Page 6 of Victoria's Discovery

The ridges started at the pointed arch of their brows and angled upward, splitting off into three lines on either side. Each one ended at their hairlines in small, oddly cute horns a couple of inches long.

Letting her gaze trail down, she concentrated on their eyes next. The paler one was angled toward her, letting her see that he had enviably long, thick, jet black lashes framing eyes that were almost cat-like in shape. The inner corners slanted down to a sharp point while the outer corners angled upward, and they were large compared to humans’. His irises were oversized, as well, leaving only small sections of white sclera visible in either corner, and were a stunning pale, silvery blue.

The effect of such bright, pale eyes against his dusky blue skin was… beautiful.

Glancing at the darker one, she dipped her head down, trying to see his eyes, some of the fear receding to make room for fascination.

He was standing perpendicular to her with his head bowed and his eyes were squinted, as though he had a headache, so she couldn’t see much, but she caught a flash of slightly darker, silvery blue.

Looking back at the paler one, she went back to staring while she had the chance.

His cheekbones were sharp and prominent, kind of like Angelina Jolie’s in that old Disney movie,Maleficent. The bridge of his nose was straight and a bit wide, but instead of having a rounded tip, it flowed down to connect smoothly with the space above his lips. He was missing what her mother called thehush dip, but what she was pretty sure was actually called the philtrum. His upper lip was slightly fuller than his lower and he had a perfect bow-shaped mouth. Kissable was the only way she could think to describe it, which was an admittedly odd way to think of the person who might end up murdering her.

The one closest to her rumbled something under his breath, his voice unbelievably deep—not surprising considering his size—and rubbed his head, then went ramrod straight when he finally looked up at his surroundings.

Oh shit, please don’t panic. There’s not enough room in here for a panicked giant.

He barked something in a harsh-sounding language and slapped the other on the back hard enough to make him stumble. When that guy jerked his head up, probably to yell at slappy guy, he, too, went still.

The first spun in a circle, his wide, stunning eyes taking in all the cages filled with all the strange beings.

Victoria froze when his gaze passed over her. She thought for a moment he wouldn’t notice her, but her luck wasn’t that good. Her stomach sank when he did a double take. A scowl immediately twisted his striking features. He yelled something at her, his voice like deep, gravelly thunder, and took a threatening step in her direction.

Victoria shook her head frantically, sending her curls falling back over her face. Eyes wide and unblinking, she stared at him from behind her hair and lifted her hands in what she hoped was the universal sign of surrender.

“It wasn’t me! I didn’t abduct you, I swear! Oh fuck, please don’t trample me!”

He snarled and reached for her with clawed fingers, but before he could grab her, the other giant rushed forward and knocked him out of the way, shouting at him.

She was absolutely terrified they were about to fight, positive she would end up collateral damage in the process, but the darker one only growled and spun away to pace the perimeter of the cage. The nicer, paler giant shook his head in a way that made her feel like he was used to dealing with the other guy’s temper.

After watching Grumpy for a second, the nicer one gazed worriedly beyond the walls then turned to look down at her. His face immediately softened and, without giving her time to properly freak out, reached down and picked her up.

Victoria squeaked when he lifted her off the floor but was too shocked to put up a fight. Thankfully, she didn’t end up needing to.

He didn’t shake her or throw her against the wall or yell at her. He brought her to his chest, cradling her between his big arms like a princess.

Okay, okay. Still terrifying, but I can be a princess. Nobody squishes princesses.

Wait… is he… rocking me?

Correction. He cradled her like a child.

You don’t rock princesses side to side and absentmindedly murmur soothingly to them, at least not in any of the stories she grew up reading.

What the fuck is up with these aliens thinking I’m either a child or an animal? They’re gonna end up giving me a damn complex… if I live that long.

He gave her a look she could only describe as pitying while she lay stiffly in his arms and stared up at him then settled narrowed eyes on the grumpy one and barked something at him.

Victoria imagined it was probably along the lines of ‘look what you did, you’ve terrified the little Chihuahua.’

Grumpy glanced back with a snarl before his gaze dropped to her. For just a moment, he looked remorseful, his face softening in apology, becoming something that was almost… handsome, but his scowl returned quickly. He growled something back at Cuddly, threw up a hand, then began assessing the walls, pushing on them and trying to find a way out.

Cuddly sighed, spared her a quick, reassuring glance, then went back to scanning their surroundings. His jaw was clenched, and she could see the confusion and alarm on his face. His eyes moved constantly, assessing everything, but his hold on her stayed gentle and he never stopped his slow, steady rocking.

Victoria had no idea what the hell she was supposed to do. If she showed him she wasn’t a child, he may feel less inclined to keep Grumpy away. If she let him continue, he probably wouldn’t put her down anytime soon.

The guy seemed like a natural with kids, which would be great, if she actually was a child. While being cradled and bounced was, surprisingly, kind of nice, she couldn’t pretend forever. What about when she inevitably had to pee? Or when he noticed she had breasts? What if he felt like she’d lied to him and retaliated by stomping on her?

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