Rolling my eyes, I huff. "I know, but I'm tired, and I panicked. I forgot about your draken form and thought you were taken by something."
His brow furrows. "How could you forget about my draken form?"
I sigh heavily. "Because sometimes I forget that you're not Terran."
He looks down at himself as if my statement is ridiculous. After a moment, his expression turns solemn. "I saw how far you had to drag me. You are strong. Much stronger than I realized. You should not worry. Even if something happened to me, I do not doubt you would be able to survive on your own."
Stunned by his words, I feel a swell of pride knowing a brave dragon warrior has so much confidence in me. But that's not why I was so concerned. I wasn't worried for myself. I was worried because I love him. I open my mouth to tell him this, but he keeps talking.
He continues. "But strength is not enough, Liana. You must also use your mind."
Crossing my arms, I shoot him an irritated look. "I know that, Soran. I panicked, though, because I thought something had taken you."
He puffs his chest out and tilts his chin high. "Nothing would dare attack a Mosauran warrior in draken form."
I roll my eyes at his overly confident declaration. "How was I supposed to know your draken form was that big?"
His brow furrows in confusion. "You saw me on Le'ro when I killed the Anguis."
Crossing my arms over my chest, I purse my lips. "I was drugged by a breaking dart, remember?"
He pulls me into his arms. "Forgive me. I was not thinking."
As glad as I am that he has such faith in my survival skills, I don't like that he believes he can take chances with his life because he thinks I'll be okay without him. I stare deep into his silver eyes. "I know I can survive, Soran, but I love you. I don't want something to happen to you. Just because you can shift into your draken form, it doesn't make you invincible."
Gently, he drops his forehead to mine and runs his fingers softly through my hair. "Until we know more about this planet, we will stay together. Always."
"Good," I agree.
"Are you hungry?"
"Actually, I'm starved," I reply, turning to glance back at the cave and imagining the sawdust brick that awaits me for my meal.
He motions for me to wait a moment
Curious, I watch as he walks around a nearby thicket. He returns and my jaw drops when I notice what he has in his arms. Dropping the large carcass to the ground at my feet, I recognize the yellow eyes and razor-sharp teeth as one of the wolves that tried to attack me.
"You want to eat that?" I ask incredulously.
He frowns. "Why not?"
I gesture at the bloody carcass. "It's raw, for one thing."
"Easily fixed," he replies before another rush of air swirls around me, and he's back in draken form...and literally blowing fiery flames out of his mouth to show me what he means.
My eyes go wide. But after a moment, I shake my head. Why am I surprised? He is an alien, after all.
Soran's ability to breathe fire is definitely a good thing on this frozen planet. And since we don't know how long we'll be here, he's right. We shouldn't waste anything. Although the thought disgusts me, we could use this creature's hide to make clothing or an extra blanket and dry the meat for extra rations. All the times my dad stressed the importance of learning how to survive in the wilderness, I'm glad I actually paid attention.
"Let's drag this thing back to the cave."
He nods just before he shifts back into humanoid form. Uncaring of his nakedness, he carries the dead animal as if it weighs nothing, dropping it just beside the entrance.
My jaw goes slack as I stare appreciatively at his muscular and very naked backside. His entire body is covered in layers of thick, finely sculpted muscle; he moves with a grace that belies his massive form.
He turns back, and I snap my mouth shut. "Do you want me to burn it?" he asks.
It takes me a moment to respond. "No."
Reaching into the emergency pack, I retrieve a knife and turn back to find him staring at me with a questioning look. I hold up the laser blade. "If we're going to be here a while, we're going to have to make our supplies stretch."
He watches me curiously. "What do you intend to do with that?"
"I'm going to remove its pelt. We can strip the meat and use the fur for more clothing or a blanket...something to keep us warm."
His brows go up in an expression that's a cross between amusement and disbelief. "What kind of planet is this Terra? Your people skin animals to make clothing?"
I roll my eyes. "You've never had any survival training?"
He tilts his chin up. "Of course, I have."
"Well, how would you make more blankets or clothes, then?"
He frowns. "My body is able to adjust to variations in the temperature." His sharp gaze rakes over my covered form. I'm wrapped from head to toe in so many layers, I probably look twice my normal size at this point, and I'm still a bit chilled. "And...your species is unable to do this as effectively as mine..." His voice trails off. "I suppose it makes sense that you would learn to make clothing in survival situations," he adds under his breath.
"You sure you're not cold?"
"A little, but it is nothing I cannot handle."
My mouth drifts open. It literally feels like we're in Alaska in the middle of winter right now. "Well, I'm freezing to death, and I'm going to need some heavier clothing or blankets if we're going to be here for a while."
He gives me a panicked look. "You are dying?"
Soran
As soon as the words leave her mouth, alarm bursts through me. Lifting her into my arms, I rush inside the cave and set her near the fire. I shove my discarded clothes at her. "Put these on," I say quickly. "I do not need them."
She looks up at me in confusion. "What?"
"You just told me you were freezing to death."
"I didn't mean that literally."
I cross my arms over my chest. "You cannot retract your words now. I know you...and you are not prone to complaining. You would not have said you were 'freezing to death' unless it were so."
She opens her mouth to protest, but I wrap another emergency blanket tightly around her, making sure to cover her face and her small button nose loosely so she may still breathe. I throw several more pieces of wood on the fire.
She gives me an incredulous look. "It's just a figure of speech." Her voice comes out muffled between the layers of fabric.
I shake my head firmly. "I will not allow you to die, Liana."
"But, I—”
I narrow my eyes and give her my best stern look.
She laughs. "Don't give me that face."
A heavy sigh of frustration escapes my lips as I stare across at her. My Ashaya is very stubborn. "Then do not protest when I am trying to help you." Before she can say anything else, I quickly move behind her, setting her in my lap. I unfold and extend my wings from my back, wrapping them around her figure. "This should help warm you."
She gasps, and I worry that I've hurt her. Afraid I may be holding her too tight, I immediately loosen my grip. "What's wrong?"
"Your wings," she says, and I loosen them even more in case they are too constrictive. "They're so beautiful."
Confused at first, I cock my head to the side to regard her. She smiles as she stares down at my wings wrapped tightly around her small form, and my chest fills with pride. "You like my wings?"
The petal-soft skin of her hands trace delicate patterns along one of the dark-gray, leathery folds. "Yes. I mean...I knew you had them, but you always keep them tucked into your back. They're amazing."
I look down at them. They are nothing special. In fact, my coloring is rather drab compared to most other Mosaurans. I've always thought it a blessing that I can blend against most backgrounds, but I also worried this would hurt my chances of attracting a potential mate. Mosauran females appreciate a male with vibrant markings and colors. But as Liana stares at my very dull-colored wi
ngs with a look of awestruck wonder, I realize now that this is obviously not going to be a problem for us.
If we return to Mosaura, however, I'll have to hope her head isn't turned by the more colorful males of my species. Just thinking about it makes me tighten my wings around her even more as possessive jealousy ripples through me.
She relaxes against my chest, idly tracing her fingers along the folds of one wing. "I'm glad it's you," she says softly.
"What do you mean?
"If I have to be stranded on an alien world," she whispers, "I'm glad it's with you, my love."
I tighten my arms and wings around her. "I feel the same."
We lay down next to the fire, and she turns in my arms to face me. Striking green eyes stare into mine, and I'm completely mesmerized. She nestles closer and drapes her arm across my chest. "Is this all right?" she asks.
My heart pounds. It is more than all right. It is complete and utter bliss. "Yes."
Resting her head on my shoulder, she closes her eyes. "So tired," she mumbles softly.
I press a kiss to her forehead. "Rest, Liana. We are safe for now."
It doesn't take long before the sound of her breathing evens out, and she drifts off to sleep. It is no surprise she is so exhausted. My Ashaya dragged me a long way. She is braver than anyone I know. If not for her, I'd be dead right now. She risked her life to save me, both from the glider and the escape pod. She asked me what Ashaya means, and I have not yet told her. I shudder inwardly at the thought that I could have passed from this world to the next without giving her my truth—without explaining what she is and how much she means to me.
Now I will wait no more. Tomorrow, I will tell her.
Chapter 31
Soran
When morning comes, she's still asleep in my arms and wrapped tightly in my wings. Last night I caught the scent of several predators in the forest. The same kind that tried to attack her. They were careful to stay well clear of the cave entrance but were still close enough that I know there are many of them. My protective instincts surge, and I tighten my arms and wings around her. I breathe deeply of her delicious scent and gently nuzzle the top of her head.
Her eyelids flutter open and she looks up at me through a half-lidded gaze. She gives me a sleepy smile.
With a small sigh, she nestles even closer. I know she can survive on her own and is fully capable of defending herself, but protective instincts for one's mate are heavily embedded in my people's biology.
"Soran?" Her tired voice rips me from my thoughts.
"Yes?"
"Good morning."
She presses a quick kiss to my lips and then stretches her body out. The soft hiss of pain she makes as she does this does not escape me. I cup her cheek, lifting her gaze to mine as I stare at her in concern. "Are you hurt?"
She shrugs. "My muscles are just a bit sore. That's all."
Guilt fills me as I remember how far she had to drag me from the pod. "You should rest some more, Liana."
A warm smile curves her lips as she shakes her head softly. "We have a lot to do today. We need to set up the transmitter, or we'll never get off this frozen rock."
"You are certain it will work without the pod?"
She grins. "I was a pilot, remember? If you can't troubleshoot a transmitter, you might as well forget any chance of being rescued. Any pilot worth their wings knows that."
A laugh rumbles in my chest. She is brilliant.
As she sits up, I allow my wings to fall away. She shivers slightly as she meets my gaze, tucking the emergency blanket around her shoulders. "We'll eat breakfast, and then we'll search for a location to set up the signal. After that, I'll make the repairs, and we'll set it to transmit."
"It cannot be repaired here first?"
She shakes her head. "No. I don't want it to accidentally start transmitting from here and compromise our location. We have no way of knowing who may respond. And if it's the A'kai, we don't want to give away our position."
I nod. She is right. My gaze drifts down to her hand—the one she injured retrieving the transmitter—and pride fills me. My Ashaya is strong, brave and brilliant. If not for her, we would have no chance of being rescued.
As I move around the cave, I notice her eyes travel discreetly down my form. A flicker of confusion flashes briefly across her expression before she lifts her gaze back to mine. She did this the first time she saw me unclothed as well. My appearance must be too different from that of the males of her species. She is disappointed in my body, but there is nothing I can do about this, and I can only hope that, eventually, she sees past it.
After breakfast, we step outside the cave and I turn to face her. "Are you ready?"
She nods and I shift into draken form.
Liana
Soran extends his leg and looks at me expectantly. I don't know why the thought of riding on his back makes me nervous, but it does. Maybe it's because I'm so attracted to him. Even in this form, the way the powerful muscles flex and move beneath his scales makes me think of his humanoid form—pure masculine perfection.
He tilts his massive head in my direction, arching one eyebrow in a questioning look as he waits for me to climb on. "Second thoughts?"
The words arc through me like lightning, and my entire body tenses, but I quickly force myself to relax. This is Soran, and I hate that I react to him like this.
As if sensing my distress, he gives me a pained look.
I reach out to rest my hand lightly on his jaw. "I'm not scared of you. I trust you. I just can't help my reaction sometimes. When you speak in my thoughts, it reminds me too much of..." I swallow thickly against the pain-filled memories of Talel's invasion of my mind. Closing my eyes briefly, I shake my head as if to clear them away. "I'm fine. I promise."
I do my best to give him a reassuring smile, but from the look on his face, I know it falls short.
Pushing down my fear, I climb up his leg and onto his back.
He's still as I settle over his shoulders and grab onto a few of the hard spikes protruding from the back of his neck. My eyes widen when I realize how sharp they are. "Uh...no sudden stops, okay? I don't want to get skewered." I give him a nervous laugh, only halfway teasing because it's definitely a valid concern.
His spikes snap flat against his back just before his huge body shakes beneath me, sending small tremors through mine as he laughs. Turning his head, he grins and winks in a very Terran gesture, and it looks so ridiculous on his fierce dragon face that I double over with laughter.
He turns his attention back to the forest, walking along the edge between the mountain and the thick canopy of trees.
I’m about to ask why he hasn't taken off yet, but it occurs to me that he's probably giving me time to get adjusted. Every good pilot knows you need to familiarize yourself with a ship before you start flying, and I suppose this really isn't that much different.
Taking advantage of this moment before we take to the sky, I run my hands over his smooth scales. Brilliant bursts of iridescent color reflect off their surface as he moves beneath the light filtering in through the trees. "Beautiful," I whisper under my breath.
He stops and tilts his chin up, puffing his chest out with pride at my words.
I laugh heartily. "Now, you're just showing off," I tease.
His body shudders and another wisp of smoke escapes his nostrils as he laughs.
I shake my head in mock annoyance as we continue on. "My big, strong Mosauran warrior," I think to myself.
"Yours," he agrees. Something about the way he says it makes my heart stutter.
Desire coils deep in the pit of my stomach as a low vibration begins to thrum through his body, melting my core. But it stops just as suddenly as it began when he unfolds his massive wings. Powerful muscles flex beneath me as they extend and then begin to flap, lifting us from the ground. Swirling snow and debris kick up from the sudden blast of wind, and I squeeze my eyes shut as the world falls away.
Cool air whips arou
nd my form, in sharp contrast to the comfortable warmth of his body as we soar above the tree line. With a sudden dip, he catches a current that lifts us even higher.
I gasp at the stark but beautiful landscape beneath us, and my mouth drifts open in wonder. "This is amazing, Soran."
I've always loved flying, but it's never felt as invigorating as this. Rapturous, all-consuming adrenaline burns through my veins. It is complete and utter freedom. An intense and heady rush, this is the high that every pilot chases when they take to the sky.
Strong wind claws at my form, threatening to rip me from his back. But I flatten myself against his spine and hold on tight. His entire body shakes as several violent gusts push against him, and he struggles to align himself with another current. Tucking his wings, he slips into the stream, and the pressure is suddenly gone.
Spreading his wings again, he glides effortlessly above the gray clouds. I scan the horizon, watching in awe as the dawning sun sets the snow-covered landscape on fire below us in brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow.
A wistful sigh escapes my lips. "The very first time I flew with my dad...that was it, Soran. I knew then and there that I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up. It was early morning like this. The sun was just coming up, and he pointed toward the horizon." I smile at the memory. "'There it is,' he told me. And I'll admit, I wasn't quite sure what he was talking about."
I can feel Soran listening, as if he's holding his breath and waiting to see what comes next.
"Confused, I asked him what he meant, still not sure what I was supposed to be seeing. He pointed at the horizon. The soft, warm glow of the sun's early morning rays just barely peeking over the gentle curve of the earth below us. He called it the 'beautiful edge.'
"And when I piloted my first ship out into the black void of space, I—” My voice catches. Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back and continue. "It was the most amazing thing I'd ever done in my life. Terra was just below me in the viewscreen, and it looked so incredible. More beautiful than anything I could have ever imagined. My dad had told me about this, but until you see it for yourself, you can't picture just how breathtaking it is. Something so raw and perfect...created by the stars long before we ever even existed..." I smile as I hold onto the image in my mind. "He said pilots in the Terran space program call the round curve of our planet, 'the edge of it all.' He told me I'd be overcome with emotion when I first saw it—that even the most stoic pilots can't help but be moved by its beauty." The smile falls from my face as sadness starts to creep in around the perfect memory. "He was right."
The Edge of it All Page 22