Chapter 5: First Mate
"Can you back off a little? You're too close."
My back presses to his chest, feet braced against the cool, rough cave stone as I push his arms hard, desperate, childish, but I don't care.
Not when I'm pressed against him in the dim, fur lined cave he'd carried me into, not when I'm fighting to hold onto the last bit of my sanity, my virginity!
Against a tiger beastman who thinks I'm his wife just because I took a stupid pretty diamond.
The cave air is thick and warm, heavy with the earthy scent of stone and pine and his wild, woodsy musk, the faint iron smell of the bloody hunt still clinging to his skin from the warriors' patrol.
Tigris rumbles, the sound deep in his chest vibrating through every inch of me, a low purr that skates over the nape of my neck and sends an unwanted shiver down my spine.
His big hands rest light on my hips, not tight, just grounding, like he's trying to calm me, not cage me, his calloused fingers brushing the soft fabric of my shorts.
"Lily," he murmurs, breath hot on my skin, his nose brushing the soft hair at my neck.
"I promised I won't hurt you. But don't push me away. We need to mix our scents, so...no stupid male from the tribe dares to mess with you. They'll smell me on you, know you're mine to protect. My mate."
The word mate makes my jaw clench.
His words sound soft, sincere, but that doesn't erase the hard press of him against my lower back, a sharp, unignorable reminder of how beastly he is, how he's twice my size, how he carried me here like I was nothing.
I don't trust it, not right now, in this dark cave.
I don't get this beast world at all, but the cave's still sweltering, easily over thirty degrees even with the faint night breeze seeping through the hide curtain at the mouth.
Sweat beads at my hairline, sticking strands to my forehead, and I clench my jaw so tight my teeth ache to hold back a moan that threatens to slip out.
His purr deepens, his lips brushing my neck by accident, a light, warm touch that makes my knees go weak, that makes something flutter in my stomach, I don't want to name it...
Every breath he takes sends chills down my spine, his scorching heat against the cool stone at my back, a dizzy mix that makes my heart race, every nerve in my body hyper aware of him.
His broad, scarred chest to my back, his strong arms around my waist, his thighs pressed to mine.
I'm wound tight, restless, like I can't sit still, can't breathe, like the cave walls are closing in, making every touch, every breath, every rumble from his chest feel louder, more intense.
"Tigris," I gasp, shoving his forearms harder, my voice shaky with frustration and a flutter of something else, "stop the smelling. The purring. I can't sleep like this. I'm not your mate, we aren't married, no matter what the tribe says."
It does nothing.
His arms tighten around my waist, pulling me back flush against him, no space left between us at all.
I've never slept with anyone, not even a lazy cuddle with my best friend Mei Mei back home.
The weight of his body, the searing heat of his skin, the steady thud of his heart against my back makes my head spin.
I can feel the faint scratches on his chest against my spine, the rough texture of his matted golden hair brushing my shoulder, and I cling to his arms, my fingers curling into his muscle, desperate for something to hold onto.
His body is burning hot, way too hot for a normal person.
If I didn't know he was a beastman, if we weren't stuck here with no hospitals, I'd scream for an ambulance.
Does he have a fever? I swear his heat is seeping into my bones, infecting me, because my skin's on fire too.
A slow, warm burn that starts in my stomach and spreads out, making me dizzy, my fingers tingling where they press into his arms.
This is going to be the longest night of my life.
How did I even get here? Trapped in a cave, pressed against a tiger shifter who thinks I'm his wife, all because I couldn't resist a pretty diamond.
Good question.
It all started the second we stepped inside this cave, the hide curtain falling shut behind us and blocking out the cheers and teasing from the clearing, blocking out the world, leaving just me and Tigris and the quiet hum of the cave.
He'd set me down gently on my feet the second we crossed the threshold, his large hand still light on my waist like he was afraid I'd run, the massive wild deer slung over his shoulder thudding to the stone floor with a heavy thud.
The cave was bigger than I'd thought, dimly lit by a small fire pit in the center, its embers glowing warm and casting soft orange light over the stone walls.
A big nook in the far wall was lined with thick, soft furs, bear, wolf, something bigger, a pile that was clearly his bed, and a few smooth stone platters sat on a ledge, the only "dishes" he had.
It was rough, primitive, but surprisingly cozy, like he'd tried to make it a home.
Tigris had turned to the deer, his amber eyes soft as he glanced at me, and he'd grabbed a sharp stone knife from the ledge, his movements quick and sure.
"I'll cook this for you. A feast, just for us, like I said." He'd started skinning the deer, his hands moving fast, and I'd stood there frozen, my fingers still curled around the diamond in my pocket, its cool weight a guilty reminder of how I'd gotten here.
I'd watched him work, my eyes wide, as he cut a slab of meat from the deer's flank and laid it on a flat stone platter, then set it over the fire pit to grill.
The smell hit me fast, sharp iron and raw flesh, no salt, no spice, nothing to mask the bloody taste, and my nose wrinkled in disgust.
I'd crossed my arms over my chest, the frustration and panic from the clearing bubbling back up, and when he'd pushed the platter toward me, the meat charred on the outside and still pink on the inside, I'd snapped.
"Tigris, this is terrible." My voice was sharp, ungrateful, and I winced a little, he'd saved my life once, had carried me here like I was precious, but I couldn't help it.
My first day in this world, tricked into a "mate bond" by a diamond, and now I was stuck eating burnt, bloody meat in a cave.
"It tastes like straight blood. You didn't even clean it properly, did you? Just threw it on the fire until the outside's burnt bitter and the inside's still raw. One more bite, and I'll puke up whatever's left of breakfast from this morning."
I'd scowled, kicking a loose stone on the cave floor, and Tigris's ears had drooped, his tail flicking apologetically at his ankles.
A sad, guilty look had crossed his rugged face, the firelight glinting off the fresh scratches on his chest, and he'd set down the stone knife, his big hands flexing like he didn't know what to do.
"I'm sorry," he'd said, low and quiet, "I never keep salt. We trade for it with the river tribe, they have salt flats by the water, but I never had reason to stock up. I live alone here, in this cave."
He'd lifted his gaze to mine, amber eyes earnest, and my heart had softened a little, stupidly, foolishly.
"I never thought I'd find my female," he'd said, his voice rough.
"so I never bothered with the small things. The stuff that makes food taste good. I only know how to hunt. That's all I've ever needed."
I'd glanced around the cave again, at the fur bed, the stacked dry wood by the fire, the smooth stone platters he'd clearly found and polished himself.
He'd tried.
In his rough, beastman, hunt and fight way, he'd tried to make this a home, for me. My scowl had faded, and I'd sighed, my shoulders slumping, the diamond heavy in my pocket.
"Do you have something else?" I'd asked, gentler now, not wanting to hurt him more.
"Fruit? Berries? Or rice? Grains? Anything but this meat."
His face had lit up then, the sadness gone in an instant, amber eyes sparking with excitement like a kid who'd been given a gift.
"Fruit, yes. The tribe's berry gatherers pick all kinds, and we trade rice with the deer shifters, the herbivore tribe, they grow it in their clearings. I don't have rice here yet, but I can get fruit. The fox shifters next cave over have piles, they love sweet stuff, like Mara."
He'd been moving toward the hide curtain before I could answer, pausing to grin at me, his sharp canines peeking out.
"Two minutes, okay? I'll be fast. I won't leave you long."
And he'd meant it.
He'd bolted out, the hide curtain swishing shut behind him, and I'd heard the quick crack of bones shifting, a low growl, before his massive tiger form had vanished into the trees.
I'd stood there, staring at the curtain, stunned, his shift was so fast, so smooth, it had made my head spin.
He'd been back in less than a minute, his tiger body padding into the cave, a woven wicker basket clamped gently in his powerful jaws, his tail held high like he'd brought me a treasure.
He'd shifted back to human mid step, the basket falling into his hands, and he'd held it out to me, chest puffed with pride, the firelight gilding his golden hair.
I'd peered in, and my eyes had widened, round blue orbs the size of apples, small red berries that glowed in the dim light, fuzzy yellow fruit that smelled like honey, all of it fruit I'd never seen in my life.
"What's this?" I'd asked, picking up a blue orb, running a finger over its cool, smooth skin, the firelight glinting off it.
"Why's it blue?"
"Marine berry," he'd said, leaning in close, his woodsy musk wrapping around me again, "grows on vines under the river's shallow water, hence the blue. The other females in the tribe love them, say they're the sweetest thing there is."
He'd shrugged, scratching the back of his neck, shy now, the tough warrior from the clearing gone in an instant.
"I don't eat much fruit, beastmen crave meat, mostly. Hunting is all I know. But I remembered they liked these. It's all for you, Lily. Eat as much as you want."
The berry had smelled sweet and earthy, a hint of strawberry and pine, and I'd wiped it on my shirt, curious, and taken a big bite.
Juice had burst on my tongue, sweet and tart, a perfect mix of strawberry and crisp apple, flesh soft and juicy, nothing like the burnt, bloody meat he'd given me earlier.
I'd moaned, without thinking, my eyes fluttering shut.
It had been the first good thing I'd tasted since I'd gotten here, a little piece of normal in this crazy, beast filled world.
I'd eaten half the berry fast, then frozen.
.
.
.
.