Page 15 of Survivor (A Space Pearl’s Treat #2)
Vraxxan
I strode through the jungle, the massive maramount perched over my shoulder.
It was an enormous beast that would keep us well-fed for several weeks, its meat succulent and plentiful.
The scents of earth and greenery enveloped me as the jungle around me hushed, as none of the denizens I passed wanted to suffer the maramount’s fate.
A deep sense of peace settled deep within my chest. The thought of staying here for an extended time no longer felt strange.
It felt right, like a soothing balm to my spirit.
Reuniting with my father had been a source of immense joy, the rekindling of a bond that time had stretched but not severed.
Yet, being with Lucy surpassed even that.
I loved how she met each discovery with unbridled enthusiasm.
How she tacked each new task as an adventure.
Her presence was a light in my life, a beacon that drew me in ways I never expected.
It was peculiar, the depth of feeling I held for her after only a few fleeting rotations.
According to my father, Zarpazians had a unique way of signaling a goddess blessed true mate bond.
Our scales would spontaneously shift to all black—without thought, without effort.
When Lucy was near, I felt the faintest tingling along the edge of my scales as if they were fluttering, but the continuous swathe of color from my shoulder to thigh remained.
Surprisingly, my inability to shift didn’t trouble me as much as it once did.
Instead, I found a kind of comfort in the way Lucy regarded me.
Her eyes were warm and appreciative, and she felt my coloring was attractive.
I enjoyed seeing myself through her eyes.
Though a part of me wished for the shift…
wished for the blessing of the goddess, I no longer considered myself lacking for want of it.
It was because of her that I so relished the simplicity of life here, the uncomplicated rhythm of our days.
There was no politics, no court intrigue, no looking over my shoulder to check how close my mother stood with the knife.
Only living in harmony with nature and each other.
The high regard my father held for Lucy was easy to see and completely understandable.
She’d managed to wriggle her way into my heart with an even greater intensity.
If fate decreed, I spend the rest of my days on this planet alongside Lucy, I would consider myself well and truly blessed.
Though I knew deep down that staying in this oasis was only a fantasy, so was my hope for exploring the desire I felt for Lucy.
I would have to return to Zarpazia at some point—either to face my mother or deal with the fall out of her deposition from power.
Yet the thoughts of returning to my home world were no longer daunting and held a newfound determination.
It no longer felt it sufficient merely to thwart my mother’s plans.
Zarpazians deserved so much more. They deserved the joy and purpose woven into my father’s tales of bygone days.
They deserved lives of peace and prosperity, where worries were as fleeting as the gentle breezes that rustled the leaves of our forests.
For the first time in my life, I felt ready to take my place as heir to the throne, resolute in the desire to free Zarpazians from Mother’s hateful rule and bring us back to peace and freedom.
And this resolve, this burning passion, was all because of Lucy.
Her outlook on life was infectious. She viewed everything with a boundless sense of joy. Her eyes sparkled with wonder at the simplest of things, and her laughter rang like a melody, turning the mundane into something extraordinary. I wanted that for my people... for myself.
I stamped along the well-worn pathway, thinking to stop at a nearby creek to gralloch my prey and use the current to carry the blood and offal far away from the treehouse.
Father told me there were only a handful of predators that posed a significant threat and that they only hunted at night.
Still, I wanted them kept as far away from the treehouse—and Lucy—as possible.
The air near the creek was noticeably cooler, a refreshing change brought about by the fine mist of vapor that settled on my skin.
A stand of weathered and ancient boulders stood sentinel by the creek side, marking the trail that wound its way upward toward the distant roar of the waterfall.
I laid my quarry atop the largest of these stones, its surface smooth and cool to the touch, and unsheathed my short blade.
With the utmost care, I made delicate incisions, ensuring the skin remained whole and unblemished.
The maramount’s flesh was supple and resilient, with a thick nap that promised durability—ideal for crafting Lucy a garment or perhaps a sturdy pair of boots.
While my father possessed an abundance of furs and we’d taken clothing from the Verdesian ship, enough to clothe us for several cycles, the thought of Lucy wrapped in furs from my own hunt filled me with a comforting warmth.
I detected Lucy’s presence before the sound of her footsteps reached my ears, her unique fragrance wafting through the air, the most exquisite aroma imaginable.
I could not imagine where the idea that Zarpazians found the human scent repulsive originated.
Each time I caught a whiff of her sweet- floral-spicy scent, an undeniable longing stirred within me, causing my body to respond with an intensity that became almost unbearable and impossible to ignore.
Just being near her made my cock hard. At night, sleeping so close to her felt like a torturous test from the goddess.
Rest was long in coming, and when it did, my dreams held images of her writhing underneath me as I sheathed myself in her warmth.
Wise or not, I wanted Lucy. More than I ever remember wanting anything.
Lucy rounded the curve in the path, choosing the fork that guided her toward the creek.
Sunlight streamed through the canopy of leaves, casting dappled patterns on the jungle floor and igniting fiery sparks in her dark red hair.
The golden rays highlighted her soft skin, which had taken on a golden hue under its gentle caress these last rotations.
I smiled to myself despite the frown that creased her brow and spark of anger that made the gold in her eyes shimmer.
I held up the one finger signal, showing that I wasn’t a shapeshifter in disguise, and a grin tugged at her lips, diffusing some of her ire.
She returned the sign to me, although with a bit more vehemence than usual.
Lucy halted before the weathered stone, her gaze fixed intently on my handiwork.
The first time she witnessed me process a kill, a wave of nausea had overtaken her, leaving her retching in the bushes.
Now, her eyes brimmed with a curious interest rather than revulsion.
However, she still steadfastly declined any offers to learn the intricate steps herself.
I expected her ire to stem from my decision not to let her join me on today’s hunt.
Lucy’s skill with the bow and arrow was undoubtedly improving.
Yet, hunting maramount required an immense amount of patience and an almost unnatural silence.
Lucy brimmed with enthusiasm and radiated energy, like a sunbeam breaking through clouds.
Her lively spirit would have clashed with the hushed, tense atmosphere of the hunt.
I wanted to shield her from experiencing such discomfort.
“When you came to rescue me. Did you know your mother would kill you for it?”
I didn’t expect that.
“Yes,” I confessed, my eyes locked on Lucy’s gaze, which sparkled like dew on the jungle leaves.
“Why would you take such a risk?” she inquired, confusion lacing every syllable.
I withdrew my blade from the maramount’s carcass, flinging the last of the offal downstream. “What my mother intends is evil. I could not allow it to happen. The idea of an innocent being harmed by her whims is something I cannot tolerate.” Especially not Lucy.
“I understand that,” Lucy said, seeing my point, her delicate fingers wringing against each other. “But you could have contacted the Alliance or sent one of your guards or, I don’t know, done any number of things other than give up your life to rescue me.”
“My mother’s corruption has many allies,” I told her, crouching by the creek to rinse my knife and then my hands, the water swirling coolly around me. “I couldn’t entrust your safety to anyone else.” She was mine and mine alone to protect.
“But you didn’t know me,” she countered softly, her voice layered with melancholy.
Indeed, I had not known her when I left Zarpazia, but the moment my eyes first met hers, it was like meeting a part of myself long lost. I recognized her essence immediately—an essence as intrinsic and indispensable as my very own—and realized I would risk anything to keep her safe.
“I know you now.”
“You could have left me here,” she argued, her face clouded by a storm of conflicting emotions. “Your father would have cared for me. You could have returned to your planet to try to make peace with your mother or sought refuge with the Alliance….”
“No!” the fervor of my voice made her startle, yet she took a step closer to me. “I would not leave your protection to any hands but my own.”
Her eyes, a mesmerizing blend of brown, green, and gold shimmering like a twilight sky, fixed upon my face as she inched closer.
“Why?" She took another step closer, and I noticed the shimmer in her eyes tip over her lashes and run down her cheeks. “Why would you give up your life for me? Don’t you get it? I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt, much less killed for me.” Her voice quivered with both wonder and despair.