Page 6 of Koha'vek
“I will not harm you.”
Something in his voice made me believe him. He meant it. He wouldn’t hurt me. But that didn’t mean I was safe, either.
I studied him, my heart pounding. He was strange to me—alien in every sense of the word. His body was too large, too powerful, his features too sharp. When I first saw him, I thought he was a monster. But he wasn’t, really. He was just an alien, kind of a cross between a reptile and a green goblin.
“I don’t even know what you are,” I admitted quietly. “I’ve never seen anything like you before.”
Koha’vek’s expression remained steady, though there was something guarded in his gaze. “I told you I am Mesaarkan.”
I rolled the name over in my mind. I’d heard stories—whispers of the aliens who had secretly occupied Earth, evading the cyborgs who took over. Most people thought they were all gone. Clearly, that wasn’t true.
“Have you seen my horse? I hope she is all right. She’s all I have left.”
“Your horse is fine. I found her and put her in the pasture by the livestock building. Your belongings were still tied to her saddle.”
“I want to see her.” He gave me an unreadable look. “It’s not like I can jump on her back and ride away. I have no place to go anyway.” Tears welled in my eyes.
He made an exasperated sound and stalked out of the house. Tears spilled down my cheeks. My head hurt, and my body ached. Now I've pissed off the only person who had shown me any kindness in a long time.
As I started to cry, I heard a clatter on the front porch. It sounded like hoofs. No, he didn’t.
The front door opened, and Koha’vek walked inside, leading my horse. I quickly wiped the tears from my face, laughing. She nickered when she saw me and moved closer, lowering her head so I could pet her.
“Oh, Dotty, that mean old bear didn’t get you.” She sniffedme and seemed to examine me, nuzzling me. It was almost like she was apologizing for dumping me off. “It’s okay; I know you didn’t do it on purpose. You were scared. That was a big bear.”
Koha’vek held the lead, stoically watching me pet and talk to my horse. Finally, I looked up at him and chuckled, “I can’t believe you did that. That was so kind and thoughtful. But you'd better take her back outside before she makes a mess in the house. Thank you.”
Koha’vek simply dipped his head in acknowledgment, steered the horse around, and took her back outside.
When he returned, neither of us spoke for a long moment. The fire crackled between us, casting shifting shadows along the walls. I had no idea what the future held, yet I was starting to trust him. At least I was alive and not alone.
And that would have to be enough for now.
Chapter Four
Koha’vek
The morning light filtered through the trees, casting shifting patterns across the floor of my small dwelling. I had lived here for months, a lone survivor in an unfamiliar world, but it was not loneliness that weighed on me—it was uncertainty. A warrior who had never wanted war, a historian without a home, I had no place among my own kind or among the humans who despised me for my origins. And yet, here I remained on Earth, unwilling to leave and unsure why.
The human woman I rescued shifted slightly in the bed. Ava, she had called herself. The first time she woke, she had been terrified of me, not that I could blame her. My only resemblance to humans is that I am bipedal, I walk upright, and my facial features are similar to those of humans. But I have a tail, and I am a reptilian humanoid. I’ve learned in my time here that many humans have an irrational fear of reptiles, in particular, those that slither on the ground and have no legs.
She had been unconscious most of the first night, her fever breaking the following morning. Now, she was recovering nicely, though her ankle injury still didn’t allow her to walk without assistance. It had been years since I had cared for another being in such a way.
I studied her face as she slept, her expression troubled even in rest. I was annoyed at what had brought her to these remote mountains alone. Her anguish at the incident gnawed at me. A human woman alone in the wild was a rarity, and she would have died had I not found her.
When she had awakened briefly that first night, fear and defiance laced her words. Her own kind stole her home, offering to allow her to stay for sexual favors. I had seen that look before in soldiers who had nothing left to fight for.
I stood, stepping away from the couch to the small table where I had prepared a simple meal—a stew of deer meat and wild herbs. She needed to eat; it would help her continue healing. Humans were fragile, something I had come to understand during my time on this world. I had learned that the hard way when I was in charge of guarding those we hadcaptured for the slave trade. Dead humans were of no value.
An audible gasp drew my attention back to the bed. Her eyes flickered open, dark and wary, searching the room before settling on me.
“Koha’vek, what have you made for us today? It smells delicious.”
“More deer stew, I’m afraid. I will go out today and try for a rabbit or a bird.” I realized I liked the sound of my name in her voice.
She tensed, instinctively trying to sit up, but a wince of pain stopped her.
“I wish I could get around better; I might be able to go out and forage for some plants and mushrooms we could add to it.” Her voice was rough, hoarse from disuse.
