5. Kerry

Chapter 5

Kerry

" I already told you I'm not going to be anyone's mate." I jolted to my feet, impaling Nevarn with a glare that would've made a lesser male cringe.

This one didn't bother to lift his spear. He laughed.

"Do you plan to kill me, mate?" he drawled. How had he gone from barely able to move to talking to me like he was up to seducing me? Something stirred beneath his pants, drawing my eye, but I dragged my gaze away.

His arousal should make me want to shoot him even more, not toss my bow aside and climb all over him.

What was wrong with me? The guy desperately needed a bath after laying by my fire for two days, and who knew when he'd bathed prior to that?

I'd been without sex too long, that was what was wrong with me. This had nothing to do with this cocky guy. Surviving an unknown world and the heat of the moment was driving my hormones, not interest in him .

"I'm not your mate," I growled. "If you try to make me marry you in some convoluted alien ceremony, I will shoot you."

"Please don't. I prefer my hide without holes."

I sighted down the shaft of my arrow. "Behave and your hide will remain as it is."

"You can't harm me. If you do, you risk losing the love of a lifetime."

"Sounds romantic, but I prefer candles, a nice bottle of wine, and a fine meal before I'll let anyone haul me off to bed."

"You'll soon see."

How could he sound so smug about this?

"I don't get it, not one bit."

"Sit, and I'll explain some more. Save your shot until after that."

He had to be delirious and making this up, because all this junk about fated mates and gods gifting women to Zuldruxians couldn't be true.

"Wait," I said. "Did you say I'm the third Earth woman to be given to a Zuldruxian?" I peered around, hoping they'd stride into my clearing, hold out their arms for quick hugs, and explain what the hell was going on.

"As I said, there are many more of you here, though most could still be lying in their pods. The gods are releasing them without any particular pattern. As you suggested, our gods traveled to your planet and brought all of you here."

It made sense now, in an odd way. "Your alien friends should've left us alone." I'd never believe they were gods. They were like the lizard people who'd crashed here and decided to stay.

"The gods don't want my species to die."

"Because you revere them."

"We used to." He frowned. "Actually, you're correct. We do now. My clan only has one god, Helena, and we worship her as we should."

"This sounds like a scam to me."

"In what way?"

"You gush all over Helena . . ." Why did the thought of this guy revering a woman named Helena make a growl rip up my throat? I bit it back and continued. "You kiss up to your gods, and I bet you give them gold and jewels and worship every bit of the ground they walk on."

His frown deepened. "We respect her, but we don't do anything else. No gold or jewels. I'm not sure she'd want things like that even if we offered them, let alone ask us to do anything with the ground beneath her roots."

"Roots?" I must've misheard him.

"The Celedar Clan is the clan of wood. Of course our god has roots."

I decided to let that part go.

"What does Helena get in exchange for all of you showing her respect?" I expected him to name expensive things because there had to be a catch here somewhere. I'd reveal it, and the Zuldruxians would be pissed off. Then the "gods" would see their mistake, and they'd send me and the other women back to Earth where we could get on with our lives.

"In exchange for our adoration, Helena heals our wounds. She listens when we need to speak of our feelings. She—"

"Sounds like a counselor and nurse combined."

"She ensures we have plenty to eat, that our homes are clean, that—"

"Add mom figure to counselor and nurse."

"You'll soon see."

"You keep saying that." I tilted my head. "Why will I see?"

"I have a journey to make and a murder to solve once I reach my destination. But after I've completed my task, I'm taking you back to my clan. There, you'll see."

"Wait, wait. Did you say murder?"

His shoulders slumped, and his face darkened to a medium blue. I had to be out of my mind because I found even that color attractive. "I was accused of killing my first mate, but I didn't do it." He lifted his gaze to meet mine.

I read only honesty there and a soul-deep sense of rightness.

"I believe you," I said softly.

"Thank you."

"But that doesn't mean I'm going to travel with you as your crime-solving sidekick, let alone go with you to your clan, even if it means I get to meet a tree god—goddess—named Helena."

"You have no choice."

That got my back up. "Don't go alpha on me. I'm the one with the weapons, not you."

Setting his spear on the ground beside his outstretched leg, he scoffed. "You're a tiny thing. If I say you're coming with me, you are."

I enjoyed a bit of alpha in my guy as much as the next person, but this alien was taking things too far.

"You're barely strong enough to lean against a tree long enough to go pee," I said with a smile curling my lips. "Yet you think you can make me leave my cozy campsite to travel around the countryside with you?" My laugh barked out. "You and what army, dude? In case you didn't notice, I'm the one in control of this sit—"

He leaped from his sitting position and barreled into me, sending me to the ground, him taking the brunt of the fall before he rolled me onto my back with him looming over me. A few twists of his hand, and he'd not only yanked my bow from me and tossed it aside, but he'd also pinned my wrists above my head.

I bucked and kicked, trying some of the moves my mother had drilled into me from the time I was small, but he was so much bigger than me. Stronger.

And determined.

With his legs bracing my hips, he caged me with his upper body. "What were you saying about being in control of the situation, my pretty mate?"