Page 7 of 80% Beef 20% Cake (Alien Fated Mates #2)

7

O f all the blanting idiots in the world, why was I the biggest? Conditioned to step lightly, I strolled across the bouncing moss floor with ease. If only I could be so sure-footed around Ginger. So similar were the lush cave’s surroundings to the jungles on my home planet of Yagras. I should’ve been at peace, but calm was a distant friend whenever my thoughts veered to Ginger.

“Why would she want a male like me?” Ferociously plucking the tinga fruit, I rucked up the hem of my shirt and filled the makeshift pouch. The fabric stretched to its limit, and the seam split along my collarbone. I hadn’t kept her safe from the hellsna. I’d left her unprotected in the cold. She’d had to remind me to send a com to Sisip for help—something that should’ve been second nature but had slipped my mind.

The tinga in my hand turned to pulp. “She fixes my clothes because I’m an incapable male, not to demonstrate her care.” I huffed, then planted my ass in a swing of intertwined vines that hung in ropes from the black ceiling. The long blue fruits tumbled into a bruised heap at my feet.

Her rejection stung, but I did not need a mate, did not deserve one, and had never heard of a human mating a Rock Dweller. It was time to rein in my instincts.

“You fool. Why didn’t you ask before kissing her?” I’d obviously performed the act incorrectly. The fact that she’d had to bite me to get me to back off left the bitter tang of disgust in my mouth. Rock Dwellers didn’t even kiss, but once my lips had landed, my brain had emptied, and I could’ve remained happily attached to her mouth forever.

My seat swung as I kicked the ground, and I grabbed the vines to keep me upright. Humans enjoyed kissing. This I was certain of. Geo and Makir had embraced far too many times in front of me, and at no time did they shove each other away. I’d thought she would like it.

The gift, the compliments, her careful tending of my clothes…it had all filled my head with a static so loud that when Ginger had licked her dark pink lips, I’d jolted forward. The force, so incredible in that moment… Nothing short of tasting them would quiet my instincts. Why had I lost control like that? I needed to stay away from this human female.

I pressed my finger against the deep gash behind my ear. It hadn’t sealed yet, and I found comfort in the pain. A subtle vibration shook the vines of the swing. To my amazement, a reclusive dorat spiraled down the twisted ropes toward me. The smile that tipped my lips, followed by a rush of pleasure, surprised me. Another reminder of home.

I coaxed the purring dorat closer. My fortune held—it landed in my lap, starved for affection. How could this same creature live on both Tern and Yagras? My fingers threaded through its coarse fur and along its bushy tail. The fruit and flowers in the volcano were the same as on Yagras, the hellsna too, only mutated, yet everything outside was an unfamiliar pink wasteland. What was I missing?

I rubbed over the points of its velvety ears. Soft electric-blue sparks lit up the long, silky fibers as I stroked her ear. “Pretty girl,” I hummed. Dejection eased away as she circled on four short legs in my lap, rubbing her whiskered face wherever possible.

My wristport dinged. Beyond telling the time, it was useless inside all this rock. Two suns had passed, and my shoulders slumped. Time to stop avoiding Ginger. I turned toward our little hollow, reluctant both to leave the dorat and to return to Ginger’s side.

On my home planet, the rocks of Nara resembled the world inside the Starry Volcano on Tern. A place of silence and meditation. To be trapped where the spirits were strong, combined with the unexplained emotions that surfaced whenever Ginger came to mind, wreaked havoc on my mental state.

The dorat jumped to the mossy ground, creating no ripple or sound. After stacking the tinga fruit back into my torn shirt, I braced for the conversation ahead.

The dorat followed, winding herself between my legs. On occasion, she stopped to munch on the fungus that grew in stacked columns along the cavern walls, then scampered back.

When we arrived at the room Ginger and I had claimed, my sharp ears picked up her short, shallow breaths before I pulled open the vines. The dark shadows under her eyes had grown. My clothes sat folded in a neat pile beside one plant-covered wall. With plenty of tinga left from earlier, I silently piled the new harvest alongside the old. Maybe I’d gone a little overboard.

My eyes snapped to her when she groaned and clasped her leg in a restless sleep. What was wrong? I rushed to her side, surprised to find her forehead bathed in sweat. An overwhelming urge to care for her coiled in my stomach. Although bone tired and wanting nothing more than to curl around Ginger and go to sleep, I’d never ignore her need for help.

I jogged toward the cave entrance, tipping back a flower and taking a long drink of its sweet nectar. My body ached. The rocks and sticks that had pelted me while attempting to find safety for Ginger had taken their toll. The dorat wound itself up my leg and propped itself on my shoulder proprietarily.

“So, you’ve claimed me, it seems.” I patted her head, pleased to be enough for at least one female. A dorat’s claim was not a small gift. “How long have you been alone, little thing?” Chattering to her as I sped up a slight incline helped ease my worry over Ginger’s health. Without Ginger to slow me down, it took no time to reach the entrance. Sure enough, a com came through from Lead Enforcer Sisip where I stood tucked just out of the hellsna’s reach.

JayJay, at your suggestion, I’ve reached out to Bonic, and as I send this, he’s attempting to retrieve the bloodroot fungus from your contact on Yagras. As this may take some time, I’ve deployed two crews to create a diversion for the hellsna. Be ready at the coordinates you relayed, two rotations from now, at seven suns.

One further note. Geo and Makir couldn’t be dissuaded from coming.

Stay safe, Sisip.

My blood pumped thick and heavy as the ear-piercing shriek of the hellsna shattered the silence of the cave. No matter how often I’d heard its call, my response remained the same—seek and destroy. The dorat turned as gray as my skin, and her tail clung around my shoulder and under my armpit like a rigid strap.

I typed a quick response to Sisip then hurried back to Ginger. Almost two more rotations in this cave before she would receive help. I should have been thankful we’d found shelter, but my lack of control over the situation made my temples throb. Dependence on others for help didn’t come easy to me.

My feet pounded through the tunnel. Hiti mushroom. I exhaled. If I could find some hiti mushrooms, that would bring down her fever. Moments later, I scoured the darkest, wettest recesses of the cave for the large heart-shaped fungus. And just as on Yagras, I found it in a stacked column buried in the far reaches of a narrow, drippy crevasse. Arm smeared in slime, I smiled at my haul and double-timed it back to Ginger, chewing on a fruity chunk.

I slipped the vines open, confirmed with my own two eyes that Ginger was breathing and blew out a breath. Her hair shone extra bright against the dark shadows of her face, where she slept. The dorat scurried to my pile of clothes, circled a few times, then curled into a ball that disappeared under a bushy tail. I sighed. If only sleep came that easily.

Into a flower full of water, I spat the hiti mushroom I’d been masticating, then shuffled to Ginger’s side. Cross-legged, I leaned against the wall of our little cave as she tossed and turned before my eyes.

“Ginger,” I whispered, knowing she hated my loud voice. “Wake up. I have medicine.”

She stirred and absently swatted in my direction, muttering, “Tired. Later.” Then she rolled to her other side.

When I leaned forward and grasped her under the arms, she let out a low groan. With one bent arm, I pulled her into my lap and pressed the flower to her lips. Her skin was clammy to the touch, her colorful tank top clinging to it. Against the exploding star pattern, her paleness stood out in sharp relief.

“Jeez,” she spluttered, smacking me in the chest. After grasping the flower herself, she guided the drink to her mouth. Before it was empty, she rested her head against my chest as if exhausted by completing the simple task. “How long have we been here?”

I forced my hands to my thighs to avoid running them over her silvery hair. So much for staying away. “Almost a rotation. You need to finish. There is medicine in there.” I pressed the flower back to her cracked lips.

“Strangely, this tastes like grapes.” She finished drinking and leaned into me. “You’re not trying to poison me or anything, are ya?”

Instead of running from me, she sank deeper into my chest, and I had to force my rumba to quiet. “What’s the matter with you?” My too-loud voice made her jerk, and she turned her glassy eyes to mine.

“Straight to the point, huh,” she joked weakly, her breathing too shallow. Her head dropped to my chest. I thought she’d fallen asleep and was about to run my palm over her long hair when she muttered, “I don’t have my medicine with me.”

Medicine. What does she need medicine for?

Blant it. I stroked her hair anyway, and besides the odd twig tangled in it, the silky weight floated through my fingers. It felt sinfully addictive.

She shuddered at the contact. “That’s nice, JayJay.”

“What’s the medicine for?” I continued to stroke her hair.

“My blood.” Half-asleep, she was much more forthcoming than usual.

She needs medicine for her blood?

She sank deeper into my chest. “JayJay, when are we going home?”

Did she know her fingers scratched lightly over my thigh? It took me a moment to register her words, but my heart swelled when they landed. She asked that of me as if she was one hundred percent confident in my ability to get her home. Her confidence bolstered my spirits, and a glimpse of the male I was before my banishment to Tern shone through. A male of value.

Before I had a chance to reply, she whimpered and grabbed her leg, which was slung sideways over one of my thighs. Tucking her head back into my chest and her body into the fold of my arm, I massaged the muscle spasm with my thumb until it eased. The strength and definition in her small legs surprised me. She fell asleep as a female who trusted her mate would.

I marveled at the feeling of rightness that overcame me when she settled in my lap, at how her linnea scent enticed me, but most of all, I marveled at how protective I was of her now that every part of her pressed against me. Each time she cried out in pain, I massaged her rigid muscle until it went lax under my gentle ministrations. Eventually, her soft puffs of breath against my chest lulled me to sleep.

Dreams of the old ways, when Rock Dwellers had true mates, came to me. Visions of lifelong companionship, strength, devotion and unconditional love. When I woke, the story of how our females had been lost filled my mind as if it had just taken place. One hundred annums past, a volcano had erupted. The prevailing wind had sent the deadly volcanic ash directly toward the coast, where females of birthing age, new matas and their younglings were schooled. The fine particles had been too much for their lungs to handle. Only the strongest had survived. An impressive linnea forest lay there now, one tree planted for each departed soul. Now, females mated out of obligation. They no longer sought their true mates, instead selecting the fittest males for life companions, those with the most resources available to raise younglings.

I hadn’t expected a night with a female in my arms to result in such bone-deep contentment. Was this what those selected felt?

Ginger stirred in my lap. She’s your true mate. Claim her. I frowned, silencing my inner voice. Ginger had made it clear after my disastrous kiss that she didn’t feel the way a mate did.

Even as an esteemed member of Yagras’ guard, a female was something I’d never dreamed possible. After my exile to this remote outpost, a life companion was about as likely to appear as a mistforest—a true mate even more unlikely. They existed solely in historic Rock Dweller tomes now. Not even Sully and TeyTey were true mates, and they were about as happy a couple as I’d ever seen.

Ginger’s arms reached above her in a languid stretch, and I winced when her knuckle grazed the open cut behind my ear. I groaned as she carelessly climbed on my thigh and kneeled. With tender fingers, she probed the injured area.

“Morning.” Her sleep-filled voice ran over me like a soft touch. The swells of her breasts pressed against my chest when she leaned in. Her linnea scent swamped me, and cupping her lower back was second nature.

“Gosh, JayJay, this is a mess,” she said, oblivious to her effect on me. Dark circles still shadowed her hazel eyes, but she seemed more herself after her long rest. The hiti mushroom had worked its magic. Climbing off my thigh, she gathered her first aid kit and returned, standing next to where I sat. She dabbed the cut clean before applying some sticky green gel.

The pleasure of being cared for froze me. Oblivious, she dipped and bobbed, working her way around me, cleaning all the visible cuts and scrapes on my face. She unclenched my hands. Her fingers had tiny hard calluses on the pads. I liked her extra finger. Next to mine, her hands were tiny but strong, and she wiped every crevice of my hand. Shivers shot down my nerve endings and heated my groin.

“That’s better.” She squeezed my thumb, smiling before grimacing at the state of my shirt. “This needs to go.” Her delicate fingers already wiggled under its hem, her knuckles dangerously close to my swelling coil.

Driven by instinct, my rumba called. A low rumble escaped my chest as her knuckles brushed the hard muscles of my stomach while she pulled up my shirt.

“Help a girl out, would you, King Kong?” She smirked, so close her breath whispered across my lips.

My shirt caught under my arms, still pinned to my side.

“Lift your arms.” The words were slow and deliberate, and the sparkle in her eye led me to believe she’d said them several times already. “Geez, are you always this dozy when you wake up?” She poked my rib cage to get me to move.

Sleepy! Dozy! Why is she caring for me?

“It’s kinda cute.” She flashed a bright smile my way that had me dropping my arms to my lap to cover the evidence of my arousal.

Eventually, I lifted my arms and pulled the shirt over my head, passing her the ruined fabric. “You rejected me, and now you are caring for me… I don’t understand.”

Her pupils had been dilated in the orange glow to begin with, but now that she was so close, I noticed the hazel had shrunk to the thinnest of slivers. “I’m not about to leave you bleeding when I have the means to help. You helped me. My joints are like liquid, and I feel all light and floaty.”

It seemed the hiti mushroom affected humans in interesting ways. With what remained of my shirt in her hands, her teasing abruptly ended, replaced by a ravenous gaze that scoured my torso for much longer than an injury assessment would take.

If I flexed my muscles to entice her further, I would blame it on her undivided attention. On a long inhale, I expanded my chest and contracted. Stop! This isn’t real. But all it took was another hot look to override my rational brain, and I tightened my pectorals.

Finally, it was my turn to smirk. Her nipples had stiffened to hard peaks, and her throat, where her stretched tank top dipped to expose her collarbones, bloomed a delicious pink. She may not have wanted me as a mate, but even as inexperienced as I was, I could tell her body desired me in this moment.

An eternity later, she shook her head and turned away. The back of her rib cage expanded as she clutched my shirt to her nose. My head plunked against the vine-covered wall, and I exhaled, deflating from the strange male posturing that had overtaken me. Though the idea of her liking my scent kept my instincts on edge.

“I’ll just patch this for you then. It should only take a few minutes.” The perkiness in Ginger’s voice mimicked the one she used to sell her designs at the markets. It had the same effect as a cold shower. Ginger threw my spare shirt at me, and I quickly dragged it over my head and tugged it past my softening coil.

“I’m going to get you some water,” I rumbled, so deeply that I barely recognized my own voice.

As I swept the vines to one side and bent to jump down, she called out warily, her back still to me. “JayJay, you think you can show me around a bit today?”

“Yes,” I blurted. I didn’t trust myself to hide my pleasure at how much she desired my company. The blanting idiot in me wanted to shout, ‘I’d devote every moment of every rotation to you if you asked.’

The dorat appeared as soon as the vines closed behind me. Its bushy tail brushed against my legs while I drank from one of the large flowers. I plucked another. Ginger would be thirsty.

Would the hiti mushroom dose last until Sisip arrived tomorrow? An image of Ginger writhing in pain formed in my mind, and a helplessness akin to the moment I’d been banished burned an angry fire low in my belly. Not on my watch.

How many more rotations could I resist my instincts before she returned to Earth?