by Ruby Dixon
My heart feels as if it is crumbling inside my chest. “My resonance,” I murmur, pulling her small form into my arms and tucking her against me. “It is just a rug.”
Her tears turn to a muffled giggle and she swats at my arm. “You know why I’m crying, you big goof.”
I smooth the tears from her face and do my best to make her smile again. “Goof - that is an excellent name for our kit. Very majestic.”
“Oh my God,” she says, and shakes her head against my chest. “Do not even get me started, you crazy alien.” Meh-gan sniffs. “And I’m crying because you’re going to leave me behind.”
“I must do this,” I say gently. “You and our little Goof must be fed when the snows become brutal.” The weather is pleasant now, but already Vektal and the hunters worry. I share in their worries, eating less when meals are passed around. Meh-gan gets the biggest portion, and I eat the scraps. There is no getting around it: the tribe must be fed, and as a strong male, I must do my part.
She nods, but the sad look on her face doesn’t ease.
I touch her chin and angle her small, strange human face up so she can look me in the eye. “My resonance, you know I would stay at your side and rub your feet all day long if you wished it. But I would rather that you had food to eat when the weather turns. And it will turn. Already this season is colder than last. The snows will be deeper this time, and so we must be ready.”
“I know I’m being ridiculous. I just…when you’re here by my side, my world is complete. If you leave, I’m going to feel lost and alone. I hate that feeling.” She touches her stomach. “And what if the baby - the kit - comes early?”
I get down on my knees and place my hands on her stomach. “Goof, my son, you must stay put until I return.”
She chuckles and then gives another small sniff. “I know you have to go.”
“I do.”
“When? For how long?” Her hands smooth over her belly again and it’s clear she’s worried she’ll have our kit while I’m gone. I voiced the same concerns to Vektal. Meh-gan is close to giving birth. Not quite yet, but very soon. I want to be here to welcome my son to the world.
But I sound confident. “Not long. A handful of days, maybe two handfuls. The longer I am out, the more meat I can bring home.” I cannot expect others to feed my family, not when it might be taking food from the mouths of their mates. “It is something that must be done.”
She blinks rapidly, trying to be brave. “I just…what am I going to do while you’re gone?”
I kiss the rounded swell of her belly. “You will think of me, of course.”
She gives a delicate snort.
I know I am right, for all that I tease her. My Meh-gan gets sad if she is left to her own thoughts for too long. And right now, she is very heavy with child, miserable, and she will be missing me. I cannot stand the thought of her being sad for days on end.
I will have to think of something to distract her while I am gone. But for now…
I press another kiss to her belly. “You are beautiful, my resonance.”
Megan sighs, the sound soft and feminine. Her fingers lightly brush over my cheek and nose, tracing my face. “I’m bloated and pregnant.”
“You are beautiful and beautiful,” I correct. I press another kiss to her belly, and because she’s covered in furs and leathers, I undo the laces that go all the way down the front of her tunic. I want to taste her skin, to breathe in her scent. I want to bury my face in her cunt and lick her until she cries out with my name.
“What are you doing?” she asks, even as her hands gently brush my hair back from my face.
“I am going to show my mate how beautiful she is with my mouth and my cock.” I push her tunic open, revealing her belly, big with my son.
“You mean you’re going to distract me,” she teases. Her thumb skims over my lower lip.
“Yes.” I grin up at her. “Tell me you do not want to be distracted and I will stop.”
“I didn’t say that.” The smile returns to her sweet face and she shrugs out of her tunic. “Put the privacy screen up.”
I jump to my feet and head to the front of our small cave, shoving the screen in front of the entrance. With it up, no one will disturb us. For a moment, I am tempted to leave the screen up for a hand’s worth of days, just to wallow in private time with my mate. She does not want me to leave, and I do not want to leave her. But I must hunt, not only for her safety but for that of the tribe. It is my duty. I push the screen into place and then turn to see my mate stepping out of her long skirt. Her body is nude except for a furry pair of boots, and she is beautiful. Her pale breasts are swollen in preparation for our kit, her belly rounded. The rest of her has grown more rounded as well, and I cannot resist touching her. I love the lush swells of her body and the way she feels when I hold her against me. It reminds me that my mate was thin and underfed when she arrived here. I must do everything I can to ensure she is never hollow-cheeked again.
I pull Meh-gan against me and kiss her bared skin. Her shoulder is soft, her neck a warm, lovely hollow of scent. She is quiet as I touch her, even though she leans in to my hands. I know my mate well; her mind is full of noise and unhappy thoughts. I need to think of a way to distract her while I am gone, so she is not so sad and lost. But for now, I can kiss away her tears. I kneel at her side and kiss her rounded belly again, then move to her side, brushing my lips over her hip. My hand skims over her full buttocks, so strangely bare without a tail. I find it erotic, though, and cannot resist gliding my fingers down the seam of her bottom.
She moans and braces her hands against the cave wall. Because her belly is so heavy, we mate in the same positions over and over again - and her favorite is to brace her hands against the wall and lean forward. I like this as well, as it lets me pleasure my mate easily while on my knees. My tail flicks and wraps around one of her ankles as I push her legs even further apart, and then bury my face in her flesh, seeking her warmth.
Her soft cry touches my ears the moment my tongue slicks over the opening of her cunt. I thrust into her warmth, loving the taste of her. I will miss this when I am gone, miss her soft body, her scent, her smiles, her everything. She shifts and pushes her hips back against my mouth, a silent demand for more. I give it to her eagerly, working my tongue into her over and over again, thrusting with it as I will my cock.
She moans and her fingers go to the third nipple between her folds, teasing it. I am greedy - I want all of her for myself. So I push her hand aside and work her nipple for her, and I feel her body quiver in response. Her breathing turns to short, sharp pants, and she pushes her hips back against my mouth, needing more. Her wetness floods my tongue, and I groan. My cock aches with fierce need for her.
I lick her for a moment longer, until she starts to tremble. Then, I surge to my feet and push my loincloth down, freeing my cock and spur. I put a hand to her hips and guide myself deep, seating into her warmth. She cries out as I push into her, wriggling. My spur presses into the pucker of her bottom, and I clench one of her buttocks as I force myself to hold still. Meh-gan always wiggles when I thrust into her for the first time, and I wait for my mate’s body to calm before thrusting again. I take her body in slow, easy strokes, careful to watch her to make sure that her noises are ones of pleasure, not discomfort. When she takes too long to moan again, I push deep, ignoring her little squeal as my spur seats itself again, and I reach in front of her to tease her third nipple.
Meh-gan comes with a full-body shudder, pressing back against me. Her cunt clenches hard around my cock, and I bite down on her shoulder as I thrust into her with quick, shallow strokes. A moment later, my sac tightens and then my release floods through me, the pleasure so intense my tail tightens hard around her ankle, as if I could trap her with me forever.
She clings to me, running her hands over my body as best she can, and I nuzzle her throat and bitten shoulder as I pull myself free. Mating with her so pregnant is no longer endless caresses and exploring of b
odies. Rather, it is scratching an itch and reveling in the feel of the other. When our kit is born, I will pleasure her for hours on end once more. For now, I am pleased when she comes fast and hard. I get a soft leather cloth from a basket, wet it down with a bit of water, and then return to my mate’s side to clean her thighs.
“I forgot to take my boots off,” she murmurs sleepily as I bathe her. “Sorry about that.”
“You are beautiful in your boots or without them. I do not care which way.” I cannot resist pressing another kiss to her protruding belly.
The small smile on her face fades and a sad look appears. “I’m sorry if I’m making this hard on you. I know you have to go hunt. I know we need food. I’m just…” she licks her lips. “Afraid.”
My poor, sweet mate. She clings so hard because she is afraid of being lost and alone again. “You must trust me, Meh-gan. I will always come back to you.”
“I know,” she whispers. “But knowing it and believing it are two different things.”
Truth. As I finish bathing her body and mine, we climb into the furs of our bed and she rests her cheek on my chest, over my khui. It thrums with contentment, and I stroke her back.
I must think of something to occupy my mate while I am gone so she does not worry. But…what?
Perhaps one of the other humans will have an idea.
3
MEGAN
I can do this. I can.
I blink repeatedly as Cashol shoulders his pack, then picks up his spear. He runs his thumb over the edge of the spearhead, testing the sharpness. I know it’s razor-sharp - he’s worked on it and three replacement spearheads for the last two days, along with sharpening his knives. Between those, his sling, and the full pack I’ve insisted he carry, he’s kitted out.
And yet I’m still freaking out. I’m still worried as he takes my hand and leads me to the front of the tribal cave so we can say our goodbyes. Josie and Haeden are there, too, holding hands. Haeden and Cashol are going to head out in the same direction and split up a bit further up the trails. I don’t like that Cashol’s going to be alone, even though he swears this is quite normal. I know it’s normal. Doesn’t mean I’m not panicking.
I’m the only one freaking, it seems. Josie is totally in panic mode. She’s fussing with the ties on Haeden’s vest and yakking his ear off while he silently devours her with his eyes.
“It’s snowing,” I protest as we get near the entrance. Terror clutches at my heart.
“My resonance, have you just now realized that it snows here?” He leans in and bends down to rub his nose against mine. “You will be very disappointed to learn that it snows every day, my heart.”
I bat at him playfully. Silly man. “You’ve got mittens?”
“I do not need them.” He winks at me. “If my fingers are cold, I will put them around my cock and—“
“Shhh!” I reach up and clap a hand over his mouth. “Cashol! You are terrible!”
He licks my palm and I squeal and pull it from his mouth. He is terrible, but I can’t stop smiling.
“I need no mittens,” he tells me and presses a kiss to my forehead. “The weather is warm enough for sa-khui.”
I look out into the heavily falling snow and sigh. He’s not wrong, but I still don’t like it. “And you have my firestarter?” I touch my neck, now bare. Normally the humans all wear one of the computer parts brought back from the Elders’ Ship, because they’re made of some sort of graphite or metal or something that sparks easily to make fire. I don’t plan on leaving the cave, however, so I’ve given mine to him.
He reaches under his cloak and shows me the necklace. “It is here.”
I nod slowly. I can’t think of any other things to ask him. “You’ve got food? And drink? And—“
Cashol cups my face with his free hand. “I will be fine. Now, come, devour my face like Jo-see is devouring Haeden’s.”
I look over and Josie has her arms flung around Haeden’s much bigger form. She even has a leg hooked around his hips and he’s got her lifted into the air as they suck face. It’s…pretty impressive. I’m envious because she’s still small and lithe and I’m…well, ‘lumbering’ is probably the kindest word. I pat my huge belly. “You’re going to have to settle for a more sedate hug and kiss, I’m afraid. I’ve got a bit of a roadblock.”
Cashol grins and gives me a smacking kiss, then leans down and gives the same to my belly. “You must be good, Gancas, my son. Do not come before I return home.”
“That is a terrible name,” I point out. Jesus, he’s awful at naming, but it makes me smile to hear it. Better than ‘Goof’. “And it might be a girl, remember?”
“It is not,” he says, smoothing a hand over my belly in the hopes of catching the baby kicking one last time. “Rokan says it is a boy and Rokan is never wrong about these things.”
I make a face. It feels like a girl to me, but…Rokan does have a pretty uncanny ability to predict small things. “Speaking of Rokan, what’s he say about the weather?”
Cashol hops to his feet again and gives me another kiss. “He says you should kiss your mate and send him on his way.”
That’s…not a good answer. “Cashol? What’s Rokan say about the weather?” I’d go find Rokan myself but he left the cave on a journey with one of the new girls yesterday.
“He says it will snow.” Cashol shrugs. “It does not matter if it is little snow or much snow, I still must hunt.”
I swallow hard. This isn’t helping my anxiety much. “How long will you be gone?”
“Until the caches on my trail are full. It might be two hands of days, or it might be less.”
“Your hands or mine?” I ask, wiggling my four fingers at him. He’s only got three and a thumb.
He grins. “Does it matter?”
“It matters to me!”
He sets his spear aside and puts his hands on my shoulders. “Meh-gan,” he says, voice so gentle that it makes my insides ache. “I will be back when I have done my job as a hunter. It does not mean I will not miss you. It does not mean I will not think of you and your sweet smile every waking moment. It means I will be providing for you and our son. And I will be back in time to see him born, I promise.”
The hot tears that I’ve been fighting to hold back come pouring out in a rush of snot and sobbing. “Okay,” I blubber at him. “I love you, Cashol.”
“I love you, my resonance.” He kisses me on the mouth, even though I’m probably not very cute at the moment. “And I will be back.”
I nod and do my best not to cling to him as he pulls away from me. I wave goodbye as he picks up his spear again and heads out, joined by Haeden. It takes everything I have not to run after him, screaming for him to take me with him, but that wouldn’t be dignified or practical.
Still, it does my evil, awful heart good to see Josie sniffling beside me. At least I’m not suffering alone. I put an arm around her waist and give her an awkward hug. “Come on, let’s go have some kah-hraku-tea and drown our sorrows.”
Her little sob is punctuated by a disgusted laugh.
It isn’t until I lie down for a nap that I realize there’s a lump in the bed, under the covers. It digs into my back and I pull it out awkwardly.
It’s a…well, I’m not entirely sure what it is. The sa-khui use bone for the majority of their daily utility needs, since there’s not a Pottery Barn anywhere nearby. This rounded disk could be a plate or the makings of something else entirely, if it weren’t for the weird decorations on it. There’s a hole bored through the center with a leather cord tied through it, and it’s colored with a very messy looking squiggle. It’s…almost like a K? Or a M. Which makes me wonder.
I sit up and study it. I’ve never seen it before, but it’s in my bed so it was clearly meant for me. Is it sloppy handwriting? Something else?
Confused, I haul my ungainly body back out of bed, wrap a warm fur around me, and pad into the main cavern again.
Georgie’s there with her baby in her lap,
and Farli’s seated next to her. They’re whispering and both look up with guilty expressions when I approach.
Yeah, bingo. They’re up to something. I hold up the weird disk thingie. “What the heck is this and why was it in my bed?”
“Your bed?” Georgie bounces Talie on her knee, her brows drawing together. “What do you mean?”
“Did you guys go in my cave?”
Farli shakes her head, and then covers her mouth to hide her giggle.
“But you know what this is?”
They exchange a look and Georgie begins to smile. “I might have an idea.”
I’m starting to get cranky. I’m tired, and sore, and my mate is gone and I don’t feel like playing games. “So what is it, already?”
“That, I honestly don’t know,” Georgie says, reaching for the disk. I hand it to her and she studies it. “Oh dear.” Her lips twitch. “This is pretty bad.”
“What’s going on?” I’m utterly mystified.
“So, after Vektal and Cashol talked the other day, Cashol came and spoke to me. He was worried about leaving your side.”
Farli gets up and offers me her seat, and I take it with a heavy thump, fascinated by what Georgie’s telling me. “Because of the baby?”
She shakes her head and hands the bone disc-thingie back to me. “Because of you,” she says gently. “He worries you’ll struggle if he’s gone.”
Tears prick at my eyelids. “He’s not wrong. He’s only been gone a few hours and…it’s hard.” I feel an empty gulf where my laughing, funny mate normally is, and it hurts.
“I know. It’s always hard, but it’s necessary.” There’s no judgment on her face. “So he asked me what he could do to keep your mind off of him. Something to keep you distracted. I suggested a treasure hunt.”
“You did?” I knew I’d been taking a fair amount of naps recently but for Cashol and Georgie to come up with a treasure hunt on the down-low and me not realize it? That’s kind of crazy.
