by Hope Hart
I nod and take another bite, not at all surprised when the female continues talking.
“You mentioned someone who will send more warriors to help us. How do you know him?”
“He is a tribe king.”
“A tribe king?”
“He rules over other Braxians. They live together in a camp.”
I raise my head, and she’s gazing at me curiously, obviously waiting for me to continue. I shift, and this time, I can’t control my wince as the pain almost blinds me.
“We can talk later,” she says. “That arm needs to be in a sling. I can help with that. I’ve got some training.”
I nod. Truthfully, I know the bone needs to be stabilized. I get to my feet.
“I will bathe first.”
Ivy
I’m a red-blooded woman.
And most red-blooded women would agree: the sound of Vrex splashing in water is a special kind of torture.
I’ve never been attracted to the cute guys. To the white-collar guys with soft hands and pretty mouths. Vrex, with his huge body and “don’t fuck with me” attitude is about as far from one of those guys as I can get.
That’s not to mean that I’m going to do anything about it.
Just that I’m tempted.
Real tempted.
Vrex opens the door, and I swallow with an audible gulp. I can’t help it. My mouth practically waters at the sight of him with his shirt off. He has the strangest blue-green pattern on his skin, across his shoulders and the top of his chest. I open my mouth to ask him about it, but my gaze is caught by the pendant hanging from a long string tied around his neck. It catches the light, the gold practically glowing in the flicker from the fire.
“That’s beautiful,” I murmur.
“It was my mother’s. She made jewelry.”
“You got your talent from her.”
His chest is a work of art. His shoulders are huge, and I unashamedly let my eyes trail over his pecs, his eight-pack, and down to the V that points to the promised land.
He’s wrapped a fur around his waist, and his arm is awkwardly held in front of him. His eyes heat as I meet them, and I feel a bolt of triumph. The robot is affected by me.
He’s also looking even paler, pain clear on his face.
Wow, Ivy, way to perv on the injured guy.
I jump to my feet, gesturing for him to sit down. He complies, and I carefully attempt to avoid glancing down at where the fur has parted.
Jeez. Bruce and I occasionally watch rugby at his favorite Irish pub. He watches for the sport, while I unashamedly watch for the men. And Vrex has just revealed a set of huge thighs more impressive than any rugby player’s.
I move into his bedroom and hunt through his chest until I find a piece of cloth that will work as a sling.
“Do you have any painkillers?”
Vrex frowns at me. “Painkillers?” he repeats in English, although the word comes out slurred as he attempts to speak my language.
“Something you can take to make it less painful?”
He shakes his head.
“Jeez,” I mutter. “I’m starting to feel a whole lot of gratitude for the stuff I left behind on Earth.”
“Earth?”
“That’s the name of my planet,” I say, stepping forward to slide the makeshift sling beneath his elbow.
He nods, his jaw hardening as I gently wrap the material around his elbow in an attempt to provide some support.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I know it hurts.”
Another sharp nod.
I carefully move the ends of the material to his other shoulder.
“I just realized I never thanked you,” I say.
Strangely, this makes him scowl.
“You do not need to thank me,” he says.
“Dude, you saved my life. I may not like to admit it, but I was out of my depth when those giant gray tortoise guys were messing with me.”
A muscle jumps in his jaw, and I stare at him.
Men. I’ll never understand them.
“Anyway,” I continue. “You got hurt helping me, so I just wanted to say that I really appreciate it.”
Silence.
“What were you doing in that area anyway?” I ask.
His eyes glitter as he glances up at me, and I realize I’m leaning over, my boobs basically shoved in his face as I tie the sling into place.
“Uh, that should hold. We really need some kind of pin for this loose bit right here, but we can figure that out in the morning. You can have the bed, by the way. You should probably sleep sitting up so you don’t knock that arm.”
I’m rambling, and he stares at me.
“Take the bed,” he says finally, his voice hoarse. I open my mouth to argue, and he narrows his eyes in warning.
I throw up my hands. “Anyone ever told you you’re the definition of stubborn?”
He doesn’t reply, and I roll my eyes.
“Fine. If you feel the need to swing your dick around, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Just like that, his eyes heat, and it takes every drop of my self-control not to lower my gaze to where that fur is wrapped around his hips.
“I’ll just…go get ready for bed,” I mumble, and he nods.
I turn and make my way back into the bedroom. Other than the stamp of Vrex’s skill on the furniture, his home has nothing that points to him being the owner. Of course, I don’t expect to see framed pictures hanging from the walls, but the space is sparse and, for the most part, utilitarian.
His house is beautiful, and it wouldn’t take much to make it cozy.
So now you’re planning to fix up his bachelor pad?
I frown as I crawl into the bed. My eyes immediately get heavy-lidded as I pull the furs over my body.
I’m not that kinda girl. The one who leaves a toothbrush behind, and before the guy knows it, she’s living with him without any kind of conversation. In fact, my commitmentphobe ways were one of the main points of contention between Steve and me.
Don’t think of that asshole. He knew what he was getting into when he started dating you. You warned him for six months.
Honestly, that’s what hurts the most about the whole situation. I was as up-front as possible, making it clear that I wasn’t down for marriage and kids. My dad died doing the same job that I do, and I saw firsthand how it ruined our family. I was never going to put someone else through that.
But Steve thought he could change me. Men always do.
Chapter Six
Ivy
I wake to a knock on the door and blink my eyes open, automatically glancing to the left where my alarm would sit in my apartment in Brooklyn.
Nope, still on Agron.
“Come in,” I say, and the door swings open.
“I need to visit someone,” Vrex says. “You should come with me.”
I blink as he disappears.
Okay.
I haul myself to my feet, staring down at the shirt he handed me last night. It’s huge, but the material is thick enough that it can probably work as a dress.
Shoes may be a problem though. My feet have been ripped up after running through the forest and prexas, and while I cleaned them last night—along with the deep scratch in my thigh—I have no desire to add to my wounds.
I make my way out to the living room, where Vrex waits for me. He points at something near the fire, and I stare at the shoes.
They’re not fancy—closer to a pair of flip-flops than anything else. But they’ll protect my feet from sharp sticks and rocks. They also look roughly the size of my feet, which means Vrex must have made them last night or this morning.
The gesture makes the backs of my eyes sting.
“You did this for me?”
Vrex gives me an impatient look, and I almost laugh. Ask a stupid question…
“Wow, I don’t know what to say.”
I pick them up and examine them as I move toward one of the wooden chairs. The leather is soft an
d supple, roughly cut but still sturdy. The warrior made these with only one good hand.
I slide my feet into them, admiring the fit. Vrex moves closer and drops to one knee in front of me, showing me how to tie them to my feet. My mouth goes dry as he glances up at me through thick lashes.
My hand moves before I’m aware of it, pushing his hair back from his face.
He jerks back, and I realize I’ve exposed more of his scar.
He glances away as if ashamed, and I bite my tongue. He obviously doesn’t want to talk about it. Silence stretches between us, and I almost wince. I’m the most awkward version of myself with this guy.
“Thanks for these,” I say finally. “I really appreciate it.”
He glances at me again and nods, and I realize he hasn’t spoken a single word to me yet this morning. Something tells me he’s used to going multiple days at a time without talking. Maybe he used up all his words yesterday.
I smile at the thought, and his gaze drops to my lips. He stares at them for one long moment and then gets back to his feet before opening the front door.
I stand as well, feeling slightly absurd in my new outfit but grateful to no longer be wearing those filthy pajamas.
“So who are we seeing? A friend?”
Vrex stiffens. “I have no friends.”
The first words he’s spoken today, and it hurts my heart to hear them.
“I’m sure that’s not true.”
He gives me a look that suggests I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and I sigh, following him out the door.
He wore his sword on his back yesterday, but thanks to his injury, he’s carrying it at his hip today. Something about the way he moves tells me he’s not happy about it.
I follow him into the forest, feeling like a duckling trailing after its mother. We walk for what I estimate is around half an hour, and then Vrex nods at me to stay on the path, disappearing for a few minutes.
He comes back with some kind of furry animal thrown over his good shoulder.
“Jeez, Vrex, you shouldn’t be lifting that kind of stuff. Why don’t you let me take it?”
He gives me a look that tells me quite plainly that that will never happen, and I roll my eyes. Then my mouth drops open as we come across another hut.
This one isn’t as well built as Vrex’s, but it looks like it has been in this exact place for hundreds of years. The trees are so close to the wooden walls that whoever lives here could likely lean out a window and touch them.
Unlike Vrex’s home, this one has a small porch. An old man is currently sitting in a chair on that porch. He looks unsurprised to see Vrex, although his gaze trails over me curiously, lingering on the shirt I’m wearing.
The old man is large, although he doesn’t come close to Vrex’s size. His shoulders are slightly hunched, but his gaze is clear as he studies us. His skin is a light blue, and I count five or six sharp horns winding up from his head.
Vrex strides forward and dumps the dead animal next to the porch. The old man nods his head, and something tells me he knows better than to thank Vrex.
“This is Ilax,” Vrex says gruffly. “Ilax, this is Ivy.”
Ilax smiles at me, revealing sharp white teeth. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
He returns his gaze to Vrex, his eyes lingering on his sling. “I can give you something for that,” he says.
Vrex shakes his head, and Ilax flicks me a look as I open my mouth to protest.
“It’d be a shame if you were unable to protect this female,” he says mildly. “I have a tonic that will heal the injury in a third of the time and reduce your pain as well.”
Vrex hesitates, and I keep my mouth shut. Ilax obviously knows just how to handle the stubborn warrior.
Finally, Vrex nods, although his expression is dark. I raise my eyebrow, and Ilax sends me a wink as Vrex turns to lift the animal back onto his shoulder.
“I will fix the tonic while Vrex takes care of that nasty business. Would you like to help?”
I nod, watching as Vrex disappears around the back of the house. Then I follow Ilax into his home. It’s designed similarly to Vrex’s house, only slightly smaller. Ilax’s house has a small bedroom with a space just large enough to hold a bed, and another adjoining room filled with shelves. The shelves are crammed with herbs and plants, some of them hanging from the roof, drying upside down.
Ilax takes what looks like a mortar and pestle and grinds a few herbs before adding them to a large bowl with a splash of some kind of liquid.
“You may want to step back for this,” he says, and then he adds several drops of another liquid from a wooden jar, and I gape as a thick mist rises from the bowl. I blink as my head spins, and Ilax grins at me, obviously completely unaffected.
“For the pain,” he tells me. “Now for the healing.”
This part takes longer, and Ilax hums absently for a few minutes. Then he glances at me, his gaze curious once more.
“Tell me,” he says. “How did you meet Vrex?”
I explain my story, and Ilax nods, frowning.
“This morning, Vrex said he has no friends,” I say. Ilax nods again, looking unsurprised.
“But he has you,” I say, stating the obvious.
“I am, perhaps, the only one who could claim such a title. Others fear what he is, even as they use him to do the tasks they would never dirty their own hands to do. Vrex is unused to those who would call him friend. And I am just an old male near the end of my life who relies on him to keep me fed.”
He winks at me, but his words ring true. I mull over this as Ilax pulls a petal off a bright-blue flower and adds it to his concoction.
“Right,” he says finally, filling a cup with the tonic. “Let’s amuse ourselves by watching Vrex choke this down.”
It is indeed amusing to watch Vrex attempt to keep his face blank while drinking the tonic. But the lines of pain around his eyes gradually disappear over the next few minutes as we all sit on the porch.
It’s incredibly peaceful here, surrounded by the sounds of the forest. Distantly, I can hear the flap of wings as a bird takes to the air. The low hum of insects and the rustle of the wind through the trees are the only other background noises, and I find myself more relaxed than I have been in days.
Tomorrow, we’ll get a message to the tribe king, who’ll hopefully send us some backup. Then we can go find Zoey and figure out what the hell happened to Beth.
It feels like a monumental task, and I take a moment to imagine what life would be like if all I had to do was sit on this porch and occasionally set a trap for some food.
Sure, Ivy, you’d last about three days before you got antsy.
Ilax gets to his feet and disappears into the house. From the distant sound of the water, the river is further from Ilax’s house, and he keeps a large barrel of drinking water on the porch. Vrex leans over, checking the level of water in the barrel, and I suppress a smile. For all of his gruff ways, he’s like a mother hen with Ilax.
The old man returns, a huge sack in his hands. He gives it to me, and I open it before frowning in confusion as I pull out a dress.
“These were my daughter’s,” he says, his mouth trembling for a moment before he firms it. “She was traveling with her mate when they were unlucky enough to come across a pack of Voildi.”
“Are you sure we can’t eat them?” Jasit’s words run through my mind along with the stark hunger in his eyes as he looked at us. I flinch at the thought, and Ilax nods at me.
“The clothes are of no use to me now, and Avix would want you to have them. She was always kind to those who needed it.”
I swallow around the sudden lump in my throat. “Thank you so much.”
He shifts awkwardly, and Vrex gets to his feet.
“I must check my other traps,” he says, and Ilax nods, glancing at me and then gesturing toward Vrex.
“Make sure he returns for that tonic tomorrow,” he murmurs, and I grin.
Vrex
&nb
sp; Ivy is quiet as we walk back to my tashiv. She refuses to let me carry the clothes, baring her teeth like a feral karja when I attempt to take the bag from her.
Strangely, I find my lips almost curving in a smile. This is surprising enough that I ponder the feeling. For the first time since my mother was alive, a female is not afraid of me.
Because she believes you to be a heroic, honorable male. What will she think when she learns that her rescue was none other than one more assignment in a long list of assignments, most of them bloodier than the last?
I scowl at the thought.
“Are you okay? How’s the pain?”
I meet the female’s gaze, my eyes traveling down to the shoes I made her when I woke this morning, no longer able to sleep through the pain. For some reason, I couldn’t stand the thought of her delicate feet being hurt by the forest floor.
“I am fine.”
She raises her eyebrow but doesn’t press the subject, her head high as she gazes around us. Somehow, I know that she is attempting to memorize our route. This female may be smaller and more delicate than any Braxian female I have ever seen, but she is incredibly resilient, seemingly taking each challenge and setback she has faced in her stride.
“I was thinking,” she says, and I glance at her.
“Yes?”
“Do you have a weapon I can borrow?”
This female continues to surprise me at every turn.
“You would like a weapon? Do you believe I cannot protect you?”
She sends me a look as if I’m behaving like an unreasonable child. “No. You sure kicked ass when we were in the prexas. But it’d make me feel safer if I had a weapon too.”
I consider this. “A sword this size will be too unwieldy. However, I do have a large knife that could work.”
She nods, grinning at me, and I have to look away from her sparkling eyes. They’re an interesting color—not green and not brown, but they seem to change depending on the light.
My tashiv appears through the trees, and I lead Ivy inside before opening the large chest near my fire.
“Whoa,” she murmurs, staring down at the weapons. “Are you preparing for a war or something?”
