Page 9 of Veras
His thick black hair had no resemblance to a human mane. The sides of his head were bare, like a mohawk. The thick quills, similar to a porcupine, streamed over his shoulder blades. Even with the oversized eyes, strong nose, and sharp teeth, he might be the most gorgeous being I’d ever witnessed. His proportions were different yet came together in perfect symmetry.
“What are you called?”
Truena. My name is Truena.How many times had I repeated that to myself when I’d first been kidnapped? Now, I had no real attachment to the name. I had grown used to Pet.
“Truena? Or Pet if you prefer.”
Is this golden pendejo reading my—
“Thoughts? Of course. You know we communicated in the arena. Were you not speaking to me?”
No, well… maybe? I don’t know.
“How else would I communicate with you? You shout quite loudly in your mind; I couldn’t avoid your thoughts if I tried. You have a direct way about you. Yet you refuse to use your voice.” He leaned in and came into clearer focus. “In the arena, such a lovely sound flowed from your full lips. Speak to me.”
Focus, boba. You’re letting precious minutes of planning go by.No alien was a good alien. I’d learned that the hard way.Manytimes over. So, no matter how divine he smelled, or how soothing his voice, or how super-hot he looked—I wouldn’t allow myself to trust him. After so many years of hiding,never speaking, and always keeping guard, it felt impossible to communicate.
I scootched back to the very edge of the ledge, and waves of feelings battered me, sharp and almost desperate.
“Please do not jump, Earther.You will die.” He reached out, but I leaned farther back. “I will die along with you to keep you safe.”
I cocked my head to the side.As if.
“It’s true. A life for a life. You saved mine. I am… yours.”
What?The intensity of his resolve battered me, but I still couldn’t quite wrap my mind around it.
If only I could believe him.
“You do not trust me?” He sounded tortured. He rested his hand against his chest, his two thumbs tapping a silent beat. In that moment, he took my breath away because his beauty, and sincerity, shone bright. “I don’t blame you. You have survived much.” He canted his head to the side. “I find I am particularly fascinated with you.”
I froze, stunned by his words. No one had offered understanding or a conversation without a command since I got here.
He stood, pointing toward the falls way down in front of us. “We must head there. There is an outpost where we can gather supplies. Do you hunger? You would like to bathe, would you not?” He glanced back at me, pointedly running his eyes over my filthy skin.
I should have been deeply insulted. Yes, I stunk. I opened my mouth to blast him and quickly shut it in disbelief. I couldn’t formulate words coherently because when he stood, he’d given me my first unencumbered view of his dick.
Or lack thereof.
The poor, beautiful bastard only had a lump where hispitoshould have been. No pork and beans. Nothing. What a waste.All that delicious smell flowing off miles and miles of golden muscle, and he had no goods to back them up.
How devastating.
But safe. I relaxed the tiniest bit. Maybe I could go with him. I followed his pointer finger with my eyes and sighed. This place truly was paradise. Oro sparkled everywhere. Tiny particles danced and floated around luscious flora and fauna in every imaginable color.
The idea of food and a shower made the smallest kernel of hope take root inside of me. Life held no guarantees, but for the first time in a lifetime, I was out from under the Aavvee rule. I would embrace every second of this reprieve and look at it as one step closer to Plan A or B.
“Let’s go,” I whispered and watched as he spun around and shivered. His golden gaze locked onto my mouth. And for the first time, I felt the heat of desire bloom between my legs—the intensity swift and unusual. Nothing on this planet had enticed me even a tiny bit, so the feeling was something I almost didn’t remember.
“Come. The dirt coating you is truly offensive. Let’s make our way to the outpost quickly.” He shook his head. “There is only so much time before we are discovered here.”
Poof. Just that fast, my desire shriveled and died, a stark reminder thatnothinggood ever came from thisfakaktaplanet.
CHAPTER 5
The alien usedhis claws to dig through the crumbly black rock of the mountain and slip into an opening above us. I hadn’t realized was there. He offered a hand, his twin thumbs twitching.
I grasped his forearm, and he tugged me up before I could take a breath. Being this close to him made me self-conscious. How did he see me? My long black hair was ragged and knotted, falling past my waist. I’d lost so much weight; I didn’t recognize the soft swell of my breasts. I’d always had such killer boobs. Not anymore. They weren’t more than a handful. Nowhere near as powerful as my perky double Ds used to be.
