by Lily Thomas
“What’s going on over there?”
She looked up to see everyone was now staring over at the two women. “We just need to see to Ezi’s comfort.”
“Ezi,” Tor mumbled, and Aiyre narrowed her eyes at him.
“We packed some supplies.” Daerk grabbed a leather pack and brought it over to her. “Use whatever you need, and if you need something else…” Daerk looked over at Tor, “Get him to help you.”
Aiyre tossed him a nod. “I’m going to take off your bandage,” she told Ezi, “which means removing your splint. You could experience some pain.”
Ezi nodded. “I understand.”
Aiyre dug through the bag, found some herbs, and handed them over to Tor. “Get some water boiling, and then throw these in.”
“What will they do?” He glanced at the herbs he was taking from her and gave them a sniff.
“They’ll take away her pain.”
He snapped to once the words were out of her mouth. Something was going on around here, and she still wasn’t sure what it was.
Aiyre glanced over at Daerk. His golden eyes were trained on her, even though he was trying to look relaxed by leaning against the cave wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Something was definitely up, and she was going to tread cautiously until she knew what it was.
“Something wrong?” Ezi whispered over at her.
“Maybe not. I’m not sure.” Aiyre whispered back. She dug through the pack pulling out anything and everything she might need for Ezi’s leg.
“Tell me. I need something to distract my mind.” Ezi gave her a weak smile.
“I don’t want to worry you about nothing. Let’s talk about something else.” Aiyre started to unwrap Ezi’s bandages and splint.
Ezi let out a hiss of pain, and Aiyre noticed Tor’s gaze fly to Ezi’s face. She didn’t know enough about sabertooth shifters to understand his interest in Ezi, but it concerned her. Each clan had kept their distance from each other. Maybe their clan didn’t have enough women to keep the men entertained, and he simply found Ezi fascinating.
Aiyre shivered. Yuck! She couldn’t think about one of the sabertooths between her thighs. If they were trying to win them over, they’d have an uphill battle on their hands. She couldn’t see Ezi or herself being interested in one of them.
Aiyre packed the new bandage full of whatever herbs Daerk had in his bag, and then wrapped the fur bandages around Ezi’s leg. Then she reattached the splint.
“Hopefully this wound heals before an infection sets in, and as for the ankle, I can only hope I’m doing what needs to be done.” Aiyre frowned. “Unfortunately, I don’t know too much about healing, and I’m doing my best.”
Ezi gave her a warm smile. “I’m just happy to have you by my side. When I was walking around out there by myself, all I could think was that I would die alone.”
Aiyre gave her hand a reassuring pat. “I was afraid of the very same thing. I’m glad I was able to find you.”
“Here you are.” Tor tiptoed his way over the uneven floor of the cave with a small wooden cup balanced in his hands and then handed it over to Aiyre.
“Thank you.” She blew on the liquid, and then pressed the cup to Ezi’s lips. “Drink as much as you can, but don’t force yourself.”
“I can do it.” Ezi took the cup from her hands and drank some of the warm liquid. “Hmmm… it’s warm.”
Aiyre smiled. She was happy to see pink in her friend’s cheeks again. They were going to get through this, with the help of three sabertooth shifters. Their lives had definitely taken a strange turn.
Aiyre stood up, and her smile slipped from her face as she eyed the other men in the cave. She was going to need to get some sleep, but she wasn’t sure she should trust these men. She didn’t know them, and they were sabertooth shifters, which meant they had two strikes against them.
Keeping an eye on Ezi and Tor, she made her way over to where Daerk stood, still leaning against the cave wall.
“You do know we are pronghorn shifters, right?” She asked, needing to make sure he understood exactly who he was helping.
“We’ve already had this discussion.”
“I just wanted to make sure you heard me earlier. I’m still having a hard time seeing three sabertooth shifters helping us.”
His golden eyes skimmed over her, and she saw heat soar through them. Did he find her attractive? Maybe she’d mistook what she’d seen flash through his eyes. She hoped so.
Her eyes skimmed over him. She’d seen him bare naked, and she was still able to think back on that moment with ease. He had a pleasing form, full of toned muscles that he should be proud of. Heat flooded her cheeks as she thought back to that glimpse of his cock. Even when he wasn’t hard it’d been hard to miss the cock that had dangled between his legs.
“We need to collect the meat from the bear,” Daerk interrupted the direction of her thoughts, “if we’re going to have you two live here through winter.” Daerk pushed himself off the wall, getting extremely close to her and taking in a deep sniff that she had a hard time not noticing.
Then he turned around and headed for the mouth of the cave. “Come with me Tor and Rir. We will bring our packs and collect the meat and fur from the bear before another predator comes by.”
Tor took a glance over at Ezi but did as the leader of the group bid. Rir was quick to follow.
Daerk turned towards her. “Can I trust you not to run?”
“No.”
Daerk huffed in annoyance, but she cut him off. It was true. If she only had to think about herself, she would be on her way as soon as the men left the cave. But she had Ezi to think about. She wasn’t going to run if she couldn’t take Ezi with her
“I won’t leave without her, and she can’t run.” Aiyre folded her arms across her chest.
He seemed mollified. “We’ll see you soon then. Be cautious of anyone else who could show up.” And then he was gone.
Aiyre looked over at Ezi, who had her back against the wall.
“Feeling any better?”
“The tea has taken effect,” Ezi confirmed a drowsiness to her eyes.
“Good.”
Aiyre sat next to her friend, while they waited for the sabertooth shifters to come back.
The men walked in silence, as Daerk kept his eyes open for any dangers. Not just to them but any threats to the women back at the cave. He’d have to check every day to make sure none of his people ventured over here, and if they did, he would have to redirect them without giving the women away.
The pronghorn woman’s scent had been even more intoxicating in person. He’d found himself drawn to her at every turn, and her presence in the small cave had nearly overwhelmed him. He’d been glad for the excuse to go back and collect the bear meat, if only to have the chance to clear his head.
His sabertooth begged him to go back to the cave and take her. It bewildered him. He wasn’t entirely sure how a sabertooth and a pronghorn were supposed to work. There was no telling what type of shifter the children would be, and Daerk wasn’t sure he was up to raising pronghorns. His sabertooth purred at the idea of children with Aiyre, completely unfazed by the idea of pronghorn children.
Challenging Brog was becoming imperative. If he ever wanted to bring her into his clan, he’d have to get rid of Brog. Unless he wanted to start his own clan, but that idea didn’t really appeal to him. He wanted to ensure Aiyre’s safety, but he also wanted to save his clan from Brog’s influence. Brog was going to run the clan into the ground.
The bear carcass came into view as they crested a small hill buried under the snow. There were birds already circling the carcass and fighting over who got first dibs.
Daerk sprinted over the snow, waving his gloved hands in the air like a madman. “Get out of here!” He hollered.
The birds flew up into the air with a tremendous clatter of noises. They were displeased with the rude interruption, but wouldn’t risk their own lives to fight him. They knew once he was done
, they would be allowed to pick at scraps of meat on the bones.
“Let’s get this meat collected before anything larger shows up.” He could always shift into his sabertooth form and defend the meat, but he wasn’t about to risk his life with his mate so close.
He had yet to even kiss her. Those deliciously full lips of hers called to him. He’d kiss them soon enough though. It was the sole focus of his mind since he’d met her.
“I’ll start on removing the fur. You two cut the bear open and remove the innards.” Daerk directed his men. He took a stone knife out of one of the packs and started to work on getting the fur off. Nothing needed to go to waste.
Daerk watched Tor out of the corner of his eye. His friend had been acting strange since they found the women, and he was wondering what it might be about.
“Is something wrong?” Daerk finally asked.
Tor and Rir both looked up from where they were working on the bear.
“With you, Tor.”
“What do you mean?” Tor gave Daerk his full attention, letting Rir continue with degutting the bear.
“Ever since we found the women, you’ve been… attentive to the injured woman.” Daerk watched every flicker of emotion on Tor’s face. He’d been right. Agitation flashed over Tor’s face, and then resignation.
“I think Ezi is my mate.” He almost looked like he was ashamed to admit it.
Rir snorted as he looked between the both of them. “Both of you? With pronghorn shifters?” He shook his head.
“Something wrong with my mate?” Daerk challenged, his eyes narrowing. He hadn’t expected Rir to have a problem with it.
Rir shook his head, his long brown hair swaying around his shoulders. “I’m just wondering where my pronghorn mate is. Seems a bit unfair you two should find your mates in the same group of women just days apart, while I’m still waiting.”
A smile broke across Daerk’s face. “Be patient. You will find her in time. Although I can’t guarantee she will be a pronghorn.”
Rir smiled.
Tor nodded his head as he ran a hand over his beard. “Perhaps she’ll be a rabbit shifter.”
The smile slipped off Rir’s face as he threw a handful of guts at Tor, who had to do some quick maneuvers to dodge the flying red blob.
“We have to get the shaman out here to see to Ezi,” Tor said the moment he righted himself. “I can’t let my mate die because of an infected wound.”
Daerk nodded. “We will get him out here as soon as we can. First, we have to make sure Brog doesn’t get suspicious of us leaving the village. If we come back here too often, he is bound to have us followed.”
“He’s right. Brog isn’t the type to tolerate pronghorn blood coming into the clan.” Rir confirmed.
“I can’t leave her in that state,” Tor complained his face contorting like he was the one in physical pain.
“You’ll have to unless you want Brog to kill her in front of you.” Daerk wasn’t keen on leaving his mate for an extended period of time either, but if it prolonged her life, then he’d do it.
“Do we bring all the meat to the cave?”
“No. We will bring some to Aiyre and Ezi. The rest we will bring back to the village so that we can tell Brog we just went hunting.” It would be the best way to prevent Brog from getting too interested.
“Good idea.”
Daerk sidled up beside Tor so Rir wouldn’t butt into the conversation. “Approach her slowly. Our people destroyed her village, and she was injured in the process. She is going to blame us. They both are going to blame us.” And fear them, which set his stomach to rolling. He didn’t want his mate to fear him every time he came close or tried to touch her. She might not show her fear, but he would always be able to smell it.
Tor scrubbed a hand over his beard. “I’ll do my best. I just wish I could welcome her into my tent and show her she has nothing else to worry about from this world.”
“I know exactly what you mean, but if you go too fast, you might just end up pushing her away.” He wasn’t sure if he was saying all this out loud for Tor or himself. He too just wanted to wrap his arms around Aiyre and breath in her delicate scent.
“Even with the troubles of having a pronghorn shifter as your mate, you two are lucky.” Rir’s eyes took on a distant look.
Daerk strode over to his other friend and slapped him on the back. “She will come in time. Do not worry about that.”
Rir smiled at him before returning to his work on the bear.
Daerk took the time to take a glance around. Everything was pristinely white and so peaceful looking, but if anyone from his clan found the women… there’d be trouble.
“Have you two even thought of your offspring?” Rir laughed. “I wonder if they will be sabertooths with horns.” He snorted at the image he’d presented.
“I had been wondering who they would take after.” Daerk was worried about it. He’d take whatever offspring she gave him with open arms, but he would have no idea of how to raise a pronghorn.
He wouldn’t be able to take them hunting in their shifter form if they were a pronghorn. And how good would they be at hunting in their human form? Daerk couldn’t always be there to protect them from the world.
“It is a worry.” Tor seemed lost in his own worries as well.
“At least we have each other. You and I will figure out how to raise pronghorns together” Daerk sent him a reassuring smile.
He should feel more appalled at the idea of raising a pronghorn family, but all he could feel pulsing through him was happiness at finding his mate. Now all he had to do was convince her she wanted him as well, but he was sure it wouldn’t be easy.
Harvesting the bear meat had taken Daerk and his men the rest of the day, and they were forced to travel at night back to the cave. It wasn’t a huge deal for them, but it still presented a possible danger. There were several creatures roaming the landscape that could take them on, like a pack of wild sabertooths or any direwolves.
When the cave came into sight, and he saw the inviting flicker of light behind the flap covering the entrance he was barely able to contain his excitement. Those dangers wandering around didn’t just affect him and his men, but these formidable predators could wander across the waiting women.
His heart picked up speed. Fire usually kept predators away, but the pronghorn shifters would make a tempting meal. Daerk would have to shift into his sabertooth form before he left so he could spread his scent around. The evidence of a sabertooth would make most anything turn tail.
Daerk pushed his way through the fur flap and was greeted with the sight of his beautiful mate sitting in front of the fire. The light spilled over her delicate features, highlighting her subtle beauty. She wasn’t the type of woman to knock a man off his feet. Instead, she set a fire burning in him that only she could quench. He enjoyed the slow burn.
Maybe he was biased since she was his mate, but he didn’t think anyone could be any more stunning. Daerk was ready to drop to his knees and beg for her attention. Her scent had filled the cave, and he took in deep lung-fulls of the enticing smell. His sabertooth purred.
Rir shoved past him. “You’re blocking the entrance.” He grumbled.
Daerk moved out of the way so Tor could come inside without barreling through him like Rir.
Aiyre glanced up and her soft brown eyes collided with his. His sabertooth wanted to purr in satisfaction. Then her eyes moved to Tor, and Daerk glanced over at his friend who was sitting down close to the one called Ezi.
He hoped his friend listened to him about going slowly. She was an injured pronghorn shifter who was about to learn she had caught the attention of a sabertooth shifter. It could startle her beyond Tor’s reach if he weren’t careful.
Daerk shook his head. Tor would listen to his instincts, and instincts never led them astray.
He skirted the perimeter of the fire pit as he made his way over to Aiyre, and then lowered the pack of meat near her. Then he took each slab out a
nd hung it above the fire so it would cook. He kept sneaking glances at her when she wasn’t looking, which was easy since she seemed intent on watching Ezi and Tor.
He couldn’t wait to undo her tight braid and run his fingers through the silky strands.
Daerk again looked over at his friend who was trying to engage Ezi in conversation.
“You don’t have to worry about him making a snack of your friend” Daerk commented as he continued to place the bear meat over the fire.
Aiyre looked over at him. “That’s not what I’m afraid of him doing. It’s the intent in his eyes that makes me wary.”
“What about the intent in my eyes?” He couldn’t resist asking her to see what her reaction would be.
Her brown eyes darted up to his, and he saw barriers rise in their rich depths. “The only intention I care about is how far you’re willing to go to help me and Ezi survive. If we can make it through the winter, we can find a new clan in the spring.”
Daerk’s inner sabertooth growled in displeasure to hear her so easily state that she planned to leave him. He tried to shake it off and gave her what he thought was, a charming smile, but she frowned at him in displeasure. His mate was going to be a hard one to please, that was for sure. “Do pronghorn shifters have mates?” Daerk asked, changing the subject.
Aiyre looked back over at Ezi and Tor. She shook her head. “No, we do not. We choose who we want to be with and join together in a ceremony before our clan.”
That was going to make life a lot more difficult for Tor and himself.
“Were you joined with someone?” He was hoping she would say no. A mate mourning the loss of her man, now that was too much of a challenge. It could take months, maybe even years to win a heart that had already been given.
“I was not, although one man had hoped to join with me. But your clan made sure he didn’t have the chance to convince me.”
Daerk sat back and kicked his legs out beside her, his task at the fire done. “Did you want to be joined with him?”
