Page 10 of Treasured By the Alien Rogue

“We’re both orphans,” I said. “Although, my parents might still be alive. I kept hoping they’d send me a letter to tell me where they were. Maybe say they missed me and that they’d made a mistake, that they would come for me soon. They never did.”

He squeezed my fingers again.

I stared down at our joined hands. His was so much bigger than mine, making it look like an adult held the hand of a child. But it felt nice to entwine our fingers, to share our feelings of abandonment.

To compensate for feeling that way, I’d taken a ton of classes at the Y, especially every self-defense class offered. I felt stronger and more confident when I knew I could protect myself.

“Where’s your village?” I asked.

He waved the purple plant in the direction we were walking. “Quite a distance away. We’ll have to spend the night in the forest.”

Great. Just great. “I hope you have excellent camping skills because mine are nonexistent.”

“I’ll protect you. We’ll begin walking again in the morning and arrive at my village by late afternoon.”

“Why were you so far from your village?”

“I traveled to the Veerenad city and was returning home.” He peered around, though I wasn’t sure what he was looking for.

We walked for about a half an hour, him studying the purple vegetation, me trying not to trip on every root, rock, and snaky vine thing networking the forest floor. By then, the sun hovered not far above the horizon. We hadn’t seen any creatures other than some small purple squirrels who fled into the brush if they caught me looking. A shiver tracked through me when I realized that most of the predatory beasts must come out after it got dark and we’d be sleeping—not sleeping, actually—while they hunted.

“Are we going to stop soon?” I finally asked. My feet were developing blisters, my belly was rumbling, and it was starting to get dark.

“Yes, as soon as I find the right place.” He tapped the strap holding a sheathed weapon on his chest. “Have no fear. I will defend you from everything.”

“Give me a weapon, and I’ll defend myself.”

“It’s my role as your mate to do it. Trust me in this.”

No thanks. The only time I trusted someone—when I was eleven—they tried to stuff me into the back of their van. Only a random kick on my part made them release me. I’d found the Y not long after that and started my first self-defense class.

After hefting a me-sized stick, I continued walking beside Xax, crooking my head back to stare in awe at the trees that were unlike anything I’d seen before.

“I’ve never seen purple trees,” I said.

“What color are the trees where you come from?”

“They have brown trunks and bark. Green vegetation.” When I touched one of the trees, I found the bark jagged yet silky smooth. And when I rapped my knuckle on it, it clanged like it was made of metal.

So odd.

A giant bird swooped overhead, its long, clawed legs dangling low enough to scrape across the purple canopy. It held something fluffy and in a lighter purple in its grip, though I wasn’t sure what that could be.

I tightened my grip on the stick, wishing I was carrying a gun or a knife. Even a sword would do, though I’d only taken one class in fencing.

Squinting, Xax also tilted his head back and watched the big creature.

The bird kept going, cawing, the whoosh of its enormous wings echoing around us.

“We’ll stop here,” he finally said.

I took in the enormous trees and the mulched leaves underfoot. “You wouldn’t happen to have a steel tent hidden away nearby, would you?”

“What’s a tent?”

“A temporary structure we can sleep in. Steel to keep out the predators.”

“You don’t need to worry about anything like that.” He flashed me a tusky smile I took as patronizing despite how sexy it was. “I’ll place you in a secure location then gather our meal.”

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