of lots and lots of sex. But they say nothing. I'rec nods once and then leaves. O'jek follows in silence. A'tam goes to follow them as well but turns at the last moment and grins at us. "Good luck, brother," he whispers. "Enjoy tonight!"
We watch in silence as they leave.
"So…" I say when I'm alone with U'dron again. "You wanna tell me what that was about?"
He takes my hand and pulls it toward his mouth, rubbing his lips against my palm in the most ticklish of ways. It reminds me that even though we've made love a ridiculous amount today, I've still got at least another round in me. Or maybe it's just U'dron himself who makes me hungry to touch and be touched. I also know a distraction when I see one, and it's only the fact that I trust him that he gets away with it. "I am going to do my proving, in the morning."
I gasp, moving from behind him to his side, so I can look him in the eye. "You are?"
U'dron nods. "I told I'rec and the others that I did not care what they thought of me being with you, and if they did not like it, they could give me a proving so I can show them that I am just as much a 'true' hunter as anyone else. So I'rec will perform the ceremony in the morning and only Shadow Cat will know of my journey."
I bite back my squeal of pride, because I know it takes a lot for him to push past social “rules” that have been reinforced in his head since birth. "That's wonderful. Why didn't you say something earlier?"
He grins, running a finger down the slope of my breast just so he can watch my body react. "I have been distracted in the best of ways."
Fair enough. "In the morning, then? So soon?" The greedy part of me is a little miffed that I don't get to luxuriate in bed with him for a few more days, but I know he wants this. I'm just gonna have to deal with it. I look around at his hut, suddenly worried that we've eaten all of his food supplies. "Do we need to pack you a bag? Should I go raid the supply tent?"
"I need nothing. I will go on my proving with my head and body bare. I will make what I need. It is how it is done."
I purse my lips. I'm trying not to be a killjoy, because I know how much this means to him. Even so…it's dangerous to go out alone without a single weapon. I'm sure they're going to send him out to kill the biggest, baddest thing they can find, and it bugs me that he won't even have a pair of shoes. "They do realize that it's cold here? And snowy?"
His thumb moves across my nipple again, and it stiffens in response, sending a jolt of lust through my body. I bat his hand away because I want to talk about this. I can't help but worry, and I don't want to be distracted by pleasure, no matter how good that pleasure is. "It will be fine," U'dron reassures me. "Look at Juth and Pak. If they can survive with nothing, I can, too. It will be part of the challenge, and when I return with my kill, no one will be able to say I am not as much a hunter as they are."
Biting back my worries, I smile broadly at him, because this is a big deal. I want to be excited for him—as excited as he is—and if I can't, I can at least fake it and worry after he's gone. "So first thing in the morning, then? Do you know how long you'll be?"
"However long it takes." He shrugs, sliding an arm around my waist and pulling me into his arms. He hauls me up against him, his mouth going to my breast. "Will it make you sad? To be in my bed without me?"
"Terribly," I admit, curling my fingers in his hair and sighing with pleasure when his teeth graze over my nipple. "I'll just have to touch myself and make myself come every night since you won't be there to do it for me."
He growls, rolling us down into the furs and pinning me under him. "It means I will come home that much faster," he tells me, kissing down my belly.
I sure hope that's the