He chuckled softly. "Cats smell; lizards taste. Both have males highly attuned to the reproductive cycle of their females." His fingers ran through my hair again. "Ayla, I'm saying it's not unpleasant. We were designed to be different from the men you know. To me, you simply smell more like you. Now, if you don't let me care for you, Jeera will cut off my tail - or my mother will. Tell me what Moles do?"
"We keep to ourselves." I looked up at him, wide-eyed. "Women wear dark colors during those days, and usually one of our roommates will bring our meals to us so we don't have to mingle."
He sighed. "Okay. And you just sit there, waiting for it to end?"
I nodded. "We have scraps of cloth, for, you know… between our legs. After midnight, we can go to the laundry to wash them for the next day."
His eyes closed, but his face was still. "Right. We'll start with pads. The other options will get handled later." He let out a heavy breath. "And something for cramps. I should've planned ahead, but I didn't even think about it. Will you be okay for ten minutes?"
"I'm fine."
He smiled. "Good. I'll be right back. Don't you dare worry about the sheets."
With another caress of my head, he left, leaving the bathroom door cracked open behind him. I heard him head out the front door while I finished cleaning myself. What I needed to do was remove the stains from my dress, but not with the door open! These men had gone through the effort to get me so many nice things, and I'd already ruined one of them. Working the soap into the material while I was still wearing it, I scrubbed until there was little more than a dark smudge on the front, barely visible when wet. I hoped it would dry better.
Before I knew it, he was back. Heading to the bedroom, he rummaged, the sound of drawers making me curious. When he walked back into the bathroom, he set my clothes on the counter. In his other hand was a small bag.
"Pads," he declared and lifted one out. "I ran across the street and borrowed some from Saveah. They're wide at the back, and the sticky side goes to the inside of your panties." He reached over for a pair of those and demonstrated, then laid the combined undergarment on top of my dress. "Try it, then let me know if I'm qualified to raise daughters."
Zasen smiled and stepped out, closing the door behind him. I stared at the closed door with my mouth hanging open for a moment. Not knowing what else to do, I quickly peeled off the nightdress and finished cleaning it. When that was done, I checked out the Dragon method of dealing with my monthly courses.
Pulling on the underwear, I was surprised to find it was only mildly awkward. Under that was the matching bra and my darkest-colored dress, which was cut to fit loosely. Mentally, I whispered my thanks to him, and pulled it on. Washing my hands one more time, I stepped out of the bathroom.
Zasen leaned against the wall directly across from the bathroom, his arms crossed over his chest. The tip of his tail twitched by his feet, the only sign he was waiting for something. After looking me over quickly, he steered me towards the living room.
There, he eased me into my chair and then sat on the edge of the table, facing me. Subtly, I pressed my hand to my stomach, trying to push away the discomfort. Those orange eyes of his dropped, making it clear he'd noticed.
"Hurts now, huh?"
"I'm okay," I insisted. "This isn't the first time, Zasen."
He leaned forward and grabbed my knees. "I don't care. Ayla, why are you mortified because I understand what your body does?"
"It's unclean."
A laugh slipped from him, and he pressed the edge of his hand to his mouth, making some attempt to hold it in. "I've seen you covered in mud and leaves, bleeding after running through the forest. You've been hot, sweaty, and sunburned when the Moles hung you out to die. I assure you, proof you're a woman does not fall into that category."
"I was raised that it's something to be ashamed of. Well, something to be kept private."
He leaned closer. "I was raised to rub my sister's back and run out to buy the necessary feminine supplies without shame. Which of us is right, do you think?"
"Rub her back?" I asked, not sure what that was supposed to do.
His mouth curled into a lopsided smile. "Mhm. Although, first, you have to learn to admit you have cramps."
"It only hurts a little."
He nodded his head once, then stood, heading into the kitchen. Zasen returned with a glass of water and something clutched in his fist. First, he handed me the water, then revealed a pair of small white pills. Holding out my hand, I let him place them in my palm, then gave him a confused look.
"It's made from a willow tree and processed to reduce the pain. Hopefully, that will take away the worst of the ache."
I took the pills, swallowing a large gulp of water with them. When I was done, he took back the glass, set it on the table, then gestured for me to scoot forward a bit in the chair. I did, not quite sure what he was planning. Then, without asking, Zasen stepped over the arm and slid behind me.
I tensed. He ignored it. Gently, his hands began to knead the muscles of my back. And it felt good! When he reached about halfway down, I moaned and let my eyes slide closed.
"So," he chuckled, "I guess this means you'll keep me for another month, huh?"
"I suppose, or I could see if Kanik knows how to do that," I teased.
He made a playfully disgusted noise. "You are cruel. Trust me, neither Kanik nor Rymar can give a woman a massage as well as I can. And tell me if my nails poke, okay?"
"I don't mind."
His hands paused. "What?"
I shrugged and glanced back to see him. "I wish I had claws like yours. They seem like weapons attached right to your hands."
"That has nothing to do with me poking you."
I shrugged with only one shoulder. "You're careful. I'm pretty sure you could pierce me, but the worst you've ever done was a little prick on my skin."
"Well, still tell me, because I can't always be sure." His hands started massaging again. "And yeah, they can pierce and cut, but it's not comfortable. It feels like they're being bent backwards."
"Which is why you use the krael instead. Makes sense."
"Yeah." He chuckled softly. "So does this mean you're a bit less mortified now?"
"I..." My head dropped. "No. I wish you didn't know. I didn't mean to be so loud, but I didn't want to make a bigger mess."
