Page 28 of Akur

He made that sound again—the one that wasn’t quite a laugh. “Many things. But I am here now. You need not worry.” Then, so low, she almost didn’t hear him. “You are far too precious.”

She frowned at him, her gaze skipping over the side profile of his face.

His skin was still darker than its usual vibrant teal, but she was pretty sure the color was slowly coming back. She stared at him, noting the two narrow furrows that gave definition to his skull, his humanoid features with their distinct ‘alienness’. Like the way he had no hair, not even eyebrows. Or the way his shoulders sloped dramatically, displaying corded flesh that was pure muscle. He only had three thick fingers on each hand, and from what she could see of his feet and the strange way his boots were made, they looked to be digitigrade.

But it was his condition that drew her attention and made her breath catch. The makeshift bandages were saturated with what looked like black oil in the soft light, but it was his blood. So much, so thick, it looked dark against the brown fibers. The wounds beneath were brutal. Burn marks from the shock rod created patterns across his exposed skin, and deep gashes were already forming scabs all over him. The skin around the injuries was mottled with colors she didn’t have names for, patterns shifting beneath the surface like oil on water.

And yet, even in the few minutes that had passed since the light source activated, he looked to be improving. It shouldn’t be possible, but even his breaths were evening out. He was adjusting to the trauma, probably even healing, faster than any human could.

“You’re healing,” she breathed, her voice barely over a whisper.

He made a sound that might have been agreement. “Not…fast enough.” His free hand moved to one of the deeper wounds, fingers pressing against the strange discoloration. “You tended to me with your garments.”

She didn’t answer. Didn’t have to.

“Why?”

But that question felt like it came out of the blue. Why? Why did she help him? She thought it was obvious. She’d thought he was goingto die if she didn’t help. And, more than that, she was the reason he was here. He came after her and the others. He tried to save them. That meant he was worth saving, too.

“I didn’t want you to die.”

He released a grunt, and she was sure she saw his lips twist into a wry sort of grin.

With another grunt, he eased off her a little, enough for her gaze to fall on his back. There were more injuries there. Deep welts that were scabbing over. But what grabbed her attention almost immediately was the fin-like structure that ran from his nape to disappear into his spine.

It was red. An angry red. It looked like a warning sign.

“Mint…rebel guy…your neck. It’s red.”

He froze. Went so still it was clear he stopped even breathing.

He shifted away from her then, so suddenly that she gasped. Gone was the wounded creature she’d been supporting. In his place was something entirely different—predatory, powerful, otherworldly. She couldn’t see the fin structure now because he turned it away from her. All she could stare at were his eyes. They caught the light. Reflected it like a cat’s now. And they were staring right back at her.

She swallowed hard, instinct suddenly screaming at her to back away. This wasn’t some injured soldier anymore—this was an apex predator from a world she couldn’t even imagine, and she’d gone and stepped on a landmine. Suddenly, everything about him radiated danger. From the way he was looking at her to the way he was so impossibly still despite his injuries.

It was then that she realized the absence of the warmth. The heat radiating from him was gone. While he’d been leaning against her, his fever had been keeping her warm and, despite how wrong it was, she hadn’t realized she’d been comforted by it till now.

But he didn’t look like a male dying of a fever. This was…this was something else.

“What did you call me?” he finally said, golden eyes still piercing into her soul.

Constance blinked. “Um…” Her eyelids fluttered a few more times, her brain trying hard to catch up. “I don’t know your name.”

He released another grunt, but his face was unreadable. He wasn’t even pretending to smile.

“It is Akur.”

Akur. A name she didn’t expect, but one that suited him perfectly, nonetheless.

“I’m Constance.”

“I know your name.”

She swallowed hard.

What had she done wrong? Had mentioning the red fin really been such an offense?

His head turned slightly, the soft light casting strange shadows across his features. “We need to move. It is not safe here.”

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