His Chosen Mate Read online

  Shoving his hands out of my way, I climb into his lap. I grip his neck and slip my tongue into his mouth.

  He groans when my tongue touches his. His hands caress my back up and down. They glide over my ass, but he doesn't stop there. He slides his hands down my sides. He grabs my thighs in his grasps. Hitching me up higher on his chest, Lorth picks me up and gets to his knees. He sets me on the ground and rises above me without breaking the kiss once.

  I wrap my legs around him.

  He settles his weight into the cradle of my thighs. He plants his arms on either side of me.

  I pull away from his lips. I kiss a path up his jaw and then down his neck, leaving bite marks as I go.

  He groans in my ear and begins to thrust against my stomach. His hard cocks dig into the softness of my belly.

  This is what I missed. It isn't just about the climax it's the closeness of when we are like this. But right now, I need more. It's been awhile since the last time I came, Lorth needs to move down a little way.

  I place a hand on Lorth's shoulder to push him down but am interrupted.

  Lorth leaps off of my body, he stands in front of me. His body blocks me from the sight of whoever is coming this way.

  "Hey, Pops," said Lorth, his voice tight.

  Oh my god, it had to be the father! I would have preferred if it was Exxil or one of the hunters. If I'm lucky, he didn't get the chance to see anything.

  "Remember you have to be at the garden early tomorrow, so don't be out here too long," he said. "Next time you two should just come in the house, you don't know what crawls around on the ground out here at night."

  Lorth begins to laugh after his father goes inside.

  "It's not funny, it's embarrassing." I cup my face in my hands, groaning.

  "You thought it was hilarious when Karen overheard us that day," said Lorth, smiling.

  "That's different! She's not my parent! That was your dad, Lorth. I'm never going to be able to show my face around here, not after that," I said.

  Lorth helps me to my feet.

  An awkwardness hangs in the air between us.

  I've realized that that kiss, might have made things complicated between us. I know that I've missed him. Especially what we just did there, but where we are at right now doesn't need that kind of complications. Once Lorth is ready to move forward with the trials, I think all kissing needs to be put on pause. I sigh inwardly.

  "Well, it's getting late, so I need to get going," I said.

  "Good night, Tracy," said Lorth.

  ∞∞∞

  Karen is waiting for me by one of the shacks near the field. She sits on a stool, cleaning her spear. She doesn't bother to look up when she hears me walking. "What did you say to Lorth?"

  "I was going to tell him that it was time to start the third trial, but then he said that the break we're on is actually helping him feel closer to me. It didn't go the way I thought it would. I didn't tell him what I wanted. I was going to, but he needs to make that decision. He went along with what I wanted, I'll do the same until he's ready for this to change," I said. "You ready to go? I'm tired, and all I want to do is crawl into bed."

  She gets up, grabs a bag that I didn't notice placed next to her, and we leave the field.

  The leaves that have fallen from the trees, crunch beneath our feet, filling the silence. We're getting into the colder season. I don't know how cold it gets. Hopefully, it won't do that much damage to the garden.

  Karen comes to a sudden stop. She turns to me, "I've been thinking about this for a while, and I wasn't sure if I should, but I have to do this. I'm going after Piper. The trackers haven't found her, and we don't know what the fuck is going on! I've been training some time now, and I'm certain I can take care of myself out there in the desert. She needs to be found, so I'm going to do it."

  We knew Karen has been silent lately, thinking about something. It was obviously about Piper. Karen's has been feeling helpless, sitting here doing nothing, and now that she has been training to be a hunter for a while, she probably feels that it is her responsibility to take care of us. I want Piper to be found, too, but not at the cost of Karen's safety.

  "Look, I get it, we all want her to be found. This isn't the way to do it, though. You could get hurt, Karen!" I said.

  "I'm leaving tonight," she said before continuing the walk home.

  I stand there a second, my mouth hanging open before I follow after her. She's walking faster than me, and I have to jog to catch up to her. I grab her arm, stopping her momentum. "I can you just stop for one second," I asked.

  She glares at me. "You're not going to change my mind. I have to do this."

  "Fine," I said, surprising us both. Karen's the tough girl. She acts as if she can take on the whole world, and still come out on top. She's the type of person you want to have your back. I know when we were all first thrown in together, we didn't get along. I don't think she liked any of us, but after living with her and understanding her on a more personal level, I know why she holds herself the way she does. She doesn't like getting close to people. She needs to save Piper so that she knows she didn't let Piper down, that she didn't abandon her, when she needed her the most.

  "You're okay with it, then?" She asked, confused by my sudden change of mood.

  I shrug. "If you have to do this, then fine. All I ask is that you take someone with you. An experienced hunter would be great."

  She pauses for a moment before answering. "I'll ask Gher."

  "You have to tell Kate, I'm not going to do that," I said. I link my arm through hers.

  When we get home, we find Kate knitting on the couch. She looks up when the door opens. "You two are out late. Was I not invited to this party?"

  "Karen has something to say to you," I say to her on my way to the kitchen. From our fruit bowl, I grab a green fruit, say goodnight, and walk into the bedroom.

  I plop down on my bed.

  Since Kate hasn't started yelling, I guess she isn't as upset as I thought she would be. I lay in bed considering whether I should change into some fresh clothes. I decide not to. It's already late enough as it is. I reach down and grab the blanket, pulling it over my body.

  Kate comes in and lays down on her bed. She doesn't say anything.

  "You okay?" I asked.

  I hear her roll over on her bed. "She won't listen to any of us, so it doesn't matter how much we don't want her to go. Do you think she'll be okay out there?"

  Even though I told Karen to go ahead, that doesn't mean I'm not concerned about her wellbeing. I am. She's my friend, and I don't want to see her get hurt. She has gone out with the hunters once before, and if she listens to me than she won't be by herself this time either. "She said she's going to take Gher with her. If she does, I would be more worried about Gher getting hurt than Karen," I said.

  She chuckles.

  "She'll be okay, Kate, because if she isn't than we'll rain hell on whoever is at fault. And no one wants that, believe me." I tug the blanket closer around me, getting comfortable.

  Kate takes a long time to reply. I just about asleep when she says, "You better be right."

  Chapter Twelve

  Lorth

  I stare at the wall, there was a bug crawling on it, but it left me, too. I told Tracy that I'm enjoying this time of us being friends. That was a lie. I don't know why I said it. She surprised me, being at my house that late. She looked anxious when she showed up, i thought that something might have happened at dinner, and so I didn't want her to worry about me and my feelings.

  I've been working extra hard in the garden. It's going to look great in a few weeks. I spend the evenings helping Pops at the shop. He is used to it just being him and my brothers, they have created a well-functioning routine of working together. Most of the time there is work for me to do, but sometimes, like today, there isn't anything for me, so I stay home.

  At least the couch is comfortable. I've spent a lot of time on it recently.

  Pops has commen
ted that I haven't been myself lately. He's beginning to get worried. I sigh. Now that he doesn't have Exxil's life to concern himself with, I'm the next option. Havrick leads a simple life, so there isn't much for Pops to fix there. Not yet, but eventually, Pops will start looking for a mate for his youngest son.

  If I don't get off this couch, and out of the house, Pops will end up forcing Tracy into finishing the trials.

  I look at the door forlornly and heave myself up.

  If there was any work for me to do in the garden, I would go there, but Lucia and Tracy are working this afternoon. Also, I'm trying to avoid Tracy after yesterday's kiss.

  I've been patiently waiting for her to tell me she is ready for the final trial, but I can't help that my cock stiffens every time she comes close to me. It's nearly impossible to resist pulling her into my arms.

  After that kiss, I don't think I could resist. It seems neither can Tracy.

  After I leave the house, I decide to walk around the village. It's in the middle of the day, most of the tribesmen are busy with their work. I wave to the elders and the few tribesmen who aren't working today. I ask them how they are doing, and thankfully they don't ask about my mating trials. I know that the whole tribe knows, and that also means that they know Tracy and I are taking a break.

  The mates here don't take breaks from each other. The tribesmen probably don't understand what is going on, but they have been very open minding to the human women's ways.

  I pass by Teris's house. He is sitting outside in a chair, chipping away at a block of wood. "Ho! You're making figurines again?" I point at what is in his hands.

  He stares down at it like he forgot what he was doing. "I guess, I was bored."

  "How is Sheila? She doesn't spend that much time with the other women," I said.

  Teris sets the knife and block on the ground. He wipes the wood shaving off of his lap. It's been a long time since I've last seen Teris carve something out of wood. He would do it a lot when he was a youth, not so much as he got older. I never knew if it was something he did when he was stressed or to just past the time. He stopped doing it when he started pirating with Graviel, and now that he has been home for a few months, he's starting again. He also has a new mate, that can be stressful.

  "Sheila has been working with Francis. He's showing her how to be a healer here, she was a healer back on Earth but isn't familiar with our medicines and ways. Quentah has also been helping," said Teris. "She's been wanting to visit them, but she is tired after she finishes with Francis."

  "It is the same with Tracy. She works most of the day in the garden, and is spent by the time she gets home," I said.

  "She's also worried about the missing human," said Teris. "When she finds out that another woman went after her, she'll be worried over that, too." He grunts.

  "What woman?" I haven't heard anything about one of the women leaving. They've only been on Ghegion for a short time, not long enough to trek through the Desert tribes' land safely.

  "The one who trains with the hunters," said Teris.

  Karen.

  Tracy must be worried out of her mind. I don't know Karen that well she's always kept to herself unless she was insulting someone. If she is smart, she would have taken someone with her. I know that Gher wouldn't let her go out by herself, I'll need to find him. If he is still here, he'll leave immediately to catch up with her. She can't be that far away. Gher can catch up with her by tonight, that is if she left this morning.

  "I heard that you stopped doing the mating trials," said Teris.

  "Tracy needed time to herself, everything has been moving too fast for her," I said.

  "She's right. It wasn't easy for them. Sheila is still adjusting to living here. All we can do is give them time." Teris picks the knife and block of wood up, and he begins carving it. "It will take time, but they all feel at home here one day."

  "Yes, but it's hard waiting by, doing nothing."

  "That's all we can do," said Teris.

  In a way Teris is right. They have to find a spot here for themselves. We can't force them into fitting in. I will help her out as much as I can, that's what I have been doing for the last few months. I'll continue doing so as long as she needs me to.

  Teris gets busy with his task, done talking for the day. I was lucky enough to get out as many words as I did.

  I get back onto the village path, and make my way over to the hunters' training field. Gher should be there at this time of day. I need to make sure he knows about Karen. Tracy doesn't need anything more to stress about, not with Piper still missing.

  When I get to the field, I don't see Gher. All of the other hunters are there. Gallan passes by me, heading for the well, I get his attention. "Have you seen Gher?"

  "He left last night, said there was an emergency, and he had to go," said Gallan. I let Gallan go he walks over to the well to get something to drink.

  I shake my head.

  At least she isn't alone out in the desert. Gher is a good hunter he won't let anything happen to Karen. He would die before he would allow that.

  Maybe they will find Piper. They have the motivation to do it. Every single one of the women has been distraught with worry, even Karen. With Gher's hunting ability and Karen's vigor, they might be the right pair for the task.

  We'll have to wait and see.

  ∞∞∞

  I finish walking through the village. I've been so busy with everything else, the mating trials, Tracy, the garden, that I haven't been socializing with the tribe as much as I used to. As I stride through the village, I stop and talk to any of the tribesmen I run into.

  Some of the mated pairs are expecting babes it is something the whole tribe will rejoice over. The Haanask tribe is one of the smaller tribes. It was the last tribe to be formed. Tribesmen who didn't want to stay in their family's tribe branched off and created the Haanask. We have tribesmen whose family originated from all of the other tribes. Any time there is news of a babe arriving, it means that our tiny tribe is growing larger.

  One day Tracy and I will be at the center of that joy.

  The elders are happy to see me. My brothers and I would visit every day almost. We were always outgoing, and so Pops would make us visit with the elders, that way they wouldn't feel lonely.

  We still do it today, Havrick loves the attention the elderly females give him. Anytime he is feeling down he says he will spend some time with them because they always manage to make him feel like the most important male in the tribe.

  It is aggravating to Exxil and I. Our little brothers does not need his ego any bigger than it already is.

  When there's no one else to visit with, I find myself walking toward the garden. Try as I might, I can't seem to stay away from her.

  Tracy is working by herself in the garden. She is down on her knees, a pose that causes a dirty image to appear in my thoughts. Shaking my head, I need to remind myself that she wants us to be friends right now. Even after the kiss. When I feel in control of myself, I shout a greeting. It causes Tracy to startle. She accidentally pulls up a plant she was weeding around.

  "Damn it," she said.

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I kneel down next to her. I look at the plant that was uprooted.

  There isn't that much damage done, we'll be able to replant it, and it should be fine. I take the rake from her hand and begin to dig. Once the hole is deep enough, I set the plant back in it, and cover the roots with plenty of dirt. "It will be as good as new before you know it."

  She nods. "I didn't think you were working today?"

  "I wasn't, but I became bored at the house, having nothing to do, so I went for a walk," I said.

  It felt good to get back to an old routine. I didn't realize how much I missed just doing nothing. I use to spend time with my fellow tribesmen, and it's been a while since I've allowed myself to have fun.

  I love working in the garden, but I'm glad that for right now, most of the hard work is done. All we have to do for a whi
le is watering and weeding. We will start preparations for the next round of transplants later in the season.

  Tracy might have been right about this break after all.

  We've both been forcing ourselves to move at a pace faster than we had the stamina to keep up with. It's going to be good, just taking our time with everything. I'll be happy when we start the trials again, but I think that being friends right now might actually strengthen our bond.

  "I came out here to ask you about Karen," I said. "I heard that she left to go and find Piper. Did Gher go with her?"

  Tracy sits down on the ground, tossing her rake to the side. "Yeah, she left last night after dinner." Tracy fills me in on everything that transpired last night.

  "Gher is with her, so everything should be all right," I said.

  Her shoulders drop. "Piper's already missing. I just don't want to see anything happen to Karen."

  I rub her back. There's not much I can do to help her feel any better, but I think she is just upset that Karen left. She trusts Gher to keep her safe. She leans into my touch. I look down into her softened gazed, and I see her lips slightly part open.

  When her eyes meet mine, I lean down, pressing my mouth to hers. Her hands landed on my chest, and she grips my tunic, pulling me closer to her. I moan into her mouth, and she parts her lips. I thrust my tongue into her.

  As I kiss her, I know that it is a mistake. We are supposed to be friends, and nothing more, not while Tracy mourns her old life and family. But I can't pull myself away from her. Her taste is too much for my weakened mind. If I wasn't overcome with heat every single time I saw her, then maybe I could have the strength to step back. I don't, though.

  Tracy slips her hands beneath the fabric, trailing them up my abdomen. When she reaches my chest, she glides them around to rest on my back.

  My own hands wander down to grip her ass.

  She moans. Her fingers dig into my flesh, leaving behind marks.

  I take one hand from her bottom and slip underneath the leggings that cling tightly to her derriere. When my fingers come in contact with her wetness, I groan. She presses herself more firmly down on my hand. I slip two fingers into her. I thrust my fingers gently in and out of her, her body clings tightly to them, not letting go as I pull out.