Page 61 of K'Vella

"Mate," I murmur in her ear, hoping to rouse her a bit more. I want her to see those mating marks and maybe, just maybe, reward me for my patience in finally getting them to show up. "Wake up."

"No," K'Vella protests.

She suckles on the side of my neck she hasn't marred with her teeth. She sucks the skin like she's tasting me more than anything else. I don't blame her. I want to do nothing but run my tongue along her pelt and taste every inch of her. It's amazing just how much of my taste depended on my smell because now that I can smell her, she tastes even more delicious than she did before.

"Please, sweet mate," I purr, adding a slight neediness to my voice that I hope will stir her instincts into helping me with my problem. "I need you. I need the mother of my child to help ease this ache."

K'Vella hums a joyful sound even as she shakes her head in disbelief at how easily I can get her worked up. She's a horny little mate, just like I am. It doesn't help that she's so eager to breed and have my young. It makes me want to do nothing but keep her filled every moment of every day.

"Are you waking up now?" I ask, rolling her so I'm lying on top of her, spreading her legs wide so I can take up the space between them.

K'Vella looks up at me, her three eyes blinking slowly like she's still waking from her dreams. She gives me a soft, content smile as she raises her hand to my face and gives my cheek a lovingcaress. Or, I'm sure it would be loving if it actually ever reached my cheek. Instead, her hand freezes in the air, her eyes going wide as she sees her bonded marks for the first time.

"Holoth," she says my name like something's wrong, and that won't do.

"You know what they mean," I tell her.

I nudge the head of my cock inside her. Her second upper hand comes up to my face, but she moves it between us, getting her wrists close to her eyes as she rubs at the marked pelt with her hands. I push inside her more, wanting her to at least moan or whimper as I invade her space. She's still too shocked about the bonded marks, though.

"When did this happen?" she asks, her eyes looking up at me in an accusatory manner like I've kept them hidden from her. I snort out a laugh.

"Last night after you bit me," I say, thrusting into her hard and smirking when her lip trembles and a sweet moan escapes her lips. "I can't believe I didn't think about you biting me before then."

I rock into her harder, loving how her worries ease and her body relaxes into me. I'd love to have her on her hands and knees with my hand fisted in her hair, but that can wait for our next fuck. Right now, I need to see my mate's face when she breaks apart on my knot.

"I've been trying to get those marks to show up for weeks, K'Vella, but you're a stubborn little female when you want to be."

"You knew?" she asks, her eyes glassy as I roll my hips in the way I know she likes. "I didn't even know. How did you know?"

"I always knew you were my mate," I say with a grin so bright I'm surprised she doesn't have to squint. "Are you jealous you couldn't put two and two together?"

K'Vella bares her teeth at me, but her heart isn't in it. I grab her thigh, pulling her leg over my shoulder as I rut into herharder, and she forgets all about everything but the feeling of me inside her.

"The heat run is tomorrow," Helna says as she plops down into the seat across from K'Vella and me in the ship's kitchen. No one else is awake yet. At least we haven't seen anyone else. "Are you guys going to participate?"

K'Vella sits in my lap, my hand high on her thigh and my chin resting on her shoulder while she eats. I don't touch her inappropriately. Or, well, I took my hands away from the inappropriate places when we were no longer alone in the kitchen.

"I'm not in heat," K'Vella says when she swallows her food. "I don't go through heats."

Helna shrugs. "My heat isn't for like two more months, but I'm running tomorrow. Some males from Vestr Clan are here, and they really try to blow your back out."

I growl low in my throat, my teeth gnashing at my sister's words. I don't need to know what she does with males, just like she doesn't need to know what I do with my female.

I'm sure at some point we'll be in the great hall at the same time together with our partners, but I can just ignore her. She'll go to one side of the room. I'll go to the other. It's how things are done with siblings.

"What?" Helna asks, raising her hands like she isn't trying to make me uncomfortable enough to leave the room altogether. "I'm letting K'Vella know in case she wants to sample all of what Rythar has to offer. Maybe a different male will make her want to stay."

My growl vibrates through the entire ship, so I'm not surprised when Jovi and Alik enter the kitchen a few moments later with their daggers drawn and lips pulled back into snarls. They notice how I'm possessively holding K'Vella and the bonding marks on her pelt and roll their eyes.

"You think she wants any Rytharian male?" I ask, my words dripping in anger.

K'Vella presses a hand against my face, one of her other hands grabbing my hand from her thigh and placing it flat against her abdomen. "Shh, I don't want anyone but you. She's trying to upset you."

"No," Helna says, shaking her head and letting some of her braids and the beads in them clatter on the table. "I'm trying to figure out how to keep you both here. We miss my brother, and most of us like K'Vella."

"Most?" I ask, snapping the words because everyone should love my mate. Not more than me, but still, she should be well-liked amongst all of my clan because she's the best female.

"Do you not remember last night?" Helna asks. One of her eyes twitches in the corner like she's upset with me for being difficult even though I'm not trying to be. "Balta ripped your blocker out, and you know she wasn't the only one who wanted to do it."

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