Page 19 of Warrioress

A pink stain rushed into the young woman’s cheeks, and her head whipped around to the Ragoru in question. Kam smiled lazily in response, his expression relaxed and amber eyes partially concealed beneath the absurdly thick fringe of his lashes as they lowered.

How had she not realized before that Ragoru males also had eyelashes a woman would kill for? She snorted quietly to herself. That figured.

“Do not worry, Captain Uma,” he called back, the corner of his mouth stretching in a smile of pure mischief, “I live to be rewarded by you personally. Tell me—what sort of rewards does a well-behaved dog receive?”

Vrin’s nose wrinkled as he cast him a disgusted look, but Kam’s smile widened further under his triad brother’s glower.

“At least pretend to have some dignity,” Vrin muttered as he turned away, his gaze returning to Laro as the male crouched beside the table. “It is good practice for you—strength is attractive.”

“That may be true, but so are a clever mind and kindness,” he pointed out. “Laro wins more favor this way than he does posturing in the tavern.”

Uma peered over at Laro, her eyes drifting over the humans around him who smiled shyly if he so much as turned his head in their direction, apparently taken in by his demeanor. Despite his scars, he was intentionally reducing the fear of humans closest to him by reducing his size. Kam was right. The male was indeed clever. Even particularly tall men often failed to realize that looming over someone who was frightened or wary could have an unfavorable result. Women were responding well to it, it seemed.

She wondered if he would strike up a conversation with the woman who was moving in closer to him with a hopeful smile, but to Uma’s surprise, his tipped his head respectfully to her and slowly rose from his crouch as he simultaneously backed away. The woman blinked in surprise, her hand rising to stop him, but Laro immediately turned and gave her his back as he tucked a gray pouch hanging from a leather cord around his neck back into the heavy fur around his neck and chest. Uma watched as it disappeared completely, and her eyebrows flew up with interest. No wonder she hadn’t noticed he had it before. It was practically indistinguishable from his coloring.

His eyes met hers and he dipped his head in silent thanks as he slid into place behind her within their little formation. Uma’s gaze returned briefly to the woman only to find that she had stopped several feet away, her gaze frozen on the crest of the guild embossed on the metal of the shoulder guards she wore. Mouth snapping shut, the woman nodded abruptly before redirecting her attention haphazardly to the table nearest to her.

Uma sighed and faced the open street once more. She was so tired of people acting as if she was the boogieman. And unlike Laro, she couldn’t get away with simply bending down and adopting a gentle expression. Her reputation had long since proceeded her within the lower district, and for some reason people found her scars more disconcerting than those on the Ragoru. It was an even more affective brand than the marks on her armor, one that signaled to other women that she was someone not to be associated with.

“Come on, let’s get something to eat,” she directed with a wave of her hand and started off in the direction of the food stalls.

It didn’t take long before the perfume of cooking meat, crusty breads, rich cheese, creams, and flavorful stews that put hers to shame surrounded them. A groan of pleasure came from among the males with her, and Uma looked back to see Vrin grab his belly as he sniffed the air just before another ecstatic moan escaped him.

“Finally, food that is edible.” Vrin sighed loudly with exaggerated relief, startling a giggle from Jessie.

Uma pinned with him a feigned look of annoyance and arched an eyebrow. “I can always ask them to allow me to personally prepare your food alone,” she replied loftily.

Despite her tone, she couldn’t keep her lips from twitching in amusement as she left them in Katiera and Jessie’s care as she approached a promising stall. Keeping in mind the fact that they were on their feet exploring, she ordered skewered meats and easily carried foods that could be easily packaged and enjoyed on the go. Getting enough for guardswomen and Ragoru alike, Uma rushed back with her arms brimming and was filled with an odd festive happiness that she hadn’t felt in a long time as she handed out the bundles of food wrapped in their red packages. It wasn’t much, but providing that little gift lightened something within her that had gone silent after spending so many Mother’s Nights alone.

She even didn’t bother to hide her smile as she handed Vrin his food, but that didn’t mean she could resist getting in one last playful barb to pay him back for his comment.

“Here you go. You lucked out—they were fresh out of vermin poison,” she told him cheerfully, surprising a deep chuff of laughter from him.

She definitely was not tingling on the inside from that as she handed food to her subordinates. No way in hell. Not from Vrin.

Chapter 15

Laro’s claw scraped lightly over the concealed bag tied around his neck as he followed the interaction between Vrin and the captain of the guardswomen. Although the male was barking loudly enough to sound disdainful, Laro recognized the signs of play from him. It had been a long time since Vrin had unbent to play with another outside of mildly tormenting Kam. Normally he would be concerned about a human being the sole focus of the male’s peculiar brand of playfulness without another member of the triad present to run interference, but Uma surprised him. Not only was she not intimidated by the male’s antics, which had worsened upon being caged within the guard station as his temperament grew foul, but she was not afraid to retaliate in a manner that made an impression but caused no true harm when he went too far.

She was... admirable. He did not think that such a female who was both kind and gentle while possessing a deep well of strength and control existed among humans. And while her appearance was not as soft or as delicate as some of the females in the citadel, it reflected that contrast of power and gentleness that was attractive.

His gaze drifted over her as he followed behind, pointedly ignoring the other two guards walking at either side of their triad. They were inconsequential since neither he nor his triad brother required their protection, nor could they really be controlled by the guardswomen should anything pose an immediate threat that needed to be dealt with, but he tolerated their presence since Uma decided to bring them. As long as the females did not get in their way, they would pretend to be docile. It was a fair trade for enjoying some small amount of freedom.

It was also educational, showing him a glimpse of the captain outside of the confines of the station. Although she was still burdened with her responsibilities to the humans of the citadel, she had noticeably relaxed in a way that somehow impacted him enough that he too felt a certain peace and calm descend over him.

It was a strange experience to actually feel a mellow pleasure in the company of a female when in the past it filled him with anxiety. From the moment he reached maturity and became the lead of his triad and responsible for mating, he had never felt anything but tension and the burden of responsibility and expectations. Even later... after Ekeren... approaching a small human female had brought about the same feelings, even if for an entirely different reason born from a fear of accidentally harming a human mate or being unable to properly care for her. Was it because Uma was so much stronger than what he expected to find in a human female?

He cocked his head thoughtfully. He did not know what to do with this new information. His triad made a lot of decisions based on what they wanted but now he was not so certain a softer, meeker female was truly more preferable.

The corner of his mouth twitched as his gaze rested along the slope of her back and rounded backside. Ah, she was not without her softness. Although he could still see the definition of muscle, her rounded flanks were enticing with a swaying motion as she walked. He tipped his head again so to get a better look at another angle and immediately cursed in ragii when a sharp sting shot through his mouth as his teeth carelessly came down on his tongue. He jerked and shook his head as his mouth gaped open slightly in an attempt to ease the sting as mortification filled him. What was he—a juvenile rog?

Vrin gave him a sidelong look, his brow climbing, and Laro winced inwardly at his brother’s obvious curiosity. There was nothing for the male to speculate about. It was not like he, as lead and the one who instigated courtship, had any intention of attempting to attract her as a mate. Even if she had him uncertain and rethinking what he wanted, she was unsuitable. A female who bore such responsibilities as the captain did would be ill suited to the isolated life of being mated to a Ragoru triad in the midst of their vast territory. And there was no intention among them to remain within the citadel.

He could admire her and enjoy her company while their time together lasted, but that was all he could consider.

Laro nodded to himself decisively, focusing again on the female in front of him. He would admire her as he admired human works of art. A work of art that was coming to an unexpected stop in front of him as she turned onto another street and immediately collided with another female—a female with Ragoru. His awareness of the other males was instantaneous the moment their combined scents hit his nose. Laro’s fur rose, an aggressive growl rumbling in his throat as a familiar silver male with distinctively dark fur around his eyes immediately snarled threateningly.

These males again! Did they seek to compete with them for females everywhere—even going as far as setting their sights on the captain? Although he was in part relieved to see that his innocence was validated in the flesh since they were alive and healthy, he was struck by an instinctive rush of aggression at their proximity that was unusually out of proportion. What was he doing? The thought was errant, coming from a deep corner of his mind. He had not meant to guard and protect against other males infringing on their territory. That realization, however, didn’t stop Laro from straightening with a snarl, relying on his intimidating features and size as he squared up with the triad.

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