Page 34 of Rok's Captive
My skin is burning, but not just from fever. It’s as if something deeper pulses beneath the surface. A restless, gnawing heat. I twist, trying to rid myself of the sensation, my thighs pressing together as a familiar ache throbs between them. What the hell? I haven’t been touched in months, years, but my body is reacting like I’m being teased by invisible hands. A whimper escapes my lips, and I bite down hard.
This isn’t normal. This isn’t me.
When I open my eyes, the cave is empty.
The alien? Gone.
He left.
A strange hollowness settles in my chest. Something I’d rather not think about too closely. I should be glad he’s gone.
This is my chance. I can get out now. Head back to the bus.
But when I try to stand, my legs buckle. The world tilts, nausea clawing up my throat. It takes all my strength just to crawl to the cooler stone in the corner of the cave.
“Get up,” I whisper to myself. “Come on, Justine. Get up. You’ve got this. You’re not dying in a cave in the center of this fucking amped-up Sahara.”
The rational part of my brain whispers about heat exhaustion, dehydration, and the dangers of overheating. But rational thought is becoming harder to hold on to because of this rising fever.
God, my clothes. They’re sticking to my skin, making everything feel worse. With fumbling fingers, I tear off my top, then my shoes, then my pants—anything to cool down. The stone feels blissfully cool against my burning skin, but the relief is short-lived.
“Water,” I croak, but there is no one to hear me. My last water packet is still in my bag, but I can’t bring myself to touch it. If I use it now, I’ll have nothing left for the trip back.
Oh fuck. Is this how I die? Curled in a ball in an alien cave, slow-cooked from the inside out while Jacqui waits for me to come back? She’ll never know what happened to me. None of them will.
A sound at the cave entrance jerks me back to awareness.
At first, I think it’s one of those creatures from earlier. But no.
Through fever-blurred vision, I see him—the alien. He’s standing there, something clutched in his hand, his entire body gone rigid as he stares at me.
He came back.
I can’t believe it. He came back for me.
I try to speak, to ask for help, but all that comes out is a weak moan. My eyes flutter shut, but I force them open again just in time to see the soft glow that had emanated from his skin before suddenly flare bright. I swear I see stars…and they’re under his skin. His light flickers and dims, then flares again, like a heartbeat gone haywire. His eyes seem to change too—the pupils contracting to pinpoints before expanding to consume nearly the entire iris.
I should be afraid. Definitely afraid.
Instead, I’m transfixed.
The alien makes a sound—a low rumble that’s somewhere between a growl and a purr. It vibrates deep in his chest, sending a strange shiver down my spine. He moves toward me slowly. Stalking rather than walking.
I should run.
Instead, I whisper, “Please.”
I’m not even sure what I’m asking for. Help? Mercy? Water? All the above?
Before I can process what’s happening, he’s on me. One moment, he’s across the cave, and the next, his much larger body is looming over mine, pinning me to the ground.
Panic flares through me, but I’m too weak to fight him off.
“W-what…” All the panic and my voice comes out as a whisper.
He’s so close. Too close. His massive body cages mine, his weight pressing down on me, one of his hands pinning both of my wrists above my head. Through my delirium, I register the solid heat of him, the overwhelming presence of him, and the way his glowing skin seems to pulse with every ragged breath.
His face is so close to mine that I can feel his breath on my skin. Then he dips lower, his nose featherlight along my neck as he inhales, pulling air into his lungs so deeply that it sends a shiver through me.
