Page 55 of Alien Barbarian's Little Human

New, yet somehow familiar, the feel of his lips on my own permeates every nerve in my body. I’ve read stories where women know they’ve found ‘the one’ from just one kiss. I always thought they were hogwash. Until now.

I come to my senses and pull away. Magog allows me to do so, though I can feel the reluctance in his body.

Our gazes meet, and I realize how damn handsome he is. Lavender eyes the color of perfect twilight hold a depth of character and compassion I have never seen in a Vakutan. Or any man, for that matter, from any world.

I grow self-conscious. This magnificent being, fresh out of a cryo pod, is perfectly clean and smells nice. I haven’t done more than pitiful rinses of my body with tannic water unsuitable for drinking. I can’t remember the last time I had an actual shower. I must reek to high heaven.

If I do, he doesn’t show any signs of noticing. Or maybe, he just doesn’t care. I know the Vakutan olfactory senses aresuperior to humanity’s. That doesn’t help relieve my anxiety in the least.

“So, um,” I stammer, forced to look away before I do something crazy and kiss him back. “You act like you know me.”

“That’s because I do know you, and you know me.”

“But this is the first time we’ve ever met.”

He nods.

“Indeed, in this lifetime that is an accurate statement.”

I should be inured to the craziness that is Horus IV at this point, but his statement makes me laugh.

“Are you talking about Reincarnation? That’s hard to swallow.”

His gentle touch on my face makes me return my gaze to his face. Magog gently cups my chin, his eyes burning into my soul.

“Nerita, have you not ever dreamed you were a different person, in a different place? Have you not looked at the stars and felt a longing for something you could not name?”

I open my mouth to deny his accusations, but the words die in my throat. The truth is, he’s right. I’ve had many dreams like that, and I can’t remember if I ever looked at the night sky without feeling the urge to go and find something I could not explain.

The sound of not-so-distant gunfire stirs me out of my reverie. Shaking my head in a vain attempt to clear out the strange thoughts and feelings, I hold up my hands in the classic time out symbol.

“Okay, let’s leave this discussion for another time. We need to get off the streets before another patrol comes by. Those Ataxians you killed are probably part of a larger unit. A unit that will be looking for them soon.”

“Affirmative. For your safety, we should reconvene into a different venue. Have you any ideas?”

“I have a makeshift safe house-slash-hospital. Hopefully we can make it back without any more encounters.”

“I will continuously scan for life signs, that we may avoid any patrols.”

I give him a look.

“I’m surprised you want to avoid fights. Aren’t Vakutans known for their battle lust?”

He shrugs his massive shoulders.

“I do feel an urge to engage the enemy. Killing those who would threaten the one I hold dear was…satisfying. But I’ve lived two lifetimes before this one. Perhaps wisdom tempers my desire for battle? Or perhaps, I simply wish to see you safe more than I wish to scratch that particular itch.”

Well, he’s the most eloquent Vakutan I’ve ever encountered, I’ll give him that. The most handsome, too…fuck. Maybe there is something to this jalshagar thing after all. I do feel like I know him. More than that, I trust Magog when I don’t have much reason to.

“All right then,” I say, turning my back so I don’t have to keep looking at him and letting my thoughts go into the gutter. “Let’s go.”

We pick our way through the ruins back to the clinic. The entrance lies in the shadow of the comm tower I climbed earlier. I pause right before reaching for the concealed hatch and look over my shoulder at Magog.

“Are you sure there’s no one watching us?”

“We are out of the visual range of any known species, even a Shorcu. However, there is a possibility someone is watching us with technology.”

A cloying fear turns my belly to lead. All this time, I hadn’t even thought about surveillance devices. We’ve been lucky so far. I hope that luck holds out.

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