Page 27 of Fated to the Alien Rebel

I do a giddy little dance.Yay me. Together we stroll along, our eyes focused on the water that is luckily clear enough to see the bottom. At least in the shallow area along the shoreline. I let out a little squeal.

“Oh, what about this one?” I point toward it. Call me a baby, but I’m not sticking my hand in there if I don’t have to.

He comes alongside me and glances toward where I’m gesturing. Jodah squats and reaches into the water for it. “Excellent find.”

I preen at the praise. He slips the stone into a small pouch that hangs from his waist, and we go back to searching. By the time we’re finished, we’ve collected five perfect stones and it’s almost time for the midday meal.

“My nene asked if we would take our meal with her and my baba.”

Nerves I’d kept at bay act up and the sinking sensation settles in my gut. It must take me too long to answer, because Jodah palms my cheek.

“What is wrong? Do you not want to eat with them?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s not that.”

“Then what?” he coaxes gently.

“What if they don’t like me?” I blurt out.

A small smile curls Jodah’s lips. “How could they not like you? You are kind, smart, and my nene knows how hard you worked to take care of me when I was ill. She has already told me what a blessing you are. Not only to me, but to her. She will love you.”

His words make me breathe a bit easier, but the uneasiness hasn’t disappeared completely. What if they knew that part of the reason I worked so hard keeping him alive was because I didn’t want another death on my conscience?

Finally, I nod. “Okay.”

Jodah lowers his hand and I miss the warmth of his touch.

“Before we go, I wanted to give you something,” he says.

I jerk and blink. “Me?”

He reaches into the pouch slung off his hip and pulls out the stones we found one by one until he brings out another and then drops the rest back inside. “It is not perfect, but I thought you might like this.”

In his hand is a stone with markings on it. I take it from him, glance up at his face, and then drop my gaze. My eyes widen and my stomach flip-flops. It’s a crude drawing, but it’s obvious what—who—I’m looking at. Staring back at me from the fist-sized stone is him. It is in black ink, so the nuances of his hair and purple skin aren’t visible, but Jodah is unmistakable.

I stroke my fingers over the mating marks he’s meticulously drawn. A quick comparison shows he’s made them to look exactly like the ones on his own body. Same withthe four claw marks given to him by the luani. I lift my head.

“This is absolutely incredible. It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever given me.” I rise up on my toes and kiss him. “Thank you. I will treasure this forever.”

Before I can drop back to my feet, Jodah wraps his arm around me and tugs me close. His mouth moves over mine in a far deeper kiss. I open and his tongue slips in to glide across mine. A weight winds itself around my thigh and it takes me a second to realize it’s his tail. The tip of it strokes along the back of my leg, a shiver dashes down my spine, and heat settles between my thighs.

A hardness grows against my belly and without conscious thought, I rub myself against it. Jodah groans into my mouth and a burning heat fills my chest. It grows so hot, I hiss at the sensation. He pulls back and stares down at me.

“Is all well?”

“Yeah.” I press my knuckles in the space between my breasts to ease the pressure. “I think I might have heartburn or something. I’ll see if Kyler has something for it.”

Jodah cocks his head. “Heartburn? What is that? Are you ill?”

I laugh, even though I asked myself the same question recently. “Humans have stomach acid that helps to digest their food. Sometimes that acid rises up through the tube that leads from their mouth to their stomach and causeswhat we call heartburn. It’s not dangerous or anything. Well, not too dangerous usually.”

He doesn’t look like he believes me, but he slowly dips his head. “I trust your knowledge of these things.”

“Come on. We should probably get to your parents’ so they don’t think we’ve forgotten about them.” I hold tight to the stone Jodah gave me. I’m not sure I’ll let loose of it any time soon.

“Yes, we should go.” He threads his fingers through mine. “I am happy you enjoy your gift.”

I squeeze his hand. “I love it. Thank you.”

---