Page 188

She could almost hear him thinking ‘mine.’

“Just tell me, Nathair,” she demanded, grabbing one of his horns so she could tug his head back.

He gave her ableurghnoise with his maw parted, as he leaned back to stare down at her with reddened orbs. “Why do you want to know?” he signed with pointed movements, as if he couldn’t understand her. “It is unpleasant.”

Linh shrugged in answer, showing him she didn’t really care what a stranger thought. He assessed her reaction, but he knew her better than anyone. Now that she was curious, she was stubborn enough to not let it lie.

He gave an annoyed huff, only to tilt his skull down to watch himself rub her side. Then he used both hands to sign, “He said you were a crazed woman whoring her pussy out for protection.”

She stiffened at that.Wow. That’s really disgusting.Was the idea of her loving Nathair that unbelievable that people would rather jump to such a horrible assumption?

Pursing her lips, she eyed Nathair’s skull warily before her gaze slipped to his reddened orbs. She understood why he was angry, as she wasn’t pleased either, but his reaction in Duneside wasn’t beneficial.

I want people to see him, and Duskwalkers, the way I do.

Reaching up, she cupped the underside of his bony jaw and brought his head down to her level. She rubbed her cheek back and forth against his, hoping to soothe him.

“I know the things you overhear can be horrible, but you shouldn’t worry about them, Nathair. Who cares what strangers think?”

She pulled back so she could drift her palm over his brow bone, down his temple, and brushed her thumb over his cheekbone. Linh gave him a warm and affectionate smile.

“All that matters is I think you’re wonderful.”

Despite how his body began to soften until she was carrying a small amount of his head weight, he blew an annoyed huff.

He retracted his head to sign, “But I don’t like it when they are callous towards you.”

“And I don’t like that they say horrible things about you, but there’s nothing we can do.”

Nathair wiggled his head while licking at the inside of his mouth. Just the simple action, and she could read his thoughts.‘I could kill them.’Or, at least, something of that nature.

Seeing this was a losing battle, Linh sighed. “How are the voices?”

“They are fine,” he signed, until she lifted a brow. “They are better now that we are away from the town.”

Since obtaining her soul, Nathair hadn’t receded into as many intense trances as before. He claimed that now they were bonded, all his senses seemed to focus on hers more. The loss of his hunger allowed her scent to be more soothing and her heartbeat more lulling – rather than both tingling at his gut.

Nathair was also more obsessed with her in almost every way.

She peeked up at her soul, which no longer bore a single palm print on it. It slept on its side with its knees to its chest and its hands clasped together under the cheek it was lying on. It was bright, appeared to be at peace, and she adored seeing the way it rested comfortably between his hooked ram horns.

“How are your feet?” he asked, obviously wanting to get away from the sensitive subject of his mind. He grabbed one of her calves and began kneading the tender muscle.

“A little sore, if I’m being honest.” Then she crossed her arms and turned her head away with a false pout. “Doesn’t help thatsomeonewon’t have sex with me to make me feel better.”

Nathair chuckled at that.

She knew why. Her womb had dropped to support their growing kids, and it made her smaller inside. Nathair was worried about hurting her and them, and would rather forgo sex.

“I still pleasure you,” he argued, licking at his maw.

Her thighs clenched at that, only to immediately soften when he kneaded her other calf.

“Yeah, but licking and fingering me isn’t the same and you know it,” she grumbled, wishing her cheeks hadn’t grown warm in memory of their nightly touches – in which she was the only one receiving.

I don’t know how he holds back.

Nathair cupped the back of her head to keep her still, and dragged his tongue across her cheek. When he pulled back, his orbs were purple, and she had to resist the urge to bite her lip and tease him into getting her way.