The Sabertooth's Mate (Ice Age Alphas Book 2)

by Lily Thomas

  Her breasts jiggled back and forth as he pounded into her. The heavy weight of her breasts only helped to enhance the pleasure. Her fingers dug into the ground, finding purchase, so he didn’t push her across the ground with the force of his thrusts. His groin pressed into her buttocks with every thrust and the head of his cock hit every delicious part of her.

  It grew so intense that she began crying out in pleasure, her moans turning to groans. Then her body clamped down around his long length, tempting him to spill his seed deep inside her.

  He came with a roar. “Take all of me!”

  Tor jerked against her bottom, his cock blowing its load into her. Hot and searing.

  Both of them slumped as the orgasm rocked through both of their bodies. She could feel his cock twitch inside her with a few last spasms. Bending her head down, she rested it against the cool grass. Tor was still slumped over her back, but he held most of his weight off of her.

  Her eyes sank closed as she enjoyed the moment of peace. Then she felt Tor stir behind her. He lifted himself up off of her, his cock sliding free from within her, and then he placed a hot kiss on her shoulder. Slowly, his kisses made their way over to her spine and then down her back.

  “You are beautiful.” He repeated from earlier.

  A small smile crept across Ezi’s face at the compliment. It was nice to hear. Ever since having Flosa, there’d been some extra weight on her frame. It didn’t bother her. Every woman who experience birth also experienced the added weight, and she knew in no time it would disappear like a lot of things in this world, but it was still clinging to her frame.

  Tor rolled over onto his side and drew her down into his arms, turning her, so her head rested on his shoulder. His hand smoothed down her hair.

  “I’m glad you can trust me.”

  Trust him. Did she trust him? She supposed she had to trust him if she felt this comfortable with him and was willing to let him hunt her in his sabertooth form.

  “I do trust you.” It was a shock to say the words out loud, but there they were. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be his mate, but she knew he meant her and Flosa no harm. This man might be able to shift into a terrifying predator, but he was no monster.

  Ezi ran her hands through her hair frantically as she tried to hide what she’d been up to with him. Tor watched on from a distance from within the camp. She still didn’t want anyone to know they had shared a couple of intimate moments together, while he wanted to shout the news from the top of the highest mountain.

  Tor glanced around wondering where exactly the highest point would be. Then he shrugged it off. He’d shout at the top of a mountain once he actually had his mate bonded to him in front of the gods. Until then, he still had a lot to do.

  After their romp in the woods, they’d made their way back to the camp, and thankfully no one had seemed to realize they were missing.

  “Ready?”

  Glancing over his shoulder, he found Daerk nearby.

  “For?”

  “Meeting with the other hunters and getting our hunting area ready for the mammoths.” Daerk raised an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten?”

  Tor shook his head, driving thoughts of Ezi from them. If he wasn’t careful, his mate was going to be the sole focus of his attention. He had other things to worry about as well, like providing for his clan, which would also provide for his mate.

  “Wasn’t Rir helping the hunters?”

  “They need more men,” Daerk explained.

  With one last look over his shoulder at Ezi, Tor headed off, following Daerk as his leader led the way.

  “How did the foraging in the forest go?” Daerk eyed him from the corner of one eye.

  “I think Ezi found everything she needed.”

  “And more.” When Tor raised his eyebrow in question, Daerk reached out and pulled a twig from Tor’s hair. “There was more than picking flowers going on in the forest.”

  Tor reached out and smacked the twig from Daerk’s hand. “It wasn’t our first time together.” Satisfaction flowed through him as he said it out loud. His sabertooth might give her pause, but she liked what he could give her, and he would give her more, like his heart.

  Daerk’s mouth hung open. “Ezi and you?”

  His surprise wasn’t unwarranted. Even Tor doubted those moments had happened. He wanted to share the news with every clan member but knew Ezi wouldn’t want that.

  “Don’t tell anyone. Not even Aiyre.” Tor shook his head. “I am so close to having my mate, and I don’t wish to scare her away.”

  “I won’t tell anyone. Not even the gods.” Daerk promised. “But I am glad to hear you might yet win her over. You and her deserve to find happiness.”

  Tor chuckled. “I think the gods already know. This has to be a part of their plan.”

  They walked in silence. The makeshift camp long gone as their long strides carried them towards the mammoth hunting grounds. In some ways, Tor hated Brog, the past clan leader, for what he’d done to Ezi’s clan, but at the same time, he wondered if they would have been brought together had that night not happened. There was no way for him to know. All he knew was that he now had a mate who he needed to help heal.

  The further out they went the taller the grass became until it came all the way up to his thighs. This area was perfect for hunting mammoths. Their hunters would easily be able to hide away in the tall grass, letting them get closer to the ginormous beasts that could topple trees and cause the ground to tremble with each step.

  “Eron prayed to the gods that our hunt would go well, and there would be no injuries, but I still worry.” Daerk confided in him.

  “As a new leader, you take everything onto yourself, but you shouldn’t.” Tor clapped a hand across his friend’s back. “No matter what you do to protect our clanmates, the gods will find a way to affect our fates. Leave it in their hands.”

  Daerk sighed. “You’re right.” He brought a couple of fingers up to his forehead and rubbed his temple. “But he’s still out there, and there’s no telling if he will come back for revenge after what I did to him.”

  There was no need for Daerk to say his name. Tor knew exactly who his leader was talking about. Brog.

  “We all fear his return.”

  “Brog was never a man to let others get away with insulting him, and what we did was much worse.” Daerk glanced over at him. “If he comes back, it will be for me, you, or Rir, or any of our mates.”

  A growl threatened to spill from his throat as Tor thought about Brog trying to kill or harm Ezi… or Flosa. The banished leader had tried to kill Aiyre in the most cruel manner before the clan had forced him out… by trying to toss her into the village fire… Tor’s skin crawled as he recalled that night. It would forever be seared into his mind.

  “I will rip his throat out if he lays a single finger on Ezi or Flosa.” The words were barely audible as his sabertooth threatened to rise to the surface.

  “You won’t be the only one. No one in the clan will let him do that without suffering.”

  They fell into a tense silence as they both thought about the man that still haunted their memories. With Brog as the clan leader, they’d had to tread carefully, and even with him banished he was still terrorizing them.

  “We should try to find him after the mammoth hunt.”

  Daerk glanced over at him. “And kill him.”

  Tor nodded. “We should have done it instead of banishing him.”

  He knew Daerk hadn’t wanted to start his leadership with a death but now they had a problem. A man who hated them all was roaming around out there, and maybe he would never strike, but Tor wasn’t about to bet Flosa’s or Ezi’s life on it.

  “We’re here.” Daerk drew their attention back to the area around them.

  Tor glanced around to find themselves in a small valley and up around them were hills and further down the valley were cliffs. This would be the perfect spot for hunting mammoths.

  “We can have hunters hiding in the ta
ll grass on the hills driving the mammoths towards the cliffs where we can easily kill several mammoths with spears and rocks.”

  “Exactly what we were thinking,” Daerk confirmed. “And hopefully there will be no deaths.”

  Deaths were common when mammoths were involved. Those beasts might look large and lumbering, but they could be fast and easy to anger. They had long ivory tusks that swept out in a magnificent arch, and with one swing of their heads, they could crush a man’s ribcage.

  “You’ve joined us!”

  They both turned to find Rir headed straight for them with a bunch of warriors following right after him.

  “We have.” Daerk embraced Rir in a hug.

  Then Tor and Rir embraced. With a pat to each of their backs, they separated.

  “Do you have a task for us?”

  Rir roared with laughter, his head falling back. “Do we have tasks?”

  Tor rolled his eyes. “Is that a yes?”

  “Follow me, and I will show you what needs to be done.”

  Chapter 19

  “Oh, Flosa,” Ezi begged as she jiggled the baby in her arms while walking around the makeshift camp.

  Flosa let out a scream that had Ezi wincing as her ears rang with the sound. Couldn’t Drakk have left her with a less fussy child? She was about to lose her mind, and it was her child causing the noise! Aiyre had tried a turn, but Flosa wouldn’t let anyone soothe her. She was upset about something, and not even a nipple could convince the baby to quiet down.

  “Have you tried feeding her?”

  The male voice caused tremors of excitement to race through her, and bumps spread out over her skin. Turning on a heel, she found Tor standing behind her, a smile on his lips as he gazed down at the child in her arms.

  “I have.” Ezi snapped. She was in no mood for him to tell her how to handle her child. It wasn’t like he had any of his own… not yet, but they had shared plenty of nights together… for all she knew, she could be carrying yet another child. Dismay roared through her. She could barely handle one child. There was no way she’d keep her sanity with two of these things crying.

  “Let me hold her,” Tor reached out his hands.

  Ezi stood there, staring at him. The sun was setting behind him in a brilliant display of oranges and reds. He and the other men had come back from setting up the mammoth hunt area not too long ago.

  “Let me hold her.” Tor repeated as he kept his hands outstretched for the child.

  “What could you do?” She doubted much, but it might give her ears some much needed rest.

  In response, he wiggled his fingers at her.

  With a small huff, Ezi gave up and handed him the child who couldn’t keep her mouth quiet. It was like Flosa was trying to call out to the gods.

  Tor wrapped Flosa up in his arms and bumped her bottom a bit as he made strange noises to her and she… quieted.

  Ezi’s mouth dropped to the ground as she stared in wide-eyed shock. “She’s…”

  “Quiet.” Tor’s blue eyes flashed in triumph.

  The quiet was so peaceful, and when she glanced around the camp, she could tell a lot of the clan were thankful for the reprieve from the crying of the child. Then her eyes landed on Tor and Flosa. A baby looked good in his arms like he was meant to have a child in his strong arms.

  “Do you want children?” The question escaped her mouth before she could stop herself.

  Tor’s head jerked up, and his eyes went wide in surprise. “I want to fill my hut with children.”

  Her heart sputtered around in her chest. And if she were his mate, then he would want to have them with her. An image of Drakk holding Flosa tried to surface, but she shoved it down. Drakk wasn’t here for her and Flosa. Only Tor was here now, and he was offering her a hut and safety. She bit the inside of her cheek, and she would be foolish not to consider what he offered seriously.

  Tor slowly walked away from her as he bounced the baby in his arms. Flosa’s delighted thrills sang through the air as she giggled.

  “If Tor has Flosa, then you can help us build some baskets near the fire.”

  Ezi glanced over to see a woman from the sabertooth clan standing near her. “I can’t believe how much she likes him.” Ezi shook her head in wonderment.

  “We always knew he would make a good father.” The woman smiled fondly as her eyes followed Tor, who moved around the camp.

  “It’s sad to hear that some never find their mates.” Like Eron. He was nearing the end of his life, and he still hadn’t found himself a mate. Ezi couldn’t even imagine how he felt about that. If he’d dreamed of having children, then it would now be dashed, and it was sad.

  The woman shook her head as she led Ezi over to the other women. “I know Eron wished for children and a mate, but the gods had other plans for him.”

  “Can he never take another?”

  The woman shrugged. “He could take a woman as his partner, but what if she or he found their mate?”

  That was true. It would make a bad situation even worse. If he took a woman, she could find her mate, or Eron could find his, and then that relationship and any children from it would be torn to shreds.

  “Eron has come to accept what the gods have in store for him.” The other woman said. “He is happy with the life he has, and you shouldn’t pity him.”

  To have that much faith in his gods. Sometimes, like the days following her clan’s massacre, she found it hard to trust in them. She still didn’t understand why so many had to die and why the gods hadn’t given them any warning, not that a warning would have done them much good against a clan of sabertooth shifters.

  Ezi picked a seat near Aiyre, and the woman who’d grabbed her plopped a seat on her other side.

  “Where’s Flosa?” Aiyre glanced around.

  “Tor has her.”

  Aiyre raised both her eyebrows, causing her brow to wrinkle.

  “What?” Ezi snapped a bit more harshly than she meant to at the glance she was receiving.

  “I figured you wouldn’t want him to have her without you nearby.”

  “You told me to start trusting the people in the clan.” Ezi frowned at her friend. “Should I not trust him?”

  Aiyre frantically waved her hands in front of her. “No, no! I’m not saying not to trust him. I’m happy to see you trusting Tor and Ake. Just surprised.”

  Ezi glanced over to where Tor was still walking around the camp. His eyes only focused on the baby in his arms. “I don’t understand why Flosa trusts him.”

  “Why wouldn’t she?”

  Ezi shrugged. “Shouldn’t she sense that he is a predator?”

  Aiyre chuckled. “If she can sense he is a predator, then she can sense he won’t hurt her.”

  “I wish she would behave for me.” The moment he touched Flosa, she would quiet down and smile up at him, while Ezi had the hardest time getting the child to calm.

  “She does. You just forget when she starts screaming.” Aiyre laughed.

  “Flosa will cry for him.” Another woman promised. “If he holds her more, you will hear her cry in his arms.”

  The rest of the women in the group nodded their heads in agreement.

  “She’s right.” Aiyre laid a hand on Ezi’s. “Let Tor hold her more often, and you will hear cries of displeasure ringing through the trees.”

  A smile cracked across Ezi’s lips. “I wonder if he could handle a crying baby.”

  All the women peeled into laughter as they shook their heads.

  “I can see his face now!” Ake bent over herself in laughter. “His eyes will go wide, and he’ll look around in bewilderment, and he will either handle it or run around until he finds you.”

  The women around her kept laughing, and she had to admit the image of Tor running around in a panic was amusing. If Tor, a strong warrior, couldn’t handle the cries of a baby and ran around with panic in his eyes, she would laugh a little before stepping in and saving him.

  “The first time our child cried i
n my mate’s arms, I could see the terror in his eyes.” One woman confessed.

  “I remember!” Another giggled.

  “My mate was able to handle it.” Another pitched in.

  The rest of the conversation faded into the background as Ezi’s eyes followed Tor. She didn’t care if Flosa cried in his arms because the other women were right. If he held her more, she would eventually cry, and she wanted him to enjoy this moment with her child.

  Tor’s head lifted, and his blue eyes connected with hers as the last few rays of day faded away. A spark of fire lit in those deep blue eyes, and she knew she would once again be sneaking into the forest with him later.

  The area between her legs heated as a blush of anticipation crept up her neck and cheeks.

  His nostrils flared in the waning light as if he could smell her arousal from across the camp. Swallowing harshly, Ezi bit the inside of her cheek as images of him above, below, and around her formed in her mind.

  Tonight would be a good night.

  Tor loved the weight of the spear in his hand. Hunting mammoths was going to be fun, and he felt like a young boy again, like he was going on his first hunt. His limp wouldn’t get in his way, and he needed to remember that before he let his fears get the best of him.

  “I saw you and Ezi last night.” Daerk walked up beside him, a spear in one of his hands.

  Tor grunted. He wasn’t sure he wanted to get into another Ezi discussion. “She found me. I’m not pushing her into accepting into her furs.” It had been another passionate night for them with barely any sleep, but he still felt well-rested and relaxed.

  “I’m not worried about her.”

  He cocked an eyebrow at Daerk. “Me?” He wanted to laugh in hysteria. Daerk was worried about him getting hurt?

  Rir strolled up beside them. One spear was in his hands, and there were three strapped to his back.

  “Do you have enough spears?” Tor shook his head as he glanced over at Daerk.

  Daerk shrugged at Tor.

  “You can’t kill a mammoth with one spear,” Rir stated defensively.