Page 51 of Lorran
“You’re the only one I’m interested in,” she said. “I’m your mate. You’re my man.”
“I’m your male,” he repeated, then gave a nod.
She cradled the side of his face. This close, it was easy to see how his features were too fine and too sharp to be human. But his eyes, soft and warm and the bluest blue, were filled with soul. Briefly, she wondered how much of the growling and snarling was a chauvinist performance.
My mate. My female, blah blah blah.
A cynical part of her wanted to ignore the softness in his eyes and write off his antics as objectification. And yet…
That didn’t fit. She recalled how he gobbled her up and stripped her down with nothing but his eyes after fleeing the ghost ship. Then stripped her of her armor without so much as copping a feel.
Warm. Real.
That’s how he felt then and how he made her feel. How did she think there was nothing behind the cocky facade?
“Explain to me what happened,” she said.
“He brought you sustenance.” Lorran spat the words.
“Okay, I need a bit more to go on. That’s bad?”
“It is an act of caregiving, of devotion, between family or close friends.”
“Mates?”
His eyes flashed with heat. “Yes, it is for mates.”
“Was he…was he putting the moves on me?” The thought seemed so ridiculous. And gross.
Super gross.
“I suspect he was testing me, to see how I would react to another male sniffing my mate,” Lorran said.
Wyn hummed in agreement. Slowly, his grip relaxed, and she could step away. She unpacked the bag he had brought, setting aside enough rations for a few days. The meals would be bland but nutritionally sound.
“The culinary experience in space leaves a lot to be desired,” she muttered. She filled the kettle with water and set it on the heating element to boil. She wasn’t thirsty now, but it was always smart to have drinking water on hand.
“I could hunt or fish,” he offered. “There are wild berries to be gathered, so perhaps there is more to be had.”
“I loved to go hunting with my dad. I’d like to go with you,” Wyn said excitedly. After the invasion, hunting, marksmanship, and general shooting boomed. Not that guns did a lick of good against the Suhlik’s armor and high-tech weapons, but it gave people a sense of control. Plus, grocery stores weren’t exactly stocked regularly in the first few years after. Hunting, fishing, and even raising your own chickens in the backyard kept food on the table for many people.
“Truly?”
“What? You think because I’m a girl, I don’t know how to shoot a gun?”
“Apologies, that was not my meaning. The other warriors will be jealous that my mate has a hunter’s heart,” he said, and Wyn could just hear his future humble brags. He continued, “I would be honored to hunt alongside my mate, but allow me to determine what predators, if any, are nearby.”
“That’s reasonable. I suppose it’s best to know what critters out there would consider me a tasty snack.”
He nuzzled her from behind, clearly one of the predators that viewed her as a tasty treat. Wyn leaned back, enjoying the feel of his hard chest against her.
“I regret I must leave again,” he said, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck.
“Why? Don’t go. Stay.” They finally had privacy, and she liked where this was going.
“Ulrik has been prepared for burning. We must attend him.”
“So…a funeral. I can do that.”
