Page 29 of Ragoru

He growled, his hackles rising and this time not in the fun way. Although he didn’t make a move to hurt her, she could see his anger in every line of his face as his teeth bared in a silent snarl.

“I told you to stop protecting us,” he snapped. “We are yours and you are ours. So, unless you plan to reject us, you will treat us as such and not seek to dismiss us or abandon us at your whim.”

“Yeah, well, that would be a little easier if you guys took this place more seriously instead of acting as if nothing in this fucking world can hurt you,” she spat back. “You write it off as something you can handle without realizing that there is a real threat out there and I can’t risk losing you!”

He blinked, a look of surprise registering on his face before his brow lowered and his ears flattened in confusion. “We have not made any such claims.”

She snorted in disbelief. “Oh, really? So what was that about being able to handle the huntsmen? Any time I’ve mentioned them, all three of you brush them off when they are trained to hunt—and they don’t just hunt with claws but with weapons. They will shoot you before you even get close to them,” she pointed out, her voice rising, “and I can’t take you into that when you don’t realize how real of a danger that is, because I cannot and will not watch that happen!”

Her final shouted words seemed to echo around them as Thral stared at her for a long moment. He peered at her intently as if trying to see straight into her soul as he weighed her words. A soft, resigned sigh escaped her. She didn’t want to fight, not when this whole thing felt wrong, and that wrongness had screamed at her every step she took away from the house.

“Look, Thral—”

“You’re right,” he rumbled, interrupting her.

She blinked and her mouth gaped in surprise. “I’m sorry, but can you repeat that?”

He chuffed softly and, though he didn’t release her, he gently lowered her to her feet. “I said that you’re right. We didn’t give it serious consideration. We are strong males in our prime, and your species is very small with few natural defenses,” he pointed out, his claw brushing lightly over her fingernail as if to emphasize the point. “We even escaped from the Shining Ones, who seemed even stronger than you. It didn’t occur to me—and likely not to Sabol or Vrishna—that there was something to be concerned about when it came to your huntsmen. And you’re right that it is the sort of arrogance that could get us all killed.”

Evie swallowed thickly and nodded.

“I’m still angry,” he pointed out. “I’m angry that you didn’t come to me and insist that I hear these concerns—in the same manner as you expressed them now if necessary. Snarl and growl at me if I fail to give credence to what you say, but don’t give up on me and my ability to protect and lead our family,” he rasped. “You are the female, and as such you determine the life path for our family, but as the lead male of the triad it is my duty to secure our safety and I cannot do that if you’re gone.”

“I thought maybe since you all scented me that you would feel better about it, knowing that I had your scent protecting me,” she pointed out.

He looked at her askance, and she saw another faint glimmer of pain and immediately wished she could take those words back.

“Then you did seduce us for our scent. Not because you wanted us.” The words were offered so flatly that she felt a little more broken by each word as she shook her head in denial.

“No, that’s not even the main reason. I considered it a side benefit at best and something that would reassure you that animals and other Ragoru would steer clear of me. I did want you, and I wanted you guys to have a way to know that I was coming back because I wouldn’t have done that if I had no intention of returning.”

He studied her quietly and inclined his head, his throat working. Then he lowered his head so that his muzzle slid along her cheek to rest against the side of her neck. Raising her hand, she stroked the fur along his cheek and jaw, running it down into the scruff around his neck and the longer growth along the back of his head and neck. Her fingers traced the first of the hard, pointed plates that jutted from the base of his skull, and she sighed as they stood there, holding each other.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It was wrong. I knew it was wrong the moment I left, but I couldn’t think of any other way. I will tug on your ears next time to get your attention if I have to, but I’ll never do that again.”

He nodded silently and nuzzled her. He held her like that for several more minutes before he finally straightened and peered down at her. Expelling a sharp breath, he ran a hand through the long fur along the back of his neck.

“We will not speak of what happened. We will return to the human den, and I will encourage you to speak of your concerns regarding the huntsmen. We will discuss it as a family before we make a decision on how to proceed.” His ears flattened slightly. “And though I do not like it, I will accept your decision to leave us here as a possibility when we discuss it.” He cut her a sharp glance. “I do not approve of it, but it is something for all of us to talk of among other possibilities.”

Evie nodded. That was more than fair.

“Now let us return,” he rumbled as he steered her back toward the house.

Wincing slightly, she walked gingerly. The discomfort between her legs now felt especially raw after her race through the forest. Thral glanced down at her worriedly and then sighed, plucking her back up as he walked at a quicker pace back toward the house.

“This is another reason not to sneak off. Ragoru saliva is able to ease their mate’s flesh after a mating.”

Now he told her.

CHAPTER24

Thral wasn’t exactly gentle when he dropped Evie on the bed, but then he hadn’t lied either about still being angry despite understanding her reasoning. Still, he grimaced apologetically when she bounced with an indignant squeak and scowled at him. It was as much of an apology as he could muster in his current mood. That she was tender at all was her own fault as they would’ve seen to her comfort upon waking if she hadn’t tried to leave them behind. Now she was paying the price.

He would keep his word, though. He didn’t say anything to the other males as they roused just enough to peer curiously over them. He gestured for them to rest, and their heads dropped back down against their pillows. Working silently, he pulled off Evie’s foot covering, letting each drop to the floor with a soft thud, and then peeled her bottom covering down her legs as she yanked the top off and the strange binding from around her teats. His heart stirred when she gave a yawn and crawled further onto the nest to drop down beside Sabol, her nose brushing against his fur as she snuggled into his side.

Thral paused at the foot of the nest, uncertain. He wanted to curl around Evie again as he snuggled into the nest with his family, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep just yet, even if he tried. His body was still buzzing with the remnants of the anxious energy that had filled him upon waking and discovering his mate gone. Determined to work it off by patrolling the territory around the house, he found himself leaving the room and descending the stairs once more, his senses sharpening in his alert state as he slipped out the door. Despite that, the brush of the breeze soothed him, and he was able to savor the sweetness of the early morning air that was untainted by anything that didn’t belong. There was nothing there except the scent of animals hidden through the forest, and damp earth, rich with growing things mingling with the scents of his family.

No other humans. No other Ragoru. No Shining Ones.

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