He held up the basket to show me, a dark eyebrow arched now, and moved slowly to the fire, crouching onto his haunches, his massive erection bobbing slightly from the motion, the heaviness of the twin weights below it swinging gently. There was no way it was comfortable walking around with that thing being so hard.
I stifled a needy moan that tried to escape. Nope, not gonna let him know his nakedness affects me, even if he can smell it pouring off me.
He reached into the basket and pulled out a bladder of what I assumed was water, holding it out to me with one hand as he motioned me closer with the other. When I just stared at him, he set the bladder on the ground and reached into the basket again, pulling out chunks of what looked like dried meat. It was white in color, and like nothing I’d seen before, but then again, we didn’t travel far from the settlement to hunt.
The fear of all the dangers of this world kept everyone close. So what was caught in the traps set out were usually small creatures with six legs, thick red fur, and a long tail. The meat had a sour flavor and was the consistency of shoe leather, but it got the job done of curbing your hunger.
My throat burned at the sight of the food, at the knowledge that something that could quench my thirst was so close. But I still didn’t move, and he exhaled as if this fact disappointed him. He set it down before moving to the other side of the firepit. Then he crouched once more, gestured to the bladder of water, motioned me closer to it, and waited. He just sat there and stared at me, his expression not giving away anything, not showing any impatience. It was like he was content to let me do this on my own terms and in my own time, even if he didn’t want to.
I didn’t know how long I stood there, but thirst and hunger over the fact that I hadn’t eaten any of my rations had me pushing away from the wall and walking slowly and hesitantly toward the fire before I knew what I was doing.
I kept my eyes on the dragon as I moved toward the water and food, and when I was close enough to them, I reached out and picked up the bladder first, untied the leather strap that kept it closed, and brought it to my mouth. I didn’t care that I looked like a greedy fool who guzzled the water. I didn’t care if it was warm or had a mineral flavor to it. It was the greatest thing I’d ever had, and my eyes closed on their own as a soft moan of pleasure left me.
I didn’t pay any mind to the purring sound coming from the dragon and didn’t dissect too closely how I knew he made that noise because he was pleased. I just kept drinking until my belly hurt from consuming so much and droplets ran down the corner of my mouth.
I pulled the bladder away, wiped my mouth with the back of my arm, and kept my eyes locked on Azar. He hadn’t moved an inch the entire time, and for that I was thankful. It was clear he didn’t want to frighten me, abundantly clear he meant me no harm. But the idea of him desiring to care for me and expect nothing in return seemed… unreal.
“Eat,” he rumbled deeply and pointed to the white, dried meat that still sat within the basket. “It’s the flesh of the Sushte Hâv. Very good flavor and high in fat and protein. Good for the body.” His gaze moved slowly, sensually down the length of mine before looking back into my eyes. “You need more weight. You’re too thin.”
I bristled at his words, even if he hadn’t said them with malice or accusation, even though I knew they were the truth. Rationing had a person losing weight pretty quickly, keeping it off easily. I didn’t say anything, just eyed him for a long moment before I glanced down at the meat. My belly cramped and growled at the sight, and I felt my face heat that there was no denying or hiding I was hungry and that he’d clearly heard.
I grabbed a chunk of white meat, surprised that it was heavy and dense in my palm, yet the texture was soft and almost moist despite being dried as I pressed my fingers against it. I brought it up and instantly smelled a spicy, pleasing aroma come from it. My mouth watered, and I was biting off a chunk before I knew what I was doing. Flavor exploded on my tongue. It was indeed spicy as I swallowed, and it hit the back of my throat, but this sweetness covered my tongue. I moaned again and tore off another chunk, barely chewing before I swallowed, my hunger like a living entity inside me.