White: Emala's Story (Ragoru Beginnings Book 1)

by S. J. Sanders

  She had teeth like prey.

  His tongue slid over his fangs thoughtfully. He understood now some of why she reacted as she did. He returned her smile slowly, hoping that she wouldn’t find it threatening. This time, she didn’t shy away, but she seemed to be shivering all over. She stepped a little closer, still wary, but she glanced around the woods with far more fear than she regarded him with. He found that at least somewhat comforting, though he had to wonder what inspired such a reaction. Unless it was the woods themselves? He grunted to himself. Such a fear showed intelligence, if nothing else. A number of creatures could kill the small human female with little effort.

  The sound of her voice immediately brought his full attention back to her. His ears turned toward her to catch every nuance of her beautiful voice. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. You... you set me free, didn’t you?”

  He nodded slowly again, though he didn’t attempt to approach her.

  “And you are not going to hurt me...”

  He flattened his ears in irritation. Didn’t he show as much? He was about to turn and continue on his way when she let out a soft laugh and shook her head. The sound was so beguiling that he forgot his interest in leaving. One small, pale hand slid through her hair as she stared at him. “Yeah, sorry. You already told me as much.”

  She didn’t say anything else for several minutes and Mishar huffed, uncertain what to do now. The air was cold enough that he didn’t run any risk of the tail-flagger’s meat spoiling, but the daylight wouldn’t last much longer. He needed to head toward his territory and find a good place to make camp.

  The human shivered again, and she wrapped her arms around herself in a protective posture. Despite her coverings, she seemed to be struggling to stay warm. He stepped closer toward her and to his surprise she didn’t attempt to dodge him or flee. Instead, she watched him attentively, her eyes never leaving him as he reached forward with one hand and touch her outer fur. Mishar grimaced. It was sodden! Even a Ragoru would freeze if they got wet enough. A huff of air wheezed out of him. He would have groaned with dismay if he could have produced the sound.

  Her eyes snapped from his hand to his face. “Yeah, I know. That fall bruised what feels like every inch of me, but right now being wet is worse. I’m freezing,” she muttered as each word was emphasized by a strange clicking sound from her teeth that continued long after she finished speaking.

  Snow fell in a soft whump from a tree. If she were to have any chance for survival, he needed to get her warm. He hated that he felt conflicted over the matter. Seeing that she was adequately warm was a driving instinct within him, yet at the same time he didn’t want to set up camp where humans might discover them. Though it would possibly be beneficial for her if humans did come across them, he wasn’t fond of the idea of having them trying to kill him.

  Not that they would succeed, but humans weren’t something he wanted to eat, and he couldn’t stomach the idea of slaughtering beings that weren’t food if he could avoid it. Besides, his white fur was already reddening from the tail-flagger. He didn’t even want to think of what sort of grooming he would have to do if he were forced to kill humans in self-defense. Not to mention that the female’s fear of him might return should she witness such a display.

  He was still mulling it over in his mind, trying to work out the best decision, when he felt something small and wet lean into him. He blinked down in surprise at the top of the female’s head. She was pressed against him as she spoke again, her voice soft and hesitant. “I’m sorry. I realize this must be incredibly rude, but I am freezing, and you look so warm.” She moaned softly, the sound sending strange sensation shooting through his body. “Gods! You are warm!”

  Stunned by his own reaction, Mishar closed one arm around her, holding her tightly to him. He feared that at any moment she would change her mind and break off contact between them, and then that would be that. Any opportunity to enjoy the brief connection, whatever it was between them, would then be lost. She looked so strange. He never saw anything nearly completely lacking in fur as she was. Still, she smelled good, and touching her definitely felt good. He smiled with pleasure as she sighed and moved in closer, burrowing her face against the thicker fur along his side. A strange sort of pride filled him that he, Mishar, was doing the one thing that most Ragoru would think him incapable of with his inability to speak— he was caring for a female!

  He gently tapped his claw on her chin so she would look up at him. Once she met his eyes, he smiled reassuringly down at her, ignoring the tiniest recoil from her at the sight of his fangs. They would become accustomed to each other’s appearances soon enough. Now that he had her attention, he swept his hand in the direction of his territory, his ears tilting toward her questioningly.

  He didn’t think she understood because her eyes went wide and she shook her head. “Please don’t leave me...” she whispered. “I don’t have anything now, not even my horse.” He had no idea what that was but listened as she continued to let out a stream of words, only half of which he understood. Finally, he pressed a claw to her lips to halt her speech. Pointing at her and then at himself he made a gesture of them walking and motioned again in the same direction.

  He knew the moment she understood because her eyes lit up. “You will take me with you?”

  He nodded and signed. Yes. Come.

  She watched his hands with a baffled look but then shrugged her shoulders and smiled broadly. Elation filled him. She didn’t seem to be overly concerned with their inability to speak. Perhaps this would work out well after all. They could take care of her and she would make a fine companion. She was pleasant to look upon and touch, despite her strangeness. Surely, she wouldn’t find it an objectionable way of life. The forest was often unforgiving and hard, especially in winter. She might even grow to enjoy it—as long as his brother wasn’t overbearingly protective when he returned home with her. Mishar would hate to fight with his brother, but he felt that he would do whatever was necessary to protect her.

  With the female tucked beside him, though it slowed his pace considerably, Mishar began to head home. Not far away, there was a deep overhang where they could find shelter for the night before continuing on in the morning. Until then, he would share his body heat. He only wished that he could ignore the trepidation stirring in his breast at the thought of introducing her to his family.

  Chapter 8

  Although being pressed close to a dangerous predator was unnerving for Emala, he kept her warm, even slowing his steps to a shuffling gait so she could stay snug against him. It was somehow sweet. She wanted to scold herself because Alix had also seemed “sweet,” but there was such a profound difference between the Ragoru and the merchant that she didn’t feel right about comparing them. She couldn’t communicate with him, nor did she know his name, and yet she felt far more comfortable than she even had with Alix’s flirtations. She felt... protected. She had a hard time recalling the last time she’d felt that way.

  Not since her mother had fallen ill, although Jaryna had done the best she could to protect Emala from her father’s temper when she’d been little. Emala had no doubt that her father’s death was carried out at least in part to protect her as much as part of her mother’s sense of self-preservation. She’d felt so alone against everything for so long that she wanted to cling to the male at her side. With the Ragoru, she felt as if he was a wall between herself and everything that frightened her. Erik and Alix were nothing when compared to him. She could almost see how her mother had agreed to mating with a triad of such males. It was almost a heady feeling, to be cared for and so tenderly regarded by such a being. Even when his attention was focused elsewhere, his secondary peripheral eye, the one higher on his temple, kept watch on her. It was strange, and she wasn’t accustomed to the sight of a creature with two sets of eyes, but also comforting that he wasn’t letting her out of his sight.

  He was even kind enough to keep the deer on his opposite shoulder. Although it was frozen
and no longer bleeding, it was thoughtful of him. She would have endured a dead deer thumping over his upper arm while he held her close with his lower one, but it would be far less pleasant. Unlike the Ragoru, who had a delicious, warm smell to him despite his fur that reminded her of mulled wine, the deer simply stank.

  Still, despite his meticulous care, she was thankful when they finally stopped at a deep impression in the rock with an overhang that would protect them from the worst of the wind and snow. Emala wanted to fall into his arms with profuse thanks when he drew her within the simple shelter. She couldn’t though, since he promptly released her, deposited the stag outside, and returned only to proceed to pull off the straps she hadn’t seen buried against his body in his fur.

  A large, furry pack slid to the floor, reducing much of his bulk and revealing the sleek lines of his form, as well as the protective plating that ran down the center of his back that kept him from looking entirely wolfish. Not that he left anything to the imagination to begin with. The Ragoru didn’t need to wear clothing due to their pelts that thinned out in a shorter suede only over their hands, chests, and bellies. Even his sex was completely concealed, she confirmed with a quick glance down when his attention was diverted to the contents of his bag.

  She blushed at her own inappropriate thoughts as she watched him unpack. Given that everything she now owned was exclusively on her body, she was thankful that he had provisions. Within minutes, he had a fire started and had unrolled a fur on the ground, gesturing for her to join him on it. She didn’t bother feigning shyness—the sort that would be expected of a lady of her position. No, she ran over to claim her spot before snuggling once more into him. She glanced up only long enough to ascertain that it didn’t bother him that he was practically wearing her. The pleased curve of his mouth and the feel of his right arms cradling her said all that she needed to know.

  His smile did, however, widen at the unhappy gurgle of her stomach. Though she was acutely embarrassed at the sound coming from her body, she was surprised when he sprung to action, promptly providing her with a kind of dried meat. Emala gnawed on the tough and tasteless offering. It didn’t even possess the most rudimentary seasoning. Regardless, she ate it with enthusiasm, though she did wonder if his species knew anything of cooking and tasty herbs. Somehow, she doubted it. From what she could tell from the items he pulled from his pack, the Ragoru were not without knowledge but seemed to be minimalist in their approach, concerned only with basic necessities. The meat was well cured...just not particularly interesting to taste. It was nothing that kept her from eating it, and her companion seemed to enjoy it well enough.

  After her stomach was sated, Emala rested her head on her knees, facing the Ragoru. Her eyes already felt heavy with sleep, but she needed to know what to expect. She was so afraid that if she closed her eyes or let her attention stray even a little that she would be thrown once more into uncertainty. “So, what is next?” she asked tiredly.

  He cocked his head and smiled at her, which she readily returned. She had the feeling that he enjoyed when she spoke to him. Emala made a mental note to talk his ear off once she got some rest. No doubt he would love that.

  Scooting closer to her, her companion held out one fist and then another before slowly bringing them together. Emala was certain that he was attempting some sort of sign language and intentionally making his movements slow and exaggerated in hopes that she’d understand him. She watched it carefully as he repeated the gesture at her request. After the second go-around, she strongly suspected that the two fists were to represent them, and this seemed confirmed when his lower hands raised to cover over his two fists. She decided to hazard a guess at his meaning. “You want us to stay together?”

  His ears perked up and he nodded, his hand coming forward to rest on her shoulder. She smiled and rubbed her hand against the soft fuzz that covered it. She was relieved but it didn’t seem fair for her to take him up on that offer when danger could follow her wherever she stayed. “I would love that, but I’m not sure how safe that would be for you.”

  He gave her an unmistakable look of disbelief and then looked down at himself and then at her as if comparing their sizes and strength. He even brought one big arm up and flexed the muscle so that she could see that he was not afraid or intimidated by anything she was worried about. Emala couldn’t help but smile at the demonstration. She had no doubt that if anyone could keep her safe it would be him.

  “Where I am from, the Citadel, there is a very powerful male who wishes to uh, mate with me. I don’t think he will stop at anything to get me back. He certainly didn’t let the fact that he was... mated... to my mother stop him from his goal. If he can plan to kill her in order to get to me, I don’t want to think of what he might do to you. He is a high-ranking Master of the huntsmen. I suspect it would bring him pleasure to destroy you and your triad.”

  The male beside her frowned and then shook his head as he patted her arm comfortingly. He set one hand against his chest while another swept out in front of him before jerking inward as if to demonstrate something coming at him. Then he bared his fangs, snapping his teeth loud enough that she jumped with a startled squeak. He chuffed out what seemed to be a laugh with a strange broken coughing sound but it had her smiling up at him.

  “You are going to do all that, huh? You think that will scare them?”

  He cocked a brow over his right primary eye as he regarded her and shook his head with another broken chuff and swept his claws through the air over his neck as if ripping the throat out of someone. Understanding dawned on her and she gaped at him. He would kill anyone that Erik sent for her. “You would kill them, wouldn’t you?”

  He inclined his head with a satisfied smirk. He leaned forward and brushed two fingers against her chest, over her heart, and brought them to his own chest. Another hand caged his fingers over his heart and patted them securely.

  “I am yours?” she guessed. She had never been good at charades when she played them as a girl, but she must be experiencing a miraculous improvement because he broke into a wide, affirming smile. She was so distracted by the pure, unadulterated look of pleasure on his face that she nearly missed the way he patted his chest again almost absently. That sounded a little too proprietary to her, but she wasn’t entirely sure she minded all that much.

  Wasn’t this the very thing that her mother had spoken to her of since she’d been old enough to understand? The adoration and sense of belonging that came with being a Ragoru’s mate. She knew it wasn’t the same as Erik’s desire to possess her. The male beside her wasn’t claiming ownership. That was not the way of his kind. He was demonstrating that he wanted to be everything for her and to belong to each other. Even though she wasn’t certain what nuances of emotion were involved on his part, that gesture alone was seductive.

  Emala smiled, her eyes drooping from exhaustion, and leaned into him. At some point, she felt him shift so that they lay together on the thick pelt spread beneath him, his body fitting around hers protectively. She worried that she still hadn’t told him about the merchants, though she doubted that they would risk coming after her with everything else that they’d lost. They would likely flee to find some other poor woman to seduce and trap. Emala felt bad for their next victim. Although it was cruel for her to think in such a way, she wished she’d taken more of them out when the wagon slid into the ravine. At least then it would have spared some innocent young women in the future. All the same, she needed to tell her Ragoru about it so that he was at least aware. She would tell him in the morning.

  Chapter 9

  Her new companion wasn’t any more impressed with the threat of the merchants. At first, he’d been confused about what she was talking about until she explained the circumstances of her capture and the wagon accident. Then his eyes had brightened with clarity and he gave her a look that spoke volumes as he chuffed to himself while he packed up their camp. In fact, if she wasn’t mistaken, he seemed even more amused than he’d been the night be
fore that she would consider them a possible threat to a Ragoru.

  She watched him with no small amount of frustration that he wasn’t treating the matter seriously enough. Although it was unlikely that Alix would be a threat, it wasn’t wise to outright dismiss the possibility. Instead of looking concerned, the oaf tried to flirt with her in small ways that she was starting to pick up on—the way his tail brushed her leg, or a certain look he would give her with a secondary eye while he was breaking down camp. She attempted several times to help but only got gently pushed out of the way.

  Instead, she was left to wait at the innermost point of the shelter, holding a fresh cup of hot tea comprised of a pleasing blend of herbs, while he stowed the supplies. While the food he offered was largely unseasoned, the herbal tea was delicious and boasted such delicate notes of flavor that she’d been pleasantly surprised. By the time she drained the cup, he’d packed his bag and strode over to her, plucking her up easily into his arms. Chuffing once more, he delivered a playful nip that had her swatting him away and laughing. Then he set her on her feet with a smug look.

  She got the message.

  He didn’t want her worrying. He would do more than nip anyone who attempted to take her.

  She supposed he had a point. Merchants, regardless of how unscrupulous and cruel, weren’t on the same level as trained huntsmen. His head dipped again as if catching a scent that intrigued him and he snuffled around her neck until she giggled and pushed at his muzzle. He pulled back with a playful grin.

  Emala winced as she stretched, feeling every bruise. It could have been much worse. The Ragoru gave her a concerned look as she peeked down the front of her blouse at a large bruise already purpling across her left breast. She frowned at the sight of the discoloration. She was sure that her hip, arms, and legs weren’t in much better shape. The male’s hand skimmed her arm questioningly.