Page 23 of Victoria's Discovery

The breath left her in a whoosh and her knees went weak. Patting herself down, she made an inarticulate sound of relief when she found she was all there. She hadn’t disappeared. Thorn and Thegan hadn’t disappeared. Vi’kail was… well, he was glaring at her, but he looked okay.

“I’m… I’m okay? We’re okay?”

At that, both giants whipped around and pinned her with matching looks of anger and disbelief.

Craning her head back, she stared at them blankly, confused as to why they looked so pissed off.

“What? What’s wrong?”

Chapter 12

Thegan was torn between shock, admiration, and fury born of fear as he stared down at Vee. What in the name of all the Gods had she been thinking when she moved to shield them? She was tiny! And female! It was their duty to protect her! For many moments, he could not decide if he wanted to shake her or kiss her.

In the end, it was not a hard decision. It wasn’t actually a decision at all.

One moment he was glaring at her, the fear that she would vanish as her clanswomen had before he could shove her back behind him still flooding him with panic. The next, she was in his arms, her bare ass filling his hands, and he was ravishing her mouth, spearing his tongues past her parted lips.

The moment the taste of her hit him, a groan vibrated his chest and blood rushed to his cock so fast it made him dizzy.

Actually, it may have been the blow Thorn delivered to the back of his head that accounted for the dizziness.

Thegan ignored the first one, but the second blow was harder and caused him to accidentally hornbutt Vee. It was her muffled yelp of pain that finally prompted him to stop tongues fucking her sweet, warm, wet…

Mmm, perhaps one more taste…

“Ow!” That time, it was a hard flick on his ear. Jerking his head around, he gave Thorn a look of irritation and confusion. “What in the six hells is wrong with you?”

In answer, his grumpy friend growled and swiftly plucked Vee out of his arms. That would’ve been irritating all on its own, particularly since Thegan was nowhere near finished tasting her. But when Thorn shot him a victorious look then bent and sealed his own mouth to hers, irritation was replaced by a healthy dose of shock which quickly morphed to outrage.

“You underhanded, sly, thieving bastard!” Thegan barked, half laughing. Shaking his head, he didn’t fight the smile curling his lips, staring at the back of his friend’s head in something midway between approval and indignation. “Well played.”

Of course, amused or not, he wasn’t going to just stand there while Thorn tasted his stolen female. Stepping closer, Thegan kicked the back of Thorn’s knee then lifted Vee out of his arms as he fell and brought her to his chest with a low chuckle, turning away to the sound of his friend’s cursing.

Gazing down at her with a wide smile, he watched hungrily as she blinked open those beautiful, bright blue eyes of hers and pressed her delicate little fingers to her swollen, red lips. The dazed look on her face and the odd, but appealing, flush on her cheeks instantly put an image in his mind of them entwined in warm furs, firelight dancing over her pinkish white skin, and her moans of pleasure filling his ears.

“Keep staring at me like that, little sweetmate, and I cannot be held responsible for my actions,” he warned huskily.

He knew she could not understand his words, but the sincere warning in his voice must’ve come across, because her eyes widened and the pretty pink color on her cheeks deepened. She blinked rapidly, her slim throat moving in a hard swallow, then glanced away.

While that was probably the wise thing to do, Thegan could admit his intense disappointment that she did not take him up on his threat.

Sighing, he shook his head, wondering when exactly he’d become so enthralled with her. Turning, he slid down the wall and settled Vee on the sand at his side. He wanted, badly, to sit her on his lap, but his cock was hard as steel and he wasn’t convinced she would welcome having it pressed against her ass. Not yet, at least.

Thegan may not be known for having the most patience, but somewhere between thinking she was a kit and her trying to protect them, he’d decided he wanted the little female for his mate. He’d never pursued a hess before, but he’d seen others do so and felt like he had a fairly good idea of what worked and what didn’t.

Wooing seemed very similar to hunting. You had to proceed with the right balance of stealth and boldness then strike at just the right moment. Too soon and your prey will bolt. Or attack.

Taking his gaze off of her when he heard Thorn get to his feet, Thegan eyed his friend alertly, readying himself for an attack, but the glowering male only settled himself on Vee’s other side and gazed down at the top of her head in something like bewilderment.

Ah, so he, too, has been blindsided by her charms.

Narrowing his eyes, he peered at Thorn assessingly. As growly and ill-tempered as the male could be, he was a good friend. Dependable, loyal, damn good in a fight, and smart. An excellentharkto have at your back when going into battle. But Thegan had never considered him as a bondmate.

It was Vee’s choice, of course, but he was not opposed to the idea. He and Thorn did not always get along, but who else would he trust as much to help protect her? Who else could he say for certain was honorable and would have her best interests at heart, even to the detriment of their own, if it came to that?

They had no way of knowing what trials they would face when they got to wherever they were going. With Thorn, Thegan knew he could rely on him. He might try to kill him in his sleep on occasion, but he would not hurt Vee, nor would he allow her to come to harm.

That decided, Thegan turned to scan the cages surrounding them. More specifically, the ones holding males. He and Thorn were a good start to her house, but would they be enough?

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