Page 22 of Alokar (The Alliance Rescue #2)

Night of the Grizzly

Hannah

I opened my eyes, and the darkness inside the tent had melted into a deep, pearl-gray color that whispered of the approaching dawn.

I felt utterly perfect.

I lay nestled in Ewok’s embrace, my back pressed against the solid warmth of his chest, his arms wrapped around me, enclosing me in a cocoon of affection and safety.

After my father died, I didn’t think I’d ever feel truly safe again, but being with Ewok—I felt cherished and secure and blissfully content and, well, perfect.

We’d made love twice more before falling into an exhausted, but contented sleep.

Being in his arms last night, the pleasure he’d lavished upon me, the multiple—and I mean multiple—orgasms. If someone told me I’d have to stay like this for eternity, wrapped in him, I wouldn’t utter a single complaint.

But I had to pee.

I tried to slip from Ewok’s embrace without disturbing his slumber, but at my first minuscule movement, his honey-brown eyes fluttered open, immediately finding my face with such affection that warmth bloomed through my entire being.

“Good morning, my beautiful.” His voice was like melted butter, rich, smooth, and utterly delicious.

“Good morning,” I whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of his nose, watching his eyes sparkle with delight before they darkened as I began to pull away.

“You’re leaving me?” The vulnerability in his voice, worry threading through it, tugged at something deep in my heart.

“I have to pee,” I confessed with a soft laugh, watching amused understanding dance across his handsome features.

I pulled on my boots and buttoned my jeans.

We’d redressed last night—for warmth—though I’d deliberately left myself loosely clothed in case we wanted to lose ourselves in each other again.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Ewok sat up, running his long fingers through his thick, tousled hair. The strands of silver and chocolate stood on end, making him look boyishly adorable.

“No,” I crawled back to him and captured his lips in a lingering kiss. “You stay here and keep the bed warm. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be counting every second,” he murmured against my lips, a deliciously wicked glint sparkling in his eyes.

I practically danced through the dewy morning grass to a secluded spot several feet away from the tent, where the treeline created a natural barrier. A thick grove of mountain laurel, glossy leaves still heavy with morning mist, formed the perfect screen of privacy.

The crisp morning air kissed my exposed skin with an almost shocking chill, raising goosebumps along my thighs, but I couldn’t suppress the blissful smile that curved my lips as memories of the night before flooded through me.

I could still feel the phantom sensation of Ewok’s large hands caressing and kneading my flesh as he’d worshipped me with his mouth, his touch, both possessive and tender.

Oh God.

The truth hit me like a lightning bolt—I liked him. I really, really, really liked him. Alien or Bigfoot, it didn’t matter. Every magnificent, impossible inch of what made Ewok who he was, I absolutely adored.

The realization should have sent me spiraling into panic, should have had me questioning my sanity.

This wasn’t some simple romantic dilemma of choosing between career paths or deciding which city to call home.

This was attempting to navigate the impossible logistics of love across species, across worlds, across the very fabric of what I’d once believed possible.

What kind of future could we possibly build together when we existed in completely different—not worlds—universes?

But somehow, miraculously, it didn’t matter.

If my father’s sudden, brutal death had taught me anything, it was that life was achingly, devastatingly short, and much too precious to waste on fear or doubt. No matter how much time the universe granted Ewok and me, be it days or decades, I was determined to savor every second.

I finished my business, cleaning myself with a handful of soft, dew-dampened moss gathered from a boulder nearby, the cool moisture refreshing against my skin.

As I made my way back toward camp, I noticed the sky had begun its slow transformation to the softest pearl-gray, painted with the faintest blush of rose along the horizon.

Dawn was perhaps an hour away, maybe less—but that left ample time for a make-out session with my alien boyfriend.

Alien boyfriend .

The phrase sent a thrill racing through my veins. I more than liked it—I loved it.

A subtle shift in the shadows near our tent made me freeze mid-step, my heart lurching as I instinctively scanned the din for the telltale bulk of a grizzly or perhaps Yaard.

But as my eyes adjusted to the dim pre-dawn light, the familiar figure emerging from behind a cluster of bushes made my stomach drop with a different kind of dread.

Rodney.

He looked absolutely wretched—deep purple shadows carved hollows beneath his bloodshot eyes, and his once-golden hair now hung in greasy, unwashed strands.

His skin had taken on a sallow, unhealthy pallor that spoke of too much alcohol and too little sleep.

I had seen enough old photographs to know he’d once possessed a certain rugged handsomeness.

But years of letting the ugliness inside him fester had gradually seeped outward, transforming him into something ugly and sad.

A twisted grin spread across his chapped lips as he spotted me. Even from several feet away, the sharp, acrid stench of stale beer rolled off him in nauseating waves.

“Were you watching me pee?” I demanded, not bothering to hide my disgust.

“No,” he snorted, swaying slightly on his feet. “Just rising for the day.”

I gave a derisive snort in return, not a single part of me believed his excuse. But he wasn’t worth wasting precious time on, not when Ewok waited for me in our tent.

Our tent. I liked the sound of that too.

I moved to step around his unsteady form, but Rodney thrust his arm out like a barrier, careful not to actually touch me. At least he possessed enough self-preservation instinct not to make that particular mistake.

“Why are you being like this?” he grumbled, his rank breath washing over me. The sour scent nearly made me gag.

“Like what?” I asked with icy indifference.

“Being so mean to me.” He attempted what I thought was supposed to be a wounded pout, but it came across as manipulative. “You know I’ve always liked you.” He gestured toward my tent, his voice taking on a bitter edge. “What does he have that I don’t?”

“Do you really want me to list it?” I laughed, but the sound held no warmth or humor. “He’s kind, sweet, protective….”

“I’ve always been sweet to you,” Rodney insisted, stumbling slightly. He was thoroughly drunk.

“Yeah,” I scoffed, rolling my eyes as my arms settled into a defiant cross over my chest. “It was really sweet of you to try to force me to have sex when I was fifteen years old.”

From inside our tent, a deep, rumbling growl vibrated through the air—low and threatening. Ewok was listening, and he was not pleased.

“You wanted it,” Rodney sneered, his face contorting with ugly arrogance.

“Oh yeah. I wanted it so much that I screamed for my dad and cheered when he kicked your ass,” I retorted.

Rodney staggered closer, his unsteady hand reaching toward mine with clumsy desperation. It was laughably easy to evade his grasp.

“Go back to bed, Rodney. You’re drunk.”

“I could hear you two fucking,” he hissed, his words slurring together. “It was disgusting.”

Another low growl emanated from our tent, deeper and more threatening than before.

“Your hearing must be off,” I countered with a saucy grin, refusing to let his crude words diminish what Ewok and I shared.

“Maybe I’ve been wasting my time on nothing but a whore.”

The growling from inside the tent grew exponentially louder, and I heard the unmistakable sounds of Ewok rising—the rustle of fabric, the creak of his powerful frame unfolding—but he remained inside, trusting me to handle the situation.

I loved knowing he was there, ready to intervene if needed, but I also appreciated that he respected my ability to defend myself.

“No,” I snapped at Rodney. “What I am is selective.” He flinched as my words hit their mark.

“I’m not interested in you, Rodney. Never have been, never will be.

” I wagged my finger directly in his face for emphasis, noting with satisfaction how his unfocused eyes struggled to track the movement.

“You need to get it through your thick, alcohol-soaked skull, or next time, I’m going to let my boyfriend Ewok explain it to you.

” My grin turned deliberately malicious.

“And I promise if he explains it to you, it won’t be pleasant. ”

Rodney sneered, attempting to project toughness and bravado, but I caught the unmistakable flicker of fear that flashed through his bloodshot eyes. At least he wasn’t a complete idiot—Ewok was easily twice his size.

I turned toward our tent, eager to return to Ewok’s arms, when a resounding crash erupted through the mountain laurel behind me.

The sound of splintering branches and thundering footsteps made my blood freeze.

I spun just in time to see an enormous grizzly bear exploding through the foliage, its massive form barreling directly toward me.

Saliva dripped from its bared fangs, which gleamed wickedly in the pale pre-dawn light, and large, dark eyes fixated on me, wild with bloodlust.

The bear was too close—impossibly, devastatingly close. Even Ewok, with his supernatural speed and strength, wouldn’t reach me in time. I tensed instinctively, throwing my arms up to protect my head and neck, bracing myself for the crushing impact of eight hundred pounds of muscle and fury.

But instead of razor-sharp claws and crushing jaws, all I felt was Rodney pushing me out of the way.