Barbarian’s Bride by Ruby Dixon

12

DAGESH

Irush to the cave that Pashov shares with his mate, full of excitement. I am closer than ever to understanding my mate. The privacy screen is not across the threshold, so I enter without a second thought.

The moment I do, I see Pashov with his mate pressed down in the furs, one of her pale legs wrapped around his waist, his tail pinning it there in place.

Stay-see gasps the moment I come in, squirming underneath her mate. Her flanks are bare and shudder with each pump of her mate into her body.

"Are you almost done?" I ask. "I must talk again."

Pashov glances over at me out of the corner of his eye, even as he thrusts into his mate again. "You are a very inconvenient visitor."

"Your screen was not up," I point out.

Stay-see murmurs something indignant and Pashov pauses in his strokes to pull the furs over his bare behind and cover them. He glances over at me again. "Let us finish."

"I will be just outside," I tell them, full of excitement. I head to the front of their cave and put the privacy screen in place. I hear a few more low sounds from inside their cave as I wait, and Stay-see makes a gurgled cry at some point. I pick at my nails as I wait, bored. Surely Pashov will be done with his mate soon.

It is a bit longer before either of them comes to pull the privacy screen aside. Finally, though, Pashov appears and grins at me. He has a loincloth on again, and reeks of mating scents, but there is a smile on his face. "Should you not be spending the afternoon in the furs with your mate so I can go back to mine?"

"Soon," I tell him and step inside again. I nod at the female by the fire, who is covered in furs. Her cheeks are flushed. "Stay-see."

"Sorry if that was awkward," Stay-see murmurs, her face turning redder. "I didn't realize we'd forgotten the screen."

"It was not awkward," I reassure her. "I have seen Pashov's naked backside many times before. As for matings, I have seen—and heard—much louder, more vigorous situations."

"Ouch," Stay-see says with an amused glance at her mate. "Don't take that personally, sweetie."

Pashov just gives his mate a silly grin, and it is clear she holds his heart in her hands. I am happy for him—Pashov is a good friend. He glances over at me. "Why are you back so soon?"

"No-rah does not like white roots," I explain triumphantly.

They both stare at me.

"This makes her yoo-ish, yes?"

Stay-see groans and puts her hand on her brow. "No, I mean…you can't…actually, never mind. You weren't trying to uncover if she's Jewish. We already know she is. I was just wondering if she wanted a Jewish wedding ceremony. They're more in-depth than your average one."

"So everyone has this ceremony?" Pashov asks, curious. He moves to sit by his mate and takes her hand in his. "Do you want one?"

She snorts. "Not at all. I'm perfectly fine, thank you. And I'm not a religious girl. I didn't think Nora was, but who knows? It might not be a Jewish wedding that she's sad about after all. Maybe she had a big family that she left behind. Maybe she misses her friends." Stay-see lifts one shoulder in a shrug and the fur falls down her arm. She blushes and quickly tugs it back up again. "I'm just saying, there's a lot of things for us to be a little sad over. Give her time."

I am normally the most patient of males, but when it comes to No-rah and her unhappiness? I cannot sit and wait. "Who would know more about this yoo-ish wed-ding?"

Stay-see looks over at her mate. "I mean, I don't know. I guess I can ask around on the sly, if you're looking to surprise Nora."

A surprise. I think my mate would like that. "You will do that for me?"

"Why, sure. Nora's my friend, too." She smiles. "We're all in this together, right?"

I nod. "How soon before you will know?"

Pashov loops an arm around his mate's shoulders, pulling her against him. "Give her time, my friend. She has to pay attention to her mate before all others."

"I promise I'll report something back tomorrow," Stay-see offers.

It must be enough for now.

* * *

The next day,I return to the cave with four fat, fresh hoppers. My other kills went into a cache, but it seemed a shame to let so much fresh meat go to waste. I bring them in and offer one to the elders for their fire, one to Hemalo and his mate, and bring the other to Pashov and his mate.

Pashov declines the hopper. "I brought a quill-beast back earlier and Stay-see is roasting it with roots. Give it to Haeden. His traps were empty this day."

"I shall." I hesitate, because I know I am painfully obvious. "Has Stay-see found out anything?"

My friend nods. "She says Arr-ee-yon-uh has been to a yoo-ish mating ceremony. Wait here and I will bring the females over."

I sit inside his cave, anxious. Arr-ee-yon-uh is Zolaya's new mate, the one that cries often. Her name is impossible to remember, but we all know of her through her tears and misery. He adores her, though, so she must be different in private. Perhaps I am harsh, though. Not every female can be as perfect as my No-rah.

I bite back a sigh of frustration. I hope this is the answer to No-rah's lingering sadness.

A short time later, Pashov, his mate, and Zolaya's mate enter the cave. The female gives us a shy smile before sitting down by the fire next to Stay-see and clasping her hands in her lap. "You…Stacy said you had questions about a Jewish wedding?" She glances between us. "I'm not Jewish, but I've been to two Jewish weddings and I figured maybe I could help a little."

"Anything you can tell me would be very welcome." I try not to seem too eager. "I worry my No-rah is sad she did not have one and wish to do what I can to make it up to her."

"Well." Air-ee-yon-uh pauses, thinking. "They're definitely more of an elaborate affair than the Christian weddings I went to."

"Krees-tee-ahn?" I ask.

Stay-see touches the other female's hand and shakes her head. "Trust me, you don't want to go into that right now."

"Other weddings," Zolaya's mate amends with a small smile. "The first one I went to was outdoors, but they had this intense-looking canopy for the bride and groom to stand under. The bride got up there and circled the groom seven times. And they exchanged their vows and rings, and…" She thinks for a moment. "And they broke glass."

"Glass?"

"Glass," Air-ee-yon-uh confirms. "Stemware. At least it was at the wedding I went to. The bride and groom had them wrapped in napkins and they stepped on them. Then everyone called 'mazel tov' and that was the end of the wedding. And then at the reception, there was a lot of circle dancing." She gestures. "Everyone held hands and danced to ‘Hava Nagila’ while the bride and groom were lifted up in chairs. I remember clapping and singing along, and everyone just had such a great time."

Stay-see leans in. "Oh man, this sounds like fun."

Air-ee-yon-uh nods, smiling. "It really was. Both of them were so much fun. It was just a big party. Lots of food, lots of dancing and celebration. I don't remember a lot about the ceremonies themselves, but I do remember the circling, the stomping on the glass, and the chair dances. Other than that, just a big party, I think."

"Well, we can do that," Stay-see says, leaning back. "A party with lots of food and dancing? That's easy."

"A canopy for the bride and groom," Air-ee-yon-uh muses. "They stand under that and declare their mating, and then they need to break something together. We don't have glasses, though, or pottery."

"The elders have a few pots but I think they'd kill us if we tried to toss one to the ground," Stay-see says. "Maybe a cake? Or we could freeze some ice in the shape of a bowl and toss it down?"

"Or bone cups," Pashov adds. "If you need something to shatter?"

His mate snaps her fingers and points at him. "You're a genius, love."

He grins and looks over at me. "What do you think?"

"You all would help me with this?" I am humbled. "To create this dance party for my mate?"

"Oh, of course," Stay-see gushes. At her side, Zolaya's mate nods. "We'd love to help. Nora's a friend, and an excuse to have a party is a good one if you ask me. Do you mind us helping or do you want to handle it on your own?"

I gesture at Pashov's mate. "Your help is very welcome. I cannot thank you enough."

She waves a hand in the air and turns back to Air-ee-yon-uh. "We'll have to plan out what food to make. And get some chairs. And some extra cups so we can break them. And this needs to be on a day that everyone's going to be around the caves because we want everyone to feel included…"