Page 7 of Vexing Valmir
"O'jek, it's all right, love," Daisy says, her tone cheerful. "It's not a big deal."
Her answer does not satisfy O'jek. He follows me as I stalk away, his jaw clenched so hard he's going to break a few teeth. I ignore him, because I know that's the surest way to get under his skin. As I saunter past, I see the others are glaring at me, too. I make a mental note of this — if rude to another male's female, expect anger. This is good to know.
I move away from the gathering, the need for fresh air overwhelming me. Before I can escape entirely, Devi appears. She's got a steaming bowl in her gloved hands but stops once she sees me. "Oh, there you are! How are the scorpions coming?"
"They're not. You didn't give me the proper instructions." I hold my arm out so she can see the raised welts that are visible even under the thin fur covering my limbs. "You did not tell me they needed to be cooked before shelled. They stung me and ran away."
"Oh, shoot." Devi looks frustrated, but not angry. "That's on me. I'm sorry, Valmir. It's been so busy that I assumed you knew the basics, and you know what they say about assuming."
I actually do not know what they say, but I just grunt. If it's somethingeveryoneknows, I do not want to be the fool without information.
"Next time, just ask for more details, all right? I'll be happy to walk you through things." She lifts the steaming pot in her gloved hands. "I need to get this prepped."
She races off before I can wave her away, which suits me fine. I head down the beach, toward the clustered huts, where I can smell April's lingering scent. How did I never notice before how good she smells? The other scents float in the air, the usual variety, but her particular scentcallsto me. I've never smelled anything so good, and I want to take deep gulps of air and rub my cock.
I turn my head, following her aroma.
"Where are you going?" A cold hand claps my shoulder, and I jump, startled. Skarr. The gladiator with the ssethri blood that makes him constantly chilled. "You should have seen the way you jumped."
"Maybe it's because you slapped me," I grit, rubbing the spot in mock irritation. I'm annoyed with myself that I was so focused on April's scent that I didn't notice him. Subtle is not in Skarr's wheelhouse.
"You jumped because I startled you. It's because I'm getting so much better at stalking. I can give you pointers sometime, if you like." Skarr seems rather pleased with himself.
"I don't," I retort, but it doesn't bother Skarr. Chalath is with him, the other with praxiian blood and my unofficial competition. I ignore him, too, my tail swishing with irritation at his presence. "I'm not in the mood for sparring. Go rejoin the festivities."
"I want to know what you did," Chalath says, watching me with narrowed eyes. "They are all stirred up and everyone has your name on their lips."
Skarr flicks at the fur on my chin. "And you've got ice in your face fur."
Do I? I rub my whiskers, and sure enough, there's ice coating my jaw. For some reason, this ice doesn't bother me. It feels like...a badge of honor. A mark of pride that April gave me.
Marking...
Some hind-memory stirs and I want to chase it down.
Skarr speaks again, interrupting my thoughts. "The others say that April is resonating to you. Is this true?"
Immediately, I'm defensive. "If you know it already, why ask?"
"Were you showing off or fighting? I amcurious."
I just stare at him.
He continues, oblivious. "It was fighting that made Vivi resonate to me. She says it has nothing to do with it, but I suspect otherwise." Skarr gives me a smug look. "These females and their wild human hormones cannot handle it when they see a strong male. So what maneuvers were you doing exactly? We need to know so Chalath can use them and make a female resonate to him."
They both stare at me intently, as if I have the answers.
"I was preparing food," I say dryly. "Looks like the females are safe from Chalath for another day."
Chalath isn't bothered by my verbal slap. He continues to watch me with hard, narrowed eyes. "You're certain? Nothing else?"
"Not that I'm aware of."
"Something subconscious, perhaps?"
"How the kef would I know?"
He grunts, expression thoughtful. "We should ask the female. I want to know specifics so I can ensure I resonate to the female I want."
