Page 19 of Alokar
“A large herd of elk,” he said, opening those warm honey-brown eyes and pointing with unwavering precision toward the north.
“That’s Yellow Aster Butte.” Another landmark I could navigate to blindfolded. “The elk like to feast on the flowers.” It was one of the region’s most favored hiking destinations, famous for its spectacular carpet of wildflowers that painted the meadows in brilliant hues during spring and summer, then transformed into a breathtaking array of fiery orange, deep crimson, and golden yellow when autumn claimed the mountains.
Another confirming nod. Another careful, analytical inhale that made his powerful chest rise and fall.
“The mother grizzly and her cubs that we encountered the other day are currently following the ridgeline of that distant peak. There’s another grizzly close to them—injured, I suspect—there is a note of decay in its scent.” His clawed finger traced an invisible line toward the northwest, where a jagged, snow-capped summit emerged from the darkness against the star-studded sky.
“Huntoon Point. Most hikers access it via the Artist Ridge trail.” The trail had earned its designation as Artist Ridge for good reason, as the panoramic vistas from that elevation were one of the most painted landscapes in the entire state.
“How can you possibly say I don’t need you?” Ewok asked softly, his intense brown gaze locking onto mine with such focused attention that my stomach performed an involuntary flutter. “I might possess exceptional olfactory capabilities, but nobody knows this terrain like you do. Knowledge like yours is invaluable to any hunter.”
I huffed dismissively, rolling my eyes in a gesture of stubborn resistance. But deep down, I had to admit that hiswords eased some of the sting, making warmth bloom in my chest despite my best efforts to remain detached.
“Our quest remains unchanged,” he said, turning his gaze back toward the dance of flames in our campfire. “We both share the desire to ensure that Yaard is dead.”
“True,” I admitted, unable to argue with that simple, undeniable fact.
He stayed focused on the fire, his powerful shoulders hunched slightly as he gave the rabbit stew a careful stir with a long wooden spoon. The firelight danced across his silver-streaked fur, creating shifting patterns of light and shadow that emphasized the impressive musculature beneath. “I propose we continue on as we have been. Find Yaard, make sure he’s dead, then I can return to my world and you to yours.”
The casual way he spoke of leaving—as if it were just another item on a to-do list—sent an unexpected pang through my chest. Why did the idea of Ewok departing Earth make my stomach clench with something that felt dangerously close to loss? I couldn’t think about that now. Not yet. Not when everything between us had already shifted so dramatically.
“Only my appearance has changed, Hannah,” Ewok reminded me when the silence stretched on, his deep voice carrying that same gentle reassurance that always made me feel safe. His honey-brown eyes found mine across the flames, earnest and unwavering. “I will protect and care for you as I always have.”
I knew that with bone-deep certainty. And despite the recent revelations and the way my entire understanding of reality had been turned upside down, I completely trustedhis promise. The essence of who he was—the man who had shown me nothing but kindness and consideration—remained unchanged beneath the fur and alien features.
I took a deep, steadying breath, waiting for my gut to scream at me to rebel against the insanity. To demand I flee back to civilization and pretend none of this ever happened. But all I felt was a quiet peacefulness settling over me, the unmistakable feeling of choosing the right path, even if it led into the unknown.
“Okay.”
Ewok’s face transformed with relief, a brilliant grin spreading across his features, revealing sharp canine teeth. Even covered in thick, chocolate-and-silver fur, even with his more pronounced brow and broader jaw, he was still devastatingly handsome in a way that made my pulse quicken traitorously.
“But no more kissing,” I warned, pointing a stern finger at him—more for my own benefit than his, because the memory of his lips on mine still made my knees weak.
“I understand,” Ewok said, though his lips curved in what might have been amusement, as if he could see right through my flustered attempt at establishing boundaries. “But I need to tell you I enjoyed the kissing very much. More than I expected I would.”
“You make it sound like it was your first kiss,” I teased, mainly to keep from dwelling on how much I, too, had enjoyed our brief moment of intimacy—how it had felt like coming home and falling off a cliff all at once.
“It was.” He said it with no trace of embarrassment or self-consciousness; his attention focused on carefully removing the bubbling rabbit stew from the fire.
I blinked at him, certain I’d misheard. “Seriously?”
The implication hit me like a freight train, and before I could stop myself, the words tumbled out. “What are you, a virgin?” I’d meant it as a joke. When he wore his human disguise, he was so gorgeous I would have expected him to have a woman in every port, so to speak. Who knew what aliens thought about sex? I couldn’t imagine any species being as uptight as humans about physical intimacy.
“Yes.”
A small, shocked sound escaped my lips, drawing Ewok’s amused gaze back to my face. The firelight caught the golden flecks in his eyes, making them glow with inner warmth.
“Up until a week ago, I was considered a youngling,” he told me, and I got the distinct impression Ewok was thoroughly entertained by my obvious shock.
A youngling? A child? Just a week ago? My mind reeled. “How? You’re freaking huge! How big do Kerzak get?”
“I am fully grown,” Ewok said matter-of-factly, tossing the waterlogged leaves from my tin cup into the fire where they hissed and sent up a small puff of aromatic steam. He filled the cup with stew, the rich aroma making my stomach growl appreciatively. “My kind experience an accelerated puberty.”
“How accelerated?” I asked, fascinated by the glimpse into alien biology.
“Most of the physical changes took place over just a few days.”
“Sounds brutal.” Memories of my own adolescent nightmare flashed through my mind—the acne that seemed to last forever, the raging hormones that made me feel like a stranger in my own skin, the awkward growth spurts that left me constantly bumping into things. If only it had taken a few days instead of the seemingly endless years of misery.
