After a long, long while of silence-just staring at each other's fire-lit faces-Shatauz unclenched his jaw and admitted, "I don't know how to do this."

"You are a virgin?" Bregun asked, astonished enough to forget her fears and speak.

"Uhmm... No, no, I know what that means, and no... But I've never done anything like this. It was always... during battle." He suddenly found a bit of dirt on his buckskin kilt that needed immediate attention. "I'm... um... I'm... I don't want to... You know. Hurt you."

"So you don't want to do it?"

"I want to do it," he mumbled quickly, realizing how stupid he sounded as he said it. Oh damn, he thought, all the blood rushing from his head, do I want to do it!

Amazingly, she smiled; but she was too hard to understand. Anyone could understand Halla; her scent and her eyes and her smiles always matched. This woman, with hair like liquid fire, was a jumble of contradiction to Shatauz. But oddly, the more reluctant he was, the more interested she seemed to be. Now she slipped a little closer to him, and Shatauz licked his lips with a dry tongue. It took all the willpower he had not to grab himself-or grab her. And maybe that was the bottom of it; if he started, he doubted he would be able to stop. His mind had a point of reference, but he mistrusted his body, so long denied any sort of pleasure with a female. And what pleasure he had taken had been a bloody affair.

"You don't like me?" Bregun asked; her voice was fearful, but her heartbeat was quick and he could easily feel the quick warmth of her blood.

"I like you fine. Better than fine. But if I touch you, I might break you."

Her breath caught in a little gasp. Shatauz's senses flaired-it wasn't the same as Halla's sweet scent, but could it be...?

"So then, don't touch me," Bregun murmured.

"What? I suppose it's your decision, but I thought-"

She leaned dangerously close. Whispered in his ear, "So don't touch me, then. Lie on your back, with your hands beneath you."

His breath was knocked right out of him with a hard grunt, as his quick mind understood. Shatauz did as he was told instantly, and Bregun got up on her knees, and began to unlace the front of her dress. Shatauz stared at her soft, heavy breasts, digging his claws into the floor of the cave and wondering exactly how long it would take before he did grab her. He was so busy feasting his eyes on her chest that he twitched in surprise when soft, calloused palms slid under his kilt and grabbed him. Shatauz groaned, and reminded himself again and again of the hideous abuse he'd take from the others-Maukurz especially-if he shot off before even getting inside her.

He didn't have long to wait in fear; Bregun hitched her skirt up quickly, and in a moment she was astride him. Just as he felt the perfection of her taking him in, she pulled away, leaving him gasping. "Don't touch me!" she repeated, her voice low and aroused and stern at the same time.

"Nnnoo, no-I swear-!"

He was overwhelmed in a moment, enveloped by her body, by the soft, satisfied moan she gave as she took him in. Shatauz understood instantly what Maukurz had never been able to put into words; it was like fucking a whole different creature, with a woman who was willing and who wanted it so badly her scent and body wrapped around him, as if it would devour him. Shatauz felt the birth of a skull-shattering orgasm in the pit of his belly, and he bit his lip hard as she said, "Don't you dare do it yet."

He shook his head, unable to speak or make any sound save a groaning, desperate growl. The very sight of her was enough to drive him to the peak of pleasure; she threw her head back-that mane of red hair!-and cried out, rocking back and forth on top of him until her cries became high and frantic, and Shatauz felt her insides contract sharply, and that water he'd been told to seek rushed down over him. Shatauz couldn't take any more of it. His hands snapped free and he grabbed Bregun's hips, throwing her over to the ground. His mind was a blank of anything but his own pleasure-insane pleasure-and he couldn't see Bregun's wide eyed-shock. He couldn't feel the change in her energy, her sudden fear, as he clutched the backs of her thighs and drove at her. In moments, Shatauz lost sense of himself as well, and he collapsed on top of her, shaking like a newborn.

Then he pushed himself up, suddenly terrified. But she wasn't dead, and she wasn't sobbing, or anything else. In fact, she was looking at him in wonder, and in a moment her hand smoothed over his face. "I've never," she told him, "Never felt anything so wonderful..."

Shatauz laughed huskily. "Agreed."

As he watched in delight, Bregun slipped out of her gown entirely, then pulled his fur blanket up over the both of them. She turned her back to Shatauz, pressing her body, her round backside, up against him, apparently ignorant of the fact that he would be well recovered in moments, and ready to go again.

But Shatauz would try to restrain himself. For the moment, he was still trembling, still wrapped in bliss from the indescribable pleasure of his initiation. He wrapped his arms around Bregun, inhaling the scent of her hair deeply, and promising himself that he would care for her as well as Maukurz cared for Halla. He only allowed himself to take her once more-he shouldn't overdo it-and then, holding her in his arms still, Shatauz fell asleep.

Bregun lay in the darkness, a small smile curving her red lips. For the first time in her life, she felt powerful, and she lay basking in it, savoring it. What she would do with that power, well, she could think of that later.