Page 84 of Rok's Captive
Nothing. Not even a twitch to suggest he’s heard me.
I sigh, setting the bone aside and drawing my knees up to my chest. “If we could just talk properly, this would be so much easier. All those times you’ve been staring at me—were you trying to communicate? Was I just too dense to hear you?”
The thought makes something sour swell in my chest. How frustrating must it have been for him, trying to reach me while I remained oblivious?
“Maybe it’s this place,” I say, gesturing vaguely around us. “Maybe the longer I’m stuck under Bitch Sun, the more I’m adapting. Developing new skills. Like hearing voices in my head.”
I laugh, but there’s no mirth in it.
“That’s it. I’m officially going crazy. Next, I’ll be naming the rocks and having deep conversations with that pool over there.”
But I know I’m not imagining it. His voice was real—as real as anything can be on this strange, impossible world.
Through the corner of my eye, I catch Rok watching me, his gaze intense and burning. He looks away the moment I turn toward him, but not before I see something in his expression that sends a delicious shiver down my spine.
Hunger.
The memory of what happened between us rushes back, almost overwhelming. His mouth on me. The way my body responded to him, as if he knew exactly what I needed before I did. The pleasure that had crashed over me. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.
I press my thighs together, trying to ignore the heat building low in my belly.Not the time, Justine. Not the time.
But apparently my body hasn’t gotten that memo. Because even now, with Rok clearly struggling with…whatever he’s struggling with, I can’t stop thinking about his hands on my skin, his tongue on my…the way he licked my…Fuck.
“Focus,” I mutter to myself, pressing the heels of my hands against my eyes. “We need to get out of here, find the others, and figure out how to get off this planet. No time for interspecies hookups, no matter how mind-blowing they might be.”
When I look up again, the cave has grown noticeably darker. The light filtering through the cracks has faded to a deep amber, signaling the approach of night. Rok has stopped pacing, his attention now fixed on me, his expression unreadable in the growing shadows.
For several long moments, neither of us moves. The only sounds are the occasional pop of the fire stones and the distant, eerie howl of wind through the stone formations outside.
Then, without warning, Rok moves toward me.
“Rok?” I whisper.
He doesn’t respond. Doesn’t even acknowledge that I’ve spoken. His eyes are locked on mine, and just the look in those eyes has my thoughts shooting back to what happened between us earlier. I swallow hard.
The closer he gets, the more I notice the tremors running through his body. His claws curl and flex at his sides, as if he’s fighting to keep himself grounded.
Oh God.
Something’s wrong—something worse than I thought.
I swallow again, my stomach filling with dread. He’s always been strange to me—he’s an alien, after all—but this is different. The careful control he’s always maintained, even in his most primal moments, is gone. Ever since…
Oh fuck.
The realization makes the cave go cold.
The Xyma water.
What if I poisoned him? What if something in the water—something I didn’t even realize was dangerous—did this to him?
“Rok?” I say again, louder this time, my voice rising with panic.
Still, he doesn’t respond.
When he finally reaches me, he sinks into a crouch, his broad shoulders trembling with the effort. Each inhalation shudders through him like it hurts to draw breath.
“Rok, look at me,” I whisper. “Please, tell me. Are you okay? Did I—did I hurt you?”
