“Running? I wasn’t running.”
She can lie to herself, but not to me. I step forward and grab the front of her tunic, then haul her to her feet. She slaps at me, but I right her anyhow, and then she tugs on the hem of her tunic, a fierce frown on her face. I lean in close to her. Her scent is in my nose, making my khui resonate with hunger. I want nothing more than to press my mouth to hers and mate with it again.
But not while she is looking at me as if I am filth. My heart hardens a little and I lean in. “You belong to me, female.”
She smacks a hand to my shoulder, angry. “I don’t belong to anyone.”
“There is no place you can run that I will not find you and return you to me.” She doesn’t realize that every day she ignores the call of her khui, it will grow worse. There is no reasoning with it, or changing its mind. It simply wants what it wants.
And it wants Liz to be my mate.
I want that, too. She’s mine, and I’m going to claim her yet.
“God, you are such a stalker,” she mutters, crossing her arms over her chest. “And if you must know, I was looking for materials for a bow.”
“A bow,” I repeat. This word is known, but the thing it calls to mind is not familiar to me. “It is a weapon, yes?”
“Yes,” she says, and gives me a challenging look. Her chin lifts. “I know how to shoot a bow. I can hunt, too.”
I grunt. Part of me is pleased that she wants to hunt, and part of me worries. The women in our tribe are so few that they do not participate in the hunting treks. They stay close to the caves, because we have lost many in our tribe over the last few years, and if we lose more, we cease to exist. But I see the determination on Liz’s face and know she will not like that answer.
So…a grunt is what she gets.
“What is that supposed to mean?” She gets right in my face and tries to reach for one of my horns, no doubt to tug me down to her height and get my attention. My Liz is brave. I have respect for that, even if it’s infuriating.
I stand at my full height so she can’t pull any more of my hair or tug on my horns. “You belong to me. If you need something, you come to me. My job is to provide for you.”
“Well, great,” she says in a testy voice. “How about you provide my friends to me, hmm?”
I ignore that. I’m not taking her back until we are mated. Instead, I head over to the face-eater I killed for her. If she wants it for her bow, she’ll have it. “Come. You need to go back to the cave. Your human flesh is still weak despite your khui.”
“Gee, you didn’t think it was so weak when you grabbed me and ripped my pants off.”
I turn to give her a quelling look. Was she trying to pretend that she didn’t like it when I touched her? Her cheeks are bright pink, which is curious. I study her for a moment more, and she squirms under my hard gaze. “You did not seem to mind my touch.”
Her face turns even redder. “Oh, just throw that back in my face why don’t you.”
Her words make no sense to me, but the color in her cheeks tells me plenty. She is embarrassed. I find it charming, even more so when her hands move to cup the tiny tuft of hair between her legs and shield it from my gaze. Does she think that protects her? I licked every inch of her mere moments ago. I study her bare thighs, her feet still covered in my boots. My own feet are barely aware of the cold, but I see her soft human skin is prickling with the cool temperatures. I must ensure that she is warm and taken care of.
But Liz is a fighter, and she’s choosing to fight me. So I grab the dead face-eater and the long tube they use as a lure, and sling it over one of my shoulders. “Are you coming, or do I carry you?” I ask her.
She scowls darkly at me. With a jerk, she scoops up the torn halves of her pants and storms ahead of me. “You are such a dick. I hate you.”
“Do you ever stop talking?” I ask.
She raises her middle finger in the air in my direction. I’m not sure what it means, but I can guess it’s not pleasant. “I guess I’m walking back pantsless. Thanks a lot.”
“Do you want my loincloth?”
Her face turns that bright red again, and she gives me a scandalized look. “So you can be naked? No thanks.”
Her refusal just further emphasizes how unattractive she finds me. It stings. “Whatever will silence you,” I jab back.
She makes an outraged noise, and then storms ahead of me.
Liz is silent as we make our way back to my secret cave. I let her walk in front of me, so I can guard her…and so I can watch her small, pert bottom as it flexes when she walks. She has no tail, so the view is a curious one…but still arousing. I mentally picture bending her over, spreading her bottom, and then licking all of her wet female parts again until she screams her pleasure once more.