Steph's Outcast

"Yes. What about you? What will you eat?"

If these shelled ones will be here for a while, it is best that I ration the food. "I will eat tomorrow."

Pak scrambles to sit next to Steff, who just watches me out of the corner of her eye. I know she is not happy with my decision, but she does not understand. As long as Pak is fed, I will be fine. My own empty stomach does not bother me, but Pak's hunger feels like physical pain. I am grateful we have this food so my son is fed. Satisfied, I watch as Pak tears the dried fish apart down the middle and hands half to Steff. Or tries to. The head—the bony part with the tasty bits—remains stuck to one side.

Steff pats Pak's hand when he hesitates and gestures at the head. "Yuueet."

He gives her a look of delight and shoves the head into his mouth, crunching happily on it as she takes the smaller portion. As I watch, she carefully tears the flesh of the fish in half again and then holds it out to me.

"No," I say, my hand going up. "You eat it."

Steff shakes her head and holds it out to me again. "Wesharr." She gestures at it toward me again, indicating I should eat it. Perhaps this is wise. As long as Pak is not hungry, the two of us can share a reduced amount. With a grateful smile to her, I pop the dried fish into my mouth and roll it against my tongue, savoring the taste. She is slower to eat hers, picking at it delicately. When she finishes her meal, I offer her the waterskin and she takes a sip, holding it back out to me, and our fingers brush.

It feels as if those fingers are moving along my cock, I am so attuned to her. She says she has no mate, but I wonder—

"STEFF?"

She jolts in surprise, then clutches at her leg, the movement bothering her. "HINHERRE."

I immediately go to the front of the cave, clutching my knife. Those voices must be from her clan. I hate that they have arrived so quickly, but I am not surprised. She is a valuable, desirable female. Of course they have chased after her. I head out into the rocks, signaling that Pak should stay back by Steff. It will be easier for me to guard them both this way.

A male is moving along the rocky edges of the cliffs, hopping down from one large rock to another. He is a strange golden color, his mane puffy like Pak's but of an entirely different color. One of his arms is bandaged and held tight to his chest by leather straps, but it looks as if it does not bother him much. He moves across the tumble of rocks, steering clear of the beach, and stops the moment he sees me.

"Uaave Steff?" he asks.

I glare at him. He does not look like any clan I am familiar with, yet he is not Outcast. I have seen this male with the others on the beach. They all welcome him. He is not human, though. As he gets closer, I see a pattern on his skin, like that of a kaari back on the warm island.

I do not trust this. Or him.

The kaari-male tries to look behind me when I do not answer. "STEFF?"

"Hinheer," Steff calls again, her voice plaintive. "Brohkmah hankle! Zatchoo Ashtar?"

"Smee," he says, giving me a wary look as he takes another step forward. "Doan think haim welcum."

"Juth?" Steff calls out. "Juth? Sokay. Eeessa fren."

She calls for me. Even if it means nothing, it still makes me proud. I stand a little straighter, giving the male another warning look. My hand remains on my knife as I duck inside the cave again and move to Pak and Steff's side. This is bad. If the other clans know where our cave is, we will have to move. Nothing that Outcast clan has is sacred. If they know we have food and they are out, they will take it from us. If they know Steff is here, they will steal her away. Outcast clan is allowed to keep nothing at all.

We cannot stay here now. It is another complication I do not need.

Steff grabs at my hands the moment I crouch next to her. "Juth," she says, clasping them. "Juth, eesa fren." She gestures at the cave entrance. "Ashtar fren." When the male appears, she gestures at him. "Ashtar."

"Duzee not unnerstan us?" the golden male asks.

She shakes her head and taps her ear. "No tranz later."

He makes an annoyed sound that raises my hackles. "Pain inda keffin ass." He lifts his chin. "Issa good luuk furyew, nekkid."

Steff makes an outraged sound. Immediately, I break free from her grasp and pull my knife. Does he insult her? I will kill him to protect her--