bruises of every colour mar every inch of bare skin. Each finger is blistered and bloody, and one of her feet gushes blood. Her bones jut out from her hips, and a gaping wound festers on her chest.
But in spite of all that, I think she’s gorgeous, the most beautiful and precious thing I’ve ever seen.
My mate.
With my mind spinning, I scoop her up and hold her drenched body against mine. She moans, the sound tearing my heart into pieces.
“What happened to you?” I whisper, running my fingers gently through her tangled hair. The poor thing begins to tremble, and I see now that her lips have turned blue, her teeth chattering.
She’s frozen.
Jumping into action, I hold her firmly against me and race back to my cave, hoping I remembered to stoke the fire before I left. I know this forest like I know the back of my hand. I know every tree, every rock. I know where the jabekks nest and the morteks hunt. I know every turn of the river, where the best berries grow, and where the wokkren hide below murky water.
And I intend to know every inch of the female in my arms once I bring her back to health. A fierce possessiveness strums through me, and I flash my fangs, wanting to scare off any other creature who might look at her condition and consider her their next meal.
Not that they’d be satisfied. The female is nothing but skin and bones. Fury rages within me. Who did this to her? Forced a helpless human female to fend for herself in the wild, naked and helpless.
Vulnerable.
I know it shouldn’t, but having her naked body pressed against mine, my hand cupping her ass, well, it makes my cock hard.
Rock. Vekking. Hard.
I try and shake away my lust for her, replacing it with a fierce desire to feed her, to tend to her, and to get her healthy again.
Dev’s mind slams into mine, jolting me, his voice deep and growly. Where are you?
On my way back, I reply. Get to the cave. There is something you have to see.
Worry gnaws at me. How will Dev react to this? Will he be receptive and take our mate into his care, or will he push her away like he’s done to me and deny her, only to deepen his own sorrow, his own pain?
Only time will tell.
Fourteen
Devnyk
Snarling, I land a killing blow to the chest of the charging vysnia. Its howls sound like music to my ears. I twist my bakket deeper, the creature’s blood covering my hand, and watch as the life leaves my prey’s eyes. Triumphant, I pull my blade from the corpse and clean it off on the wet grass before sheathing it once more.
This one is going to be a bitch to carry back to the cave.
The massive beast is at least the size of me and probably has over two hundred pounds more on its body. With black fur and huge horns jutting from his head, Sev and I can put this animal to good use.
Its fur will be used to make bedding and clothes, its bones used to build or be shaped into tools. Its horns will become weapons, another asset stored in our belts.
But it’s the meat we crave most. A beast this size will feed us for a week or more. Deep inside our cave, beyond where we live, are a series of tunnels just like you’d expect from a cave system. One in particular leads to a small cavern Sev and I have used to create a smoke room where we cure our meat, prolonging its life.
Having learned the best, most accurate way to tie knots in intricate and strong patterns, I fasten the rope around my quarry. I pull the ends of the rope around my wrists, preparing to hoist the beast onto my back, when Sev’s emotions flit into me. The force of it is so strong and powerful, I fall to my knees.
No. It can’t be.
Radiating from my elon is a fierce need to protect, a deep-seated possession roaring through him. I can feel his heart slamming against his chest, his mind whirling with thoughts I never thought I’d be hearing. It can’t be…but it is. I can feel it in his mind, unless he has finally lost that as well. Either way, I need to find him.
Where are you? I growl.
Sev immediately responds, On my way back. Get to the cave. There is something you have to