Page 67 of Tharn's Hunt
"I'm fine," I insist, though I'm not entirely sure that's true. "Just... antsy."
Justine studies me for a moment, her expression unreadable. "Uh-huh," she says finally. "Well, try to get some sleep anyway. Rok and I are going to go hunting soon, and you need to conserve your strength."
"You're leaving?" I ask, a spike of anxiety shooting through me. "Both of you?"
"We need food," she says simply. "Fresh food to eat now, not to carry. Tharn will stay with you."
My gaze flicks to Tharn again, who seems to stiffen at Justine's words. His hand goes back to his chest, pressing hard against the glow there.
Great. Just me and the telepathic alien who may or may not be allergic to my existence. Or changing because of it. What could possibly go wrong?
"Fine," I sigh, squeezing my eyes shut. "Go hunt. Bring back something that doesn't taste like sand, if possible."
Justine laughs, the sound echoing in the cave. "I'll do my best. Sleep well, Jacqui."
I don't plan on sleeping. I'm too wired, too overwhelmed by everything that's happened. But as Justine and Rok prepare to leave, my eyelids grow heavy.
Despite my best efforts to stay awake, sleep pulls me under, dragging me down into dreams laced with gold.
Chapter 19
MY ALIEN ABDUCTION WAS AN INSIDE JOB
JACQUI
I'm in the desert, but it's different somehow. The sand beneath my feet isn't harsh and burning, but soft and yielding, almost like silk. The sky above isn't the merciless yellow of the day or the star-studded black of night, but a strange, golden twilight that casts everything in a warm, hazy glow.
I'm alone, but I don't feel afraid. There's a sense of anticipation in the air, like the desert itself is holding its breath, waiting for something—or someone.
And then I hear it—my name, but not quite my name. "Jah-kee."
The voice is deep, resonant, and it comes from everywhere and nowhere at once. It wraps around me like a physical touch, making my skin prickle with awareness.
"Where are you?" I call out, turning in a slow circle. The desert stretches endlessly in all directions, beautiful and smooth.
"Here," the voice says, and suddenly he is. Tharn, standing before me where nothing was just a moment ago.
But he's different in this golden dream-desert. His skin glows brighter. His amber eyes are molten, burning with an intensity that should frighten me, but instead makes something low in my belly tighten with anticipation.
"Tharn," I breathe, and the name feels right on my tongue, like I've been saying it all my life.
He moves toward me with the fluid grace of a predator, but I don't feel like prey. Or if I am, I want to be caught.
"Jah-kee," he says again, and this time I hear it not just with my ears but inside my head, a mental caress that makes me shiver. "You hear me now."
"Yes," I whisper, though I'm not sure if I speak aloud or just think the word. It doesn't seem to matter here, in this golden place between reality and dream.
He stops just before me, so close I can feel the heat radiating from his body. His scent fills my nostrils. Wild and alien. Leather and heat. It's intoxicating.
"I have waited," he says, his voice rough with emotion. "So long, I have waited for you to hear me."
"I'm sorry," I say, and the thought is an ache. I'm sorry for all the times I didn't understand, all the times I thought he was just staring at me, all the times I failed to hear what he was trying so desperately to tell me.
His hand rises, hovering just beside my face, not quite touching. "May I?" he asks, and the gentleness in his voice, in his eyes, makes my heart ache.
I nod, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
The moment his fingers brush my cheek, my thoughts shatter. A jolt of pure heat races through me as the glow beneath his skin flares. I can feel it pouring into me like a thick, warm honey that pools low in my belly and makes my knees weak."Beautiful," he murmurs, his eyes roaming my face like he’s memorizing every detail. "Your light calls to mine."
