“You need atone for nothing,” Skalla snapped, wings and tail twitching in annoyance. “I’ve already told you that.”

“Please, Skalla. Just translate,” I replied wearily, not wanting to have this argument again.

He glared at Jolakaia and did so, though not entirely faithfully. I noticed he left out anything about me wanting to atone and simply told her I wished to help out at the temple. I rolled my eyes but decided that was good enough, because Jolakaia was already agreeing.

“That will work well. It will be a busy mixing day for me. My patient rounds have been reduced now that you are well and all the Mother’s Claws’ bones are mending.”

I cringed, knowing exactly who had broken those bones and why. There was nothing I could do about what had happened now, but at least I could help out in some small way. Give something back, as paltry as the penance may be.

“If you’ve had enough to eat, then we shall go,” Jolakaia said. “You can ride with me on my two-wheel if you like, Suvi.”

“She will ride with me,” Skalla corrected.

“We do have a second one... But do you even know how to ride?”

Skalla looked irritated by the question even though it was a good one. Who knew if they’d had vehicles like these on the planet back when he’d been here last?

Skalla slung one powerful leg over the two-wheel Zev had been working on and got himself into position with ease that had to have come from muscle memory. If he hadn’t driven this precise sort of vehicle, he’d definitely been on something similar. He gripped the rounded steering mechanism in a way that looked very natural, then gave an affirming, sideways jerk of his snout.

“I remember. At least, my body does.”

“Alright, then. Just don’t go too fast. Children often dart out into the streets, and there are wagons that move more slowly. Plus, if you topple, Suvi’s skin will not hold up against the fall as well as scales would.”

Skalla scoffed, as if the very idea of me falling were ridiculous to him. And he kind of had a point with that – the guy literally had wings. He could just grab me and hop right up into the air to avoid the ground if needed.

It was decided. We would take the two-wheel and follow Jolakaia. Skalla got off the vehicle that still needed more work done on it and sat himself upon the newer one Jolakaia offered.

“I’m not sure I’m going to fit,” I said, looking at the thin strip of seat left after Skalla had settled himself. He shifted backwards as far as he could and spread his thighs wider, but I still had my doubts. I loved my body, but there was no mistaking it – I did not have a small ass.

Not waiting for me to make up my mind, Skalla seized on me with his claws, lifting me and plopping me down between his legs. I was instantly overcome by the nearness of him, the wall of muscle at my back and the massive legs closing in both of mine.

It turned out there was enough room left on the seat – sort of. I perched on the front edge with the pole holding up the half-circle steering apparatus alarmingly close to my crotch. It wasn’t like it was rubbing against me, though, so I figured this was alright for now. It would be almost as uncomfortably squishy a ride on Jolakaia’s two-wheel, because her seat was a little smaller than this one.

After a quick verbal lesson from Jolakaia on the ignition (a simple button) and steering (a very intuitive mechanism, much like a cross between handlebars and a tractor’s steering wheel) we were ready to be off. Skalla looped one arm around my waist, holding me fast, like a living seatbelt.

“You’re only going to steer with one hand?” I asked him.

“Technically, I could just use my power to steer it. I don’t need a hand on it at all.”

He moved his steering hand to my knee. His thumb drew a shivery circle on a bit of exposed skin as he demonstrated moving the steering mechanism this way and that without laying a single finger on it.

“Noted,” I choked out, trying and failing to ignore the trembling tingles working their way up my inner thigh from the gentle scrape of his thumb.

Unfortunately, ignoring the sensations turned out to be impossible. Because I discovered very quickly into the ride that the steering column did not just twist in a rotation, but it also moved backwards towards the seat and forwards to either decrease or increase speed.

Every time Skalla shifted the pole between my legs to slow down, it bumped against my clit. And then, when in that position and swivelled to turn the vehicle, it ground hard against me. Skalla kept his hand half on my knee, half draping onto my inner thigh, the other curled possessively around my ribcage in the perfect position for my heavy breasts to rest on him, my sensitive nipples rubbing against his scales through the robe. I was entirely frozen, jammed between the ferocious bulk of Skalla’s body and the rod of the steering apparatus, unable to wiggle away from the mounting, involuntary pleasure.

I barely registered most of the ride. Callabarra with its alleys and buildings and chatter swam past me in a watery blur as I tried extremely fucking hard not to come. I was successful – barely. As soon as we stopped outside the temple, I leaped out of the seat as if it had burned me. Skalla gave me an odd look as I crossed my arms over my chest, stiff and flushed.

“Are you alright?” he asked, swinging his leg back over the seat and coming towards me, concern bending his brow.

I bit down on my tongue, focusing on the pain. As pathetic as it felt to admit, watching Skalla dismount the two-wheel and stalk shirtless towards me had me clenching in a dangerous way. Paska, one swipe of is tongue against me, no, a single whisper of breath on my throbbing flesh, and I would be coming. Instantly.

“I’m fine,” I squeaked out.

He looked like he was about to say something, or maybe even touch me. With rubbery limbs, I hustled out of his reach, following Jolakaia into the courtyard and then the temple beyond.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Skallagrim

Even with the one-sided language barrier, Suvi and Jolakaia were becoming fast friends. They walked ahead of me together, leaving me to feel rather like some useless barnacle stuck to the back of their boat. I felt, as they smiled and chatted over various flowers and fungus, that I was intruding on some secret female social interaction. I was not only unneeded for their tasks, but also probably not wanted, and more than once Jolakaia, or Suvi, or both of them in tandem, scolded me for casting a shadow on whatever it was that they were examining. But I persevered, because being with Suvi, even if it meant following her in silence and staring at the sway of her back with a longing that practically turned me inside out, was worth it.

As Jolakaia gave Suvi a longer, much more detailed tour of the temple gardens than last time, I let my gaze track over the sun-drenched plants. Since our arrival, three Mother’s Claws had positioned themselves in the gardens, and my mood soured further.

I should probably consider myself lucky that Koltar didn’t insist on guards stationed at Jolakaia’s home to watch us.

Then I snorted at myself. Because if anyone was lucky, it was the guards themselves. If they had tried to follow us from the temple to take up permanent stations at the door to the apartment, then they would have quickly found themselves with that very same door ripped from its hinges and shoved right up their –

“Are you coming?”

Suvi’s voice distracted me from the amusing violence of my thoughts.

Her little arms were filled with flowers, soft colour pressed to her chest, her hair like liquid in the sun, her cheeks pink and eyes aglow. For a breathless moment I could not speak, could not even attempt to recall what she’d just said to me, so sharply had her loveliness seized upon me, like talons beneath my scales.