Page 39 of Rebirth

Maybe he was right about me being insane. This is a lapse in judgment.

Releasing a heavy breath, my fingers turn into fists at my sides as I remain outside the tunnel entrance, pacing back and forth as the sun sinks lower in the sky. Anger and confusion war within me. I don’t know how long I stay pacing there, caught up in a war of emotions that fight with my ego and my heart.

Until I suddenly stop. Eyes focused on the darkening forest beyond, I stop pacing and face the encroaching night.

As darkness falls, the anger fades, leaving only confusion and hurt in its place. I wrap my arms around myself against the chill of the night, but it’s not enough. I still feel the ghost of He’rox’s embrace, the heat of his body, and the tender brush of his alien lips.

None of it makes any sense. But it doesn’t have to.

I’ve always prided myself on two things: remaining objective and rational. I’m logical to a fault. Growing up with a father like mine, there was no other choice. I had to always have a level head. Be ready for whatever the world threw at me. Yet one encounter with this alien, and all my reason has gone out the window.

Either this is some kind of psychological effect—maybe he manipulated my emotional state somehow. Caused me to elicit that response. Unlikely, but not impossible. I know nothing about his physiology or abilities.

I run a hand through my hair, the silence of the world around me only making my thoughts louder.

Or, maybe there’s something primal and visceral occurring here beyond my control. Some kind of biological imperative or attraction that defies the science I know.

A breath shudders through me as I stare out into the quiet night.

Both options scare me. But as much as I wish, nothing about that kiss or its aftermath felt manufactured. The heat, the thrill, the unexpected tenderness—it felt real. Beyond my ability to rationalize away or resist.

Fuck. There are too many unknowns here.

What he is. What he wants. What he will do. What will happen to us now.

What will happen to the world.

Standing right here, I wonder what I should do.

I can’t return to camp. I wouldn’t be able to find my way back on my own, especially in the night. So I do the next best thing. I settle at the cave entrance and get the stuff I’ll need from my pack. There’s no sound behind me, no sound on the outside either.

Whatever He’rox is doing down there, it doesn’t look like he’s going to come after me. I have no choice but to wait. So I will.

I’ll wait for this alien to return to my side.

And in the meantime, I’ll take care of myself.

* * *

HE’ROX

Silence envelops me, but my thoughts are consumed by the hyu’man female, Soh’fee. Her name whispers through my mind on a loop, one I cannot banish from my consciousness like everything else.

On Edooria, I disciplined myself to ignore such base needs as intimacy or touch. It wasn’t a choice. It was a necessity. A sacrifice for my people. And after the Gryken came to our world, that sacrifice took even more and more of me.

I thought myself stronger than this.

While my brethren were swayed by the beauty of hyu’mankin, the presence of females, I remained unmoved. Yet with one intimate contact, Soh’fee has shattered all my defenses, leaving me raw and aching.

It cannot be.

I am never to have a female. My duty to my people surpasses any personal desires.

Yet still, I crave the feel of her against me. Still, I taste her lips, soft and pliant, branded into my memory.

A growl rumbles in my chest, claws flexing against the stone floor. I must purge this weakness from my system. I cannot allow it to grow. To continue.

But I still have a duty to protect her.

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