crutch was nearly useless in the dense forest. After our time in the spring, he’d rewrapped it with the splints, vine, and more mud plaster.
I could have remained in denial and convinced myself what happened at the spring was simple pay back. He got pussy if I got fed. A mere exchange of services. Except that wasn’t it. I’d wanted him. Lord help me, but I’d wanted him. I knew all about the Drixonian abilities. The girls talked about it all the time, how the elder males refused to let the Drixonian reputation for being sex Gods or some shit fade away after all their females died, so they’d taught the males everything they knew.
I’d enjoyed a healthy sex life back on Earth, so while I was curious, I’d never seen a single Drixonian in the Night Kings who made me want to jump on his metal-tipped dick. Hell no.
Until Heart. Maybe it was the mate thing, or a result of the loks, but I didn’t feel manipulated or out of control. Every step of the way, I knew what I was doing, and I’d made a conscious decision to touch him … and be touched.
I didn’t regret it. Even now, I could feel the way he’d clutched my thighs and latched onto my pussy like it was his job. His eyes had glowed nearly purple and the smoke cloud of his mind had faded until I could see a dim light shining through the haze. The way he looked at me … it was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Like I was his sun, moon, and stars.
I slowly twirled the small bundle of flowers I’d plucked from near the spring. The purple and yellow petals were insanely vibrant and smelled a bit like lavender. I’d added a sprig of greenery and wished for one of my mason jar vases I always used at home.
Gardening was the one thing I had for me. In between my own demanding job as a lawyer and taking care of my siblings—like dealing with Brendon’s constant money issues from his revolving door of jobs and listening to Yanna complain about the deadbeats she continued to date—I found peace in nature. I’d never minded getting my hands dirty, and I’d only just started a veggie garden in the backyard of my small townhouse before I ended up here. When I said I wanted a little greenery, I hadn’t meant I wanted to live off the grid. Now, I’d give anything to hand Brendon ten bucks and answer Yanna’s call about her last first date from hell.
Heart’s body tensed on the branch, and I went still. Down below, a moira loped across a small clearing toward a small puddle. They were weird creatures, about the size of a small dog, but with a long snout and round, recessed eyes. They tasted a bit like chicken. Heart puffed out his cheeks and blew into the reed.
I didn’t even see the arrowhead leave the tip. But I could tell it hit its target when the moira gave a little squeal before falling onto its side, legs out like a fainting goat. Heart grabbed me, leapt down to the ground, and trotted to the moira. With a quick slash of his claws, he opened its throat. After letting it bleed out onto the forest floor, he tied up the feet, slung it over his shoulder and let me climb on his back. This planet had clearly done weird shit to me, because I was aroused at the sight of my man hunting for me. So. Fucking. Capable.
Wait, what? My man? No. I didn’t want a man. Even an alien man with a six-inch long tongue that made me see Jesus.
I rested my chin on his shoulder, letting the gentle rock of his gait lull me into a half-doze. I jerked with a start when he suddenly went still. Statue-still. His head was cocked to the side, his eyes focused on something northeast of us.
Squinting, I tried to peer into the distance, but all I could see was trees. And plants. And more trees. More plants. “Heart?” I whispered.
He slowly brought up his hand and tapped his ear.
Oh right, listen. Not just look. Smart. So, I closed my eyes, and I focused on every sound I could hear. Some antella in the distance. A far-off welf howl. Something small scurrying on the ground below us. And then I heard it, a metal clinking sound that plummeted my stomach right down