Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 85553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
It is as if now that my khui has had a taste of her, it is ravenous.
There are a few small bruises on her thighs in the shape of my fingers, and I wince at the sight of them. I get to my feet, running my hands over her as I do. “Did I hurt you last night?”
“No. Why?” When I point out the marks, she laughs and waves them off. “We both got carried away. If you hurt me, I’ll let you know. I’ll punch you in the mouth.”
“Oh, good.” I am relieved. That is a signal I will not miss.
Vivi laughs even harder, shaking her head at me. “Skarr, you’re bigger than I am and sex is physical. We’re probably going to mark each other up every now and then.” She runs her hand down my arm, where I carry marks of her nails as they dug into my skin. “But I will tell you to stop if you ever hurt me, all right? I’m not the type to suffer in silence. I will make sure you know I’m not happy.”
“Please do. The thought of hurting you destroys me. I-I do not want to mess this up, Vivi. This mating. I want to be the best mate. You deserve nothing less.”
She tilts her head back, gazing up at me, and then pulls on my neck until I lean in and kiss her. “So far, you are doing an excellent job. Ten out of ten, no complaints.”
“Good.” Because Vivi has become the most important thing in my world. Not battles. Not victories. Not sparring with worthy opponents. Not breeding faster than anyone else on this planet.
Just Vivi and her smile. That is all I want.
“Let’s clean up,” she tells me, her hands moving to her hips as she surveys the cave. “We made a bit of a mess last night. We’ll clean up and air the place out, and then we’ll ski back to where I saw the tracks for our snow-cat. Once we find him, we’ll deliver the package and hopefully, fix him up so he can have a new start.”
“It might be kinder to kill him,” I point out. “The sa-khui do not eat much predator meat but they will not turn their noses up at it. We can kill him and be back at the main camp before dark.”
But Vivi is shaking her head emphatically. “Just because he’s got a flaw doesn’t mean that he should die. If he’s fighting this hard to live, I want him to live. He shouldn’t be killed just because someone else has decided that he’s not worth the trouble.”
Now I understand why this means so much to her. “You mean like us?”
“Exactly like us. Someone discarded us because we weren’t what they wanted, whatever that was.” She shakes her head, and I love the fierce, determined expression on her face. “But we’re living, breathing creatures that deserve a chance. This cat does, too. And if there’s a hope that we can help him out, I want to do it. If there’s not…then we’ll put him down peacefully. But I want to try. I have to try.”
And because Vivi wants it, I will make it happen. “Say no more.”
“Oh my god,” Vivi breathes. “Look at how thin he is.”
Her face is full of sympathy as we get the first look at the creature we’ve been tracking all day. It has been a journey to find him, but Vivi reasoned that if he was injured, he would not be able to go far. Once we found his trail again, we followed him until we saw a small, rocky cave. Vivi felt confident this was his hiding spot, so we tossed our dead hopper onto the snow and retreated. We’ve been waiting for him to come out, and all the while it grows colder and the suns continue their journey toward the horizon. It will be another night in a hunter cave, I suspect. We will not go back to the village this evening. My khui hums in my chest and I am foolishly pleased at the idea. I like spending time alone with Vivi.
At least, I am in a good mood until I see the creature.
Vivi says he is thin—but that does not matter. He is as tall as she is through the shoulder, his head heavy and full of fangs. His hipbones jut out even as his tail lashes back and forth, and he stalks forward, sniffing out the scents we’ve left behind.
“Poor thing,” she breathes, and I stare at my mate as if she is crazed.
That “poor thing” could destroy her with one swipe of its paw. I know a formidable opponent when I see one, and it does not matter that this snow-cat is injured or thin. He would make short work of her. “I am having second thoughts, Vivi.”