Page 46 of Tharn's Hunt
For a moment, she doesn't move. Then, suddenly, she launches herself at me, her arms lock around my neck so tightly I feel her dra-kir pulse against my chest. Her voice is muffled against my skin.
"Th-aaarn."
My name. Worn smooth by her lips.
I should push her away. This closeness is too much. The scent of her head-fur, the heat of her skin…
Instead, I press my forehead to hers and try again:
"Tharn."
“Tharn.”
Clearer this time.
Dust.
Her smile could burn brighter than Ain at dawn.
Chapter 14
SURVIVAL 101: DON’T DIE; DON’T FALL FOR THE ALIEN
JACQUI
It turns out that traveling with a seven-foot alien has its perks.
For one, I don't have to worry about carrying water. Tharn's got that covered. For another, I can see danger coming from miles away because he suddenly freezes like a cat spotting a laser dot.
Like right now.
We've been walking for hours, the morning sun already climbing high in the yellow sky, when Tharn stops so abruptly I nearly slam into his back.
"What?" I ask, stepping out from behind him to scan the endless dunes. "What is it?"
He doesn't answer, of course. But his entire body has gone rigid, head tilted back, nostrils flaring as he scents the air. His amber eyes track something in the sky I can't see yet.
Then I spot it—a shadow passing over the sand, growing larger by the second.
Before I can even process what's happening, Tharn moves. One moment I'm standing beside him; the next, he's in front of me, body angled to shield mine, one arm extended backward to keep me in place behind him.
The shadow resolves into something that looks like a—and I shit you not—a ducking pterodactyl. Its leathery wings stretch wide, a long, whip-like tail trailing behind it. It soars overhead, circling once before continuing on its way, apparently uninterested in us.
Just like the last three threats Tharn's protected me from this morning.
"It's gone," I say, still wide-eyed. There are flying things here? Not just things hiding under the sand or shadow creatures from the underworld. This really is hell.
Tharn glances down at me, golden eyes scanning my face as if checking for signs of fear. Finding none, he relaxes marginally, though he keeps scanning the sky for several long moments before resuming our trek.
I fall into step beside him, a small smile playing at my lips. His protectiveness is endearing, if occasionally over-the-top. He positions himself between me and literally everything. From actual dangers like that sand manta ray thing, to even a harmless tumbleweed that rustled in the breeze.
He reminds me of Justine, in a way. My sister was always the shield between me and the world's sharp edges. But where Justine's protection was emotional, his is intensely physical. Primal. Like he's made a blood oath to keep my fragile human body intact, even if it means throwing himself in front of anything that moves.
"You know," I say, "on Earth, we have these animals called dogs. Big, furry things that are fiercely loyal to their humans. They guard them, protect them, follow them everywhere."
Tharn glances at me, head tilting in that curious way that's become so familiar.
"You remind me of a dog sometimes," I continue, grinning. "A big, golden guard dog. All growls and protective instincts."
