Calm: Ice Planet Barbarians: A Slice of Life Short Story by Ruby Dixon Read Free Book Online

braids. “Long day?” I tease.
    “I worry over my mate even if she does not. Someone must make our tireless healer get her rest.” He lets his fingers trace over my skin. “And I worry over what Vektal says. If there is a problem—”
    “Then we wait until it surfaces,” I assure my mate. “He is right. We cannot live every day worrying over a formless, nameless thing.”
    “Enjoy the calm,” Kashrem agrees, holding me close. “Easier than it sounds.”
    Over in the basket, Makash hiccups and then begins to cry.
    Despite my exhaustion, I chuckle. “Much easier than it sounds, especially with a newborn kit.”
    “I will get him.” My mate climbs to his feet again and moves to the basket. He picks up the bundle, rocking Makash in his arms as he returns to my side.
    I watch them, and my resolve is strengthened. Vektal is right. We live in a dangerous world. There are threats every day, and we cannot live in fear of them. We will wait. We will prepare. We will keep our secrets, and we will hope for the best.
    And until then, we enjoy the calm.
    I hold my arms out for my new son, and smile.

Author’s Note
    W ell , wasn’t that a fun tease? I hope you enjoyed the little glimpse into Maylak’s headspace. I wanted to show things from her perspective—as both integral part of the tribe and worrywart—as well as check in with several of our other couples. I hope you enjoyed this! As Maylak says, it’s a little bit of calm, right before the storm.
    Speaking of storms…Maddie’s book, BARBARIAN’S TAMING, will be out right at the end of summer, and I’m thinking it’s going to be a game changer for our aliens in many ways.
    I hope you enjoyed this little taste and it’ll get you through until the next full-length release. As always, thank you for being a fan. I really do have the best ones on the planet!
    <3
    Ruby

MOVING DAY
    FARLI
    C ham-pee bites at the cuff of my leggings as I walk through the cave, nearly tripping me.
    “Cham-pee! Stop it! I am trying to carry these blankets!”
    He bleats at me, looking so funny and so very sa-khui in his outrage that I laugh. I cannot be angry at his furry little face. When he gets indignant, he reminds me of Bek in one of his moods, which just makes me laugh harder.
    Hands grab the tall stack of blankets from me, and I am surprised to see it is Bek. I am not surprised to see he is scowling.
    “My thanks,” I tell him, grabbing Cham-pee before he can attack Bek’s leggings.
    “You must be more careful,” he tells me in a flat, angry voice. “You nearly stepped into Hemalo’s hides.”
    I look over in surprise. Sure enough, Hemalo has set up his skinning tools just outside the cave the unmarried hunters share. It is in the way of the normal paths through the tribal cave, but I suppose he cannot set it up in his own cave anymore, now that he has moved out. “Oh. I did not see—”
    “Clearly.” Bek nods at me. “Now, where do you take these?”
    “I am going to get Mah-dee,” I tell him, ignoring his foul mood. “Today is her moving day.”
    He grunts. “I will carry this for you so you do not hurt yourself.”
    “And so you can see Mah-dee?” I tease.
    A scowl darkens on his face. I have probably pushed too far, judging from his reaction. I do not care. Bek needs a kick in the tail after several moons of his sourness. The only one he is kind to anymore is the human Claire. I think he misses her. But he only says, “Where is the human, then?”
    I shrug. “Where did she sleep last night during the celebration? In which cave?”
    He does not know, and I do not either, so we start peering into the caves with no screens. If she has bedded down with a hunter, we will find her soon enough. This is a cave with few secrets…though I think if she has bedded down with someone, I will lose Bek’s assistance.
    We find Vaza before we find Mah-dee. He is all smiles as he spies us, a basket in his hands. “Have you seen the human Mah-dee? I wanted to give her a