Barbarian's Touch: A SciFi Alien Romance (Ice Planet Barbarians Book 8) by Ruby Dixon
Authors: Ruby Dixon
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her, but there is such happiness in my heart that it does not matter. The body can wait.
For now, there is much to be done. The hunter cave we have retreated to is well-supplied, but I do not like how close we are to the metlak den. We will not be able to stay here for long. While we are here, though, I must take care of my mate.
I break into a grin at the thought. My mate. Mine.
I must focus. The only thing that matters now is getting my mate safely out of metlak territory. She must rest, and I will prepare our supplies. Then, we will meet Hassen at the central cave and journey back together. I ignore the vicious pleasure I feel, imagining his expression when he realizes she resonated for me. I should feel pity for him; he wants a mate badly, and yet over and over again, he is not chosen. When he returns to the tribe, he will be punished for risking Li-lah, and he will not even have her to show for it.
Hassen will not be envied. Vektal will punish him for breaking tribe rules, but the true punishment comes from losing Li-lah.
She turns in her sleep, facing the cave wall, and I can no longer see her face. Time to work, then. I must take stock of the food supplies in the cave, cut new furs to fit her small frame, make snowshoes, replenish my arrows, and a dozen other small tasks that will eat away at the waking hours. I do not have time to sit and watch my mate sleep.
My mate. Another idiotic grin creases my face as I pick up a knife to sharpen it. This is the best day ever.
* * *
B y the time Li-lah begins to stir, I have made a thick, hearty stew from dried meat and some spices. I have hung a second pouch on the tripod and have water warming there. She is dirty and smells of metlak after spending days in their cave, and I suspect she will want to wash. I have my spare tunic out for her to wear, and fresh furs. I have cut leather strips out of one of the hides in the cave and have begun to string a snowshoe for her out of curved bones. And I keep a watch on the entrance of the cave, just in case a metlak ignores the signs of a sa-khui hunter and comes hunting for her.
I must always be at the ready.
At the far end of the cave, Li-lah sits up and rubs her face. Her dark mane is tousled and spills over her shoulder. There is a smudge of dirt over one cheek and when she touches her face, she leaves another.
And I am stunned at how beautiful she is.
My khui sings a loud song of agreement, reminding me that it would like for me to mate with her. My body reacts to her nearness and I pull a fur over my lap, so she does not see my stiff cock and get frightened.
The look on her face turns from soft and sleepy to wary as her gaze focuses on me. Even though I rescued her, she does not trust me. I am not surprised, though I feel a small twinge of anger at Hassen for this. It is because of his actions that she does not trust. I will have to show her that I mean no harm.
I slowly pull my one of my knives free from the sheath at my belt and then move to set it on the floor between us, then gesture for her to take it. She feels stronger with a knife, so I will give it back to her.
Li-lah scrambles forward and snatches it, then retreats back to the furs with it in her hand. My khui hums alongside hers, the sound nearly overwhelming in the small cave, but she does not seem troubled by it. Instead, she gazes at me with a troubled expression.
“I am not like Hassen,” I tell her, turning toward the fire and stoking it, just to give my hands something to do. “I will not push you.”
“I can’t see your mouth,” she says in a small, breathless voice. “Can’t tell what you are saying. Can’t hear you.”
I look over.
She taps her ear and makes a gesture with her hands, indicating that she cannot hear. Does she read my mouth to see words? Her khui has not fixed whatever the problem is with her hearing, then. I nod, then remember the hand gestures her sister was fond of making, and try one out, extending my middle finger
For now, there is much to be done. The hunter cave we have retreated to is well-supplied, but I do not like how close we are to the metlak den. We will not be able to stay here for long. While we are here, though, I must take care of my mate.
I break into a grin at the thought. My mate. Mine.
I must focus. The only thing that matters now is getting my mate safely out of metlak territory. She must rest, and I will prepare our supplies. Then, we will meet Hassen at the central cave and journey back together. I ignore the vicious pleasure I feel, imagining his expression when he realizes she resonated for me. I should feel pity for him; he wants a mate badly, and yet over and over again, he is not chosen. When he returns to the tribe, he will be punished for risking Li-lah, and he will not even have her to show for it.
Hassen will not be envied. Vektal will punish him for breaking tribe rules, but the true punishment comes from losing Li-lah.
She turns in her sleep, facing the cave wall, and I can no longer see her face. Time to work, then. I must take stock of the food supplies in the cave, cut new furs to fit her small frame, make snowshoes, replenish my arrows, and a dozen other small tasks that will eat away at the waking hours. I do not have time to sit and watch my mate sleep.
My mate. Another idiotic grin creases my face as I pick up a knife to sharpen it. This is the best day ever.
* * *
B y the time Li-lah begins to stir, I have made a thick, hearty stew from dried meat and some spices. I have hung a second pouch on the tripod and have water warming there. She is dirty and smells of metlak after spending days in their cave, and I suspect she will want to wash. I have my spare tunic out for her to wear, and fresh furs. I have cut leather strips out of one of the hides in the cave and have begun to string a snowshoe for her out of curved bones. And I keep a watch on the entrance of the cave, just in case a metlak ignores the signs of a sa-khui hunter and comes hunting for her.
I must always be at the ready.
At the far end of the cave, Li-lah sits up and rubs her face. Her dark mane is tousled and spills over her shoulder. There is a smudge of dirt over one cheek and when she touches her face, she leaves another.
And I am stunned at how beautiful she is.
My khui sings a loud song of agreement, reminding me that it would like for me to mate with her. My body reacts to her nearness and I pull a fur over my lap, so she does not see my stiff cock and get frightened.
The look on her face turns from soft and sleepy to wary as her gaze focuses on me. Even though I rescued her, she does not trust me. I am not surprised, though I feel a small twinge of anger at Hassen for this. It is because of his actions that she does not trust. I will have to show her that I mean no harm.
I slowly pull my one of my knives free from the sheath at my belt and then move to set it on the floor between us, then gesture for her to take it. She feels stronger with a knife, so I will give it back to her.
Li-lah scrambles forward and snatches it, then retreats back to the furs with it in her hand. My khui hums alongside hers, the sound nearly overwhelming in the small cave, but she does not seem troubled by it. Instead, she gazes at me with a troubled expression.
“I am not like Hassen,” I tell her, turning toward the fire and stoking it, just to give my hands something to do. “I will not push you.”
“I can’t see your mouth,” she says in a small, breathless voice. “Can’t tell what you are saying. Can’t hear you.”
I look over.
She taps her ear and makes a gesture with her hands, indicating that she cannot hear. Does she read my mouth to see words? Her khui has not fixed whatever the problem is with her hearing, then. I nod, then remember the hand gestures her sister was fond of making, and try one out, extending my middle finger
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