Page 44 of Rok's Captive
His expression softens slightly, but he makes no move to help.
“Fine,” I mutter, running a hand through my tangled hair. “Just great. Saved from heat exhaustion only to die of starvation on a cliff with an alien who suddenly decides to be useless.”
I pace along the narrow ledge outside the cave, frustration building with each step. “This is ridiculous. I don’t know why I thought this would work. ‘Oh, let’s try to reason with the seven-foot alien predator who can’t understand a word I’m saying.’ Brilliant plan, Justine. Really stellar work.”
I’m freaking out and I know it.
Problem is, I can’t stop.
Meanwhile, the alien watches my ranting with something that almost looks like awestruck amusement, and that just makes me angrier.
“You think this is funny? You?—”
I don’t get to finish the sentence because suddenly the world tilts around me. Strong arms scoop me up, and before I can process what’s happening, I’m cradled against a broad chest, my feet dangling in the air.
“What are you—put me down!” I squirm in his grasp, but it’s like trying to move a mountain. “I swear, if you don’t?—”
He turns, carrying me to the edge of the cliff, and I get a dizzying view of the drop below.
“No, no, no! What are you doing? Don’t you dare?—”
His grip tightens, securing me against his chest, and he looks down at me with what I swear is a mischievous glint in those golden eyes.
“If you throw me off this cliff, I swear I will come back and haunt you for the rest of your glowy alien existence!”
He makes that rumbling sound again—definitely laughter—and then, without warning, he just…steps off the edge.
I scream. I scream like I’ve never screamed before, a sound that tears from my throat as we plummet through open air. My arms lock around his neck in a death grip, my face buried against his chest.
This is it. This is how I die. Not from heat exhaustion or alien predators, but from being thrown off a cliff by a lunatic alien who thought it would be funny.
Except…we’re not falling. Not really.
I risk opening one eye, then the other, and what I see doesn’t make sense. We’re moving down the cliff face, but in controlled bounds—leaping from one tiny outcropping to another with impossible grace. Each landing is smooth, barely a jolt, before he launches us toward the next foothold.
It’s like watching a mountain goat navigate a sheer cliff, except this “goat” is carrying a terrified human. The inhuman strength of his grip is impossible to ignore—those powerful arms holding me against him with a pressure that’s somehow both gentle and unyielding. His hands are firm, confident, effortlessly supporting my weight as if I’m nothing more than a child’s doll. It’s terrifying and yet…strangely reassuring.
“Oh my god,” I breathe, my heart still pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. “You’re insane. You are actually insane.”
He makes that rumbling sound again, and this time I can feel it vibrate through his chest where I’m pressed against him.
“This isn’t funny!” But even as I say it, a hysterical laugh bubbles up inside me, too. “I don’t know what I imagined when I asked you to take me down, but it wasn’t this! ”
We continue our descent in great, bounding leaps that somehow manage to be both terrifying and graceful. With each jump, my stomach lurches, but his arms hold me secure, his body absorbing the impact of each landing.
The ground rushes up to meet us faster than seems possible, and with one final, powerful leap, we’re suddenly on the desert floor, standing in sand that’s already warming in the morning sun.
He doesn’t set me down immediately, and I don’t ask him to. For a moment, we just stay like that—me cradled in his arms, my heart still racing, his golden eyes studying my face with that same intense focus. His arms tighten slightly, claws skimming lightly against my side in a way that sends unexpected shivers through me. There’s a rumble deep in his chest—a sound of pure, unmistakable satisfaction, like he’s thoroughly enjoying holding me this close.
“That was…” I struggle to find the right word. Terrifying? Exhilarating? Completely insane? “…something.” Pushing past the heavy breaths wracking my chest, I force a grin.
The alien blinks, gaze shifting to my lips.
His mouth curves in what might be a smile—though with those sharp teeth, it’s hard to tell if it’s meant to be friendly or menacing.
Slowly, carefully, he lowers me to my feet. My legs feel wobbly, like I’ve just stepped off a roller coaster, and I have to steady myself against his arm.
“Thanks, I think,” I say, looking up at him. “Although a little warning next time would be nice.”
