Chapter 4 Grogen

“Abby?” Grogen called.

The only reply was her soft panting. He made his way over in the dark and found her crumpled against the wall, her small form freezing cold. Her hair, which had been covered in snowflakes, was now wet and cold. So was the rest of her. The front of her coat had blown open during their ordeal, and she was covered in melting snow.

She shook violently, and her hands felt like ice. He took them in his and helped her to her feet. Abby was usually overly independent and he almost expected her to reject the help, but today she let him guide her. Granted, it was dark in the garage and she probably couldn’t see. Grogen could just make out any obstacles with his enhanced Tallean night vision.

Sure enough, she tripped over some wires on the floor, falling into him, making him realize just how cold she was. It had only been a few minutes, but that was enough to chill her to the bone. Humans were not as robustly built as Talleans.

While humans were physically similar to Talleans and compatible with them sexually, they were also quite different. They were more susceptible to the elements, with thinner skin and slower healing. They also lacked any form of innate weaponry. They didn’t have any claws on their feet like Talleans did, or fangs. Their teeth weren’t even sharp.

They also didn’t have the cheek creases that allowed Talleans to extend their jaws and go into bloodlust, an altered state that made them temporarily stronger and faster in a fight, as well as enhanced their senses.

But what humans lacked in physical strength, they made up for with brains and courage. They made good, fast, cunning fighters when well-trained and given a weapon; Grogen had seen it many times here on the colony. There were plenty of humans taking jobs as guards, a dangerous role since much of the planet was still untamed wilderness, and wild beasts often broke through the fences to attack the colony.

During the Dominion attack two years ago, many of the humans who called Reka 5 home had taken up arms to protect it. Even Abby had been given a weapon and trained to fight. Since she worked here, he’d hoped they’d be put in the same group. But they’d placed colonists in groups depending on where they lived, not worked. He’d worried about her the entire attack.

At least now he knew that she could handle a blaster if she really needed to. Weapons, however, did nothing to protect against the yearly storms that plagued Reka 5.

“I will carry you,” he said.

This time she attempted to protest, but Grogen gathered her into his arms anyway. Her protests died, and she snuggled into him for warmth. He carried her to the staff room, which luckily still retained some of its heat, though it wouldn’t for long, because the heating was tied to the power.

Once she was safely on the couch and wrapped up in the emergency blanket he’d found in the first aid locker, he went to unload his supplies. The first thing he set up in the staff room was the portable heater. He’d planned on using it for the cabin, and it still had a partial charge. He’d need to get the power generator started.

Even with the heater on, she was shaking with cold. She was still wearing her wet clothes. That wouldn’t do. He helped her out of her coat and then pulled the thin dress underneath up and over her head.

“Hey!” The exclamation was punctuated by the chattering of teeth. “I was wearing that.” She tried to grab for it even as he tossed it over the table.

“And now you are not. It is soaked. You will warm up faster dry.”

She just pulled the thin blanket around her body, still shivering.

He needed to warm her up fast. He removed his wet jacket and pants and threw them over to join her coat before climbing onto the couch with her and hauling her into his lap.

She looked ready to kick up a fuss, but as he tucked the blanket around them she relaxed, the need for warmth winning out. They stayed there like that in the dark, with nothing but the light of the heater, and slowly, her teeth stopped chattering.

A sense of rightness filled him, like she belonged in his arms. The feeling was simultaneously wondrous and terrifying, making Grogen want to run…but that would leave her alone.

This was why he’d avoided spending time alone with her. This internal insistence that she was something special to him couldn’t be real.

He’d done his research before hiring her and knew that humans thought relationships between co-workers, or worse, bosses and employees, were completely taboo. Many humans living in the colony eventually dropped their reserved views on sex, but Abby had been relatively new to Reka 5 when he hired her, so he’d waited for her to make the first move.

She never did, so he assumed that she simply wasn’t interested in him, although much to his relief, she’d never settled down with anyone else either.

But that hadn’t stopped his body from reacting to her every chance it got. It was particularly difficult to rein in those reactions now.

It didn’t help that the azak bloom was just a hand span from his nose, the intoxicating fragrance mingling with her exotic one. It filled his head with carnal and completely inappropriate thoughts that had him adjusting his position so she wouldn’t notice the burgeoning erection under her lusciously round ass.

He held his breath to avoid inhaling any more of the mind-altering perfume, but it was impossible to escape it. Years of conditioning and knowing what the blooms meant had him picturing her under him, writhing in pleasure and screaming out her release.

Fuck! He had to get a hold of himself. If Abby wanted him, she’d offer him the flower, and they’d join under it for the winter solstice as per Tallean custom. She’d been here for long enough that she knew what the flowers represented. She had one in her hair, which must mean she planned on giving it away. But to whom?

He’d never seen her with the white flower in her hair before. Had she met someone? Or was she hoping to find a male who piqued her interest at the celebrations? He was instantly jealous of this hypothetical male.

No. She would not be giving that bloom to anyone, not if he had anything to do with it. But first, he needed to find out what was stopping her from going home. Something was making her feel unsafe there. When he found out what it was, he was going to make sure it never bothered her again.