5. Amanda

Chapter 5

Amanda

W e walked along a wide trail meandering through the woods, following the triceratops who'd romped through the forest and disappeared into the trees. As long as they didn't turn back and trample us, I could handle snaking around the steaming piles of dung they'd left behind.

My nightie kept flopping down, flashing my right boob, until Xax stopped and turned me to face him. He handed me the limp purple plant he insisted was a sign from his gods.

Before I could back away, he gently gathered the two torn pieces of my nightie together. My skin twitched from the glide of his rough calluses, and I didn't like the way the tingles followed the same path. Frowning, he tied the fabric in a knot to keep my nipple from peeking out once more. After studying my face for a long moment, he took the purple plant from me and nodded.

"Thank you," I said. Most guys would've joked about me exposing myself to them, but this one had seen my discomfort and fixed the problem. I couldn't remember the last time someone had done something this kind for me.

"Are you an only child?" I asked as we started walking again.

"Yes. You?"

"Same. My parents abandoned me when I was ten. They dropped me off at the fire department and hit the gas, riding off into the sunset together."

"I don't know what a fire department is, but I'm sorry." Taking my hand, he squeezed it before releasing it.

"I appreciate that, Xax, but my life after that wasn't half bad. I was placed in a good foster home, and they kept me safe and made sure I had three meals each day. And the after-school program at the YMCA down the street was amazing. That kept me out of trouble."

"Did your new parents love you?"

"Yes. No. I don't know." I frowned. "They weren't mean to me."

"I'm sorry again."

"Don't pity me. They gave me the most important thing, a home." I peered up at him, liking but not liking the sympathy shining in his teal eyes. The color reminded me of pictures I'd seen of the Caribbean Sea. The kind of water that looked pretty until you stepped into it and got stung by a jellyfish or something like that. He was so beautiful that if he turned on the charm, I was going to have a hard time resisting him. Would he end up stinging me too? "What about your parents?"

"They died when I was a youngling." His strong jaw tightened, and shadows flicked through his eyes. "Our elder took me in. She fostered me like your parents did."

"I'm sorry. Was she nice to you?"

"Yes, she loves me, and I love her as well."

Must be nice. I swallowed down the bitter lump in my throat. Every kid deserved to be adopted by someone who'd love them. I was just one of the unlucky ones, but that didn't mean I hadn't grown up right.

"We're both orphans," I said. "Although, my parents might still be alive. I kept hoping they'd send me a letter to tell me where they were. Maybe say they missed me and that they'd made a mistake, that they would come for me soon. They never did."

He squeezed my fingers again.

I stared down at our joined hands. His was so much bigger than mine, making it look like an adult held the hand of a child. But it felt nice to entwine our fingers, to share our feelings of abandonment.

To compensate for feeling that way, I'd taken a ton of classes at the Y, especially every self-defense class offered. I felt stronger and more confident when I knew I could protect myself.

"Where's your village?" I asked.

He waved the purple plant in the direction we were walking. "Quite a distance away. We'll have to spend the night in the forest. "

Great. Just great. "I hope you have excellent camping skills because mine are nonexistent."

"I'll protect you. We'll begin walking again in the morning and arrive at my village by late afternoon."

"Why were you so far from your village?"

"I traveled to the Veerenad city and was returning home." He peered around, though I wasn't sure what he was looking for.

We walked for about a half an hour, him studying the purple vegetation, me trying not to trip on every root, rock, and snaky vine thing networking the forest floor. By then, the sun hovered not far above the horizon. We hadn't seen any creatures other than some small purple squirrels who fled into the brush if they caught me looking. A shiver tracked through me when I realized that most of the predatory beasts must come out after it got dark and we'd be sleeping— not sleeping, actually—while they hunted.

"Are we going to stop soon?" I finally asked. My feet were developing blisters, my belly was rumbling, and it was starting to get dark.

"Yes, as soon as I find the right place." He tapped the strap holding a sheathed weapon on his chest. "Have no fear. I will defend you from everything."

"Give me a weapon, and I'll defend myself."

"It's my role as your mate to do it. Trust me in this."

No thanks. The only time I trusted someone—when I was eleven—they tried to stuff me into the back of their van. Only a random kick on my part made them release me. I'd found the Y not long after that and started my first self-defense class.

After hefting a me-sized stick, I continued walking beside Xax, crooking my head back to stare in awe at the trees that were unlike anything I'd seen before.

"I've never seen purple trees," I said.

"What color are the trees where you come from?"

"They have brown trunks and bark. Green vegetation." When I touched one of the trees, I found the bark jagged yet silky smooth. And when I rapped my knuckle on it, it clanged like it was made of metal.

So odd.

A giant bird swooped overhead, its long, clawed legs dangling low enough to scrape across the purple canopy. It held something fluffy and in a lighter purple in its grip, though I wasn't sure what that could be.

I tightened my grip on the stick, wishing I was carrying a gun or a knife. Even a sword would do, though I'd only taken one class in fencing.

Squinting, Xax also tilted his head back and watched the big creature.

The bird kept going, cawing, the whoosh of its enormous wings echoing around us.

"We'll stop here," he finally said.

I took in the enormous trees and the mulched leaves underfoot. "You wouldn't happen to have a steel tent hidden away nearby, would you?"

"What's a tent?"

"A temporary structure we can sleep in. Steel to keep out the predators. "

"You don't need to worry about anything like that." He flashed me a tusky smile I took as patronizing despite how sexy it was. "I'll place you in a secure location then gather our meal."

I was too tired to unpack all that. "Okay."

He lowered his purple plant to the ground at the base of a tree.

Before I could make a peep, he'd grabbed my hand, tugged me into his arms, and hefted me, dropping me over his shoulder.

I yelped.

He leaped up into the branches overhead and landed squarely on one that had to be fifteen feet above the ground.

"What are you doing?" I wailed, smacking his ass with my stick.

He ignored the blows. "I'm placing you in a secure location." He slid me down his front and held my arms until my feet were solid on the branch. With a nudge, he backed me against the trunk. "Wait here."

He flung himself off the branch, landing squarely on the ground, then trotted around the tree and out of view.

Shit. He'd abandoned me close to the big bird who'd just flown by. Did the bird have friends? I tipped my head back and studied the shifting vegetation, but I didn't see anything I needed to be worried about—yet.

At least I still had my stick.

Swallowing hard, I slid down the trunk and sat on the wide branch, sliding my legs out in front of me and laying my stick on my lap. Gripping it tight, I tipped my head back against the bark and sighed.

More sighs were followed by yawns. My eyes refused to remain open and . . .

I woke to a soft sound, and my eyes snapped open. I flung my stick out blindly, and it clunked into—

With a grin, Xax latched onto my stick. He removed it from my grasp and placed it on the wide branch behind him.

"You won't need that tonight," he said.

"Maybe I'll need it to keep you in line." I rose to my shaky feet and peered around. While I'd dozed, the sun had set, and the forest had not only darkened, but it had also come alive. Shrieks rang out, followed by heavy thuds, and small things kept rustling the leaves overhead.

Pressing my back against the trunk, I hugged my waist and shivered.

"You're cold." He tugged me against his body, turned, and sat, gently settling me on his lap. His big warm arms enfolded me. "I'll warm you and then we can eat."

"I'm sorry." My voice shook with my tremors.

"Why?"

"Here I am insisting I can defend myself, and the first thing I do? Fall asleep, leaving me exposed to every predator in the area."

"None would've come near. They'd scent me and head in the opposite direction."

"You were gone."

"I was foraging." He untied a small pouch secured to his loincloth waistband and opened it, pulling out a long strip of something tan he held out to me. "Dinner."

I stared down at the solid thing about the length of a pencil and the thickness of . . . well, his cock. Definitely didn't need to be thinking about his cock that was stirring beneath my body and felt longer than a pencil. "What is it?"

"A root that grows in moist soil. I dug them for our dinner and breakfast. Once we reach our village, we'll have other things to eat."

Would an alien root irritate my stomach? My belly shouted it was willing to give it a try, so I took a bite. It tasted vaguely like jicama, an Earth root vegetable I'd only had once but enjoyed. Crunchy and lightly sweet.

My belly cried out with joy.

We ate in companionable silence, finishing our roots. He had a second, though I deferred. I watched his strong white teeth munch through his meal, and when he untied the flask hanging from his side and held it out to me, I didn't hesitate even a second before loosening the top and taking a number of long swallows.

"Water," I whispered, still not eager to let anything in the area know we were here. "It tastes good."

"I filled it at the lake earlier."

Was I now being invaded by alien parasites? His "gods" wouldn't have brought me to a place with things that would kill me, would they? I had to trust they wouldn't. Although, they'd gifted me to Xax, and that should show me how off they might be about everything.

After he drank too, he stretched out his arm, laying the pouch and flask on the branch behind me. "We'll sleep here."

"I can lay on the branch." Though I suspected I wouldn't be able to sleep any longer. I'd only succumbed because I was exhausted and still fighting off whatever drugs his gods had used to keep me under.

"You'll remain in my arms." They tightened around me.

I couldn't drum up the energy to fight him about this. "No funny stuff, then."

Staring down at me, his head tilted. "Do you enjoy laughing?"

"Sometimes." I stifled a yawn.

"Sleep. I'll watch over you."

"I'm not tired." My yawn stretched out again.

"Sleep." He flashed me a tusky smile, his teeth gleaming in the moonlight. I couldn't see it through the canopy, but it shed just enough light to keep the world from eclipsing into complete darkness.

He shifted me around on his lap like I was a doll, easing my legs around his hips.

I didn't know where to place my hands but eventually laid them on his chest. "You should wear clothing." My eyelids kept drooping.

"I am."

"I mean cover your body."

"Why?"

My eyes closed and refused to open. "Because it wouldn't be so tempting."

I fell asleep to his low laugh.