Barbarian Mine (Ice Planet Barbarians #4)(52)

It writhes and slides into the wound before my mind can grasp. A moment later, the kit shudders and jerks, and Har-loh clutches him close, her body stiffening with worry.

“Is he…”

I clasp her shoulder, both of us intently watching our son. Moments pass. Long, tense moments in which no one breathes. The laughing, boisterous hunting party is utterly silent, even Leezh.

Then, the baby coughs. A moment later, he breaks into a loud wail and his fists raise in protest. Har-loh breathes a happy sigh of relief, but I don’t release my breath until he opens his eyes and I see the bright-blue glow in them.

At that moment, I know it will be all right. Relieved, I sink to my knees.

The others break into cheers.

Har-loh kneels next to me and offers me the angry child. “Do you want to hold your son?”

I take him in my arms and stare down at him. Already the wound in his neck is healing and his fists move vigorously in the cold air. I hold him close. My son. I look at Har-loh, and my heart overflows when she smiles at me.

My mate.

“Let’s go home,” I tell her.

Her brows furrow. “Back to the sea cave?”

I shake my head. “Home. With the tribe. Together.”

She bites her pink lip. “You’re staying?” Her voice is shy, full of hope.

I reach out and touch her cheek. “I could never leave you. Not you, nor our son. We are a family.”

Her radiant smile is better than a thousand memories of my father.





Epilogue




One Turn Of The Moon Later

HARLOW



“Ow!” I wince as Rukhar’s little gums bite down hard on my nipple. His tiny fist holds on to my finger like he wants to fight me if I even think about taking my breast away. “Your son is a biter.”

“My son is a warrior,” Rukh says lazily next to me. He plays with Rukhar’s small foot and grins up at me from our furs. “He wants what is his.”

I snort, but I can’t complain as the baby gazes up at me with bright-blue eyes as he feeds. Ever since he got his khui, little Rukhar is not so little anymore. The baby has nearly doubled in size, which is shocking to me. He’s now plump and happy and a lot stronger than I expected. The tiny tail lashes back and forth as he feeds, impatient, and I wonder if I’m going to have to go see the healer again to increase my milk production. I switch breasts and the freed one dribbles milk and still feels heavy. Nope. Rukhar’s just a little piggy. Strangely enough, I’m fine with that. He’s so healthy it makes me beam with happiness to see him. Even his tiny horns are growing.

Rukh’s hand brushes over the blondish fuzz on the baby’s head and then strokes my arm. I still, because his touchy-feely-ness is something I’ve sorely missed in the last month. We’ve been caught up with the new kit and adjusting to the tribe, and my body adjusting to post-baby. There hasn’t been a ton of time for sex.

Okay, there’s been no time for sex. And I’m dying for my mate to touch me again.

Rukh’s fingers trace up the curve of my arm, to my shoulder, as he watches me feed our son. Maybe I can put the baby down and we can—

Someone rattles the string of shells in front of our ‘door’. It’s a curtain, but since you can’t knock on a curtain, I made the next best thing. It allows Rukh to feel like we have a bit more privacy. I pull a leather throw over my body as I nurse and Rukh sits up. “Enter.”

Vektal comes in, and Rukh gets to his feet. The chief looks harassed. “Leezh’s kit is coming. Raahosh is…not himself.”

Which means he is panicking. Not surprising, considering that over the last few weeks, Liz has gone from sharp-tongued to downright crabby as her belly expanded and she grew nearer to birth. Raahosh hovered over his mate and obsessed over the smallest things to ensure that his Liz was happy. Consequently, he is driving everyone else in the tribe crazy. Vektal and Rukh had talked about taking Raahosh hunting while Liz gave birth so he wouldn’t drive poor Maylak insane with his questions and nitpicking.

Rukh immediately grabs his spear and his hunting bag. He looks at me, hesitating.

“Go,” I say, waving a hand at him. “I’ll bring Rukhar over to Liz and see if we can’t distract her. You take care of the father-to-be.”

My mate moves to my side and caresses my cheek. “I will bring you home your favorite. With the new birth, the tribe will want to feast tonight.”

I chuckle, nuzzling his hand. “Just bring home a calmer Raahosh and that alone will be worth celebrating.”

He looks as if he wants to say more, but then nods and heads out after Vektal. I finish feeding the baby, burp him, and then change his leather swaddling out for fresh wraps. Funny how Vektal, Raahosh, and now Rukh have become such close friends. They argue and bicker like brothers, but they also support each other quite a bit more than I expected. Rukh has adapted well to living in the tribe, though when he is in a bad mood, he complains about the noise. But hunting with Raahosh and Vektal helps, and I think he’s growing to enjoy the company instead of being irritated by it.

When Rukhar is changed, I put on my pre-pregnancy tunic dress and am pleased to find it fits. I’m feeling more like myself, though I still miss the touch of my mate. I’ve stopped bleeding, though, and everything feels like it’s back to normal. That means everything can go back to normal, right? I hope so.