Page 13 of Badari Medic

“We’re good.”

But she lay awake long after he’d gone to sleep, trying to envision a future where she could be happy without Brent.

CHAPTER FIVE

In the morning he was up and about before her, checking out the small living space. He got out two breakfast type meals from the functioning stasis keeper and heated them, handing her one. Raeblin sat up in the bed to take it with murmured thanks. Brent took the chair and sat close to the bed to eat his. “What’s outside?” he asked, pointing to the other end of the room where sunlight poured in.

“The Wanderer created his own grove for the Great Mother,” Raeblin said. “It’s where I saw her the night before last, when she forgave me for doing the blood transfusion and agreed to let you live as a result.”

Spork on the way to his mouth loaded with eggs, Brent stared at her for a moment. “Heavy. Guess I won’t be going out there. I’m glad you warned me.”

Raeblin bit back several comments about how he was entitled to enter the goddess’s sacred space now too, since he was a Badari. She didn’t think Brent wanted to know the hard fact. “What do you think we ought to do today? Continue heading west?”

“I’d like to take the day and recon the area a bit. See what our possible routes away from here might be. Maybe hunt or fishif the opportunity arises.” He lifted his plate. “This stuff kinda creeps me out, eating food that’s hundreds of years old, even if it was in stasis.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. I think we’re safe here from the Khagrish, being inside a cliff, with two sealed doors but I know we shouldn’t linger in one spot too long, not even this one.” She added, “I think we should explore this place too, see if the Wanderer had any hidden escape routes.”

“Good idea. I like the way you think, strategic. We’ll make the search here our top priority and then head out after breakfast to see what's what.”

Aside from her lingering sadness over Brent’s refusal to become her claimed mate, Raeblin decided it was one of the best days of her life. They did find several escape routes from the one room dwelling, then they sallied outside the cliff to explore. There was no trace of any Khagrish pursuit and as she and Brent hiked through the surrounding terrain they found a small lake late in the afternoon.

“I vote we go fishing,” Brent said. “I’ll make us poles and I have a bit of line in my kit we can use.”

“Badari don’t need fishing poles,” Raeblin answered light heartedly. She stripped off her shirt and pants and dove into the lake in her utilitarian underwear. After all, Brent had seen her naked the night before. Taking a deep breath she dove under the water and swam to the center of the lake, finding it deeper than she’d expected. The water was cold but not freezing and she enjoyed the sensation of freedom she found when immersed. There were schools of fish similar to ones caught and eaten in Sanctuary Valley and she caught several good-sized ones with her talons.

Surfacing she waved to Brent on the shore. “How many have you caught?”

“One but he’s huge,” he said. “I was worried about you but I figured Badari could hold their breath basically forever. Another minute and I was coming in after you.”

Raeblin was warmed by his concern. As she swam lazily to shore, she pondered whether his care would have been for anyone or was it special because he had deeper feelings? There was no way to know unless he agreed to be claimed.My job is to guard my heart while he’s unsure and to try to sway him to my view of our situation.

He agreed her catch was awesome and set to work cleaning his fish and hers. Raeblin stayed in the lake, enjoying her swim. Once Brent had finished with the fish and put the filets in a small stasis keeper he’d brought, he stripped completely and dove into the water, stroking to her rapidly. She treaded water, wondering what he had in mind.

“Where’d you learn to fish like that?” he asked when he reached her.

“I’ve been out in the lake at the valley with the South Seas pack,” she said. “They taught me to swim and then to fish. It’s so much fun—you should come with us sometime.” Raeblin didn’t think he was pleased with the idea but selfishly she liked the thought he might harbor a touch of jealousy at her closeness with the other pack. “When the war’s over the brothers are going to teach me to surf in the ocean.”

Brent frowned but gathered her close, keeping them afloat with his strength. “I know what I want to do right now if we didn’t need to maintain situational awareness. I’m not gonna be surprised by the Khagrish when I’m making love to you.” He kissed her, taking possession of her mouth in a no holds barred manner and she was enthusiastic in her response.

Being skin to skin with Brent in the water was exhilarating and the fact the cold was having little to no effect on him was emphasized by the way his fully erect cock rubbed against herlower body as they floated together. Seized by a mischievous impulse, she broke away from him, splashed him with a big wave of water and dove under the surface, swimming away as fast as she could. To her delight, he shouted with laughter and followed, chasing her on a sinuous route through the weeds growing in the lake and the few natural rock formations at the bottom. Raeblin had no trouble not breathing but she was concerned about Brent, so eventually she let him catch her and together they floated to the surface. He didn’t seem to be in any respiratory distress so she guessed her blood had enhanced his ability to retain air much the way she did.

“Race you to the shore,” she said, taking off.

It was a dead heat and then she was in his arms again, kissing and touching, both deeply involved in the moment.

Brent raised his head. “That’s it, lady, you tempt me too far. We’re heading to the Wanderer’s place right now and we’re hitting the bed. If the idea’s agreeable to you?”

“You won’t have any argument from me,” she said cheerily, “I’m all in on your plan for the rest of the day. We can resume our westward trek tomorrow.”

Once they reachedtheir temporary sanctuary, Brent wasted no time drawing Raeblin to the bed and removing her clothing, while she stripped him efficiently of his. He took her into the bed with him, wishing they had a more comfortable place to share each other’s bodies, but the brief regret was rapidly overwhelmed by the scent of her—floral, with vanilla spice notes—and the silken feel of her skin. Her breasts filled his hands and he lavished attention on them, teasing her nipples with his tongue and then suckling first one side and then the other. He used his free hand to good effect at the vee of her legs, swirlinghis finger around the all-important bud of nerves hidden in the folds until she was panting and squirming under him.

“You taste so good,” he said, raising his head to stare into her flushed face, “I need more.” Suiting action to words, he changed position so he could use his tongue to caress the silky skin between her legs, lapping at her cream, before inserting the tip between her legs and giving her all the stimulation she needed to rise into a truly epic orgasm. He watched her face as she reveled in the climax, her body clenched as she tried to ride the waves of sensation and hold onto it. She was locked to him so tightly he felt the tips of her talons on his back. He didn’t mind at all—the tiny edge of pain was a stimulus and his arousal, already hard enough to pound nails, pulsed insistently. He wanted to be inside her warmth.

“More for you where that came from, lovely lady,” he whispered, kissing the inside of her thigh.

“Please,” she said, her voice husky and oh so sexy. “I want all of you, right now.”

Brent was happy to oblige and adjusted their positions again, placing the tip of his aching cock at the entrance to Raeblin’s hot, wet core. She moaned impatiently, clutching his hips and he slid inside, going to the root with one thrust, then pumping in and out so hard he rocked the old bed. She was wild for him, clenching her inner muscles so hard as he moved he had to fight himself not to come too early, before he’d made sure she was satisfied. And Brent was determined Raeblin was going to have her climax. He wanted her to be happy and sated and never to feel any desire for another man as long as she lived.

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