Daughter of the Moon (The Moon People, Book Two) by Claudia King Page A

warm weather allowing a few couples to slip away into the grass to find privacy together. Available men were in short supply, but that did not stop Fern from coaxing Briar off by herself, and a short while later three of the other women followed their example.
    Netya felt Caspian's manhood swelling with need beneath his clothing as he lay with her, but she stayed his hand when it strayed down her lower belly to find the space between her legs. Crawling atop him, she loosened her man's clothing and allowed her lips to pleasure him in all the ways he desired, trailing kisses down his body until she reached his shaft and took him into her mouth. Unwilling to resist the unexpected pleasure, he lay back and allowed her to bring him to his peak, fingers curling into her hair as he panted and spilled his warmth between her lips. He offered her the same pleasure in return afterwards, coaxing her expertly to the brink until she was forced to bite the back of her wrist so that the others did not hear her cries.
    It was a good relief, and one they had both needed. Netya was not troubled by unpleasant dreams that night, waking eager and refreshed the next morning.
     
    The search for the old pack's den continued for most of the following day, leading them deeper into the rich new land until they came to a long valley. The faded scents became much stronger, leading them down the grassy corridor that sat between two almost mountainous ridges on either side. A strange mist hung in the air, and it was not until they had travelled farther along the valley that Netya realised it was linked to a dim rushing noise she had mistaken for the blowing of the wind.
    White ribbons of water spilled down the crags on the northern side, splitting apart like the fingers of a spider's web and then coming back together in rivulets and short streams. It was the waterfalls that were misting the air with their spray, finally coming to rest in a swirling pool at the base of the valley that gurgled its way back into the rocks that had birthed it.
    Adel wandered ahead of the group, gazing up at the natural stone walls around them. Netya could almost sense her mentor's subdued excitement. It was not just one den to which the wolf pack's scent had led them, but dozens. All around them, from the lowest nooks at the base of the valley to the ridges half way up the sides, the dark entrances of caves opened up in the rocks.
    Once they reached the base of the waterfalls Netya approached her mentor and tugged at her clothing. "Do you think this is it?"
    Adel nodded slowly. "It would be bad fortune indeed if at least one of these caves was not suited to our needs."
    They ventured cautiously into some of the openings at ground level, where the old scents were at their strongest. It was clear, however, that even the occupants of these dens had been absent for as long as the dead wolf in the field. They found more bones, both those of the valley's previous occupants and the numerous animals they had preyed upon, but not a single live wolf emerged from the darkness. The chitter of bats and the fresh scent of a bear in one of the caves farther down the valley were the only signs of habitation they found, and the bear's cave was quickly given a respectful berth as the pack retreated back to the waterfalls.
    The valley offered them water, shelter, and a small amount of safe land for foraging. Few of the caves were perfectly suited to housing the entire pack at once, but that too seemed to please Adel.
    "Many of us will be able to make our own private dwellings close by," she said, pointing to the series of caves stretching up the north side of the valley. "That one, in the middle, may make for a fine seers' cave. The one below is well suited to storing supplies."
    "And these trees," Netya said, gesturing to a distant grove clustered atop the summit of the ridge. "I believe they are of the kind my people used to make tools and houses from. I do not know how to work wood with the