by Lily Thomas
Even though Eron was an elder, his body still bore the signs of a hunter. And Daerk… there was a reason Aiyre was so in love with her sabertooth. Not only was he a man who was gentle, but he had a body that would appeal to any female. Their sabertooth leader looked ready to take on the whole land with that skull atop his head.
Glancing around at the clan around her, Ezi wondered if any of them would change into their sabertooth forms, and whether or not she’d be able to handle the sight without screaming like a madwoman.
Eron raised a bone pipe to his lips, took a puff, and then passed it over to Daerk. Daerk’s cheeks puffed outward as he took a draw on the pipe, and then his lips moved out in a kissing gesture before releasing a long line of grey smoke.
Slowly, the bone pipe made its way around the chamber until it finally reached her. Ezi took it with two hands, raised it to her lips, and puffed on the end of the pipe before passing it on to the person on her other side.
As she breathed out, a stream of white smoke left her nostrils.
The herbs or whatever Eron had put in the pipe began to work within a few minutes of her first puff on the pipe. Everything around her took on a hazy dream-like quality. Immediately, she felt her muscles relax, and her mind ease.
Then she froze as she felt eyes watching her. Looking over her shoulder, Ezi spotted the source of those stares.
Tor.
He was here.
The pipe smoke that was now floating through the air, and her lungs calmed her response, but she still felt a surge of apprehension. She hadn’t known he was doing well enough to come here. It hadn’t even crossed her mind.
He also had a skull atop his head. His beard had been trimmed down, and his hair cut shorter. His chest was bare to her view, and she took in her fill as the area in her core warmed at the sight of him. She may not be keen on his sabertooth side, but he was still good looking, and it was hard for her to look away.
Tor sent her a smile, his blue eyes dancing with the light of the fire between those long canines that framed his face. He shoved a shoulder off the wall and began walking around the outside of the chamber, but there was a limp to his movements now. His wound may be well on its way to healing, but it looked like there would be lasting effects. Unfortunately, the limp only gave him a more feral look as he prowled around the edge of the group.
Her heart tripped over itself until his intense eyes finally glanced away.
Ezi raised a hand to her chest as she walked further into the crowd, trying to disappear in the throng of people. She was alarmed by her reaction to him. Her body was hot, and she felt flustered.
It wasn’t long before the air filled with Eron’s chanting, the words echoing off the stone walls. She couldn’t make out the words he was speaking because of all the echoes bouncing off the walls. The thumping of a drum began to beat a rhythm, and the people around her began dancing wildly like the spirits had taken over their bodies.
It was hard to keep the smile off her lips as she watched the life-celebrating around her. Aiyre had been right in insisting she come here. She’d been alone for too long and being a part of this ceremony warmed her to her core.
Slowly, the cavern filled with a hazy smoke as a couple of more bone and wooden pipes joined the first. It appeared Eron wasn’t the only one with a pipe at the ready.
Ezi sucked in deep breaths of the sweet and delightfully alluring smoke. Her nerves calmed, allowing her shoulders to finally slump in relaxation as the music thumbed through the cave. It bounced off the walls and vibrated through the rock floors under her feet.
Hesitantly, she stomped a beat with one foot as she joined in the dancing around her. She wasn’t as carefree as the rest of the clan around her.
A sabertooth woman stepped up beside Ezi, dipped a hand into a bowl she was carrying, and then swiped a line across Ezi’s face, starting at her temple and curving around her face and ending at her chin. Then the woman danced over to the next person.
She blinked in confusion. She knew it was a part of the ceremony, but the woman had been so quick, and the mark had been placed on her in a matter of seconds.
With the intense heat from the fire and all the bodies dancing around the chamber, Ezi felt the mark on her face dry and tighten quickly.
Ezi picked up her torch as she walked over to the fire and then placed her torch on the ground by the fire. With all the dancing feet, this would be the safest place for the torch to lay.
When she refaced the crowd of people, she felt eyes watching her once more. Glancing over to the side, she saw Tor dancing with his clanmates, but every once in a while, he would look over at her, like he knew exactly where she’d be in the cave. It had to be the heightened senses of a sabertooth shifter.
Her silly heart skipped a beat. Not in fear but in anticipation.
Now that he was back on his feet, she worried about his intentions. It was only a matter of time before he came sniffing around.
Ezi worked her way back into the crowd, letting the thumping of the drums enter her soul. Someday, Flosa would know the joy of clan ceremonies, and she was eager to share it with her daughter.
Tor was doing his best to keep his distance, but it was hard to ignore being in the same cave as Ezi. Her scent was easy to pick up and had his nose zeroing in on her. Despite glaring at him, he could tell she was enjoying herself, and it relieved him. He worried about her.
There’d been several rumors drifting around the village about Ezi being distant with her child and trying to separate herself from the village. He knew it must be hard on her living with the same people who’d taken so much, but they were doing their best to make it up.
Glancing back up from where he danced, he saw Ezi eyeing him from across the chamber. He could feel all the questions racing through her mind.
Clearly, his presence was throwing her for a loop. She’d got used to him being gone, and he would have stayed away longer, but his wound had brought him back sooner.
After being gone for so many months, it must be a shock to her.
He snorted as he shook his head as he continued to stomp a beat with the drums that echoed through the cave.
Ezi must have believed she’d gotten rid of him. And now he was back to haunt her.
Last time, he’d been too eager for his mate. Now that he’d had time to cool down and see it from her eyes, he realized he’d rushed her. This time though, would be different. He was ready to win her over, slowly. There’d be no rushing her. He would restrain his sabertooth side as best as he could.
Tor would have loved to stay away from the clan for longer, to give her more time, but his injury had prevented that, and now that he was back, he wasn’t so sure he could leave for a second time.
A woman danced up to him, and he stopped briefly, allowing her to paint a stripe down his face. Then she danced away to continue painting stripes on other people.
Working his way through the crowd, Tor sought the wall of the cavern. There was a limp to his step, despite the efforts of Eron and Tira. They’d done their best with healing his leg, but the damage from the rhinoceros’s horn had been too much for them.
It was his own stupidity that’d gotten him into this situation, and he blamed no one but himself.
Once he got to the wall, he rested a shoulder against the rough rock and lifted his bare foot off the ground, shifting his weight back onto his good leg. He was only here because Eron wanted him to use his leg, but he wasn’t supposed to overdo it.
He’d always have the limp and the nasty scar to remind him of how stupid he could be, and hopefully, it would remind him not to be that stupid again.
“I’m glad you were able to join us!”
Tor spun around to find Daerk coming up behind him. Daerk presented the ideal image of a clan leader. The sabertooth skull over his head made him look dangerous, and his whole body was exposed to everyone’s view. There was a reason he was leader. He was strong and intelligent. Brog had no chance against him.
“I
t’s good to be off my furs and walking around.” Tor laughed as he kept his weight off his injured leg. “I can only look at the inside of my hut for so long before I go crazy.”
Daerk shivered. “I can only imagine what you’ve gone through as you’ve healed. Have you tried shifting?”
“Not yet.” Tor shook his head. “Eron doesn’t think there would be any problems caused by my wound.”
“That’s good.” Daerk looked relieved. “Not being able to shift would drive you crazier than sitting in your hut all day.”
“I feel bad for worrying everyone.”
“We are just happy you are better. Maybe even good enough to join us on the mammoth hunt?” Daerk smiled at him hopefully.
“It’s tempting.” Tor could use the mammoth hunt to get his mind off his leg, and off of Ezi. Her scent was everywhere, and it called to his inner sabertooth.
“Think you can still hunt?” Daerk teased him.
“Still hunt?” Tor snorted. “I’m insulted you would even think I wouldn’t be able to because if my memory is correct, I’m even better at hunting than you.” He stuck a finger against Daerk’s bare chest, prodding him back.
Daerk laughed, the sound loud, but even it was swallowed up with the festivities nearby. “Whatever you want to think, my friend.”
“I’ll think about joining.” And most likely he would end up going. It would give him and Ezi some more distance. She already had so much to handle with her child, and he wasn’t keen on causing her any discomfort.
Tor’s eyes sought out her familiar form in the throng of moving bodies, and it didn’t take him long to spot her amongst the crowd. Her jade eyes were dancing with wary joy as she joined in with the clan in asking the gods to assist them on their mammoth hunt. From what he’d heard, she hadn’t blended in well with the clan while he’d been gone, but now, it appeared that she was trying to befriend everyone.
“What will you do about Ezi?”
Tor looked back to Daerk, who was also watching Ezi, and he shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“Just be sure you don’t cause her any distress,” Daerk warned with a stern glint to his eyes. “Aiyre will have my head if you do, and none of us will be pleased if that happens.”
“I don’t plan on anything.” Tor looked back over at Ezi. “I don’t intend to cause her any distress, but I do wish to convince her that I am the man for her.”
“I hope you the best.”
“Thank you.” He just had to continue believing that he wouldn’t have been given a mate who he couldn’t win over.
Daerk placed a hand on Tor’s shoulder, squeezed lightly, and then walked off. Tor watched as his longtime friend, who he considered to be a brother, walk over to Aiyre and wrap his arms around her, drawing her into his chest. Aiyre rested her head against his shoulder as she gazed up at him, and even from this distance, Tor could feel the love radiating off both of them.
Tor’s heart pinched under his ribcage. He wished he could do that with Ezi. Hold her tight. Take away all her fears. Promise to be by her side no matter what. His lips fell flat as longing turned his celebratory mood sour. He needed some air.
Spinning on a heel, Tor pushed his way through his dancing clanmates until he broke free. Then he quickly walked through the dark cave system until he walked out of the mouth of the cave. The cool night air wrapped around him, and he sucked in several deep breathes as he did his best to clean his lungs of Ezi’s intoxicating scent.
His sabertooth growled in disagreement. It wanted to continue to bask in her delicious scent. To bring the scent into their lungs and make it a part of their body.
“Not now,” Tor growled at himself as he stalked away from the entrance of the cave, looking for a secluded spot to rest his leg.
Chapter 10
Sweat beaded on Ezi’s brow and she found the air in the cave stale and unbearable. The thumping of the drum and the chanting of all the people in the cave had her head throbbing. Glancing around, she did her best to spot Aiyre, but with all the shifting bodies, it was hard to find anyone.
With one last glance around, she headed for the entrance of the cave. Slowly, she walked through the dark cave system, hoping she wasn’t about to get herself lost. Then again, the sabertooths had good enough noses to seek her out when they found her missing.
Her slippered feet scooted over the smooth stone as she kept her arms stretched out to her sides to keep her from falling if she bumped into something. She should have grabbed a torch from near the fire, but she was well on her way, and she wasn’t interested in going back to the craziness of the ritual.
Then she broke out of the cave system and found the outside just as dark. The bright lights flickered high above her head, and the moon provided the only significant amount of light. She felt like she’d been in the caves for only a few minutes, but clearly, she’d been in there for a lot longer.
Ezi began walking back to the village but stopped in the worn path. She glanced towards the village and then looked around the murky night. Flosa was with another woman, probably fast asleep, and if she went back to the village, she would have to once more continue caring for Flosa.
With a small nibble to her bottom lip, Ezi made her decision and walked away from the village, straying from the well-worn path and into the tall grass nearby.
If she went back, she’d retrieve Flosa and go back to the communal hut, which would have plenty of women still there. Not everyone in the clan had left for the ritual since there were still things that needed to be done; watching children, maintaining fires, and so many other tasks.
Ezi didn’t want to go back quite yet. Inde wouldn’t expect her back until much later anyway.
She was beyond ready for her own hut… but there wasn’t a single man in the clan she wanted to mate with to get a hut.
No one in her communal hut appeared to mind that Flosa would cry out several times in the night, demanding sustenance, but it would make Ezi feel better if she wasn’t bothering anyone. It would also provide her with some much-needed alone time. There were always a pair of eyes watching her, even if they didn’t mean to be.
A rabbit froze in front of her in the dark. Its long grey ears went down along the length of its body as it attempted to blend in with the environment. They stared at each other in the dark. Then she pressed onwards. The rabbit stayed frozen until it decided she’d encroached far enough into its space, and then its long back legs propelled it forward until it disappeared into the long grass nearby with a small rustle.
Ezi lost track of time as she pressed further into the dark night. She wouldn’t venture too far out of the village, due to the fact she was still scared about Brog being somewhere out there.
That thought had her pausing.
Maybe she should head back…
“Wandering around?”
Ezi whipped around nearly tripping over her own feet as the male voice wrapped around her like a tight embrace. “Tor?” The name left her mouth on a rushed breath.
“It’s me.”
She watched him melt out of the shadows of some trees as he walked towards her. The sabertooth skull was still on his head, and his chest was bare. The moonlight glinted over him, shadowing parts of his face and body. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought he was a sabertooth god.
“You followed me?” Ezi bristled as she finally regained her voice.
Tor snorted. “You followed me.”
She cocked her head to the side as confusion replaced the irritation.
“I was already out here, resting my leg,” he waved a hand in the air, “when you strode past me.”
Her haunches fell as she realized he was speaking the truth. Tor may be a sabertooth, but he’d never lied to her, and his story was believable.
“Why are you out here and not celebrating with the clan?” He took a couple more steps closer to her. “You looked like you were enjoying the ritual.”
His scent wrapped around her, warm and inviting with a hint of
trampled grass. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought he might have shifted into his sabertooth form and rolled around in the grass.
“I needed some fresh air. All the smoke was getting to me.” She raised a hand to her temple, rubbing it with a couple of her fingers.
“I will join you.”
Ezi glanced over at him to find his well-toned chest puffed out slightly, hope shining bright in his eyes. “I would like some peace and quiet. With Flosa, I don’t get much time to myself.”
Some of that hope disappeared from his eyes, but determination soon filled its place. “You shouldn’t be out on your own in the dark, even if we are closer to the village. You never know what might be lurking in the dark… or who might be lurking in the dark.”
Clearly, she wasn’t the only one who worried about Brog’s return.
She pursed her lips. She could just go back to the village… then she wouldn’t have any need for Tor joining her.
“You can join me.” Ezi relented, and when he took another step closer to her, she added with a raised finger, “But you will not touch me.”
Tor immediately raised his hands in a surrendering gesture as he took a small step back. “You may lead.” He waved a hand in front of him in a sweeping motion. “And I will stay back a few paces.”
Ezi didn’t hesitate. With a few quick steps, she had them moving through the inky darkness of the night. Her senses weren’t as good at night, but they were still better than a non-shifter.
A light wind shifted some nearby tree branches, and she found the shuffling of the leaves soothing. This was the kind of peace she needed. Flosa was a good child, but she could be fussy. Another rabbit hopped away as they surprised it in the tall grass.
Then Ezi felt him staring at her.
Turning her head slightly over her shoulder, Ezi caught his eyes moving over her like he was assessing prey. He was most likely trying to figure out his plan of attack on how to win her over. She hated to reject him because she was sure he was a fine man, but she wasn’t wanting what he offered.
