This encounter is one I never could have predicted. What if I hadn't volunteered to deliver the order to the city? I might never have encountered the most beautiful female I have ever laid my eyes upon.

I know I am staring, but I cannot look away. Her hair is a red brighter than the sands of the desert, and her skin is so pale it is almost translucent. Her delicate, pretty face is dominated by large gray eyes and a soft pink mouth. This close, I can see a shift of iridescence in those eyes, drawing me in even further.

Her gaze is direct and clear, and I suddenly feel as though she can see right into me. I wonder if she can feel how that gaze sends my heartbeat racing. It’s not only because she is beautiful, which she is. It’s also because of the presence she has due to her personality, which she doesn’t try to hide, as some females do. The fact that she is the group's leader is obvious. Of course, anyone could tell when she stepped forward to greet me, but it’s also there in her demeanor. Strong, confident. Ready to defend her small group of females from me if necessary.

I need to show that I am no threat. Forcing myself to look away from Kate, I survey her group. They all vary in their coloring and heights, but they are all thin and washed out. Pale. I glance at Kate. She is too, though I did not realize that in the beginning, so taken was I with her beauty.

I frown, looking behind them at their vehicle. It is not Zmaj technology. And it is parked at a slant on a hill, which is not a safe place to park on the unstable sands of Tajss. Something must be wrong with it.

"Can I be of assistance?" I inquire, looking back at Kate after my quick survey.

She sighs, glancing back to the vehicle as well.

"Do you have electricity I can use to weld together the parts that are fried?" she asks.

"Fried?" I ask. I believe I know what she means. Her language skills are quite good though the phrasing is somewhat off. She has obviously had contact with other Zmaj. "How did that happen?"

"We had to kill a guster," she explains.

I raise my brows at that.

"A guster?" I repeat.

She nods, gesturing to the side.

"We've managed to break it down for meat..."

I walk over and see a dead guster, already stripped for meat as she stated. I nod, impressed.

"That is a good reason to accidentally break your vehicle," I agree, shaking my head. Kate is only more intriguing the longer I speak to her. "As for the welding, we have technology in the city that may be useful."

She quirks a brow, a wash of surprise spreading across her face. Does she not know of the city? How have they survived this long here? Even if I don't take into account that she can speak the Zmaj language, they can't have survived on their own since the crash. Tajss is a harsh place. Especially for humans. Humans who are clearly weakened like these females are. They are easy prey.

"A city..." she mutters.

Turning to the females watching, hovering nearby at the ready, she calms them with a gentle but firm voice.

"It's okay. I think he can help us—he's mentioned a city."

The others exclaim, glancing at each other. She speaks to them in the now-familiar human tongue. I wonder if she realizes I can understand her. As she speaks to her group, I see them calming, the respect and trust they have for Kate clear. It shows in their eyes, in their body language. Kate is a natural leader, her own centered energy giving them an anchor with which to stabilize their own emotions. They do not fear her. That much is also clear. They simply trust her to lead, trust she will do what is best. A true sign of an admirable leader.

But where did she come from?

When she turns back to me, I ask her how many of them survived. I can see her guard rising at the question.

"We were in a research pod...a small ship," she explains when I cock my head. "But after the main ship crashed, we couldn't stay up for long. I'm certain there are at least two other pods that couldn't have survived outside of the ship for more than a short time period before their fuel ran out. So they must have crashed too."

Interesting. She does not seem to be aware of any survivors other than those of her own pod. And I am aware that she does not actually mention how many of them survived.

"I know of your ship. In fact, there are many from it who have come to live in the city."

Her face brightens as the females behind her cry out in excitement, having crept closer to hear us more clearly. She looks back at them, sharing their joy at the news.

"That's wonderful," she says, turning back to me with a smile that warms me inside. I like that I was able to put it there. "We thought maybe..."

She shakes her head, clearly overwhelmed at the news.

"I can lead you there if you like," I offer gently, wanting to take her in my arms, offer her comfort.

But that is too forward. She does not know me. Not yet. I take a deep breath, turning my head, ostensibly to study the non-functional vehicle, but really just to look away from her. From Kate. From her luminous skin and her bright hair, that confidence in her gaze—I bite back a growl of arousal. I cannot show it. It will only scare her away, and that I do not want. Taking a deep breath, I attempt to behave as my normal self.

"We'd like that very much," Kate agrees.

I glance back at her, my eyes meeting her grateful gray ones. I nod, looking away again. My eyes focus on the large vehicle this time—the rover, that was what she called it. My inner craftsman rises to the fore as I walk over to it.

Kate walks alongside me.

"The hood is over here," she explains, moving over and gesturing at it. "Here..." She helps me lift the flat metal portion covering the engine and then starts to point out the seared, blacked section. "I need to weld here and here to get it working again. I just need the tools."

She wants me to know she is self-sufficient for the most part, that she knows how to fix the vehicle, but is simply lacking the resources. I admire her for that. Many of the human females I have met are resourceful, eager to learn, and strong enough to maintain their sanity under the conditions they have found themselves in. I respect all of them for good reason. But this is different. I am intrigued in a different way, on a different level.

"I believe we will find the tools you need in the city."

"That would be great." She meets my eyes for a moment, something flickering in their depths. But she does not stay so close for long. "I should get the others ready."

As she pulls back and starts tossing out orders to the others to prepare for the journey ahead, I know this feeling spells something far deeper than simple attraction. Something I am compelled to pursue.

I move back from the vehicle as the humans set to packing the essentials they have stored inside. Kate stands back to direct. I come to stand beside her, leaving a comfortable distance so she does not feel crowded.

"Where are you traveling from?" I ask, attempting to engage her in more conversation, learn more about their time on Tajss.

Her eyes flick over to me.

"From that direction," she says, vaguely pointing. "We've been staying underground, in tunnels we found after we crashed."

This is the first I have heard of any humans in tunnels. I nod thoughtfully. "It is fortunate you were able to find shelter before the creatures of Tajss found you," I say.

"I..." She frowns, but then nods. "Yes. It is."

"Is this how you find food to eat?" I ask, gesturing to where the guster lies. "You hit it with your vehicle?"

Another flicker of expression, there and gone. She shrugs. "There are also herbs and other things in and around the tunnels. We managed." She walks away, clearly wanting to end the conversation.

I frown at her back. There is no doubt there is something she is not mentioning. Perhaps...someone? Or perhaps multiple someones. But I do not begrudge her that. I understand wanting to protect the people she cares about from a stranger.

I look forward to gaining her trust, to having her confide in me. For the first time in a long time, I feel a spark of life reignite in my heart. A surge of excitement. Something to look forward to each day beyond the simple joy of craftsmanship I bring to the Tribe.

This is more personal. This is a deeper hope. And I welcome it.