Page 9 of Ragoru

The entire time she examined him, he didn’t move, regarding her with a curious gaze as his yellow eyes roamed over every inch of her. She felt heat rise into her cheeks as she crept closer and slowly bent into a crouch beside him. His ears flicked, and he cocked his head in reaction to her measured approach as she lowered herself.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” he grumbled. “Not of me. Never of me.”

She stared into his primary eyes thoughtfully. If that came from any man, she would have laughed her head off. But from him… there was no guile. His yellow eyes gleamed up at her with an openness that caught her off guard. And she believed him.

Evie sank into the grass beside him, his fur brushing her belly as she lay facing him. He was so much larger when she was this close, and he was forced to bend his head at an odd angle to look down at her. That drew a smile to her lips, and she settled more comfortably when he continued to remain completely relaxed beside her.

“What is your name, anyway?” she murmured.

“Sabol.”

“I’m Evie.” She adjusted her position and yawned. “Would you mind, Sabol, if we just lie here for a bit? I need to start moving soon, but this is nice.”

He inclined his head. “Rest, Evie. I will be on watch and rouse you when the sun reaches its zenith.”

Her smile widened and she wiggled closer, her cheek brushing the tantalizing softness of his fur along his arm. She really couldn’t help herself.

This was one hell of a first step between their species.

CHAPTER10

Thral stretched as he peered through the forest. They had worked their way south into the heart of the land. The lush forests brought him contentment. Once they had left the tainted territory and worked their way southeast, the forest had gradually welcomed them home. Or so it felt to him. He was in no hurry to locate a suitable den and establish his territory. This land was vast, and so he was inclined to take his time in choosing while there were no other Ragoru to compete with. Or few others, anyway.

His nose twitched with the faint scent trail of a male heading west. He had caught the scent the previous day, and his mind had lingered on it. He grunted in irritation. It didn’t concern him. There was no reason for it to weigh on his mind as it did as the male was apparently heading west—in the opposite direction. That should have been more than enough to satisfy his curiosity except there was a strange note to the scent that he couldn’t identify. And that mystery drew him more than he liked.

He shook his head and snarled with frustration. It was most likely the male Sabol of whom Vrishna spoke. Perhaps he fell into some sort of flowering bush… or stepped into the scent trail of another animal that caused such an intriguing trace.

He gave his pelt a shake in a fit of annoyance. The trail was coming from the southeast, so he would move north until it dissipated. He wasn’t going to be haunted by the presence of a Ragoru who was no longer there. Turning north, he glanced over at Vrishna who was busy inspecting a nearby tree.

“Vrishna, I head north,” he announced for the male’s benefit.

Vrishna’s ear perked toward him, but he did not abandon his curious sniffing around the tree. Thral’s ears flattened with annoyance. Now Vrishna was choosing not to follow? Turning away, he peered north before glancing back in frustration at the male.

“Vrishna?”

The male finally lifted his head and peered over at him. Quizzically. “What?”

Thral bit back a growl. It wasn’t Vrishna’s fault that he was unsettled by the scent. Sighing, he headed over to his companion’s side and peered down at the tree.

“I’m heading north,” he repeated as the heavy scent of the strange male flooded his senses. He wrinkled his nose and made a sound of disgust. “What are you doing?”

Vrishna drew in a deep breath. “There is something interesting here. Don’t you smell it?”

“I smell Ragoru piss. It’s stinking up this entire part of the forest,” Thral replied bluntly, crossing his upper arms as he regarded the spot with a curled lip. “Is it Sabol, do you think?”

The other male nodded as he rumbled with interest deep in his chest. “Yes, I recognize Sabol’s odor print, but there is another here beneath it… as if he is intentionally trying to cover up another scent.”

That caught Thral’s attention, and he moved in closer to the tree and gave it a sniff despite his disgust at smelling a strange male’s urine. His ears tipped forward as he caught a stronger whiff of the underlying scent, and he growled in recognition as his nose identified the indicators of fertile female. Not Ragoru. Perhaps one of these humans? If so, why was Sabol’s scent shielding her presence?

He dragged the scent in deeper, his cock swelling within his sheath. Another soft growl rumbled through him, and he pressed a lower hand against his sheath as he happened to glance over and find Vrishna eyeing him. The male was crouched still by the tree, his own thick cocks partially extruded at the tantalizing scent of a female. Even without being full extruded, the purple-blue heads were already wet with precum.

Thral growled again, his nose filling with another heady rush of her scent as he breathed in. He whined softly in his throat as his rapidly engorging cocks pushed through completely, forcing their way past his hand. Precum dripped from them, sliding down their lengths as the female’s scent continued to torment him. Many Ragoru didn’t experience sexual desire until the first time they caught the scent of an unmated fertile female. Since the females he had been physically close to had all been mated, in the long stretch of his confinement by the Feriknikal, he had never experienced the agony and pleasure of engorgement.

Leaning against the tree, he panted miserably, his body trembling with need. He wondered how rejected males survived the pain. It didn’t seem possible. His ear turned as he heard a soft rustle at his side. His eyes snapped down to find Vrishna kneeling at his side, now fully extruded.

“You are in need of relief,” he observed plainly, cocking his head as he scrutinized him.

“I need her,” Thral growled.

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