SIX
“VRAX!” VIKAN SUDDENLY burst out once he heard the loud buzzing sound.
Taylor knew that couldn’t be good.
And despite whatever the hell had just happened, despite the lingering touches of desire and confusion still pulsing hot in her veins, Taylor knew she needed to put it behind her for now and figure out what was wrong.
“What does that sound mean?” she asked, rushing over to the control panel the same time Vikan did, her voice slightly winded.
His fingers flew over the silver touch screen that lit up blue every time he made contact. Strange symbols that Taylor guessed were Luxirian numbers or words appeared on screen and immediately, she heard an ominous sound like something was powering off.
The hovercraft jerked.
“V-Vikan?” she asked, eyes wide.
“Do not fear, luxiva,” he murmured, distracted, as his fingers flew over the screen, inputting commands with an expert’s touch. “We have to land.”
Here? she thought wildly, looking over the landscape for the first time. She couldn’t see much since it was still so dark out, the only source of light the moon.
“Come,” he murmured, reaching for her. Without even thinking, she did as he ordered and he tucked her between himself and the control panel, his arms bracing around her body and tucking her head into his chest, so she couldn’t see anything else. “We have to drop to conserve fuel.”
“What?” she whispered, fear jolting into her. “No, Vikan, I—”
“Trust me, female,” he rasped into her ear, pulling her more firmly into his body. “I will not let any harm come to you.”
For some reason, his words made her body relax. And even though she hardly knew him, she felt deep within her that he spoke the truth. Inhaling a quick breath, she gave a small nod and said, “Okay.”
Besides, what other choice did she have?
“Hold strong, female,” he commanded, before dragging one of his clawed fingertips over the pad.
Immediately, the hovercraft tilted towards the ground and Taylor’s arms wrapped around Vikan’s waist, her fingers digging into the tense muscles of his back. Taylor didn’t even have time to cry out before they began hurtling towards the ground. The engines, or whatever the hell was powering the hovercraft, had gone silent and all she could do was bury her head in Vikan’s chest and pray and pray that they would be alright.
It was like a horrifying roller coaster ride, except she wasn’t strapped in and the only tether she had was the alien male she’d wrapped herself around.
It seemed like they fell forever, but in reality, it was maybe ten seconds. When she heard Vikan shift, his arm striking out to power the engines back on and level off their descent and slow their speed, pure relief rushed through her limbs, making her tremble.
Taylor hardly dared to look until the hovercraft thudded onto what sounded like gravel, the impact hard enough that Vikan pressed her into the panel, tightening his hold around her, so she wouldn’t get thrown around too much. She heard the tiny clattering of rocks spraying in every direction as they skidded and then finally came to a halt.
After a brief moment of blessed silence, the engines gave out. And when Taylor peeked around Vikan’s chest, she saw that they were on the ground. Safe.
Vikan moved first, since her limbs seemed to be frozen.
He pulled her back so he could look at her face and she was shocked to see how…intense he looked.
“Luxiva,” he rasped, running his palm down her back, over her arms, checking her over in an exaggerated way, like he was trying to assure himself that she was unharmed. “Forgive me. Forgive me. I did not check the fuel before…vrax! It is not like me. Nothing is like me, since you.”
Taylor’s lips parted, his last words equally frightening her and making her flush with…something she didn’t want to identify. Because she had the sense that she knew exactly what he was talking about. She hardly felt like herself anymore either. All because of those damn dreams and those damn gray eyes she couldn’t stop thinking about.
It had been a little over two weeks since she’d first seen him. And everything was different.
Taylor swallowed, her heart finally beginning to slow its furious pumping. To distract herself from his gaze, his words, she looked past him, saw that they were in a dark clearing. She could only make out what looked like slim but towering grass-like plants that rustled in the wind. And in the distance, she swore she heard a muted hissing sound, like soft waves crashing on a beach.
“What now?” she asked quietly, realization crashing down on her. “Do you have spare fuel?”
Vikan stilled. “You are not angry with me?”
Taylor forced herself to meet his gaze and she said softly, “I’m mad that you took me away during the night without an explanation. And yes, I’m mad that we crashed here. But it’s not like you purposefully didn’t fuel that hovercraft.” She peered at him, a sudden though occurring. “Right?”
“I would never endanger you like that,” he growled, raking a hand through his long, silky black hair, obviously frustrated with himself, shaken from their emergency landing.
Taylor blew out the small breath she’d been holding. “Then we can only move forward. Being mad doesn’t change anything about our situation. Now, do you have spare fuel?”
Vikan looked at her. He still had that same dark, broody expression that didn’t give much away, but Taylor got the sense that he was…surprised.
“I do not,” he murmured and Taylor felt her shoulders sag. “I can make fuel with a root that grows in this region, but it will take a quarter lunar cycle.”
She figured that meant one week. That was one option, although not ideal. “Can you call for help?”
“Not without fuel,” he murmured, glancing around their surroundings for the first time. Taylor became aware that she was still in his arms, that she still had her arms around him, her fingers digging into his back as if afraid to let go. Startled, she let them drop away and blood rushed to her fingertips.
With obvious reluctance, he released her and stepped back. After a brief growl, he looked away and said in a strange, almost cold, tone, “My outpost is not far from here. Perhaps three spans to walk for you.”
Spans?
“Days, you mean?”
He jerked his head in what she assumed was a nod.
Three days. That didn’t sound too bad.
Except…she had no shoes. She glanced down at her bare feet in trepidation, remembering the sound of crunchy gravel as they landed. Her feet would be torn up.
“I will carry you,” he said, also glancing down at her feet.
“That’s…that’s not practical,” she protested, but in reality she didn’t want him to carry her because she feared how her body would react being pressed so closely to his for days on end. She remembered how easily he’d tempted her before the fuel warning had gone off. She’d forgotten herself.
And because of that, he was dangerous. He could make her forget herself.
No. She would walk, even if her feet would be ravaged. Because the sooner they reached this outpost, the sooner Taylor could go back to the others…and then she’d be able to go home. To Earth.
“Which way?” she asked, pushing back her shoulders, suddenly determined.
“We are not walking in darkness, female,” Vikan said. “We will find shelter and rest until the suns rise.”
Taylor bit her lip to keep from arguing, knowing that it was probably for the best, despite her impatience to get started on their journey. She could hardly see five feet in front of her and who knew what alien creatures lurked around.
So, she gave him a reluctant nod and then, without warning, he swung her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. She suppressed her surprised squeak and clutched his shoulders to keep from slipping when he jumped off the back of the hovercraft onto crunchy gravel. When she peered down, she saw it was white gravel, some pieces smooth, some pieces jagged.
Just for tonight, she’d let him carry her. Maybe along the way, she could find something to make shoes with.
And so, as if he knew the land, Vikan veered left, instead of heading straight, which had been the direction their hovercraft had been originally heading.
“Where will we find shelter?” she asked quietly, once she’d settled and they’d been walking in silence for a short while. She was still tense in his arms, trying to ignore his heat and his addicting masculine smell.
But it was hard.
“There should be caves not far,” he answered her. “If the Fates are with us, they will not be inhabited.”
Taylor couldn’t help but shiver, wondering about the animals and creatures that roamed Luxiria.
And maybe it was out of nerves or because she needed a distraction, but she commented softly, “You never answered my question about why you took me. I think I deserve to know why.”
“I did tell you why,” he replied, frustrating male. Vikan’s long strides didn’t even stutter as he murmured, “Vaxa’an was set to send you and the others females back to Earth. I could not allow that to happen. Not yet. It was impulsive and perhaps foolish, but I felt I had no other choice.”
“You said you wanted to know whether I was yours,” she noted. “That was your explanation. You honestly expect me to take that as an answer? You don’t even seem that certain.”
A low growling purr started in his chest and she felt it against her side. “I am certain, female.”
“Then you’ve made a mistake,” she simply put, ignoring the way her heart leaped at his husky words.
“I cannot say I am happy about it,” he growled, getting all moody again.
Taylor sucked in a breath, feeling irritation and indignation rise. And a little hurt, which made absolutely no sense.
“Then great!” she replied, looking away from him, trying to hide her scowl. They’d just entered a forest of the long grassy plants she’d seen from the hovercraft. They towered over both of them and rustled as they made a path through. One curled edge of a shoot brushed her cheek and it felt like sandpaper.
He continued, “It does not change the fact that my Instinct has awakened for you. Regardless of what we both want, it is our duty to see if there can be something more between us.”
Taylor felt too many things at once as the words left his lips. But the most clear thing of all was that feeling in her dream. That complete and utter happiness, that trust and respect, and love.
She cleared her throat, suddenly feeling her throat stinging because she knew there was no way in hell she’d ever feel that for the alien male carrying her in his arms. It was almost like a loss. The male in her dreams had been…everything. Everything she’d wanted in a potential partner.
Vikan in real life?
His moods gave her whiplash, for one. One moment he was trying to seduce her, the next he was concerned for her, the next he was almost standoffish.
Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t even human, that he lived on an alien planet, when all Taylor wanted was to return to Earth.
“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem. It is not my duty,” she said. “And even if your, um, Instinct is awake now or whatever, I didn’t ask for any of this.” He growled. “The only thing I want is to get back to the others and I want to go back to my planet. You’re not happy about being saddled with me? Fine. Then once I’m gone, you can go back to your life like I never existed. And I’ll go back to mine.”
Vikan stopped walking, his muscles tense and bunched. But Taylor didn’t look at him. For some strange reason, she was too upset to look at him. And why was her chest tightening at the thought of him being with her reluctantly?
It was ridiculous.
“Female,” he growled.
Still, she looked straight forward, into the endless sea of grass they were wading through.
“Look at me,” he ordered.
Taylor’s jaw ticked since her teeth were clenched tightly together. When she realized he wouldn’t start walking until she did as he asked, she slowly turned her head to regard him, but she made her reluctance obvious.
His expression was thunderous, but she wasn’t frightened. For some reason, her body and mind knew something she wasn’t aware of yet.
“That feeling of knowing you have,” he started, his voice quiet yet clear, “that feeling of connection between us, will never go away, no matter the distance. This concerns you, very much. Think that you can return to your life unscathed. But know that it is a lie you tell yourself.”
She made a sharp inhale through her nostrils.
But he wasn’t done.
“Just as it is a lie I tell myself that I will be able to let you go if I must,” he finished, his features grim and somber. His eyes glinted silver in the moonlight. As if it were an after thought, he added gruffly, “I like to think I am an honorable male. Even I am not that honorable.”