Page 37 of Saved By the Alien Hybrid

“It hunts at night,” he repeated with exasperation.

“Okay, well, it is night.” Cordelia rose to her feet. “And I’m stuck in a tree!” She looked above. “Maybe we should keep climbing.”

“Shhh,” he soothed, catching her hand and pulling her back down. “You are safe with me, Cordelia.”

She wavered, looking down where the yethor had fallen. “The others are still out there. Down there, with whatever the hell that thing is.” Her chest clenched.

When she looked back, Rentir was staring steadily at her, making no argument to the contrary.

“Fuck,” she whispered, threading her fingers through her hair and tugging at her scalp.

“Come. You’re tired and you need to rest. I will watch over you.” He shifted until his back was against the tree trunk, parting his knees wide in invitation.

“What are you going to do if that thing comes up here?”

“It will not. Yethor can leap high, but it is a poor climber.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. “And I have my blaster. You will be safe, I vow it.” He tugged gently at her hand.

After a moment’s resistance, she allowed him to draw her in, turning in his arms so her back was resting against his chest. He began to purr immediately, his thighs pressing in against hers as his tail wrapped back around her waist.

“If you let that thing eat us, I’ll kill you,” she muttered, annoyed at how his body heat and his inhuman purr pacified her.

He huffed a laugh, bringing his arms around hers where they were crossed over her chest. More of his heat seeped into her, loosening the tension in her muscles. She pointedly ignored his growing hardness at her back and the way her body was beginning to respond to it.

She was sure the hard-on was involuntary. The poor guy had never even seen a woman before she’d crash-landed right in his lap.

What washerexcuse?

“We will reach the lodge tomorrow,” he said, his breath stirring her hair and tickling her ear. “Once we heal your wounds, we can try to find another vehicle. Or perhaps Fendar will comm us the all-clear, and we can call for retrieval.”

“Do you think any of the others have been found by your people?” she murmured.

“Yes,” he said with conviction, resting his chin atop her head. “And we will find the rest. For now, close your eyes and let sleep take you.”

With all her obstinacy disarmed by his warmth, his purr, and the rich tenor of his voice… she conceded.

CHAPTER 16

Rentir woke with a start,sucking in a sharp breath. Weak streams of sunlight poured down over him, dappling across his face as the leaves above swayed in a lazy breeze.

When had he fallen asleep? He’d meant to keep watch through the night. He could usually manage for about three rotations without sleep if he pushed himself, more if he was able to meditate.

He looked down to find Cordelia tangled in his arms, her cheek pressed against his chest. Every little exhale blew across the column of his throat, tickling him. She was soft, warm, and pliant in sleep. One hand was wrapped around his tail, which was snug around her waist, and the other hand was curled around the loose fabric of his sleeve. He purred with pleasure at the rightness of it.

This was where she belonged.

He pressed her closer, burying his nose in her hair and breathing deep. His eyes shuttered as his lungs filled with her scent. No wonder he’d given over to rest. Reluctantly, he forced his eyes open.

The calls of the birds and beasts had dimmed with the dawning light; the soft rustling of leaves was the predominant sound of morning.

Cordelia licked her lips and nuzzled deeper into him. There was a feeling in his chest, an affection that bordered on pain. She was the source of it, and she was the only balm.

He had taken comfort in Haerune throughout his life, in the briny scent of him and the familiar sound of his voice. Some nights, when he couldn’t sleep as a small child, he had crawled into Haerune’s bunk and held his hand in the dark until he heard their caretaker coming to rouse them. None of that compared to this… obsession.

He should not have been able to kill Stelas. The male was battle-bred, an Aurillon soldier through and through, with superior strength and technology. Under normal circumstances, it would have taken three hybrids to bring the male down. Yet, battered and bruised as he was, he had managed it. The sight of Cordelia in pain, the scent of her blood…

A fury like nothing he had ever known had come over him. His muscles tensed at the memory, an echo of rage thrumming through him.

Cordelia grumbled and dug her blunt little nails into his tail. He eased his grip on her.