“Roharu!” Megan excims while cmping her legs around my head. She pushes her dress down and then lets her thighs fall open as if she just realized I cannot move.

  “This makes you shy?” I lift my head but keep my hands under her dress. “Admiring your mating mark? You like it when I eat your pussy, but this embarrasses you?”

  “That’s no—ugh!” She sps her palms on her face and blows out a breath. “It’s just different. Give me a moment. You’ve known longer than I have.” Her voice is muffled, but I hear her clearly.

  I pull back, even though I want to pay homage to the mark on her thigh. My name, written in bck with purple fmes. There will be plenty of opportunities to admire the mark on her thigh. Perhaps ter tonight. She will want to bathe after the dinner celebration.

  “So, it’s your name, right?” She drops her hands and toys with the end of her dress. “Like how yours is my name?”

  “Naturally. If it was not, I would have just killed them.” I lift one shoulder.

  “You can’t just murder your way through problems.”

  “Why not?”

  Her lips part as her eyebrows pinch together. “Because,” Megan stresses, “you end up living a life of always having to look over your shoulder.”

  “But what if there were no witnesses or evidence?”

  Megan squints and leans forward. “What were you doing in that forest?”

  I spike a hand through my hair and lean back against the wall. “Do you truly wish to know? You did not accept the heart I offered you.”

  “So, it was to kill someone,” she says. “For now, let’s try to work it out diplomatically first.” She yawns and crawls into my p. “Some things can be worked out by talking.”

  I hum. We have tried her way several times now, and it has always resulted in the offending creature dying. “Death must not be common in your world?”

  “Oh, it’s common, but if you take someone else’s life, then the authorities come after you and you get locked up for years or the rest of your life. Course, someone else could come after you and get revenge, but it all leads to the same destination.” She snuggles against my chest and wraps her arms around my neck. “It’s common in that you see it on the news, but not common enough that a normal citizen would be desensitized to it.”

  “You do not seem to mind it.”

  She snorts. “That’s because of you. I’d be a nervous wreck if I didn’t have you to hold on to. Or dead.” Megan chuckles. “I’ve officially reached the point where I can joke about my own death.”

  “Do not,” I reply sharply. “Do not joke about your death. I forbid it. You are not allowed to die.”

  “You forbid it?” She rolls her eyes. “That’s not something you can stop, but I don’t want to think about that before I take a nap.” She shifts in my p and stretches her legs out. “You really want to stay here? It’s not very established.”

  “That is why I wish to stay here. It is close enough to the capital that I can procure more items for you if needed, but far enough that no one will come out and bother us. We have our pick of locations, as the vilge is small. Apollo will want to be close to the river. Should Katsuro and Chloe choose to stay, I expect they will want another home among the trees.” My tail curls around her legs. There are no bnkets here and I am not too keen on resting on another’s bedding. “Rest and I will wake you before the celebration begins.”

  Megan yawns once more and after a few moments, her breathing evens out and she is asleep.

  ***

  Katsuro plops down on the log next to me with several fish on a stick and a mix of vegetables in between the meat. The color arrangement, a mix of green and yellows, is appealing. Perhaps I should follow suit and get this ka-bob that Megan insisted on. Katsuro takes a bite and lets out a whoop of joy.

  “Truly?”

  “It’s good,” he splutters with his mouth full of food. “You should try it! The vegetables ain’t half bad when it’s mixed like this.”

  “Close your mouth when you eat.” I roll my eyes. Two ka-bobs appear in front of my face. Megan smiles as she holds them out. “I would have gotten up,” I say as I accept the food from her.

  “Yeah, but this one I made for you. Experimented with some sauces.”

  Sauces?

  I sniff. Hmm. Whatever she coated the fish and vegetables with is rich and almost sweet. Megan watches like a yatorick, a flying beast that is native to this area, as I take a bite.

  Ah, right. She promised to cook for me. This is important to her.

  “Delicious,” I say, staring at the food in hand. “What did you use?”

  “Uhhh, the square-shaped blue herb, and the bck pepper.”

  “The what?”

  “It was bck and tasted like pepper. The pnt itself was green, but when I opened the pods, it was small and round. Bck.”

  “That is called kuronirat and the other herb is most likely aokuga.” I take another bite. The second one is tastier than the first. “Are you going to watch me eat the whole time?” I tease, moving on to the second stick of food.

  “No, I was just making sure you liked it.” She squats and runs a hand through Apollo’s mane. “How about you? You like the fish?” She smiles as Apollo takes a mouthful from his pte and bobs his head. “Good, I’ll bring you more.”

  “Can I get some?” Katsuro asks. I gre at him, but the cat is too stupid to notice. “Smells incredible.”

  “At least you do not have food in your mouth this time,” I mutter.

  “Sure, but I think Chloe was working on the soup, or at least a portion for you two.” She gnces over her shoulder. “Yep, here she comes.” Megan stands and wipes her hands on her dress. “I’m gonna go back and help out.”

  “You should sit and rex. It is a celebration thanks to you, not their efforts.” I pat the log, but Megan shakes her head. “Vixen.”

  “Don’t vixen me.” She huffs. “I need to keep moving.” She throws a look back and then heads to the building where the other females are gathered.

  Katsuro snorts. “Man, she does not listen to you.”

  “She listens when it matters,” I reply. His words run down like water. Had it been anyone else, their tongues would be down their throats, but while Katsuro’s words are crass, there is no heat to them. I gnce at him from the corner of my eye. Chloe fusses over the bowl. Katsuro’s ears droop.

  He talks a lot for a demon that cowers under one human female.

  “So, we still going to the capital or what?” He slurps the soup.

  I reach over and sp the back of his head. “Act as though you have some manners.” Some days it is as though he is nothing more than a whelp. Maybe he is. He was alone in that forest for who knows how long. “And yes. Eventually. I am in no rush to go with the way things are right now.” I set the sticks down on the floor by my feet and look up at the sky. The stars are full tonight.

  Peaceful.

  “Because Megan is a saint? Ya think they’d try to take her?”

  “Yes. An untrained saintess with her power?” I motion to the ogres, the halflings, and the other demons. “This is only possible because of her. I have suspicions that there is no saint or saintess in the capital, and that is why they are forbidding others from praying in the temple. Or perhaps they are weak and it is the best they can do. They would seek to take Megan from me and pressure her to live a life for the citizens and not herself.”

  He groans and this time; he does not slurp the liquid from his spoon. “I’on know, fox. That’s a lot of guessin’. Ya sure they’d do all that? Hells maybe they’d just leave her alone. Ain’t like there isn’t more than one.”

  “Regardless, it is not a risk I am willing to take. When we go, we keep all mention of her powers to ourselves. No dispys. No talks. Nothing. We poke around and listen to any relevant gossip and go from there.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” He tilts the bowl to his lips and drowns the rest of the soup. “Damn, that was good.” He wipes his mouth with the back of his arm. “Ya know, maybe we’ll get there, and you’ll see you’re wrong?”

  “Doubtful.”

  The young rush in front of the fire and cp their small hands. Their clothes are haggard and oversized, but they smile and dance despite their less-than-ideal circumstances. One of them, a pink female with yellow eyes and two horns, rushes at Megan. She grabs her hand and pulls her to the circle.

  “Will you stay here?” I ask Katsuro. Megan dances with the pink youngling.

  “Ya think it’s a good spot?”

  “How many centuries are you?”

  “Uhh.” He holds up his fingers. “About four. Four hundred?”

  I narrow my eyes. How does he not know how old he is? “Megan and I will settle here in this vilge. There is room for growth, and they are not against humans like the st vilge was.” I run my tongue over the top of my fangs. Is he waiting for me to tell him to stay? Katsuro’s tail flicks and his ears are swirled in my direction.

  He is.

  “Perhaps you can have your treehouse close to where we will settle. Megan and I have already discussed it. Apollo would do best closer to water. And I do not hate your presence,” I add.

  “Ya could have just said you wanted me to stay,” he says, ducking his head. “Not like I got anything holding me back. Not sure about Chloe, though. She might want to go back to her world if presented with the opportunity. Like she said, she don’t care but...” he trails off.

  “You believe she will change her mind when she reaches the capital,” I finish. “I doubt that. She takes to hunting with you like a kelpie to water.”

  Apollo snorts and nudges my leg with his head. His pte is empty. I reach down and grab it. Megan is busy dancing with the young. She must have forgotten. Apollo trails behind me as I head to the building where the food is being cooked. It smells of spice. He nudges me again and again until the pte is overflowing with fish.

  Is he gorging himself, or does he truly need this much?

  “Did ya leave any for the rest of us?”

  “There is plenty left.” I set the pte down and sit on the log. “With the fields healthy once more and whatever curse that was pced here lifted, I suspect the beasts will return to the forest once more. We may have to deal with the goblins for a while until there is enough for everyone.”

  “Tch. You’re serious about this?” He runs a hand over his hair and ruffles it. “Fine. I’ll bring it up with Chloe. See if she wants to stay here. Her world sucks anyway. I ain’t in it.” He fshes a smirk.

  Heavy footsteps approach. Bazur holds out two cups. His own is tucked close to his chest. “Only got water, but it’s better than nothing.”

  “Not much of a drinker,” I admit, taking the wooden cup. “Better to be alert.”

  “Hear that,” Bazur says, plopping down. “Thank you again for this.” He gestures with his head towards the others, ughing and dancing around the fire. The rest sit on the logs enjoying conversation while the young dance and sing songs. I do not hate it. The noise. The smells. Maybe it is the joy on Megan’s face as she dances with the pink youngling.

  “You are welcome to stay as long as you’d like,” Bazur continues as he turns his body and csps his hands together. “None would compin about where you choose to settle. I overheard ya talking, and we would be honored.”

  “Appreciate it.” I csp his shoulder and hand my cup to Katsuro. The sky darkens as the stars are illuminated. I hold out a hand to Megan. “Dance with me.” She bites her bottom lip as she takes my hand. The singing is off key and someone’s cps are deyed, but with my mate in my arms, all is well.

  Her hands caress my ears. My chest rumbles. “Roharu,” she murmurs.

  “Hm?” My eyes slide shut. That feels nice. Her hands on me.

  “Let’s go take that bath now.”

  AutumnBanks

  Thanks for reading!