Page 5 of Alien Viking's Passion

“No,” Chen said, looking down herself and the sad rags hanging from her waist. “But I’m better than I was. Hi, Craxon. Out for awalk in the night?”

2

- Craxon -

The other alien woman said something in her own language, and Craxon thought he recognized his name in between the strange sounds. He ignored her. As always, Aretha took all his attention.

“Perhaps Ididsave you,” he replied to her statement, ignoring the other female. “Unless you had some secret plan to defeat the vettir and you were staying your hand until the very last heartbeat of your life.”

Aretha self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest, obscuring his view of her delightfully womanly chest. “They surprised us, Your Highness. We didn’t think they would be on this side of the mountains.”

Her Garda was surprisingly good, considering she’d only been on the planet for a few weeks. But so was Josie’s, so maybe that was a particular gift of their alien race.

“That would be a surprise to any wanderer,” he agreed. “Although I wonder if we should be surprised by anything whena Big Shine is blazing over our heads. Did you not know that times are strange?”

“We know, of course,” Aretha replied coldly. “And yet we chose to take this small risk.”

“A small risk which turned deadly,” he pointed out, wanting to smile at her sign of defiance but holding himself back. “You are both injured and need a healer. Unfortunately, I only ever learned to patch up the large injuries from battles with sword and spear. Let me see how grievously you have been pierced.”

There was a pressure building in his crotch. Even the short glimpse of Aretha’s bare chest had made him heat up considerably, even here, even when she was clearly injured. But danger and fighting had always had such an effect on him.

The other alien woman came over to him and reached her arm out, not caring about covering up her chest. “Dey gad mi priti gud rait hir.”

He dutifully inspected the pale little arm without touching it. “A small patch of skin is missing. It will heal.”

“An hir.” She turned around and showed her back, where there were indeed a couple of bleeding spots.

His gaze kept drifting over to Aretha. He had noticed her from the first time he saw the alien women, weeks ago. She stood out, with her generously round shape, her blinding smile, and her direct, unafraid gaze. And her bright, helpless laugh whenever she saw something she thought was funny. Where the other alien women could seem reserved and sad, Aretha was cheerful and curious. She had no problem talking with the locals, making friends and poking her adorable nose in everywhere, especially in places it didn't belong.

She was clearly a remarkable female, brave and smart, and she attracted his eyes. And so he had avoided her as much as he could.

He couldn’t fall in love with her. Or with anyone.

But right now he would have to help her get home.

“Now it is your turn,” he grunted and held his hand out. “Let me see if that shoulder might be saved.”

Aretha took a step closer, then half-turned and offered that side of her. ”I don't think it's bad.”

Craxon placed two fingers on her cool skin, right above the cut. Her quick heartbeat and fast breathing echoed up his hand, reminding him of a small animal. Of prey being hunted. Her skin was smooth and firm, warm with just a hint of sweat. Her scent was clean and spicy, alien yet familiar, alluring yet forbidden.

Another shot of heat went to his crotch, and he was grateful for the darkness. His arousal must be visible through his trousers. “Bad enough. It's a deeper gash than first I thought. And vettir talons are never clean, their main feed being carrion and filth. Come, I will take you both away from here.”

Aretha glanced up the hill anxiously. “Do you think there will be more attacks?”

Craxon felt a smile playing on his lips, strangely elated about having both defeated a large swarm of Shine-enraged vettir and also saved this mysteriously alluring alien woman. “I’d wager the unholy masses have learned their lesson for now. But it should be reported to the earl that the vettir are now on this side of the mountains, well inside the boundary of his realm. He should know about it, so that he may alert his warriors and send them toguard yonder villages and farms.”

“That why be you here is?” the other alien woman asked, using all the wrong grammar. “Seeing if vettir?”

“Seeing if alien women be safe in night,” Craxon grunted. He was getting annoyed by the presence of this other one. But he should be grateful, too. If it had only been Aretha, Zhor only knew if he would have been able to resist the temptation to become more familiar with her. She had an immense pull on him, one he felt both in his mind and his pants. “Let us be off now.”

He sauntered past the heap of dead vettir towards his shortship. For some reason, those vehicles still worked, although not as well as before. They were slower and harder to steer now, but at least they hadn't been completely disabled by the Shine, like the longships had.

He got in and waited for the two females to climb in beside him, making the shortship rock.

“It was lucky for us you were here,” Aretha said as Craxon piloted the shortship down the rocky hill, past bushes and dwarfbirkstowards the tree line. “Or were you… watching over us?”

Craxon noted that she chose her words carefully. Asking him straight out if he had been stalking them would be unwise, although she must suspect it.

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