One More

Chapter 9

Raz'ha wandered the ship with irritation and confusion. He had spent the better part of the day as a messenger, no better than an unblood apprentice. Upon speaking to Val'jek, the Elder insisted he join the Tauren clan. To give the old warrior credit, he had been persuasive and respectful, but Raz'ha could not. Loyalty to his clan was prized above nearly all else and they needed the numbers.

Declining the invitation made Elder Val'jek refuse a meeting with his High Priestess and Raz'ha was forced to explain to Elder Mur. Furious, his Elder had his own message for Val'jek. Raz'ha was not allowed to look at it but was forced to track down Val'jek to deliver it.

Val'jek then let out a barking laugh, shook his head and wrote a message back. He was forced to endure this for half a day before Elder Mur received a message that satisfied him.

Dismissed, Raz'ha wandered the hall. He could not return to Amelia with irritation boiling in his veins.

Aggravating him further, the mating cycle on the Tauren clan ship was peaking. Mating musk was in the air no matter where he went. Several Yautja were mating in the public washroom, grunts and growls mixed with purrs as females let males rut. That was not done on his clan's ship. Warriors were quick to ensure privacy to avoid challenges from other males in the middle of rutting.

Raz'ha groaned, ducking into a guest hall, away from the lavatory.

A tall yellow female approached him emitting a strong musk. She was in the height of her cycle and most receptive to being seeded. She clicked and purred at him but he did not acknowledge the gesture with a purr of his own. The female stalked him, moving with clear intent of bagging herself a trophy.

Raz'ha backed up.

"Mate with me, Saracen," the female demanded, pressing her hand to his chest. That wasn't precisely how mating was initiated in the Saracen Clan. There were few females so when most went into heat males fought each other to approach a female. The female would encourage potential candidates and ultimately choose. It simply wasn't necessary for a female to approach a male.

Raz'ha choked back his purr. Her musk was almost as thick as Amelia's natural scent and the desire to sire a suckling on a healthy female was strong. He took a deep breath, ignoring the pheromones, and held it.

Oomans didn't share their mates. If he wanted Amelia, he could have no other. As tempting as it was to sire a suckling, and ensure his bloodline in a strong clan, he refused. If only the Ooman would let him mate her refusing the female would be easier.

He took the female's wrist, removing it from his chest. "I am honored but I have no interest in mating." Raz'ha bowed with respect. If the she took his rejection as an insult, he was in for a possibly lethal fight with this unknown female. He hoped she merely intended to beat at him until her anger was satisfied.

The female straightened, towering a head taller than him. "You do not find me worthy, warrior?" She growled at him.

"Raz'ha prefers his own clan." Another female said from behind him.

He glanced quickly, not wanting to turn his back on the Tauren female.

The Tauren flared her mandibles but only hissed. She stalked from the room. "A Saracen is not worth such a display." She meant two females battling over him. In his clan, females did not battle with a surplus of adequate males available.

Raz'ha clicked in irritation, turning to the tan and red Saracen female with dread in his belly. It was Sh'an. She was a head taller than him and a good deal heavier too. He hadn't considered their size difference so daunting the last time he had seen her.

She was a skilled fighter for a female and also under scrutiny from the elders for having too few sucklings. She preferred to hunt, like Raz'ha, but for different reasons. He needed to hunt if he wanted respect, quarters worthy of a hunter, weapons and even food. Sh'an merely enjoyed hunting. She was daughter of an elder and a priestess. There was little else she needed to gain status in the Saracen clan.

That wasn't the reason his insides tightened into knots. The last time Raz'ha left for a hunt, he told the female he would bring a trophy worthy of her. It was a blatant expression of his desire to mate once she was in heat.

He gave a sniff but didn't smell her musk. Relief was short lived as the female circled him like he was a trophy.

"Sh'an." He trilled, hoping for a friendly greeting.

"The female was a fine specimen. She could bare you a healthy suckling." She stopped in front of him. "You did not want her."

"Correct." Raz'ha clicked his tusks and eyed the door. He was going to remain in Val'jek's quarters until the Tauren females were no longer in heat. Better to smell Amelia and want than risk his mandibles rebuffing aggressive Yautja females. There were just so damn many females on the ship.

"I heard a rumor that you are mating prey," she hissed. "Is it true?"

"Yes. I mate an Ooman." It was true technically. "I gave my word to mate for life." He did give his word, to Val'jek, but he falsely implied Amelia accepted a mating ceremony. He clicked his mandibles with irritation, hoping to hide his unease. Sh'an had a right to be furious with their last encounter promising a suckling between them.

"An Ooman." Her mandibles flared and she took an aggressive step closer.

"It is my right to choose a permanent mate." Raz'ha grumbled, not without pride. The female could deliver heavy blows, but he was the more experienced fighter in truth. Sh'an being a female, a giver of life, meant he could not risk fighting her. Not in good conscience. If he hindered her breeding abilities, he would be dishonored. He intended defend himself however.

"You choose an Ooman who cannot produce sucklings over your own clan?" Her abnormally large mandibles tightened with contempt.

He ignored her statement about Ooman sucklings. The Elder indicated it was possible and the female did not spend time learning about breeding prey.

"I regret not fulfilling our last exchange but I have made my choice." He was lucky to inform the female now. Sh'an, he knew, would try to kill him during her heat when he reneged on the informal agreement. At that moment she might merely try beating him to a pulp. Part of him knew he deserved it for abandoning his clan while their numbers dwindled.

Male pride made him want to fight and squash efforts to control who he seeded. Good sense made him want to avoid the situation in its entirety. There was no beneficial outcome and all paths risked his honor.

"You are a fool." She stepped back to reexamine him. Once she had looked at him with interest, but now only disdain could be seen across her beautiful features.

Raz'ha bowed and made a hasty exit. The female did not pursue him.

#

Raz'ha made it to the safety of Val'jek's quarters. He took a deep breath of air not contaminated by Yautja mating musk. Amelia's Ooman musk and blood lingered in the air faintly. Aching from the abundance of mating hormones, he followed the scent to the sleeping chamber. She rebuffed attempts at mating due to her bleeding but he wanted to smell and look at her while he endured this torture.

The door slid open and Raz'ha was assailed with a thick wave of Yautja musk mingling with Amelia's scent. He nearly choked, entering the room.

Stunned, his mandibles sagged.

Val'jek was naked in the bed with Amelia. She still wore her Ooman garment but that didn't stop the Elder from fondling her mammary glands as she knelt between his thighs.

Moving closer, he understood the awkward position. She was using her mouth on the Elder's erection. Her head bobbed and her hands fisted at the middle of his cock. Val'jek groaned and bucked his hips.

The scene sent a bolt of lust straight to his groin and all thoughts of clans and Yautja females fled. Stripping off his armor in haste, he joined the pair in bed.

The Elder let out a roar and arched with tension. Amelia worked her hand and throat. Milky green fluids trickled down from her mouth. Raz'ha was too aroused to care that his seed couldn't survive digestion. He wanted her mouth on his straining cock. Now.

The Elder sagged with a purr of satisfaction. Panting, Val'jek spared him a glance, noticing him for the first time, then closed his eyes.

Amelia wiped her mouth and worked her jaw. She knew he was there but refused to look at him. Frustrated, Raz'ha clicked but she merely straightened her dress.

#

She was feeling hot and needy with a throbbing ache between her thighs. More so, she was embarrassed and didn't have the courage to face Raz'ha. The green Yautja presumed a lot by getting in bed while she was with Val'jek. The warrior was presenting his aroused manhood to her, expecting the same treatment as her mate. She gathered her courage and willed herself to be furious, but she merely blushed.

Right now, she was supposed to be getting her relief from Val'jek. She pleasured him and then he was supposed to pleasure her in return. He couldn't multitask with her mouth on his erection and she liked it that way. Creating a pleasure overload that temporarily lobotomized her very-in-control mate was a feat worth bragging about. Not that she had anyone to brag to and nor was she was the bragging sort. Still, she was ridiculously proud of her skill.

Val'jek was no help. Ignoring them both, he lulled from exertion and lack of sleep. He wasn't supposed to be in bed at this hour but the mating cycle was peaking. An Elder was a prime catch to breed with and Yautja women tended to be forceful. Her poor mate was harassed by horny women reeking of mating musk, which by design aroused males.

It was the first time the mating "season" coincided with her period. Val'jek had stormed into his quarters growling and clicking like he was going into battle. He towered over her, rumbling and sniffing her as she gawked up at him. Scooping up her very confused and frightened puppies, he put them in an open storage unit while barking for her to undress.

Her response had been to flip her ornery mate the bird, but the middle finger gesture was lost on him.

Val'jek tossed her over his shoulder and carried her into the bedroom. He dumped her in their bed and stripped off his armor in a scattered the mess across the floor. That was usual during a mating cycle. He always came to her desperate for relief and they spent several days rushing to bed every few hours. It was great fun when she wasn't on her period.

Her mate always said she smelled better than Yautja women, but that they used other triggers to stimulate males further, like aggression. Yautja males, on a biological level, responded to female aggression with mating. The science behind Yautja reproduction was complex and Amelia followed along as best she could.

Some concepts seemed wrong to her. Yautja fought prior to mating and sometimes during. She always conjured up images of redneck wife beaters and domestic violence. Her mate assured her it was more like sparring, with equal participation. He insisted no one came away with a serious injury.

Her mate thought sexual sparring was great fun but having never seen it, she had reservations. They played chasing games, tore clothing and he hinted at wrestling in bed, but nothing was ever overt.

Yautja women tended to be considered the superior sex but wanted the men to try their hand at domination, to ensure the males were strong. Which all boiled down to proving desirable genetics for healthy sucklings.

Val'jek's, and especially Raz'ha's, interest in her made no sense within the mating explanation. Human genetics were not considered desirable for sucklings. Her mate just shrugged at her questions on the anomaly.

"We are not animals. I know you. I want you beside me." Val'jek had intended to mate with her at the time but she found the words flattering, however not scientific.

Mah'sic theorized that Val'jek was taken in by her scent and biologically her mate received a signal to impregnate her all the time. Because he spent so much time with her, his mind never saw reason over his instincts. That was not flattering and it didn't explain Raz'ha's interest. The warrior had spent quite a bit of time away from her scent when he started his pursuit.

Raz'ha was currently invading her personal space and clicking compliments at her. It was nice to hear the warrior say her eyes were like jewels and her complexion as radiant as Paya's. However, she didn't let it go to her head since he was hyped up on hormones and begging her for Ooman kisses on his--

Amelia flushed at the colorful word he used to describe his genitals. She had never heard it before but it sounded dirty.

The warrior reached for her. She resisted the urge to slap his clawed hands away before he discovered her traitorous body was interested. Slapping to an intent male was only going to get her dress ripped. Val'jek tore her clothes every time she feigned maidenly outrage.

She opted to feign ignorance instead and ignored him.

Raz'ha pressed against her front anyway, ruining her plan in just short moments. His warm solid bulk made her thighs tremble and nipples pebble. She flushed, surely he understood the correlation of that and arousal. He purred deep, making more vibration than sound that had her skin tingling.

"Have pity, Amelia. The females are tenacious and the smell torture." Her mate hadn't moved but watched with interest as Raz'ha tried to become a second skin on her.

"Please." Raz'ha used English and her resolve crumbled.

"This once, since it's the mating season." A voice in her head reminded her that this was the second time she was giving in to him.

The warrior didn't appear relieved like she expected. He tensed and his thick arms locked around her. His purr was softer and he looked to her mate for guidance.

Her mate shrugged and she knew the response well. He wanted them to wade through the experience on their own. He usually reserved the response for Mah'sic or students.

Raz'ha dragged her to the edge of the bed and mimicked Val'jek's earlier position. She wanted to roll her eyes but a smile tugged at her lips. The warrior was as much fumbling through alien culture as she was. He rasped at her, an inquiry without any true words forming.

She could do nearly anything she wanted to make the experience awkward and uncomfortable. The warrior wouldn't know any better. Cruel and humorous ideas popped into her head and she let out a laugh, then snorted. She couldn't do that to him.

The green Yautja chirped his inquiry with words. "Have I displeased you?"

He was trying very hard to please her and she wanted to dislike him. She wanted to hate the secret joy she got from his persistence.

"No." She had intended to stop there. "You please me very much." The words just popped out and her heart lurched at the admission. She bit her lip when he purred, the ban on the sound ignored for the time being.

"You are a most pleasing mate. I-"

She leaned down and took the head of his erection in her mouth, not wanting him to finish that sentence. She wasn't ready to acknowledge it.

The warrior let out a yelp and then a hiss. She released his manhood, just in case. He grabbed her with hands and even his feet pressed her legs. He pushed her back and then jerked her forward, playing tug of war with himself for a brief moment.

"Relax," her mate warned. It was a command really, but Amelia could handle the warrior's response on her own.

She knew Yautja females didn't perform oral sex with a mouth full of sharp teeth and no lips. Val'jek had been reluctant to let her mouth near anything sensitive. She had been the persistent aggressor and now her mate was sedate about the lovemaking tangent.

Raz'ha panted and his erection twitched with a throb.

"Are you ready to try again?" she asked and touched her tongue to the crown of his bulbous manhood.

The warrior jerked his head with a nod. His hands tensed on her but did not move more than an uneasy twitch.

She licked at the tangy slit because his tense mandibles didn't look ready to her. He let out a breath, making a hoarse sound she never heard a Yautja make before. It sounded like a whine and she heard Val'jek choke back his laughter.

Licking around the crown like an ice cream, she worked up to taking him in her mouth.

Yautja genitals were similar to human men on many levels. They worked the same, flaccid when uninterested and filling with blood when aroused. Yautja genitals, like humans, were a bit softer and more sensitive than the rest of their skin. Raz'ha's erection was colored and patterned similarly to the rest of him. The weeping head was a pale yellowish green that mottled into darker rich green at the base of his erection.

The only major differences between humans and Yautja were the testicles and ridges. The handful of ridges on Raz'ha's erection were small, almost a texture that were more prominent on the underside of his shaft. Yautja had testicles too but they were internal just under the penis. A lump swelled under Raz'ha's erection, his testicles essentially swelling in preparation for ejaculation. She brushed her fingers over the lump, knowing it was too sensitive for more than that.

The warrior jerked and hissed at the touch. His erection shoved against the back of her throat making her gag. Amelia jerked away, coughing and swearing under her breath.

Val'jek clicked a reminder. He wanted them to learn on their own, but his presence was reassuring for her. He was a worrier and obsessively prepared for every possibility. Her mate had most situations resolved before they ever arose and that knowledge made experimenting with Raz'ha easier.

The warrior tried making an apologetic gesture while sitting. No Yautja words were quite right for their situation.

"My fault." She leaned on Raz'ha's meaty thighs and fisted a hand around the middle of his erection. She gave him a brush of her thumb and a gentle squeeze. Letting her breath caress the tip of his erection she heard him take a bracing breath.

Determined to have no more mishaps, she took him in slowly. Laving his erection, she sucked him down as deep as she felt comfortable. She adjusted her hand accordingly to mark the distance. Now, she could move with him and prevent any more choking.

The warrior purred long and low, his claws tightening on her shoulders.

Encouraged, she moved at a steady pace. She sucked lightly and alternated with her tongue, testing his sensitivities. Her mate liked his crown stimulated, but Raz'ha let out groans and small jerks when she stroked the small ridges down the underside of his manhood.

She used both her hands to stroke the lower half of his shaft. She paid careful attention to the base ridge that was more prominent than all the rest.

Raz'ha let out a string of groans. His hips rose and fell, urging her faster. She moved with him, accommodating him while keeping her throat safe. He was close and she wanted to scrape her teeth on his sensitive shaft but crushed the urge. The warrior wasn't ready for that. She sucked a little harder and bobbed her head a little faster.

She wished the warrior would touch her aching body instead of gripping her shoulders. It was too late to explain her needs to him.

"Amelia." Raz'ha was warning her but she already knew the warrior was close. His chest heaved with rattling purrs and he clicked unintelligible half sentences. She heard a "Paya" or two. He shuddered and she prepared for a wave of tangy fluids, splaying her tongue along the slit at the tip of his erection.

He arched, repeating the whining sound and his erection throbbed.

The taste was all right, salty and warm, but it was the result of an uncontrolled pleasure that only she could provide. The knowledge that she did something Yautja women could not helped her through a few uncertain days. But she would never say that out loud. There must be something wrong with her to get a self esteem boost by performing oral sex on an alien.

She drank as much as she could but Yautja males provided much more than a human. Most of his alien fluid slipped down his shaft. The warrior slumped back and she continued to gently suckle his semen coated erection. She was rewarded with a rumbling purr.

Looking at him through her lashes, she caught his eye. The warrior was pleased, giving her an adoring look with his mandibles tipped up a fraction. Her hands released their grip and he tentatively touched her head. He wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

She released his erection, not wanting to entice him into another frenzy. Her jaw ached from straining over two large erections. Rubbing the joints, she settled down on the bed.

"Do Oomans do that often?" Raz'ha sounded dazed and she laughed.

"Some." She shrugged. Human culture varied widely and she didn't have words to explain.

"Can you do that again?" The warrior moved closer, pressing his loins to her bottom. The position was awkward but the bulky male made it look effortless.

"Not for a while. My jaw aches." She should shoo him away and focus her attention on her mate. Val'jek was leaving very soon.

"When?" The warrior was persistent.

Her mate clicked and made a rude sound, a universal sign of reprimand. Amelia couldn't help her laugh. Val'jek managed everyone and everything.

"I will rub your ache." The warrior sounded embarrassed.

"No thank you."

Her mate picked up where they left off before Raz'ha appeared. Rubbing her limbs with firm strokes, he was slow to pleasure her. It was enjoyable but she wanted instant gratification.

"Val'jek," she murmured, hoping she didn't have to voice her wants in front of the other warrior.

Her mate clicked and pushed up her dress.

"Thank you," she said.

He touched his forehead to hers and his dreadlocks curtained around her face. He shifted to lock his mandibles over her cheeks with a purr. She kissed around his mouth, feeling his hands push her thighs apart. He fumbled with her makeshift feminine hygiene product. The frustrating wadded up cloth and string required a solid ten minutes to secure. She would kill for a tampon and a pair of panties but pushed the thoughts aside. Enjoying her mate was more satisfying.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she twined her fingers with his dreadlocks. Feeling where they met his skull, she massaged and tugged. His left side was sensitive to gentle touches but he didn't feel much on the right side of his head. An old hunting injury had seen half of his dreadlocks ripped out and chunks of his flesh and bone shorn off.

Disappointing her mate, his dreadlocks had all grown back in and the scars were barely visible if you looked for them. She could feel the uneven bone and raised flesh though. Touching the scars made him swell with pride and amused her.

She suspected he enjoyed it so much because no one else could be impressed with the healed injury. Val'jek had told her about the spectacular fight but there was little point in telling it to others. The marks were not prominent enough for a showing and he salvaged only a tooth for a trophy. Making sure to tug a little harder on that side, she smiled up at him.

She closed her eyes as his work roughened finger touched her intimately. His caress was gentle and unhurried, finding the small nub that sent waves of warmth throughout her body.

Purring started, but it wasn't Val'jek. Raz'ha's purr was a slightly different pitch which she started to recognize. She felt him stretch out beside her, pressing close and sandwiching her between them. The warrior's mandibles scraped her shoulder and his hands trailed down her belly.

She groaned, keeping her eyes tightly closed. The blind sensation was incredible and she arched her back. Val'jek circled her sensitive nub with quick motions and his palm pressed on her pubic bone, the pressure grounded her.

Raz'ha grew bolder, hands and mandibles lavishing gentle touches on her aching breasts. The fabric of her dress dulled the touches but not the heat radiating from him. The warrior pushed a hand beneath the fabric and experimented with a variety of touches. Her nipples tightened painfully.

Four hands on her in the dark was thrilling. Too much for her senses, she tried to hold back her orgasm. Instant gratification be damned, she wanted to remain on the edge forever.

The warrior purred louder. He slid down her body until she felt him between her thighs. His breath and mandibles stroked her inner thigh and a hand slid under her bottom. She reached out to him blindly, wanting to feel him herself. A hand tangled with hers, pressing her into the bed.

Whimpering, she was pushed over the edge by her mate's rumbling purr and a handful of quick strokes. Legs tightening on Raz'ha's shoulders, her hands gripped Val'jek's dreadlocks. Both purred low and soothing. She shivered and heated pleasure crested again and again, washing over her in slow waves.

She slumped, relaxing into the bed and cracking open her eyes. Val'jek watched her with amusement and his sharp teeth nipped at her lower lip with a scrape. She was too relaxed to care if he was smug.

Her mate moved first, releasing her face and sliding her makeshift pad back in place. She panted and nudged the warrior with her foot. He took the hint and stretched out along her side with an inviting rumble. Flushed with embarrassment, she turned to her mate and tried to catch her breath.

"You interrupted Puppy Training 101." She didn't want to sit in silence. It was oppressive and left her to think about her worries.

"I could not wait." Her mate pulled her into his lap and she sprawled across his thighs.

"Since you didn't rip my dress, I forgive you." She kissed a hip bone. He was aroused again but she ignored it.

"I am grateful." He ruffled her hair teasingly, making no effort to satiate his body again.

She wanted to lay with her mate forever like this. Taking a deep breath, she tried to memorize his musky scent.

"I love you." Her mate spoke those words rarely, opting for words in his own language instead. They meant the same thing to him but hearing her native language made them sweeter for her. It eased her worries to hear it, if only a little.

"You are my honor and my heart." Her Yautja words were mangled and she knew it, but her mate purred his pleasure.

As if Raz'ha sensed her melancholy as well, his hands rubbed her legs. He joined Val'jek in purring, not quite an arousing sound but a lulling vibration that made her sleepy.

#

Val'jek watched his mate drifting to sleep when her eyes popped open. Raz'ha clicked his query but she looked up at him.

"Tell me about Cov'o." She sounded drowsy, her voice husky.

"You saw him at his honored banquet." He shrugged a shoulder.

His son had become an honored warrior. Val'jek wanted to introduce him to his mate but she left early. Amelia had been frightened when a blooded warrior challenged him for bringing his mate to the ceremonial feast. The battle had been beneficial with most of the clan present to view the spectacle. No one else had bothered to challenge him that night.

She had insisted on retiring, feigning exhaustion. He relented and escorted her to their quarters then returned to participate in Cov'o's honoring ceremony.

"But I haven't met him. What is he like?" She shifted her weight on his thigh, growing more comfortable.

"He is an honorable warrior. Intelligent and skilled with a Naginata. He will become a Spear Master one day, if he chooses to pursue it." Val'jek felt a swell of pride with that knowledge.

He was proud of all his offspring but had a special bond with Cov'o. He raised the warrior from the day he was birthed. For ten years he had the sole care of his offspring, learning and making mistakes. The two of them had muddled through. Letting the pup go was the hardest thing Val'jek had ever done.

He reached for the leather string he kept on his belt but he wasn't wearing his belt. He had discarded all his armor in his haste to seek relief. Cov'o's first baby tooth and first kill were secured on a leather string. He had several strings, one for Mah'sic with his baby tooth and kill and the other from Amelia's Kainde Amedha kill. He liked the way they all clicked together when he played with them.

"He is very skilled with a combistick too," Raz'ha added in a mixture of English and their native language.

"You have met Cov'o?" Val'jek was surprised.

"Cov'o was sparring with Mah'sic. He doesn't want me to tell you though." She shrugged. That meant his mate wanted him to not mention to Mah'sic that he had heard. This subtlety had led to several misunderstandings in the past before he caught on. Oomans were like puzzles that needed careful thought to solve on occasion.

"Sparring is good practice. Cov'o can help Mah'sic with his Chiva training." He thought it was very good news but his mate shrugged. The warrior grew silent.

"Cov'o's mother is the High Priestess?" she asked.

"She was not High Priestess then, but yes. Why?" He clicked his mandibles in irritation. His mate was grasping for information and planning to give him none in return.

"What about Mah'sic? His mother knows the High Priestess." She rubbed his thigh absently. Her eyes were distracted with his mating history. It was a topic she avoided in the past upon hearing about his numerous offspring. What was a proud feat to Yautja males translated into an irritated Ooman female.

"A priestess but she was not one at the time. Why, Amelia?" He nudged her because ordering her to answer would have the opposite effect. She was far too close to his painful history for his liking.

"I want to meet them at your banquet." By the guilty look in her eyes he knew she was giving a half truth. She was an atrocious liar.

He clicked his indecision. His offspring and High Priestess would be respectful, but Mah'sic's bearer was an unpredictable variable. She was venomous and a rigid supporter of old traditions.

"Why?" he pressed.

"I want to understand your family structure. You are close to Mah'sic and you sound proud of Cov'o. Are you close to him?" Amelia persisted with her half truths.

"I was, but now he is grown and busy gaining honor and creating sucklings of his own." He felt the sins of his past coming back to haunt him. It felt like a sharp blade digging between his shoulder blades.

"I heard you cared for Cov'o as a suckling," Raz'ha interjected and his mate insisted on a translation.

"Is it true?" She tilted her head like a young pup discovering her first prey.

He clicked his mandibles. "Yes, for a short time. It was long ago."

"I don't understand. What happened?" Her brow scrunched but the warrior clicked his understanding.

"Females have rights to their sucklings," the warrior said.

Amelia didn't grasp the words. Val'jek had to translate, much to his irritation. He didn't want to have this conversation with a warrior who didn't understand a personal bond with offspring. And he absolutely did not want this conversation with his Ooman mate who didn't understand his culture's views on offspring.

"Did the High Priestess not want him?" His mate sat up with interest.

"I must return to my training." He stood and his mate did as well.

"You're upset," she said.

He grunted a noncommittal sound as he dressed, picking his armor from Raz'ha's. To be upset was weak but to deny it would make her more persistent. He needed to leave, quickly. Even the warrior watched him with a speculative gaze.

"I'm sorry, really." She approached him and he took a step back like a coward. She stopped.

She was too understanding and too accommodating for him to remain. His mate would tell him it was all right and he would admit to his misdeeds and his weakness. If she forgave him, she would forever have the knowledge of his crime and his lack of shame. He would do it all over again in a heartbeat, even knowing about the painful turn of events.

"I must return to my training," he repeated. She took another step closer and he forced himself not to flee like a pup.

"I love you." She spoke softly though the warrior could hear. She wrapped her slender arms around his waist and pressed her face to his chest plate.

Val'jek nodded, unable to form words. He gripped her a fraction too tight in an Ooman hug.

"Have a good day." She used a common Ooman phrase and it made him feel an iota of relief at the mundane farewell.

He brushed her face with his mandibles and gave the warrior an acknowledging nod, then he fled from his quarters.

####

Thanks for reading!


Author's Notes:

Apologies for the delay! I had to take care of a few family obligations so this chapter was a bit rushed through editing. Expect more of the same from next chapter (in 7-12 days from now). Apologies in advance for any errors. I will fix them when / if I find them. If you spot any, let me know. :)

I am happy I finally worked in some more smut. Yay! Hopefully this chapter doesn't seem all over the place. I've been trying to slowly plant subtle seeds about Val'jek's history and Raz'ha's clan issues before this. Next couple chapters we'll see a revelation or two.

I hope some of the conflicting information about the two clans isn't confusing everyone. Let me know if it's not working out.

#

Thanks to the reviewers:
I appreciate it greatly when people take the time out of their day to leave some feedback (past and current reviewers included). Thanks a bunch! You're all wonderful.

ichigokage: Glad you like the naughty and sweet. You're welcome for the review, update soon!

moira hawthorne: When you say it like that, I think my story has ADHD lol. Thanks for the many reviews! =D

Shadow (x4): I'm glad you started reading One More, and more glad you took the time to leave reviews to tell me what you think. Your compliments are greatly appreciated and all comments are great motivation to keep writing. I'm sorry for leaving you twiddling your thumbs for so long. I am a firm believer that smut can smooth over nearly any faux pas though. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for the Recommended Reading shout out!