Heidi nodded her head, her gaze dropping as he continued to pick only very specific food from what was offered. Her curiosity finally got the best of her.
“Do Ragoru have dietary constraints?” she asked.
Either she was tired, borderline drunk from all the ale she had enjoyed during the evening, or was just plain bored. That had to be the reason that she was eager to flirt with the Ragoru’s explosive temper. She really wanted to see how far she could push him.
Tah slanted her a confused look. “No. Our stomachs allow us to eat any available food that we find. Our teeth can crush bones in the leanest months, but summer berries are particularly enjoyed.”
She sat back in her chair and gestured at the food still spread out between them. “You are only touching half of the food. Surely you must be more adventurous than that.”
He frowned at the food, his lip curling in disgust. “The texture is unnatural. I prefer food that looks familiar.”
“You ate the cheese,” she pointed out.
“A minor lapse in judgment,” he grumbled. “Ragoru do not vary our diet or anything outside of our natural lifestyle. It not only preserves our culture but keeps us from desiring more than our lot. Though we cook and prepare food in addition to just eating it raw when on the hunt, we are taught to keep our ways simple and not desire human comforts.” The last he said begrudgingly as he glanced at everything in front of him.
It was so obvious to her that he wanted to indulge himself further.
“And the cheese?”
“It is similar to something my mother made when I was a rog. I considered it an acceptable indulgence,” he ground out.
Heidi caught her tongue between her lips and considered him. Perhaps it was the part of her that played with danger, that lived for the endorphin high of pushing the normal constraints and restrictions. It was mad to tempt a beast. No one would understand why she did it. She didn’t even understand why she was contemplating it. For whatever reason, she just wanted to see him surrender to his base hungers without control or worry. She wanted to see the often aggravated male actually enjoy something, if for no other reason than that she went so often without knowing simple pleasures. He denied himself for reasons he obviously didn’t wholeheartedly believe in.
“How about a wager?” she heard herself say quite unexpectedly.
Tah paused and regarded her suspiciously. “What sort of wager?”
“A game of passions.”
His expression sharpened with intrigue. “Go on.”
“You see these items in front of you?” She gestured to the foods he would not eat. “You obviously desire them. The only thing that keeps you from having them is that you are told it is wrong to want them because they are part of human civilization, which is closed to you.”
He nodded slowly, his yellow eyes fastened intently to her.
“I believe that this denial is unhealthy and without purpose. I want you to enjoy them. I want you to push outside of your comfort zone and everything that you were told was appropriate behavior and enjoy the taste of something… forbidden.”
That caught Tah’s attention. He stared at her for a long moment before his tongue swept out along his mouth, only slightly gliding off the edge of his teeth in the process. “What are your rules?”
“You have to control yourself and show discipline. Enjoy but in moderation. You are not human, but you are not an animal either. I want to see you indulge your desire but restrain yourself in the face of what you really want.”
Tah leaned forward and pillowed his jaw on one hand. “Why do you wish to tempt me this way?”
“Because after traveling with you for days, I know you are more than the monstrous beasts that the Order has painted you. I know that you possess discipline. I have seen it. You are more than your anger. Now I want you to show it to me in the face of what you desire. Show me that you can retain control even when you get what you want… not retaining control through avoidance.”
The male’s pale gray head tilted to the side, his four yellow eyes burning a path into her as they trailed along her face and dipped low to trace the line of her armor. They finally slid shut and he shivered.
“If I do this… I will not be able to go back to the life that I knew before of being nothing more than Ragoru as the Mother designed us.”
“Maybe that is your destiny,” she said.
His breath shuddered out of him and he nodded. “And if I do this to your satisfaction? What do I win?”
Heidi paused. What would he want? “Name it.”
His eyes regarded her thoughtfully. “One night,” he muttered, and her muscles froze. His mouth quirked as he gestured abruptly toward the bed. “One night to sleep in that.”
Her mouth gaped open. “That is my bed!”
The male’s shoulders rolled in a careless shrug as he grinned. “I do not mind sharing, but I will get to leisurely enjoy such luxury even if it is just this once.”
“Are you seriously telling me Ragoru have no beds?”
“We have beds, comfortable ones too, from what I recall. But no triad who is without territory or den will have the comfort of such furs and a warm nest of bedding. By tradition we are not permitted such comforts until we have earned them. When we have secured a territory and built our den—then these things are allowed to us. We have not known comfort for many revolutions. I want tonight.”
Staring at him askance, Heidi licked her lips and slowly nodded. It made sense and she felt a sharp pinch of sympathy for him. His self-denial paired with the harsh ways of his people did not make his life easy. She had known a hard life, even though she knew the two were not comparable. For this one night, she wanted him to find pleasure, and just maybe she could also forget for a time what a fucked up awful world it was.
“You have a bargain,” she said.
His face lit up, easing the hard lines that were so familiar on his visage. “Very well. I shall start with that then.”
He pointed a claw at the tart near her arm and she froze as he reached forward, his claws lightly brushing her arm. He watched her expression carefully, all four of his eyes focused completely on her. It was all she could do not to shiver as he plucked it up and set the morsel on his slick blue tongue.
A short breath burst out of her. She wasn’t entirely sure if she was going to survive this game after all.
13
The taste of berries and an incredible foreign sweetness burst over his tongue, mingling with the crumbly substance. It congealed in his mouth, but the taste was so appetizing that he could excuse the revolting texture. His eyes rested on the huntress. Her scent had deepened in an intriguing manner, mixing with the taste of the sweet food.
Desire roared in him to taste her. What would be more forbidden than that? Did she not challenge him?
His body stirred and ached. It was not the first time that he’d felt such. In his youth when his hormones were still new it occurred frequently, but as an unmated male, it had been considerably infrequent over the years.
He wanted… her. It was illogical. He disliked her abrasiveness and her past association with the Master. He wanted to deny what he was feeling. He’d wanted that feeling for an innocent, sweet-faced female.
A female who would likely run from him in terror. He grimaced. He didn’t look forward to trying to woo a nervous human.
Yet at this moment, he was faced with a female who looked at him without a trace of fear. She’d never shown him any fear, but had argued with him and teased him even in his foulest mood. He would not be able to keep her. A mate had to be agreed on by the entire triad, but he wanted to taste her.
Not yet, though. First, he would taste everything on the table. Only when he’d satisfied those desires would he satisfy his most forbidden one.
The female—Heidi, he reluctantly reminded himself—would be on his tongue before the night was out. The way she met his gaze as he placed another delicacy on his tongue, her throat working as she swallowed and he
r sweet musk filling the air…
She lusted for the forbidden too. He could see it in her eyes.
“What is this morsel?” he queried softly.
“It is a tart. A pastry made of ground flour that is grown in the fields and filled with berries preserved from the previous summer.” Her voice rasped with an unexpected huskiness that he thoroughly enjoyed. “Do you enjoy it?”
“It is strange. The texture is horrible, but the taste is addictive. It is a mixture of what I know I should not want and yet am insatiable for. Does that make sense? Have you experienced anything of the like?” He eyed her closely as her cheeks flushed pink and her lips pinched together.
She was very controlled. Even when her scent belied her desire, she managed to control her reactions. He wanted more than anything to see her come undone.
“Perhaps a time or two,” she admitted, her brows pulling together into a scowl.
He wanted to laugh. It obviously pained her to admit such a thing to him. “A huntress of the Order no doubt has many rules and restrictions to control you. I am sure that even now you are bound by them.”
The pink tint of her skin darkened, and her fist clenched around the pronged utensil she held in her hand.
“Perhaps,” she agreed finally, her voice stiff with irritation. He wanted to vex her, to get her to admit that she also had desires that she kept hidden and under control. To his disappointment, however, she returned to eating instead of rising to his bait.
Tah grunted, his eyes going over what remained of their meal. Although he wanted it, he left the last tart for her. “What would you like me to try next?”
She sucked a chunk of meat into her mouth and looked at the table with interest. Licking her lips, she took a slice of a pale, fluffy slab. He had been certain that it was not food, though it held an aroma that faintly reminded him of the fields around the Citadel.
“This is bread. Like the pastry it is made from milled grain that is ground into a fine powder and used to make food. It is quite delicious when it is fresh like this. Even more with jam.” She scooped up a dark gloopy substance and smeared it over the bread.
Wrinkling his nose, Tah looked at it with distaste. “I am not eating that.”
Her smile became sharper and she leaned forward, her small pink tongue slipping out of her mouth to lick at the goop in a fascinating way. “Whyever not, Tah?”
A low growl rumbled out of his chest. “You are toying with me again.”
She took a bite of the bread. “If you think so.”
He glowered at her, his eyes tracking the way her tongue traced over her lips—savoring the sludge she called jam. “What is jam?”
“A form of preserved berries.”
It did smell good, despite its revolting appearance. He took the last segment of bread in one hand and slathered the remaining jam onto it just as she had. Glancing once more at her to make sure it wasn’t a trick, he watched as she smiled knowingly and took another bite of her bread. Tah lifted the bread to his mouth. He flicked his tongue out to taste the berries. It was both sweet and tart, the heady flavor invading his mouth, and he groaned with pleasure, his eyes closing in bliss.
This jam was assuredly a gift from the Mother.
His eyes snapped open when he heard Heidi chuckle. There was nothing condescending in it, unlike their past interactions. Instead, he detected genuine amusement.
“Good, isn’t it?”
“It is edible,” he grunted as he bit into the bread, savoring the melody of flavor. In three successive bites, the bread was gone. He sighed mournfully that there was not more to enjoy.
Heidi took another bite of her bread, chewing with relish. He knew very well that she was taunting him from the teasing quirk of her lips. There was still another bite remaining. He licked his teeth hungrily. She froze at the action but then popped the last bite into her mouth, her eyes flaring with triumph. Her action had been hasty enough to smear jam over her lips, leaving a brilliant stain while she smirked at him.
Tah grinned, and she immediately turned wary. He breathed in her scent. It tantalized him, blooming not with fear but excitement as she eyed him.
He closed the distance between them, pinning her against her chair. Her eyes widened at him. He felt a prick at his throat and glanced down to notice that she’d pulled out a blade and had it poised there, ready to strike.
Brave, smart female.
He leaned forward, feeling the pressure of the blade, though not enough to break his tough skin. His tongue swiped out, slipping over the seam of her lips, collecting the salty, sweet flavor of her mouth along with the delectable jam. He sipped at her mouth, tasting it leisurely until he brushed his muzzle along her jaw, dancing on the precipice of the forbidden with her for as long as he dared.
In the end, she was still not his mate. As much as he longed for her, he discovered the unsettling fact that he didn’t want to treat her as something just to satiate his curiosity or passion. He breathed in her scent one last time, allowing it to fill his senses.
“All of my desires at this time have been satisfied,” he rumbled. “My only other desire would be if this room did not stink of the Master.”
A nervous breath left her, and she gave him an amused look as he pulled away and returned to his chair. “His cologne can be overpowering. This room, as I am sure you have guessed by now, was the one he stayed in.”
He inclined his head. “We are not far behind him then. We will leave tomorrow at first opportunity.”
“Not so fast,” Heidi interrupted. “I want the morning to question a few more of the residents around here first, and I need to get a good look at how the track departs from here. I will catch up to you when I am done.”
Tah bit back a growl of irritation but yielded.
She chuckled. “You really are the impatient sort who needs to be in the thick of everything, aren’t you?”
He snorted but froze when he heard a brisk tap at the door. Heidi jumped to her feet, shoving him toward the window. “Get back out there and hide,” she hissed. “I’ll let you back in as soon as it is safe to do so.”
He gave her a startled look and she smiled wanly.
“A deal is a deal after all,” she mumbled as she gave him one more sharp shove. “Now hurry so I can let Tansy in before she gets impatient.”
Without protest, Tah slipped out the window as he heard Heidi’s steps move toward the door. He’d just pulled himself back onto the roof when he caught the musky fragrance of the returning female. Her voice was quite audible to him where he lurked.
“Done already, are you? Blessed Mother, you must have been hungry! Is there anything else I can get for you?”
“No, thank you, Tansy. I believe I am going to rest now.”
“Very well… I hate to mention it, but my eldest said she heard some strange sounds coming from up here. Is everything all right?”
“Strange sounds?”
“Yes, odd growling sounds and heavy footsteps. She said it was all rather frightening!”
“Oh, my apologies, that was me. I am afraid I was vexed over something personal. Please tell her not to worry. There is nothing to be alarmed about,” Heidi said, soothing the other female.
A relieved sigh could be heard. “Ah, what a relief. I will leave you to your rest then. Have a peaceful night.”
He heard a clatter followed by receding footsteps.
“Same to you, Tansy,” Heidi said, and the sound of the door closing alerted him to the absence of the other female. Several minutes passed before he finally heard the huntress’s voice float up to him. “You can come in now, Tah.”
She gave him a tired look as he slipped back in.
“You have a talent for growling?” he teased.
Heidi rolled her eyes. “I bite too, so be careful.”
“And what did I tell you of biting?” he murmured.
A shiver raced over her, and she hastily stepped away. “I am tired and have much that needs to be done in the morning.
I am going to bed.”
He watched as she loosened her armor and stacked it neatly on the table with her cloak. The soft, dark clothing covering her body clung tightly to her, outlining the curves of her hips before tucking into a narrow waist only to flare out at her ribcage and the swell of her breasts. He didn’t get the opportunity to admire her long. Heidi slipped into the thick bedding, her head pillowed comfortably. She glanced at him before rolling onto her side.
“Make sure you turn the light out before you come to bed,” she grumbled.
Tah stepped over to one lantern. It had a simple knob. His first try expanded the fiber in the center, making the flame grow taller and brighter. Heidi mumbled plaintively and he cursed. Turning the knob in the other direction, the fiber slipped down and disappeared, snuffing out the light in the process. He repeated this process three more times until the room was finally dark.
His eyes soon adjusted to the lack of light and he made his way back to the bed. Heidi lay on her side, leaving over half of the bed available for him. He eased himself onto the bed, slipping into the blankets beside her. His entire body lay rigidly at first, worried that he would accidentally squish her.
“Tah, you are as stiff as a log. Relax and get some sleep,” she said from the other side of the bed.
Smiling in the dark, he did as he was directed, relaxing again as their scents began to mingle. He liked that more than he would have expected. Settling in closer, he burrowed down into the blanket, enjoying the soft comfort of the bed and their entwined scents until he at last drifted off to sleep.
14
Gund crouched, the bulk of his frame shifting on the tree in which he sat as he peered toward the village. The sky was only starting to lighten at the approach of dawn. Tah had been gone all night, and there was no doubt in his mind where the male had gotten off to. Gund bristled, the fur of his mane lifting.
He had told Tah no. He’d given him an order to stay away from the settlement, to only patrol the outer edge of the forest. The stupid male was going to get himself killed!
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