Page 8 of Night's Bride

Gradually his hips slowed and he sagged over her, petting her lovingly as Vrel dropped down into the nest at their side, his chest heaving with the effort it took the male to breathe. Vikt gave him a small smile, delighted to see the same wonder and adoration so clearly on his twin’s face when the male stole an infatuated glance at Emily.

Vikt curled himself around her, his smile spreading. He would begin preparations for a proper mating immediately. He had no doubt now that Mother Ewa and the Dark Fathers had chosen correctly when they led Evelyn to select them. Though it pained him that he still would not be able to give her everything that an alpha would, he was determined to make sure that his love and adoration were all that she would need.

Chapter

Seven

CHAPTER 7

Emily watched curiously from where she was reclined on a pillow near the low table in the living room as her mates attended to their various tasks. They had certainly been busy over the last few days. Vikt was constantly at the small shrine, one that she only just recently noticed over the hearth, paying respect to four carved figures set there.

“Vrel made these,” he had announced proudly as he lovingly set them on the mantle, one by one. He had delivered a teasing grin to Vrel, who had been reclined at her side. “He becameverypopular in the clan once Sabol saw them and spread the word. Even now he is still making the little gods for other triads,” he added with a chuff of laughter when Vrel’s ears lowered and flicked back with embarrassment.

He murmured to them now in a low voice in some sort of droning chant or prayer while throwing various dry flowers and sweet herbs onto the fire. She helped her mother often enough with reverence to the Mother to recognize the act of ritual and prayer. Vrel, on the other hand, sat in a corner of the roomkeeping busy with one of his many projects far away from where she reclined so as to not soil the cushions. It had become, more or less, their daily routine that was only interrupted when one of her mates left the house.

Overall, day-to-day life with her mates was not only good, filled with affection, hot sex, endearing antics, and laughter, it was also peaceful. And if it seemed a bit too quiet at times, it didn’t take much effort for her to kick the bee’s nest, so to speak, and stir things up. Despite their mild personalities, her mates possessed an unexpected playfulness with each other which they were happy to include her in. Just thinking about it gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling. She smiled fondly at Vikt’s backside, admiring his lithe yet powerful silhouette. Vikt and Vrel didn’t possess the bulk that many other Ragoru seemed to have. From just a glance, she had seen how much larger Trish’s triad was. Even Sabol, who possessed a leanness to him in comparison to those males, was comparatively large when compared to the graceful build of her mates. And yet she found lean strength to be beautiful and graceful like that of dancers.

She was quite fortunate to have a pair of males who were not only wonderful companions but enjoyable to watch. Not only was his bottom nice, but he had a very nice tail that was currently twitching tantalizingly at her. It was perfectly made to tug. And tugging on tails always led to being chased around the house until she was breathless with laughter, and occasionally even resulted in a good frisky romp. More than anything, however, tugging their tails had quickly become a sort of love language between them that brought them closer in a sense of play even when it did not lead to sex. It was that closeness she craved.

She licked her lips and crept closer to it but immediately froze when Vikt’s ears turned toward her. She bit back a grin at the realization that she had been caught. He turned his head andpeered back at her over his shoulder, his yellow gaze pinning her with a predatory light. The corners of his mouth curled faintly, and he abandoned the hearth to prowl toward her, his tail stiff except for the tip that flicked playfully. Emily giggled and scrambled back along the cushions, only to fall backward with a shriek of laughter when he pounced. His muscles coiled and released in a fashion that sent him vaulting onto her so that he landed in an intimate crouch, his muzzle brushing her jaw and neck. His breath teased her skin as he breathed her in. That was erotic in itself and would have stirred her arousal above all except for the fact that his two lower hands that were not bracing his weight suddenly climbed along her torso lightly, tickling her.

Emily burst out laughing as she wiggled in an attempt to escape the delicate brush of his claws over her.

“Vikt! You are evil! G-get off,” she sputtered around her laughter.

The male rumbled in amusement, his tongue flicking teasingly along her neck in cold, slick swipes that were somehow just as cold as his damn nose that he was tucking into the warm crook of her neck.

“If my rya is wishing to be entertained by me, then I’m happy to amuse her,” he growled playfully in response, his teeth nipping in butterfly brushes that made her elbow him in helpless protest. “It is not evil to indulge my mate’s playfulness.”

“Maybe I was staring because I wanted to jump your cocks?” she challenged breathlessly as she grinned up at him.

He smirked in reply and lowered his head so close to hers that she could see each distinct band of yellow and gold within his eyes. “When you want my cocks, you have an entirely different look and scent,” he murmured. “You may have been admiring your mate, but this is my playful rya. The one who wishes to play catching games with her mates like a little rabbit.”

She grinned up at him. “Are you saying that you like my tail?”

He chuffed at her, his four eyes gleaming with amusement. “I am saying that you are a ball of unfettered joy who enjoys chaos.” He glanced over at Vrel for confirmation. “Is that not right?”

Vrel coughed pointedly and straightened with a large bucket in his hand. “I have too much to do to be caught in the antics between you two again. I am going to go out and grab some snow to melt before I fetch my beeswax. I need to make up my wood polish so that I can get this finished.”

Emily glanced curiously at his work area but whatever he was crafting was covered once more with fur. She made a face in protest. “You always keep your projects hidden away. Why won’t you just let us see them? We are your family.”

His head ducked slightly, his ears twisting back and flicking forward again bashfully. “Of course you are, rya, but it is not ready.”

Vikt chuffed sympathetically. “Do not tease him, rya. Vrel has always been this way since we were rogs. He enjoys the big reveal and gets even more restless and twitchy the closer to the end he gets. Go on then,” he said to Vrel, “before you come right out of your fur with your excitement.”

Vrel flashed his twin a grateful smile that completely melted Emily’s heart before hurrying out the doorway into the snow. The blast of cold air and snow was enough of a distraction from her shenanigans that she wiggled out of Vikt’s grasp only to give him a fond smile as she burrowed against his chest and into his fur.

He chuffed again as his warm hand stroked her back. “Cold again, Emily?”

She nodded against his chest. “I have to admit that the winters here are a bit more brutal than I expected.”

Vikt made a soft sound of agreement in his throat. “It can even be hard on Ragoru. In this weather it is easy for even astrong male to become disoriented and lost only to freeze to death before he can find shelter.”

Emily drew back to look at him with disbelief. “What is good is all that fur then?” she demanded. “You cannot tell me it is ornamental.”

“Of course not. We can withstand much that the world throws at us, but storms like this and the coldest of days and nights are something different to contend with. We are not gods,” he chided softly, and Emily felt her lips pull upward at his tone. Even when she was being ridiculous, he did not raise his voice or make her feel stupid.

Tipping her head back, she rested her chin against his chest and smiled. “It is a good thing I have you to keep me warm. We humans are ridiculously fragile.”

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