Caveman Alien's Riddle - Calista Skye Page 0,13

doesn’t make Caronerax flinch. If anything, he’s making the dino stiffen.

He halts beside me and pushes his luxurious tresses out of his face, peering up at the bobont’s head. “An obstacle,” he observes.

“A big one,” I respond, my throat dry and my voice not steady.

The bobont’s colossal eyes are focused only on him. The tree hangs forgotten from the corner of its mouth, not being chewed anymore. Some of the dinos are extremely sensitive to dragons, I heard. This is definitely one of them.

Caronerax lazily reaches up in the air with one fist, then in a sudden, explosive motion spreads all his fingers. “Boo.”

The bobont jerks backwards with its whole body, then uncontrollably keels over sideways away from us as it tries to get up on its legs. It hits the ground, making it tremble, then helplessly rolls over in slow motion, its immense bulk crushing trees like toothpicks while its endless neck curls and flexes to try to keep the head up. It fails, and the huge head hits the ground with a deafening crash and bounces back up, leaving a large clearing in the woods.

It’s the least elegant thing I’ve ever seen. The noise makes me clamp my hands over my ears as the bobont kicks its church tower-sized legs in the air to straighten itself. But no bobont was designed for this, and only when it’s able to use its humongous tail to help is it able to right itself. It stands there for a second, catching its bearings, head swaying.

Then it gets another glimpse of Caronerax, and the whole office-building sized creature gallops off, so ungainly and ridiculous it makes a running giraffe look like a limber ballerina by comparison. Its footsteps make the ground tremble and boom like a gigantic bass drum. I’m willing to bet no bobont has ever done this before.

It doesn’t last, either. It takes a couple of panicked paces before it settles down to a still panicked trot, directly away from us.

The biggest being on the planet escapes with an apocalyptic ruckus that they must be able to hear all the way over at the village, leaving a treeless trail of destruction like a gigantic tornado.

Caronerax scratches his chin. “Did I say something wrong?”

A small chuckle escapes me. I can’t help it. It’s all too much, and now I have the energy from the berries that may have been a little more fermented than I thought.

We both peer after the still wildly fleeing bobont, its neck flexing and flopping like a wild firehose, seemingly barely attached to the body as the gigantic, panicked dino flattens thousands of trees in frantic escape.

“Such a graceful creature,” Caronerax says drily, tilting his head in a parody of awestruck admiration.

Before I know it, I’m laughing so hard I have to support myself on my knees, tears running down my face.

In the distance, the bobont trips on something and tumbles forwards, completely uncontrolled and still so slowly it looks like an action replay. The front of the body scrapes up a giant wave of rocks and soil, while its head and neck powerlessly sweep along the ground behind it in an arc the size of a football stadium, sending a shower of trees and dirt flying.

“A true king of the woods,” Caronerax solemnly declares.

I collapse again, howling with mirth.

It doesn’t take me too long to regain control — the situation is still precarious at best, and I’m here with a murderer.

The bobont gets back to its feet and lumbers away, now at a safer pace.

“Very graceful,” I finally gasp, wiping tears off my face. “He must have an appointment somewhere else.”

“He must,” the dragon shifter agrees.

For a split second, our eyes meet, and there’s an almost friendly little smirk on his heart-stoppingly beautiful face.

To my astonishment, that tiny moment makes a small wave of joy swell in my chest.

Caronerax straightens. “And so do we. More or less. Keep going, little Jennifer.”

I collect myself, take a couple of deep breaths, and concentrate on not laughing more.

Then I keep walking south.

Hey, he’s using my name now. That has to be progress.

And I kind of like the way it sounds in that deep voice of his.

5

- Caronerax -

Her behind sways enticingly in front of me, and there is definitely a swelling in my crotch.

Oh my, that feminine roundness awakens my lust.

She doesn’t have the feel of a killer. Where is the cool eye, always evaluating where best to stick the blade? Where is the hatred, the calculating tension for