Savage Seed by Ivy Sparks

18

Kade

It wasnightfall by the time I finished securing the village’s perimeter and readying our warriors. Earlier that evening, one of our scouts had returned, claiming he had seen the green coat of the sand tiger moving about the desert. Close—too close—to the village.

I made sure the entire tribe was alert. Our warriors were strong and fierce… but the sand tiger was clever. While I was confident in our defenses, it would have been foolhardy of me to underestimate her.

My body was tense and ready. She was out there. I could feel it. It was as if I wasn’t allowed a moment’s rest. Just as I was feeling so content with Leslie, that damned beast had to make a reappearance…

As the moon continued to rise, I glanced back at my tent. When I learned of the sand tiger’s presence earlier, I had warned Leslie to stay put. She seemed disappointed that I wouldn’t stay with her in the tent, and I more than shared the same disappointment. But there had been much to do in preparing my people for a potential attack, and I took my duty to them seriously.

Looking back at my tent now, I wondered what Leslie might’ve been doing in there. I had left the poor female in such a state of arousal, and if it hadn’t been for the interruption, I suspected I would have made my claim on her again and again, long into the night.

I sighed deeply, returning my focus to the task at hand. I felt a heavy hand clap down on my shoulder and turned to see Llanos, one of my warrior companions.

“We’ve got the perimeter covered, Omos,” he said, a sly grin on his lips. “You can go to her if you wish.”

“If I had a woman like her,” Novak chimed in, “I’d have gone back to her long before now. Sand tiger or not. Let the village be damned.” He laughed heartily.

“And we would all be dead because of it,” I grunted in response. It was a harsh response to a well meaning comment. But I had lost people to a sand tiger before. Many of us had. This younger tiger wasn’t to be taken lightly.

Still, Llanos reassured me, “We’ve got it covered. Go to her if you wish. We’ll sound the alarms if we see anything.”

Llanos and Novak were two of our most capable fighters… and the temptation to return to Leslie was mighty. My cock twitched at the thought of finding her naked in my bed, waiting for me. I imagined sliding my hand around her throat from behind, putting myself inside her, her pussy wet and ready and eager…

Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’ll wait until I’m sure we’re secure.”

My companions looked at each other and shrugged, their silly grins hard to hide. I would let them have their fun, so long as they remained alert and ready.

The sand tiger was out there. And so long as there was breath in my body, I wouldn’t allow her to hurt any of my people.

* * *

Hours passed without incident.A few of the younger warriors sparred by torchlight, no doubt itching for danger. I watched them strike at one another with proper weapons—not the wooden practice ones the children used—and noted how they would hold back when their blows came too close for comfort.

They would never learn that way. Only with actual contact could one learn the sting of battle and how to overcome it. Only with real contact could one learn that battle wasn’t fun, nor a game to play.

I nodded toward Llanos, knowing he saw the same. He grunted and moved toward the youths, taking their weapons away and instructing them to fight with their fists. They initially looked surprised, but soon spotted me watching them intently from nearby. That was all the motivation they seemed to need, as they moved to continue their sparring with no further hesitation.

Once they got started, I acknowledged their improvement with a smile before turning and surveying the perimeter. It had been a quiet night.

Perhaps I could return to Leslie, if only for a few moments…

I looked first at Llanos, who seemed to be able to keep one eye both on the desert and the sparring youths. Then I looked at Novak, who stood as strong and alert as ever. I trusted these men.

I could step away for a few moments.

I stood, taking a step toward Llanos. He smiled his silly grin and gave me a nod, clearly one step ahead of me in judging my intent. I gave him a slight nod in return, and with a bounce in my step, made my way back to my tent.

Leslie affected me in a way no other woman had. It was strange, seeing as I had spent all my life learning to observe and react to nature. I was fine-tuned to hunt and kill, always on alert for danger. A warrior through and through, never more than a moment away from a fight.

Yet when I was alone with Leslie, that ferocity seemed to somehow melt away. It was freeing, in a sense. But would that freedom come at a price? And was that a price I was willing to pay?

An heir to the throne, becoming so involved with an outsider… Would I be seen as weak?

My mind wandered to my mother, and I wondered if she would have liked Leslie. Or were such thoughts pure folly? Leslie still wanted more than anything to return to her father and her people, meaning our relationship was likely temporary. My claiming her was, after all, simply for her protection. As I had promised her. But then it became something else.

I sighed deeply once again, pushing all these thoughts aside. I would have to return to the perimeter shortly; no point wasting what precious little time we would have with thinking.

I shoved the tent door open and strode inside, hoping to find Leslie as I had imagined her. Ready, waiting, eager.

But the tent was empty.

Leslie was gone.