Mari's Mistake (Icehome, #10)

by Ruby Dixon

"You were not in the hut for long." S'bren glances over at us. "Are you taking her away? For mating?" I know my clansmates are curious, but the nosy questions irk me. My cock is rigid from the constant thrum of my khui, so it should be obvious that we have not mated yet. Even if we have not, what does it matter? It is between her and I, and she is frightened and uneasy. Why would I force her to the ground and mate her when she is not eager for my touch yet? There is plenty of time in the day. Perhaps her people only mate by night, or by the light of the full moon. I do not know and I cannot ask, and yet…it is not their business. It is mine. It is M'rsl's. It is not M'tok's or S'bren's or R'jaal's. I understand that they wish to know—the fate of our clan's continued existence lies in our hands—but surely they can give us more than a brief moment in a hut before we are on each other like slavering sky-claw. I give them a dismissive look and turn to my mate. "We are going fishing. M'rsl ate what I caught but it is not enough."