One More

Chapter 11

Raz'ha was tempted to deny the Tauren. His position as Amelia's mate was not official until a mating ceremony was performed. With Elder Val'jek still in residence, any warrior could usurp his position by winning her favor. To look her over so thoroughly, the Tauren warrior wanted something.

"My name, Amelia," she said in broken Yautja words, giving Raz'ha no choice in the matter.

"Honored Warrior Cov'o." The Tauren gave a deep bow.

The surprising show of respect made Raz'ha uneasy. Most Yautja gave her courtesy at best, as required by Elder Val'jek, but not a show of genuine respect.

Stepping away from his arm, she mimicked the bow.

"Do you understand English?" she asked.

"I have a translator." The Tauren nodded, scratching the side of his head where translators were implanted. It was new if it still itched.

"We should move along," Raz'ha prompted. A new translator, and the warrior's sudden interest in Amelia, made him suspicious. If Cov'o wasn't pursuing mating then the Tauren pursued his vendetta against Mah'sic. He wanted to challenge the Tauren, but Ooman females did not like violence.

"Not yet." She stood her ground. The uncertainty she expressed with other Yautja encounters had gone from her body language. Her anxious scent remained the same.

Raz'ha dragged her small frame back to his side, locking his arm around her shoulders. Whatever game the two were playing, he wanted her in his grasp.

"You look very much like your father," she told the Tauren.

"Do you think so?" The Tauren looked taken aback. Cov'o flicked a glance at the Table of Honor, where Val'jek remained alone with The High Priestess.

Raz'ha frowned. Of course the warrior looked like his sire.

"Yes and he speaks very highly of you." Her voice was assertive and a little triumphant.

She was scheming something and he did not like it. Raz'ha squeezed her shoulder briefly, but she ignored him.

The Tauren warrior puffed up with pride, on the verge of preening.

"Amelia," Raz'ha warned. No words came to mind with only vague suspicions to guide him.

"I hear your bearer is exceptionally proud as well, as are the other Priestesses," she pressed the warrior.

The Tauren looked her over again, as if reevaluating her. Surely Cov'o sensed that the Ooman was leading him in some female game. No seasoned warrior was that daft.

"They expressed pride, yes." The Tauren's chest deflated with the rise of his wary mandibles.

"With reason. You are skilled with a combistick." Raz'ha hoped to smooth over whatever Amelia was about to say. An Ooman could not realize how close to a challenge they were. He would happily take on the Tauren warrior, but she would not like it.

"Mah'sic said as much after you two sparred." She spoke her lie evenly. Her head rose and tilted back in a decidedly unfriendly gesture. All warriors understood the move, but Amelia must have not realized that. Oomans appeared to be verbal where Yautja used body language to communicate.

"Paya, help me." He realized belatedly that he had pushed the Tauren into her trap.

"The unblood-" Cov'o started.

"Mah'sic," she corrected, inching forward in another small, but aggressive, gesture.

The Tauren looked to him for help and Raz'ha shrugged, irritated. When Cov'o didn't immediately challenge her behavior, the younger warrior gave up all his ground. Now they all knew the Tauren wasn't going to insult Val'jek's mate, and she clearly used the knowledge to her advantage.

Raz'ha felt simultaneous relief and irritation at avoiding a challenge in front of Amelia. He wanted to prove he was a worthy mate, but Oomans did not mate that way.

"You are fond of the-- of Mah'sic." The Tauren chose his words with long deliberation.

"As is Val'jek," she added with brazen disdain.

"You are threatening me." The warrior stepped closer with his hand raised, as if to hush her.

Raz'ha shifted her back into a defensible position and growled. He clicked a warning and clenched his fists to keep them from issuing a challenge.

"It is a warning." She lifted her chin, provoking the warrior and near inviting a challenge.

He chirped. Did she want a challenge then? Raz'ha fumbled with indecision. To challenge when she did not wish it was foolish. To flee when she desired a match was cowardly.

"The rumors are true then." The Tauren straightened to look down at her. "You do hold sway over my sire. Will you ask him to challenge me, or will your Saracen be the one?" He flicked a glance at Raz'ha then back to her.

He straightened and prepared to challenge the Tauren. It was better to be foolish than a coward.

"Does it matter?" She sought shelter at his side. Her small hand gripped his arm and her scent grew pungent with fear. Her swift change gave him pause.

Amelia could not desire a challenge because she was faking her female superiority. He grumbled with irritation.

"It is best we part ways here." Raz'ha bowed to the Tauren, and ushered her to the side for a hasty exit. If her ploy was to work, the Tauren must not see her as weak or frightened.

The warrior stalked them, forcing them to stop.

Raz'ha growled a warning, but the Tauren gave only a minor pause.

"The unblood uses an Ooman to fight his battles." Cov'o leaned in close to her masked face. "What has he done that is worth your loyalty?"

Amelia held her ground, despite the tremors in her hands, but gave no answer. She looked at the Tauren's face for a long moment. Her mask was disconcerting, hiding her expression behind a beautiful mixture of Ooman and Yautja facial features.

The Tauren warrior clicked his displeasure, shifting with obvious dicomfort.

"You're jealous of him," she accused too loudly.

The Tauren jerked back a step and clicked a quick denial.

"You are." She pressed closer.

The Tauren retreated, as if she was Cetanu, coming to claim him in dishonor.

"The unblood is weak. I am not jealous of that." Cov'o clicked, standing upright with indignation and Raz'ha knew Amelia had the right of it.

"But you're jealous of something he has." She was aggressive as a Kainde Amedha moving in for the kill.

"No," the Tauren insisted. His eyes darted to the Table of Honor, then narrowed on Amelia.

She looked to Elder Val'jek at the table and lowered her chin. "He is proud of you."

Cov'o snorted but then straightened, cutting off any more telling responses. "You are correct, Honored Warrior Raz'ha. It is best we part ways here." The Tauren bowed to him and then Amelia.

They both bowed in return and the Tauren turned to leave.

"Wait," she called, following. The Tauren turned to look at her. "Come to dinner with us."

"What?" The Tauren's mandibles tightened with distrust.

"It's for Val'jek, a private going away dinner, tomorrow. I would like for you to join us." Her hands wrapped around Raz'ha's forearm and she looked up at the Tauren.

"If Elder Val'jek wanted me in attendance, he would have extended the invitation." The Tauren distanced himself once more.

"I am hosting it. It's a human thing," she persisted.

The Tauren shrugged a shoulder with indecision.

"I will inform Val'jek that you're coming. Escort me to him." She approached Cov'o, who started to shrink back. "Please," she added, but it wasn't really a request.

Amelia wanted to press the warrior, and Raz'ha felt the first sliver of amusement watching her verbal sparring.

"Don't worry about challenges. I'll fake a fainting spell and my mate will come to the rescue." She inclined her head with respect.

She was faking her confidence. The room full of Yautja made her muscles tense and scent change. Raz'ha supposed most Yautja didn't know what a calm Ooman female smelled like, and may not have noticed the difference.

Cov'o looked her over before relenting.

"Now, let's rescue Val'jek. He's looking annoyed by your mother," she said.

The Elder didn't look annoyed to him, but he walked beside her anyway. Cov'o led them to the Table of Honor. Whatever aggression she harbored dissipated and she moved closer to the Tauren warrior companionably. Raz'ha didn't like it.

"Are all Oomans like you?" the Tauren asked, still cautious.

"We're as individual as Yautja." Her mask tilted up in Raz'ha's direction to look at him.

He nodded an acknowledgment, though he did not know the meaning of her look.

"Do they smell like you?" The warrior asked.

Raz'ha clicked a warning that the Tauren acknowledged with a respectful click. Now he knew why Val'jek clicked at him so often. It was unnerving to speculate about unsatisfactory outcomes of Amelia's encounters with other Yautja.

"I'm not sure. We can't smell as well as you. It's possible but that's a question for Val'jek or Mah'sic." She shrugged.

"I understand." The Tauren guided them around the dancing Yautja. "Are other Oomans receptive to mating my species?"

Raz'ha clicked, indecisive. Did the Tauren have an interest in Oomans, or Amelia? He couldn't tell.

"It would take some convincing. We're a little slow on the alien species thing. Most people don't realize there are advanced races similar to us." She looked up at the warrior. "Are you in the market for a permanent mate?"

"Permanent? No." Cov'o shook his head. "An experience, perhaps. There is much fuss about Oomans between your elevated status and the hunting ban on your home world. I consider another type of hunt."

"Hunting ban?" Amelia looked at him over her shoulder.

Raz'ha had not heard of it either but he didn't much care. The Tauren wanted to rut and he understood rutting warriors. There was no consideration of permanent mates and any willing female would suffice.

"You did not hear?" The Tauren shook his head again. "The Matriarch has banned all hunts on the Ooman home world while she considers a petition to make it permanent."

"Do you think it will be permanent?" She sounded hopeful.

"No, but it won't matter. We still hunt off world settlements and we will create preserves if need be. The true hardship will be the clans who have seeded the planet with Kainde Amedha," The Tauren said.

#

Val'jek kept one eye on his mate as he bickered with The High Priestess Ellika. They were alone at the table and able to speak freely for the first time that night.

"If you did not antagonize Raina with your pet she would not be so hostile." Ellika clicked at him when he didn't respond. "You bring dissent to ceremonies by parading around a pet as if it was one of us."

"They bring their irrational racism. It is their disgrace, not mine." Distracted, he watched his mate beside Raz'ha and the Saracen Elder, Mur.

"It is an Ooman. Your wall is lined with them, Elder Val'jek." Ellika growled, drawing his attention wit her spread mandibles. "You are a hypocrite."

"Our society is hypocritical. We force males to endanger their lives in order to gain status. While females may remain on the clan ship, safe. The laziest female is born superior to the hardest working male." He growled back at her. "Females have long since grown lax in their abilities. Worse, we have a generation believing this is acceptable."

"Is that what the Ooman is about, your political agenda?" Ellika snorted. "The Priestesses will be inclined to listen if you ceased with the Ooman nonsense."

"Amelia is my mate." He clicked a warning.

Ellika straightened. "I should not have allowed you to keep it."

"You owed me." It was a fact. She owed him a great deal more too.

She nodded at that.

"I would have challenged you for her." He kept his voice and expression even, but it was necessary to make The High Priestess understand his stance on the matter.

"You were made Elder because you used violence as a last resort and kept your honor all the same. Now you take every look and word as a challenge." She looked him up and down. "This is not your way."

"I learned that those pauking weak minded Yautja cannot be bothered with reason." He growled in irritation. "Their way has garnered more favorable results."

"You are as difficult as a sulking suckling." The High Priestess hissed with exasperation, then straightened with tension. "Pardon, I meant only--"

"I know what you meant." His claws clenched with the sudden anger.

"Cov'o--"

"Don't you speak his name to me," he hissed.

"I did not do it to harm you," she hissed back. "It was not about you."

"It wasn't about the pup either," he leaned closer, to hide his anger from lingering Yautja. "You did not consider him, only your own wants."

"Why must you harbor this grudge? He has become a fine warrior. You have Mah'sic to take his place, and now an Ooman too, because you will not settle." She turned away from the crowd as well.

"You cannot replace one bond with another. They are separate and you know it, Ellika." The obtuse rhetoric, from her of all females, made his mandibles spread with outrage.

"It cannot be undone. We made a deal and we all live with those consequences." She straightened with regal dismissal.

Val'jek gave a grudging nod. The High Priestess was correct and he was as guilty, if not more so, in the disgraceful debacle.

"Now explain why you bring the Taurens to me when they have no use." She shrugged off the tension and sipped her c'ntlip.

"Because they struggle." He shrugged too, but the tension did not ease. "And they have something I want."

She glared at him for the admission.

"I am honest in my dealings. Can you say the same of your other Elders and Priestesses?" He scowled. "Of yourself?"

"What do they have?" She ignored his prodding. "They are inefficient, weak and verging on going rogue."

"The Honored Warrior Raz'ha."

The High Priestess tilted her head. "I have granted your request. The Taurens cannot block the transfer."

"The warrior is loyal to Saracens, but I struck a deal. If I soften you toward their alliance agreement, an Elder will give me the warrior."

"And you complain about sexism and racism while trading my time for a warrior. Our clan is not your personal bazaar." She clicked. "You are no better."

"It is a fair trade. I recommend aid for the clan regardless and the warrior would likely come on his own. He is pleased with my mate." It wasn't cheating if he was only speeding up the outcome.

"And if I refuse to soften to their plight?" She rolled her eyes.

"Then you cast off a struggling clan. You condemn them to eventual extinction, or worse, Bad Blood." He caught her eye. "They can be pulled back from this calamity."

"There are rumors that they are bad bloods already. Someone has been poaching preserves of other clans and Taurens are suspect." She leaned back, giving the matter thought.

"So are half a dozen other clans and they all have two things in common. They changed leadership in the last full cycle and they all struggle to survive." He was exasperated with the matter. His race favored progression but hated change.

"Do not preach to me." She clicked with irritation. "Tell me of your impression, in truth."

"The warrior is honorable but confused about the way of flourishing clans." He chose his words with care knowing a clan's future depended on this conversation. The meeting between High Priestesses meant little to Ellika. She would enter the meeting with her decision made.

"He was instructed by Bad Bloods," she hissed with indignation.

"Unproven." Under her glare, he clicked. "The clan has overthrown their former leaders and the warrior is worthy, dependable. His time with my mate has proven he is open to change."

"But he is not an Elder. You have proven how little his opinion matters, if you trade my time for him." She chirped with a knowing scowl on her dark features.

"Elder Mur is abominable. Rude." He grunted. "There is no sign of Bad Blood but he is desperate for an alliance. He will sacrifice much to keep his clan alive." Val'jek didn't like the insufferable Elder but he would do well with Ellika.

"But do they have anything to offer? I cannot face the Elders and Priestesses with a questionable clan out of pure charity, not even for you, Val'jek." She tilted her head, considering him.

"They are desperate. Demand their sucklings if that is your wish." He hissed in frustration.

"I command you to let go of the past." She glared at him.

He grunted and shook his head.

"We were close once." She softened. "I considered you for my consort."

"If you had convinced me, perhaps it would have been different." Before Cov'o's existence, he would have been pleased with such a prospect.

"Could I convince you now?" She looked uncertain for a moment, reminding him of the timid Priestess she had once been. He had been close to her then.

"I am happy with my mate." He didn't need to consider her offer.

"If you weren't?" Ellika pressed, evaluating him with her keen yellow eyes.

He clicked thoughtfully. "I cannot forget past transgressions. Yours or mine."

She nodded and looked over the dancing Yautja. "I will insist Raina cease with your pet."

Val'jek nodded as well. "Mah'sic will train with the Saracens. I will have him compile a report for you."

"If neither of you return, what shall I do with your warrior and your pet?" she asked.

"Protect them." If he did not return, Raz'ha would ensure Amelia's happiness. He would need Ellika's protection to keep an Ooman however.

"You have my word." She clicked and gave a slight nod.

"And so you have my loyalty." He nodded, watching Cov'o approach with Amelia. Val'jek excused himself to meet them.

He clicked a greeting.

Amelia wore her mask, hiding her expression, but her body was tense and jittery.

He looked over his offspring for the source of her tension. Cov'o stood straight with tension, more frazzled than his mate.

Raz'ha lingered beside Amelia, nearly shouldering Cov'o aside.

"All is well?" Val'jek inquired.

"Yes, I was telling Cov'o about dinner tomorrow." Amelia spoke up before Cov'o had a chance to click a mandible. "I invited him."

"Very well," he chirped to her, glad to have his offspring in attendance. It had been too long since he and Cov'o shared a meal. It was a good opportunity for his offspring to get to know his mate.

"Thank you for the invitation, Amelia." His offspring gave a tense bow.

Val'jek didn't know what to make of the odd behavior.

"Perhaps your bearer might wish to attend," his mate added.

Val'jek stifled his grunt.

Cov'o clicked exasperation. "She is busy with clan relations." His offspring looked over his shoulder. "Pardon, The High Priestess summons."

It was a lie, but he let it go as Cov'o bowed and left without waiting for Val'jek's farewell. The haste was grossly inappropriate. If his offspring had been anyone else, he would have taken him to task.

"Val'jek, he was looking for your invitation, not mine." Amelia slipped off her mask to frown at him.

He chirped, confused.

She huffed and threw up her hands. "He wants your approval. So when he comes over tomorrow, be a good father and give it to him."

Raz'ha huffed too, casting a sideways glance at Cov'o across the room.

Val'jek rumbled. He didn't understand what she meant. His offspring had his approval. It must have been an Ooman cultural difference but he didn't want to discuss Cov'o tonight.

"Come. It is time to dance," Val'jek said, standing.

"But Cov'o--"

"The dance is important. We must honor the gods." He tugged her toward the dancers.

"You don't believe in gods." She was smiling at least.

"It helps morale." Val'jek shrugged.

"You're not off the hook for this," she said but moved with him as Raz'ha followed.

Close to the dancers, heads turned to view his mate. She had never joined in the dance before, though the activity was a favorite of hers. There was going to be trouble, so he scanned the nearest onlookers.

Carefully choosing his opponent, he discarded several young bloods puffing up their chests. Posturing was important, but young bloods were not respectable enough.

His opponent found him, blocking their path into the throng of dancers. The warrior was honored and that was good enough. The light tan warrior tilted his head at Amelia.

Raz'ha moved in front of her, puffing out his own chest.

"Paya has no favor for slaves." The warrior stepped closer.

Raz'ha growled.

Val'jek shrugged and shoved the warrior's shoulder, hard.

The warrior was forced to give a step of ground.

Val'jek followed, flaring his mandibles and spreading his arms wide in invitation. He knew this game well.

The honored warrior shoved him, flaring his own mandibles with a roar.

Val'jek punched the warrior with a quick jab to the eye, not wasting even a moment.

The warrior staggered, shaking his head before righting himself.

He punched the warrior again, and then again, aware of the growing clicks and thrum of purrs surrounding him.

The warrior lunged at him.

He braced himself, and gripped the front of the warrior's armor. Using his momentum, Val'jek threw the warrior over his head and into several young bloods.

The young bloods stumbled and the warrior climbed to his feet, defeated but enraged.

Amelia approached him, but Val'jek warded her away. Raz'ha lifted her by the waist and moved her to a safe distance.

The warrior wasn't finished. He flared his mandibles and roared, charging once more.

Val'jek trilled, amused, at the warrior closing in on him. He met the warrior head on this time in a jarring collision. Not one to miss an opportunity, he elbowed the warrior in the ribs before sweeping his legs.

The warrior on the floor once more, Val'jek towered over him. "It seems Paya has no favor for you, pup."

The warrior was bested, the young bloods were awed and the rest of his clan had a fine show. Now he could enjoy his time with his mate without males pestering him. Val'jek took his mate under his arm and led her through the dancers to the ceremonial fire.

She trembled and begged to return to their quarters. It took quite a bit of coaxing, and a firm hold, to convince Amelia to remain.

His first instinct was always to soften to her pleas, but he could not. Watching her hide in his quarters for her entire lifespan was not a sight he could bear. After a few years, his people would grow accustomed to her presence. The challenges would die down and she could be at ease. Until then, he would beat challengers and drag her into public.

Beside the roaring fire's heat, he lifted her in his arms. This was her first ceremonial dance, though it was her more favored activity. He carried her through the steps several times, soothing her with his purrs.

Raz'ha remained close, unfamiliar with his clan's variations of the dances. He mimicked well enough.

Setting his mate on her feet, he nodded to Raz'ha.

The warrior understood and closed rank, keeping other Yautja from bumping into Amelia as they danced.

Touching his mate, he slid flesh to flesh, teaching her the movements to celebrate the gods. Soon her scent changed and eased.

#

Val'jek was grateful that Raz'ha sought his own quarters for the night. Alone in their sleeping chamber, the setting felt intimate. Thick mating musk hung in the air, his and Amelia's. They were both primed for copulation, but he took his time undressing. He wanted to enjoy this private moment with his mate. She was different, more relaxed and receptive.

Wearing only her loose dress, she paused. "I'll be right back."

"Hurry." He let out a long, low purr filled with promises of pleasure.

She flushed and darted out of the room.

He finished undressing, securing his ceremonial armor in the appropriate storage units.

When she returned, Val'jek was naked, waiting beside the bed with his manhood aroused and weeping. He approached as she closed the door. He purred long and low to emit more musk.

Oomans could barely detect musk in large quantities, but she still felt the effects.

She touched him first, trailing his belly to his erection with her soft fingers. Her grasp light, she stroked him from tip to base.

He reached for her then.

She smiled up at him. It was a secret smile of amusement. Jerking away from him, she turned and fled deeper into the room.

Surprised, he let her flee. Instincts quickly overtook his hesitation and he gave chase. With a stride much larger than hers, he had her by the fourth step. Gripping her arm with his claw, he yanked. His claws slipped off her arm, but she was still knocked off balance. Ever the opportunist, he tumbled her to the floor.

She squirmed with a laughing shriek, her thin limbs flailing.

He pinned her wrists above her head. "A game?" he chirped with anticipation.

"Yes." Her mouth curved into a mischievous smile. She gave a half hearted squirm to entice him.

He used his free claw to open the front of her dress. The flimsy material tore easily with his yank and he was rewarded with a gasp. He dragged his mandibles over her Ooman mammary glands, fluttering and caressing her flesh.

Her skin flushed and she arched, then squirmed against his hold. Wiggling her wrists, she slipped free from his grasp.

Impossible, he thought. He gripped her arms, but to his surprise he couldn't hold on to the slippery flesh.

She wiggled away from him.

Val'jek let her go and examined his hands, perplexed. He rubbed the pads of his claws together, testing the slick sheen.

She climbed to her feet and laughed. "I can't fight, but I'm not so easy to catch."

He sniffed his claws. "Salve?" He chirped, wiping his hands on his thighs and smearing the slippery goop. It was a mild medicine to help bruises and abrasions heal. They had used it to mate in the beginning, when Amelia had difficulty with his size. The slick medicine eased his way and muted her discomfort.

"We've run out, by the way." She smiled again. She must have bathed in it to use the entire supply. Clever female.

Val'jek lunged for her with a playful growl, letting her flee around the bed as he gave chase. He grabbed a fistful of her torn dress and yanked her back against his chest.

His mate squirmed against him, stimulating his erection trapped between them. He purred at having caught his quarry.

She went limp in his arms, sliding down the front of him.

He couldn't ravish her with her skin giving no purchase. He was forced to take her to the floor.

On the floor, she grinned, scooting away on all fours as his claws slipped over her skin.

He jerked her dress, which caught around her hips, but then she wiggled free of that too.

Grunting, he watched her crawl to the opposite side of the bed. "Very clever." He clicked with amusement and frustration as he stood. His heart thumped with excitement and he could almost taste the scent of her arousal. He liked her game very much, but he needed to devise a plan if he intended to win. And he had to win, or there was no mating.

She climbed to her feet and watched him, circling the bed.

He took his time, countering each of her steps with the bed recess between them.

"Will you chase, or just watch?" she taunted.

Taking her bait, he leaped over the bed with a roar.

Amelia shrieked and ran, but she was no match for him.

He tumbled them both to the floor again. He didn't risk crushing her and rolled to take the brunt of the fall.

Using his chivalry against him, she wriggled out his claws and crawled away. The salve was more effective than he thought possible.

On claws and knees, he chased right behind her and then over her, covering her backside. He slid an arm around her waist and shoved his erection inside of her welcoming heat.

His mate gasped and shoved forward, slipping through his claws and off his aching cocking.

Struggling to find purchase on her, he growled and flared his mandibles. They repeated the process a handful more times, neither managing a complete victory. He couldn't have been more pleased, or aroused.

She gave a throaty laugh, slipping and sliding across the smooth flooring beneath him.

Locking an arm over her shoulder, he stopping trying to use his hands. He used his weight to force her shoulders to the floor. His free arm slid beneath her, to hold her in place. Wedging her legs apart with his knee, he positioned her for mating. He mounted her with a hard shove, and they both groaned with pleasure.

She gave half hearted wiggles, keeping up her pretense, as she moaned.

He tightened his grip, a natural reflex to her enticement, but she was truly stuck for the time being. He could ride her at his leisure but couldn't help the rough humping. This was how Yautja mated. It was a battle that only the strong and clever could win.

Val'jek laughed, his chest rumbling against her shoulders. His mirth was contagious and she joined in, laughing until water leaked from her eyes.

His bout of laughter settled into steady purring.

"Val'jek," she murmured, moving her hips against his. She shivered, ready for her pleasure

"C'jit." His muscles bunched. He shoved against her a little harder, sliding them along the floor.

He felt her wet mouth on his bicep, her tongue stroking his skin. She shuddered, her female core gripping and massaging his erection into releasing his seed. Her teeth sinking into his bicep finally pushed him over the edge with the pleasant sting of her bite.

Hot pleasure coursed through his body, making him shudder too. Roaring his victory, he lifted her hips, until her knees no longer touched the floor. She tried to lift her head, but he held her still. Innate male need to seed her made him perform such an irrational act. He knew she could not be impregnated.

When the rush of pleasure subsided, he panted but held her hips in the air, attached to his erect manhood. He enjoyed the warm sheath.

"That was fun." Limp in his arms, she panted more than she laughed. "You can put me down now."

He complied, sliding out of her and easing her to the floor. "You are well?" He thought she appeared well pleased, but she liked it when he asked.

"Yes." She turned over on her back to smile up at him.

"What inspired this game?" He laid down beside her on the floor, catching his breath. He flexed his bicep, aware of the stinging from her bite.

"I wanted to do something special before you leave. An experience for your caveman instincts." She shrugged a shoulder. "I know you take it easy on me, but sometimes it's okay to do it your way."

He rumbled his appreciation. His mate would never be a physical threat to him, but her game was the very essence of Yautja mating. She had to prove she was worthy by enticing him into a challenge. He had to prove his worth by completing the challenge.

"And your mark?" He chirped, inspecting the set of teeth marks in his skin.

"I thought Yautja liked that kind of thing. If it makes you feel better, I don't think it will scar." Her teeth barely broke the skin in places.

"Tusks and claws usually." His claws touched the imprint, wanting to keep the reminder. "Perhaps next time it will take."

"You do want it to scar then?" She surveyed him with interest.

"I am proud to wear proof of your pleasure." His mandibles fluttered and caressed her face.

"Maybe next time." She grinned.

She was going to be sore and bruised in the morning but the salve would ease the aches. They laughed and wrestled, making his limbs shine with excess salve from her skin. He gave her impromptu wrestling lessons after a short nap. He always won, but he gave her several small orgasms for her efforts. Between bouts of rowdy lovemaking, he held her and they murmured affectionate words in both languages.

He was going to miss her.

Author's Notes
I suck. I know. I'm sorry. Sincere apologies for being so late with this. I honestly got stuck on this chapter and rewrote it several times a section at a time. I'm not super ecstatic about how it turned out, but it's 1000x better than the original version. Chapter 12 and half of 13 are written but need revisions.

I hope you guys have not abandoned ship after such a prolonged wait.

#

Many thanks to the reviewers!

cricket: I love your bad joke. :D Thanks for the review and please continue stalking me (it's only a misdemeanor after all).

SB Patterson: I think Amelia would prefer a boring formal dinner. Lucky for us, she can't always get what she wants. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and the awesome compliments btw. Apologies for the wait time.

Tea and Crumpets: Thank you so much for the compliments. I too am on Team "classic" Predator. I was hoping he'd nail Mr. Black. *sigh* Thank you for the review!

Death God Dist: I love you. I don't think formal gatherings are supposed to be so intense, but things get out of hand when that crazy old elder decides to bring his pet Ooman, lol. So sorry for the long delay btw, but thank you for consistent reviews. I'm always a little nervous about the humor so it's nice to see others enjoy it. :D

moira hawthorne: Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like the intrigue and hope you like part 2 of the banquet. :)

Ali: Apologies for the slow updates. Thank you for the review. I especially love rambling reviews because people tell you so much more about what's working. You help keep me writing this story. :)

*Apologies if I've missed anyone and thank you for the reviews!