Page 17

Grace

WHEN WE WERE IN THE galley, I asked Trex questions while I did my best to avoid his captivating midnight blue eyes. It was too easy to get lost in their depth.

The energy in the air seemed to amplify whenever I was in his presence.

A mix of embarrassment and desire flooded me as he watched my mouth with a lustful gaze, which gave me the urge to scale this seductive, brawny alien mountain of muscle.

The thought of us being naked together was something I couldn’t afford to entertain.

If it happened, I’d likely spontaneously combust.

I had never encountered a being as exotic as Trex. Swallowing down my lust filled fantasies of him I tried to focus on other things.

Like why I thought it was a good idea to go off alone with him. Was my craving for male validation so bad that I allowed myself to be taken by the first male to show me any attention?

Granted, it had been a while since someone had taken an interest in me, but I wondered if that was the real reason.

My fists clenched tight. Oh God, why do I feel so broken?

Walking next to him, I gave my head a little shake. In retrospect, I might have appeared overly needy and vulnerable when I spoke to Trex.

But there’s no going back now. Maybe I should be on guard, but something told me he didn’t have any bad intentions.

And to be fair, Trex seemed happy for me to stay on the ship, at least for now.

Making small-talk with him felt awkward because of my intense attraction to him. And I let fear get the best of me in the galley. I should have shown him more gratitude. Instead, I came up with an excuse to return to my room and allowed myself to shut down.

He did nothing to deserve my annoyance.

And he’d been nothing but kind.

WE ARRIVED AT THE CORRIDOR where Orin remained stationed outside. He moved his hand across a wall panel and the door opened with a swoosh.

Avery and Riley stood ready, eagerly observing the door. Upon spotting me, they instantly relaxed their fists and gave Trex an angry glare, to which he responded with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

Avery gave me an icy stare. “What the fuck is happening? Where’ve you been all this time? Did he try to lay hands on you?”

I wish , I thought.

She was acting like a mom on high alert, but I had a gut feeling there was more going on. Avery was clearly terrified, not sure what about. This was the safest we’d been since being abducted.

I glared at her. “It’s not like that. He just took me to get something to eat.” Guilt settled heavily in my stomach.

In reality, I had a secret longing to have him all to myself, but I didn’t want others to find out.

Tension was visible in Trex’s squared jaw as I quickly glanced at his profile.

Avery complained, “It’s bad enough I don’t know where Joele went. Who knows what’s happening to her? Then you left.” She spread her arms out to the sides.

I sighed. “Nothing bad is happening to Joele. She is the reason these guys were on the planet. It was a rescue mission. They were looking for her specifically.”

Avery and Riley scrutinized Trex.

“That’s great, isn’t it? What are you going to do with us?” asked Avery.

Trex let out an exasperated sigh, his irritation evident in the tone of his voice. “As I explained to Grace, we were not aware of you being on the planet. But we would not have left you behind. We wish you no harm. You are all under our protection. We only wish to keep you safe.”

Avery sneered. “From what? Aliens?”

She gave him a scornful look.

Trex directed his attention toward me. “I will speak with you later.” He turned and walked away, leaving Orin to deal with the rest of us.

Feeling sheepish, it worried me I’d gotten so upset with him. I wondered if he would want to speak to me again. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling bad about how I’d treated him.

Olivia was standing in the corner watching us. Then she and Orin shared a look before he closed the door by swiping his hand on the panel.

Riley put her hand on her forehead and started walking back and forth. She stopped and gave me the eye a few seconds later. “Did he try to make a move on you?”

I shook my head, feeling a wave of frustration, and plopped down on the bed I’d chosen earlier, dropping my hands into my lap.

It would have been great if he had tried something. He had such a magnetic pull on me I doubt I would have turned him down.

Olivia sat down next to me. “Are you doing okay?” she asked.

I simply nodded.

Avery stormed over and stood in front of me. “The place they’re taking us to. Can we escape from there? There’s gotta be someone who can give us a lift, don’t you think? Perhaps we can find a ship to borrow ?”

Riley chuckled and went back to pacing, not even bothering to glance at us.

My response was a nonchalant shrug while Avery narrowed her eyes at me.

I tucked hair behind my ears. “Look, I have no idea what to expect. I wouldn’t say Trex is my friend or anything. I have the same knowledge as you. We’re not even sure if they’ll let us off the ship at the Outpost.”

Riley came to a stop and chewed the inside of her cheek for a moment. “She’s right, Avery. There’s no guarantee they will trust us enough to let us wander through an alien Outpost.”

I stood, hoping to find a solution regarding the Outpost. Anything to shut up Avery, at least for now. “Let’s see if Joele can lend us a hand? I mean, she is a ruler on her planet. Maybe she could speak on our behalf or help get us home?”

I didn’t intend to bring up my desire to stay. I wasn’t up for dealing with any more of Avery’s anger.

Riley spoke up. “She’s a what, now?”

I bit my lip, realizing I did know a little more than they did. “Trex mentioned she is part of the Drakkari government.”

Avery scoffed, and Riley laughed again.

“Drakkari? Is that what they call their planet?” asked Riley.

“Their race I think. I didn’t ask.” I ran my hands through my hair.

“You are on a first named basis with the guy. Why don’t you see if he’ll release us at the Outpost?” pushed Avery.

“I can try.” The thought of being near Trex made my core clench and body heat. My mind warned me to keep a healthy distance until I knew him better.

But my body wanted nothing more than to betray me with him.

I shook my head in an attempt to clear the image of what he might look like under those tight pants. I wiped my forehead and licked my lips.

Riley coughed, bringing my attention back to the room.

The three of them were watching me with varying degrees of interest.

Holding my head high, I aimed for a calm and collected look, not sure how well I was succeeding at it, however.

Avery was right. They should be allowed to visit Javar Outpost and decide for themselves what they wanted to happen next.