Penny's Protector: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Icehome Book 10)

by Ruby Dixon

  14

  PENNY

  DAYS LATER

  "Do that thing with the spear again," I encourage S'bren, holding it out to him.

  He blushes—or at least, the alien equivalent. His brow goes dark at the base of his horns and he gets that awkward expression on his face, but he takes the spear from me. "Stand back."

  I obligingly move to the edge of the ledge and hold onto the vines to anchor myself so I can watch the show. Every time he shows me, it's like I'm seeing it for the first time and it's equally impressive.

  S'bren takes the spear and pretends to study it, but I can tell from his expression that he's looking at me, watching me. He likes to see my reaction. Then, before I can think, he releases the spear and somehow rolls the shaft up his arm, then flicks it into the air. He turns, catches it with his tail, and then whips around. Over and over, he spins in circles, the spear flashing and whirling and twirling through the air like he's an acrobat. I watch, delighted, as he spins it around his neck, then flicks it lower, rolling it down one big shoulder and then crossing over until it flips back to his other hand. When he's finished with his practiced spear-flips, he stabs the butt of it into the ground by his feet and gives it one final flick with his tail, flipping it over end to end and then catching it before the spearhead can stab into the rock and break.

  I burst into excited applause. "That was amazing! Every time you do it, it's more impressive than the last."

  "At home, I would spear it into the dirt at the end. Here, I will just break it. Seems foolish." He gives me a shy smile, does one more twirl of the spear, and then slings it forward, spearing a big redfruit over my head. He gives one more twirl and then offers the fruit to me.

  I take it with a wink and a delighted bow. "Thank you, my daring acrobat."

  "I do not know that word," he says, but crosses over to grab the fruit and take a bite of it before handing it back to me. "It is good?"

  "An acrobat is someone that can do incredibly skilled things with their body that other people can't." Jeez, and that sounds dirty. "Like, tricks and stuff," I add quickly. I take a bite out of the fruit, trying not to notice that he bit down where my mouth touched it, like he wanted to taste me.

  Man, all this sexual tension between us is killing me. I know some of it is just in my head, but it doesn't matter. It's still making me crazy with lust. I have to force myself not to rub up against his big naked body at night on the mats. When I see his big, glorious body naked, I have to tell myself that it's my idea to hold off. That I'm the one that will get hurt in the end.

  But gosh, I'm so impatient. I want him and it's getting harder and harder to wait for my cootie to wake up. S'bren's awkward, sure, but he's also protective and charming and guileless. There's not a mean, deceptive bone in his body. When he tells me something, I know it's the truth and that I can trust him. And after years of relationships that were basically a joke to the other party and not to me? It's refreshing. I know exactly where I stand with S'bren at all times.

  And unfortunately for me, because he's such a good guy, he's not going to push things. I said I wanted to wait for resonance, and so he's not even trying to flirt with me. He's just being S'bren. Goofy, silly, adoring S'bren.

  And that's making me fall harder than ever.

  As I take another bite of fruit, he runs his thumb along the edge of the spearhead and glances over at me. "I have something I wish to speak to you about, P'nee."

  "Oh?" I lick my lips. He sounds grave and I wonder what this means. Is it about us? The lack of “us”? Does he want things to change between us? Just the thought shoots fire through my belly and makes my nipples prick despite the leaf-woven lei I'm wearing as a token gesture to a bikini top. "Go on."

  He looks torn. "I know you like this place but…if we are to stay ahead of the others, we should not remain here for long when the weather is clear. Someone will think to check this place and will insist you go back." S'bren's expression turns grave. "If you wish to go back to the camp, though, you know I will take you. And if you wish to stay here, that is all right, too. But I wanted to mention it."

  Ah. I'm a little disappointed that it's nothing sexy, but of course it's not. S'bren wouldn't do that to me. I told him how I felt and he's honoring it…even if I'm a little disappointed that he's not vowing undying love to me or how he can't resist ravishing my rounded, pale body. I consider what he's telling me. Do I want to go back to the village yet? Am I ready?

  Nah. I'm still enjoying myself. "And the weather's been nice today so you think we should move on?" I ask him. When he nods, I continue. "Any place in particular you want to go?"

  "Anywhere with you."

  I smile. Such a sweetheart. "I thought that was a given. I don't want to go anywhere alone."

  A boyish smile of pleasure curves his mouth. "Then say where you wish to go and I will take you."

  Yes, take me right now! I want to say after seeing that smile. It makes my heart go pitter pat in all the right ways. "I'm not sure. I don't get to go as far, hunting-wise, as you and the rest of the guys do. We always have to stay closer to camp." My words sound like they have an edge of bitterness. "You have any ideas?"

  He hesitates, then says, "If I am choosing, I think I would like to see the Ancestors' Cave."

  Oh. The old spaceship that the original sa-khui tribe arrived here in. I'd like to see it, too, I think. An ancient spaceship sounds way more interesting than just going back to the beach. “That sounds great to me."

  “Then we will leave in the morning,” S’bren says with a nod. “Provided the weather holds.”

  I make a face, thinking of putting all my leathers on again, though part of me likes the thought of getting out into the brisk air once more and away from all this drippy humidity. But then I won’t get to see S’bren’s glorious butt anymore. Not that I’m supposed to be looking at it, since we’re just friends. “Tomorrow morning, then.”

  He nods. “I will get our bags ready and prepare our fruit.”

  I reach for his spear. “First you have to show me how to do that twirl move myself.”

  S’bren considers this. “I do not know if it will work. You have short arms.”

  “Short arms?!” I laugh, startled. “I’ll show you short arms!”

  “And no tail—”

  I laugh even harder, because his eyes are gleaming with amusement and I know he’s teasing me. For a moment, I want to just grab his long hair and pull him down against me for a kiss. To see his expression change from wicked delight to something hotter…

  But I can’t.

  I can’t, because I’m setting myself up for heartbreak if I fall in love before my cootie resonates. So I just keep smiling…because what else can I do?

  It seems the tables have turned and now I’m the one with the awkward crush.

  15

  S’BREN

  The weather holds through the morning, so we leave the fruit cave and begin hiking through the fresh snow toward the direction of the Ancestors’ Cave. I have never been, but the others have described it to me many times, and how to find it. It will take several days of walking, but I do not mind. I have our packs slung over my shoulder and P’nee walks behind me, her cheerful voice filling the cold morning with joy.

  I feel guilty for making her leave the fruit cave and its warmth. She loved it, loved the endless fresh fruit, the greenery that dripped from the walls, and the warm pool of fresh water. She loved being able to walk around in bare skin and relax. I loved it, too, but with every day that passed, I worried that the tribe would find us and take her away from me. It does not matter that P’nee is the one that does not wish to go back to the village yet. I did a bad thing and put something in her tea. She has told me over and over again how bad this is where she comes from, and even though it is difficult for me to understand, I know one thing: they will not trust her with me again.

  So we must keep moving on if we are to spend time together. Perhaps I am selfish, but I do not want her to go back to
the village. If she does, she might give I’rec one of her smiles and then her khui will resonate. Or O’jek. Or even A’tam, with his face that all the females exclaim over. I scowl into the dreary morning, wanting to walk just a little faster, as if I can outrun thoughts of Shadow Cat clan.

  I am selfish, because I am encouraging P’nee to stay out here in the wild with me. The longer she is alone with me, the more I hope we will resonate to one another. Just because our khuis are silent does not mean I have given up hope.

  I am patient.

  Very patient. And P’nee is worth waiting for.

  The good weather does not hold. In this cold, strange land, the good weather never holds. The clouds roll in as we walk, dark and ominous, but they do not pelt us with rain. Instead, they send snow and heavy winds and it grows so difficult to see that P'nee holds onto my belt and I point my spear forward as a guide. This is the brutal season weather that the others warn us about, when the skies drop so much snow that it makes no sense to leave a warm hut.

  And yet here I am, taking P'nee away from the balmy fruit caves simply because I am afraid others will arrive and snatch her away from me. Perhaps I am the one that is the fool. But even with my visibility limited, we pass groups of trees that I recognize, and I know one of the many hunter caves is near this place. I have been deliberate with the trails I take, ensuring that we are never far from a shelter of some kind, even if it means our traveling pace is slowed. I will not risk P'nee and her safety for anything.

  We find the entrance to the cave, and P'nee follows me in, shaking off snow and exclaiming about the cold before I can even check the cave to ensure it is safe. She crouches by the firepit and prepares the materials for a fire while I drop our packs and check over the cave. But then all is clear, and we can relax.

  P'nee's pale face is chapped with the cold, her small nose bright red on the end and her mane is frosted with ice. She shivers even as she feeds bits of tinder to the fire, but her smile is ever-present.

  "I regret taking you from the warmth of the fruit cave," I tell her, getting the fuel tongs and dropping two large cakes of fuel into the fire pit. "You probably wish we had stayed there."

  "Me?" She seems surprised at my words. "Nah, I'm good. It's cold as heck, but we're here and we're safe, so it's just another adventure." Her smile widens. "What about you? Sad you have to come out in this wintry shit again instead of staying in the cave? I bet it makes you miss home."

  "It reminded me of home at first," I admit. "But the differences were…odd. Like the light in the rock that never went away. Or the quiet. Even back home, it was never truly quiet. There were always kaari storming about in the jungle, or birds calling to their mates. That place is just…strange." I shrug and pull out the furs bundled on my pack. "But I have no regret leaving. I get to spend time with you. That is the only thing I care about."

  "You big sweetheart," P'nee teases, her smile growing broader. "Well, I for one appreciate that we're heading off on adventure number two instead of heading back. I can deal with a little snow."

  I say nothing, grunting a response so she knows I hear her. Instead, I pull the wet, snow-covered fur wraps off of her and bundle her in a fresh fur, tucking it around her to keep her warm. If we go back to the camp, they will find out that I put something in her tea so she could not say no to me. They will know of this shameful thing and how upset she was, and everyone at camp will know S'bren is an irresponsible fool. I regret my choice so much and I wonder if M'tok realized how bad it was for humans to give them visshek without warning. I wonder if C'lie blisters his ears with angry words even now.

  I bet she does. I cannot imagine she woke up and was happy about the situation. P'nee was disappointed in me, and that is just as bad. I felt as if I let her down, and it is a feeling I never wish to experience again.

  She looks around the small cave. "Kinda sparse in here."

  I nod. Of all the hunter caves, this one is not plentiful with supplies. Either someone needs to replenish it or someone has been here recently and has not yet made his—or her—way back to fill the supplies. Even the fuel is low. "We will move on in the morning, unless the snows are so bad that we cannot."

  P'nee nods and pulls off one damp boot. "Then we'd better dry our clothing by the fire, because something tells me this weather isn't going to let up."

  It does not let up.

  The snows are not so wind-blown in the morning, but falling heavily. I debate staying in the cave, and when P'nee looks at me expectantly, make the choice to go on. If we are to be stranded somewhere, I would rather it be in a better cave, or at the Ancestors' Cave. P'nee says she is not worried about a little snow, so we go on.

  The next two days are miserable. We do not talk much, as all our breath is saved for walking. Every step in the thick snow against the wind feels like effort, and our faces must be covered with fur wraps so we do not breathe the icy air directly.

  We barely make it to a hunter cave each afternoon before the twin suns go down, and it worries me that we are not traveling faster. P'nee goes as fast as she can, though. It is not her fault the weather is so very unpleasant and the deep snows make each step difficult. Even I do not move as fast as I should. The cold is endless. The falling snow is endless. And I worry that it is not smart to continue on to the Ancestors' Cave. Perhaps we will simply sit inside one of these small hunter caves and wait for the weather to change…

  Or wait for the hunters from the sa-khui tribe to find us and take P'nee away from me for good.

  I do not like that idea much.

  For two days, this continues on. The weather is rough, but endurable.

  On day three, it starts out pleasant but then colder weather rolls in. The winds pick up, and the air becomes so blisteringly cold it feels as if it is searing my lungs with every breath. P'nee clings to my belt, but her steps are slower and slower, and I can hear her teeth chattering despite the many layers of furs muffling her face. It worries me. I am descended of the sa-khui people. Even though I am used to the island's weather, I can endure this bone-jarring cold. But P'nee is human and fragile. I need to get her warm, and fast.

  The idea occurs to me quickly, and when she staggers against me, whimpering as the wind rips at our clothing, I know what to do. I turn my back to the frozen winds and use my body as a wind-break as P'nee shivers in front of me. "Take your clothes off."

  "Wh-wh-what?" She looks up at me through ice-crusted lashes and shakes her head. "I'm n-not d-d-doing th-that!"

  I pull out my knife and cut open the front of my layers, all the way down to my under-tunic, and then gesture at my bare chest. "Skin to skin is warmest. Take your clothing off and wrap yourself around me. I will pull our furs around both of us and you will be safe and protected."

  She stares at me for a moment as if I am crazed, but then pushes closer to me. She leans in and presses her ice-cold cheek against my chest, shuddering. "Are you s-s-sure?"

  If I was uncertain before, the frigid chill of her skin has convinced me. I help her peel her layers off until she is whimpering even louder with cold, and then haul her soft, pink body up against my chest. She clings to me, wrapping her arms and legs around my chest and gasps. "Oh fuck me, you're so warm, S'bren. God, this was a good idea."

  My cock immediately stiffens as she presses all of her female parts against my skin, but I will think about that later. I wrap one long length of leather around her bottom and across my lower back, making a sling for her to cradle on to help her hold on. Then, I bundle us together, tying my leathers closed and then wrapping even more cloaks and fur layers around the two of us. By the time I am done, I am utterly encumbered and front-heavy, but P'nee's shivering has slowed and she presses against me, all softness pressed to my chest.

  It is exquisite torture.

  I hold her as I walk, and if my steps are slower, I do not care. P'nee is no longer in danger as long as I can keep her warm, and I am strong and can keep going. The wind and snow picks up, thicker and more biting with every st
ep. Soon, my face feels crusted with ice and I cannot see farther than a few steps ahead—the rest is hidden by the snowstorm. But I pass a familiar cluster of pale pink trees, then the marker of a food cache, and know I am close to yet another hunter cave. I head toward the cliffs, knowing the cave will be located somewhere in that area. It is early in the day, but I will not risk P'nee—or myself—by traveling farther in such bad weather. The Ancestors' Cave can wait another day. It has waited this long, after all.

  Because the visibility is so bad, it takes me some time to find the cave, and when I do, it does not feel much warmer. The wind no longer tears into us like knives, but the interior of the small cave is still bitterly cold.

  "I must make a fire, P'nee," I tell her even as I peel the first few layers off of our bodies. "Huddle under the furs and stay warm and I will take care of you."

  "I'm not trying to be a baby," she tells me even as she detangles herself from me. "But it's just so fucking cold."

  "I know. You are strong to do this well, trust me. It is terrible, this weather." I peel most of the layers off and tuck them close around her, then find more stiff, cold bundles of furs in the back of the cave and pile them atop her, too. "The fire will help. Not much longer now."

  "Thank you, S'bren," she gasps, and then ducks her head under the furs.

  My fingers are aching from the cold but I manage to get the fire started, piling fuel atop it to make a quick, hot blaze. Luckily this cave is well stocked, so we can stay here, safe, as the weather rages outside. I put a pouch of snow on over the fire so I can make tea, but right now, I am cold and I know P'nee is cold. I drag the bottom fur she lies upon closer to the fire pit. "Give it time and you will feel the warmth."

  She lifts up a corner of the pile of furs, offering me a glimpse of large pink teats and the shadowy curve of her belly. "Come under here and warm me up until then? You have to be cold, too."