There was stone everywhere, some of it in patches nearly level with the ground, some in the form of boulders of varying sizes, the largest of which looked as big as houses, and, farther up the slope, in jagged outcroppings that formed cliffs and rises as they climbed up toward a mist-shrouded mountain peak. Fuzzy-looking, blue-green lichen clung to that stone in many places.
Trees butted up against the edge of the meadow far behind Thargen. They were tall with thick trunks, but their branches were incredibly numerous and thin, each spotted with irregular clumps of red and yellow needles. They reminded her of pine trees—though she doubted that the comparison would hold up as she studied these alien plants more closely.
Regardless, the landscape was beautiful. The colors were reminiscent of autumn back on Earth, complemented by a blue-green sky.
There was no sign of the ship or other captives—not even a pillar of smoke in the sky to signify a nearby crash, though she doubted anything like that would’ve remained visible for long given the rugged, mountainous landscape and thick copses of trees everywhere.
Yuri tucked a few wild strands of windblown hair behind her ear and frowned. “How long was I out?”
“Minute or two,” Thargen replied.
“Then where’s the ship?”
“Somewhere too close.”
They darted past several spread-out trees, and within a few seconds had passed into a forest. Those red and yellow needles blanketed much of the ground, reducing the grass to sparse, scattered patches, though there were still plenty of lichen-covered stones all over.
Yuri furrowed her brows and flicked her gaze across the open field behind them and to the trees beyond it. “Where are the others? Shouldn’t we be traveling together? Greater numbers and all that?”
“No.” His response was more of a grunt than a spoken word.
“Why?” Not all the captives had been like Iljibi.
“Because.”
Yuri glared at him and opened her mouth to ask another question—only to snap it shut when she finally saw past the blood to the person beneath it. Thargen’s expression was strained; brows low, jaw clenched, the cords of his neck standing out. Little beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.
He was entirely focused on their escape. And, considering how fast he was running, the weight he was carrying, and his clipped responses, he had little energy to spare for anything else. He very likely had little energy for anything right now. The rations they’d been given during their captivity had left Yuri hungry every day, and she was much smaller than Thargen; he must’ve been weakened and exhausted even before using his body to shield her from the violence of the crash.
Her questions could wait until they’d stopped somewhere safe and Thargen had rested.
Yuri returned her attention to their surroundings. Thargen continued running between the trees, over rock, across grass, and up and down the sloped terrain at an unrelenting pace. He didn’t slow, didn’t show any signs of tiring but for his steadily intensifying body heat and his heavy but steady breathing.
As they plunged deeper into the forest, the vegetation became more varied. Yuri spotted vibrant flowers with oddly shaped petals, squat plants with jagged leaves, and lush bushes. Some of the plants were decidedly pale, thriving in the shadows of the trees. Alien birds shook branches and rustled leaves overhead as they scattered, startled into flight by Thargen’s pounding feet and unwavering forward momentum. She caught only fleeting glimpses of the creatures through the vegetation. It was the same for the small bugs flitting through the air nearby—she often spotted them from the corners of her vision, but they were too fast for Yuri to get a good look at them.
Yuri’s weariness caught up with her as time passed. Her head lolled, dropping against Thargen’s shoulder, and her eyelids drooped, lulled by his constant, almost hypnotic motion. His skin was hot on her cheek, and she could feel his heart pounding through his chest.
She roused herself sometime later when Thargen finally slowed, blinking away the grogginess from her eyes. Every muscle in her body screamed in protest. Despite Thargen’s best efforts, she’d taken a beating during the crash, and she was sure feeling it now. Lifting her head, she looked around to find herself in a small, grassy clearing that was backed on one side by a huge boulder. The light streaming in through the gap in the trees made the surrounding colors just a little brighter.
Thargen walked closer to the boulder, still breathing heavily but evenly, and leaned forward to gently lower Yuri’s feet to the ground. Once she was standing on her own, his arms fell away. She tightened her hold on the backpack and axe as she took a step back and looked up at Thargen.
His green skin was a tapestry of scars, bruises, and smeared blood; the only thing keeping the latter of those from making her sick again was her overwhelming concern for him. He was still naked—and his pierced cock, though flaccid, was still as intimidating as it was enticing. His chest swelled and his shoulders rose with another deep, ragged breath.
Thargen raised his hands and tugged his backpack off his shoulders, letting it drop heavily onto the grass behind him.
“Fuck.” Moving slow and stiff, he closed the distance to the boulder, bracing a hand on its stone face once he reached it. He winced and turned to lean against the boulder as he lowered himself into a sitting position.
Yuri’s eyes widened. She dropped the axe and backpack beside his bag and hurried over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Thargen? Are you okay?”
He released a huff of air through his nostrils and tipped his head back against the rock. “Tired.”
She would’ve expected anyone to be tired after what they’d gone through—she absolutely was—but his response didn’t ease her worry. Heat baked off him, and his skin was coated in sweat.
Yuri wasn’t familiar with vorgal physiology, but she knew many species could run themselves to death, driven by pure adrenaline—or whatever hormones were specific to their kind. And she had been part of the burden he’d carried. She had increased his exertion.
He should’ve listened when I told him to put me down.
But she knew in her heart that wouldn’t have helped—he was faster, and even if she were in peak physical condition, she’d only have slowed him down.
She scrambled to her backpack and heaved it upright. Unzipping it, she dug inside, pushing aside clothing and other items until she found two water cubes. There hadn’t been many intact cubes in that mess back on the ship, but she’d taken every one she could find.
Yuri returned to Thargen and knelt at his side. He’d already closed his eyes. Frown deepening, she brought one of the cubes to his lips. “Open.”
“Only for a kiss,” he said, one corner of his mouth twitching up in a tiny smirk.
“Oh, you stubborn male,” she said, but couldn’t help smiling herself. “Fine.” Leaning forward, she pecked a brisk kiss on his mouth before pulling back and raising the water cube again. “Now open.”
“That shouldn’t cou—”
Yuri shoved the water cube into his mouth, cutting off his words. “Maybe after you’re done resting, I’ll have a better one waiting.”
He pressed his lips together, and his cheeks sunk in as he sucked on the cube. After a few seconds, he swallowed thickly and grimaced. “Still tastes shitty.”
“Doesn’t matter.” She held the other to his mouth. “Next.”
Thargen covered her hand with one of his, pushing it down. He lifted his head, opened his eyes, and met her gaze. “Save it.”
“You need to rehydrate.”
“It’s our only water for now. Save it.” Despite his obvious weariness, both his tone and his hold on her hand were firm.
Yuri’s gaze shifted from his eyes to their hands and back again, indecision and worry coiling in her chest.
“I’ll be fine, zoani. Either put it away or take it yourself.” He released her hand and caught her chin, forcing her eyes to remain on him. “Stay close. Stay alert.”
She sear
ched his face. His golden eyes were intense and flooded with concern—concern for her.
“I will, Thargen.”
He held her gaze for another moment or two before his eyes drifted shut and he tipped his head back again. His hand fell away from her face, his whole body sagged against the boulder, and his breathing was immediately slow and even. It was as though he’d just…powered down in an instant.
Yuri’s heart lurched, and she hurriedly raised her free hand, placing her palm over his forehead. He was burning up. She moved her fingers down, pressing them to his throat to check his pulse. It took some searching, especially because she paused after discovering the hard cords on either side of his trachea. Were they tendons or cartilage, or perhaps something else entirely? When she finally found a good spot, his heartbeat was almost as slow and steady as his breathing—an alarming change from it having been racing only a minute or two before.
She’d only studied human medicine during her time in nursing school. She didn’t know anything about vorgals, didn’t know if this was normal or something to be concerned about. Thargen hadn’t seemed panicked or alarmed by his condition, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.
Dropping her hand to her lap, she sat back on her heels and studied him. His green skin glistened with sweat, some of which combined to trickle down his neck and chest—and a few of which carried a red tinge, having mixed with the blood spattered on him.
Yuri was suddenly reminded of the bloodied, battered corpse they’d left behind near the ship.
“Ugh.” She tilted her head back and looked up at the trees, forcing herself to take deep breaths until the lightheadedness passed. “Come on, Yuri. It’s just a little blood. Stop being such a damn baby.”
The most frustrating part of it was that she knew her problem had nothing to do with being a baby—the medical term for it was vasovagal syncope, and it was fairly common even if most people didn’t know what to call it. Best of all was that modern medicine hadn’t come up with a cure other than avoid your triggers.
Hence the end of her nursing career before it had even begun.
She could still remember the first time she’d fainted because of it. Seven-year-old Yuri had been playing at the park with her siblings when her older sister, Kaiya, ran beneath one of the slides and hit her head. Fortunately, Kaiya hadn’t suffered a concussion or anything serious—but she had opened a gash on her forehead. There’d been blood everywhere.
Yuri’s last thought before passing out had been that Kaiya was going to die. No one could bleed that much and live. Ever since then, Yuri had felt light-headed and nauseous whenever she saw blood. She could usually push through it if she focused on her breathing and closed her eyes, but it still made her vomit or faint on occasion.
She’d hoped to outgrow it, as many people did.
Seventeen years and counting, now…
But after everything Thargen had done for her, Yuri couldn’t sit here and do nothing. Lifting her head, she looked at him again and studied his body. Her brows furrowed.
Thargen seemed just a touch smaller than he had a minute before. Not that there was anything really small about him, but his muscles appeared just a little less defined. She supposed that was normal; this was the first time she’d seen him truly relaxed since they’d been kidnapped.
More concerning were the discolored patches all over his body—dark bruises, some wider across than her hand.
Though it was difficult to tell given the amount of blood on him, Yuri didn’t think his skin had been broken anywhere—at least not this time. She once again found her eyes following the paths of his many scars, and wondered how they’d been caused, wondered how much pain he’d endured. Her gaze dipped lower, running over his abdomen, and she swallowed thickly when it stopped on his cock.
“Enough, Yuri,” she said in response to the desire sparking within her. “Now is not the time.”
Turning, she grabbed her bag and dragged it closer. She carefully put the water cube inside and was rummaging through the backpack’s contents when she noticed the dark blotch on her shirt. She looked down at it and stilled—a large blood stain, not unlike an inkblot from those old psych tests, had settled into the fabric all over her midsection.
Her stomach immediately revolted.
She swiftly crawled away and heaved, emptying the meager contents of her stomach. The meal bar didn’t taste any better coming up than it had going down.
Yuri spat and took in several calming breaths before she sat up. Groaning, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, letting her stomach settle.
Once the worst of her nausea had passed, she grasped the hem of her shirt and slowly peeled the garment off over the top of her head, holding her breath and taking great care to keep the blood from touching her face. As soon as it was off, she wadded it up, opened her eyes, and returned to Thargen. She used the shirt to clean as much sweat and blood from Thargen’s skin as she could, doing her best not to directly look at any of that blood in the process.
When she was done, she tossed the soiled shirt aside, pulled a clean one out of the bag, and put it on. Knowing she needed to stay hydrated herself, she popped one of the water cubes in her mouth. The cube’s thick outer layer melted, and a gush of water sluiced down her throat. Despite its slightly chemical taste, it was heavenly, and helped wash away the taste of vomit.
Sitting back, Yuri ran her gaze over Thargen’s face, which was uncharacteristically serene in his sleep.
She felt helpless. Whatever was going on in his body right now, she didn’t have the knowledge or the tools to aid him beyond cleaning a little blood off his skin—and she could barely manage even that without passing out or puking.
“You really lucked out getting stuck with me,” she said.
She picked up his right hand and turned it so his palm was facing up. Her lips curled into a small smile as she traced her finger over the tiny, barely noticeable scars there—remnants of the wounds she’d mended in the Starlight Trance’s breakroom. It felt like a lifetime had passed since she’d first seen Thargen standing at the bar, but she clearly recalled the way her heart and belly had fluttered when he’d smiled at her. That feeling hadn’t diminished; her time with him had only reinforced what he’d made her feel from that very first moment.
Even then, her attraction to him had been so much more than her fixation with orcs; she hadn’t even noticed he was a vorgal, not right away. It had been those intense yellow eyes, which had seemed to glow under the blacklights, that impossibly disarming smile, and that contradictory air of danger and security he emitted that had drawn her in.
It had been him.
Yuri flattened her palm over his. Her hand looked so tiny in comparison. Everything about Thargen was big, and it was just one of the many things she loved about him.
Love.
Something warm flared in her chest, her heart skipped a beat, and that fluttering sensation returned to her belly; butterflies, they called it. Yuri laced her fingers with Thargen’s and looked up at his face again.
All this was undoubtedly a chemical response in her body, explainable by science—pheromones and hormones and all that reacting to one another, driven by that deep, instinctual drive to mate, to carry on the species and pass down genes to the next generation.
It was lust.
But to Yuri…it was more.
She’d always believed in love at first sight. And these feelings, these sensations… They were real. She believed fate was real.
So many people had called her old-fashioned and ridiculous, had called her a prude, a tease—all because she’d chosen to wait. They’d acted like it was such a stupid little thing. Why wait? Why not explore her options, have a little fun? Who chose to stay a virgin in the twenty-second century? Some people had even tried pressuring her to give in, but Yuri had held firm.
No one seemed to understand that it was simply her choice.
Of course she’d had urges, of course she’d experienced arousal, but i
t had never been inspired by anyone she’d ever met. Only her own fantasies had sparked anything in her, and self-pleasure had been enough. She’d never wanted anything more—not without that fire, that connection.
Not without the sort of bond she already had with Thargen. No one had made her feel like he did. She’d never felt this pull, this attraction, this desire, not even in her wildest fantasies.
She wanted Thargen.
A high, trilling call shattered the forest’s quiet.
Yuri started, her heart leaping up in her throat. She turned her head to look around.
There was no one there.
That didn’t mean there wasn’t someone nearby. She knew the smugglers were out there, somewhere, and that at least a few other captives had escaped. Not only that, but she was on an alien planet—and she’d already glimpsed a few small creatures. Who knew what else was lurking out there, looking for prey? And here she was, daydreaming, leaving herself open for attack while Thargen was so vulnerable.
“Okay, Yuri, this sucks and it’s terrifying but at least you’re not in a cage,” she said quietly, pulling her hand away from Thargen’s. “You can be useful while he’s out of commission.”
She crawled to the axe lying in the rust colored grass, wrapped her hand around the grip, and hefted it up. It was heavier than she’d expected, but not unwieldy. Taking the haft in both hands, she slowly turned the weapon, examining it; there was some way to activate the hardlight blade, but she didn’t see any obvious buttons or switches.
It was only as the haft was turned to a certain angle that she noticed the shallow depression above the grip. She placed her thumb in it. Nothing happened. Brow furrowed, she slid her thumb up and down the depression, but the weapon remained inactive.
“Just as stubborn as him,” she muttered, gritting her teeth and pressing her thumb down harder.
The hardlight blades on either side of the axe head flashed into existence. Yuri started, eyes wide, and fumbled with the haft, nearly dropping the damned thing. Her heart leapt into her throat until she finally firmed her grip and steadied the weapon. She took in a deep breath, and her cheeks puffed as she slowly released the air.
Savage Desire (The Infinite City Book 4) Page 15