by Anna Zaires
She checked the wallet next. To her relief, her driver’s license, credit cards, and cash were all there, although still a bit damp.
“I didn’t steal anything, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Zaron said wryly as she finished flipping through the folds.
“I didn’t think you did.” Emily looked up at him. “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t lose anything during my fall. Thank you for returning this to me.”
“Of course. Like I told you, you are my guest.”
“A guest who can’t leave,” Emily said, holding his gaze.
His eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t respond to her statement. “For breakfast, how about a fruit salad with macadamia-raspberry dressing?” he asked instead.
“Sounds good.” Putting down her things on the floating couch, Emily followed Zaron into the kitchen. Perching on one of the floating planks at the table, she listened as he gave the house their food order—or at least that’s what she assumed he was doing when he spoke in Krinar.
Shifting in her seat, Emily took a slow breath, then another, trying to keep calm. She could feel the first stirrings of that caged, claustrophobic feeling she got from being indoors too much—a feeling that was exacerbated by the knowledge that this time, she really was locked up, that her freedom was under someone else’s control. Logically, she understood that her imprisonment was only temporary, but logic had nothing to do with the suffocating tightness in her chest.
Emily knew from experience that the tightness would only get worse. The last time she’d been forced to be indoors longer than a day was four years ago during a bad winter storm in Chicago. Nearly four feet of snow had fallen in a span of thirty-two hours, and it had been impossible to open the front door for almost three days. Emily, who had been sharing a small townhouse in Evanston with four roommates, had gotten so claustrophobic that she’d ended up climbing out of her first-floor bedroom window into a pile of snow—anything to get rid of the choking sensation of being stuck in a closed space for a prolonged period of time.
Ever since she’d woken up at Zaron’s house yesterday, she hadn’t been outside at all.
No, don’t think about that. Breathe, and don’t think about that.
“What’s wrong?” Zaron frowned, apparently sensing her growing discomfort. “Are you feeling ill?” Sitting down across from her, he gave her a questioning stare.
Emily bit her lip. She hated admitting to weakness, but she couldn’t remain indoors for the next two-plus weeks. She simply couldn’t.
“I have a thing,” she said after a moment. “I get weird if I stay inside too much. It’s a claustrophobia of sorts. I can handle small spaces, but not if I stay there for long.”
His eyebrows rose in surprise. “You were fine yesterday.”
She nodded. “I can usually go about a day without it getting bad, but then I need to get some fresh air or I start going crazy. When I’m at work, I always volunteer to run errands—you know, getting coffee, dropping stuff off at the post office, picking up lunch for my team—anything I can do to leave the building for a few minutes. It’s not usually a big deal, but I just can’t be cooped up for long.”
Zaron leaned back, regarding Emily beneath half-closed eyelids. “I see. Do you need to go outside right now, or can you wait until after breakfast?”
A wave of relief flooded her, chasing away some of the suffocating tightness in her chest. “I can wait,” she said, giving him a genuine smile. “It’s not too bad yet.” She felt almost lightheaded with joy.
He wasn’t going to keep her locked up in the house after all.
While they were speaking, their breakfast had landed on the table.
“We can go for a swim,” Zaron said, reaching for a bowl of fruit and nuts in some exotic-looking sauce. “There’s a nice lake near here.”
“A swim? That would be great,” Emily said, falling ravenously on the fruit. The salad was delicious, but she could barely taste it in her eagerness to be outside. Aside from alleviating her claustrophobia, going out would also give her a chance to look for an escape route.
If Zaron thought she would meekly accept losing the job opportunity of a lifetime, he had another thing coming. Emily had worked too hard to let her career be derailed so easily.
One way or another, she needed to get back home.
* * *
After breakfast, Zaron fabricated a swimsuit for Emily and some swimming shorts for himself. Adhering to the non-disclosure mandate meant that everything he wore had to at least look like human clothing, so he found the bikini design for Emily on human Internet.
Entering Emily’s room, Zaron gave her the two pieces of cloth, then stepped out to let her change. He didn’t mind the upcoming outing, but her condition puzzled him. As soon as he’d seen her this morning, he’d sensed a strange tension in her, and her anxiety had only seemed to get worse as the morning progressed. By the time they sat down to eat breakfast, Emily had looked like she’d wanted to crawl out of her skin. He didn’t think she’d been faking it, either; unless she was a world-class actress, her discomfort had been real.
A knock interrupted Zaron’s thoughts. He gave a quick command, and the wall to Emily’s room opened, creating a doorway for her.
She stood there wearing the same dress as before, only with the blue straps of her bikini peeking out from underneath. At the sight of his semi-naked body, a pink flush spread over her face and neck, giving her pale skin a delicate glow.
“Ready to go?” Zaron asked, suppressing a smile at the way she tried to keep her eyes above his neck. He’d just changed into his own swimwear, and he hadn’t bothered putting on a shirt. Her feminine reaction to his body pleased him; the stronger the attraction, the easier it would be to coax her into his bed.
Emily nodded and followed him toward the far wall of the living room. When they approached, the intelligent material parted, creating an opening leading to the outside.
Stepping out, Zaron inhaled deeply, enjoying the heat of the sun on his exposed skin. It was already mid-morning, and the air was warm and humid, filled with the scent of bromeliads and the sounds of various living creatures. This region of Earth reminded him of home—the primary reason why he’d chosen this location for the main Krinar colony.
Turning, he saw Emily standing a few feet away from him, staring at the house behind them. “Not what you expected, is it?” he asked, seeing the expression on her face.
Unlike most Krinar or human dwellings, his temporary home was not a building at all. It was a high-tech cave located deep inside a small mountain. With the outside opening sealed, it was completely invisible behind a thick wall of greenery. Unless someone already knew it was there, it was impossible to find—either from the air or on foot.
“No,” Emily replied, turning to face him. “It’s not what I expected at all. Is this because you’re trying to stay hidden?”
“Yes. I don’t want some plane or helicopter to spot a strange structure in your jungle and decide to investigate.”
Emily gave him a thoughtful look but didn’t ask any more questions as they walked through the forest toward the lake. Now that she was outside, Zaron could sense her anxiety easing, the pinched look on her face disappearing. For the first time since he’d known her, the human girl appeared relaxed and happy, her soft lips curving in a smile as she watched a Sceloporus malachiticus—a spiny green lizard—scooting off a nearby rock.
“You seem quite comfortable here for someone who lives in New York City,” he remarked, noticing the ease with which she navigated the green jungle. She seemed to respect nature without being afraid of it, stepping carefully yet confidently through the thick grass. He was about to warn her about the painful sting of the Paraponera clava, but she avoided the bullet ant colony before he had the chance.
“I am comfortable here,” Emily said, flashing him a quick smile. “I grew up in semi-rural Georgia, actually, and only moved to New York for work. I was a very outdoorsy kid, climbing trees and catchin
g bugs all day long. If I had my way, I would’ve lived in a treehouse.”
Zaron grinned, picturing a tiny Emily running through the woods. If she looked angelic now, he could only imagine what she must’ve been like as a child, with those large bright eyes and sunny hair.
“What about you?” she asked as they entered a small clearing. “What was it like for you as a child? Did you get to play outdoors a lot? I imagine your cities are very high-tech…”
“They are,” Zaron said. “But they’re different from your cities. We tend to build around the natural environment, instead of over it. In fact, our settlements look more like this jungle than one of your towns.”
“Really?” She gave him a surprised look. “So no skyscrapers, no roads, no cars?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Nothing of the sort. We do have some larger buildings for public events, but there aren’t many of them. We don’t like to cluster together like humans do, so our homes tend to be spread out—and we don’t need roads because we either walk or use flying transport.”
Zaron could see that Emily was about to ask him more questions, but at that moment they reached their destination.
About two miles across and three miles wide, the lake was a sizable body of water, fed by several different mountain streams—streams that were more like rivers at this time of year. Set deep within the forest, the lake was surrounded by walls of dense green vegetation and attracted all sorts of wildlife—a perfect spot for a biologist. Zaron frequently came here, both to enjoy the water and to study the local fauna.
“Watch out for that manchineel tree,” he told Emily, taking her arm to steer her away from the plant as they descended to the water. “The Hippomane mancinella is highly poisonous, and I didn’t bring any medical equipment with me.” The milky white sap of the tree contained strong toxins; just standing under its leaves during rain could cause human skin to blister.
“Oh, thanks,” she murmured, glancing up at him before turning her attention to the water. “I’ll be sure to avoid it from now on.” Her voice sounded slightly choked, and Zaron realized he was still holding her upper arm. His hand was startlingly dark against her ivory skin, his fingers almost encircling her slender arm.
For a moment, the temptation to pull her closer was unbearable. The air between them seemed to sizzle, the atmosphere rife with sexual awareness. She wanted him; he could smell the desire on her, hear her rapid heartbeat. Why was she resisting the inevitable? Surely Emily had to know that she would be his, that he wouldn’t let her go without first sinking deep into her soft, tender flesh.
“Is the lake safe for swimming?” Her voice was higher-pitched than usual, her words coming faster. She could sense the direction of his thoughts, he realized, and was doing her best to distract him from his growing hunger. “Is there anything dangerous there?”
“No,” Zaron said, reluctantly releasing her arm. “You have nothing to worry about.” As much as he wanted to press the issue, she was still too anxious. He would have her soon, he promised himself. Soon, but not quite yet.
Turning away from Emily, Zaron took off his sandals and walked down the narrow strip of rocky shore toward the water.
A dip in the cool lake sounded more appealing—and necessary—by the second.
Chapter Sixteen
Hardly able to breathe, Emily watched Zaron as he walked into the water, the sun reflecting off his thick, glossy hair. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, and she felt too warm, her skin tingling from the residual sensation of his touch.
She had known he had a good physique, of course; his clothes had done little to hide his powerful muscles. But knowing and seeing were two very different things—as Emily had discovered when she came out of her room and saw him standing there, dressed in nothing but a pair of light gray swimming shorts.
Her alien captor was devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. Smooth, darkly bronzed skin, unmarred by even a hint of imperfection, covered every inch of his rippled torso. Wide shoulders, a lean waist, and narrow hips formed a striking V-shape, and there was no fat anywhere on his muscled body. From the smattering of dark hair on his chest to the clearly defined eight-pack on his flat abdomen, he was an unbelievably gorgeous male animal.
Walking next to him through the dense forest, Emily had barely been able to keep her eyes off his body, and the second he touched her again, she’d felt like she’d been set on fire. His strong fingers had held her arm with an iron grip, ostensibly to protect her from the poisonous tree, and her body had surged with desire, warm moisture inundating her sex.
Why was she still resisting? a small, insidious voice whispered in her mind. Would it be so bad to throw caution to the wind and enjoy herself for once? How often did one get an opportunity to fuck a man that hot? And what did it matter if there was no future for them, if he was from a different species and she would never see him again once she went home? Thousands of women hooked up with strangers during their travels. Emily’s choice of partner might be more exotic, but ultimately, that’s all it would be: a short vacation fling with a man who was literally out of this world.
No. Shaking her head, Emily shimmied out of her dress, pushing away the dangerous thoughts. She had to focus on getting her life and career back on track, and an affair with an extraterrestrial—an extraterrestrial who was holding her captive, no less—was the last thing she needed.
Kicking off her shoes, she walked toward the water, grateful that Zaron seemed to be swimming away from the shore and not paying attention to her. She had no idea how many more seduction attempts she could withstand before giving in, and she had a strong suspicion that being mostly naked together was not conducive to maintaining the appropriate distance.
Just a quick swim, Emily promised herself, enjoying the cool water lapping at her skin. Just a quick swim to clear her head, and then she could start figuring out how to get herself out of this predicament.
The bottom of the lake was as rocky as the shore, hurting her bare feet, but she didn’t have to walk for long before it was deep enough to swim. Leisurely moving through the water, she saw Zaron swimming in the distance.
Very far in the distance.
Her pulse accelerated with sudden excitement. He was so far away she could barely see his dark head in the water. In fact, he was almost in the middle of the lake. She must’ve been standing there, staring at the water, much longer than she’d thought.
This was her opportunity, her chance to escape before the seventeen days were up. Emily was in good running shape, and she had a rough idea of where they were, having seen something that looked like this lake on a map she’d studied for her hiking excursion. She couldn’t be more than ten, fifteen miles away from one of the towns. If she got enough of a head start on Zaron, there was a strong possibility she might make it to civilization before he could catch her—and she would be back home in time for her interview.
Keeping an eye on the dark head in the distance, she exited the water and nonchalantly walked toward her sandals, doing her best to pretend she was simply warming up. Pulling on her shoes and dress, she cast one last look in Zaron’s direction—verifying he was still in the middle of the lake—and sprinted toward the woods.
* * *
Swimming through the calm water, Zaron enjoyed the relaxing exercise, his muscles moving and stretching with every slow, deliberate stroke. Cognizant of Emily’s presence nearby, he did his best to slow his pace to that of a human, but he was not entirely sure he succeeded. Even after six months on Earth, he found it difficult to move as Homo sapiens did—another reason for his decision to leave human cities in favor of more remote regions.
Glancing toward the shore, he saw Emily coming out of the lake. With his sharp Krinar eyesight, he could see everything, right down to the droplets of water glistening on her pale skin. His breath caught in his throat, his cock hardening at the sight. Zaron had purposefully resisted looking at her earlier, unsure of his self-control, and now he could see that he had been right t
o avoid temptation. Clad in only a small blue bikini, his human guest was a symphony of long, shapely legs and feminine curves, her breasts full and upright and her small waist flaring out to a firm, heart-shaped bottom. With her blond hair twisted carelessly on top of her head, she looked like a ray of sunlight, her skin oddly luminous from the distance.
Unable to tear his eyes away, Zaron watched hungrily as she bent down and slipped on her sandals, then pulled on her dress. Her movements were casual, almost lazy. Deceptively casual, he realized, noticing the tension in her shoulders. Straightening, she briefly looked in his direction, her eyes squinting against the bright light… and then she bolted.
She was running away from him.
Driven purely by instinct, Zaron dove under, cutting through the water with ferocious speed. Sharp, irrational anger churned in his veins, adding to his visceral urge to hunt down fleeing prey. How dare she run? He had saved her life, and she was his—his to fuck, his to keep for as long as he wished.
It took him less than two minutes to cross the distance to the shore. Surging out of the water, he caught a trace of her scent disappearing into the woods. She hadn’t gotten far, but even if she had, it wouldn’t have mattered. No human could ever outrun a Krinar.
His jaw set in a grim line, Zaron began the chase.
Chapter Seventeen
Running through the forest, Emily felt her breathing settle into a steady rhythm—one that she knew would enable her to keep the pace for the next few miles. To her relief, the strappy sandals Zaron had given her sat snugly on her feet, without even a hint of the rubbing discomfort one normally expected with such footwear.
Though the last two years had been tough, with her job consuming nearly all of her waking hours, Emily had usually managed to sneak in a five-mile run every couple of days. It didn’t compare to the rigorous fitness regimen she’d had in college, but it was better than turning into a complete couch potato—and she was extremely grateful for those runs now. She could feel her muscles warming up and stretching, her lungs working easily, and she knew she would be able to keep this up for at least an hour. By then, Zaron should be far behind her, assuming he even bothered to come after her once he reached the shore.