Page 40 of Fallen from the Stars

“Have you ever done anything like this before?” he asked softly.

“No, but I’ve watched you do it and figured it couldn’t be that hard. But I…I ruined it, didn’t I?” she asked, glancing at the bird. Tears spilled from her eyes when she blinked. “How the hell am I going to survive out here if I can’t even feed myself? I’m useless. A-All I know how t-to do is-is fix machines, and half the time K-Kane gives m-me instructions on that.”

He closed the distance between them, and, despite her tears, she didn’t miss his hesitance as he reached for her. Even having just come from the sea, his hands were warm and solid when he settled them on her upper arms.

“Look at me and listen, human,” he said, keeping his voice soft but firm.

Theo sniffed and looked up at him with tear-blurred eyes.

“You were able to kill this animal, clean it, build a suitable fire, and start cooking it, all without ever having done so before. You made a mistake, Theo, but this is more than most could accomplish simply by watching.”

His palms slid down the backs of her arms, over her elbows, and along her forearms, until he took both her hands in his. He led her closer to the fire and guided her down onto her knees. Releasing one of her hands, picked up the stick and held the charred meat toward her.

“Draw your knife,” he said.

With a small frown, she did as he instructed.

He dipped his chin toward the bird. “Remove the burned portions.”

She nodded and drew in a deep breath before setting to work. She removed the ruined meat, carefully cutting away burned chunks and scraping off flakes of char until only raw meat remained.

“I only learned these things over the last two years,” he said when she was done. “Fire was not a part of my upbringing.”

“What do you mean? Don’t the other humans here cook this way?”

“Our peoples only truly began living together two years ago. Before that, we knew little of each other.” He twisted toward the fire and sank the butt of the stick into the sand outside the ring of stones. “Do not put the meat directly in the flames. It only needs the heat, not the fire.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“Theo?”

“Hmm?” She kept her gaze on the fire, which flared and danced wildly as her tears refracted its light.

He brought up a hand, cradling her chin in the crook between his forefinger and thumb; his fingertips brushed over one cheek, the pad of his thumb the other. He turned her face to look at him.

Her eyes widened; she could feel the strength in his fingers, and the points of his hard claws were against her skin, but he was somehow so gentle, so delicate in his hold.

“You didwell, Theo,” he said. “Very well.”

Warmth blossomed in her chest. “I did?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

She smiled. “Good. Because cleaning that thing wasdisgusting.”

Vasil’s smile — which should have frightened her, were she sane — was wide, warm, and oddly charming. And he even haddimples! They were sexy as hell, too.

She caught her lower lip between her teeth as she stared at that smile. His nearness and touch did funny things to her body. The warmth that had begun in her chest had spread through the rest of her body, swirling low in her belly, to flood her core with liquid heat. Her nipples hardened to aching buds, and her sex clenched with sudden need.

Something brushed against her knee. She glanced down to see the tip of his tentacle slowly sliding up toward her thigh. The suction cups along its underside kissed her flesh as they moved, their touch both tickling and tantalizing, sending shivers through her. Still, the unfamiliar feel of it was enough to startle her. She scooted back, breaking all physical contact between them.

“So, um, you didn’t find anything?” she asked, averting her gaze.

From the corner of her eye, she saw his hand linger in the air where it had held her face a moment before. His posture seemed to sag as he slowly lowered his hand and withdrew his tentacle.

“Nothing but this hardshell,” he replied, shifting the creature into his hands.

Before she could get a good look at the numerous legs on the hardshell’s underside — he was holding it upside down — Vasil turned away from her. He leaned down, his torso blocking her view, and set to work.

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