Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 106646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 427(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
"I know, I know," I say. She's right. I just don't want to hear it.
I'm saved in the next moment, however, when A'tam ducks into the hut, a bowl of steaming cakes in his hands and a wide grin on his face. "Who is hungry?"
I'm still thinking about this morning's therapy session that night in the longhouse. It's one of those impromptu parties that the sa-khui and the islanders are so fond of, because there's little to do on the beach in the winter other than work. If there's an excuse for a gathering, they jump on it. I thought for sure that they'd be celebrating O’jek’s win of one of the prized knives (which has made both R’jaal and I'rec quite sour). Nope. Turns out it's for something far cuter than that.
Rukhar has lost a tooth, and that's all it takes for a feast to be put on.
We can't exactly hide out in our hut when there's a celebration, so A'tam and I show up, hands linked, and sit together by the fire. The longhouse is fairly dark inside, with lots of shadowy corners. As a result, there's a few shelves with tallow candle-bowls burning high overhead to add some light, and the fire in the firepit is a long, narrow one so the light and warmth can be shared all down the longhouse. Brace after brace of cooking pouches hang over the flames, and the scent of delicious foods fills the air.
This is the first party we've had in the longhouse, I think, and it's fascinating to see where everyone sits. The men all cluster together in their little groups—the Shadow Cat clan to the side of me, Strong Arm on the opposite end of the hall. Angie and Nadine sit in the middle of things with Vordis and Thrand, and Willa and Gren sit with the sa-khui. Gren plays with the kids while Liz and Raahosh talk with Bek and Elly, and Penny and her mate S'bren taste a soup, then add more herbs. Callie and Mari are nearby with their mates, talking in Spanish even as they sit amidst the group. Callie says something and Mari puts a hand to her mouth, giggling, while T'chai strokes her arm. M'tok hovers over Callie, occasionally leaning over to the fire to turn a spit of roasting meat.
Nearby, Raven and U'dron are working on a beat with their musical instruments, but it's clear they're lost in their own little world. She whispers something to him and his tail lashes wildly, which makes her laugh.
I sit on a soft, stuffed pillow on the hard stone floor at one end of the fire and watch the festivities. The longhouse initially started out with a wooden floor, but once the islanders heard that there was going to be a fire pit, they acted like the humans were idiots for suggesting wooden floors at all. It's been replaced with big, flat slabs of rock that are mostly even, the walls a mortared mixture of rock and wooden beams, the roof the same stitched hide teepees that the huts have. It's not much warmer than outside, I notice. The only thing we're doing is trading the breeze for a smoky interior, but everyone seems to enjoy it, so I don't comment.
Flor sits with me, chatting and gossiping away as we sip on shrimp tea. If I'm a little quiet, she doesn't notice. Flor is always chipper and funny, keeping a running commentary while I just smile and give the occasional laugh. In truth, I'm barely paying attention to what she says. My khui's singing low and insistent in my chest, and I keep looking over at A'tam again and again. He has his arms crossed over his chest, talking with I'rec and O'jek while they roast meat nearby. O'jek pauses every now and then to baste the haunch of dvisti with an herby sauce that smells amazing, and I wonder if this is his answer to Bek and Elly's tasty barbecued meat from the other day. Daisy holds the bowl of sauce for him, whispering low, and she looks just as gorgeous today as she does every day. I don't think she's ever just rolled out of bed and looked messy. I bet she comes out of a good hard dicking perfectly groomed, too.
Of course, thinking about fucking makes me think about A'tam. I look over at my mate, my khui getting louder, but he's laughing at something I'rec said.
Flor nudges me with her elbow. "Did she take things hard?"
I blink, and it takes me a moment to understand what she's referring to. She nods at Daisy, who's tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and chatting animatedly with Sessah, who was sitting next to Flor up until I sat down. He's gravitated toward her, like all the unmated men somehow do. It doesn't even make me mad anymore, though. A'tam hasn't glanced her way once since we came in, and I know he wants only me.