Page 19 of Hadley's Heroes
Hadley
Icouldn’t believe I took two more mates yesterday, and I had never felt more pampered. I didn’t end up mating Adee. He fell asleep, and so did I apparently. He was still healing and I told him that we would today, but I just felt all yuck, so Jaka said he would take me to the waterfall.
“Hey, what you up to today?” Luna asked me as she came from over at Elle’s hut. Elle was in tow behind her. I shrugged.
“I wanted to have a wash down at the waterfall. I love it there and I haven’t been back since that first time. I really want to go.” I had been washing with a bowl, cloth, and water that was cold for too long. I needed a really deep dip in a waterhole. I missed the one we had outside the huts at Clan Wolf. I missed so much about that place.
“The waterfall is pretty. Did you want to meet up after lunch and practice the routine?” Elle asked. I smiled. We were getting somewhere with it. The dance moves were now more like boy band type moves mixed with some other dance styles. It was looking good, and I had been having so much fun.
“Hey, Carub. How are you?” I hadn’t gotten to know Elle’s mate Carub at all. He was shy… but also, Vetok broke his tail, apparently, when he thought he was protecting me. We had already had words about it, but I worried that Carub didn’t like me. Or he was scared of me.
He smiled at me and I felt like we were on a good start there, but I watched that smile turn into a frown. What the hell? I felt a tail around my wrist and Vetok stood beside me. Ugh, seriously? He had nothing to worry about from Carub and I didn’t want this to cause a rift between me and Elle.
“Tell him you’re sorry and make up. Because we are living here a long time, and if you want me to come anywhere near your cock, I would make friends. Or you will be sleeping outside the hut tonight.”
I had asked him to apologize many times and he refused, so it was now or never. Elle held onto Carub’s arm. She was very protective of him. Vetok grunted something and I wasn’t impressed so I pulled his tail free from my wrist.
“Sorry, what did you say?” I watched him closely. I swear his eye twitched.
“Carub, I am sorry that you were injured,” Vetok said, but oh god. I looked to the sky. Give me strength today. I let out a deep breath.
“That’s not an apology, Vetok. You will need to try better,” Luna chastised him before I could. “You say it like you mean it or I will speak to Daku about it. We can’t have this in the clan. It won’t work if we are not all in it together.”
I had never seen Vetok so worried before, and the threat of Daku was all he needed.
“I am sorry I hurt you, male. I was sending a warning to the other males not to come close. It was hard to travel with only four small warriors and two females and keeping the outcast males away. I didn’t mean to break your tail. I got angry at how close so many had been coming that I did it in the heat of the moment. I never wished to cause that much pain. I am sorry, Carub.”
I think we all were speechless at that.
“Holy shit,” Elle whispered, and I was thinking the same. Who knew there was this other Vetok inside, and he was warning other males and broke his tail because he was angry. I knew we had a lot of males following us, but I didn’t think it was that bad.
“Thank you, Vetok. I was happy to take the punishment for stepping close. I would have done the same. I will never come close to your mate again.”
I sighed before giving Elle a hug, then Luna one too for being so good at getting stubborn males to do things. I bet she wouldn’t have told Daku, but that was a big enough threat to get Vetok to apologize and I was grateful.
I was excited to go to the waterfall with Jaim, he was going to be my “keeper” guy since he was atakxeand all. Everyone else had one, well, Elle was taking Carub or Sanza most places these days, even though they weren’t healers.
I bathed myself while Jaim stood watch beside the water, not wanting to get in. I laughed and told him he was missing out, but one foot in and he changed his mind. He was worried and looking everywhere.
“Do you see someone?” I called out as I flicked my wet hair behind me.
“I sense something. I don’t know what it is, but I see Aalee.” I instantly cupped my breasts. I don’t know why, I wasn’t ashamed of my body, but I just knew Aalee wasn’t interested in me that way.
“What’s Aalee doing?” I asked, because it was weird. Was he spying on me? That would be an interesting development if he was. I watched as he came from the nearest tree, dropping down. He came closer to Jaim and said something to him.
I think it was time to leave. I looked to where I had dropped my clothes. Oh shit, I forgot to grab a blanket to dry myself. I was just so excited to come here again. I looked to my clothes. I could use them, but I didn’t want to be wet and, to be honest, I had just put those on fresh this morning. My other clothes were all a little on the nose.
“Jaim? I forgot to get a blanket from the hut, can you run and grab one?” I asked him. There was no way I was air drying back to the hut and showing everyone my body. I didn’t need to start a riot in the clan ’cause Vetok would try and hurt anyone who looked at me.
I watched as he hesitated. I almost forgot he was my keeper and protecting me. But there was no one else around… well, wait. I pointed to Aalee.
“Can you stay here to watch me?” Oh fuck, not watch, but… “Well, I mean, like, to make sure no bad guys come?” I asked him, feeling a bit awkward. He didn’t seem impressed. Great, he already didn’t like me, but he said something to Jaim and they nodded. Jaim started to run away so I took it that Aalee was going to watch me, so maybe he did like me… just a little. I felt safe here. This valley was perfect. With the big walls around and trees, no M’Mori were going to find us here.
I dipped under the waterfall and came up behind it. There were smooth rocks where the water didn’t touch. It was wet, but you could sit under here and no one would even know you were here. It was loud though, with the water hitting the river, but it was like a super secret hiding spot. I emerged again to see Aalee closer to the water’s edge. I smiled to myself. He would never know about the spot behind since he wouldn’t, like most Aashi, go into the water.
I shook my hair out again and squeezed the water from it. I moved to the opposite edge that Aalee was at and took a seat on a boulder. I was kinda getting cold and needed the sun to warm me since I was waiting on Jaim with the blanket. I tried to hide my body as much as I could from Aalee, but I could see him watching me when I looked over my shoulder. His tails were a little wild, and I think he was getting a little frustrated on Jaim taking so long. But we were farther from the camp here.
I realized we were close to where Adee had climbed and hit his head when he fell, not that I believed that for one moment. He said he wasn’t climbing. I turned on the smooth boulder and looked over to the cliff wall. That was high, like insanely high. I wouldn’t climb that, and if Aashi wouldn’t either, something happened here. I was going to investigate, be a superspy or some shit. Because, well, I believed him and also… I wanted something to do, and I would find out the truth. Hopefully.
