing at least half, if not more, of the damaged limb.
It was how they wafted their mating scent—the one that sent her libido into a tizzy—to the female, proving they were not just mature, but virile, and able to provide her with younglings.
