Page 47 of Claimed By the Krijese

Neither of us releases the other, but she draws back to look at me. “Welcome home. “

“If this is the greeting I will receive when I return from hunting, perhaps I will leave more often.”

She twists her expression. “Very funny.”

“Greetings, Gogo,” Sorin says. “Your hunt looks very successful.”

I finally lower Iris to her feet, but do not let her get far from me. “We will have much to add to our food stores to prepare for cold season.”

“Speaking of cold season,” Iris says. “Sorin and I spent part of the day going through the storage tent. After the evening meal, I’d like to talk to you about a few things.”

“We will speak then.” I turn to our kit and unwrap the leburin from the rope at my waist. “Will you help me take these to the tent so we can clean and skin them?”

He reaches for them and hurries off. Iris walks beside me as I drag the sled there.

“Did you have a good turn?”

“We did, although Sorin and I missed you.”

Has anyone ever missed me before? “It was hard being away from you.”

In such a short time, Iris has come to mean much to me. Perhaps nearly as much as she has come to mean to our kit. Is that what this feeling that swells inside me is?

“Good.” She jerks her head in a single nod. “That means the next time you’re gone, you’ll hurry back. But safely, though. Don’t get careless in a rush to get to the village.”

“Being aware of our surroundings and potential dangers is in a Krijese’s blood. It has had to be for us to have survived this long.”

Iris bumps me with her elbow. “Let’s make sure you keep it that way.”

We arrive at the tent where Sorin has already deposited the leburin on the ground outside of it Both he and my mate help remove my kills from the sled and places them with the smaller creatures. Like the previous turn, we will gather after the evening meal and prepare them for drying and storing, especially as more warlords return and add their kills to the total numbers. It would appear we all had a successful hunt. Perhaps this coming cold season will be better than the last.

“Let me wash up and we will see about helping those who have prepared the evening meal.”

“We’ll meet you at the main fire.” Iris rises up and kisses my cheek.

I wish I could offer her the same sign of affection. Since I cannot—at least not in the human way—I must come up with my ownway to show the care I have for her. I will think on it and perhaps when we are in our pallet this night I will practice some of them.

Not wanting to be separated from her any longer than necessary, I quickly head to the water source and rinse my upper body, arms, and face off. On the next turn, I will bring Iris here with a cleansing bar so we can both wash thoroughly. My cock hardens at the thought of assisting her. The memory of the peaked tips of her chest mounds is vivid in my mind, as well as the way they felt beneath my fingers.

While I have not seen her fully unclothed, I caught unwanted glimpses of the stolen human females. None of them aroused me though and not because they were human. Seeing them being abused rid me of any desire I might have felt and only left me with a heavy weight in my belly. Yet, I cannot help but imagine what Iris will look like fully bare. Will it bring back the images of those other females? I hope that is not the case.

I finish rinsing off any blood and dirt and make my way to the fire where Sorin and Iris wait. Tending to it and preparing the meal are two of the three Krijese females, both elders that managed to survive the sickness that swept through our people. My mate speaks with them and I am glad to see they are treating her well enough. Of course, I would not tolerate anything less.

For a moment, I observe them as it appears one instructs Iris on the task she performs. A few more beats pass when my mate switches place with the female and takes over. I approach the fire and they all glance up. The two Krijese nod and the first attempts to return to the task she passed onto Iris as if she fears I will be angry for it, but she is rejected.

“Let me do this, please. I need to pitch in just like everyone else. Sit. Rest,” she instructs the Krijese female. “In fact, both of youtake a break. Either Kala or Sorin and I will finish preparing the meal and serving it, won’t we?”

My mate raises one of the furry lines over her eye as she glances between our kit and me. I incline my head.

“I am happy to assist you.”

Iris turns her gaze to the two elders and smiles brightly. “See?”

The females hesitate, but at last they do as she says.

“Thank you, sivalla.” Adihma clasps her hands in front of her chest and they join a few other elders who have taken a seat near the fire.

Iris turns to me with a questioning glance. “What is sivalla?”

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