Once he saw her face, a reverberation pulsed from Uh'luka's chest. The female's eyes were narrowed. Her upper tusks were lifted into a sneer. She faced him square-on and that in itself was a warning, though subtle. Dominant females didn't always waste their breath with a verbal reprimand, and often chose to use a physical correction instead.

"You kept me waiting to direct your servant?"

"The ooman isn't a servant."

Still, those of higher rank were always addressed first. Her jaw tightened.

His purr deepened.

"...I went to your banquet. I saw what those badbloods had done to your body. You didn't even recognize me."

With that, Astennu turned away. A surge of pain hit his chest like a bolt of lighting. Uh'luka bounced in front of her. He spread his arms out to make sure she didn't try to dart away. The female stopped, but her stance remained rigid.

"I didn't see you there Astennu. If I had seen you, I would have recognized you."

She turned her face away.

"You were my last mate before my capture. Because of that, the memory of our time together was burned into my memory. You were who I thought about for all those cycles. It brought me back to Yaut, if only when my eyes were closed."

Slowly, her head turned back to him. Her eyes flickered at the ground, then lifted to meet his. He remembered those eyes in the hallway where he'd been serving as a sentry. Those vibrant green eyes had trailed down his body with blatant desire. They didn't look so lustful now.

"I mourned your death."

He knew those words were not spoken by a yautja lightly, "I was gone many cycles...I would not have returned at all if not for the ooman's help."

"That ooman?" She guestered the way Asha had left.

"Yes."

Astennu scoffed, "What accident made that happen?"

"It was the ooman's escape plan. And when I failed, it was the ooman's distress signal that saw us home."

Astennu's eyes widened, "You owe your life to a lesser being!"

He knew it was more a statement of shock than disrespect, but he bit back a growl.

"I find that hard to believe."

"It is true. The ooman is blooded, and she is my mate now."

"I am an expert on many things, but not oomans. I'd like to meet her. Invite her to my place...and I will invite your daughter."

"Daughter?"

"Yes. And she a hunter. But I would have liked more than one from you."

He stepped closer and spoke with a voice thick with lust, "We can change that right now if you wish."

"Mmm, nice try Lost Warrior. While it is bold of you to proposition a female outside of the breeding season, I'm not impressed."

Her piercing green eyes looked him over with criticism. She reached out and grabbed a strand of his hair. As she squeezed it in her palm, her fingers twisted and played with one of the metal beads. The sensation made him want to drop to his knees, but he realized the danger. A purr rumbled through him.

Her fingers slid over his shoulder as she walked behind him then. He felt her nails follow a scar along his back. Uh'luka tensed when a claw dug into a healing wound. Many yautja females were born sadists, but inflicting pain also reminded the males who was dominant.

Asha sighed as she poked her finger through a hole in her top. Underneath, her skin was green and purple with bruising. Ain's hound was still young and rambunctious. She twisted around to see more holes and pawprints on her backside. A smile tugged at her lips.

She loved working with the hunting hound anyway. He'd learn to be more gentle. It took time. For today though, she'd endured enough. Asha stripped, moaning when the cloth grazed the scratches on the back of her arm.

"That hound is not a pet. It's a hunting tool."

With her top stuck over her head, Asha wobbled off balance, "Uh'luka? Oh. You surprised me...I guess I thought you'd be gone longer."

A deep hum was his only response.

She tossed her clothes down the chute and turned to see that his eyes were on her. She brushed her hand over the bruises and shrugged. His eyes remained steady. They weren't on the cuts or skin discoloration though. She bent forward to look herself over.

"What?"

His chest rumbled, "Beautiful."

She couldn't contain her smile.

Uh'luka stepped forward until his body touched hers. His knuckles brushed across her jaw before his fingers spread into her hair. Heat radiated from his body like sun-warmed stone. She leaned into him. Solid, strong, and musky.

She inhaled a deep breath. There was something different about his scent. It was still manly, still musky, but there was a hint of something unfamiliar...something tamer. Something...earthy?

She slid her palms up his bare chest, then around his shoulders to his back to hold him closer. When her fingers touched something tacky, she recoiled. Asha stepped back and looked at her hand. It was covered in drying blood that glowed green. She raised an eyebrow. Uh'luka merely snorted.

"You were fighting again?"

"No."

With a purr, his hands slipped behind her. His fingers dug into her asscheeks. He lifted Asha up that way, eliciting a surprised gasp from her. Uh'luka held her to his chest a moment before sliding her downward. She felt the hard bulge under his loincloth and shook her head.

"Let me down. I have to get out of these clothes."

His purring hitched up a notch.

Asha let out an amused laugh, "Not like that. The Yaut pup did a number on my outfit."

Uh'luka made a noise like a disgruntled toad, but set her down.

"Later." She promised.

"I'll let you change. After that, I request your attendance."

"What for?"

"My former mate wants to meet you. One of my daughters will also be there."

"Oh...oh ok."

She turned to change, but Uh'luka was right behind her. His arms wrapped around her like steel bars and tugged her backward. His skin was already starting to heat. She struggled to free her arms. His hot breath tickled the back of her neck before a purr crept to her ears, threatening to take away her willpower.

"I want my musk on you."

Asha jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow, "Not gonna happen."

He dropped his grip only to undo his loincloth. A shiver of anticipation ran through her. Uh'luka loomed over her, but not with intentions to ravish her. Instead, he turned and stepped into the shower. Asha couldn't deny her disappointment. His self-control was almost annoyingly good now.