The Game Warden's Mate: An Alien Abduction Romance (The Hunt Book 1)

by A. M. Griffin

  “Don’t mind me. Enjoy your bath.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Washing your clothes since it appears you won’t get around to doing it.”

  She turned to stare at the ceiling. “I was. Eventually. Do they smell that bad?”

  “I’ll put it this way. It was easy to catch your scent.”

  Esme chuckled then lowered her feet to the rocky bottom. “I guess I can take the hint and wash up now.”

  “There are rocks on the bottom of the spring. If you scrub them against your body, it will help to get the dirt off.”

  “Ouch. I don’t know if I should be glad for the advice or offended.” She reached for the rocks, scooping a handful into her palm.

  “Um, both?”

  Esme glared at him. Xrez’s lips formed a smile. Her heart skipped a beat. Gone was the hardened look of an alien that could rip her to pieces. He was actually handsome. Not just for an alien either, but really attractive.

  The outline of his face was oval, but square in some places. She figured he had a severe jawline under all that hair, but it made him appear softer. His lips were full, plump and very lickable. And while sitting, doing something as domestic as cleaning her clothes, he was downright sexy.

  He raised an eyebrow. “I thought I made a joke.” He averted his eyes and stared at the clothes he was cleaning. “I apologize. I’m not used to jokes. I read about humans, and the file said that it was something that was common among your species. I should’ve practiced first.”

  “I think what you said would be considered a witty comeback instead.”

  Xrez gave a short nod but otherwise concentrated on cleaning her clothes.

  “Have you heard about the new restaurant called Karma?”

  He looked up and frowned. Then shook his head.

  “There’s no menu because you get what you deserve.”

  She smiled, waiting for him to respond.

  He cocked his head to the side then pointed to his ear. “Waiting for the translator. Restaurant. A place where people pay to sit and eat meals that are served on the premises. Karma. The sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence viewed as deciding their fate in future existences. Menu. A list of dishes available in a restaurant.”

  She dropped her smile. Her attempt at a joke fizzled. “Well, it’s really funny if you know what those things are.” She began scrubbing the pebbles on her body.

  A roar pierced through the air. Startled at first, Esme jumped away. She looked up to find Xrez, with his head back, laughing uncontrollably.

  “A joke?” he asked when he finally had his laughter under control.

  Esme chuckled and nodded.

  “Tell me another.”

  By the time she was done washing, she’d told him all the jokes she could remember, even making up a few knock-knock jokes along the way. It was only when she was done with the comedy routine and finished washing did she noticed her predicament.

  “I don’t have anything to dry off with.” She stood in front of him in waist deep water with arms folded across her breasts. “I don’t suppose that you have a towel or anything at your disposal?”

  Xrez cocked his head to the side and got that faraway look in his eyes again. She’d seen him do that often when he was waiting for the translator to explain the meaning of her words. She’d thought the delay would’ve killed the delivery of the jokes, but Xrez had found each one humorous all the same.

  He’d explained how it worked. If the translator picked up a word she used that didn’t have a compatible word in his language, it would give him the definition using a frequency only he could hear. The translators the humans had didn’t have such an upgrade. Luckily. She didn’t know how she would feel about an ominous voice telling her things in her ear.

  “It’s a cloth, preferably cotton that I can use to wipe the water from me,” she said, speeding his translation along.

  “Cotton?” He tilted his head again.

  “Oh, jeez! It’s soft and white and grows from the ground, and humans use it to make clothes and other materials. I’m guessing you don’t have anything like that here.”

  “Once you get out you should dry quickly. It’s warm in here.” He studied her, watching her intently.

  She’d just bathed in front of him, it was kinda too late to get all shy. But still, her hands shook with nerves. Her stomach tightened. They’d joked and laughed for a half an hour, all the while she’d been naked. But for some reason, she hadn’t thought about that fact, been ashamed or embarrassed by it. She’d been so relaxed, like she’d been talking to an old friend. It was only now that she’d realized she’d never been naked in the presence of a man before. Just him.

  His eyes dropped to her mouth, and he let out a hint of a groan. “Are you scared, Esme?”

  Yes. “No. Why should I be scared? Are you planning to hurt me?”

  His eyes bored through her. “Never.”

  Where she found the courage she didn’t know, but she gathered it up, squared her shoulders and walked to the ledge where he sat. His eyes lowered as he watched her. She’d never noticed they were framed with what seemed like a thousand light brown eyelashes. His breath hitched as she got closer.

  She’d wanted to walk straight to him, only stopping when she was nestled between his thick thighs. There, she wanted to run her hands along those muscles, needing to feel his legs under her touch. Then…then she’d planned to kiss him.

  Her heart beat so hard that the blood rushed as crashing waves past her eardrums. She strained with each breath she took. Xrez stilled as if moving an inch would deter her from her path. With determination, she kept walking.

  She was between Xrez’s thighs. He didn’t tell her to step away, and he didn’t move. She lifted her hand and using only her fingertips she touched his legs, tentatively. He remained still.

  Esme dropped her hand, laying her palm flat against him.

  Xrez took in a sharp breath. “Esme. If you continue to touch me, I’ll want to touch you.” His eyes remained downcast. “I know how human females view me. I’m different. You think I’m a thing. A monster.”

  A monster? He was beautiful. But she guessed her strong alien wouldn’t want to be reduced to such a feminine term. She grasped his thighs. His hard muscles were coiled and taut beneath her hands. “You’re not a thing or a monster. You’re Xrez, Head of the House Ym’ihla, Dar’E from the planet Pi Vesna.”

  He lifted his head. His dark eyes were captivating. Before she could catch her breath his lips were on hers. The kiss was soft at first, but soon more demanding. Their tongues slicked over each other.

  His hands were on her butt, kneading her against him. His bulge very apparent and thick. The thin material of his skinsuit left nothing to the imagination as his cock pressed against her stomach.

  His claws scraped against her butt, then they were up her back, scratching against her spine and sending tingles erupting in their wake. Their kiss intensified. She wasn’t sure if she was doing it right, so she followed his lead.

  She let her hands roam to caress his thighs, then up his leg to his groin. She wanted to touch his cock, but even she wasn’t that bold. When she skirted past his crotch to run her hands up his stomach, Xrez groaned. She felt the sound in her mouth and pressed against him more.

  He broke away, and it was her turn to express her displeasure. He didn’t care. He grasped her breasts in each hand and brought a nipple to his mouth and rubbed his thumb across the other. Esme gasped and fisted his hair, letting her head fall back. His tongue, breath, and hands teased her to no end.

  Without warning, he lifted her with a grunt and swung her around to sit on the edge of the pool. Xrez dropped to his knees and held her thighs apart to gently lay them on his shoulders.

  “Xrez?” she asked. Her mind confused.

  “Relax.” There was a wicked lopsided grin on his face.

  He splayed his palm across her belly and pushed her down. She laid back, followi
ng his command. At the first swipe of his tongue on her pussy, she wiggled under his hand. The second, she shuddered and cried out. The third she thought she was one breath away from losing her mind. But no matter how much she squirmed and moaned, Xrez wouldn’t stop. Each tantalizing lick after the other was sending her over the edge.

  Xrez moaned to himself, whispering words she didn’t fully understand, seemingly in his own world taking care of his personal feast. His tongue went deep inside her thrusting in and out. Then his lips were on her clit sucking and tugging. She grabbed his hair, unable to fight against the burning in her stomach and with a cry she yelled out his name. Shock of ecstasy barreled through her.

  Screech! Screech! Screech!

  No!

  Esme rose to her elbows just in time to see Xrez release her legs and step back.

  “The water! You’ll drown!”

  He gave her a crooked smile. “I’ll be fine. It’ll drain from the pod.”

  She opened her eyes wide. “You…You…”

  With a smile stretched across his face, Xrez dropped into the waiting pod below.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Esme yawned and rolled over. She half expected to find Xrez sleeping next to her, keeping her safe. She’d dreamed about him caressing and kissing her as she’d slept but had woken up to find herself alone and lonely. But the loneliness didn’t last long. One thought of his claws grazing across her skin, making shivers run up and down her spine or the way he liked to bury his nose in her hair, or how he’d nipped at her collarbone, neck, and breasts and a broad smile graced her lips.

  Esme gathered a handful of Xrez’s coat and pulled it to her nose and inhaled. Another round of butterflies made her stomach behave weirdly. She took another breath, allowing herself to linger in last night’s memory one more time.

  How could someone with that many muscles also be so soft and gentle? And how could someone so hard and stern be so attentive and loving?

  Esme pushed his coat aside. She was officially famished. It’d been two days since she’d last eaten anything and the flips and flops in her stomach couldn’t all be attributed to butterflies.

  She stood and activated her sleeping bag to fold. It was different than what she’d had before. This one was made of a thicker, insulated, shiny material. As it automatically folded she made her way to her clothes. She’d laid them against a rock to dry.

  After dressing, she stored her bedding back in her comlink and went about washing her face, scrubbing her teeth with a finger and tackling her hair. It was times like this that made her wish she’d had the forethought to pack a travel toiletry kit in her purse.

  If I’d known I would get abducted by aliens, I would’ve packed my purse full of stuff. Or better yet, maybe avoid getting abducted altogether?

  What she wouldn’t give for a real toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant and a bar of soap. But at least she had a brush and hair ties. Everything else in her purse beside her cell phone, portable charger, and nail file was useless. Well, after her charger and cell died, they would be useless as well.

  Reminded of her conversation with Payton, Esme took out her cell phone and snapped some pictures of her cave. After she was done she shut off her phone and dropped it into her purse. It hit against the other useless junk in there and clanged against her lip glosses.

  Her favorite was the bubblegum pink, but the lilac was the one she’d hoped to one day get enough courage to wear. She’d bought it on a whim. When she’d tried it on at the store, she’d love the way it made her feel, as though people would see her. But that was precisely the reason why she’d never worn it again. Too many eyes on her made her self-conscious.

  Now she may never get a chance to be bold again.

  Her gaze landed on her wallet. Even though she made plenty of money to buy a designer one, she’d fell in love with the hand-made wallet she’d purchased at a swap meet. It was made of leather and with hand stitched designs of tropical brightly colored birds. It reminded her of home.

  Esme picked up the wallet and undid the flap. There was money in it, but none of it would do a lick of good in this situation. If the aliens had been interested in money, then Spencer and Mary Ann might have been able to buy their way off the planet, but Xrez confirmed that’s not what happened to them.

  She flipped past the credit cards and found the pictures she kept in the plastic holders. As soon as she saw all the smiling faces of her family tears immediately welled in her eyes. In one her mom was in her favorite apron, brandishing a spatula at Esme who was behind the camera. In the background, the rice and beans were cooking on a skillet on the stove.

  In another, her dad played the guitar while her niece Liza was draped across his back and shoulders, her mouth open wide and in mid-song. She could almost hear her niece’s voice and felt for her dad’s eardrums. Liza loved to belt out the tunes, but couldn’t hold a note.

  A tear fell from her cheek to hit another picture. It was one of her in a graduation gown and hat. Her entire family surrounding her. Everyone smiled, her mom and dad smiling the brightest. They’d all flown from Mexico to America for her first college graduation.

  There were two other graduation pictures behind the one that her tears dropped on, but this was the most memorable. She’d been the first person in her family to graduate college, and her parents had been so proud of her. Even though the cost had been exorbitant, her family had made the trip regardless.

  Esme hugged the photos to her chest and lowered her head, letting the tears roll down her face. When she was able to, she closed the wallet and dropped it into her purse. According to the rules of survival, the photos wouldn’t help at all and would be considered useless with the rest of the junk, but still, everything in it was hers and reminded her of home. She wouldn’t go anywhere without it. Her purse and all the useless things in it were what kept her sane.

  She sniffled and her stomach grumbled. She was definitely hungry.

  Ugh. Time to kill some poor animal.

  After wiping her tears away, she pushed an icon on her comlink, and one of the cards popped out of the slot. She dropped to the ground and sat it down, watching it unfold. She had daggers, a spear, something that looked like a machete and a long thick rope.

  There was no getting around it. She had to kill another living thing to eat and survive.

  I have to do this.

  She sighed loudly.

  Her survival skills were already dismal, to say the least. The longer she stayed in the game the chances were she’d be caught. If she wanted to make it home, she would have to get through all the levels as fast as she could. Otherwise, she would be some alien’s wife within days.

  Nope.

  Esme pushed the icon for her coat, boots, and snowsuit. Xrez was right, she wouldn’t be able to do what she needed in his oversized jacket. It just wasn’t practical.

  She stood, storing the daggers, machete, and cord in her purse. Then she slipped into the full-body snowsuit. Next, she slung her bag over her shoulder and before leaving took one last glance at her cave.

  She quickly corrected herself. This wasn’t her cave. It was just a place she took refuge. When she left, she might never return to this place again. She couldn’t afford to get attached.

  Esme forced her hands into the skintight gloves and slipped the goggles around her neck, wearing it like a necklace. She set off and dropped to the tunnel to crawl out. Each inch toward the opening brought a fresh new round of anxiety. Her stomach flipped and flopped, and if she’d had any food in her belly, she would’ve thrown up all over her lovely white snowsuit.

  Esme took a few gulping breaths to push down the stomach acid threatening to rise. Even though fear made her want to turn back, she pushed forward. She kept going, following the light. When she made it to the opening, she paused and peered around the tree trunk and leaves. Snow gleamed brightly against the sun. As far as she could tell the surface was untouched. The perfect tell-tale sign that hunters weren’t around.

  Esm
e pushed through the branches. Her breath caught in her throat as cold air whipped past her face. After a few struggling attempts she was able to breathe again, her nostrils flattened against her skin as she did. The crisp coldness stung her exposed face, and the sting of the air blast made her eyes water. A chill raced across her skin, but it was nothing like she’d experienced when she’d first landed in the winter wonderland.

  I’m never going to complain about hot weather again.

  Esme stood, and the wind whipped her hair around her face. The strands slapped against her skin leaving welt marks in their wake. She quickly pulled the hood over her head where it automatically conformed to her face. There was one thing that was painfully obvious as she looked over her winter landscape, she didn’t have a clue as to where to start. A cold breeze barreled past and almost knocked her over, making another thing painfully clear. She couldn’t survive too long out in the open.

  Oh, and she hated winter.

  Seriously.

  Focus, Esme. No point in whining about the snow. Nothing I can do about it now.

  Right.

  Now, what would Oprah do?

  She shook her head. No. What would Ben do?

  Assess his surroundings.

  She’d seen him stand with hands on hips, looking over the landscape, plotting his next move many times.

  Esme did the same thing, hands on hips too.

  She had four directions to choose from. She could climb the mountain behind her, but that would be terrible. One gust of wind would send her tumbling down and she would end up with broken bones. And why would she spend her day struggling when she knew good and well a mountain climber she was not.

  Esme let out a deep breath and did what any other scared and confused woman would do in her situation. She went to the right, not for any other reason but because she was right-handed.

  Surely many vital decisions were made this way?

  When she got back to Earth and was doing her interview with Oprah, she would make up some other reason why she’d chosen that direction. Or maybe she would tell Oprah the truth? She couldn’t lie to who would most likely be the first female President of the United States. Yes, the truth would be best.