Page 25 of His to Worship
I hold his stare for a long moment, weighing my options, and then I determine to take a leap of trust. Maybe knowing will help him understand how serious I am. So, I open my mouth and confess what I have not fully told him.
“She is my bonded.”
His eyes widen to the point of hilarity. “How do you know? She does not bear your mark. Have you not—”
“Watch your mouth.” The words are more growl than verbiage, but he holds up his hands in peace.
“I am just shocked.” The look on his face tells me that he is apologetic, so I allow him to continue. “Worry not, clansman. I do not want your female. Besides, I must now see if Renata is meant for me.”
Does he not know that this is not how the bond works? Mate bonds are instant, a deep connection felt immediately upon meeting. Renata is not his by law of the Great Mother. One of the others may yet be, but he will not know until he smells her, and the eggs hide all smells. I choose not to point out his fallacy, though.
“It appears that these strange females do not feel what we feel as strongly.” My eyes connect with him. “I will not leave this place until she bears my mark and no one can contest my claim to what the Great Mother has gifted me.”
“My clansman, you need to know you have nothing to fear from me,” Enikk declares, his tone more solemn than I have ever heard. “I would certainly not interfere with what the Mother has ordained.”
I nod, accepting his assurances. His words bring a measure of relief, but still, my body remains tense, unwilling to yield to sleep. We sit in silence for several long moments before Enikk takes a swig of his water pouch and lies back on his furs, his back to me.
Speaking over his shoulder, he addresses me once more, “Rest, Kuvier. You cannot protect her if you exhaust yourself.”
This is where I believe he is wrong. For my Sedona, I can do anything. I am her protector, and I will not fail her.
With this in mind, I stay awake through the dusk. I am awake to watch the second eye begin its rise in the sky, and I am awake when Sedona stirs in her sleep. When I hear her breathing pick up, my eyes find her. She sits up and throws her arms over her head in a stretch. My mind is a filthy place as I watch her stick out her ample chest and throw her head back. Her braided mane falls back, swinging behind her, and for a moment I imagine myself wrapping it around my hands and—
I have to discreetly adjust myself, glancing away from Sedona momentarily. The mate bond. I think to myself. I will blame my lack of control on the mate bond.
When I look back, Sedona pulls her body down from its stretch and runs a palm over her hair, trying and failing to smooth the wild tendrils already breaking out of her tight braids. Her hair grows more rumpled every moment but I find the escaped coils beautiful. I wish to see her curls undone and falling over her shoulders again.
Finally, she leans her head to one side, then the other, before her eyes search around. The corners of her mouth lift up when she catches me staring at her. Taking a moment to glance at Renata’s still-sleeping form, she gingerly extracts herself from the furs and finds her way to my side. She folds herself down with less than a forearm’s length between us and her smell floods my senses. I have to resist the urge to bury myself in the top of her head and just breathe in. She smells as she looks, soft and feminine, like the sweet fruit of the lycii tree.
Sedona scrutinizes me for a long moment, then she makes a gesture, placing her palms together and tucking her hands under head. It is not until she fakes a snore that I understand what she is miming.
“Did you…?” she asks the question in my language, trailing off as she realizes she doesn’t remember the word she’s looking for.
I supply it. “Sleep.”
“Yes, did you sleep?” Hearing the words in my language tumble out of her mouth so easily fills me with pride.
“No, I did not sleep.”
“Why?”
We do not each know enough words between our languages to describe the indepth reason, so I just answer, “For you.”
“You did not sleep for me?” I nod, confirming her questions, and her brow creases. “Why?”
I hesitate, glancing towards Enikk, who is still snoring softly a few steps away. Sedona follows my gaze and seems to understand. Her face falls slightly, a mixture of disappointment and concern etched in her features. She does not voice her thoughts, and after several moments of silence, I decide to offer her something to eat.
“Are you hungry?”
“Yes, I am hungry,” Sedona admits, moving closer to me. I shift just a few centimeters, putting our thighs together.
I grab food off of the flat stone where I had put it earlier and finish preparing it for her. I had intended to eat it myself, but for my mate, I will give anything. I offer bites to Sedona, feeding her by hand. She does not like me to do this when the other female is awake, but I am glad she will allow me to now.
She leans forward for another bite and I hold my breath without thinking. Her lips close over the bite of food, brushing over my fingertips ever so slightly. It is enough. The contact sends an immediate thrill to my cock.
Her eyes flicker to me shyly and I try my best not to scare her with the intensity of my gaze, but, Great Mother, this female is tempting my control. With the mate bond pushing at every nerve in my body, she is making it near impossible to keep my head steady.
Sedona eats her breakfast like this, taking each bite that I feed her and drinking gulps of water in between. It is not long before I am almost vibrating with desire. It is only the strength the Great Mother grants me that keeps me from pushing things further.