Chapter 7

The outpost was a shining spire in the distance, a scar that cut through the untamed landscape. As the hours passed, it grew larger and larger, swallowing up more of the horizon. Soon, they”d be back in civilization.

Elian”s heart sank.

He”d known from the start that Rael was taking him for nefarious reasons. There was no other reason for an alien warlord to go on a road trip with a human. A human on Vasz…

The bounty on Elian”s head had to be enough to buy a small moon, enough to fund Rael”s people for years.

Elian swallowed. What kind of prison was waiting for him? What kind of trial? What kind of punishment?

He had to escape.

Somehow.

Elian tore his gaze away from the approaching outpost and looked at Rael. As they passed yet another marker leading them toward the outpost, the environment around them changing from thick wood to cleared land, Rael”s brow was creased with worry. His jaw was tight, his sharp eyes troubled.

Elian had only known Rael for a few days, but he already had the impression that it was rare to see Rael anything other than cooly confident. The sight sent a strange pang of concern through Elian. ”What is it?”

Rael hesitated, then let out a breath. ”I don”t belong in cities,” he said, eyeing the open land ahead of them. ”I belong in the wilds. The lands where I can hunt, where I can fight for my territory. Not this.”

He gestured towards the approaching outpost, as if the mere sight of it offended him. ”Not all the politics, the backstabbing, the never-ending games.”

”Games?” Elian said. ”I thought you alpha guys liked all that stuff. Showing off, throwing your weight around — that”s your kind of thing, isn”t it?”

Rael scowled. ”I”m a warlord, not a politician. I fight for what”s mine, not sit around listening to a hundred other blowhards tell me why I can”t have it.”

There was real heat in his voice, real disdain. For a moment, the fierce alien in front of Elian wasn”t a monster, there to sell Elian for his own skin. He was something else entirely — a wild creature, walking into a cage.

It was a glimpse behind the mask, and something about it tugged at Elian. It was a feeling he quickly tried to squash. If he felt sorry for Rael, then that was a slippery slope.

Sympathy for the guy who was going to turn him in? No way.

Elian looked at the outpost. One more day, and then Rael would hand him over.

Over the days that Elian had been in Rael”s possession, there had been moments of peace. After Rael had set up camp in the evenings, the danger of the journey seemed to bleed away a little.

Elian had never expected to find anything in common with an alien warlord, but as the days passed, he”d found himself enjoying those moments more and more.

That night, they sat by the fire, watching the stars come out. Finally, Elian dared to ask a question that had been burning at the back of his mind.

”About… about the rumors,” he said. ”About your kind. Eating humans.”

Rael”s scowled, his gaze snapping to Elian”s. ”That again?”

”I— I don”t know what to believe,” Elian said hurriedly. ”It”s not like I”ve had a lot of chances to ask aliens about their diets. But there”s got to be some kind of truth to it, right? Those rumors have been around for years.”

”I cannot fathom any Borraq eating a human,” Rael said, and then he paused, as if he was choosing his words. ”But… your human scent is… intoxicating to us. It”s a lure that”s hard to resist. A call to something deep in our blood.”

Elian”s heart beat a little faster. There was something both fascinating and dangerous in the way that Rael spoke, something that sent a shiver down his spine. ”And what happens when your kind gives into that lure?”

Rael”s gaze was intense. ”Do not plan to find out.” There was a warning in his tone— and something else, too.

Elian hurriedly looked away, staring into the depths of the night. The firelight danced over the bizarre shapes of the alien vegetation, but Elian didn”t see it. He was too busy wrestling with his own emotions: fear, and a fascination that warred with his better judgment.

He”d been right to be curious about the rumors. But now that he had an answer, he wasn”t sure that he liked it.

Elian”s heart thudded in his chest. Rael”s gaze was fixed on him, pinning him in place by the campfire. In the depths of those golden eyes, there was a desire that was unmistakable — and yet utterly alien.

It should have been terrifying. No-one had ever looked at Elian like that. No-one had ever made him feel so small, so vulnerable, like he was a rabbit caught in the sights of a predator.

And yet…

Elian”s heart raced, a surge of adrenaline mixing with something else. Something hot and heady, itchy under his skin. It was a feeling that he”d never experienced before, a strange cocktail of fear and excitement, drawing him towards the alien warlord like a magnet.

The silence between them was charged, thick with unasked questions and rising desire. In the heat of the alien night, neither of them moved to break it.

Elian cleared his throat, trying to keep his tone light. ”So if humans smell so distracting to Borraq, how do you manage to stay in control the way you do?”

Rael”s eyes flashed with heat. ”I”m an alpha. I”m in control of my own body.”

Despite his words, there was something in the way that Rael looked at him, something in the way that Rael”s gaze followed the line of Elian”s throat as he swallowed, that suggested otherwise.

Elian was getting to Rael.

Rael had been controlling himself, but it took effort.

The idea that Elian was desirable to anyone… It was insane at the best of times. He was just some run-of-the-mill warfront trash, volunteering for a generation ship to terraform for the people who were actually worth anything.

No-one wanted him. He was a war orphan, left behind by everyone he”d ever known. It was why he”d signed up for the colony ship — but the family it promised had gone up in smoke, just the same as every other hope of a family that Elian had ever had.

And now an alien king was telling him he was tempting.

It was insane.

Elian edged a little closer into Rael”s personal space, entranced. He wanted to see what would happen — if he could get the proud alpha warrior to lose control.

If he could ruffle that confident facade…

Rael didn”t move away. ”Careful, human,” he rumbled. ”You won”t like the consequences if you push me.”

”Oh?” Despite the adrenaline that spiked through him, Elian managed to keep his voice light. ”What are you going to do?”

He was half-joking, half-teasing — but there was a dangerous glint in Rael”s eyes, something that sent a shiver of anticipation down Elian”s spine.

For one wild moment, he wanted to see what would happen if he did push Rael too far. He wanted to see that iron control crack, to see the proud alpha warrior lose his cool.

Desire and challenge warred in his veins, a heady cocktail that made his heart race. He edged even closer, right up into Rael”s personal space, until their thighs were pressed together.

Rael”s breath caught.

The moment hung between them, thick with heat and possibility. The crackling campfire, the distant hum of alien insects, the dark of the night — it all blurred away, leaving just the two of them.

Elian”s heart hammered in his chest. He”d dared to tease a powerful alpha warrior, to question his self-control, to insinuate that he couldn”t handle the heat between them.

Now he wanted to see what would happen next.

Rael turned to face him, his emerald eyes burning.

Elian”s heart raced as he watched Rael war with himself, as he saw the proud alpha”s control start to slip. Desire burned in those eyes, mingling with frustration, with a hunger for something that the alien warrior clearly wasn”t supposed to want.

And then Rael growled, low and dangerous. In one swift movement, he had Elian”s arms pinned behind his back, and then he tied them firmly together with a length of rope.

”Hey!” Despite the adrenaline that still spiked through him, Elian put on his best indignant glare. ”Let me go! This is unfair!”

Rael ignored him, finishing off the knots. ”You”re a maddening creature,” he growled.

He tied Elian”s bonds to a sturdy tree branch, and then he stepped away, putting distance between them. ”Tonight, you”re sleeping there.”

”W-where are you sleeping?”

Rael simply gestured to the other side of the campfire, where the bedrolls were placed.

”You”re really making me sleep over here?” Despite the heat of the moment, despite the adrenaline that still coursed through him, Elian couldn”t help the incredulity in his voice. ”What am I going to do, seduce you in my sleep?”

Rael”s expression was utterly deadpan. ”If anyone can manage it, I”m sure it”s you.”

He settled down for the night, wrapping himself in his bedroll and turning his back on Elian.

Tied up by himself, far away from the heat of the alpha warrior, Elian couldn”t help a grin from spreading across his face. Half of him felt victorious, giddy at the proof that he”d managed to get under Rael”s skin. The other half of him burned with the memory of desire, frustrated at the lack of closure.

He”d won something — but he”d lost something, too. Tied up in the cool night air, the crackle of the campfire the only sound in his ears, both feelings warred within him, keeping his heart racing just as much as any moment of desire.

He was in the middle of a dangerous game — and he wasn”t quite sure of the rules.