by Lily Thomas
Ezi watched sweat roll down both of the mens’ faces as they worked the spits. Their arms tensed with muscle as they spun the wooden spits. She’d feel bad for them if they didn’t have giant grins plastered to their sweat-soaked faces. They’d made a game out of spinning the meat, seeing who could stand by the fire the longest before needing to switch out.
A smile crept across her face as she watched them.
“Men.”
Glancing over to her side, she saw a sabertooth shifter roll her eyes as she laughed.
“As long as they are having fun,” Ezi commented in return.
The woman next to her laughed. “True. I’m Fina.”
Ezi returned the smile. “Ezi.”
“It’s good to see you out here with the clan. Let me know if I can help you with anything.” Fina’s smile was genuine and warm.
“I will,” Ezi promised, feeling a part of her icy heart melt some more. It was amazing to realize she knew very few names in the village. Even after so many moons, she could barely name half the people in the village.
“Here.”
She started as a hand popped into her field of vision. It belonged to one of the men that’d been turning the roasting animal on the wooden spit. His smile was addicting as it stretched over his bearded face, and she found herself smiling back as she raised a hand to accept his offer.
“Thank you.” Ezi’s hand took the offered bone plate that had a slab of meat resting on it.
“Let me know if you need more.” The man’s brown eyes danced with excitement as he turned and raced back over to the fire to cut another slab and bring it to another person sitting around the fire.
“Looks good.” The woman beside her leaned in and sniffed loudly. “May I?”
“Have some.” Ezi wasn’t above sharing, especially since the man had brought her way too much meat. She held out the bone plate, and Fina ripped a chunk off the meat with her teeth before placing it back on the bone plate.
Ezi watched as Fina chewed her bite of the meat. Her eyelids closed slowly as she let out a moan of appreciation.
Licking her fingers, Fina said, “With the meat hut full, I can finally enjoy eating. Before now, every time we ate something, we worried about how much meat was left.”
“It must have been scary.” Ezi could only imagine a village full of hungry sabertooth shifters. They must have been slobbering at the mouth with their need to sink their teeth into hot bloody flesh. Another shiver spread up her spine. Shaking herself mentally, she scolded herself. She had to stop imagining these sabertooth shifters as monsters, or they would stay that way in her mind.
The sparse winter had driven them to attack the pronghorn clan. It was no excuse, but Ezi could understand the fear of starvation. If they hadn’t turned on the pronghorns, then they may have turned on each other.
Daerk had driven Brog out, after all.
Ezi balanced the bone plate on her lap as she ripped off a piece of meat with her hands. She slipped the meat into her mouth, and saliva built up in her mouth as she began chewing. The fat dissolved quickly in her mouth.
“Good?”
She nodded her head in answer to Fina’s question.
Yanking off another piece, she used two fingers to slide it into her mouth. She wasn’t quite sure what the meat was from, but it was something she would eat again eagerly. The roasting meat on the spit was just a piece of whatever large animal they’d taken down recently.
After a few more minutes of eating and talking with Fina, Ezi found her pronghorn side begging for the shift. It wanted to stretch its long legs out in the forest.
“Leaving for your hut?” Fina asked the moment Ezi stood up beside her spot by the fire.
“Yes.” Ezi lied, not wanting anyone to know she was about to go frolicking in the forest. She was afraid someone would stop her since it was night, and there might be predators lurking about. And there was also the worry that Brog was lying in wait to strike. Or they’d want to join her, and she couldn’t be around a sabertooth while it was shifted. It was too soon for that. Way too soon.
Fina sent her a smile before turning back to the merrymaking near the fire. Her curiosity about where Ezi was headed satisfied.
Good.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Ezi disappeared easily amongst all the smiling clan members who stood or sat around the fire. With the mammoths on their way, there was a lot to celebrate. Aiyre wanted her to use tonight to befriend everyone, but that would mean she’d have more people watching her. Right now, she had a good balance of being a part of the clan and being able to disappear without too many people wondering where she’d gone.
Slinking between the huts with quiet footsteps, Ezi quickly strode to the edge of the village with a slight bounce to her steps. Then she walked into the nearby forest. The old trees towered over her offering protection under their green leafy boughs. The night air was crisper away from the smoke of the village fire, and she sucked it in with greedy breaths.
Glancing around to make sure no one was around to spot her, Ezi ripped off her tanned animal skin shirt. The cool night air rushed up to brush against her skin, pebbling her nipples. Her hands gripped the waistband of her animal skin pants, and she slid them down her legs, pulling her moccasins off in the same swift motion.
She grabbed her clothes and placed them near the base of a tree trunk. She would need them when she got back, or someone would know she’d gone off for a run. If she was caught, she knew Aiyre would scold her like a naughty child.
Stretching, Ezi let a smile slip across her face as her pronghorn jumped inside her for joy.
Her shift came over her quickly. Her skin stretched, her arms turned into long furred hooved legs, her neck cracked as it stretched out and large ears sprang from her head. There was a bit of pain when she shifted, but over the years it’d become normal, barely an inconvenience.
Stamping a hoof against the ground, Ezi lifted her head, her ears flipping back and forth as she took in all the night time sounds around her. She could hear her clanmates talking and laughing within the village. She couldn’t make out any of the words, but she could hear the voices. The scratching of a rabbit in the underbrush had her ears pricking forward once more.
With a leap high into the air, she pranced off into the forest.
Chapter 13
Tor felt like he should look away, but he was curious about his mate. If he was going to win her over, then he needed to know her. Which was the same reason why he’d followed her the moment she’d tried to sneak away from the village fire.
It was hard to resist following her when his inner sabertooth saw the nerves causing her eyes to flicker around. He’d known she was up to something.
When Ezi pulled off her beaded animal skin shirt, it took all his strength not to pounce on her, and his sabertooth growled in frustration at his restraint. Unfortunately, it would just have to be patient. Tor was determined not to push her away more than he already had… assuming he could keep his sabertooth in place.
Tor’s eyes zeroed in on her nipples as they puckered up in the night air like they were begging for a man to caress them. His tongue darted out of his mouth to lick his suddenly dry lips. The sight of her in the moonlight had his cock stirring and his sabertooth growling with pent up desire. Then she shed her pants, and he watched her ass in the moonlight. Those pale orbs were just begging him to pounce on them, maybe even give them a slight bite.
As she stayed bent and moved the clothes to the base of a tree, he could see the plump folds of her sex in the dark. His cat eyes didn’t need to be in sabertooth form to see every perfect inch of her body. He wanted to kiss his way up the inside of her thighs until he reached her hot apex.
His pants grew tight as a bulge formed within. Shoving a hand against his cock, he willed the thing under control, but it was like it had a mind of its own. Both it and his sabertooth wanted him to storm towards her, push her down until her butt was high in the air, and take her from behind.
&nb
sp; He threw his head back as he stifled a groan. The images that flashed through his mind had him nearly spilling his desire into his pants.
Then Ezi straightened back up, and his eyes roamed over her small form. She was perfection. As he watched on, she began her shift. It took no more than a few seconds before she was standing in the forest in her pronghorn form.
She was stunning.
Tor never thought he’d stare at a pronghorn with lust, but here he was. All four of her legs were slender and well built. The belly of her pronghorn was a cream color while her head, back, and legs were a fawn brown. And the dainty horns on her head were adorable, although he wasn’t sure he should ever say that to her. There was no telling if those observations would insult her.
In a flash of movement, Ezi bounded off into the night.
Tor frowned. Disappointment soared through him once she was out of sight. He’d been hoping to watch her some more, to learn more about her. He couldn’t be expected to win over his mate without the proper information. A hunter needed to know his prey before he could be sure of the kill.
As he turned to walk back to the village, a thought entered his mind.
He could easily shift and follow after her. She was a lone pronghorn in the night. How could he just go back to the village without making sure she didn’t get herself eaten. It would destroy him if anything happened to her when he could have prevented it.
His sabertooth purred in agreement.
Tor didn’t give it a second thought. Whipping off his clothes, he threw them haphazardly, and let the shift overtake him. Once the transformation was complete, he stretched his paws in the dirt, his claws digging into the soft ground under his feet. He loved being in his sabertooth form. Sometimes, it felt more right than being in his human form.
Raising his pink nose into the air, he quickly picked up on her lingering scent. Leaping into action, his sabertooth form ate up the ground as he caught up to Ezi. When she finally came into sight, he slowed down, keeping right outside her field of vision and sense of smell.
Tor didn’t plan on interrupting her nighttime run. He just wanted to be close enough to help her in case she ran into trouble.
Ezi’s nighttime run was perfect. Her pronghorn had calmed, and after an hour or so of running around, she found a spot to shift back into her human form. Once she was back in her other form, she rotated her head side to side to crack her neck and stretched her arms high above her head.
She would take a small break, and then shift back into her pronghorn form and go back to find her clothes.
“You’re far from the village.”
Whipping around, her jaw nearly hit the ground under her feet. “Tor?” Her eyes raked over him, barely able to process what she was seeing.
He strode towards her, completely naked. Her eyes bugged out of her head. She tried to rip her eyes of his tanned skin that glowed in the rays of moonlight. When her gaze fell even lower, she felt her mouth go dry. His huge cock was hard and straining for her attention.
It had it. Her heart thudded in her chest as her body responded to the sight in front of her. Her mind screamed at her to shift and run. They were both naked and alone… there were no eyes to see them. There were no eyes to stop them.
“It is me.” His dark voice purred in the night as he no doubt sensed the confusion rolling off her.
Ezi’s heart thudded to a stop in her chest as her mind lost itself. She couldn’t move off her spot. It was like she was frozen to the soft grass under her feet.
Tor prowled closer. “Hello, mate.”
There was that word again. Mate. It scared her… but a small part of her found it thrilling as well. His dark voice made it sound like a seductive secret that only they shared.
“You followed me?” She found her voice as she accused him. A spark of outrage found its way through her stunned state.
Tor had the audacity to shrug. “I noticed you leaving the clan on your own. There are many dangers lurking about.” He waved a hand around the shadowy night. “If I let something happen to you, I would never be the same man.”
She smothered the spark of happiness that he’d be bothered by her death.
He stalked even closer. Her pronghorn yelled at her to run from this predator that was hunting her. Taking a step back, she attempted to put some space between their naked bodies. Them being together here in the night while naked was courting danger.
Before Ezi could get far, his hand whipped out and snatched her upper arm, yanking her back towards him. Throwing her hands up, she bumped into his chest, her hands landing on his hard muscles.
Ezi’s mouth popped open as she turned her head up to gaze into his blue eyes, which looked several shades darker in the night. Flecks of gold danced around in the depths, flecks that she’d never noticed before.
Her fingers played with the fine dark hairs on his chest, twirling in them as she waited for his next move. She wasn’t sure she trusted herself to move. Her breasts were so close to touching his bare skin, and she could feel the heat pouring off of him in waves.
“Scared?” His spare hand came up to caress a thumb across the racing pulse on her neck.
Her eyes narrowed up at him. “I’m not scared.” Not of him, but maybe she was scared of the intensity in his dark eyes and the heat coursing through her blood at his simple touch.
A small smile curved one side of his mouth up. “You smell good.”
Ezi frowned. If she wasn’t his mate, she would think he was implying he wouldn’t mind a bite of her delicate flesh.
Tor chuckled.
“What is funny?” Ezi asked bristling a bit more, as her hands continued to play in the dark hairs of his chest. She should pull back and leave, but here she was standing within his embrace.
One of his fingers skimmed over her lips. “I prefer seeing a smile on your lips rather than a frown.”
“I haven’t had much to smile about.” Ezi’s eyes glared up at him.
“Let me give you something to smile about then.”
Before she had time to process his words, Tor’s head dipped down, and he captured her lips with his. Her eyes widened in shock before sliding closed in bliss. The kiss was light, not demanding, more like an invitation to something greater.
Ezi pulled back. There was an emotion rising inside her, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to face it. As her eyes scanned over him, trying to read him, she caught sight of his expression. It looked like he’d gone to the Eternal Hunting Grounds. His eyes were hooded, and there was a confident smile plastered on his face.
“I need more.” Tor leaned back in and recaptured her lips, and this time, he demanded her surrender. He was asking her to give in and give him what he longed for.
Ezi melted as she let the hand on her arm, pull her in closer. He smashed her breasts between them and the intimate contact sent a thrill piercing through her. Tor didn’t kiss like Drakk. He was more forceful, and Ezi found it intoxicating. He was demanding what he thought was his.
Her eyes popped open when she felt his tongue slide across the seam of her lips.
Pulling back slightly, he whispered, “Open for me, mate. Let me taste you.”
Then his lips were back on hers. Hesitantly, she opened her mouth, curious what he would do. His tongue slid between her lips and lightly touched the tip of her tongue. A smile curved her lips as she touched him back.
A growl rumbled through Tor’s chest in approval, and some of her fear rolled away.
One of his hands roamed over the naked flesh of her body, curving around her hip and giving it a brief squeeze before moving to the small of her back. Everywhere his hand traveled left a line of warmth, causing her to press into his chest more, soaking up his warmth.
Ezi was surprised by the pleasure coursing through her. His kisses were addicting, and not unpleasant like she thought they would be. Drakk had never kissed her like this like she was the only one who could quench his thirst.
Groaning, Tor’s wandering hand made
its way into her hair, gripping it in a hard fist that tilted her head back, giving him better access to her mouth.
Tor could scarcely believe he was holding his mate. Kissing his mate. His sabertooth wouldn’t stop purring in joy. It wanted to shift in front of her, to impress his mate with his size and strength, but Tor held it back. Shifting in front of Ezi would do nothing but ruin the moment.
A pronghorn shifter, especially in her delicate state of mind, wouldn’t enjoy seeing a sabertooth shifter in his animal form.
Ezi’s soft body molded against his front, and his cock twitched. Then she rotated her hips, and her abdomen rubbed his cock, and it throbbed, pressing into her as it begged for her attention.
One of her hands broke free from between their hot bodies, and she began exploring his body in return. Her small hand brushed her fingertips over his chest and down his abdomen before dipping lower to the head of his cock.
Her strokes were hesitant, but it felt so good to feel his hot length in her hand. Little pulses of pleasure shot through his cock, tightening his balls with anticipation.
His sabertooth growled inside him, and a growl rumbled out of his chest and into her mouth. His tongue continued to tease her as it went in and out of her mouth, drawing her into his own. The hairs of his beard pricked her skin with delightful tickles.
Gods how he needed her. Under him. Above him. All around him.
He was so close to having his mate.
That’s when he felt it.
His fingernails were elongating into sharp claws. No! No! Tor screamed at his sabertooth to restrain itself, but the beast was beyond listening to him. It wanted to take his mate and show her his power.
It was too soon!
A feral growl rolled out of his mouth, and Ezi shot back, severing their kiss. Her jade eyes went wide in the moonlight, and he saw the fear spread through them.
“Don’t fear me.” But the words came out muffled as he tried talking around his growing canines.
