Page 37 of An Alien for the Future

My throat tightens and I ease back, putting some space between us because I don’t trust myself not to reach out and touch her. “I couldn’t leave.”

She takes the time to put some of the food into her mouth before her gaze slides to me again. “Are you some kind of creep or something?”

“Creep?” I tilt my head, unsure what she means. “I didn’t mean to creep by the border of your farm. I…was out of options. I want to give you space but…I couldn’t be far away.”

She hums tone in her throat. “Because I’m yourkahl.”

My gaze shoots up and I feel like a fool for being so easy to read.

“I can’t be yourkahl, okay. It’s evident you think so, because you’ve been sleeping in the field next door like a psychopath. But it’s about time we talk about this. I thought you were joking, trying to get under my skirt. Clearly, that’s not the case here.”

My throat tightens some more, making my words sound like gravel. “Why would I joke about such a thing?”

Donna shrugs, her gaze meeting mine before she looks down at the food and takes another mouthful. “You’re a man.”

Silence descends between us as I replay those words in my mind. A man? Does she mean a male? She didn’t believe me because I’m a male? It all makes sense now. Everything she said that day.

“Someone hurt you. Somemale.”

Frakk, what is it with me when it comes to this female? It is like I no longer have control.

Donna grunts, huffing a dry laugh through her nose. “You could say so. I wouldn’t call them real men. Boys maybe. There’s a big difference.”

The growl that rumbles in my throat vibrates the air between us. Enough that Donna looks up, her eyes wide with shock.

“Who?”

She stares at me for a long moment, and that something flickers in her eyes again. “Why do you care? It doesn’t matter. It was in the past. Why do you even care about me?”

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the rage that’s building inside me at the thought of someone hurting this soft, beautiful female before me. My claws flex involuntarily, and I have to force myself to relax.

“Why do I care?” I repeat, my voice low and intense despite my efforts to soften it. “Because you’re mykahl. Whether or not you accept it, that’s what you are to me. And it’s not something I can change or control.”

I take a step closer, my eyes never leaving hers. “I care because every time I look at you, I feel like I’m seeing the stars for the first time. I care because your smile makes my core-beat go faster than any battle ever has. I care because the thought of you in pain makes me want to tear apart whoever caused it.”

Donna’s eyes widen even more, and I see a mix of emotions flashing across her face—surprise, confusion, and something else I can’t quite name.

“You don’t even know me,” she whispers, but there’s a tremor in her voice that wasn’t there before.

“Then let me.” I take a step closer. “Let me know you, Donna Johnson. Let me show you that I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here because…I…I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

I’m close enough now that I can feel the heat radiating from her body.

“So that thing in the bush? The wound in your foot…all of this was just so you could get to this point?”

For a moment, her question confuses me, but then it all becomes clear.

“No. That injury was very real. You were singing and your voice…it’s strong, Donna, beautiful. Richer than any melody I’ve ever heard. It disrupted my scanner and I hid the moment I saw you. I didn’t mean to. It was foolish. And that’s when…” I sigh. “That’s when I got caught in the trap.”

I expect her to tell me it’s all a lie. It sounds like a tale I made up. But she doesn’t. She’s silent as she watches me. Assesses me.

“But you’re healed now,” she finally says, and I realize with a jolt that she’d still been worried about me, even though she’s been pretending not to be. Another dose of warmth goes through me.

“I’m healed now.”

“How is that possible?” Her throat moves but it’s the only movement she does. She’s utterly still, watching me, a predator assessing its prey. And just like that, the power dynamic shifts, the hunter becoming the hunted. A thrill goes through me.

“We Kari are blessed with a few things. Healing quickly is one of them.”

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