Page 51 of The Naga

Twenty-Two

Khush

Dustin's vacation days hadended a few days ago, which meant he was back at work dealing with distraught customers.

At first, I'd spent some time around the cabin while he worked, sneaking in kisses when he was between clients. But every time I saw one of the customers being rude to my mate, I wanted to go hunt them down.

So today, I decided that it'd be best for both of us if I left him to work in peace.

"I'll be outside," I murmured, leaning down and giving him a chaste kiss, then pressing a kiss on the mate mark I'd given him.I'd made the bite with my fangs—I wasn't venomous—and the twin dots on his neck filled me with pride.

I'd been worried for a while after I bit him that he wouldn't like it. Not everyone enjoyed being marked, and certainly not so boldly. But I shouldn't have worried, because Dustin had been delighted. He'd said getting the mark had felt like his whole body was filled with warmth, and I wondered if he'd felt our bond lock into place now that it was at its strongest.

"Okay. I'll come find you for lunch later," Dustin said, glancing up at me with a smile.

Dropping one last kiss on top of his head, I left the cabin, making my way to my favorite tree.

"Oh ho! Look who's out and about without his mate for the first time in weeks!" Silas said as he clapped one meaty paw across my back. For someone so big, he could be unbelievably stealthy sometimes.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious," I said in a deadpan voice, snapping the back of his legs with my tail. He jumped a little, which amused me greatly.

"Stop assaulting me, jeez. Is Dustin working?"

"Yeah. The customers were starting to get on my nerves, so I had to leave."

Silas was quiet for a moment, and then he started to laugh. Silas had a loud, booming laugh in his troll form, and I was sure the whole Sanctuary could hear him.

"What's so funny?" Haruto asked, and I jerked back as he suddenly appeared in front of me, hanging from the tree with a couple of cobwebs wrapped around his wrist.

Silas took two big steps back, and I bit back a smile. Silas hated spiders with a passion, and while Haruto wasn't one—and Silas understood that—he tended to attract them like a flame attracts moths.

"Uh, I was just imagining Khush in any kind of customer service job," Silas said, his amusement fighting with his wariness over suddenly getting jumped by a spider.

"That would be funny," Haruto agreed, and I scowled.

"Hey! Don't turn into a brat like this one," I protested, and Silas laughed again.

"We only tease you because you're so fun to rile up," he said, and Haruto nodded in agreement, his dark eyes bright with laughter. Haruto usually kept to himself, but he'd started opening up recently. Dustin had told me Haruto had helped him the day I'd had my episode, and I had a feeling Dustin had somehow helped Haruto too.

"Well, unless you have any more jokes for me, I'm gonna go grab a nap on my tree," I said, and Silas chuckled again but let me leave without torturing me any further.

I climbed up my tree and settled on a thick branch, lying on my front with my arms folded under me. Wrapping my tail around the branch for support, I rested my head on my arms, closed my eyes, and just breathed.

If my life stayed like it was right now, I'd be happy. I had everything I could ever need. A home. People who cared about me. A mate.

Life was good.

When I woke up, it was to the sound of my mate's voice.

"Khush! It's lunch time. Wake up!"

Shifting my head, I glanced down at my mate, giving him a soft smile. "Hey, handsome."

Dustin paused, then grinned widely. "Hello to you too, my dear mate. Are you planning on coming down here anytime soon?"

Chuckling, I loosened my tail from the branch and gripped it with my hands instead. Sliding off the branch, I hung by my arms for a moment before dropping my grip and landing on my coiled tail right in front of Dustin.

His eyes were wide when they met mine, and then he shook his head. "Were you trying to impress me?"

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