Page 18 of Claimed By the Alien Barbarian

“No?” I strapped the sheath to my back and adjusted the fit before sliding my new spear into its holder, adding the pointed stick they’d sent to prove Kerry was my mate. “Thank you,” I told the god. “The vines and branch are perfect.”

A tree limb swung down and tapped my shoulder.

“See? Our gods enjoy praise,” I said. “Are you ready to leave?”

“Yes.” The breathiness in her voice made heat shoot straight to my cock. It was all I could do to suppress it. “I am. I . . .” She shook her head. “I’m ready.”

I hefted Molly up onto my shoulder and she latched onto my hair with her tiny front paws, holding on while bracing herself with her back legs.

“This way.” I waved to the woods on my right.

Despite wandering around in delirium after being wounded, I hadn’t traveled far from the trail that would take us to the sea. I picked it up quickly, and we walked quietly together.

I keep an ear on the world around us, but if the person who’d stabbed me was watching or following, they didn’t give themselves away. I wouldn’t relax my guard.

Molly slumped across the back of my neck, draping herself on my shoulders, her claws dangling on my chest on both sides. I stroked her soft fur and told her she was a good girl.

Perhaps a grundar did make a good pet.

Kerry looked up at me, and the smile on her face shot through me like the scent of the sweetest flower.

Anticipation and nervousness rode on my back as we walked. One look from her made my heart race, and even a simple touch on my arm made me lose my thoughts. I stumbled over my words, cringing each time I did it, but I worried I might say something that would offend her.

A strange combination of excitement and fear gripped me—excitement because she might one dare care for me deeply but also fear that she never would. It was maddening yet exhilarating to care this much about another person’s happiness over my own.

“How far do we have to go?” Kerry asked, easily keeping up with me. She spoke in a low tone—wise. She also kept peering around, and an arrow remained ready to fly from her bow. This woman was incredible. Strong. Determined. And smart. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have survived as long as she had on her own.

How could someone this perfect ever want to be with a male like me?

“We’ll reach the shore late tomorrow.” Keeping my voice low, I shifted Molly around to hold her in my arms. Who would’ve thought I’d return to my clan not only with a woman but carrying a grundar pet?

Pausing on the path, Kerry frowned. “The shore?”

“The Dastalon Clan lives in the sky.”

She blinked, tipping her head back to look up. “I . . .”

“Not this part of the sky.”

“Oh.” Her frown didn’t fade. “They live in the sky above the shore? I’m trying to picture this.”

“Their islands float above the sea. There’s too much turbulence close to shore during storms.”

Humor flickered in her pretty eyes. Zuldruxians universally had teal-colored eyes, and I found her lighter blue arresting. Enthralling. I wanted to stare into them for a very long time.

The mate bond was speaking to me, but it wasn’t just that. It was her. She was beauty and light in a world that had been drab and dark for much too long.

“You’re joking, right?” Humor bubbled in her voice.

“No.” Why would she think that?

“I guess I’ll see what you mean when we get there.” She continued down the path.

“That’s true.”

“What will your old clan think when you show up with me?”

“I’ll have to tell them you’re my mate.”

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