7. Vanessa

Chapter 7

"You may sleep on our—the—bed tonight," he said.

"Where will you sleep?" I stifled a yawn. I'd been through the wringer, and I'd only been here a short time. I could only imagine what a week or a month would be like in this strange, primitive world.

"I'll gather more furs and lie nearby."

"There's no Super 8 in the vicinity?" At his frown, I sighed. "Never mind. You can share the crystal yurt with me. No harm in that as long as you promise not to get touchy feely when I'm out. I'll smack you, and I've got a mean fist. You don't want to test me."

He grinned and lifted my hand. "This tiny thing? It would do no more harm than the nibble of a fless."

I tugged my hand away. "Yeah, well, don't push it."

He nodded slowly, and I was grateful he didn't appear to be one of those alpha dudes who'd force this. "Tomorrow, we'll travel to the clan meeting grounds where we'll speak with the gods and find a way to help you."

"I appreciate that."

He grunted. I could tell he wasn't pleased. How could he be? He believed I was his god-chosen mate, which, when you thought about it, might give a girl a bit of a thrill if she was into junk like that.

I wasn't.

But still.

He thought I was sent here to love him forever, and he seemed sad that I didn't already.

"Love takes time," I said.

"Yes."

His voice sounded hollow, his anguish biting into me, making a searing pain spread through my chest. I didn't like it one bit.

"I don't suppose you have a toothbrush and paste?" I asked. "I have a feeling I haven't brushed in . . . light years." My shrill laugh rang out. It was either laugh or burst into tears. If I did that, I suspected I'd never stop.

I needed sleep. Coffee in the morning along with a plate full of burritos with extra guac. A long soak in a tub with oodles of rose-scented bubbles.

All of which I had a feeling I'd never see again in my life.

"No brush, but if you mean for your . . ." His gaze fell on my mouth. "You have no tusks."

"Good observation." The words popped out, though kindly. I flashed my pearly whites that were only straight due to good genetics. Thanks, parents, for that at least.

"We use this to keep our tusks clean." He crossed the room and grabbed a handwoven basket full of items.

Handwoven.Everything here was handmade. Nothing would come from a machine. No computers. No cell phones. No electricity.

The only saving grace was that there would be no robocops either.

He pulled out a stick about the length of my forearm. One end bristled with short things that vaguely looked like the strands on a feather. I touched them, finding them soft yet stiff. "We use this and this." He presented me with the stick and a small, covered pottery bowl holding a purple goo that, when I sniffed it, smelled vaguely like flowers, though it had a sharp tang that tingled in my sinuses.

"Do you have water?"

He lifted a flask, flashing his tusks. Really, he was kind of cute when he did that, so I wished he wouldn't. I might be here for some time, and the last thing I needed was to become attached to a male who thought he was my husband.

A tingle shot down my spine and zoomed over to tease my clit. I ignored it.

"I'll, um, brush and spit outside, I guess." I waved to the leather flap draped across the only opening in the crystal structure.

He followed me outside, where I brushed my teeth and rinsed, spitting around the side of the blue glassy building. I also took a long swallow of the water, then some more, because it tasted amazing. No metallic flavor and not a hint of plastic or bleach.

Score one for the aliens.

Pleased enough with the results, I peered around, taking in the big blue crystal yurts similar to Aizor's and set up in a big ring.

"These must be other homes for your . . . clan members."

He frowned, and his gaze locked on an area above us.

Turning, I peered in that direction, seeing subtle movement. Was someone up there, nearly hidden among the trees? Fear spiked through me. I knew nothing about this world or these people.

Or what might be watching from the woods.

Aizor grunted and a male on the other side of the open area shifted away from the side of a blue crystal building. His sharp gaze slid down my frame and more chills ripped through me. I didn't know this male, but he didn't seem happy to see me.

When Aizor snarled and tucked me behind his bulky frame, the other guy lifted his arm. Two more males rushed over to stand with him, hefting swords like the ones Aizor had used to kill the abominable beast after I arrived.

The three males melted behind the crystal buildings.

Aizor continued to stare toward where I thought I'd seen someone—though there didn't appear to be anyone there any longer.

Not long later, I spied the three males flitting through the woods near that location, jogging upward.

"Who was up there?" I asked.

Aizor said nothing, just kept squinting in that direction.

Maybe his . . . guards, or whoever they were, would take care of the problem—assuming therewasa problem.

My skin still rippled with unease, but I felt relatively safe with Aizor and his alien army nearby.

The moons generated a lot of light, like half of what we got back on Earth from sunshine, though the light contained a vaguely purple hue.

Turning, I took in the small valley with enormous mountains and cliffs all around. On the other side of the big open area, I could barely make out a splice in the mountains, a pass they could travel through, assuming they did much traveling. And beyond the mountains, something vast glistened. An ocean? The moonlight highlighted a bigger valley to my right, peppered with more crystal structures, though none in blue.

Feeling overwhelmed and incredibly tiny when compared to this vast world, I handed Aizor the flask. "I, um, want to go to bed now." My teeth chattered, but I kept telling myself everything would be alright. I drummed up a smile for Aizor as I tugged aside the leather flap. "Please tell me you don't snore."

He huffed and looked at me so oddly, I paused.

When he spoke, only a bunch of gobbledygook came out.