Page 18 of Tharn's Hunt
JACQUI
Iwake to find golden eyes directly in front of my face.
"Jesus!" I jerk back, skull cracking against stone. “Ouch!” Pain explodes behind my eyes, turning my vision white for a terrifying instant. It only highlights the already harsh pounding in my head.
When my vision clears, he's still there. Seven feet of naked alien crouched barely an arm's length away.
My head throbs with each heartbeat, a vicious pounding that makes even blinking hurt. I thought I was getting better. It’s gotten worse again. Hunger, dehydration, or maybe just the stress of having a giant gold man staring at me like I'm the most fascinating bug he's ever found.
Whatever the cause, it feels like someone's drilling through my temples with rusty screwdrivers.
I fumble for my weapon, fingers closing around the familiar metal. My arms feel like lead, but I manage to lift it between us. The movement makes my vision swim.
"Hey," I rasp. "Remember yesterday? This is just business. Keep your... whatever that was... to yourself."
The alien tilts his head, those eerie eyes unblinking. Does he even need to blink? This close, I can just about see that they're a beautiful amber-gold, speckled with white flecks that make it look like there's a whole universe in there.
It’s beautiful.
But then the memory of him gesturing toward my thighs comes rushing right back, and I scowl. That was universal speak for ‘can I see your panties?’, wasn't it?
“Some things transcend species, apparently—like being a creep.”
My weapon wavers even as I gesture at him to back up. He doesn't move, just watches with that unsettling intensity. Then, slowly, he shifts backward, giving me space.
Wait. He understood that?
I squint at him through the hammering pain in my skull. He's…respecting my boundaries? That would be hilarious if I weren’t so tired. A naked alien wild man actually listening to what I say when human men find that simple task challenging? An Earth-shattering concept, I’m sure.
I slump back against the wall, suddenly aware of how vulnerable I've been. I fell asleep again. I actually fell asleep with this... alien...in the cave. He could have done anything to me while I was out. Killed me. Eaten me. Attempted whatever he was suggesting with that thigh gesture.
But he didn't.
The waterskin sits within reach, as if he put it there so I could reach it as soon as I woke. Despite wanting to grab it and quench my thirst, my gaze slides past it to what lies beyond.
Laid out on flat stones is... food. Alotof food.
Dominating the makeshift table is what can only be described as a nightmare with fins. It looks like someonecrossbred a manta ray with a porcupine, resulting in a flat, wing-like body topped with a massive spiny fin running along its length. Its mouth is mercifully closed, but even dead, the thing looks ready to snap at any fingers that venture too close.
Beside this monster are several smaller creatures, lizards of some kind, with scales that shimmer with an iridescent blue-green sheen that would be beautiful if they weren't, you know,dead alien reptiles.
“You brought food…” My gaze shifts back to the alien. His eyes are locked on mine. Unreadable—but there’s something there. A brightness. A spark.
Excitement?
My stomach twists. Why is he excited?
Before I can figure it out, he moves, his massive frame gliding with that frightening grace. He’s heading toward the horrifying sand ray thing. I stiffen, but he doesn’t seem to notice. Or care.
His claws unsheathe as he crouches beside the carcass, the deadly curve of them catching the light. For one terrifying second, I think he’s about to attack me. But then he turns his attention fully to the creature.
The clicking sound comes again, softer this time, almost… pleased.
I stare, heart pounding, as he leans over the thing, his claws working with care. He’sopeningit. Peeling back layers of tough skin like he’s done this a hundred times before.
My stomach churns.
And then it hits me.
