Page 39 of Savage Giant

“They are pokklam berries, and they usually grow inside large caverns, though you can sometimes find them in hollow trees. But they will only grow in the company of sun-moss, which is a glowing yellow moss that likes to grow in dark places. The sun-moss nourishes them.”

A knowing look fell over her. “Sun-moss. I’ve seen it. Um, in my dreams, that is. Our shared dreams. It grows all over the walls of your alcove. It keeps your room at the cavern brightly illuminated.”

“That’s correct,” I said, recalling the shared dreams that had taken place in my alcove, the dreams where I mounted her from behind and made her mine for all time. “And in our cavern, the berries grow much larger than they can in a hollow tree, for we bless them with our healing energies to help them grow faster and bigger.”

“I can’t wait to see it in person.” She rinsed the berries and nuts off in the sink, then placed them in a clean bowl. She picked up a particularly fat berry and met my eyes before popping it into her mouth. “Mm. Gorran, these are delicious. They sort of taste like strawberries, but sweeter, and somehow smokey. Thank you.”

I beamed inwardly as I watched her eat several more.Finally. She had finally accepted a gift of food from me. True, we already shared a heart-bondandshe’d already agreed to mate with me, but I still rejoiced to see her accepting a time-honored courting gift.

“I am glad you like them, pretty human.”

She glanced into the bowl. “Hm. Maybe I’ll grind the acorns and add them to the next batch of blueberry muffins. That can be our breakfast tomorrow.”

“I look forward to it,” I replied. “We can eat acorn blueberry muffins tomorrow before we depart for the cavern.”

Her face lit up and she stepped into my arms. “Tomorrow? Are we really leaving tomorrow?”

I nodded. “Yes. I think the snow has melted enough. If we leave early, we should reach the Starblessed settlement before nightfall.” I leaned down to nuzzle her ear. “And then we will join our bodies as one and become lifemates.”

Chapter 28

CARI

We spentthe remainder of the day going through my belongings in the cabin and deciding what to bring on our journey. There were four old hiking packs in the closet, which we stuffed with clothing, books, blankets, toiletries, and other essentials. Once filled, even the smallest pack was too heavy for me to lift, but Gorran insisted he would manage to carry all four. To demonstrate, he slung them over his shoulders—two on each side—and paraded across the living room a few times.

“Okay, okay, I believe you,” I said with a laugh, “now place them by the door. We still need to sort through things in the basement. I don’t think there’s anything important down there, but you never know.”

Gorran made one more loop around the living room before he removed the packs and set them by the door, lining them up neatly. The sight filled me with anticipation. We were leaving. Finally. Tomorrow morning couldn’t come soon enough.

Despite my eagerness to join Gorran and his people, I felt a stab of homesickness as I peered around the cabin. Would I eversee this place again? The cabin had always felt more like home than the little apartment above our restaurant in Portland. I’d lived for the occasional weekend visits with my grandfather.

Gorran grasped my hand and pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me. I nestled my face against his chest, reveling in the softness of his fur and the sense of safety he evoked in me.

“I’m fine,” I said, knowing he could sense my mood had dipped. “I’m anxious to leave, truly I am, but I’m going to miss this place. I loved coming here as a child. It always felt like my refuge. Sometimes I would beg my father to let me stay here with Grandpa, but he always made me go back to the city. He said I couldn’t miss school, and he needed me to help with the restaurant too.”

He stroked my hair. “Perhaps we can visit your cabin from time to time, Cari. Once I am certain it’s safe, that is—that the southern border markers will keep the males from the Fashoran tribe off our lands. I suspect Chief Brutus will want to send a group of our strongest males to reinforce the markers.”

I pulled back to meet his gaze. “Thank you, Gorran, that sounds nice. Maybe once Spring arrives, we can return for a mini vacation.” Relief spread through me. Maybe it was silly to miss a building, though I supposed it wasn’t the building I would miss per se, but the happy memories of this place and the feeling of calm that always hit me when I walked inside.

Gorran leaned down and nuzzled his nose along my neck, breathing long and deep, and I felt his hardness poking me in the stomach. We hadn’t gotten up to any funny business for a few days, on account of Aunt Flo. But my period had stopped last night, though I hadn’t mentioned it to Gorran yet. Judging by the way he was enthusiastically smelling me, I suspected he’d realized I was finally open for business. Well, as open as I could be before we could fully mate in his alcove.

“You are no longer bleeding,” he announced, pulling back to gaze down at me with a ravenous look that instantly drenched my panties. Heat pulsed in my core. I loved when he looked at me like that—like he wanted to devour me whole.

“That nose of yours doesn’t miss a thing, does it?” I asked as I tilted my head to the side, giving him better access to my neck. He dragged his teeth along my flesh, and I shuddered, goosebumps rising all over my body, my scalp prickling with sensation.

He straightened and met my stare, then his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. “No, it doesn’t.” Another long inhale. “I can smell the slickness between your thighs, pretty human.”

He cupped my pussy over my pants and gave it a firm squeeze. I whimpered and leaned into his touch, undulating my center as I grasped onto his arms, a wave of dizziness taking me aback. Waves of heat descended and there was a loud ringing in my ears. The pulses between my thighs became so intense, that I found myself snarling at Gorran in frustration, a strange noise unlike anything I’d ever made.

He swept me into his arms and carried me to our bed of blankets in the hallway. Within two seconds of placing me atop the covers, he’d stripped off my pants and shirt. When my panties became tangled around my knees as he tried to pull them off next, he growled and ripped them to shreds, tearing the fabric into a dozen pieces. He tossed the remnants of my panties aside with another deep, rumbling snarl.

His hungry gaze swept over me, and I reached for his cock, grasping it tight in my hand. The waves of heat kept coming, and the ringing wouldn’t leave my ears.

The longing to feel Gorran pounding my core became all-consuming, and I released his cock and tried to turn onto my hands and knees.

It was pure animal instinct, a raw drive from deep within, that prompted me to present myself to him for mounting.

But he wouldn’t allow me to assume the position. He shook his head and grasped my wrists, pinning me down under his massive, muscular body. I fought him with all my might, but his strength surpassed mine.

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