Page 10 of Fallen from the Stars

His claws dug deeper into the wood as he willed his body to calm.

This is not the time. There are more pressing matters to attend.

But he couldn’t deny the significance of what he felt. His desire for Theo had sparked the moment he’d seen her face through the window; even without the benefit of color, her beauty had struck him with all the power of the storm that had been raging around him. It would have been so easy to abandon her to her fate. To save himself and return to his responsibilities. Even now, it should’ve been a simple thing.

And yet…hewantedher.

I do not know her. How can I wanther?

His only answer was his continuing desire for Theo, burning low in his belly.

She rose and tossed aside a flower she had picked. She said something Vasil couldn’t quite hear before resuming her walk.

Keeping his jaw clenched, he carefully tugged his claws out of the bark, eased out from behind the tree, and followed her. His attention continually fell to her legs and backside as the material of her clothing stretched and molded over her curves, yet his arousal neither increased nor diminished — it simply lingered like a predator awaiting the right moment to strike its prey. The play of muscle as humans walked had always been intriguing to him, but there was much more to this. He couldn’t look away from her.

He imagined she’d turn the gun on him and shoot if she’d known he was staring; there was a clear hardness in her. Vasil guessed she’d been shaped by unpleasant experiences in her past — she’d drawn strength from hardship.

Why hadn’t he?

Theo slowed several times to examine various plants; fortunately, she made no move to eat any of them, allowing him to remain hidden.

Stalking her through the jungle is not likely to build trust between us…

She was wary of him, and she was armed — a dangerous combination — but she wasn’t safe wandering alone. Watching over her from a distance was the best he could do until they developed some mutual trust. It was just as things had always been — Vasil observed other people from a distance, uncertain of how to get any closer.

How would Jax, Arkon, Dracchus, or even Kronus have handled this situation? Randall would’ve been able to talk his way through it, but Randall had the added advantage of being human. Based on Theo’s initial reaction, she’d never heard of a kraken before, much less seen one. She would’ve responded much better to encountering a human when she emerged from the pod.

Of course, if Vasil were human, he wouldn’t have been able to save her as he had…

He thrust aside those pointless wonderings and focused instead on the situation at hand. He was here to keep an eye on Theo, to ensure she wasn’t harmed. That goal was difficult enough without unnecessary distractions.

Ignoring the smells and tastes his suction cups continually picked up, he shifted his focus to sight and sound. Theo continued to study the plants she passed, but Vasil had yet to see anything he knew was safe for human consumption.

She stopped and tilted her head, staring up at something in front of her — something blocked from Vasil’s view by a thick tree trunk.

“That’s one weird looking plant,” Theo said.

“Indeed,” her computer replied.

Vasil moved forward slowly, veering off her path to position himself for a better view. He unintentionally held his breath as he did so, cringing at every crunching of leaf, at every creaking branch.

“Are these things collecting dew?” Theo asked.

“No. I cannot identify its composition, but it seems to be some sort of nectar or sap.”

Theo stepped closer and extended a hand just as the target of her focus came into Vasil’s view.

His hearts stopped.

The plant in front of Theo was familiar to Vasil — it had been purposefully pointed out to him during his first journey into the jungle. Its long, thick stalk jutted from a clump of assorted vegetation that concealed the oversized, layered leaves at its base. Thorns as long as Vasil’s hand protruded from the sides of the stalk, seemingly harmless while they were still.

Standing on her toes, Theo studied one of the four nectar-coated tendrils dangling from the end of the stalk.

The humans had a name for these plants, simple but apt —snatcher.

“Did that just…move a little?” she asked as the tendrils withdrew slightly.

“It could be a reflexive reaction triggered by environ—”

---