Chapter 4

Irina .

Yelzin watched the human as she slept, curled tightly in a ball in his nest.

Oh, Irina. She was so clearly exhausted, and Yelzin was still shocked that this was what an adult human looked like. How did their species survive when they were so small and fragile?

Still, something about her… intrigued him. All night, Yelzin had breathed in her scent, barely able to sleep. Irina smelled of musk and smoke, and he could not deny how pleasing it was to hold her in his arms. He had let her rest alone while she was recovering, but Irina had not argued when he slipped into his nest beside her last night.

It was all so strange .

Yelzin had never met an extraterrestrial. Strinee wanted little contact with the outside world; in fact, it was in their nature to resist any type of communication. It was for their own safety, this he knew, but it could be a lonely life.

Never had he slept with a mate curled in his arms like this, or shared his nest with anyone. Certainly, he had raised his children like a good Strinee parent, but he knew not where they were at this moment, nor the females he conceived them with.

Not that Irina was his mate. Of course not.

Though her scent was enticing, her skin soft and sweet, she was not his. She could not be.

Yelzin would take no more mates, he had vowed it to himself, and certainly not one of a different species. He no longer answered the mating urge, no longer sought sexual partners, no matter how much it physically pained him. Not when his last one had kicked him out, breaking his heart for the final time.

Yes, that was how things went. Females kicked the males out of their territory once the children were of age, making room for a new mate. It was the Strinee way, but it did not hurt him any less.

Yelzin knew there was something wrong with him, the way he yearned for companionship. He understood this and accepted it, but that didn't make it any more bearable.

No, it was too difficult to leave his mates, so he would no longer take them .

The arrival of Irina? Well, he could not deny that it pleased him.

It had been years since he had seen another cognizant being, had conversed with someone beyond the voices on his information channel. And even those transmissions were few and far between.

Irina was most welcome, even when he thought she was a child. But now that he knew she was an adult, he looked forward to the conversations they could have. She would leave him, of course she would, but at least he could enjoy her company for some time.

Yes, the human was most welcome, and if Yelzin was feeling any sort of mating urge, he could push it deep down. He could control himself, had no trouble denying his impulses in the past.

Irina stirred in his arms, her eyes slowly fluttering open.

Yelzin stroked her fur, cooing in her ear as she awoke and all her muscles tensed, a bloodcurdling scream piercing his eardrums.

"It is me, Irina. It is Yelzin."

His furry arms surrounded her, enveloping her in an ensnaring hug. Irina gulped a breath, realizing where she was, her heart rate slowly returning to normal .

She was safe. Well, relatively safe. She was on Strine, in the nest of an alien named Yelzin. But why was she in his arms?

Irina pushed away, squirming around to look at him. It would take some time to get used to that face, those large ears and snout nose. The fangs.

Not that there was a reason to get used to it. Ideally, she'd be off this planet soon enough.

"Did I frighten you? You did not protest last night when I joined you in my nest, so I thought—" Yelzin started, but Irina cut him off.

"I'm fine. Really. I didn't mean to scream, I just… forgot where I was."

Irina had woken up disoriented before, but she tried to push those thoughts aside. She was just exhausted from the crash, from the torment of seeing her best chance of escape in utter ruin. There was nothing strange afoot here, at least not as far as she could tell.

All she remembered from last night was Yelzin setting her gently in his nest, then sliding in behind her. She was safe.

He didn't appear convinced of her answer as he brushed a clawed hand through her hair.

"Did you sleep well, little one?"

Yelzin seemed to enjoy petting her like she was some sort of animal. It was soothing, in a strange way, and calling her ‘little one'? Irina would be lying if it didn't set off a twinge in her core, a gentle fluttering in her chest.

"Yes," Irina replied, and it was the truth .

She'd slept deeply, her rest not marred by any of the usual nightmares. Yelzin had given her a bit of a fright once she'd awoken, but beyond that, it was the best sleep she'd had in a good while.

Irina felt refreshed, if a bit hungry. Perhaps more than a bit hungry. She needed food and water. And a bath.

And a way to get off this damned planet before the Coalition found her.

Irina had no idea what she was going to do. Yelzin had mentioned an information channel, but the plasma storm that had crashed her shuttle supposedly was blocking communication.

Either way, she'd need to find something to eat soon. At least the water she drank yesterday had agreed with her.

Yelzin observed, ruby eyes boring a hole straight through her. She wasn't sure what he wanted, why he was being so nice to her in the first place, especially now that he knew she wasn't a child.

This wasn't some paternal instinct taking over anymore, and that made her suspicious. People didn't just help you for the goodness of the act.

It was why Irina had turned to computers while growing up on Earth, in the slums of Neo Opus, a dark city where the dividing line between rich and poor was as clear as day.

After her parents had passed away—having been denied access to necessary healthcare like so many people on Earth—she'd been sent to a children's home, a vile place that did unspeakable things to the orphans unfortunate enough to be left there. Those memories got pushed deep into the recesses of her mind, locked into a box that Irina refused to open.

The other children had been awful, bullying and beating each other relentlessly, though now Irina could understand why. It was survival of the fittest, and as an undersized girl, she was low on the pecking order. The adults were worse, and there was no forgiving them for what they'd done. Or what they'd let happen, even if they weren't the ones directly involved.

But computers had saved her.

She begged on the streets for months to earn enough for the cheapest console, had learned all she could from holovideos at the local library.

When Irina had a console in her hands, she felt invincible. Computers made sense. People… people were complicated, cruel, confusing.

Still, she saw nothing of malice in Yelzin's eyes, no malevolence etched in his furry face.

"I… need something to eat. And drink," Irina said.

"Yes, I had wondered that. What do humans eat?"

Yelzin continued brushing her hair, his free hand gripping her waist. The light pressure of his grasp titillated her, as much as she wanted to deny it, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

The last comforting touch she had felt had been Brad's, and his was hardly a comfort at all. Maybe Yelzin realized the effect he was having because he released her, trundling out of the nest and moving to the center of the small hut.

Irina sat up as she answered. "Lots of things, I guess. Humans don't have the strongest stomachs, but we're omnivores. You know, meat and plants. What about you?"

Again, act casual, not like you're worried this giant bat alien is going to eat you.

"Strinee are hematophagous," Yelzin said, trying to look busy as he rustled around his hut.

" What ?"

"We consume blood."

Of course he did. He wasn't just a bat; he was a fucking vampire. Act casual .

"Oh! What kinds of blood do you drink?"

"Any kind, really. We need very little to sustain ourselves." Yelzin turned to her, narrowing his eyes. "Do not be frightened, little one. I will not consume your blood. I hunted while you were recovering and am perfectly satiated."

Somehow that did little to quell the fear building in her, though his words caused a prickle of something else as well. He was a predator. Irina had little doubt about that, but she found herself lulled into a sense of security. False? Perhaps. It was impossible to tell.

"Well, I don't drink blood. Are there any edible plants here?"

Yelzin gave a short, amused bark, before shaking his head. "I have never considered it, as I do not consume plant matter. But we can try to find some. "

"I need water too. And a bath would be nice."

Irina was certain she reeked of smoke and sweat, the balmy air plastering her jumpsuit to her skin.

"I can accommodate that," Yelzin said with a fanged smile. "Let us go."

Yelzin insisted on holding her hand while he led her through the forest, this time away from the crash site. Irina could tell he preferred to carry her—had practically begged—but she refused. She wasn't a child, was perfectly capable of walking on her own.

Luckily, this trip was shorter than the one to her downed shuttle. No more than ten minutes later, and they arrived at a small opening in the dark trees.

Dappled sunlight glinted off a clear pool of water, and it was suddenly obvious how thirsty Irina was, her mouth and throat as dry as the desert world, Hodo. A pleasant fragrance wafted through the air, the cool breeze tickling the exposed skin on her face and neck.

"Water?" she asked, eyeing Yelzin.

With a bark of laughter, he pulled her towards the edge of a pool. Yelzin released her hand and bent over to pick a leaf off a nearby plant, hunter green and as large as a dinner plate. Forming a makeshift bowl, he pooled liquid in the leaf and then brought it to Irina's mouth.

"Of course it is water. Drink, little one. "

Irina pursed her lips, not taking her eyes off Yelzin and dutifully ignoring the warmth in her core while she drank. When she had her fill, he sipped from the same leaf, likewise refusing to break eye contact until he was done. He licked his lips with a long, pink tongue and let the leaf flutter to the ground.

"You can bathe here. There are no predators in the water."

Yeah, the only predator Irina had seen so far was the alien standing in front of her. The one who drank blood and had fangs and claws that could tear her apart.

"I will search for plants," he continued, before smiling shyly and lumbering off into the woods on all fours.

Irina shook her head, but quickly turned her attention to the water.

The drink had been refreshing, and she supposed a dip would be equally so. Besides, she desperately needed to rinse her clothes, as they were the only things she had to wear for who knows how long. Surely, Yelzin would be gone for a while.

As her eyes darted around the clearing, Irina removed her boots and unzipped her jumpsuit, the cool breeze raising goosebumps on her exposed skin.

An eerie sensation of being watched persisted, that Yelzin, or something else, was just out of view, observing her every move. It sent a shiver down her spine, but she tried to ignore it as she slid out of her clothes and underwear and stepped towards the bank of the pool with them piled in her arms.

Lush moss surrounded the water, spongy on her bare feet, and she dipped a toe in. Cool, refreshing, perfect .

There was a gentle grade as she waded into the pool, waves rippling outward from her movements. She dunked her clothes into the water, scrubbing them as best she could with her hands before laying them on the bank to dry.

Irina paddled into the center of the pool, maybe four or five feet deep. A hooting bird called in the distance and she scanned the tree line for movement, but saw none. She let out a breath and tried to relax, to enjoy the cool water caressing her body, though anxiety refused to stop gnawing at her.

A crunching of brush echoed from the forest and Irina sunk down to her neck, straining her eyes against the dense trees. Yelzin emerged from the shadows, walking on his hind legs as he cradled a variety of plants in his arms.

"Irina!" he called, a delighted smile curling his mouth.

She waved at him, fully aware of her vulnerability. The promise of a refreshing swim had been too tempting, but now she was regretting her decision.

Yelzin stood on the bank, and she could see leafed vines trailing down his arms.

"Come! I have found plants!" he shouted.

Irina smiled awkwardly, frozen to her spot. She really didn't want to get out of the water, not while she was nude, not while an enormous alien she barely knew watched her.

"Irina?" Yelzin asked, his head cocked in confusion.

With a sigh, she realized she didn't have much of a choice. She supposed he walked around naked all the time, so perhaps this wouldn't be uncomfortable.

Slowly, she made her way to the bank, arms crossed purposefully over her chest. Yelzin did not take his eyes off of her. Irina trembled as she stood before the alien, though the pinch of fear evolved to something else, a burn of arousal flickering in her core.

"Plants!" Yelzin said, gesturing with his teeming arms.

He was clearly pleased with himself, and she couldn't stop the smile from pulling at her lips.

"They're edible?"

Yelzin shrugged. "I do not know, I have not tried them before."

Irina shook her head, but the smile didn't leave her face. "Well, maybe I should get dressed and try some of them back at your… home?"

She was eager to get her clothes on, to quell the burning in her core.

Quell it by ignoring it, to be clear.

"Of course, little one."

Yelzin scanned her slowly, his eyes wandering across her bare form, soft stomach and solid thighs, though at least she could cover her small breasts decently well. She caught a flare of his nostrils as she reached down for her clothes, quickly pulling her jumpsuit on to conceal herself once more.

Dressed, she nodded at Yelzin, and he twirled around, leading the way back to his hut with his arms full of plants.

A strained silence followed them, Yelzin not saying a word as he ambled on his hind legs. Irina didn't know why her heart raced, why the way his eyes roved over her body stimulated her so. He was an alien; it was wrong to… even think about it.

Well, Irina supposed there wasn't any law against interspecies relations, but accepting it and taking part in it were two different things. Sure, she did have a dalliance with an Apholl man almost a decade ago, but they were practically human, at least in appearance.

Regardless, it didn't matter the way her heart raced when Yelzin looked at her, the comfort she felt in his furry embrace. She was a criminal, an escaped one at that, and he was… he was sweet. He didn't deserve to be dragged into her mess.

Besides, Irina was used to being self reliant. She could ignore how nice it felt to have someone caring for her. It was better this way.

They arrived back at the hut, and Irina's stomach grumbled in earnest. She was eager to try some of the food Yelzin had collected. What was the worst that could happen ?

Two days of vomiting later, and Irina realized that the worst had happened.

Not one plant Yelzin had collected was edible to her. Not the hard lumps that looked like yams or the blue leaves that resembled kale. Not the red flowers or the lush grasses. Not one single thing , even after Yelzin built a fire and attempted to cook them.

He had diligently watched over her, carrying water in hollowed gourds and holding it to her parched lips, wiping her face down with spongy moss.

During her bouts of wakefulness, she saw him wringing his hands, pacing around the small hut so much that he created a breeze.

Finally, the worst of the illness seemed to be over. Irina was weak, so weak, but at least the pain in her stomach had subsided. Still, desperation clung to her. She needed to eat, wouldn't make it much longer without food.

"Y-Yelzin," she groaned as a thought came to her.

He jumped up from his seated position, his wings fluttering as he rushed over. A familiar hand brushed through her hair as he crouched down.

"Yes, Irina? What is it?"

He cupped her face with another clawed hand, a gesture so sincere it almost made her cry.

"H-how long was I out? After you… found me on my ship."

"You were unconscious for a week."

A week? None of this was making sense.

"How am I still alive? A week without food? "

"Oh, I fed you while you recovered."

What? Irina pushed herself up with great effort, and Yelzin wrapped a winged arm around her for support.

"Y-you fed me?"

"Yes, little one. I fed you my blood."