17. Kerry

Chapter 17

Kerry

N evarn was about to be eaten by a stingray. Good thing I'd kept my bow ready to shoot. I let an arrow fly toward the beast, hoping to scare it away and save Nevarn from at least a painful bite.

He snatched the arrow from the air and tossed it onto the shore. "Careful. You nearly hit me with that."

"How did you . . ." I shook my head. "Leave the water slowly. Don't make any sudden moves and you might escape."

"This is an everlipe." He lifted his hand holding a cluster of the creature's limbs, its pale lavender hide blending in with the darker purple water. "It'll give us a ride out to the main island."

"How is this possible?" I gaped as he tugged the stingray that had to be twenty feet across closer to shore.

"We tamed them." He stopped when the water sloshed around his ankles and lowered the feathery limbs he'd been clutching. "Step on, and we'll get going."

I remained right where I was, Molly safe in my arms. "What keeps it from sinking while we're riding on it?"

"I asked it to take us there, and it agreed. It won't sink until we tell it we no longer need it."

"Humans don't communicate with sea creatures, so this feels incredible to me." Though we didn't communicate with trees either, but he did.

He gave me a sunny smile that made my heart flip over. "You'll enjoy the ride."

I shouldn't be thinking of what other kind of ride this alien male might give me. His silver hair was slicked back and draped across his broad shoulders, and his blue skin gleamed in the sunshine. I trailed my gaze across his rippling chest to his equally rippling abs, stopping at the scrap of fabric hugging his cock that was proportional to the rest of this big guy.

"Kerry?" he asked. "Would you like me to carry you to the everlipe? Truly, the tiny fish in the water won't do more than nibble. None have long enough fangs to sink into your flesh."

"I'm not afraid of the fish." Or the everlipe, for that matter. Startled was more like it. And intrigued.

I still couldn't understand how he communicated with the creature, but with it gently undulating along the surface, its many feathery limbs outstretched to help hold its position, it was an incredible sight.

So was Nevarn.

My heart sighed, enjoying the view, but he was right. I was standing here gaping when I could be experiencing something new and amazing.

After handing Molly to him, I tugged my pack off my back and secured my bow, stuffing my arrows into the water bottle pocket on the side. I removed my boots and tied them to the pack as well. With my bag in hand, I tiptoed into the water. The fish swarmed me, but their nibbles only made my skin prickle. I resisted the urge to scratch and stepped up onto the everlipe, striding over to stand with Nevarn and Molly.

"If you'll let the everlipe sniff your hand," he said. "It'll accept you and we can get going. Its teeth aren't sharp. This creature only eats plants, never Zuldruxians or tasty humans."

I cocked my head to look at him. "You think I'm tasty?"

"I hope you are," he said with a smile that made my blood boil through my veins.

He was teasing me, and I liked it. He might look different from an Earth guy, but inside, we were all the same, weren't we?

I stooped down in front of the everlipe, holding out my hand toward what I assumed was its head since there were three round blobs on the top with lids covering what had to be eyes.

"That's where its excrement comes out," Nevarn said with a laugh bubbling through his voice. "It's best not to keep your hand there."

I pointed. "I thought those were eyes."

"See the barbs near the fake eyes? They confuse predators. When they attack, they're pricked and the toxin sets in quickly, making them confused. The toxin wears off fast but lasts long enough to allow the everlipe to escape." Taking my hand, he led me around to the other side of the creature.

I extended my hand again, and it thrust a thin strand with a round bulb on the end from its mouth. Once it had touched my fingers, it retracted the tiny limb back into its mouth. Like the back end, it had three eyes that watched me with a gentleness I wouldn't expect from something this large.

"Ready?" Nevarn asked.

"What about Molly?" Turning, I found her curled up in a ball beside my pack, sound asleep already. "I guess she's ready to take a ride." My voice came out a bit shrill. I was excited about this, but I'd be a fool if I wasn't nervous.

At my nod, Nevarn led me to the middle of the creature's back. It sagged initially with our weight but leveled to accept it.

"It's scaled," I said, shifting my bare feet.

"Traction." He took my hand and held it tight. "Are you ready?"

At my nod, he stomped his right foot.

The creature's body started swaying, and we were soon skimming across the surface, aiming for an enormous sky island farther out to sea.

"We're surfing on an everlipe," I cried, my heart thumping fast and my face splitting wide in a grin.

Nevarn smiled down at me.

I couldn't hold myself back.

A quick glance showed me Molly still slept.

I curled my finger Nevarn's way, and he lowered his head, perhaps assuming I wanted to make sure I could be heard over the gusts of sea-scented wind billowing around us.

I cupped his cheeks, and when he didn't pull back, I kissed him.