Page 58 of Mates for the Raskarrans #1-6

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Anghar

I do not understand why my Ellie is so shy of her body, seeking to hide it from me, but I obey her command for privacy and head back into the cave.

I feel much better now. My side aches, but it is duller, easier to ignore.

I suspect my Ellie has been applying the djenti berry paste while I slept and I send my thanks to Lina once again for blessing me with such a clever mate.

Back in the cave, I look through the supplies.

Mostly Ferzan’s tribe leave foodstuffs, medicines that can be dried and kept.

But sometimes there are clothes and I look for them now, hoping to find something dry for my Ellie to wear.

Her own strange garment is dirty and now wet.

It would not be pleasant for her to put it back on.

Any clothes here will likely be too large, but that would still be preferable to what she has.

After a little searching, I find a top that will probably come down to her knees, but also a belt she can use to shape it a little.

A youngling’s pair of loose leathers makes my heartspace stutter a moment.

Shemza is the youngest in our tribe, the last to have needed such small clothes, and he is a full-grown male some years now.

I pick up the garment, wondering if one day my linasha will bear my younglings.

It makes my heartspace ache to think of it, joy and longing mingling in my chest in strange ways.

It is nice to have hope for the tribe at last. Hope enough to maybe one day soothe away the pains of the past.

For now, the youngling clothes would probably fit my Ellie’s tiny frame, so I bring them with me as I head back towards the entrance of the cave.

“My Ellie, if there is anything you do not wish for me to see, please cover yourself now,” I say cheerfully as I step outside, keeping my eyes on the floor. I know she will not understand me, but the sound of my voice will let her know I am coming, at least.

I walk noisily, letting the stones on the riverbed crunch beneath my feet. Only when cold water laps at my toes do I start to look up.

And see strong calves made for running and climbing and hunting.

She has put her strange garment back on, but rolled up the legs, revealing her muscular form.

My cock stirs and I try to think of anything except what it would be like to explore her body with my fingers, my mouth, my tongue, as my eyes skate past the apex of her thighs and up her torso to her face.

There is less wariness in her now, her comfort restored to her now she is dressed again. But it is comfort of only one kind. The wet fabric must chafe her skin. I raise the bundle of clothes in my arms, holding them out towards her. With gentle fingers, she pulls out the top, holding it up.

“ Forme? ” she says, pointing at herself.

“ Yes ,” I say, taking her pointing to mean she is asking for permission to wear it.

I am again reminded of the way she looked for permission to eat. I wonder what strange rules her tribe had that make her so cautious to take what she needs.

She puts the top back in my arms. I am about to hand it to her again, when her fingers go to the fastening on her wet clothes.

She undoes it, and I catch a glimpse of the skin it hides before I turn round, holding the top out behind me, allowing her to dress in privacy.

She takes the top, and I hear a little shuffling, the splash of water as she removes her old clothes.

When she taps on my shoulder, I turn back to her, unable to stop myself smiling as I take her in.

The top drowns her, as I thought it would, hanging below her knees.

She looks ridiculous, her body so disguised by the excess of material.

At first, my Ellie gives me a hard look, as if she is annoyed by my amusement, but then she dips her head, letting out a little laugh.

I pass her the trousers and she steps into them, pulling the ties at the waist tight so they stay up.

She tucks the bottom of the shirt into the trousers, then lets the material hang down.

It sits in the middle of her thighs now, much more manageable.

I take the belt and loop it round her, securing it tight to her waist. The ends of it hang long at her side, but I can trim those easily enough.

I step back, taking her fully in. And despite the fact that they were not made for her frame, the sight of her in raskarran clothes does strange things to my heartspace.

She looks like she belongs in this forest, my headspace racing through our life together - making a home back at the village, her belly growing rounded, raising our younglings, growing old together.

I think of how happy my father will be when I introduce her to him as my mate.

All the feelings swell up inside me, spilling out of my eyes as tears.

And I need to touch her. Not in any way for mating, just to hold her in my arms - be assured of her realness.

I reach for her, touching a hand to her arm.

She does not flinch away from me, so I draw her into my arms, wrapping her in an embrace.

Her body is tense a moment, before settling against mine, her cheek resting against my chest. My heartspace thrums and I wish I had the words to tell her how much she has already come to mean to me.

But the pain in my side has been building since I got to my feet, and I can feel my legs growing weaker beneath me. So I release her, touching a hand to my injured side.

“ Rest ,” I say.

“ Yes, ” she says. “ Rest. ”

It is dark when I wake again, the pain in my side lowered to a quiet hum.

It is not cold, not quite, but the muggy warmth of the day has gone, so I push myself upright and go to the fire.

My Ellie does not know how to light one, I think.

I look to where she is sitting on the other side of the cave, nibbling on another meal bar, and gesture her over.

She sets the meal bar down, looking as though she is ashamed to be caught with another. I point to it, and she hands it to me.

“ Rest. No. More. Yes, ” I say, then point to the meal bar, giving her a questioning look.

“ Food, ” she says.

“ Food ,” I repeat, pointing to it.

“ Food, ” she says again.

I smile, handing it back to her. “Ellie food more yes.”

“Yuwanmeteatmore ?” she says, the flow of her words jumbling them together. I jump on the only one I recognise.

“ More. Food more. ”

My Ellie watches me as she takes another bite. I smile and nod. “ Yes more yes. ”

Her lips quirk upwards just a little, the barest beginnings of a smile.

I gesture to the fire, showing her the small bits of dried plant that can be used to start a flame, and the two pieces of stone that strike together to make a spark.

She watches, her attention on my actions, and once I make a spark, she taps my hand and says ‘ more ’ and I understand her to mean that she wants me to show her again.

So I do, several times. Then she takes the stones and tries herself.

It takes her a few goes, but she makes a spark, giving me a look of triumph.

So I take her hands in mine, angling them downwards so the spark will fly towards the kindling. She strikes, a little spark arcing downwards and smouldering, a little puff of smoke rising up. She lets out a whoop, grinning up at me.

And her face is so close to mine, it makes my heartspace pause a moment, then thunder so loud I am sure the whole forest can hear it.

My Ellie’s breathing goes ragged and my arm is still around her, my hand no longer closed around hers, but resting where it naturally came to land on her leg.

My tail twitches behind me, all my held in need escaping through it as I try to hold the rest of me very still.

Then my Ellie turns back to the flints in her hand, striking downwards again, creating another spark.

This time, it catches in the kindling; the smoulder spreading through the dried leaves and mosses.

I release my Ellie, bending down close to the fire and blowing on it to encourage the flame.

When it starts to grow, I drop on a few more twigs, larger pieces of moss, and soon it is burning well.

I turn back to her. The fire casts an orange glow around the cave, bathing her skin in warmth and light. She looks radiant and I think a little less wary. I dare to be bold and raise a hand to her face again, brushing my thumb across her cheek.

“If you wanted me to, I would show you such pleasures, linasha,” I say. “I would spend all night between your legs and make you come screaming my name over and over. Nothing would make me happier than having the taste of you on my tongue.”

I do not know if she catches any of my meaning or not.

She does not understand my words, but perhaps my voice - low and urgent - conveys something to her.

She reaches out a hand to me, her fingers trembling as she touches them to my face, mimicking the way I touch her.

My heartspace thunders again, my joy showing in the smile that spreads across my face.

A flare of pain cuts through the moment and I grimace, my hand going to my side. It passes after a moment, and I am ready to resume touching my Ellie, exploring her any way she would allow. But she bats my hand away and points to the pelts I’ve been sleeping in.

“ Rest ,” she says.

And though it is the last thing on my mind in that moment, I agree.