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CHAPTER FOUR

It sure as hell wasn’t the Ritz or Four Seasons, but after such a prolonged and intense flight from captivity, Maria thought the bed of tall grasses and leaves Zepharos had hastily woven for her to sit on was the damn near most comfortable thing she’d ever experienced.

She downed another electrolyte gel and more water, filled from a convenient stream that Zepharos knew from experience was clean and safe to drink.

The alien watched her a moment to ensure she was adequately comfortable, then he began digging through his pack, pulling out several sealed containers.

“What’s that?”

“Dinner,” he replied, opening one of the hand-sized containers and passing it to her. “It is cold, but I thought you would appreciate proper food given the effort your escape would require.”

“So you got takeout for me?”

“Yes. Why are you laughing?”

“I’m not laughing at you. It’s just so, I don’t know, unexpected , I guess. ”

“You need to eat and replenish your energy, it’s as simple as that.”

“Yeah, sure. But I figured we’d make a fire, cook some roast lizard or something. You know. Survivalist stuff.”

“We will still need to forage as we travel and use this up. But there will be no fires,” he said politely but firmly. “Not for days. That will get us spotted at night faster than any scan could find us. So please, don’t even think of?—”

“Okay, okay. I get it. Jeez,” she replied, her laughter reduced to a faint chuckle as she inhaled her food.

Satisfied she was enjoying her meal, he left Maria alone a short while to make a quick survey of their perimeter.

It wasn’t quite dark yet, but the light was certainly dim.

It was no matter to him. He ran with fluid grace, darting through the trees as if he had night vision.

Of course, the runes they all had supposedly gave them varying abilities, some of which sounded an awful lot like superpowers, but unlike other people, Maria hadn’t felt a single thing. She was just as normal as always.

Except being the novelty of a human female on a planet that had until recently never even heard of them, naturally. In that way she stood out like a sore thumb. Lucky for them, there was nobody around for miles.

Zepharos returned in short order, his relaxed body language making it clear they were safe before he even spoke.

“All good,” he said, sitting down beside Maria. “The rocks will provide us good wind cover, and the natural minerals in this entire region make scanning tech very erratic and unreliable.”

“I thought you said they wouldn’t be coming for us this soon.”

“They shouldn’t be. But it would be foolish to assume the best possible scenario while ignoring the worst one. Or as one of your kin from Earth says, ‘Hope for the best; expect the worst; prepare for both.’ ”

“Sounds like I’d like him.”

“Her. There are two human females in our village, actually.”

“How’d they wind up there? I thought you said you guys weren’t into technology. I’d think a crashed ship still falls into that category.”

He chuckled. “Fair point. But Darla was brought to us under the care of a Nimenni general. A man named Heydar. You likely met him aboard the Raxxian ship. A large man with golden tan skin. He would have applied the rune behind your ear.”

“The surly guy who gave me that tattoo?”

“That’s the one. He and Darla live with us now that they are bonded, at least until he finds his comrades.”

“Wait, you said bonded. How is that possible?”

“The Infala ties them,” he replied, a grim look pulling at his forced smile.

There’s a history there, but one he doesn’t seem to want to get into , she realized, letting it go.

“That’s wild. A human woman with an alien man.”

“Technically, you are the aliens here, but the point is taken. In any case, they were the first to visit our village. Later they were joined by another pair, even more unlikely.”

“How so? Another general?”

“Hardly. Something far more unusual. A Dohrag commander, and a half-breed at that.”

“What’s a Dohrag?”

“You do not want to find out firsthand. They are a rather brutal race that sends only males out into space. The fact that they do not Infala bond, along with the lack of females on their deployments has led to a very bad reputation, and deservedly so.”

Maria didn’t need to have what that meant spelled out for her. The writing was on the wall, and in all-caps at that. If she ever met a Dohrag, she’d run .

“I’m confused about one thing.”

“Just one?”

She smacked his arm. “Shut up. I’m serious. If these Dohrags are such bad guys, why would a human woman choose to be with him?”

“We all asked the very same question when they first came to us. But incredible as it was to discover, Commander Valin, the half-breed, and Shalia, the human, somehow became blood bonded, and in so doing their Infalas connected. It was something we didn’t think was even possible.

The elders were ready to kill him, in fact.

But he did the unthinkable. He chose Shalia over his own kind, and he swore an oath to protect her to the death. ”

“Which they pretty much never do, right?”

“Precisely. But Valin has shown us that even the most unlikely are capable of change. Of becoming more .”

“Speaking of more. I only saw Ziana, but you say you know these other humans. Do you think that means there are more of us out there?”

“Highly likely. The Raxxian ship dropped quite a large number of segments across the continent. We have ears open for any word of more humans, but so far it has been a bust.”

“Until now you mean.”

“Yes, until now. They will all be quite happy to meet you.”

“Is that where we’re going? Your village?”

“For now, yes. We will assess the situation as we move, but that is the plan.”

Maria liked the sound of that. She’d have to find a way to help Ziana, but maybe her new friends would have some ideas.

They sat quietly a while, eating side-by-side as the sun finally dipped completely below the horizon, submerging the world in a soothing darkness. But there were billions of stars lighting the sky, so even though it was dark, it was not complete blackness.

“Fuck!” Maria blurted as she shifted position, tumbling to her side as her leg cramped up violently.

Zepharos was on her in an instant, his strong hands firmly grasping her lower leg and foot, pulling it straight with one hand as the other squeezed her spasming muscle.

“Stop it! That hurts!”

He paid her no heed, continuing doing exactly as he’d been.

“I’m sorry, and I know it hurts, but the muscle needs to be stretched, or it will only cramp up worse.

It is painful, believe me, I know. But it is also far better than the alternative.

Now breathe through the pain as best you can. It should release any time now.”

“It’s not releasing! It’s trying to rip itself off the bone!”

“It’s okay, I’ve got you. You’ll be okay,” he soothed.

Incredibly enough, just as Maria was about to tell him his idea of okay was bullshit, the pain abruptly ceased, her twitching leg ceasing its tremors, at least for the moment. And now that she wasn’t instinctively reacting to pain, she realized that he’d been right.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“No need. We do not think clearly when in pain.”

“Still, I’m sorry.”

“And still unnecessary, but your apology is accepted,” he said, his hands gently kneading her calf and foot then sliding up to her knee.

Maria jumped, the muscles even more tense than she’d realized. Zepharos nodded.

“As I suspected. I may have pushed you too hard.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Yes, you will. But this is partly my fault. Here, lay back. I will work on your muscles while you rest. ”

“You’ll what now?”

“Do not be alarmed. I actually trained as a masseuse for a while,” he said, his hands moving over her body with smooth strokes, somehow knowing exactly where her aches and pains were hiding.

Maria bit back a moan, the snarky comeback on the tip of her tongue melting away as he worked his magic.

Damn, he is good, she marveled, feeling like she was floating in a pool as his hands slid over her body, manipulating her muscles in the loveliest way.

She was going with the sensations, a warm glow slowly building in her belly as the feel of a man’s strong hands gripping and kneading her body triggered a knee-jerk reaction deep inside her.

His hands slid up her legs, forcing the blood to move and the lactic acid to break up and dissipate as he stroked her with those amazing hands.

Up he went, fingers pressing her hips, trigger points where tension she didn’t even know she’d been holding it suddenly released with an audible pop, the rush of sensation to her legs overwhelming in its intensity.

“It’s just the nerves releasing,” he said, noting her reaction. “There was too much compression from tightness. But if you want me to stop, I will stop.”

“No, keep going.”

He did just that, his hands sliding up her sides, fingers under her body, pressing her lats while his palms and thumbs stretched her abdomen and rib cage with the most incredible technique she’d ever felt.

It was as if all her organs were suddenly flush with renewed blood flow, her tension washing away.

She realized a moment later that he had paused. Maria opened her eyes and gazed at him. He was staring at her chest. At the bare flesh he’d uncovered. She felt her nipples harden immediately as her cheeks flushed .

His own cheeks darkened. “Sorry. It’s just—never mind.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” he replied, pulling her top back down, covering her straining breasts. “Roll over.”

She liked the sound of that, the unexpected arousal still rumbling in her belly.

What the hell’s wrong with me? Not appropriate, Maria! she chided herself.

“Sure. Okay,” she said, moving under his guidance.

“Yes, like that. I’ll work on your back.”

And that he did, but his hands did nothing more. He was the picture of respectful behavior, save that one momentary slip. The intensity of his stare had jarred her, but for whatever reason Maria still felt utterly unthreatened.

He worked her over for nearly an hour until her body felt like a relaxed blob of Jell-O. He was radiating heat, the effort of his massage getting his blood pumping while putting her at ease. And now with the sun gone, a slight chill was in the air.

“You shiver,” he noted. “I apologize that I was unable to procure proper covers. That would have raised suspicions. But I will share my warmth, if you wish.”

“Okay.”

Zepharos lay down behind her, the big spoon to her little one, wrapping her up in his arms, his body heating her better than any electric blanket ever could.

Maria shifted position, nestling back into him a little more.

The feeling of his cock moving from the contact was unmistakable, but unlike so many men, his hands did not start roaming, nor did he press his hips forward to grind into her.

In fact, he actually pulled back slightly.

Not your average guy , she mused as she began to drift off to sleep. Not by a long shot.