Page 99 of Theirs to Crave

Litha’s jaw tightened.

She’d be a good matriarch. She understood people and thought about their needs. We recognized that and instinctively trusted her. I was biased, sure, but I’d seen how she interacted with the Svestrix, how the others in the village looked to her. She was a natural leader.

“Do you want to beRalaytuh Naiset?” I asked.

A conflicted barrage of expressions twisted her features, and she took a step back. “We need go to Zaf.”

Revik and I exchanged a speaking look as she was swallowed up by the jungle.

“Saytireka’s a cabrón,” I announced, sneering.

“...Cabrón?” he repeated, carefully shaping the word.

Teterayuh mouths were built differently from humans’. Their tongues were magic, but their upper lips weren’t very mobile, so sounds that required significant lip movement were difficult and foreign to them.Ooh,oh,andeetook serious work, as did anything with the lettersF, M,P,orW. Hence Mariano coming out as Naryanuh.

A hardBwas another sound they struggled with. It tended to come out as more of aV, which was both comfortingly familiar and perfect pronunciation in this case.

“Sí, una cabrón,” I confirmed.

“What means?”

“A...not nice person. A person who no think.”

“Saytireka cabrón het ha,” he said, testingly.I nodded, and he looked positively gleeful.

I bit my cheek, holding back a laugh. There was a one-hundred percent chance he was going to say that to Saytireka’s face, and I really hoped I was there when he did.

“We sayka’vek,” Revik volunteered.

We grinned at each other, in perfect accord.

He held his arms out, tilting his head towards the den. “We go?”

I nodded. The trees flew by as I snuggled in his arms. Shoes were great, but I could feel a blister starting already. Besides, I just wanted to go home and give Zaf the biggest hug. And maybe a blow job. We deserved it, after dealing with hiska’vekof a mother.

???

We found Zaf on his side in the big bed, Litha facing him. He didn’t move as Revik set me down, although Litha raised her head, honey eyes somber.

Come to think of it, a nap did sound good.

I moved quietly to the bed, hesitating for the barest second as dark thoughts reared unwanted heads.What if he’d changed his mind about being with me? Decided I was too much trouble? What if he turned away?

Litha leaned back slightly, offering me the space between them, and I blew out a breath. Placing my hands and knees carefully so I didn’t wake Zaf up, I crawled up the cushion and cuddled against her.You need to try harder, Anxiety Brain, I mocked internally.With Litha, Revik, and now me, I’mbeginning to suspect Zaf’s type starts and ends with “pisses Saytireka off”.

The cushion dipped as Revik slipped in behind Zaf, and I rolled against him.

Zaf wasn’t asleep.

His body was a solid line of quivering tension, each muscle clenched tight. At my touch, his arm snapped out, his hand gripping my ass and jerking me upward. At the same time, he rolled, putting me beneath him, burying his face in my belly. His growl was deep and vicious.

I craned my neck, staring down at him wide-eyed. Not asleep. Not sad. Everything I thought I understood about this moment smashed into tiny shards that sparkled prettily as they fell around me.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, tentatively. I reached to pet his hair, snatching my hand back when he reared up.

Litha and Revik were very still on either side of me, but I couldn’t look away to see if they were as lost as I was.

“It’snotokay,” Zaf snarled.

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