Page 50 of Saved By the Alien Hybrid

She wouldn’t last long in this state, as angry as it made her to admit it. If they still had their supplies, she could have given herself a shot of adrenaline to push further, but even that would not last long enough for a rescue mission.

If only they had some means of communicating with the others. She could radio back to Nyx and see if any of the others had made it back.

What would Nyx say when she found out Cordelia had spent the night in an alien resort instead of going after the rest of the crew? Shame gripped her by the throat.

“I can’t,” she said, her voice cracking, even as she knew there was no better option.

He stepped closer, cupping her face in his hands. “If they are even one bit as resilient as you, if they have lasted this long already, they will make it to daybreak.” He spoke softly, his big, green eyes flitting back and forth between her own. “And we will find them, Cordelia. I will chase them to the end of Yulaira for you. I will bring down theGidalanwith my own two hands if I must; I swear this to you.”

She closed her eyes, shaking her head as much as the press of his hands would allow.

He dragged her into him and cradled her head against his chest. “Trust me. Trust that I would not ask you to suffer this anguish if I believed there was any better path. We must wait for daybreak. We must.”

Her fingers curled into the fabric of his jacket, and slowly she nodded. “You’re right. I don’t like it, but you’re right.”

He blew out a breath of relief, drawing back to meet her gaze. There was so much in that look, poignant enough to twist like a dagger in her heart. She sniffed hard, pushing away from him and straightening her shirt.

“Well?” she said, avoiding his gaze. “Show me where to crash.”

“Crash?” he repeated in alarm.

“Sleep.” She corrected herself. “Just… where can I sleep?”

He cleared his throat. “Ah, yes. This way.”

“So… Melam,” she said as they stepped into the empty hall. Rentir visibly bristled at her segue. “He’s kind of fucking huge, no?”

He ruffled his hair with one hand, obviously brooding. “He is of unusual stature for most hybrids,” he said. “Though I have met some of a similar size, bred for the toughest jobs in the mines.”

She mulled on it for a few steps. The rebellion must have been a blood bath if there were more like Melam down in the mines.

“You… do you like it?” Rentir’s voice was stilted, uncertain. “His stature. Do you prefer that?”

She startled at the question, so far removed from what she’d been thinking. He was jealous, and it didn’t even occur to him to hide it. Why was that oddly charming?

“Nah. That’s a little too much alien for my taste.”

His shoulders sagged with relief, and a smug look stole over his face. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the boyish display of pettiness. Her stomach chose that moment to growl, the sound mortifyingly loud in the empty, unfurnished hall.

Rentir stiffened, his momentary relief gone. “You require nourishment. Sleep can wait a little longer. Come.” He held out a hand to her.

There was a strange vulnerability in his eyes that made her heart ache, and so she took it.

CHAPTER 22

Rentir had stuffedthe metal tray from the kitchen so full that it was in danger of toppling to the ground with any wrong movement. Cordelia had insisted on being permitted to shower while he prepared food, lamenting the ‘rind’ she’d acquired during their hike. She’d declined the perfunctory shower he’d found in one of the guest rooms, instead making her way to the room with the simulated rainstorm and soothing music playing on a loop.

“You behave strangely,” a deep voice intoned from behind him as he approached the room.

He nearly dropped the tray in surprise. Turning, he pinned a glare on Melam. Melam was too close to Cordelia while she was vulnerable, skulking around in these halls that Rentir didn’t know half as well as he did.

“What do you want?” Rentir asked.

Melam leaned against the wall, crossing all four arms over his broad chest. “To understand,” he said, three eyes perusing Rentir as though he was wearing his secrets on his skin. “The way you look at her. The way you react to me. I have not seen a hybrid behave as such.”

“I was a guard before the rebellion. It was my task to be wary.”

“Perhaps.” Melam agreed, but his tone was unconvinced. Two of his eyes flicked toward the door. “Have you been with her long?”