Page 2 of Grumpy Alien Lumberjack
She couldn't move. Every muscle locked with terror. All she had wanted was one day of freedom, and it was going to end like this.
Movement erupted behind her. Heavy footfalls pounded the earth. Jeneva curled into herself, hands over her head, bracing for an attack from behind. But a humanoid shape vaulted past her—tall and massive, with broad shoulders and a long braid of black hair swinging against his back.
A Majaki.
Relief crashed through her so forcefully that tears pricked her eyes. She had seen Majaki come and go from the colony, had heard they were peaceful, reclusive, and harmless despite their imposing size.
Metal glinted in the light as he hurled a massive axe toward the beast. His body shifted as he threw, blocking her view. She heard the wet impact of blade meeting flesh, a sharp yelp, and then…
Silence.
Straightening on shaky limbs, Jeneva pulled in a ragged breath. The Majaki spun toward her, and fresh adrenaline spiked through her veins.
The way he looked at her was anything but peaceful. His eyes held a predatory gleam that made the dead beast seem tame by comparison. The safety briefings had been wrong about everything. Therewerepredators in these lowland forests, and apparently, the Majaki weren't as harmless as advertised.
"Human," he growled. The word distorted strangely through her translator, making him sound even more dangerous. The bioluminescent light cast harsh shadows across his angular face, and she could see now that his chest rose and fell with barely controlled fury.
"You have trespassed. Now you are mine."
Chapter Two
Jeneva
The beast's attack had ended so abruptly, Jeneva didn’t have time to fully process it.
Her adrenaline response had prepared her for impact, but it didn’t happen, and her brain was still in flight mode and confused.
The Majaki turned and strode toward the animal. She thought about trying to slink into the shadows to hide but there would be no slinking. She was about as graceful as a drunk giraffe.
He pulled his axe free, wiped it on his thigh and spun back to her.
Her heart hammered painfully as his silver eyes burned into her.
She had just gone from one threat to another.
In five strides, he was in front of her again and waved one big hand in a "come with me" motion. Jeneva’s sluggish brain couldn’t formulate a reaction, so she continued to stare at him, her body tense, still waiting for the worst to happen. He could snap her like a twig if he wanted to.
Maybe he wanted to.
Did he want to?
The Majaki was huge, broad and heavily muscled. His bare arms and torso were covered in a pattern of light green and silver that looked a bit like snakeskin in the soft light.
He was humanoid but different. There was more to his pronounced human-like nose, lips, and jaw. Each feature had lines slightly different than a human, reminding her that he was something other.
But even scowling and dangerous, he was achingly handsome in a fierce, untamed way that made her stomach flutter inappropriately given the circumstances.
He had said something about her being his now.
Shock melted away, allowing her brain to function again. He was motioning for her to go with him, like she belonged to him.
No, no.
“Thank you,” she gushed. “I’m going back to the colony now.”
“No.”
No?
