Page 15 of K'Vella

"What's wrong?" He has a curious expression as if he's not surprised by whatever's hurting me, or maybe he knows what it is. I don't know how, but maybe this is part of Rytharian coupling I'm not used to because I'm not actually someone from his species.

"Weird pain in my wrists," I say. "It's over now. It only lasts for a second, but it's happened twice now."

Holoth's jaw clenches, and I can see it ticking in the corners. His cock twitches inside of me, testing the knot's hold.

"You tell me if it gets worse."

He rubs his nose against my neck, inhaling deeply, and then sighs in frustration. As far as I'm aware, he's wearing a pheromone blocker, which means he can't smell anything. The fact that he wants to smell me and seems upset that he can't makes me want him to take the blocker out so he can.

Holoth groans when it's clear his knot isn't softening for a while. He pulls me up against his body before flopping us down on our sides so he's spooning me. My dress is still pulled up over my hips, and his hands find their way between my legs, rubbing against me, keeping me nice and warm for him.

"Do you want me to pull the dress off?" I ask, feeling my chest flush dark violet.

"Please," Holoth's plea is warm and dark.

I carefully pull the dress up and off my body, tossing it outside the nest so it isn't in our way. I don't miss how Holoth cranes his head over my shoulder to stare down my body. His hands leave from between my legs in an instant so he can cup my breasts. Iknow they're small compared to what females of his kind have, but he stares at them with a hunger that makes me feel like he enjoys them all the same.

"I knew they'd be violet," he says to himself.

He wraps his mouth around my shoulder and runs his teeth along the unmarred pelt. I moan and press myself closer to him. He alternates between rubbing between my legs to keep me warm and cupping and squeezing my breasts.

Before I know it, his knot is slipping from me, and he's spreading my legs to take me again. This time, there's a bite in my shoulder, and the burning in my wrists moves up my arms to my elbows. The third time, my other shoulder is bitten. When he lowers his head to me, and my mouth can wrap around the soft spot between his neck and shoulder, I suck on it hard, loving the burning sensation in my wrists at this point. When I run my teeth against his skin, he fills me with his knot and murmurs soft things against the newest bite mark.

My eyes grow heavy, and I need a quick nap to get myself ready for our next session. Holoth rolls us so he's on his back, and I'm lying on top of him as I try to find sleep. He rubs his hands down my pelt and mumbles sweet things under his breath that I'm not completely able to make out.

I take his sweet words into my dreams and am filled with the best thoughts. Holoth's voice tells me over and over again that he'll be the best mate, that he'll get my marks to show up, and that he'll love all our young.

It's the best dream I've had in so long that I almost don't want to wake up because the truth is, if I'm pregnant after this rut, I might only see him every so often when he wants to see his child. I push those thoughts back and bask in the dreams until reality comes to take me back to my actual life.

six

Holoth

I'm K'Vella's mate.

The thought has been in the forefront of my mind since I saw her rubbing at her wrists after our first time together. Varons' bodies change when they find their bonded mates. Dark black markings appear like cuffs around their wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and neck.

K'Vella's bonding marks want to come through, and I've been trying everything in my power to get them to stain her pelt. I've thought of nothing but getting those dark bands to show up the entire time I've been in rut.

Alik and Jovi's markings showed up after they bit Sloane, so I've bitten into K'Vella so much she'd rival the adornments of a claimed Rytharian female. Still, her markings haven't shown up. It would make me more upset if I weren't so preoccupied with caring for her since I've used her so thoroughly these last few days.

My rut ended this morning, and I left K'Vella in bed while I went to make us some food. During my rut, Phial left plenty of food outside my door, so I didn't have to leave the nest for longer than a few seconds at a time.

Phial might be annoying, but he's my best friend. He has been since he first told the rest of the crew to let me join them since he hated having Jovi as his copilot. I had no experience with piloting, but Phial assured me I'd be better at it than Jovi.

I'll have to think of a way to repay him for his kindness so he doesn't start lauding it over me.

Now that the rut has dissipated and I'm thinking more clearly, I can leave the nest. I'd much rather stay in it and snuggle with K'Vella, but we both need to eat. I want to make us something warm for the first time in four days. If I'm fast enough, maybe I can sneak back into the nest with her and feed her by hand.

When I enter the kitchen, Essa and Sloane are sitting at the kitchen table chatting with one another. They pause their conversation long enough to let me know I don't look the greatest after physically exerting myself for the last few days.

"You look like shit," Essa laughs.

"Thanks," I mumble as I move toward the food synthesizer and start making a dish that I know Alik and Jovi both like a lot from their planet. It's some flaky pastry filled with custard and fruit. Hopefully, K'Vella likes it, too.

"Avery got her collar off, and she can understand us now," Sloane says. "She hasn't come to hang out with anyone, but Phial says she's happier now."

"That's good," I say, keeping my attention on the food synthesizer.

---