Page 46 of His to Worship
She looks up the moment I am near and moves away from Xiomara to come to me.
“I am going ahead to scout the cave.”
“Okay, I’m ready.” I shake my head at her.
“No, ti khesi, I am going alone.” I shake my head, my voice gentle. “It is better if you stay here and rest. It is cold, and the trek is rough.”
She crosses her arms, her jaw set stubbornly. “That’s not a good enough reason. I want to stay with you, so I’m going.”
I know I cannot convince her to stay without revealing too much about my relationship with the clan and explaining why I worry someone may be in the cave.
“Fine, but I am carrying you.”
She does not protest, and I lift her into my arms. We are off, bounding up the path immediately. I do not like that she will be near a cave where any hunter could stumble upon us alone. But, where she nestles against me, despite the cold, I feel a warmth spread through my chest.
The journey takes a bit of time, and at first, Sedona chatters at me about something that she found funny from one of the other females, but after a while, she quiets down. When I hear her breathing steady, I look down; she has fallen asleep in my arms. I smile softly, adjusting my grip to make sure she is comfortable.
She sleeps the entire second half of our walk, and I do my best to keep my footing steady so as not to wake her. But, when we get close to the cave, I gently wake her up and set her on her feet.
I pull my cloak off my shoulders, ignoring the cold that hits me, and put it around her shoulders. “Wait here.”
She nods, still half-asleep and moves off the path to sit against a rock wall across from the cave. I move forward quickly, not wanting to leave her out here for long, and step into the cave, my senses on high alert. With relief, I realize that while I do smell a hunter, Ruuq, his scent is old, meaning that he has come and gone and will likely not be back.
I return to Sedona, who is now fully awake and waiting for me. Holding my hand out to her, she slips her palm in mine and I lead us into the cave.
The moment we are inside, Sedona sits around the rocks that signify the fire pit and I get to work starting the fire. When I get a spark going, I add more vifer stalks and the fire blazes a deep red before settling back to orange.
Sedona walks around the cave, chewing on a piece of mala as she inspects our surroundings. I let her explore while I move around the cave to find a place to set up our furs for the night. When I finally unfurl them, I am pleased with our space. The cave has a small divet in the back that allows for just the tiniest bit of privacy.
I cannot help but hope for a repeat of last night when we retire today.
“This is a good place to sleep,” Sedona declares, coming up behind me, still holding her mala.
She pulls off another small piece and puts it in her mouth. Feeling playful, I snatch the big piece from her and take a bite, grinning at her. She makes a squeal of outrage and reaches for it. The effort is futile of course. I am nearly three heads taller than her.
“Hey! That’s my-nuh.” I pause at this as she says a word in her language I have not heard her use. I take a thoughtful, but small, bite, still playing with her.
“What is this ‘my-nuh?’” She harrumphs and puts her hands on her hips.
“It’s pronounced ‘mine,’ and I’ll tell you if you give it back.” I smirk but offer her the half piece back. She snatches it from me and shoves the whole thing in her mouth, chewing haughtily.
When she swallows, she speaks, “Mine is like ‘ti’ in your language. It’s something that belongs to you.” I think on this.
Mine. The word sticks in my mind, powerful and primal.
“Mine,” I say as I step closer to her, feeling an urge I cannot quite name. My hand reaches out, and I cup her jaw, tilting her head up to look at me. Her breathing shallows as our gazes lock and the temperature in the cave raises.
“What’s yours?” The question is breathy and low. I do not answer at first as I toy with her bottom lip.
“You.” Her lips part and she takes the pad of my thumb between them, suckling gently before nipping at me.
“Prove it.” My grip tightens ever so slightly on her jaw as a fierce stab of desire rips through me.
“Do not test me, ti khesi,” I murmur in a low, rough voice. “You may not like what I do to prove it.” Her eyes darken in lust, a challenge clear in those dark irises.
“Prove. It.”
My mouth is on hers before the words have fully fallen from her lips. She is immediately receptive to me, her body moldable in my hands. My hold on her jaw slips and my fingers cinch around her throat in a firm, tender grasp. The scent of her arousal sweetens the air, a fruity, smoky musk that I would drink in if I could.