Page 185 of Mates for the Raskarrans #1-6

BONUS SCENE

Carrie

T he big rains do get old rather quickly.

At first, it’s nice – the soft sound of the rainfall hitting the roof of our hut, lying in bed all morning with each other, not having to go out and face the rest of the world.

But then there’s the fact that we get soaked through every time we go out to pick up food supplies for any of our meals.

Or when I run out of nesta root powder for my tea and have to go to the healer’s hut.

Or when Lorna and Shemza invite us over for dinner.

And there are jobs that still need doing.

Endzoh still has to go out on patrols, laundry still needs cleaning.

Endzoh tells me he’ll help with the laundry, as they’re half his clothes.

More than half, on account of him being so much bigger than me.

It’s sweet, but as he has to go out on his patrols, I think it’s only fair that I get my share of the cold, wet work.

Within a couple of weeks, us girls have worked out a kind of rota so we can all help each other and there’s no occasion where one of us is soaked to the bone and miserable on their own. One time I go with Khadija and she takes off her boots, then gets into the water otherwise fully dressed.

“May as well be warm,” she says. “Not like I can get any more wet at this point.”

We do it like that every time from there on out.

While I’m in front of the fire, drying off, or waiting for Endzoh to get back, or otherwise passing the time, I work on weaving the bracelets.

Gregar has given the scheme his approval, and me and Molly spent a fun day cutting all the leather strips and working on various designs.

Sometimes she comes over to weave them with me, but most of the time she takes a bag full of supplies so she can sit and make them in her bedroom, bringing the finished product to me and trading for more supplies to make the next set.

Between us, we’ve got all the ones for the girls done, plus most of Gregar’s tribe.

We have colours for mated pairs, single but looking humans, single but looking raskarrans, and for single but not looking.

I have the list of colour requests written down on a slate, using a tally system that Lorna taught me for easy counting.

There’s still a lot to do, but I’m trying really hard to just work on a couple a day.

To not succumb to the pressure to get everything done now.

Because there’s no rush. No one is really mingling while the rains go on, so it’s not like there are misunderstandings and awkward situations to prevent.

They’ll be done long before the rains stop.

So I can slow down. Enjoy the process. It’s work, but not in the Mercenia way of thinking.

“It would not even matter if they were not finished before the rains end,” Endzoh says to me in the dreamspace, stroking his fingers through my hair.

“I know,” I say. Words come easier here, but they still aren’t easy. More easy all the time, but it’s still Endzoh who does most of the talking.

In other words, we just enjoy sitting in silence together a lot of the time.

Or doing all the other things that don’t require any words.

Like now, as Endzoh’s fingers quest southward, past my hair and down, tracing the curve of my breast, but not lingering there, moving down my side to my hips. He’s spooned against me, and I can feel his rigid cock against my back, my core pulsing with need as he strokes through my curls to my clit.

“Mmm,” I say, as the first sparks of pleasure start firing, reaching up to run my fingers through his hair as he kisses the back of my neck.

Not that he was ever disappointing in any way, but he’s got damn good at making my body sing with pleasure.

Before long, I’m gasping, and with a slight shift, Endzoh strokes into me from behind, seating himself deep.

I love it when we’re in this position. It means a long, slow build up.

Without his mating node moving over my clit, everything takes longer, but that just makes it all the more satisfying when he finally drives me over the edge, always following close behind me.

“Do you wish for younglings?” he asks me, when we’ve caught our breath.

It’s… not a surprising question, though he’s never come close to asking me about it before.

All the other girls got pregnant pretty quickly after meeting their mates, and I’m not.

Yet. I know most of the raskarrans are desperate to have children of their own, but Endzoh isn’t like most of the raskarrans, so I didn’t want to assume.

I roll so I’m facing him. Look straight into his eyes.

“I do,” I tell him. “You?”

“I never thought I did,” he says, stroking his fingers through my hair again. “I never thought I would want a mate, even if there were females to mate with. But then I saw you and everything I thought I knew changed.”

Warmth floods me at his words, and I press a kiss to his lips.

“You’ll be. A great. Dad,” I say, grinning.

He gives me a look like he thinks I’m just trying to be kind because he’s my mate.

I get this look quite a lot, and yeah, I definitely see the best in him always.

But also, I’ve never had to lie to him when giving a compliment.

He has so many good qualities, and if they don’t quite match up with raskarran norms, so what?

“Truth,” I say. “You. See. All the. Important. Things.”

“I saw you.”

“Yes.” My grin grows even wider. “Yes you did.”