Page 31 of Fated to the Alien Protector

“This is so incredible Rojtar,” Abby finally says as she comes to a stop. “Thank you so much for bringing me here.”

“You are welcome. I am glad you like it.”

Before I can guess her intent, she rises up and presses her lips to mine. It is only a fleeting touch, but one that will stay with me for a long time. She steps away, taking her mouth with her. The color of her cheeks turn dark and she shyly glances away. I can still feel the pressure of her mouth against mine. It is no wonder the mated couples are always mouth touching, if this is what it is like.

“We should probably return to the village before we lose anymore sunlight.” As much as I want to stay in the place where Abby first mouth touched with me, it is best not to remain after dark. There are predators that roam these hills and I did not bring any weapons with me.

Together we retrace our path, and once again, after we have crossed over the fallen limbs, our hands remain connected. Although this time, Abby has threaded her fingers through mine and we are linked in a way we have not been before. Far too soon, we reach the bottom of the path and cross the border back into the village.

The sun has disappeared and both moons are in the sky. The light of individual fires guide us toward the tent she shares with Carter. We stop before it, and Abby turns to me. Once again she rises up, but this time I meet her partway. Our mouths touch, and I cannot stop myself from pulling her into my arms. I want to wrap my tail around her as a sign of affection, but I do not think she is ready for that.

Instead, I hold her in a tight embrace, but also one that is loose enough she can break free whenever she chooses. The heat of my soul light burns like a fire in my veins. There is no way Abby is unable to feel it. Perhaps that is why she moans and deepens the mouth touching we are doing. I spear my fingers through the flame-colored locks of her hair as I have wanted to do for so long now. It is softer than any fur I have felt, even that of a ketri kit.

My cock strains against my leg coverings. A force greater than my own has me rubbing it over Abby’s softness. For a single beat, the most exquisite sensation pulses through my aching hardness, but in the next beat, it is gone as mykeeshlatears herself from my arms.

Her chest rises and falls in a quickened pace that matches mine, but it is the fear in her eyes I do not understand.Did I do something wrong?

“Abby?”

“I—I’m sorry. I can’t.” She whirls around and rushes inside her tent.

The sound of the flap slapping down onto the hide echoes loudly in the air, but the silence that follows is even louder.

Chapter 15

Abby

My knees quake as I try to calm my racing heart. What was I thinking kissing Rojtar? Once was bad enough, but it was fleeting. A brief thank you for showing me something so amazing. A place where all the colors feltright. Almost as if I were back on Earth, but the Earth that came long before me and before the upper and bottom tiers existed.

But the kiss just now was different. It was the kind that leads to places I’m not ready to go and don’t know when I will be. Which isn’t fair to Rojtar.Kissing him had been incredible. For the first time in over a decade, when he’d wrapped me in his arms, I actually felt safe. Secure. Like I’m not alone. What’s worse though—the thing that terrifies me deep down into my soul—is how much more I wanted than just that kiss.

Soft snores come from Carter’s bed. I take in a deep breath to center myself and carefully make my way across the length of the floor until I reach the basin of water. I splash some on my face and grab the cloth nearby to dry it off. Several seconds pass while I hold the thin hide against my skin and breathe into it. Finally, I set it down and crawl into my own bundle of furs fully dressed already knowing I’m not going to get any sleep tonight.

Faint light spills through the opening above me. I’ve lain here and watched both moons float across the sky and counted the hours. Anything to quiet my mind and stop myself from thinking about Rojtar and that kiss. If only it had worked. Even now I can’t get the memory of the way his lips felt against mine out of my head. Or the way he held me tight like he’s as touch-starved as I’ve been. A fact I’ve desperately tried to deny.

What am I going to do?

I’ve been asking myself that since I laid down last night and I still don’t have the answer. The hurt on Rojtar’s face when I pushed him away keeps flashing in front of me, even if I close my eyes. I groan and throw back the furs. Since I haven’t gotten a wink of sleep I might as well get up. I really don’t feel like going out hunting today though. Not after what happened yesterday. Rojtar said we’d go together from now on, but, like a coward, I’m not sure I’m ready to face him yet.

A noise outside our tent draws my attention. There’s a light scraping sound whose origin I can’t determine. I get up and head for the entrance. On the other side of it is Rojtar. In his hands is a spear. A small, human-sized spear. He lifts his gaze to meet mine. The same heat and fluttery sensation I’ve been experiencing every time our eyes meet hits me again. I rush out so we don’t disturb Carter.

“What are you doing here?” I wince at the unintentional accusatory tone.

“I did not mean to wake you.”

I shake my head. “You didn’t. I was already awake.” Hell, I hadn’t even been to sleep.

He lifts the weapon. “I said I would make sure you had a smaller and lighter spear for hunting. I was not sure if you would be going out hunting today, but I wanted to make sure you were prepared.”

A voice tells me not to, but I reach out and take it from him anyway. It’s exactly as he said. The weight of it is easy. The shaft is small enough I can wrap my entire hand around it and hold it tight. I heft it up near my shoulder with ease. If we weren’t in the village, I’d attempt to throw it, but I don’t dare risk it here.

I turn my gaze to Rojtar. “Thank you. How did you find one so fast?”

“How does it feel?” he asks instead of answering me. “Is it still too heavy?”

“Not at all. It’s almost too light. Then again, I suppose that’s the point.”

He opens and closes his mouth like he’s not sure he should speak. Another second passes before he opens it again. “I am sorry for whatever I did wrong. I did not mean to make you fear me.”

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