Chapter 6. First Mate
A faint headache had thudded behind my eyes, slow and dull, and my hands had gone a little shaky.
I'd set the half eaten blue orb down on a stone ledge, and stumbled to the fur bed, sinking onto the soft furs, my limbs suddenly heavy.
"I'm so sleepy," I'd mumbled, my voice thick, "must be just tired from the woods. From everything."
My skin had felt weird then, chilly, like I'd stepped into a breeze, but my chest had been burning hot, a strange tingle spreading down my arms and legs.
I'd tugged off my leggings, leaving my shorts on, and glanced at Tigris, my words coming out a little slurred, the diamond still heavy in my pocket.
"And don't do anything, okay? I'm still not your mate. We aren't married. I just took the diamond because it was pretty. I didn't know."
He'd nodded, amber eyes soft and serious, stepping closer to the fur bed, his big frame casting a shadow over me.
"I'll listen," he'd said, his voice low,
"The tribe's females told me never to force a female, always listen to what she needs. Donna said it, too. I won't hurt you."
He'd knelt on the stone floor by the bed, his gaze never leaving me, like he was afraid I'd disappear if he looked away.
"I only have the one bed, though. I'll stay right here, okay? On the floor. I won't touch you. I know you're tired. Scared."
I couldn't answer, not really.
The headache had gotten worse, the heat in my chest spreading, making me dizzy, my eyes heavy like lead.
I'd laid back on the furs, the soft fur tickling my skin, and the next thing I knew, Tigris had been beside me, his big body pressing me gently against the cave wall.
The fur bed was huge, clearly made for his tiger form, for when he shifted in his sleep, but with him this close, it had felt tiny, like there was no room for anything but his heat, his smell, his purr.
He'd pulled me into his arms then, the big spoon hold that had me trapped against him now, and he'd rumbled, a low, soft purr that had vibrated through the furs, through my body.
"Just scents," he'd murmured, his breath hot on my neck,
"that's all. I promise. No more. Not until you're ready."
Now here I am.
Trapped against the cool cave stone, his arms around me, his body burning against mine, the cave quiet except for his slow breath, his deep purr, and the wild, fast beat of my heart.
I close my eyes, and all I can feel is him, his heat, his touch, the rough scratch of his scar against my spine, the slow burn spreading through my body that's not just his fever.
It was a long night, I did not sleep at all, that beast groped me all over the place. Talking about trustworthy, I should never believe this pervert tiger.
He went out this morning to hunt and look for salt and spice. I'm still resting on the bed when someone calls me from outside the cave.
It was Donna and Mera.
"Hi beauty, how was your first night, you seem out of the place. Must be a long night hihihih." She said while looking at my messed up hair and sleepy face.
"It was. A very long night. I don't know what happened. But I have this agonizing feeling last night."
I said complaining about the chill and heat that had twisted my body into knots, a strange, empty thrum under my skin that wouldn't fade.
"Ah, did you eat the marine berry? I gave a lot to Tigris last night." Mera said, with this cherry suspicious smile on her face, her eyes glinting like she held all the secrets.
"Yeaah thank you. I ate one but not feeling well after that. Wait is that you? Was it the fruit?" I ask with a sour, unsatisfied face, my brows knotted tight with frustration.
"You did not know about the fruit? Hahaha." Donna asked and laughed, a loud, warm cackle that made Mera snicker too, the sound bouncing off the cave walls.
Donna slung an arm over my shoulder, her palm rough but gentle, and her voice dropped to a teasing purr.
"Those berries are our tribe's little aphrodisiac treat, sweet thing. Hits females with that warm, achy heat, like your body's begging for attention. But males? Ten times stronger. Turns em into super horny beasts, can't think of nothing but mating for days."
My blood runs cold, my mouth going dry.
Aphrodisiac.
That's what had torn me apart all night, the burn, the restlessness, the way every touch of the furs against my skin felt too much and not enough.
And then Donna's next words land, heavy and embarrassing, and I realize she's totally misunderstood everything.
"Don't look so flustered. We all knew Tigris wouldn't hold back, not with a pretty thing like you in his cave, and those berries cranking his desire up to the moon. Bet he was sweet with you, even when he was desperate, huh? First nights are always messy like this."
Her words hang in the air, and I freeze.
They think Tigris and I consummated last night.
That he'd eaten the berries too, that we'd given in to the heat together.
Embarrassment scorches my cheeks, hot enough to rival the berry's fire, and the words to correct them die on my tongue.
I can't say it, can't admit that Tigris never touched a single berry, that he just groped me half asleep while I writhed alone in agony, that he was totally unaffected by the fruit that had tortured me.
So I just stare at them, my lips pressed tight, and nod once, a small, stiff movement. In my head, a flood of relief crashes over me.
Lucky.
So fucking lucky he didn't eat those berries.
If he had.
I don't dare finish the thought, my skin crawling at the idea of that tiger, already bold and handsy, amplified tenfold by the aphrodisiac.
Donna and Mera take my silence for shy pleasure, cooing and pinching my cheek before they tug me to my feet.
"C'mon, let's get you to the low depth. A warm bath'll wash that night's ache right off you, and the water's calm as glass this morning."
Mera winks, and I let them pull me out of the cave, desperate to escape their teasing, my mind still reeling from the mix of embarrassment and relief.
The low depth is a shallow, sun dappled pool at the edge of the tribe's clearing, the water warm and clear, lapping at smooth stone banks lined with soft moss.
A handful of the tribe's females are already there, splashing and laughing, and my jaw drops when I see they're all completely naked, no clothes, no hesitation, just free in their skin.
I fumble with the strap of my canvas bag, my cheeks flushing hot, and Donna quirks an eyebrow when I don't strip down with the rest.
"Ain't no shame here, Lily. Skin's just skin."
I shake my head, my fingers flying to the zipper of my bag, and as I dig through the crumpled clothes inside, a flashback hits me hard, sharp and vivid, like Mei Mei's voice is right in my ear.
I'm shoving clothes into my bag, stressing about leaving home, and Mei Mei's leaning against my bedroom door, that lazy, slutty grin on her face that means she's up to something.
She tosses a tiny, bright red bikini onto the pile, scanty, the top barely covering anything, the bottoms high on the hips, and crosses her arms.
"Don't even say you're not taking it.
You think you're gonna be traipsing through the woods in jeans and a hoodie forever?
What if you find a nice lake? A hot spring?
Gotta have something cute for when you wanna feel pretty, Lily.
And c'mon, this one's sexy. Not too much, just enough. I'm forcing it in your bag, and you're not taking it out. Prude."
She'd winked, shoving the bikini deep into the bag before I could protest, and I'd rolled my eyes then, annoyed at her nonsense.
Now? I'm grateful.
I slip behind a thick, moss covered boulder to change, peeling off my rumpled, sweat sticky clothes and slipping into the bikini.
The fabric is soft against my skin, just enough coverage to make me feel safe, not exposed, not like the other females, and when I step out into the water, the warm current lapping at my thighs, a few of the girls murmur in approval.
Donna snorts, splashing water at me.
"Well, that's a far cry from your frumpy clothes. Cute little thing, ain't it?"
I smile and sink a little deeper into the water, letting it wash over my shoulders, the warmth seeping into my bones and chasing away the last of the berry's ache.
The females chatter around me, talking about hunting, about the tribe, about silly little things, and for a minute, I relax, feeling like I fit, just a little.
But it doesn't last long.
I feel them first, eyes on me. I glance over the pool's edge and see the males, lingering, pretending to be busy.
A wolf beastman hauls a bucket back and forth, filling it with water and dumping it again like he's got nothing better to do.
A fox male scrubs a wooden bowl so hard I swear he'll sand it down to splinters.
And then a huge bear beastman wades into the shallow end a few feet away, his head ducked, his paws swiping at the water like he's searching for something.
"You findin' any salmon, Griz?" Donna calls out, her voice sharp with amusement, and the bear's ears twitch, his face flushing under his thick brown fur.
"Just... lookin'," he mumbles, and I bite back a laugh as he wades back out, not having found a single fish, because there are no salmon in the low depth, not ever.
He'd just come to steal a glance.
More males linger, their gazes soft and hungry, and I shift a little in the water, pulling my knees to my chest, self conscious.
But the water's warm, the girls' laughter is calming.
I float there, letting the sun hit my face, and listening to the girls chatting, ignoring the curious male eyes.
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