Page 18 of Healer
Unlike Derek, who’d pulled away, Hakkar clasped my hands tightly. The moment felt different from when he took myhand to lead me through the jungle. It felt more like a promise and a question rolled into one, and I had no idea how to answer. My body did, however, and the giddy feeling low in my belly turned hot. I felt a strange awareness throb through me, and wetness crept between my thighs.
Shit!
This was only a transference phenomenon. My attraction to him wasn’t real.
Fuck!
Who was I kidding?
Despite my shock at the sensation—I’d found sexual desire while dealing with ALS symptoms non-existent—I enjoyed the feeling. Standing here with over seven feet of male attentiveness made me feel beautiful and desirable… whether or not that was Hakkar’s intent. No rule said I couldn’t enjoy this new lease on life and a brief flirtation. At least, I hoped not.
I watched Hakkar’s golden eyes narrow as his gaze centered on my face. His nostrils flared, drawing in a deep breath, followed by the flicker of something that looked like a shock.
Shit!
Hakkar’s elf-like ears worked better than those of a mere mortal man. His sense of smell was probably heightened as well, which meant he could likely detect my.…
Shit!
Hakkar’s awkward throat-clearing confirmed my assumption as he pointed out the hillside rising above the treetops.
“We will shelter there tonight. The map suggests there are caves.”
A cave. Definition—a small space where one could sleep next to a gorgeous alien male, hopefully, made all the cozier with the addition of a fire.
Ugh. Agnes, get your mind out of your twat!
“Can you get some more of those alien chickens? They were delicious.” I made a point of waggling my eyebrows in a silly fashion to diffuse the awkwardness. Seriously, I probably smelled like the inside of a whorehouse at this point.
Hakkar laughed, which did little to calm my libido. This man was absolutely gorgeous when he smiled. Seriously, did that medi-machine do something to my sex drive?
Hakkar’s laughter died instantly. He grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer and motioning for quiet.
It took a minute to realize why he acted so cautiously. This wasn’t a natural clearing. To the right, a small plot of land grew crops in neat rows. To the left stood a split-rail fence made from rough timbers. Next to a small stone building, a slow-moving waterwheel churned through what appeared to be a man-made tributary. This was someone’s home. But who?
“Hakkar?” I whispered the question.
In answer, he put his considerable bulk fully in front of me, hands going to the curved blades he wore in a sheath across his back. I started to ask if arming himself was necessary when something emerged from a copse of what appeared to be fruit trees to our left.
The creature looked like every Big Foot sighting I’d ever seen, except there was a humanness to his movements that both intrigued and frightened me. Dark brown fur covered his entire body save for the center of his face, which showed pale gray skin. He had large button eyes like a teddy bear, but that’s where any resemblance to a cute childhood toy ended. Three-inch fangs protruded beneath a wide, flat snout, with claws the same length dotting the end of his paw-like hands. Despite the built-in weapons, the creature carried a massive blade that reminded me of a medieval halberd. Derek always had what I felt was an unhealthy obsession with medieval weapons.
Hakkar slid his blades from the sheath at his back without making a noise, fingers flexing tightly around the hilts. He turned his head, not enough to make eye contact but so that his words would be for my ears alone.
“If I fall, run. Follow the setting sun, and you should reach the settlement in two days. Find a female called Siereita. She will help you.”
“If you fall….” The words died on my tongue as my body revolted at the idea, ending forever the debate whether my attraction to him was transference phenomenon. The thought of Hakkar being killed, even being hurt for that matter, terrified me. More than being kidnapped by aliens, more than being alone and lost in an alien jungle….
Even more than the threat of ALS.
Chapter 8 – Hakkar
A Kerzak.
A big fucking Kerzak.
A creature bred for blood and death. The warrior training received in my youth lay embedded in my DNA, like Agnes’ illness, but it had been years since my last battle. My only goal was to buy Agnes time to escape.
The Kerzak raised his weapon and roared loudly. The sound echoed through the air, causing nearby trees to tremble. I sucked in a deep breath, issuing my own loud, vicious roar, which stilled the surrounding jungle to silence. Except Agnes, who lingered behind me, her breath tinged with whimpers of fear.
