Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

E rica fled back into the jungle, her pulse pounding so loudly she could barely hear the noise of her flight. She clutched the branch of fish in one hand and the baby with the other, praying that the alien wouldn't follow her. He hadn't followed her into the jungle before, and she could only hope he wouldn't this time either.

She couldn't believe she'd actually stolen his food. It was the first time in her life she had ever committed a crime. What would her father think? Hell, he would probably be proud of her. He had built his empire by defending criminals.

But only if they had the money to pay him. A poor, desperate woman stealing food would have been laughed out of his office.

She knew she should have asked the alien. She'd actually been considering it as she crouched there at the edge of the jungle watching him tend the fish. Until he stood up and she had gotten the full impact of his huge naked body only a few feet away from her.

And then he turned around, and she'd gotten an even closer look at that massive and most definitely not human cock. The surface had been covered with what looked like small spines, and when she had seen it twitch and start to fill, she panicked. If he decided to take advantage of her, she wouldn't have been able to defend herself against him.

Thank goodness he turned away and headed for the water. An unexpected fit of recklessness had seized her, and she'd darted out of the bushes long enough to grab the branch of fish.

Her headlong flight took her deeper into the jungle, and once again she ran into a small stream. She came to a halt, gasping for breath.

Not the same stream, she decided, when she caught her breath enough to look around. This one was wider and deeper. A small clearing on the other side beckoned to her as she waded through the knee-deep stream into the clearing and collapsed to her knees.

"I don't think I'm cut out for a life of crime," she murmured to the baby. He was more interested in crawling across her body trying to get to the fish.

"Hold on. I'm going to feed you… Try a little bit first to make sure it doesn't upset your stomach."

She mashed up a small piece of the smoked fish and offered it to him on her finger. He swallowed it down easily and started rooting around for more. Hoping she was doing the right thing, she repeated the process until his frantic licking finally slowed. He settled back down in her hand, the round little bulge of his stomach filling her with satisfaction as he promptly went to sleep.

His fur had dried, and it was no longer a sleek, dark purple. Instead, it was a pale lavender blue. Periwinkle blue, she decided, then smiled. Periwinkle. It was the perfect name for him.

Now that he was taken care of, it was her turn. The delicious scent of the smoked fish had been making her mouth water, but she still hesitated before she lifted a piece to her mouth. What if it wasn't fit for humans to eat? Had whoever brought her here considered that possibility?

Then again, the air was safe to breathe and the water was safe to drink. Hopefully, her fairy godmother had taken food into account as well. She took a cautious bite, then groaned with pleasure and abandoned caution.

She devoured two of the fish before her conscience reared its head. There had been seven fish on the branch. She and Periwinkle had taken care of three of them, but there were four remaining. Was it really fair that the male who had hunted for them and prepared them hadn't had anything to eat?

Maybe if she took them back, he would see it as a peace offering. Then again, it would also leave her without any food. After debating with herself, she took one more fish and wrapped it in a leaf. If nothing else, she would be able to keep Periwinkle fed.

Snuggling the still sleeping Peri against her chest, she crossed the stream and retraced her steps back to the beach. Once again, her path was unmistakable. He really must not like the jungle , she thought, since he hadn't followed her either time. The knowledge gave her a little extra confidence as she crouched in the bushes at the edge of his beach once more.

He had his back to her, and he was walking into the ocean. Now that he was a little further away, she could relax enough to appreciate the magnificent sight. If it wasn't for the blue scales, he could have been a human man—an exceptionally large and muscular man—but as the water reached his waist, she saw the fin rising along his back and gulped. Definitely not human.

His head disappeared silently beneath the gentle waves. He had probably gone to hunt again, she thought guiltily, looking at what remained of the fish. So he really wouldn't miss these, would he?

Yes , her conscience insisted. They belong to him.

Keeping a wary eye on the ocean, she crept out of the undergrowth and returned the branch of fish to its previous position before scurrying back undercover. Nothing disturbed the surface of the water, and she lingered, taking in the rest of his beach.

In addition to the fire pit, he had a low table that appeared to be made from branches tied together by knotted vines. More vines had been woven together to create a hammock that swung gently between two trees, and she regarded it enviously.

She hadn't even considered where she was going to sleep tonight. Her previously unknown criminal instincts pointed out that she could just borrow the hammock while he was underwater, but she immediately rejected the idea. Food was a necessity; a comfortable place to sleep was not.

It didn't look like a permanent residence, she decided, remembering her previous curiosity about whether or not he was alone. Maybe he was just on a fishing expedition. But he must have come from somewhere. The possibility of a civilization intrigued her, but she wanted to find out more about this one alien.

But first she wanted to go back and see if Peri's mother had returned. Since the water was still quiet, she decided to walk around the point on the beach rather than fighting her way through the jungle.

A'rien's head emerged from the water as soon as the little female headed back along the beach. He watched curiously, glad that he had decided to bide his time before confronting her about her theft.

Although he was most at home in the water, he was quite competent on land as well. He had no problem following her into the jungle when she fled with his fish. He had intended to retrieve them from her, possibly demanding a small forfeit for his trouble, but he'd been intrigued enough to watch and see what she did with them. He'd been shocked when he realized that she had a young animal with her and she had chosen to feed it first. From the way she subsequently devoured her own meal, it wasn't due to lack of hunger on her part. It confirmed his initial impression: she was an innocent.

He had been even more shocked when she picked up the remaining fish and started back towards him. He barely made it to the beach before she reached it. He shook his head, still not believing that she had returned the uneaten portion. She clearly had no way to fend for herself, and yet she had given up her stolen food.

My little female is turning out to be more complicated than I imagined , he thought as he watched her walk away.

For once she wasn't running from him and he took a long leisurely look. She didn't belong to any species he recognized, but she was remarkably attractive. Long, slender limbs, those temptingly curved buttocks, a cloud of wavy brown hair that caught the light from the low slanting rays of the sun.

He shot a glance over his shoulder. Darkness would be falling before too long, and he found he didn't like the thought of his little female alone in the dark. He hadn't detected any signs of large predators on the island, but she seemed remarkably defenseless.

He followed her, swimming parallel to the beach so he could keep his eye on her as he began to come up with a plan.