wanted her to touch him.
Two days seemed far too short a time to have come to such a realization, especially when his life had spanned centuries, but it was his truth.
A thoughtful hum vibrated in his throat; he knew with jarring certainty that it was the first note of a new song—of that mating song he had felt within himself after bringing Leyloni to his lair.
And the song was for her. None of the questions that had plagued him, none of the doubts he should have harbored, seemed to matter. As complex as the situation appeared, it really was quite simple.
Leyloni and Serek were Arysteon’s chance at having a clan again. He could be their protector, their provider, their family. He could reclaim the meaning and purpose he’d lost. And, perhaps, by helping her ensure her people had not died in vain, he could find a modicum of redemption for failing to see his kin to this place of peace and plenty.
But even more than all that, he wanted to be able to look into Leyloni’s pale green eyes any time he so desired. He wanted to hear Serek’s delighted giggles and witness the hatchling’s clumsy steps gain confidence over time. He wanted…
He wanted to touch Leyloni freely. To feel her warmth directly, to know for himself just how soft and smooth her hair and skin were. While he’d been with his clan, touch had been so important a thing—a silent means of reassurance, of support, of comfort and connection. He craved it from her, with her.
Most of all, he wanted to claim Leyloni. He wanted to mate with her, wanted their bodies to come together, wanted their joining to give life to the song in his heart.
Arysteon released another huff and sped his pace. Eagerness quickened his heart—he was eager to provide this food to his humans.
He was eager to make his offer to Leyloni.
Eager to make her his.
7
Leyloni closed her eyes and moaned in appreciation as she took her first bite of the elk meat. It was hot—almost too hot, but she didn’t care. That first bite quickly led to a second, then a third, and before she knew it, the large chunk she’d cut from the elk’s haunch was gone and she was licking the juices from her fingers.
She glanced at Serek. He was sitting beside her, small pieces of shredded meat piled high on a big leaf before him. He was stuffing the food into his mouth by the fistful.
More spitted cuts of meat sizzled over the fire, filling the cavern with a savory scent, and she’d managed to erect a small rack—little more than a few sticks lashed together with a bit of twine—over which she’d draped a few thinner slices of meat. Those strips, once dried out, would serve as a good supplement to their food stock when she and Serek resumed their journey.
Leyloni removed the larger cuts of meat from the fire and placed them on the fresh leaves spread beside her. Though she’d already eaten a large portion, the golden-brown meat and its dripping juices made her mouth water.
Had it only been days since she’d last eaten fresh meat? It felt like so long ago.
After skinning the elk, she’d cut only as much meat as she and Serek could eat tonight, plus whatever she thought she’d be able to dry out and carry given her limited bag space. The rest had gone to Arysteon, who’d devoured it raw in only a few gulps. He wasn’t large enough to swallow a full-grown elk whole, but the fact that he’d killed it and carried it back here in his mouth was just another example of his imposing size and immense strength.
He was lying with his back toward the opening. The gray light streaming into the cavern created bold highlights on the scales along the upper edges of his body, and the firelight cast an orange glow on his front that made those scales shimmer and waver as the fire danced. Only the fire and a few paces of distance separated him from Leyloni.
When Serek’s pile was gone, she shredded some more meat for him and helped him drink from her waterskin. He was just as ravenous as her.
A guilty pang struck her heart. She was a huntress, and it was her duty to provide for her tribe, whether through protection or food. She’d not been very successful in fulfilling those duties for Serek. Her only comfort came from reminding herself that she’d done the