Page 18 of Alokar (The Alliance Rescue #2)

Hannah

We followed the ridgeline, staying on the path that would lead us to Skadulgwas Peak. At least I think we were. My mind wasn’t on the trail or the rocky terrain beneath my boots. It was on Ewok. Specifically, that kiss.

He walked ahead of me, leading Bertha, his powerful shoulders rolling and flexing as he guided her over the uneven ground.

I found him utterly gorgeous as a human male, and honestly, now that I knew the real Ewok, my opinion of his attractiveness hadn’t changed.

He still ranked as one of the sweetest, considerate, gorgeous men I’d ever met.

Except I couldn’t exactly call him a man—male, perhaps?

Bigfoot or alien, it didn’t matter—he was hot.

While I probably wouldn’t admit it out loud, I wasn’t even mad at him anymore. What choice did he have? If I were an alien stranded on a strange world, I probably would have done exactly the same thing.

When he pounced on the mountain lion to save me, I was scared to death he’d get hurt. The jagged scratches seemed nasty, blood so dark red it appeared black seeping through the rents in his skin, but after I’d bandaged him, Ewok didn’t seem hindered by them at all.

And when he kissed me to thank me for tending his wounds—soft lips pressing against mine with such gentleness—I didn’t even protest, even though I’d declared no more kissing like I was about to enter a convent.

Truth was, I enjoyed kissing Ewok. It felt right somehow.

It wasn’t our first kiss. It wasn’t even our most passionate kiss.

Seriously, as kisses went, it was nearly chaste, but my panties went up in flames all the same.

I couldn’t even sleep for thinking about it—the warmth of his mouth, the way he held me so carefully.

That and the vivid fantasies of him crawling into the tent with me and doing a lot more than kissing.

My attention was so completely consumed by my heated daydreams I didn’t notice Ewok had come to a halt in front of me until Jubal snorted loudly and stomped his hooves, announcing to the entire mountainside that I’d been utterly distracted by my wandering thoughts.

My mind immediately snapped from midnight liaisons to cold, hard murder—specifically Yaard. “What is it? Do you smell him?” I asked, my voice tight.

“No,” Ewok turned to face me, his honey brown eyes appearing almost black in the shade cast by the towering pines. “Humans, two males and two horses.”

“Where?” My heart rate quickened. We weren’t anywhere near the established hiking paths. Instead, we traversed the narrow trails mostly frequented by wildlife and the occasional hunter.

Ewok jerked his head toward the south, his nostrils flaring slightly as he tested the air. “A couple of miles away, moving in our general direction.”

Shit!

I’d completely freaked out upon seeing the real Ewok—and that was after I’d spent several days getting to know him. The idea of what a couple of armed hunters might do if they stumbled across his alien form sent ice through my veins.

“Oh my God, get your camouflage device turned on, quick!” I urged, my voice barely above a panicked whisper.

Ewok released a deep, resigned sigh that seemed to come from his very soul, reaching into his left front pocket with obvious reluctance and turned on the small device.

A subtle shimmer rippled through the air around him like heat waves, and suddenly, he was that devastatingly gorgeous human man again.

A human man who now scratched irritably at his forearm.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed, guilt washing over me as I reached out to rub my fingertips along his muscled arm. “I know it’s uncomfortable for you.”

“I’ll survive,” he grumbled, though his expression softened into a faint smile at my touch. He lifted his head and inhaled deeply through his nose, and his smile unexpectedly deepened into something almost amused.

“What?” I asked.

“One of the humans is Hank from the bar.”

“Hank?” A sharp flicker of aggravation coursed up my spine. “I wonder what the hell he’s doing out here?” Mostly, Hank was an elk hunter, and it wouldn’t be elk season for several more months.

“He and the other male are talking about finding you,” Ewok said matter-of-factly, reminding me that his hearing was almost as acute as his sense of smell.

“Ugh,” I moaned aloud, feeling both aggravated and more than a little peeved by the clear insinuation that I couldn’t take care of myself in the wilderness. “Come on.”

My footfalls struck the rocky trail with sharp, staccato beats that betrayed my aggravation as we descended the winding path.

Soon, I didn’t need Ewok’s supernatural senses to pinpoint their approach—the sound of heavy boots crunching over loose gravel and the occasional snort from their horses became discernible by even my pitiful human ears.

Hank emerged first around a sharp bend in the trail, his weathered face flushed from exertion as he pushed himself past the drooping branches of a massive pine, leading his horse Big Kate.

The moment his eyes found me, a wide, relieved grin spread across his features, and he raised his arm in an enthusiastic wave.

Despite my irritation, a pang of guilt twisted in my chest. The genuine concern etched on his face made me feel bad about being so pissed at his unexpected arrival.

Then I saw Rodney trailing behind him, and my guilt evaporated.

Seriously?

Of all the men Hank could have recruited for his impromptu rescue mission, he’d chosen Rodney Hopkins.

Maybe Hank was getting senile in his old age.

How else could he have so completely overlooked my complicated history with the younger man?

Rodney was only a few years older than me, but those years had made all the difference when he was in his twenties, and me in high school.

He’d always harbored an interest in me. One I’d never reciprocated—something Rodney seemed incapable of understanding or accepting.

To him, it was apparently unthinkable that a woman wouldn’t be attracted to a guy who perpetually reeked of stale beer and poor life choices.

When Rodney wouldn’t take no for an answer, my dad had to physically intervene.

With my father gone, I guessed Rodney figured the playing field was wide open again.

“Hannah!” Hank called out, his voice carrying a jovial warmth, though I noticed his gaze kept drifting toward Ewok standing beside me.

“What are you doing here, Hank?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. “When you didn’t show up at the Granite Mountain trailhead, I assumed you’d decided not to come along.”

“I was worried about you,” Hank replied, his weathered features creasing with genuine concern as his eyes flickered between Ewok and me. “You’ve been gone almost a week, Hannah.”

I lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug. “Hunting takes time—you know that better than anyone.”

“We thought you were out here all alone,” Rodney interjected, his pale blue eyes narrowing as they fixed on Ewok with something that looked distinctly like jealousy.

A cloying, sweet spiciness overlaid his usual sour beer stench, as if he’d tried to mask his natural odor with cheap cologne instead of bathing.

Ewok shifted closer to my side, his presence both protective and reassuring.

I reached out and placed my palm against his enormous bicep, hoping the possessive gesture would send a clear message to Rodney.

“Hank, Rodney, this is Ewok,” I said, my voice steady.

“He’s a hunter I hired to help me track the grizzly.

” It wasn’t a total lie, but as much of the truth that I felt comfortable telling.

Ewok extended his hand with the natural ease of any Earth-born man, his movements fluid and confident.

“I remember you from the bar,” Hank said, grasping Ewok’s hand in a firm shake, his eyes widening slightly at the obvious strength in his grip. “You’re a big one. Ewok, huh? That’s an interesting name.”

“My parents were Star Wars fans,” Ewok replied smoothly, shooting me a sly, conspiratorial grin that made me bite back a laugh.

“I’m a pretty good tracker myself,” Rodney announced, puffing out his chest in a display of masculine posturing that made me want to roll my eyes. “And I know these parts better than any outsider. Saw quite a bit of grizzly sign on our way up the mountain.”

“Not the right grizzly,” Ewok stated with quiet confidence. Rodney’s mouth opened as if he wanted to argue, but he seemed unable to formulate a response.

“Where are you headed now?” Hank asked. Though he didn’t mention that we were traveling away from the area where my father was killed, I read it in his expression.

“Skadulgwas Peak,” I replied, lifting my gaze toward the snow-covered summit rising in the distance, its white cap gleaming like a beacon against the azure sky. “We heard rumors of grizzly attacks at the new archaeological site.”

Hank’s face held the faintest trace of skepticism, but he snorted and nodded. “Think we’ll throw in with you for a bit if you don’t mind the company. I wouldn’t mind getting a shot or two at a grizzly myself.”

“Seen any Bigfoot sign while you’re at it?” Rodney asked with a mocking smirk that immediately set my teeth on edge. He’d always made jokes about my father’s belief in the cryptid. “You know the rumor going around town is that it was Bigfoot, not a grizzly, that destroyed the dig camp.”

“We are tracking the creature that killed Hannah’s father,” Ewok said evenly, his honey-brown gaze boring into Rodney with an intensity that could have melted steel. “Whatever it may be.” The quiet menace in his voice was unmistakable.

Rodney’s smug expression crumbled as he snapped his mouth shut and took a full step backward, clearly intimidated. If Ewok hadn’t already carved out a place in my heart, this moment would have dug him in deep.