Page 33 of Keeping His Mate
He sighs, his shoulders dropping. He rubs his eye with the heel of his palm. “Can we discuss this another time? Perhaps after the sun has risen?”
I take his hand in mine as I lead him up the stairs. “Sure thing,” I say. But hours, days, weeks––it won’t matter when we revisit this, my answer will remain the same. This is something I know I can do. This is how I’ll contribute to the clan. With or without Bruvix’s approval.
CHAPTER 15
BRUVIX
“That should do it,” Nee-roh grunts as he slides out from under the table in my security room. He has gifted me three of his own monitors and five new cables to replace the ones that Stahn-lee destroyed.
I flip the server on, and the screens light up as they come to life. Within moments, I am seeing the feeds from each of our security cameras placed around the village, and a sigh of relief rushes out of me. “I am grateful to you. It appears they are running again.”
He rises to his full height and wipes the dust from his hands. “How grateful, exactly?”
My lips form a grim line. I am already indebted to the draxilio for keeping Stahn-lee a secret. How much more will I end up owing him? “Three casks of ale’s worth?” I offer.
“Mmm, that is enticing,” he says, rubbing his chin. “For now, I shall take two casks, and a vow to assist me in building a cradle for my child.”
“Done,” I reply quickly. That is an easy trade. I have assisted him in building the entire home he shares with Kay-teh in the village. A cradle will take no time at all. “So we are even?”
“Ha!” he barks out. “Not even close. But I shall let you know when your debts are cleared.” He gives me a hard pat on the arm before he leaves.
I plunk down in my chair and go through the logged recordings from the past moon cycles and find that the day the system was not working properly is lost entirely. The cameras were operational, but the view was not sent with the server disconnected. I groan as I place my head in my hands.
We are fortunate nothing tragic occurred during that time. I would have no way of explaining why the recording is missing. I hope Varrek does not wish to see it. He probably will not, but I do not like keeping secrets from him.
Now that Stahn-lee is back with Nah-naye, we do not have to worry about that, but Elle-noor has expressed desire in observing the tr’gorys up close, and I fear she will want to keep that from Varrek as well since he would never allow it. I am torn. I understand the information she gleans from watching them will be beneficial to our clan, but the risk she is putting herself in is too great. I will not let her approach them during the night by herself, but I also do not wish to be anywhere near a tr’gory.
If she asks me to accompany her, I will not be able to refuse. Elle-noor must be aware of this by now––I will give her anything she desires. Seeing her face light up with joy is worth whatever sacrifice I must make to win her smiles.
“Hello, hello! I’m home!” she calls out from downstairs.
As with every time I see her face, my heart leaps into my throat, and I feel my palms become slick with sweat. The tether grows stronger each day we do not solidify our mate bond, and I am desperate to taste her cunt. It is on my mind more than it is not.
She runs into my open arms and presses her face against my chest as I hold her against me. “Greetings, zala kovvari,” I mumble into her hair as I breathe it in. “How was dish duty?”
“Oh, fine,” she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. “The usual. Waldric went on and on about Nalba’s snack saver tincture and how brilliant she is. Then when she stopped by to grab a bowl of buufcasi berries, he got all frazzled and wouldn’t stop talking to her about the rain.”
I shake my head as a chuckle escapes my lips. “Poor fellow,” I mutter. He does not like clan members knowing how fast his heart beats when he is with Nalba, but it is common knowledge among us at this point. He does not hide it well. The only person not aware is Nalba as she is far too focused on her inventions.
Elle-noor kicks off her boots by the door and pulls back her mane into a messy knot atop her head. “It’s like, just tell her she looks pretty, or something. Make the move!”
“But he will not,” I tell her. “He does not think a mind like hers would ever find value in a male who cooks.”
She crosses her arms over her chest and scrunches her nose, incredulous. “That’s insane! Where I’m from, a man who cooks is the ultimate prize. When my dad started learning how to cook, my mom was thrilled. It made her life easier, and the Filipino dishes he made were delicious.”
Hmm. I did not realize cooking is such an important aspect of human mating rituals. Ahlvo and Varrek did not say they prepared meals for Aye-vah and Cloh-ee when they were courting them. Perhaps I should ask Nee-roh about this.
“Shall we have final meal at the hall tonight?” I ask her. It will be a good opportunity to dine with the others, if only to prove to Kay-teh and Nee-roh that Elle-noor is alive, and I have not killed her.
“Sure thing,” she exclaims, cheerfully. “Let me just take a shower really quick.” She heads toward the stairs but stops before ascending. “Oh! Was Niro able to fix the feeds?”
“Yes, we do not have views from when Stahn-lee had his little outburst, but the feeds are recording, so all from today forward, we will capture.”
She smiles warmly at the mention of the tr’gory pup. “Right,” she says, nodding, before going upstairs to get a change of clothes. Elle-noor did not ask if she could continue staying here after we returned Stahn-lee to the falls––she just stayed. And I would not have it any other way, because I want this to be her home, perhaps even more than she does.
Hearing her walk through the door each day… it is like I am being given a gift I am not certain I deserve. Elle-noor could stay anywhere in the village, but she has chosen to stay here, with me. Her mind could change. But I am determined to keep her because she is mine.
“What on Earth are you wearing?” Elle-noor asks as I straighten the poncho Kay-teh made for me.