Tamed By An Alien Savage (Kutarian Warriors Book 2)

by Ivy McAdams

  The sight makes my chest ache. I want to run to him and wrap my arms around him, do whatever I can to perk him up again.

  I have some ideas.

  The last drawer along the wall slides closed and I'm about to head back to our pallet when a low shelf of canisters catches my eye. I stop so fast my big body almost barrels right over the desk in front of me.

  Four oxygen canisters lie on their side on the bottom shelf, dials all pointing at a green Full indicator.

  “Oh my God,” I mutter.

  Hallelujah!

  “What is it?” Xjhun is at my side in seconds. His eyebrows are drawn in concern, but one look at my face relaxes them. His head tilts to the side.

  I point at the shelves as I push past the desk to get to them. “These are full of oxygen. To help keep me alive.”

  He hovers over my shoulder as I touch each one.

  “Enough until your people get here?”

  “Well, no. Not with these. But they’ll help. And maybe if…” I scan the back corner, trying to remember what the boring behind-the-scene equipment looked like in the space shuttle. I didn’t pay enough attention to it before.

  I dust debris off a white machine protruding from the wall near the shelf and excitement grips me. “Yes! This is a converter. It converts the chemicals and elements in your air into oxygen. We can replenish the tanks as we use them.”

  I'm giddy. How did I not even think to look for canisters when we first arrived?

  Much too distracted by the hot alien guy, of course. Although the hot alien guy still looks a little dampened. He’s not as excited about the oxygen as I am.

  “I’ll help you set her up,” he says as he turns away.

  His energy levels are low. It makes mine sag. I nibble at my lip with a mounting sigh. My discovery isn’t half as fun when doesn’t join in with me.

  He scoops the human body from the floor and brings her over. The ghostly sensation of his fingers slide over my skin and I stare in amazement. Back in the corner, he places the body on the nearest table and I detach the gourd contraption the medicine man fastened to the mask and hook it up to an oxygen tank. It’s a smooth transition, and the little body’s complexion improves almost immediately.

  Rather than hover over it, however, I step up behind Xjhun and wrap my arms around him. The dark mane of hair that goes down his back is soft and tickles my skin. I rest my chin against the hard, smooth scales on his back.

  “I’m glad you’ve completed your mission,” he said, though neither his voice or his energy confirm that he’s happy for me. There’s no venom in him, but there’s no excitement either.

  “Thank you for helping me. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  He makes a soft grunt of agreement.

  The ache returns to my chest. I’ve broken my beautiful alien.

  I grab his arms, prepared to spin him around and talk through what’s bothering him, when the lights above us flicker violently. It’s much worse than the occasional dimming and strobing from before. Once, they go out for a couple seconds before turning back on. Something in the ceiling crackles, and we duck.

  “What is it doing?” he asks, wrapping his arm around my waist protectively.

  “It’s the electricity. The generators are probably damaged and malfunctioning. They may break down, or run out of juice.”

  “Juice?”

  “They need fuel to function. I’m not sure what exactly. Oil or gas. I didn’t get a mechanic rundown on the trip over.”

  I suppose I should have, for emergency purposes, but there were over fifty people on base when I arrived. It hardly seemed necessary at the time.

  “Is there any more of it?”

  “There’s supposed to be two supply bunkers around here. At a scouting distance for when we’re out in the field. They’ll more than likely have some sort of fuel.”

  He rubs his fingers along his chin as he nods, eyes flitting over to the human body. “She’s not going to make it for rescue if we don’t gather the fuel.”

  “Not if the power keeps failing and we can’t refill the tanks.”

  He goes back to being silent and stoic, eyes focused somewhere in the corner. On the converter, maybe. Or my human body.

  A long silence draws out and I realize how quiet the room has gotten. The constant buzzing outside has disappeared. I strain to hear, even holding my breath, but I can’t pick up anything that sounds like insects. Thank goodness.

  “Then we will go to your supply hut and get fuel for her.”

  When his gaze finds mine, I give him a big, appreciative smile.

  “Thank you.”

  I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him.

  “Anything for you, my moon,” he murmurs against my lips.

  My insides turn to putty and I lean in closer to him. He is an amazing man and I’m lucky to have him on my team.

  He rests his forehead against mine and breathes deep, and I imagine he’s breathing me in just as I am him. Even just standing with him without letting my hands―or my mind―explore too far, I’m so comfortable. He’s warm and hard. I’m safe in his arms.

  He presses a kiss to my nose and his eyes cross to the door. “I think the locusts are gone.”

  “Is it safe to go out?”

  “It should be. They sweep through areas in a wave. They’ll have moved on.”

  “Thank goodness. Those things are creepy.”

  With Xjhun at my side, I unlock the door and open it.

  The mid-afternoon sun glares in the opening and I squint against it. What’s left of the rest of our biodome is not much more than rubble. Exposed wires, chunks of heavy plastic.

  Xjhun said that stagni were the ones that had wrecked the campsite. A few claw marks in the plastic walls and large feet impressions in the dirt outside confirm it for me. The thought of the stagni slinking around makes me gag. I’m so glad I wasn’t here.

  Xjhun takes a long step out of the doorway, and I look down at the ground. There are dozens of dead locusts, each as big as my hand, lying in a pile on the tiles.

  “Yeelch.” I grimace as I step over and hurry away from the kamikaze bugs. “Those things mean business, don’t they?”

  “They’re relentless. Thank gods there was still a hut standing here.”

  As we walk into the center of what's left of the base, my mind wanders back to our stay in the biodome. Alone time with my warrior that was more than perfect. I'm not ready for it to be over.

  My hand slides into his and he grips me with strong but tender fingers.

  “Are you ready to ride?” he asks.

  At first, I'm not sure what he means, but when he fits his fingers to his lips and blows a sharp whistle, I realize his intent.

  It takes only a moment for the pounding feet to draw near, and I grimace.

  The brown levadon comes around the backside of the plateau and opens its mouth wide with a low, vibrating squawk.

  Couldn't we continue without inviting along huge beasts that want to gnaw on me?

  When the animal stops, Xjhun’s eyes shine and he reaches out a hand to stroke the dinosaur’s head.

  “Glad to see you in one piece, my friend. I knew you could outrun those pests.”

  The levadon’s skin flickers with lights as Xjhun rubs his fingers along the bumpy surface. The beast makes a low purring noise.

  It’s oddly beautiful, both the bioluminescence and the bond between the two. But Xjhun still could have picked something with dull teeth like a horse. Not something that could grab your leg and rip it off as you ride.

  He tugs on my hand and pulls me over until he can press my palm against the levadon’s shoulder.

  My heart hammers in my chest and I bite back a scream as my fingers flex into the tough hide. The colors swirling over its skin change from gold to a blend of reds and purples. It snorts, and I jerk my hand back.

  “It’s fine,” Xjhun whispers, interlacing his fingers with mine against the beast. “He’ll let you ride him.
”

  I pull my hand back, holding his rather than touching the levadon.

  “Ride it? Are you sure?”

  He smiles and presses a kiss to my forehead. “I won’t let any harm come to you, my moon.”

  I believe this wholeheartedly at least, so I let him lift me onto the dinosaur's back. It moves about as he joins me. I practically perch in Xjhun's lap in front of the saddle, plastered against his chest and snug against his hips. I can't complain about that.

  I’m just settling in, hands resting on Xjhun’s thighs on either side of me, and thinking I can handle this when the dinosaur turns his head to peer back at me with a beady eye. Then he takes off at a dead run and I cling to anything I can get my hands on with a scream.

  Chapter 10

  Trinity

  The high noon sun is on its descent as we ride along the foot of the mountain.

  I’ve been sitting on this damn dinosaur for hours, and honestly, my ass is killing me. Xjhun’s done his best to entertain me, pointing out different ridges and landmarks, and I do my best to file them in memory so I know where I am. Sometimes he points out a pair of birds or he just lets the comfortable silence fall over us.

  The problem isn’t with boredom, however, it’s how well my body can handle being perched up on top of this bony levadon back. Because things get tricky when you throw a tail into the mix.

  I’m aching.

  When Xjhun points Desian toward a widespread grove of flowing trees across the valley and declares it’s break time, I feel like clapping.

  “The mi’uni trees always gather near an open water source,” he says. “It’ll be cool and quiet in there.”

  “Perfect.”

  We slip through the overhanging branches of a pair of massive trees. The loose, drooping limbs are full of soft white leaves and matching flowers. It smells amazing, like walking through a plant nursery full of blooming roses and fresh clear water. The thin branches move and sway in a peaceful breeze that was oddly absent outside the grove.

  In the darkness beneath the canopy, many more of the giant trees are gathered. A pond is settled in the center of them. One of the trees has thick roots arching right into the water.

  The scene is peaceful, but it's what's in the water that draws my attention.

  A herd of mid-sized dinosaurs with shining pink lights running up and down their spines splash around in the pond, diving in and throwing water about. The largest is about the height of a horse. Smaller ones down to house cat size frolic together. Underneath the overhanging branches, their bodies glow in the shadows.

  “What are those?” I murmur as we stand at the edge of the water.

  Xjhun takes my hand and eases me down next to a tree. He presses a finger over his lips and I close my mouth.

  I assume that means the same here as it does on Earth.

  The mossy grass around the tree roots is soft and cool to the touch. He sits with his back against the tree trunk and whispers into my hair.

  “We call them starwards. They’re some of the brightest dinosaurs around.”

  “They’re beautiful.”

  “They are. Only a few animals produce their own light like that. Levadon skin has the color shimmer, but it isn’t bright like this.”

  I shake my head, unable to pull my eyes away. “No. This is something else entirely.”

  The whole scene is like a surreal glow-in-the-dark painting, or sparkling animatronics I might find at an amusement park, where the artwork of the setup is simply breathtaking.

  But these beasts are real.

  The trees and water and beautiful scenery are all real.

  “There are many things that are worth stopping to look for around here,” he says.

  “That I believe without question.”

  I lean my head back against his shoulder to gaze up at him. He's definitely the best-looking thing I've seen during my time on Xion V.

  He shifts and points out over the water and speaks just over a whisper. “Those three small ones there, they’re the new offspring. Born these past thawing months probably. Then those two are most likely the older offspring.”

  “They don’t get kicked out of the nest?”

  He looks down at me with a half-cocked smile. “They’re not birds.”

  “I mean, they don’t make their younger children leave when they have new children?”

  I've never claimed to be an animal expert, but at least I know that most animals do that. Or at least most of them on Earth.

  “Not the starwards. They have tight-knit families. Sometimes big herds of them, all related. This is a smaller one, though they may be branched off from a bigger group close by.”

  I stare at the dinosaurs, the two larger ones standing side by side as they dig through the mud at the edge of the pond while the smaller ones play. All of them pulse the same beats of pink light, though the youngsters’ are bright and flashy. I feel like I can almost hear them laughing in it.

  “That’s pretty amazing that they stick so close together,” I whisper.

  Xjhun nods against the back of my head. His breath warms my hair.

  “The younger ones will stay with their family until they find their own mate. The pair may stay or branch out, but they’ll stay with their partners until they die.”

  A small smile crosses my face. “You have a lot of faithful creatures on your planet.”

  One of his big arms slides around my body to hold me close to his chest. “Yes. It is the way of the gods and the best for survival. Of both the body and the heart.”

  I look up at him again, the breath trembling in my chest. He smiles at me before brushing his lips over mine.

  My heart feels as if it has swelled beyond its normal size. If I’m not careful, he’s going to sweep me clear off my feet and I’m going to let him.

  But that’s dangerous and I know it.

  He may be sexy and he may know how to make me feel like a goddess, but there’s still an underlying truth that nags at the edges of my soul.

  He’s an alien. I’m a human.

  Technically.

  But more than that, we’ve fallen into each other very quickly. Not like the slow burn I had with Andrew. Are we going to melt through our romance like a candle with twice as many wicks?

  Xjhun’s chest moves with his low chuckle and I try to refocus on the dinosaurs in front of me. One of the smaller ones has managed to climb up on a larger sibling and tackle it into the water. The older one flails its legs as it’s being overpowered, an obvious attempt at theatrics.

  Xjhun’s arm tightens around my middle and I lean into it. If I could just forget everything else I knew, I could let myself be lost in him. Just as I did most of the time we were in the biodome.

  But the closer we get to stabilizing my human body, I know there’s a big decision in my future.

  * * *

  Xjhun

  I shift in the saddle to stretch my legs. After resting for a spell in the mi’uni grove, we get moving again. Hours later, it’s time to call it a day. My body isn’t accustomed to riding long distances with another person, and I know Trinity must be sore.

  Although the pain in my muscles will never match the frustration in my brain.

  The further we go on her journey, the more I think she'll drop her cause altogether and realize she needs to stay with me. But my Trinity is as stubborn as a Thunder Jaw.

  She isn’t going to stop until she’s finished what she’s set out to do, even if that means leaving me forever.

  The rational side of my brain tells me I should have turned back days ago and completed my uza hunt. Just let things go and leave her be.

  But some things are more important in the long run.

  The evening sun is setting as we near the drop-off on the prairie’s edge. Down below is the rocky valley that skirts the edge of the ocean.

  There’s been no supply tower in sight so far.

  “Do you know how far away it was supposed to be?” I ask, putting in one last eff
ort for the evening.

  “No. Just some odd miles to the south. I didn’t catch the number, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” I murmur into her hair. “We can rest here tonight and look again tomorrow. We wouldn’t make it back to the camp with supplies tonight anyway.”

  I stop Desian and slide off his back into a field of green grass and sleeping flowers. Closed buds stretching clear across the meadow, swaying in the gentle breeze and awaiting the morning sun to open up again.

  “Are we going to sleep out here?” Trinity asks as I help her down from the levadon.

  “A couple nights in your white hut leave you too soft to sleep outside?” I grin at her, flexing my fingers on her hips.

  The way her eyes light up in amusement sends me to the clouds. She’s been quiet for most of our afternoon ride and I’ve given her a bit more space. Thankfully it seems to have loosened her up.

  “Just as long as I have a big, strong warrior to curl up next to,” she says.

  My ears lay flat and I narrow my eyes with a tail whip as I look around the clearing, doing my best to force the mirth from my face. “Where is he? I’ve got words for him.”

  She laughs and snags the pendant around my neck in her delicate fingers. Her body moves delightfully close to mine. “Funny now, are we?”

  I give her a playful scoff. “Now?”

  Her eyes sparkle with her chuckle and she leans into me. I take her chin in my fingers and guide her face to mine, claiming her mouth. Her warm breasts crush into my chest and I can’t wait to get my hands on them. Her hips move into mine and I want to grab those again too.

  I can’t get enough of this woman.

  My tongue slips through her open lips and teases along hers. Each touch is electric and I want nothing more than to devour her. Make her cry out in absolute ecstasy, my name on her lips and my seed in her womb.

  My moon is my life, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to keep her.

  First, that means protecting her.

  As much as it pains me, I shift her off my body to look down at her.