Page 24 of Mates for the Raskarrans #1-6

“ Theberrijusheals, huh?” she says, then sticks her other foot out towards me.

I grin, then give her other foot the same treatment.

When I am done, I grab the waterskin, handing it back to her.

This time, she takes several big gulps, tipping the waterskin upside down when she is done to show it is empty.

Her face still contorts with displeasure at the taste, but she smiles brightly at me as she hands the waterskin back and my heartspace soars.

It is the first time she has gifted me with such an expression and I am addicted.

The rest of my life will be dedicated to making her smile.

I rinse the bowl clean of any remaining berry juice, then place the geberren root inside, mashing it.

I expect My Liv to come over and look at what I am doing as she did before, but instead, she shuffles over to the water’s edge and dips her hands into it, sliding her fingers between and over each other, cleaning away the dirt.

I was right about her desire to be clean.

I come to her side as she cups water in her hands and splashes it over her face, holding out the bowl of crushed geberren root towards her. She touches the pulp, then slides her fingers together, smoothing it round.

“ Sthissoap ?” she says, her eyes widening.

In the days when there were many raskarran clans, enough that several different variations on our words were spoken between us, the dreamspace linked our headspaces enough that we came to understand each other in the waking world.

It takes time, and I have not known my linasha long enough, but I hope one day to be able to understand her words.

For now, I take a piece of the pulp and rub it in my hands until it lathers, showing her.

Her eyes widen and she scoops up a handful and lathers it up herself, before rubbing it over her face and neck.

When she splashes herself with water this time, the grime comes away, revealing her pale skin.

She looks at her reflection in the water as it stills again, touching her face as if she does not recognise it.

Then, abruptly, she stands, grabbing the bowl of geberren root.

She picks her way round the edge of the pool towards the rocks at the back.

Bemused, I watch her, then, as she starts to climb over the rocks, I get up, follow her.

I am beside her to take the bowl of paste as she goes to set it down.

She looks up at me, her eyes narrowing a little, but then she nods and steps under the stream of the waterfall, running her hands over her hair, turning herself until it is wet through.

Then she steps back out, grabs a big handful of the paste, and begins to massage it in to her hair.

I am fascinated by the way her eyes close, her lips part, as if the act of cleaning is an intense pleasure for her.

My cock stiffens, the urge to take her in my arms overwhelming.

But I remain still as she rinses the lather from her hair, then claims another handful of paste to wash it again.

By the time she rinses the lather off again, my cock is aching with need.

I shift, trying to relieve the pressure of it pressing against my clothes.

Then my Liv’s expression grows tentative as she touches the neck of her strange clothes.

She glances up at me, hesitation in her expression.

Whatever war wages in her thoughts, I see the moment she decides, resolve hardening her expression.

And then she starts undoing her top, opening it up and sliding it from her shoulders.

My heart pounds, my mouth dries. I stifle the groan in my throat.

Beneath her outer layer, she has another - a top that does not cover as much of her, but still keeps most of her luscious body hidden.

She has no further layer covering her legs, though, and I admire them as she steps out of her outer layer, removing it completely.

Then she drops to the ground, sitting with her feet in the pool of water, and holds a hand out to me.

I am tempted to take it in mine, but my headspace catches up with her true meaning just in time.

She wants the bowl. I pass it to her, and she sets it beside her, taking a big handful of the paste and starting to work it in to her clothes.

There is little I can do to assist beyond fetching more roots when she runs out, pulping them with a stone ready for her.

When she has more than enough, I shuck off my clothes and take a dip in the pool.

It is barely deep enough to come to my waist when I am standing, but I fold myself up, dropping beneath the surface, rinsing my own coating of grime and dirt from my skin.

When I surface, my Liv is watching me, amusement on her face. Then she turns back to her clothes.

She smiles as she works, a look of satisfaction in her eyes as she holds up the wet material, inspecting it.

When she’s finished, I get out of the pool and take the garment from her, hanging it over a low branch to dry.

It is warm today, but the air is humid. It will probably take some time for her clothes to dry fully, but I have no intention of doing any further searching for Ellie today.

The djenti berries will do their work, but my linasha still needs her rest. I will not risk harming her.

My Liv walks round the edge of the pool to my side, tugging on her top as if to hide more of her body from me.

Her eyes skate past my body, as if she does not wish to look on my naked form.

I want to tell her there is no need for shyness between mates.

That I have seen everything she has and love all of it. That everything I have belongs to her.

But I have no words to explain this to her. No gesture that would be sufficient. So I shake the water from my hair, put my clothes back on, then turn to her.

My Liv remains still a moment, her brow furrowing in the way it does when she is deep in thought. Then she touches a hand to her stomach, then to her mouth. I need no words to understand the meaning behind this. She is hungry.

My sadness that we cannot speak is replaced by a pleasure that I can take care of another of her needs.

We have supplies, but we also have a long way to travel back to the village soon.

I should reserve them - take this chance to hunt something fresh and delicious for my linasha.

To show her what a good provider I can be.

I may not be a hunter like Anghar, but I have skill enough.

I take the knife from my boot again and hand it to her. I do not think she will need it, and I will not go far, but it soothes me to know she has it, and I know it soothes her. I motion for her to wait, then pick up a bow from my supplies and head out into the forest.