Ice Planet Honeymoon (Four Novellas of HEA)

Best of all, there's a trickle of water gliding into a tiny pool near the front. It looks like it's coming straight from the stone, which means it's fresh water, not salt water. I catch a few drops on my fingers and taste it. Yup. Fresh and cold.

I turn to look at Rukh. He's watching me with a guarded expression, as if he's worried I won't like the place. I suspect that if I told him it was terrible, he'd keep on searching until he found me something better, even if it took years. That's just who he is. He wants the best for me, even if it means far more work.

I move to him and take his hands. "It's perfect." I beam at him. "This is a very good cave. We can make our family here."

"Yes?" he asks.

"Yes," I agree, squeezing his hands. "A very big yes!"

RUKH

My mate never stops working, even in the new cave. We bring our small pile of possessions over to our new spot, and Har-loh works on sweeping out all of the dead things and the sand on the floor. It is not an easy task, but when everything is finally clean and all the debris gone, we gather rocks and make a fire pit near the entrance, so the smoke has a place to leave. Har-loh makes a nest with the furs she wears, but I notice that she shivers when she peels them off.

We need more furs, I realize. Some for wearing and some for sleeping. We will have to hunt together, and that worries me. Har-loh is a soft creature, and hunting is hard work. The mountains are not too far of a walk, but I would rather her be safe and comfortable here in the cave. Perhaps I can go out and hunt while she stays here.

I do not like the idea, but I also do not like the idea of taking my mate with me on a dangerous hunt. Many of the animals in the snows have long claws and sharp fangs, and Har-loh's spotted flesh would tear easily. It will gut me to be apart from her for a day, but it will be necessary.

Har-loh must be kept warm, and this beach does not have fur.

It is a worry for another day, though. Har-loh looks tired, her pale face drawn as we sit near the fire. I tug her closer to me and she leans on my shoulder. I like this, my mate pressed against my side. She wraps her arms around me, shivering, and I worry she is too cold. I am a bad mate, letting my female shiver inside a cave when we could be wearing furs.

Tomorrow, then, I decide. In the morning, when the sun is up, we will go hunting for furs. I finger one of the ones she wears and nudge her. "Har-loh, repeat?"

"Mmm?" She sits up, giving me a curious look, and when I say the words again, she understands. "Fur?"

"Fffhuuurr," I echo, trying to memorize the word. "Har-loh fur. Yes?"

"Harlow's fur?" She says the words, a question on her face.

"Har-loh, fur." I wish I had the words to tell her I will hunt her many animals tomorrow. That I will not rest until she has warm skins to drape her body in. She is mine to protect, and I will not have her shivering.

"Fur?" my mate repeats again and then takes my hand in hers. She guides it between her thighs, over the patch of fur she has on her mound. "Yes?"

There is a sultry note in her voice that I missed hearing before. She thinks I am asking to touch her, that I want to claim her. My frustration at not being able to communicate fades, because I do want to touch her. Touching my mate and making her feel good is still new and exciting. I lean toward her, brushing my mouth over hers in a kiss, because I know she likes those.

Har-loh sighs and nudges her mouth against mine, even as her thighs slide apart.

I groan low in my throat. How did I get so lucky as to have this mate? After so many seasons alone, it is astonishing to me that I have a mate to touch and to care for. That we will have a kit of our own. That we will be a family.

That she is mine and I am not alone.

"Har-loh," I breathe against her soft lips, even as I seek out the nub nestled in the folds of her cunt. She has shown me how she likes to be touched, and every time, I get a little better at such things. I am learning what pleases her most, what caresses make her body tighten and which ones make her cry out. Our mouths meet, my tongue lightly flicking against hers as I slide my fingers up and down her wet channel. I push one deep inside her, into the hot well of her cunt, and use my thumb to make circles around the little bud of flesh called a “clit.”