The Huntsman and the Nix Ch. 04

"Give it all to me, baby," Sutter said, watching her head tip back, watching her close her eyes. She arched, her knees coming up, spreading for him, her body jerking with his thrusts, his fingers busy, watching her.

"Sutter," she breathed.

Sutter watched her face, her lips parting and her eyes heavy, feeling his pleasure rising.

Her face relaxed and then her eyes closed and she yelled, going rigid. It went on forever, her pussy tight and swollen and convulsing around him. Sutter held himself over her, inside her, his arm bracing. He arched, pressing her into the bank and releasing, making low, helpless sounds and doing it again, his breath choking out, pleasure wiping out all his sense of himself.

He slowly relaxed, coming back, panting as her knees came down. "Son of a bitch, Isobet." He was catching his breath, just staying still, savoring it, pressing a little. Leaning down, he kissed her, her arms coming around his neck.

He put his forehead against hers."I've noticed that your big brothers leave you alone, killer."

"Because I'm with you," she aid between breaths and as if it were obvious, her legs still wrapped around his hips.

Sutter grinned and then sobered when she frowned lightly at him. He was still in her. He looked down and leaned back a little, his hand cupping her breast. "They don't act like men who have been out here alone for years. They never have, not from the beginning."

Her brows went up. "You think there are more Nix?"

"Not unless they made seven more like you."

She looked down at herself, her nose wrinkling. "I need another bath," she told him.

Sutter sighed, withdrawing from her. He picked her up with a grunt, getting to his feet and settling her in his arms, walking out onto the rock, the water up to his calves, the pool in front of him. He leaned down and kissed her again. When he came up, he smiled at her, friendly.

"No," she said, glaring up at him. "Don't you dare."

His smile widened.

"No, Sutter," she yelled, arcing high as he tossed her into the water, diving in after her.

When they'd both had a second bath, Sutter went into his pack and tossed her his spare shirt.

She held it up, frowning at it, and then put her undershirt on, and then his shirt. It reached almost to her knees, black. Looking down at it and then up at him, she shook her head. "You had a spare shirt all this time?" she said, giving him that flat stare instead of being grateful.

"Yes," Sutter said.

"Why didn't you give it to me before?"

Sutter's eyes dropped to her tits and then he'd frowned at her a little. "Why would I?"

#

When they got back, Isobet sat between him and Jaunt again. After what Hops had said, she still wasn't looking at any of the other Nix. All of them except for Hops were shooting glances at her that she didn't see.

Ero got up and walked to the same cleared area, Sutter watching the big Nix. "Come fight me, little sister," he said, looking at Isobet, gesturing to her, a come-hither motion.

Isobet looked up, frowning at him.

"What?" Sutter said to him.

"This doesn't concern you, Huntsman," Ero said. "Come on, little Nix. Let's see what you can do."

Isobet scrambled to her feet, glaring at him, Sutter up as quickly. Jaunt followed. She walked, facing Ero, all the Nix gathering, Jaunt and Sutter in the circle. Only Init was still on patrol.

Isobet was a dovrit facing a handro, a pebble facing a boulder. Cope laughed.

She put her fists up in front of her face, narrowing her eyes at Ero and staying moving like Sutter had taught her, because little or not, Isobet was badass.

Ero made a slow grab for her, and another that she evaded easily. She threw a tight jab up, having to throw herself to reach, which he leaned back to avoid, grinning, Isobet recovering, that uncanny balance.

Sutter leaned in, speaking to her. "Be smart about it. He's not a regular guy. You're not going to be able to hit him in the face and run, Isobet. You'll just piss him off."

She circled Ero, a drop facing a wave.

"Don't hesitate. Get in there, dammit," Sutter said. "Don't half-ass this shit or he'll just knock you down."

Grinning, Ero took the initiative, opened his hand, leaning forward to grab her because he was reluctant to try to hit her and this time Isobet gave him a lightning jab to the face, because he was in range and she was that fast and she saw an opening. And because she was badass.

Cope laughed again.

Sutter shook his head. "Exactly what I just said not to do," he muttered as Isobet danced back and bared her teeth at Ero, looking fierce. Sutter grinned, watching her, Jaunt giving a soft laugh to his right.

Ero seemed less amused, wiping at his mouth where Isobet had bloodied his lip, licking it. He did grab her this time, faster than thought, sweeping her up. She went with the momentum, twisting, and she scrambled onto his back, her legs coming around his upper chest, which she couldn't circle and therefore couldn't lock her feet. But her arms locked around his neck, her hand on her wrist. She did it perfectly, wrapped around his upper body and on his back like a miniature tanglevine.

Cope burst into laughter again. "Well done! Well done, little Isobet."

She was trying to arch. Ero was grinning, walking around. "Has anyone seen Isobet?" he said, all the Nix laughing, Cope doubled over now.

Sutter walked forward a little, leaning in again. "Too big, killer. You'll just exhaust yourself. He's not going to bend. You're going to have to try something else."

Isobet dropped off him like a burr off a big hairy fezda and rolled, disengaging, whirling around. She had that look on her face that she got, concentrating, absorbed, searching for options. She attacked, coming in like she was going to punch, but it was a feint, and it was well done, and Isobet was just as fast as Ero was, Isobet going for a single leg, as she should.

But Ero bent over and one of those long arms shot out, fast, swiping her legs instead, so fast it was a blur.

Isobet went down on her bad shoulder, yelping.

Sutter winced. "Get up, unless you want to be on the ground with that big son of a bitch."

She tried, but Ero dropped on her, putting her on her back and straddling her.

"Control his hands before he controls yours," Sutter warned her.

She curled up like she should, panting, getting her knees against his chest and grabbing Ero's sleeves, opening her legs. He was dragging her around and she put one foot on the ground, let both hands go and grabbed his legs and pulled. He let it happen, grinning, falling, controlled, and she curled around his leg and made her way up his back, on top for a moment.

"Bring him down, Isobet!" Miter called.

Ero laughed, twisting, and broke her hold, trying to pin her, Isobet curling up and grabbing his sleeves again, getting her knees and then her feet against his shoulders, her right foot on his bicep and pushing, pulling on his left arm. For a moment, it looked like she would roll him, but he posted, supporting himself, grinning again.

She put her right leg over his arm, her legs around his head now, a triangle, locking her ankle to her shin and squeezing, but he straightened his back, holding himself rigid.

"Almost, little Nix," Cope crowed.

"Transition, killer," Sutter called.

She locked her feet, holding Ero there until she could get hold of him. Ero stayed still for it and she finally got it done.

He stood up as she pulled, his head between her thighs, and now she was upside down, squeezing him with all her might. She yelled a little. He began to grin, and he tapped her thigh. "All right, fierce little Nix. You win."

She dropped off him, first her hands and then her feet landing, crouching, panting, before she straightened. The other Nix were grinning and talking, except for Hops, who was hanging back, unsmiling.

"Well done, little sister," Ero told her. "You have a good teacher."

Sutter was already walking to her, looking her over. "Good. How's the shoulder?"

"Fine," she said, her hand going to it, wincing a little, still out of breath, wiping her face with his sleeve.

Ero stepped forward, his smile vanishing. "Did I hurt her?"

"No, Ero," she said quickly, shaking her head.

"She's injured?" Miter said, coming in, Isobet's eyes shifting.

Rab joined them, then Cope, all of them except Hops crowding around her.

"What's wrong with her shoulder?" Cope said.

"Nothing," Isobet said, dropping her hand.

"I'm a medic," Rab told her.

"It's nothing," she said, her jaw tight, her eyes becoming as hostile as they had been when she'd first met the other Nix, darting. "Thank you," she added.

Sutter leaned in, speaking to her low. "It's taking longer to heal than I thought it would. I'm not a medic, killer. You should let Rab look at it."

She studied him and then gazed at Rab, that flat, intense gaze.

"Don't be afraid, little one," Rab said.

Isobet's shoulders fell. She nodded, pulling off Sutter's shirt and holding it in front of herself, the bandage still on her shoulder because she didn't like looking at what was under it. She was so delicate, her small shoulder round, turning her face away.

Rab reached and gently unwrapped the bandage, his hands looking huge on her. When it was free, he was still for a long moment, staring at it. "Oh, little sister," he said.

The brand had been too big, setting unevenly, several of the letters smeared and all of it deep, the skin depressed in certain places and raised and still red in others.

Isobet didn't look at anyone, her face flushing, the other Nix becoming expressionless. Ero's fists clenched.

"Fuck," Jaunt muttered beside Sutter.

"Yeah," Sutter muttered.

"What is it?" Hops said from behind, walking forward. He saw it and turned to Sutter, striding toward him, getting in his face, his fists clenched, Sutter leaning back a little. "Who did that?" Hops demanded. "Who would do that to her?"

"Not him, Nix," Jaunt said, firing back.

Hops made a disgusted sound and then turned and walked away, Sutter watching him.

"Come here and sit, little one," Rab said, that gentleness from the big man. "Don't mind them." He brought Isobet over to a rock, Isobet watching his face as he looked at the brand, touching around it, her face becoming as expressionless as theirs.

Sutter came over, Jaunt coming with him. "She won't react if it hurts, doc," Sutter told Rab. "You have to ask her."

"Tell me when it hurts," Rab said, prodding.

"It already hurts," she said, not reacting.

Rab withdrew his hands. "It's deep," Rab said to her. "It doesn't help that there's nothing to you. The muscle got hurt, yes, but you seem to have full range of motion. It's just going to take time. I know you probably don't like looking at it, but don't put the bandage back on. It should be open to the air. It'll heal faster."

#

Later that afternoon, they were all sitting on the edge of a ridge, sharp and steep rocks they'd scaled to get up here to their left, the field below them. The Nix had brought them there. Sutter saw a handro enter the high plain below. He had forgotten what silly-looking fuckers they were. The handro clacked its teeth.

"We're safe," Rab leaned from Sutter's right to say.

Sutter had kind of gathered that by the relaxed attitude of the seven men lined up on each side of them, Jaunt directly to his left, Isobet directly to his right.

"They won't come up here," Miter added. "They don't really do well on slopes and they can't climb."

That was good to know. Sutter looked at the creature, which coughed and then it opened its mouth and made a loud belching sound that went on.

To his right, Isobet laughed.

"What is it doing?" Jaunt said to his left, their feet dangling.

"It's a mating call," Cope said down the line.

A second handro appeared, this one a third larger with bright green stripes on its head.

"A female," Miter explained, crunching. "They're more rare. They live in the grasslands northeast and only come to mate." Miter had nuts and was popping them into his mouth.

They watched the animals spot each other, both of them looking profoundly and stupidly surprised, going still, and then the male belched at the female, a long expression. Cope laughed, Isobet joining him.

The female looked appropriately offended, glaring at the male, and then her foreclaws came up and she clacked her teeth. The male belched again, longer now, and she threw her head up and around like she couldn't stand it for one more moment and rushed toward him.

From the jungle south, another huge female handro streaked out, intercepting the running female, who faced her, chest-to-chest, both of them snapping and clawing, trying to knock each other down. Several of the Nix crowed.

"Fighting over the males," Miter said, shaking his head, popping another nut into his mouth, chewing.

The animals' claws were leaving long gouges on each other's bodies, Rab making a disgusted noise. In the meantime, the male had wandered back toward the forest a little aimlessly, a bit lost, only to run out again, another female, this one even larger, pursuing him and knocking him down with her chest.

"Clever girl," Cope said, and laughed.

The male went down, belching. They watched. Sutter's eyebrows went up.

"Is she supposed to do that?" Isobet said.

"Is that right?" Jaunt added.

"Wait until you see what comes next," Ero said.

"Is that his--?" Isobet said in a moment.

"Yes," Ero and Miter and Cope and Rab all said in unison.

Ero sneezed, muttering.

"Is that her--?" Jaunt said directly after.

Cope laughed. Isobet tilted her head.

"Did he just--?" Sutter said.

"Going in a second time," Ero hooted.