Page 22 of Monstrous Hunt
Maybe my brain was still mush from the climax, but I wasn’t sure why he was asking for permission. It wasn’t an intimate thing. But maybe he didn’t know that? Or maybe he thought Kroktl might be upset if he touched me. I turned my head slightly so I could see Kroktl’s eyes. All brown now with just a hint of red rippling in the depths. His lips were soft and curved in a smile, and his jaw wasn’t clenched.
“It’s your hair, baby,” he said, confirming that he wasn’t jealous or angry.
Closing my eyes, I smiled back, letting my head and neck relax deeper into the water. “Sure.”
I heard a sharp click. The soft rustle of feathers. Kroktl’s arm slid lower, down beneath my knees. His fingers gently glided over my legs and feet, kneading away lingering tension, while Rizan supported my neck, his fingers splayed wide as if he was terrified he might let me sink beneath the water and drown.Again.
I forced my eyes open and looked up into his unusual face. From this angle, I could see the triangular shelf of his cheekbones that extended out over his mouth. His chin jutted out like the lower half of a partial beak.
“Thank you for saving me.”
He blinked, his large, round eyes glowing like emeralds. “I’m glad we were nearby.”
“Yousaved her when I couldn’t,” Kroktl said firmly. “You risked your own life to pull her from the river. I offer my eternal thanks as well.”
Rizan’s mouth opened, as if he was going to say something but then changed his mind or couldn’t find the words. The inside looked like a human mouth with a ring of regular teeth and tongue. His lips were thinner than Kroktl’s, but his words were clearly enunciated. It was kind of strange to see a very normal-looking mouth inside the hint of a bird beak, but also pretty cool.
Uh. I vaguely remembered him sucking on my breast while Kroktl’s beast ravaged me. Though I didn’t remember his nose or chin poking me.
His head tipped to the side. “Am I repulsive to you?”
My eyes flared. “What? No. I’m sorry that I was staring.” My cheeks heated and I stared up at the ceiling, avoiding his face entirely. “I was just curious.”
Kroktl chuckled, the deep rattle in his chest that was almost a purr. “Told you.”
“What?” I asked suspiciously, letting my butt sink down to the bottom of the tub while lifting my head higher so I could see the smug look on his face.
“I can’t shift as fully as Kroktl can,” Rizan muttered. “I was afraid you would find my form too strange to even look at. Let alone allow me to touch you.”
I’d already done some crazy things in the past week. The least crazy thing was probably letting a bird-dinosaur alien super-soldier wash my hair. My curiosity was working overtime. What did his feathers feel like? Did the rest of his body feel like skin or was it leathery like Kroktl’s raptor?
And yeah, I couldn’t help but wonder about his dual cock situation.
* * *
RIZAN
Her cheeks were pink,her eyes dark because her pupils were blown. Was that a good thing? Or was she terrified of me?
:She’s not scared,:Kroktl assured me on the grid.:Keep your touch light and slow. She’ll tell you if she wants more.:
I couldn’t help but wish I’d fucked more than the one time. Kroktl was an aggressive and confident mate, yet his tenderness and gentle care surprised me. I’d never known any of our kind to care about soft touches and whispers, but it came naturally to him. Natalie certainly welcomed his attention. If I mimicked his careful, slow manner, hopefully she would welcome mine as well.
Though I couldn’t resist a quick look into Kroktl’s eyes, trying to assess his beast’s aggression level. On the grid, he felt normal to me. Laser focused like usual, but not aggressive. His mostly brown eyes confirmed his steady and complete control over his raptor. Where just days ago, he’d dislocated my arm for being in the same room with her.:How?:
One corner of his mouth quirked up and he shrugged.:She’s your mate too.:
Gulp. My mate.
I hadn’t really allowed myself to think it for fear he’d kill me at the barest hint of such audacity. A tight, burning knot uncurled inside my stomach, releasing a crushing flood of emotion. Tension bled out of me so quickly that I drooped against the side of the tub for a moment as I absorbed the new reality.
A reality where I had a mate who carried my squad’s youngling. Where I had the chance to hold her precious head in the palm of my hand and stroke my fingers gently through her hair. Where she trusted me enough to close her eyes and relax completely, knowing that I would never let her head sink beneath the water. That I would never hurt her or allow her to be harmed again. Not over my dead body.
I foamed her hair and carefully rinsed it, but I couldn’t pull my fingers through the strands because of the tangles. Even with the snarls, I’d never touched anything softer.
“Put on a lot of conditioner and I’ll try combing it out.” Her eyes flickered open and she let out a soft laugh. “If there’s a comb around here.”
Immediately, I posted an image of a comb on the grid. “This house used to be a rental and they kept all the basic personal items available for their guests.”
