by Lily Graison
A roar loud enough to echo inside the cave stole the words from his mouth. He looked to the cave entrance, Sarra now stiff in his arms. He could hear her heart racing in her chest, the scent of her fear filling the air.
Something heavy banged against the ground a moment later. If he had to guess, it was a tree or a boulder and anything large enough to do that sort of damage was too close to their nest. Another roar filled the cave. Sarra’s soft gasp and her arms coming up to cover her breast were enough to let him know she was frightened.
He clenched his teeth. “I’m going to eat whatever that is while it’s still alive.” He crossed the cave and looked out the entrance and saw the treetops a few hundred yards away sway. Something was definitely too close. “Stay here, my Sarra. If anything comes inside, scream. I will hear you.”
The boulder he’d pushed in front of the cave entrance the day before was close by and even though he didn’t want to close the entire cave off, he did push it over the entrance until only a small sliver of light got inside. He’d not risk anything walking in on Sarra while he was gone and if they didn’t know she was there, she’d be fine.
He stuck his head around the side of the boulder and looked in at her. “Stay here. If anything comes in, scream and use the fire if you have to. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
In the time it took to move the boulder, she’d covered herself with the length of cloth she’d discarded earlier and his anger at whatever was out there returned. He’d been moments away from claiming her and now she was frightened again. The unfortunate creature making all that noise was going to die painfully for his interruption.
Sara stared at the huge boulder Toren had apparently rolled in front of the cave entrance for a full five minutes after he’d left. How in the world had he moved that massive thing by himself? It had to weight a good ton.
Whatever was out there in the trees was still doing whatever it was doing to make all that noise. It sounded as if there were trees being uprooted and thrown and she hoped it wasn’t because anything that big meant it was possibly the dragon she thought she’d seen when the tree monster attacked her and being stalked by a dragon the size of a mountain would probably end very badly for her. As capable as Toren seemed, she had no doubt he’d be no match for a dragon hellbent on having her.
She dressed quickly, the foul-smelling garments ridiculously too big. Both of her legs fit into one of the pant legs and the sleeveless shirt had armholes so big she was probably flashing some serious side-boob. She kicked the pants away, settling on the shirt. It fell to mid-thigh. Her ass was still bare underneath it but at least if she bent over, no one would see it.
She paced the cave waiting for Toren to come back and as much as she wanted to deny it, her skin still tingled where he’d touched her. He’d shocked her sneaking up on her like that but the shock died the instant he’d touched her. That crazy lust she felt around him came roaring back in an instant and she was ashamed to say, if the thing outside hadn’t started making so much noise, she’d probably be on her back this very moment. A small part of her was disappointed she wasn’t, even if it made her a bit slutty to think so.
The critter Toren had spitted and put over the fire was cooked through. She rummaged through the things he’d gotten from somewhere and found a flat wooden disk she assumed was a plate of some kind and a knife with a solid white blade. The handle was wrapped in what looked like dark, tanned leather but the blade itself—she ran a finger over the side of it—it was smooth to the touch and running it over the meat told her it was sharp. Whatever the blade was made from, it wasn’t any sort of metal she’d ever seen.
She cut the meat away from the bones, piling it up on the wooden plate and settled back on her pallet bed when Toren stepped back inside the cave. He looked no different than he had when he left so whatever had been out there must have been gone by the time he’d found it.
He crossed to the stash of water and washed his hands then lowered himself to the ground beside her. “It’s gone. I have no idea what it was. I’ve never seen one before.” He picked up a piece of the meat, blew on it to cool it a bit and to her surprise, turned and put it against her lips.
“Eat Sarra.”
She’d never been fed before. Well, not since she was old enough to feed herself she hadn’t and it felt a bit—decadent—having Toren feed her. The way he was looking at her made her feel deliciously special too. Maybe this alien prison moon wouldn’t be so bad. Toren acted as if she were the best thing to happen to him in—well, forever. A girl could get used to this sort of pampering.
Opening her mouth, she accepted the bite of food from him and didn’t miss the way he stared at her lips as she chewed, nor did she miss the fact he’d set the plate between them within easy reach and leaned back on one hand as he continued to feed her. “Are you not going to eat?” He didn’t answer. She wasn’t sure why she kept talking to him knowing he couldn’t understand her. Habit, she supposed. She let him feed her three more bites before she shook her head and redirected his hand to his own mouth. “You eat too.”
“Have you had enough?”
Not by a long shot. She shook her head and reached for a piece for herself but Toren stopped her. “When you’ve had your fill, then I’ll eat.”
Those non-existent panties she wasn’t wearing were going to melt clean off if he didn’t stop being so swoon-worthy. She played along and let him feed her, stopping him when she felt ready to bust and sat quietly as he ate what was left. She studied his profile, noticing the way his eyes shined in the firelight and wondered, if like felines with a slitted pupil, could he see well in the dark? The way he’d led her through the dark forest, she thought maybe he could.
The past week still seemed like a dream in some ways, being with Toren the only highlight she’d had since being dumped here. As frightened as she’d been when he tackled her to the ground and hid her from the others, he’d done nothing since then but take care of her and see that she was fed. She owed him her life. If not for him, she’d hate to even imagine where she’d be right now.
He finished eating and must have felt her gaze on him. He turned to look at her and she smiled. “I know you have no idea what I’m saying and even though I was a bit wary of you in the beginning, you’ve done nothing but take care of me since the moment you found me and— well, thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for feeding me and protecting me and thank you a million times over for those amazing orgasms you’ve given me.”
“What do those words mean?” He stared at her and said, “Thancu. What’s the meaning?”
“Thank you.” She grinned at his attempt to say it and tried to think of a way to explain. She looked at the food and pointed to it, then to him, the food, and then herself and said, “Thank you.” Turning, she pointed to the things in the corner, the too big clothing, the water, then the garment she was wearing and said, “Thank you.” The cloth pallet bed they were sitting on, then to herself. “Thank you.”
“Are you—“ He looked at everything she’d pointed to before meeting her gaze. “Are you thanking me?”
Sara threw her hands into the air and yelled, “Yes!” then laughed. “Yes, thank you.”
He gave her a devastating smile then cupped her cheek. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, my Sarra.”
And just like that, the mood shifted and that damn spicy-sweet scent of his skin filled the air. The moment she smelled it, she knew, it was definitely some sort of pheromone because her body felt hot in an instant. Question was—did he release it on purpose or was it something that happened naturally? With communication almost non-existent, there was no way to tell. Not that it mattered. Pheromone or not, she had no doubt they would have eventually ended up horizontal at some point but was she ready to go from heavy petting to full-blown sex? They barely knew each other.
“What is that look you’re giving me?”
Sara looked away. She wasn’t sure what sort of look she was giving him. Were her thou
ghts written across her face?
He ran the back of one finger down her cheek. “I’ll never do anything to make you uncomfortable nor will I touch you without your permission.” He leaned forward, his lips a barely there flutter against her mouth. “What do you want, Sarra?”
What did she want? She wanted to be in her drab dorm room studying for mid-terms while scarfing down pizza and cheese puffs but she knew that wasn’t what he was asking. She studied his face, those odd violet eyes with the cat-eye slit. This was her life now. He was a part of it unless she walked out and went looking for Marcy and the others alone and she was many things but stupid wasn’t one of them, so this—whatever this was between them—was her now. Her future. He obviously wanted it and deep down, if she was honest with herself, she did too.
She leaned forward, returning that small kiss with one of her own before deepening it, her tongue slicking into his mouth. She held back a groan at the heat and taste of him, that intoxicating spicy sweet scent growing stronger and filling her head until her nipples hardened and her blood was racing through her veins.
A log on the fire popped loud enough the kiss ended abruptly as the sound startled them both. Toren shifted the firewood a bit, the blaze dying and leaving the cave in flickers of soft light. “I don’t think this wood will last through the night.” He sighed and looked her way. “I’ll need to find more. The mountain will get cold. You shivered until dawn last night.”
He leaned over and kissed her again. “When I return, I’ll make you mine.”
Her heart started racing as she watched him climb to his feet.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
The moment he was gone, Sara grabbed the water and swallowed several large gulps, wishing it was strong enough to chase the nervous butterflies now swimming in her stomach away. She had no doubt what—make you mine—meant. The look in Toren’s eyes alone told her. The heavy petting was over. He wanted more. He wanted sex. This was it. She either let him have what he wanted or turned him away. It would take very little to lay down and pretend to be asleep. She had no doubt he’d not try to wake her.
She stared at the rock hiding half the cave entrance, her lip tucked in between her teeth. Since the moment she woke up on the spaceship, scared out of her mind, she wanted to feel safe. Being dumped here and having to run for her life, twice, had left her mentally exhausted. As scared as she’d been when Toren found her, she hadn’t been scared since. Not once, and she knew it was because of him. She knew he’d keep her safe. He wanted her and would do anything it took to protect her. He’d already proved it by standing watch while she slept in the dark forest and sitting by the cave entrance the night before. Finding her food and somewhat-warm clothing. The only thing she could ask for that he hadn’t provided so far was a toothbrush, comb, and deodorant. She would have traded those pitiful excuse for shoes the Big Heads had given her for a few necessities but she doubted dental hygiene or her personal grooming habits were high on their list. Why would it be? They’d dumped her on a prison moon. They probably didn’t give a rat’s ass what happened to her after they closed the door on their ship and took off.
Thinking of her lack of hair brush, Sara tried to finger comb her hair, then felt stupid for doing it. Toren already knew what she looked like and if she had to guess, going by feel alone, she’d say her hair looked like it had been styled by Medusa herself, so taming it now was a lost cause. Maybe she could cover it instead?
She stood and rummaged through the pile of clothing in the corner, looking for something small enough to use as a bandana. Surely covering the mess on her head a bit would make it look less like a nest of snarls. A small scrap of dark material lay at the bottom of the pile. She had no clue what it was for but straightened and shook the piece out. It was the length of her arm and nearly as wide as her body and rolling it lengthwise, then twisting it made a coil-like rope that would work perfectly. She was tying the ends at the back of her neck when she heard Toren come back. Her pulse leaped as he came closer, his feet dragging a bit, and she imagined this would play out a lot like it did earlier in the day when he’d snuck up on her while she washed, only—it didn’t. She was slammed into the rock wall of the cave face first, her legs buckling from the impact.
The rough treatment was enough to tell her it wasn’t Toren behind her. When the smell hit her, she knew for certain. The stench of filth and feces burned her nose as dizziness caused her vision to blur. She was jerked away from the wall, hands that weren’t quite human pulling her back into a solid, wide chest, hard nobby protrusions digging into her spine. She screamed, but only a fraction of the sound got out before whatever it was at her back clamped a beefy hand over her mouth.
Tossed to the floor, her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. This part of the cave floor was solid rock and she scrambled to get away, the hard surface biting into her knees. Her sore face hit the ground a moment later when her feet were grabbed and pulled, her body slamming onto the ground. She was flipped over to her back and she got her first look at the thing that had her.
It had two arms and two legs and its skin was a molted brownish-black. A hard shell-like structure ran over its chest, the hard nobs she’d felt digging into her back running from collarbone to waist. Spines as long as her forearm protruded all the way down its back and it was every bit seven foot tall. It had a flat face and wide nose and when it opened its mouth to smile at her she assumed, its teeth were jagged along the edges.
It was on her before she had time to scream again, groping hands pulling at the sorry excuse of a shirt-dress hard enough the seams popped, the fabric ripping. She screamed then. Screamed so loud it felt like something in her head busted loose. It grabbed her face, his hand going to cover her mouth again and she bit into his flesh and closed her eyes as he screamed in case he hit her again.
As quickly as he came, the weight of him was gone. She opened her eyes when whatever had attacked her started screaming and turned her head to see Toren with one arm around its neck, the knife she’d found and left lying by the fire buried in the thing’s skull. It twitched several times, a gurgling noise echoing off the cave walls before Toren let it go and it slid bonelessly to its knees. When the bulk of its body hit the ground, she didn’t have time to make a single noise before he had her pulled off the floor and into his arms.
She’d never been one of those weepy females who cried at movies or watched sappy chick-flick dramas but the moment she was in his arms, she sure as hell felt like one. The tears came before she could stop them and as she stood there trying to stop crying like some ridiculous romance heroine in those cheesy novels her dorm mate liked to read, she clung to Toren and let him be the hero in her own personal bodice ripper.
Her body was shaking, her head stopped up by the time she got the tears under control. She blew out a shuddering breath, Toren’s grip on her still tight and comforting and she was loathed to let him go, whether that made her a silly romance heroine or not. She didn’t care at the moment. This world was going to give her a nervous breakdown with all the aliens and monsters, dragons and animals that wanted to eat her face off. The only thing she hadn’t encountered yet was a man-eating plant but she was sure, given enough time, she’d run into one of those, too.
Her limbs stopped shaking after a few minutes but her arms around Toren’s neck were still tight.
“Did it hurt you?”
She loosened her grip and pulled back enough to look at him and tell him, no, but his nostrils flaring stilled her words.
“You are hurt.” He reached up and cupped his hand over her forehead.
The moment he did, she felt the throbbing pain. She remembered then that whatever it was that attacked her had slammed her against the cave wall.
“I will clean this up. Sit down and don’t move.”
He helped her sit and she did as he told her, still too shaken to disobey, and watched numbly as he grabbed the thing laying near her feet by the arms and started dragging it to the cave entranc
e. The moment he pulled it outside, the world went blessedly dark as she passed out.
Chapter Eleven
After the attack, it took Sarra a full three days to start acting like herself again. She’d jumped at every noise and the bruise that had formed on her forehead had been a constant reminder of how miserably he’d failed her. Every time he saw that look in her eyes or that bruise, he wanted to kill whatever that thing was that attacked her all over again. Wanted to rip its head off while it was still alive. It had died too quick. Too painlessly. He’d done nothing but stabbed it in the head and dragged it from the cave before tossing it down the embankment far enough away the stink wouldn’t reach them.
Then spent three days trying to make up for his failure in protecting her.
He was staring out the cave entrance, arms crossed over his chest. He could smell wood smoke on the breeze and in the distance, a dim flicker of light. He’d not paid much attention to how close the camp he’d raided had been from here but now that the sky was clear and the light from the twin moons was shinning down to illuminate the world, he could see it clearly. And it was too close.
Is that where that thing had come from? Thinking of it again only made him wish he’d found a more gruesome way for it to die and the next time something came at his mate, it would go out screaming.
Toren jumped when Sarra touched his arm.
“Srydinmenoscreu.”
He smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her. “You startled me.” She laughed and nodded her head. Is that what she’d said to him? She raised an eyebrow in question and tapped her finger on his forehead a few times. “What am I thinking?” She nodded again. “About you.”
She grinned and looked out across the treetops in the valley below before leaning against him, her arms around his waist. For the first time in days, she was initiating physical contact with him. The first time she’d put her arms around him he’d nearly come undone. Having her do it now after what happened told him she didn’t hold him responsible for the attack but she should. It’s his duty to protect her and he’d failed.
