Page 11 of Aliens Snared My Heart (Awakened Womb #3)

11 / Paz

I was confused and hurt by Kur’tok’s random outburst. But more than that, I was fucking annoyed. He was supposed to sleep with me. I was looking forward to a cozy night in his arms, dammit.

Frustrated, I exhaled a deep sigh. I nestled deeper into the fur blanket. It was a pale imitation of being held.

Stupid Kur’tok.

I closed my eyes and took a few calming breaths. My training came back to me. Conflict was never resolved while tempers ran high. I wasn’t hotheaded by any means, but damn, it hurt more when someone you liked snapped at you.

Kur’tok did mention he was hungry. I hadn’t seen him eat since he trapped me in his snare. Maybe he was just hangry? Still, that didn’t excuse his asshole-ish behavior.

I wondered if I should follow him, but there was no way I could catch up to a Maeleon, especially not in the dark. On top of that, the day’s fatigue finally caught up with me. As the adrenaline of our argument wore off, exhaustion turned my body to stone.

I fell asleep feeling cold and unsatisfied, wondering when Kur’tok would come back.

“Is it still alive?”

“I do not know. We should poke it with a stick.”

Something jabbed my shoulder. I groaned heavily as I returned to the land of the conscious. I roused, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“Yo, cut that out,” I mumbled.

Haz’rull and Arr’tow loomed curiously over me. As I woke, the two Maeleons slanted back, giving me space. They must’ve returned from hunting while I was passed out. I didn’t smell any meat, so I figured they came back empty-handed.

Then my heart tightened as I remembered what happened last night—my big argument with Kur’tok.

“Is Kur’tok back, too?” I asked hopefully.

“No,” Arr’tow said.

I slumped into the blanket. “Oh.”

The pair exchanged a perplexed glance, their feelers shimmering with teal. No doubt they thought it was weird that I was worried about Kur’tok. After all, he was a douchebag that treated them like crap.

I sighed. “I know, I know. It makes no sense that I like him.”

Arr’tow turned towards me curiously. “You do?”

“Yeah. I know you don’t, but—”

Arr’tow lifted their tentacles, cutting me off. “That’s not it. We like Kur’tok, too.”

I gawked. “What?” After an incredulous pause, I asked, “Why?”

Arr’tow drooped like a wilting plant. “I realize it must seem strange. Kur’tok won’t admit it, but we used to be close.”

My jaw hung open in disbelief. I couldn’t imagine the Kur’tok I knew being friendly with Haz’rull and Arr’tow. In every interaction I’d seen, he was a total dickhead to them. Hell, I liked Kur’tok—maybe even more than I wanted to admit—but the way he treated this pair wasn’t acceptable.

“What happened?” I asked.

Arr’tow glanced over their shoulder, as if Kur’tok would teleport into the den and explode with rage.

“It’s a long story,” Arr’tow said. “Take something to eat. We’ll talk outside in the sun.”

My pulse quickened with curiosity. Finally, someone was willing to talk like a normal person. As the two Maeleons exited the den, I grabbed a couple fruits from the pile. When I caught up with Arr’tow and Haz’rull, they were basking peacefully on the ledge outside the den.

It was then that a question slammed into me like a basketball to the head.

“Wait a second,” I said. “Maeleons can photosynthesize, can’t they?”

“That’s right,” Arr’tow replied.

Annoyance flared within me. “Then why is Kur’tok so obsessed with eating meat? He didn’t need to go hunt! He could’ve stayed with me all night.”

“That’s part of why we wanted to talk to you,” Arr’tow murmured. “We’ve been friends with Kur’tok since we were young. He wasn’t always like this.”

I was bewildered. “What?”

Arr’tow’s ears flopped like a sad puppy, but Haz’rull looked irritated.

“He changed when he started eating meat,” Haz’rull declared. “He’s like a completely different being.”

I furrowed my brow in thought. I’d stopped eating meat out of necessity—the village never offered it, so I followed along. But changing my diet didn’t shift my entire personality. Was Maeleon biology different?

“Why did he start in the first place?” I asked.

Both Maeleons went silent, shadows flitting over their expressions. Had I stepped into some kind of tumultuous past?

A loud roar interrupted our talk. Unlike Kur’tok’s roar of rage, it was animalistic and joyful, like a horse whinnying for the fun of it.

“Kookee?” I asked, raising a brow at the panthar. It looked totally different than yesterday. Instead of a sluggish, stoic lump of fur, the huge alien beast trotted around merrily, bright and alert.

Everybody was surprised by Kookee’s overnight transformation. We went up to it.

“Is this normal?” I asked the Maeleons.

“I’ve never seen Kookee like this,” Arr’tow admitted in shock. “What happened?”

I shrugged, then lifted the blue apple-thing I brought from the den. “I have no clue. I just gave it some fruit yesterday,” I explained.

Kookee halted, sniffed the air, then trotted closer to me. Without hesitation, it gobbled up the apple in my outstretched hand.

“Hey, that was mine!” I complained.

Kookee swallowed it whole and licked its lips before snuffling my hand, searching for more.

I chuckled. “What, you want another one?”

I offered a second fruit, a purple orb-like one. Kookee wrapped its tongue around the fruit and sucked it up. I saw its shining black eyes underneath the shaggy forehead fur.

Encouraged by Kookee’s good mood, I patted its velvety snout. “You’re cute for a walking carpet, huh?”

“I’ve never seen Kookee so active,” Arr’tow remarked. “You made it healthy again.”

“Healthy?” I said.

Remembering what Arr’tow said earlier, I glanced at the last fruit in my hand. Had Kur’tok’s personality changed because of the meat? I still didn’t know if that was true, but it felt like a step in the right direction. Kookee, on the other hand, was a totally different creature. Even its fur seemed to glitter like dew in the morning light.

Curious, I ran my hand over its pelt. It was still a bit coarse, but the rough, prickly feeling was gone. It was noticeably softer under my palm.

“Wow,” I murmured. “It’s so nice to touch.”

“That is what panthar fur should be like,” Haz’rull pointed out, sounding exasperated. “Kur’tok made Kookee sick by feeding it meat.”

I paused, glancing at them wide-eyed. Kur’tok never fed Kookee fruit or vegetables because he thought it would make his pet weak, and to Kur’tok, that was the worst thing one could be. Why was he so obsessed with the concept of weakness?

Kookee sniffed at my chest. I gave it the last fruit, which it eagerly devoured with a satisfied snort.

Was Haz’rull right? Had Kur’tok inadvertently made Kookee sick? I knew beneath all the layers of douchebaggery, he had a heart of gold. He would’ve been horrified to know he’d hurt his pet by accident.

Frowning, I glanced to the horizon. The sun was nearly overhead and he still wasn’t back yet.

“I’m starting to get worried,” I admitted. “I thought he’d be back by now.”

Haz’rull stared at me pointedly. “Why do you not escape?”

I blinked at the Maeleon’s blunt question. “I can’t outrun Kur’tok.”

“Kur’tok is not here. This is a perfect opportunity.”

“I...”

The words dried up in my mouth. For the first time since being captured, I had a chance to run. But I told Kur’tok I wouldn’t. I promised him. And I didn’t break promises.

Besides, that stupid sexy alien got me all worried about him.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I told the Maeleons. “I have to make sure Kur’tok is okay.”

Haz’rull looked at me like I’d said the ground was made of cheese. Then their feelers lay flat against their back and pulsed with rings of pale gray-blue.

“We said the same thing many moons ago,” Haz’rull muttered. “And now, nothing has changed. He is the same rude, selfish, arrogant individual. Do you think you can change him?”

Arr’tow glanced at their friend in shock. “Haz’rull!”

I interjected. “No, it’s okay. Haz’rull’s right. Kur’tok is rude, selfish, and arrogant. He can be a straight-up asshole.”

The Maeleons seemed puzzled at the term asshole used as an insult, but went along with it.

“But that’s not all he is,” I went on. “Underneath all that, I know he’s a nice guy. And if what you two said is true, then he wasn’t always like this. Something must’ve changed him.”

Hesitation fell over the Maeleons. They paused like they wanted to speak, but something held them back. That was fine. I wanted to hear it straight from Kur’tok, if he’d drop the act and finally open up to me.

“You don’t have to tell me,” I said. “Anyway, is it normal for him to be gone this long?”

“No,” Arr’tow admitted. “He is a fast hunter.”

The hint of a grin touched Haz’rull’s snout. “He came back with you fairly quickly.”

I blushed as I remembered being caught in his snare. What a way to meet somebody.

But if Kur’tok’s long absence was abnormal, that heightened my concern. What if something happened to him? My heart knotted painfully at the idea.

“I’ll go look for him,” I announced.

That startled both Maeleons.

“You can’t go by yourself. It is too dangerous,” Arr’tow said.

Not this again.

I crossed my arms. “Listen, just because I’m a naked human doesn’t mean I’m totally unprepared for a little hike in the Eukaria wilds.”

“You were caught by a hunter,” Haz’rull pointed out bluntly.

“And I survived just fine, thank you very much,” I said, puffing out my bare chest. Man, I definitely needed to put my clothes back on before searching for Kur’tok.

Arr’tow tilted their head, looking unsure. “It is not our place to give you orders. You may do as you wish. But if you want an escort, we would be glad to help.”

I nodded. “One of you should stay here in case Kur’tok comes back and wonders where we went.”

“I will go,” Haz’rull announced.

Arr’tow accepted that with a gentle flick of their tail. “And I will stay. Good luck.”

I glanced at Haz’rull. I sensed they had a hidden beef with Kur’tok. Not that I blamed them after witnessing Kur’tok’s rudeness.

I smiled, both to be polite and to dispel my own nagging concern about Kur’tok. “Thanks for coming with me.”

Haz’rull gave me a warm look in return. “You are welcome. But perhaps you should bring a weapon, just to be safe. I’m afraid I’m not as physically powerful as Kur’tok. If something happens, I might not be able to protect you.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. What was with Maeleons and warning me about the dangers of the wilds? The worst thing that had happened to me was getting captured by a sexy alien.

But Haz’rull was doing me a favor, so I played along. I grabbed a fallen branch from a fruit tree nearby, picked it free of twigs, then balanced it like a walking stick.

“Good enough?” I asked.

Haz’rull dipped their head. “That will have to do.”

“Cool. Then let’s go find Kur’tok.”