Chapter 13

13

Drak

An-nana looked at my cock and did not cower at the sight of it. This is the greatest hour of my life. She was not simply exploring my unfamiliar form with curious eyes, she looked enticed by it. By me .

Perhaps there is hope that An-nana wishes to be more than my friend.

She has been doing that thing that she does often since I asked her if she finds me beautiful—avoiding looking at me. I take this to mean that she does find me nice to look at, but she is simply shy about it. This is okay, I like all versions of An-nana. Her shyness included. It shows me a part of her that she does not let others see.

Perhaps I will find that creature again and plead with him to make An-nana messy so that I may return the favor and gaze at her while she cleans herself in the water. Bah, it is a silly thought. I would not like anything taking away her smell, even if it were momentarily. An-nana smells like the best things.

Like fresh air, sunshine, and anger. I do not know many Urth smells, so I can not describe it further. I just know that if I could turn it into a liquid, I would drink her scent by the barrel full. Perhaps her arousal will smell like her, I could drink that if she would allow me. Would she allow me?

The hu-nim Meg-ham is very sexual and does not shy away from showing it. An-nana is not the same, but she does not seem put off when her friend speaks of chosen mating. It reminds me that if she proposed such a thing, I would not be able to deny her. Chosen mating is difficult because there is no certainty in it, but I am certain that I could not deny such a request from An-nana.

I cannot deny her anything.

Well, perhaps if she demanded I never see her again, I would deny her that.

My soul seed is as dull and silent as ever, but my mind remains busy. Full of precious thoughts about my mean hu-nim and how content being near her makes me feel. On long excursions in the past, I have missed my home in Aprix. But I am far from longing for my planet.

I will only return when An-nana is ready, and for her to be ready, I must help her find her family. Family is important to her, and this I admire. It is beautiful to care for those you are connected to. Just as Terum cares for me, and I him. Though, it will be more difficult to focus now that I am even more consumed by An-nana and her lovely wandering eyes. But I am a strong male, and I will act as such.

For as long as I can…

"I'm going to eat," she tells me, dropping onto a smooth tree stump.

We're a bit farther from the waterfall now, and it is about the time of day that An-nana usually pauses to fuel herself. She does this three times a day, much more than an Axprixian, but she consumes much less per meal.

She pulls a small can from her bag and the little metal contraption she uses to open it, wasting no time to unlock her food.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not today," I tell her.

I am hungry, but not for food. There is only one taste I wish to have on my tongue right now, and it only exists between her thighs.

"Well," she huffs. "Are you just going to sit here and watch me?"

I chuckle quietly to myself. An-nana does not like to be observed when she takes her meals. It is like she is truly a hunting creature because many animals are territorial of their food. Only An-nana does not think I will steal her meal, she just does not like feeling watched. It unnerves her.

"I will comb through the fields for more creatures," I tell her excitedly.

"Knock yourself out," she grumbles.

I frown. "Why should I do that?"

An-nana groans. "Not literally . It means go for it. Have fun, or whatever."

"Ahh." I understand. "Another silly hu-nim saying."

She is so smart and knows the meaning of so many things.

"I will find you a fun creature," I vow, taking off before she can tell me she does not wish to receive a gift from me. An-nana likes gifts, though she will not admit it. I am already working on crafting another knife for her while she slumbers each night.

I like gifts too—one of the most precious to me being the small hu-nim knife An-nana offered to me in her home. She has had it since her youth, and she bestowed it upon me, a great sign of friendship.

Though, in my heart, it feels much more like a courting present.

Perhaps I will have the bravery to ask for a chosen mating with my next blade for her. Rubbing my chest absently, I hope to wake up my soul seed.

Do you not see how lovely she is? I ask it, frowning.

Shine for her, do you not understand she is ours?

It is fruitless to plead with the seed, but I try anyway.

Soul seeds only glow for someone when The Mother , the Aprixian goddess, has decided to bless two creatures with a union. Once the seed begins to shine, it will only shine for its match. Mates are fated forever with the bond, and it is the most cherished connection. Aprixian males yearn for the day that their chests may light up. Some hope for a mate until their last breath. I do not wish to lose my life before seeing my chest bloom with a mating glow.

Sighing, I force myself to relax and begin to scan the tall grass surrounding me. There must be some sort of creature near that I can explore.

I do not hear any heartbeats, but I do catch the faint sound of grass rustling. Intrigued, I follow the noise with expert stealth, hoping to capture something cute. Perhaps if I find a fluffy little thing, An-nana will be pleased. Females seem to love Rem's creature Ch'ta after all.

Only the animal that I find at the end of the rustling field is nothing like Ch'ta. It is long and scaly, cold too, like a water serpent. Perhaps An-nana will not find him cute, but he is interesting.

Hmmm.

Using my quickness, I snatch the thing up by its neck, cutting off his head's ability to snap at me, just in case he is displeased with being touched. Luckily, the slithery creature seems almost stunned when I hold him. Wisely, it seems to fear me, which I enjoy. I smile at it, beginning to walk back to my Mean One.

"Look what I have found," I boast, puffing my chest out as I come into her view. I do not get too close in case she does not wish to have an animal so close to her food.

An-nana looks up, squinting her eyes to find me. When she sees what I am carrying, she drops her can, springs up from her seat, and screams. It is an unsettling sound of shock and makes me wince.

"Holy shit, Drak!" she yells, voice cracking in surprise.

"Is he not cute?" I ask, wiggling the thing. "He is very odd, but?—"

"That's a copperhead," she screams, her voice terrified and panicked.

Is his name scary?

I frown. "Do you not like this brand of creature?"

The horror that paints her expression makes me feel awful, a pit of discomfort swimming in my stomach.

"It's venomous, Drak! Lethal . One bite from that thing, and I'll be dead."

I would never let An-nana die.

"I will not let him touch you?—"

"I'm not worried about me," she stresses, voice high-pitched and strained. "It could hurt you too. Kill it, oh my god, kill it right now! "

Confused but always willing to comply, I squish the small creature's head in my fist, crushing it to a swift death. I do not see how it could kill me, but I will do anything to relieve the pure terror in her voice.

I drop its slimy corpse onto the ground and take a step toward her when water begins to seep from her eyes.

"An-nana—" I try, taking a step closer to her.

"Why would you do that?" she demands, furious as bigger drops roll down her dark red cheeks.

"I just found him?—"

"You shouldn't touch things you don't know about!"

As I approach her, she does not appear to be relieved.

"I am sorry, An?—"

"You scared me, you jerk! You could have died ." She swats at me with the back of her hand, though the strike is not a powerful one.

"I would not have?—"

" You could have ," she emphasizes loudly.

Perhaps An-nana is worried that if I am hurt, she will not be able to return to her sisters . I should tell her that my ship will fly for her if I can not be there, but something tells me that she is not crying because she is scared to be stranded.

She is scared of… losing me?

"You were worried for me," I realize wondrously. "You care for me, Mean One?"

"Of course, I care about you!" She slaps my chest with both hands now, snarling at me. "Don't do that again."

She was screaming and crying for me , with worry of my safety. An-nana does not wish me dead, even if she has tried to make me so in the past. She wishes for me to live.

Without asking for permission, I lift An-nana from her feet and tug her into my chest. She does not threaten to stab me or shoot me with her hu-nim blaster but weeps into my skin, shaking as I embrace her.

"I am okay, An-nana," I tell her softly, cooing the soft words against her ear. "I will not do it again, but I am okay."

"Y-you better not," she cries, continuing to tremble against me.

I start to caress her hair, hoping to calm her down. Seeing An-nana in distress is worse than any pain I have felt in the past. And I have felt many excruciating things.

"No more picking up Urth creatures without your permission," I say gently. "How about that?"

"I'm so mad at you," she curses, squeezing me harder.

If this is An-nana's fury, I will take it.

This hug is beyond lovely.

"I have you," I reply, gently touching my lips to the top of her head like I have seen Marrec do to his mate. "Nothing will hurt us, An-nana, I swear this to you."

"Shut up," she mutters weakly.

She is angry with me, but she does not push me away. And before I put her down, I feel her press her lips against my shoulder. They are soft and warm, and I would fight even more wars if it meant I could feel them once more.