Page 96 of Mates for the Raskarrans #1-6

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Vantos

I push Rachel harder than I would like all morning.

I feed her only ration bars, not fresh broth, and I set a swift pace.

I feel terrible about it, but I think she would be pleased if she knew my reasoning.

Reasoning I cannot explain to her. It would take too much time to communicate with pictures and the few words we have.

I wish I at least knew how to apologise to her, but Rachel does not seem unhappy with our pace.

She is smiling every time I look round at her to make sure she is keeping up, her cheeks dimpling from the breadth of her grin.

It makes my heartspace race to see it, to think that I have contributed to her happiness.

I remember her sweet cries from last night as I tasted her cunt.

I am unsure what was better - the sounds she made, or her taste.

I lick my lips, tasting the ghost of her flavour, wishing I had my cock buried between her legs right now.

I am addicted to her, and I know it is wrong, but also, how can making Rachel smile so much be a bad thing?

My headspace spins with confusion, my thoughts conflicting with my desires and the way Rachel responds to me.

But… Lina has not struck me down in anger for taking what is not mine to take.

In fact, the path has been so clear I would have called it Lina’s blessing.

No fallen trees or branches have blocked our way, no rough terrain has slowed our passage.

We make rapid progress towards our destination.

Which was my intention in rising early and moving quickly - getting to our stopping point for tonight as early as possible.

It is as if Lina eases our way - but that cannot be.

Lina would not approve of my intentions. Would she?

I go back and forth on this question many times as we walk, grateful that my thoughts are mine alone.

It is midafternoon when I start to recognise the landscape around me, and the air takes on a distinctive smell - like boiled vyka bird eggs.

I have not visited Darran’s tribe many times, but every time I have travelled, I have always made a point to stop here, where the waters bubble out of the ground the same way they do at our bathing pools.

The pools here are smaller, but they are just as warming and relaxing as they are back home.

I wish for my female to be warmed and relaxed. She has done much walking these past few days. I want her to have time to lounge in the waters and soothe away her aches. I want to see her smiles continue until we settle in our pelts to sleep tonight.

I look back to Rachel to see her little nose wrinkling at the smell.

It is more potent here than at the village - not disguised by the scents of flowers like those growing in the trees all around our bathing pools.

I grin, tapping Rachel on the nose, then gesture for her to follow me off the path.

She gives me a curious look - neither concerned at our diversion, nor unhappy to be leaving the clearer path.

She just reaches forwards and takes my hand, allowing me to guide her.

When we step into the steamy clearing, she gasps with delight, and my heartspace swells with gladness. Then she turns to me, uncertainty in her expression.

“ Donweneedtakeepgoin?” she says, miming walking, then pointing out of the trees.

“We can rest here tonight,” I say, unhooking her pack from her shoulders and setting it on the ground.

I set mine beside it, taking out the tent.

I will have to set it a small way from the waters, but I know a spot of flat ground not far into the trees.

Rachel comes to my side, picking up the tent pegs.

My heartspace bursts with affection, but I take them from her hands.

“Rest,” I say to her. “Enjoy the water. I will return in a moment.”

I point to her, then to the waters. I hope she does not think I mean she is dirty.

We are only as dirty as each other, as two travellers moving through the forests.

I would not care if she was covered in dirt - I would still find her the most beautiful creature in all of Lina’s forests.

Would still want to touch her, to taste her.

But Rachel’s eyes go wide with delight, and I stop worrying she misunderstands me. She hums to herself as she pulls off her shoes, and it is a wrench in my chest to leave her side and go to set our tent.

The temptation to rush putting up the tent is difficult to master, but I remind myself that it will not do to have Rachel uncomfortable because I did not thoroughly check the ground for stones, or worse, woken in the night by the whole thing collapsing on us because I did not secure it fast enough.

So I make sure to check everything thoroughly, then check it all again, as my headspace keeps wandering to the thought of Rachel in the water, her body all warm and wet and slippery…

I nearly groan. I ache with need to part her thighs and slide my cock inside her, but I will not.

I will not mate her fully. I will give her pleasure with my fingers and tongue - as much pleasure as she asks for, and it will be a great pleasure to me to give it.

But even this is more than I should allow to happen between us.

Rachel does not seem concerned about it, but she could find her mate among Darran’s tribe, and I would not wish her to have regrets about things she has done with me.

And I am a bad, selfish male. For why would she not regret all ways we have touched? And yet, I know in my heartspace that if she reaches for me, I will not be able to stop myself from making her shake with release.

The memory of her last night, whimpering with need before she launched herself at me, pressing her mouth to mine with such sweet passion, flashes before my eyes as clear as if I am reliving it. She wanted my touch. Wanted it as much as I wanted to give it to her.

This is a dangerous thing. For both of us.

I resolve to stay out of the water. I will roll up my leathers and soak my feet, but will undress no further.

When I arrive back at the pools, Rachel is lounging in the water, her eyes closed, a look of bliss on her face.

I smile, my heartspace soaring to see her looking so happy and relaxed.

If she were my mate, I would strive to make her feel this way every day.

Whoever she does mate to better be the best of males and honour her as she deserves.

I set myself down beside the largest of the pools, pulling off my shoes and rolling up my leathers.

The heat of the water soaks into my skin as soon as I slip my feet in, the aches in my muscles soothed immediately.

Rachel’s eyes flutter open at the sound of the water being disturbed, and she pushes away from the opposite side of the pool towards me.

“ Yunotgettinin? ” she says, flicking water at me playfully.

I shake my head at her, swiping away the water from my face. She giggles, and by Lina, I am so nearly undone by the sound. Nothing makes my heartspace swell like the sound of Rachel’s laughter.

Then she reaches for my foot, giving it a little tug. She is not strong enough to shift me, nor is she really trying. She is just teasing me.

“ Cumon,” she says, pouting at me. “ Inoyulikethewater. ”

None of the words she says are ones I recognise, but she tugs on my foot again, still looking at me with imploring eyes and a sad little pout.

It would tug at my heartspace, but I can see she is close to laughing in the way her eyes crinkle at the edges.

So I give her a bland look, and slide my tail into the water, using it to flick some in her face as she did me.

She splutters, then bursts out laughing.

“ Ohthasnotfair. ” These words accompanied by an outraged expression that does not last more than a moment before she laughs again. I smile, enjoying this playful side of her. She has never been so carefree around me before today. I like it.

Then she turns, so she is sitting with her back to me, sliding backwards so she is between my legs. Her little hands are still wrapped around my foot, but rather than pull on it, she starts to massage it. She lifts it out of the water a moment, tapping it.

“ Foot? ” she asks, speaking her word for it in the way I recognise as her asking for my word.

“Foot,” I tell her.

“Foot hurt?” she asks.

I did not teach her the word hurt. She must have learned this from Shemza.

“It is aching a little. Not badly,” I say.

“ Lemegess,” she says, “ urebigantuffanyudonneedhelp .”

Her tone switches from teasing to light mocking, but when she turns and glances over her shoulder, her smile is all affection.

Then she turns back to my feet, massaging them.

I close my eyes, enjoying the probing pressure of her fingers as she works around all the muscles of first my left foot, then my right.

My eyes are still closed when she finishes, so I hear rather than see her turn, feel her hand on my leg.

“ Hmm ,” she says. “ Lookslikeurfeetarnttheonlythingachin.”

Her fingers tease at the ties of my leathers. I open my mouth to tell her to stop, but the only sound that escapes me is a gasp as her fingers close around my cock, pulling it loose. I open my eyes in time to see her lowering her head, closing her lips around it, sucking it into her mouth.

I nearly cry out, pleasure and shock coursing through me. Females do this? Or is this just another human female thing? She likes to put her mouth everywhere on me, and now her hot mouth, her soft, wet tongue are both touching my cock and it is the most incredible sensation I have ever experienced.