by Ruby Dixon
I look around, horrified, because he’s not speaking in a whisper. He’s loud enough for everyone in the cave to hear.
Fingers tip my chin, forcing me to look back at Aehako. His gaze is intense and I can’t look away.
“I am interested in you. All of you. Your sad eyes, your soft smiles, your tears, your courage, and your worries. I am at your side now, and I will be at your side until you tell me to leave. I do not need a khui to tell me who is the mate for me. You are mine and I will take every moment with you as a gift.”
“But what about—“
“If my khui resonates for someone else? I will not let it.” He grins, utterly confident. “My heart is for you and you alone.”
“That’s not how it works, Aehako.”
“That is how it will work for me,” he says, ever stubborn. “And if your khui should resonate for another, I will send you to his arms with gladness for your happiness.”
Hot tears prick my eyes. The knot in my throat prevents me from speaking, but if I could, I’d probably just gurgle a few insensible words about what a good man he is. Because he’s the best.
“You were mine the moment you landed on this planet, Kira,” Aehako says. “It does not take a khui to tell me that. Nor will I let anyone take you from me. So, come, we shall remove this shell from your ear and free you from worry, and then you will fall into my arms and lick every inch of my skin to show me your appreciation.”
A choked giggle escapes me.
“There, that is better, Sad Eyes,” Aehako says. He tenderly touches my cheek. “Now, we should go. We have a lot of ground to cover before it grows dark.”
• • •
If I thought Haden and Aehako would set an easy pace for us because we’re humans and a bit frailer than they’re used to, I’m dead wrong. They make sure we’re bundled well against the cold winds, check our snowshoes, and then set a breakneck pace through the ridges and valleys of the snow-covered land. I huff, my breath freezing against the furry scarf that covers the lower half of my face, and I’m walking so fast it feels like I’m jogging. In snowshoes.
It’s ridiculous, but even Harlow is walking faster than me, so I can’t complain. I just do my best to keep up with the others.
The height of the aliens – along with the different makeup of their broad, spread feet – means they don’t have to use the snowshoes like we puny humans do. They slow me down and make every step feel like effort. Before the cave has even disappeared from sight, Aehako jogs back to me, plucks my pack off my back, and then gives me words of encouragement so I will keep up.
If all it took were determination, I’d be at the front of the pack. Instead, I’m at the back, and it just gets more difficult as the storms pick up and snow pours from the grey skies. I put my head down and march on, grimly determined to keep up with the others. Georgie said the ship was only a day or so away from the tribal caves, so it can’t be that long of a journey. I just need to suck it up and keep moving.
We pause after a few hours to eat. Haeden has killed a critter of some kind with his sling, and the two men cut raw bits off of it and offer them to us. I’m not used to eating my meat au naturel but Liz has assured me before that it’s fine. And again, Harlow is eating quietly so I feel like I can’t be the one to demand a fire. So I gag the warm, bloody bites of food down. It’s fuel, I remind myself. Fuel that is desperately needed, because I suspect my ‘tank’ is going to be on empty before the day is over.
Once food is eaten, we get to walking again. Aehako drops down beside me, and his steps seem impossibly slow. “Are you well?”
“I’m hanging in there,” I assure him. I feel like a putz for being so slow, what with him carrying my bag and his, but I’m having a hard enough time as it is.
He nods and gives me a quick squeeze over my fur-covered shoulders, and then paces ahead at his regular, fast gait.
Hours pass and my world becomes nothing more than placing my feet in the path that Harlow’s snowshoes have trod ahead of mine. I’m no longer aware of the cold, or the travel. I thought coming to the tribal caves the first time was exhausting, but now I’m remembering how much of the time we were carried, too weak to walk. I kinda wish someone was here to carry me now. The snow continues to pour forth from the skies, making it nearly impossible to see further than a few feet ahead. I don’t know how the guys can tell where we’re going, but we seem to be heading in a straight line. That’s encouraging. I think.
A hand touches my arm. “Kira?”
I look up and realize that the scarf over my mouth has frosted to my face, and my teeth are chattering. “W-wh-what?”
It’s Aehako, his big face concerned. He pulls his hood back from his horns, and he looks no more bothered by the weather than if it’s a rainstorm and not the Snowpocalypse. “Come,” he says, pulling me against him and wrapping a supporting arm around my waist. “We’re near a cave. Come.”
I sag against him and more or less let him drag me the rest of the way to the cave. I didn’t realize how tired I was until he broke me from my trance, and now it feels as if every ounce of strength has left my body. The translator feels like a block of ice against my ear, and I can’t feel my toes. Or my fingers. My teeth are clacking like they’re tap-dancing and all the while, the snow just keeps pouring down.
Maybe we should have waited after all.
I don’t even have the energy to protest when Aehako slings me into his arms and carries me the rest of the way to the cave. At least there will be warmth there, and fire. Gosh, I love fire.
But when we get to the cave, it’s dark inside. There’s no fire.
“Predators in this area,” Haeden explains. “It’s a dangerous place to have a fire. We’ll have to share body heat.”
I look over at Harlow, who is just as bundled in furs as I am. It’s gonna be a cold night.
Harlow, however, takes one look at me as Aehako gently sets me down, and then drops her pack next to Haeden. She unrolls her bedroll and strips off her wet, snowy clothing and then inches against him like a big furry worm in a blanket.
Which means I’m with Aehako.
I should have seen that coming, I guess. I stand there like a big snow-cone as Aehako tugs my gloves off my frozen hands and then blows on my chilled fingers to warm them. “H-how c-come H-h-Harlow’s not as c-c-cold as me?” I chatter. “How c-come I sssssuck at traveling so bad?”
“She was not sick for two weeks like you were,” Aehako says easily. “You will get stronger with time.”
Harlow yawns and scoots further into her furs. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m cold and exhausted, too.”
It doesn’t, because she doesn’t look as if she’s about to fall to pieces like I do. Sure, she’s cuddling up to Haeden, who really isn’t the most cuddly of people. But I’d feel better if I wasn’t the only one struggling.
“Get some sleep,” Haeden says. “We’ll eat in the morning and then set off again.”
Aehako strips me down to my last layer of clothing, spreading the others out to dry. The cave is small but there’s no bitter wind, at least. I watch as Aehako lays out my furs and then his, pushing them both together. Then he guides me down into the bed and pulls the covers to my chin.
It doesn’t feel warm at all. I’m about to whine about this when Aehako’s enormous body gets into the furs next to me and he pulls me against him, my face pressing against his bare chest.
And…oh. Okay. This is where the warmth comes in. Because sleeping with Aehako is like sleeping with a space heater. A soft, velvety one with lots of muscles. I’m pretty sure he’s naked, too, or at least down to a loincloth.
Man. Now I wish I’d been paying more attention.
My teeth stop their chattering and I press my cold hands and feet against his skin. He doesn’t protest, just hugs me closer. Delicious warmth seeps through my body, stolen from him, and I start to feel good for the first time since leaving the tribal caves hours and hours ago.
“Are we almost there?
” I whisper to Aehako. “To the elders’ cave?”
“About halfway,” he says in a low voice. His finger traces my ear and then my jaw, sending shivers up my spine. “We’re moving slower than we’d like. The storm is hindering things.”
The storm, and the slow-ass human, I think, but I don’t say it aloud. He knows I’m doing the best I can. I snuggle closer to him and rub my fingers on his stomach. Gosh, he feels good. My fingers glide up and down the flat plane of muscle that is his belly, and I explore him with my touch even as he caresses my face.
I should be really embarrassed that Harlow immediately assumed I was sleeping with Aehako. But…I find I can’t really care. I’m glad. I don’t want to cuddle up to her because she’s not warm and delicious — and I sure don’t want to snuggle with Haeden. I’m glad Aehako and I are under the blankets together, even if it’s just for warmth.
And I think about what he said earlier. About wanting to be with me no matter what. Heat pools through my body, and even though I’m utterly exhausted, I find my hands sliding lower to check if he’s wearing a loin-cloth after all.
My questing fingers encounter nothing but muscular, lean hip. Oh. So…there’s that. There’s no waistband. No leather. No nothing. Just me and big naked alien that I have to burrow against for warmth.
Gosh, it is so hard to be me sometimes.
Aehako leans in and brushes his lips against my forehead. “Your fingers are feeling playful. Are you not tired?” His voice is whisper-soft so the others can’t hear.
“I’m exhausted,” I tell him. I’m still curious, though. Can’t blame a girl. He’s big and warm and velvety and I can’t stop petting him.
“You should sleep.”
“I will.” Soon enough. I just want to explore him for a bit and keep touching. I’m addicted to the feel of his soft skin over all those hard muscles. I keep petting his stomach, because I’m not quite brave enough to go lower. Something brushes my arm and I gasp and pull back, scandalized. Was that his…
“Don’t be shy. You wanted to explore, then explore.” There’s a challenge in his voice, along with amusement.
That sounds an awful lot like a dare. I’m both outraged and fascinated. I shore up my courage and reach down. My hand encounters hard, hot flesh. A lot of it. I’m…not entirely sure that this is a normal size, but maybe it’s normal for aliens. I grip his cock in my hand, wrapping my fingers around him.
His hand immediately cups my face and his groan of delight is so soft. It’s just for me.
And I’m a little addicted to this. To his responses. I release him and slide my fingers up and down his length, exploring him with touches. I can feel veins, and there’s a thick set of ridges running along the top that reminds me of his brow. The head feels bigger than the rest and my fingers encounter slickness there. “Are you supposed to be wet?” I ask, a little scandalized.
“My seed cannot seem to stay inside when you touch me,” he murmurs, and his mouth traces my brows. “Your touch is too exciting.”
My touch? Me? I don’t think anyone has ever used the word ‘exciting’ to describe me, ever. I bite my lip and slide my hand lower, grazing new anatomy. Balls. The word seems like a silly one. Sac might be better. He’s hairless down here, the skin even softer than I imagined. I circle the thick base of his cock and my fingers brush up against…oh. That has to be his spur. It’s a hard, horn-type thing above his cock, about the size of my pinky finger. Such a weird, strange piece of anatomy. I wonder how it’s going to match up with my anatomy. I assume it can, since neither Georgie nor Liz has had any complaints. I stroke it with my fingers, and I can feel him tense against me. Ooh. An excited throb starts between my legs, and I press my thighs tight together. “What should I do?” I ask him.
He leans down and kisses my mouth gently. “You should stop.”
That…wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I pull away as if burned. “Did I do it wrong?”
“Not at all.” Aehako nips my mouth with his teeth, sending another pleasurable jolt through me. “I just have no idea how I’m going to explain to the others how my seed was sprayed all over the cave if you continue.”
A horrified giggle erupts from me, and Aehako’s hand covers my mouth.
“Quiet,” snarls Haeden from a few feet away.
Oh lordy. Aehako’s right. We should be quiet. Still, it’s hard to take my hands away from him and place them back on his nice, safe chest.
He must be feeling the same way, because he kisses me hard, and then releases me. “Sleep,” he murmurs. “You can explore more when we are alone.”
As I drift off to sleep, I think the idea’s one that has a lot of merit to it. I hope I dream of warm blue skin and spurs and fun things like that.
AEHAKO
Rousing myself from my furs the next morning is an ordeal. Not because I’m tired, but because Kira’s sweet form is curled against me, her small body pliant and pressed against mine. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to remain in one place so badly.
The other human is still asleep, though Haeden’s furs are empty. There is no connection between them, then. Not surprising – I think Haeden is even more remote than Raahosh. At least, he has been since he lost his mate before he could claim her. Who can say what that will do to a man’s heart?
I ease myself from the furs without waking Kira, and dress quietly before heading out to the mouth of the cave. Haeden is nearby, staring at something on a snowy crest. I join him, and he points at the snow.
“We’re not alone,” he says.
My hackles rise at the sight of the footprints in the unspoiled, thick snow. They’re not deep enough to be mine or Haeden’s, and the shape and size is wrong for human feet. But it’s clear that during the night we were visited by someone.
Or something.
I squat down next to him and touch the track. The snow is crusted, meaning that the track is several hours old. “I don’t recognize this creature,” I say to him, keeping my voice low so the humans will not hear it. “What has three toes like this?” The track itself is twice the size of my own foot, shaped into three long prongs for toes. I have three toes but…not like this. It’s curious.
It also makes me angry and fiercely protective, thinking of the fragile humans sleeping in the cave. To think something came this close makes me feel helpless.
“Do you think it’s the aliens that Kira mentioned?” Haeden glances up at me. “The tracks circle around our cave and disappear a short distance away, crossing a stream.”
I lick my thumb and test the wind. It’s against us. If there’s a scent trail to follow, it’s long gone. Curse it. “If it was the aliens, why did they not attack while we slept? Under the cover of the storm? Kira thinks they want their shell back from her. If that is what they truly want, why not take it?” I rub my forehead at the base of my horns. I’m angry at myself – angry that someone came so close to our cave and threatened my woman. Angry that I didn’t set a watch and instead crawled into bed with her to share a few fleeting minutes of pleasure.
Haeden shrugs and gets to his feet. He’s not bothered. To him, this is just another hunt, another day. Sometimes I wish there was something that would take that deadness from his eyes. To wake him up and make him realize what is at stake here for me. He puts his hands on his hips and glances at the fresh snow, then at the sky. “Whatever the reason we are followed, we should hurry and take the women to the elders’ cave before our new friend returns.”
He’s not wrong. I nod and go to wake the women up. I debate telling them of the situation, not sure how they will react. Kira’s frightened enough as it is.
When I enter the cave, though, Kira is sitting up, a troubled look on her face. “We’re being followed?” Her voice is soft.
I look over at the other human’s still-sleeping form. She hasn’t heard a thing. How did Kira catch my conversation with Haeden?
As if guessing my thoughts, Kira touches the shell in her ear. “This lets me hear…pretty far. I heard you sp
eaking with Haeden. Are we in danger?”
I consider downplaying the danger, but Kira deserves to know. I spread my hands. “I don’t know. Something came close to the cave and left, and we don’t know what it was. But we had best hurry on to the elders’ cave.”
She nods and jumps to her feet.
KIRA
Yesterday’s snowstorms have disappeared and left behind the weak, thready sunlight from the two tiny suns and an extra foot of fresh, powdery snow on the ground to trudge through. My heart sinks at the sight of it, but there’s no time to sit around and hope it’ll melt. We need to get to the elders’ cave, and soon.
We break camp and set off at a fast pace. It seems even faster than yesterday’s brisk hike, but maybe it’s because I’m tired. Whatever it is, I struggle to keep up even more than usual, to the point that Aehako has to come and retrieve me a few times. It’s embarrassing, but no one calls me out because it’s obvious I’m doing the best I can.
The next time Aehako jogs back to where I’m lagging, he unslings the packs he’s carrying. “Come,” he says. “I’ll carry you on my back the rest of the way.”
His words make me sputter. Carried? Really? My pride is insulted, but this mission isn’t really about pride, is it? I’d gladly strip down naked and lick the feet of every single alien on this planet if it meant that the Little Green Men wouldn’t be a threat. So, with a small sigh, I nod. “All right. Let’s do it.”
“Be careful for my tail,” he teases.
No sooner does he say that then it bats me across the legs, like a big, playful cat. I arch an eyebrow at him and just shake my head. Even in all this stress, it’s hard to keep the grin off of Aehako’s face. I wish I could be as easygoing as him. Even without the worries from all the alien abductions, I’ve always been a serious sort.