Page 63 of Mates for the Raskarrans #1-6

“We were not always as we are now,” I say.

“There was a sickness. Many raskarrans died, females most of all. Many of my brothers lost their faith in Lina’s ways.

But my tribe brothers are good males. They would never hurt a female, whether she be raskarran or human or something else.

Lina teaches us to respect all life, but females especially.

If you hunt the female ensouka, she will bear no more ensouka colts to grow the herd.

A male warrior may protect the tribe with his strength, but without females, he would never have been born to protect them.

There would be no tribe to protect. Your tribe sisters are safe with my tribe brothers, linasha. ”

“I want to get back to them.”

“We will leave in the morning. I have strength enough to travel the distance now.”

“One more rest,” my Ellie says, making me chuckle.

“We will not struggle to communicate forever,” I say, drawing back from her so I can look on her while we talk.

“The dreamspace joins our headspaces together.” I tap a finger to her forehead.

“That is why we understand each other now. A bond is forming. It is strong while we are here, but not so when we are in the waking world. Over time, we will understand each other there as well as we do here.”

“At least I can tell you when I’m hungry in the meantime.”

I laugh. Her smile is reserved, but there is amusement in it.

“I will make sure you are never hungry again, my linasha,” I say, then catch her face in my hands. “And you will never have to do anything you do not wish to do to earn it. This I swear to you.”

Her eyes pinch closed. “You aren’t upset?”

“I am very upset that I can never find those males that hurt you and kill them for what they did. But there is no point in lingering on things that cannot be done. I have no way to travel into the sky like your people, linasha. I must focus on what I can do for you here and now. Feeding you, caring for you, caring for your tribe.”

Her arms go round my neck and she presses herself close to me, holding me tight.

I hold her back, my heartspace near overwhelmed by her.

I have always thought her brave, but knowing the full truth of her life as I do now, I see she is even braver.

And for her to have taken a chance on opening her heartspace to me - it is a gift beyond measure.

My eyes prick with tears as she draws back from me.

As do hers. I touch a hand to her face, brushing them away.

“Do you cry for happiness or sadness, my Ellie,” I ask.

“Both,” she says, swiping at her cheeks with her little hands. Then she brushes my own tears away. “You?”

“Both, also. Tell me your thoughts?”

“Only if you’ll tell me yours.”

I lean back in the pelts, drawing her with me.

“When all the females died, I was only a youngling. Barely old enough for my first practice bow. I have known all my life that I would never know my mate. That she died before she had the chance to grow to mating age. Sometimes when I look at you, I am reminded of everything my people have lost. That my brothers may not have a linasha of their own. But I am also filled with joy to know you, to have you as my mate. The happiness you have brought me is more than I ever dared to dream I would know, linasha.”

She presses her lips to mine again, showing me such tenderness. I send out grateful thoughts to Lina again and again.

“What of your tears?” I ask.

She gives a little laugh. “I thought I was sick. The dreams - I didn’t really understand what was happening.

I thought I’d made it all up, that it was my mind trying to trick me into thinking that someone was coming to rescue me.

I thought I was going crazy because of how real it felt, how much I wanted to believe you.

And I guess I was feeling just a little sad for me that even when I met you, I still couldn’t quite believe you were for real.

That someone like you could ever want a girl like me. ”

I am astounded by this.

“Who would not want a female like you as their mate?” I say. “Only like you, of course. They are not allowed to want you. You are mine. I will not share.”

I try to smile, to tease, but I can see my linasha still has doubts about herself. I hate her tribe for how they have made her think of herself as undeserving. It is plain for me to see that she is a strong, compassionate female. Any male in my tribe would have been proud to call her linasha.

“I’m nothing special,” she says. “Just a bottom tier girl.”

“You are a hunter,” I say. “A skilled one to find food for your tribe in a land not your own. You are brave and strong to face the merka beasts. You have deep kindness in your heartspace to care for me when I was injured. And you are lovely to look at, also, though that is far less important to me than the other things.”

I take her hand, drawing it up to my lips.

“Thank you,” she says. “For seeing me that way. It helps me to see myself that way. As someone worth more than what her old tribe was prepared to give her.”

“You are worth more. So much more.”

I run my hand from her ankle to her thigh. I watch her carefully, unsure if what we have talked of will put her in no mind for mating. I would fully understand. But my Ellie lies back in the pelts, her little foot nudging at me, encouraging me to come to her.

I am only too happy to oblige.