Page 104 of The Weaver

No, it was Takarahl itself that gave him pause. The city was healing, but its wounds remained fresh. Ahnset needed more time to set things right. More time to set her subjects at ease.

Perhaps when the shadowstalkers of Takarahl were ready to welcome the thornskulls of Kaldarak as friends and honored guests, they would be ready to meet the humans.

But Rekosh would not risk his mate.

He and Ahmya remained like that for a time. Sometimes, she hummed along with his crooning, but both seemed content to allow the crackling flames to fill in the silences between them.It wasn’t until Ahmya stirred against him and yawned that he realized how long they’d remained thus.

“Come,vi’keishi,” he said as he rose, keeping her cradled against him, “let us rest. Our journey must resume with suncrest.”

She murmured a response, and he smiled. That she felt so safe in his arms meant more to him than he could ever say.

Rekosh carried her to their bed of fluffed silk and eased down onto his back, holding Ahmya against his chest. She rested her cheek over his hearts. He could feel her heart beating through his hide, and its steady rhythm coaxed his eyes closed.

“Sleep well, mynyleea,” he whispered. “I have you.”

Forever.

CHAPTER 25

The sun seemed brighter,the air fresher, and the Tangle more vibrant than ever as Rekosh and Ahmya journeyed toward Kaldarak.

Though he remained aware of the danger, Rekosh couldn’t help but notice the boundless beauty all around. The rich colors, the varied shapes and sizes of the leaves and flowers, the play of sunlight breaking through the canopy and the mesmerizing dance of shadows below.

Yet the sights were only one aspect of that beauty. Sound and smell enhanced it. The song of the wind through the boughs, of animals and insects calling, of branches swaying slowly, gently. The heady, cloying aromas of plants and blossoms, wood and earth.

He could appreciate all of it this fully, this deeply, because of Ahmya. She experienced the world with wonder and curiosity that made him consider everything anew.

They conversed as they traveled, laughing and chittering freely. Ahmya sometimes hummed, sometimes sang, and seemed to dance around Rekosh almost as often as she walked beside him.

He’d never seen her so radiant, so carefree, so alive. Her spirit burned brighter than the sun, and it uplifted him. His steps felt light. Felt effortless.

Rekosh had expected their departure from the ruins to be harder, as both he and Ahmya had been reluctant to leave the place that had become their private sanctuary. He would never forget what he’d shared with her there.

But now that they were on their way back to Kaldarak, Rekosh was glad. With each step, he was increasingly eager to reach their destination and see their friends and family, their tribe, again. But more than anything, he was eager to make his claim upon Ahmya known to all. To show everyone that she was his and his alone.

And then they would finally make a den together. A home.

As midday neared, Rekosh heard the faint sound of running water. It had to be the river, which they’d trekked toward after working their way around the rocky cliffs.

“We need but find a safe crossing and we may reach Kaldarak by sunfall,” he said with a trill.

Ahmya stepped into a beam of sunshine ahead of him, tipped her head back, and spun in place. “I wouldn’t complain about spending one more night with you under the stars, but it would be nice to have four walls and roof tonight.”

“If we must den in the Tangle again,kir’ani vi’keishi…” Rekosh closed the distance between them and scooped her up, cocooning her in his embrace.

She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

He nuzzled her cheek, breathing her in with a rumbling purr. “I will be your shelter.”

As he lifted his head, she moved a hand to his face, brushing his hide with her soft, delicate fingertips. A gleam smoldered in her brown eyes, and pink blossomed on her cheeks. “Mmm… I do love it when you’re around me, over me…”

She grazed her lips over the seam of his mouth and said in a low, husky whisper, “Insideme.”

A shiver passed through Rekosh, and he nearly groaned. Fire slithered along his veins, coalescing in his pelvis. His stem pulsed and pushed against the inside of his slit. He drew his claspers in tight, ensuring it couldn’t extrude.

“Ah, female…you tempt me.”

Her grin was anything but innocent.

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