Page 42 of Caveman Alien's Terror

He gives me a hard look that makes my life flash in front of my eyes.

“Actually, never mind—” I begin.

But he hands me a small chain, a bracelet of some kind. It’s made from black stone and is also perfectly polished. The small, triple links of the chain move as smoothly as water.

“You’re an artist,” I tell him as I examine the fine piece. He has carved each part of the chain from solid rock, making it look like it was forged like that. “On Earth, we often hang pictures of the people we love on the walls to remind us of them. You have sculptures of whatyoulove.”

“I know what you think the word ‘love’ means,” he scoffs. “It’s what lesser beings call it when they vaguely like something. But what I feel for gold is far beyond anything you could imagine. You don’t know what ‘love’ or ‘longing’ actually means until you’ve been a dragon, separated from your hoard by light years of Void.”

“You might be surprised,” I mutter under my breath. “I’m sure you’re right,” I say louder. “If these pieces are similar to those of your hoard, it must be a very splendid one. Don’t worry, I won’t ask more about it.” I hand the chain back with both hands.

Praxigor puts it all back into his pocket, and despite his disparaging talk I notice he’s careful about it. Those things really must be to him like what a family album would be to an Earthling.

The light in the hall has grown redder and dimmer. It must be sunset outside.

“I wonder what happened to Luna,” I ponder. “Did she chase those things all the way up to the surface?”

“That creature returned some time ago,” Praxigor tells me. “It’s currently prowling along the wall over there.”

I glance to where he looks. Indeed Luna is walking calmly along the wall, muzzle to the ground. “Oh. I didn’t notice.”

The dragon smirks. “You were busy with other, more important things.”

My cheeks heat up a little. “Oh. Those things.”

He lies back, supported on both arms. “You were absolutely absorbed with those things, as is appropriate for a female. No, I doubt she would have been able to chase them away in the first place, if they hadn’t been newly hatched. If they had even the tiniest amount of experience, they would know that she posed no threat to them. But newborns are strange and dangerous in their ignorance. Notice how they weren’t even that afraid ofme.”

“Thatisreally strange,” I agree. “Maybe that’s why someone sent them down here as eggs that hadn’t hatched yet. Someone who must still be thinking of how to chase us away.” I glance up at the light holes. That whole thing totally left my mind because I was so focused on the sex. Those eggs were definitely dropped into this place by someone. Someone who may well be watching us right now.

Praxigor gets up, blue body shimmering in the most hypnotically attractive way as he stands right under the nearest light hole and looks up. “It all suggests that there is something to guard here. Yes, you up there! We will find your treasure and plunder it!”

His voice resonates through the room. The red light from above strikes his naked form in the most sensational display of light and shadow I’ve ever seen, emphasizing his muscles and sending new tingles to my core. He is clearly the center of the universe and I already want him in me again. “Can we stay here? For the night?”

“Of course we’ll stay here!” he says up to the light hole. “Perhaps we shall make this our home! Unless someone pays us to leave! In finely worked gold!”

There’s no reply from up there. And as long as I’m here with a dragon, I’m actually not that worried about what the owners of this place will do. I think the brushfangs were their main attempt at chasing us out. Now they have to consider other, more peaceful ways. Or they might just give up.

The torch has long since gone out, and the light from above fades quickly as the sun sets up there. Still it doesn’t get completely dark. Many plants in the jungle have some kind of bioluminescence going on. Some of them are growing down here, planted either because they make light at night or because they bear some kind of fruit. I don’t know which, and it doesn’t really matter. It just means that there’s a mild, greenish sheen all around us.

I get up and stretch, deciding against putting on any clothes because I enjoy the dragon’s searing hot gaze on my naked body.

Wandering around the greenhouse-like hall, I munch on fruits and berries while I make sure not to stray too far away from Praxigor. If the guardians of this place decide to attack us again, I want to be able to get to him within a few seconds.

I keep him in the corner of my eye. He’s not bothering to put on his pants or boots, and he looks even more remarkable without them. A big part of me wants to spend the rest of my life down here with him. Or anywhere on Xren.

It all messes with my mind, which is already in a haze whenever I’m close to him. Because allhewants is to leave.

What if he never finds his gold? Will he have to stay on Xren forever, and could I make sure that he stays with me? I mean, this can’t work. I know it can’t. We’re far too different in every way. But just for tonight, I will do my best to think that it can. Or for as long as possible.

Sauntering all the way up to him, I enjoy the feeling of danger being converted into hotness down below.

I offer him an especially fine piece of alien fruit. “Sure you won’t try?”

14

- Praxigor-

The pain from the lack of gold has weakened. It worries me. It should be a constant pain everywhere. Why isn’t it getting worse, rather than better? Perhaps because my instincts tell me that the woman that Astrid talked about may indeed by the way I finally acquire gold. Even a small bracelet should be enough, if it’s at least somewhat pure.

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