6. Amanda

Chapter 6

Amanda

I woke to a hard-on pressing against my ass and warm alien arms holding me tight against his chest.

With a yelp, I slid back on his thighs. I would've fallen if he hadn't kept a tight hold on my arms.

"Take care, mate," he purred. "You don't want to fall."

"Make that thing go away." I pointed to his cock tenting his loincloth. Damn, it was big. I tried to shove the image of him naked from my mind, but it was hard—as hard as his cock was getting.

He chuckled. "There will come a day when you won't want me to make this thing go away."

"Never," I vowed. But my stupid bones felt melty, and I couldn't stop staring. "Why are you so appealing?"

He stood and secured the pouch and flask to his loincloth before tugging me up to stand with him. "Because we're fated. If it helps, know that I feel the same way about you. "

Ugh. I didn't want to think about all that fated stuff.

I peered over the side of the branch. The sun had risen, and the light had stolen all the predators away—I hoped. "How are we going to get down?"

One step forward, and he'd wrapped his arm around me, holding me against his side.

He leaped.

I gasped.

We landed on the forest floor.

"Like that," he drawled.

"Next time, give a girl some warning, would you?" I jerked away from him, then nearly fell when I tripped over a root.

He snagged my arm and kept me from landing hard on the ground. Here I was, continuously insisting I could protect myself, but I appeared as defenseless as a newborn kitten compared to him.

He untied the pouch and tugged out more roots, handing me one. Since the first hadn't disagreed with me, I happily took it and started munching.

"Come along, mate," he said cheerfully. He lifted his very limp purple plant and tucked the stem into the waistband of his loincloth. The big blossom bobbed in the air as he moved.

"I'm not a morning person," I said, trotting along beside him. "I need at least two cups of tea to rev me up."

"What's tea?"

We rounded our tree and continued down a path weaving through the dense forest. Small, fluffy purple creatures hopped around on the forest floor. Spying us, they chittered and leaped into the trees, staring down at us as we passed.

"Leaves steeped in water," I said.

He frowned. "Do you wash yourself in it?"

"No, I drink it."

"Ah, I see." His frown didn't fade. "We can talk about tea when we reach our home."

" Our home?"

"You plan to live by yourself?"

Not out here, but not with him either.

Before I could challenge him further about this, something made a peep sound on our right. I paused on the trail, wondering if something was about to attack.

Xax's head tilted. When the thing peeped again, he lifted his finger. "Wait here."

On the trail by myself with enormous birds and blue triceratops possibly lurking in the area? No thanks.

Maintain vigilance and position yourself in secure, open spaces. The words from one of my self-defense classes echoed in my mind. This space was too wide open. Keep your eyes open. Know who's around and where you are.

Where I was? Lost if I didn't keep sight of Xax.

I tiptoed after him.

"Do you have to pee?" I whispered. Actually, I might, and soon.

"No, I—"

Another peep came from our right.

He glanced over his shoulder at me before weaving around the bushes covered in spikes and pale blue flowers. Curious, I followed.

In a small clearing, he stopped and stooped down. At first, I didn't see anything.

He scooped up a purple creature smaller than his palm and straightened, holding out his hands for me to see what he'd found. "A drettire pup."

"A baby?" It had a sleek, purple coat and a bushy tail no longer than my index finger. "It looks like a squirrel." I described the creature from Earth.

"They're everywhere here."

I'd seen them in the canopy and scurrying across the ground, hiding behind bushes as we passed.

"The young ride on their mother's back, but occasionally, they fall off or . . ." His concerned gaze met mine.

"That big bird took its mom last night, didn't it?"

"It's hard to say, but perhaps."

"What are we going to do about it? We can't leave a baby all alone in the forest. It'll die without its mother, won't it?"

"We don't know if the bird took its mother. To be sure, we'll have to leave it for now."

"Nooooo."

"Its mother could be nearby, watching us."

"Will she reject it now that you've touched it? I wouldn't want to steal a baby from its mom."

"In the past, when I've found one who's been dislodged, the best thing to do is place it on a low branch where its mother will find it. She'll come back if she can. She won't reject it. "

"Let's do that, then. Can we return and make sure it's been reunited with its mom?"

"I will tomorrow." He snuggled it against his throat while peering around, looking for the right branch to leave the baby.

Xax was such a big guy. He looked almost comical holding the tiny creature. He gently stroked the tiny beastie's back, and it purred, leaning into his touch.

When he found the right tree, he held the drettire out to me. "Last chance to touch it." He gently laid the tiny creature in my eager hands. Like him, I held it against my throat, and when it purred, my heart melted—not just for the baby, however.

My reluctant heart was beginning to melt for the big, kind alien guy who was unlike any other person I'd met before.

I hated to let it go, but I wouldn't want to take it from its mama who could be quivering beneath a bush nearby, watching everything we did with her baby.

After taking it back, he scaled the tree quickly.

"You're sure you'll come back tomorrow?" I called up to him.

"I will, though I'm not sure what I'll do with the baby if its mother hasn't claimed it."

"We'll take it home, of course."

One side of his thick brow ridge rose. "We?"

"Well, me. Or you. Someone. Is there an animal shelter or a rescue operation nearby that takes wild creatures?"

"I haven't heard of such a thing. "

I wasn't surprised. This was an alien planet. They probably left little things like this to nature. Its mother would come for it or something else would . . .

Maybe someone should open an animal rescue.

No, no, don't go there, I chided myself. My dream was to open a tea shop, not a tea shop/animal shelter for tiny stray creatures like this.

As he gently lowered the baby close to the trunk and leaped down from the branch, I kept thinking.

The idea didn't leave my mind as we continued walking, both of us peering over our shoulders to see if the baby's mom would arrive and claim it.

I still hadn't forgotten about it when I could no longer see the pup from the trail.

"The bird won't come back and eat the pup, will it?" I asked.

"The youngling will remain quiet most of the time."

"It was peeping."

"It was calling its mother."

"So it'll keep peeping," I said sadly.

"It's the only way it can tell its family where it waits. She'll scent it and find it soon."

"You're sure?"

"It will be safe until tomorrow." He pressed his fist against his chest again. "I promise."

Alright. I couldn't shake my frown, but my heart lightened a tiny bit.

It wasn't like I could go back and scoop the baby up to adopt it myself. I didn't even know where I was going to sleep tonight, let alone what I'd eat for my next meal other than maybe another hunk of root. There was no way I could take on the responsibility of a tiny creature like that.

"You said you live in a village?" I asked to distract myself from the pup.

"Yes, there are fourteen of us."

"A small group."

He nodded. "Too small. We hope others will come live with us, but our traedor . . ."

"Traedor?"

"Our leader is not very welcoming."

"Maybe it's time to elect someone new, then, someone who'll be more welcoming."

"He battled for this position, and no one has challenged him since," he said.

"I'm sorry about that."

He shrugged.

"Do you live in wooden houses?" I kept my voice low in case the big bird or one of its friends decided it was time to hunt us for breakfast. "On Earth, we build homes from stone and metal too. With all the enormous trees in the forest, you must use wood like some of my people do."

"We live in shrooms."

"Psilocybin mushrooms?" My chuckle rang out, though his face remained stoic. "Okay, maybe you don't mean psilocybin mushrooms."

"You'll see. The Ulistar Clan is the plant clan, so we live in plant homes. We have one god, that of vegetation."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"Each clan worships a different god. Ours is the god of plants."

I'd always enjoyed learning about other cultures. I tried to picture his people praying to a plant but wasn't sure I could. What if the plant died? "What do other clans worship?"

"Multiple gods of crystal and wood. There are even gods of stone."

I couldn't imagine such a thing, but I wasn't a highly religious person myself. People needed something , though, and his had found this. I hoped it brought them comfort.

"You'll like it in my village," he added.

With an unwelcoming traedor?

"Do you have any spare shrooms available for visitors?" I asked. "Hotel Shroom. I could stay there until I figure out how to return to Earth." Could I talk his god into sending me back?

"We only have enough shrooms for those in our clan."

"I thought you said you were trying to get others to move to your village. Where would they live?"

"If anyone chose to join our clan, we'd plant spores and their shroom would grow. Once it was ready for them to live in, we'd help them hollow it out and move inside."

"How long does it take for a shroom to mature?"

"A full slice of the moons."

Was that a month? I'd assume so. "Your shrooms must grow quickly."

He shrugged.

He'd said moons , not moon. I peered up but only saw dense vegetation with sunlight slanting through it. "How many moons does Zuldrux have?"

"Two. One's the color of your skin." He pressed his finger into my arm, blanching the surface. "The other is darker, about the color of our lake."

"Purple if I remember correctly."

He nodded.

"Like the plant you're still carrying." It looked pitiful with its stem bent and its blossom starting to fade, but he appeared determined to hold onto it.

"The plant is a sign from our god. I intend to carry it to my village."

"You need to put it in water."

He frowned down at it. "It is a sign. It doesn't need water."

"I'm no florist, but last I heard, limp plants need to drink."

"You don't understand our gods."

He had that right. I let it go. After all, he lived here. His was the clan of vegetation. Back home, I couldn't even keep a houseplant alive.

The idea of growing houses instead of building them fascinated me, however, and I couldn't wait to see what he was talking about. "Tell me more about the shrooms. I assume they're a plant of some kind, since you mentioned spores."

"They're also a gift from our god. "

"I'm sensing more plant involvement here."

He flashed me a tusky smile that made heat coil across my belly. "You're correct." Was his silver hair as soft as it appeared? I hadn't thought to touch it the night before. I wanted to slide my fingers through it and stroke the nape of his neck. Tug his head down to—

My heart flipped, and I tripped over nothing, tumbling toward the ground.

He swept me up in his arms before I could crash and tear what was left of my tattered robocop nightie. "Take care, mate."

"Yeah, I will. You can put me down now, mate ." I was joking. Mostly.

His face remained serious. "Do I have to?"

"I'd like you to." Actually, my stupid body was saying it enjoyed being held by Xax's. But when he placed my feet back on the purple leaves mulching the forest floor, I didn't protest.

"I need to visit the bushes," I said.

He frowned before his face cleared, and he waved to a cluster of shrubs on our right.

I ducked behind them and did my business, silently cursing the lack of toilet paper. Was that something else I was going to miss out on for the rest of my life? I didn't dare use any leaves. There was no need to pick up an alien rash on my booty.

When I returned to the path, we started walking again, continuing silently for what felt like hours.

We ate more roots for lunch.

"How much farther?" I asked .

"We'll reach my village before sunset."

From the angle of the light, that would be a few more hours. My poor feet were killing me, every muscle and bone in my body ached, and I wanted to lay down and take a long nap. But I wasn't going to ask him to carry me. I was still spooked by how amazing it had felt when he held me earlier. A repeat might make me crave him even more than I already did.

"I'm sorry you haven't been able to get others to move to your village," I said, returning to our earlier conversation. Fourteen people wasn't a big enough gene pool to sustain healthy life. "Could you talk your traedor into being more welcoming?"

"We try without much success. He'll come around one day."

I could hear the hope in his voice, but he knew his traedor, not me.

"Long ago," he said, "one of his ancestors led my clan to the place where we live now. They planted our first shrooms. We've been there ever since, and I'm the current traedor's second-in-command."

"That sounds like an honorable role."

"Some would agree."

"What do you say about it?" I asked, looking up at him.

"That I've accepted my position in my village."

"With fourteen people living there, I doubt there are many other jobs to choose from."

He tugged a branch off the trail, making sure I passed before he released it to snap back into its original place. " One youngling lives in our village, but the rest are adults. We only have three females, my mother, Gerain, and her adult daughter, Floosar."

"Please don't think this means I'm going to do laundry and wash the dishes." I was mostly joking.

His brow furrowed, and I wished he wouldn't frown like that. It made him look cute. "Why would I think you'd do laundry and dishes?"

"Because I'm female."

"What does being female have to do with those tasks?"

It suddenly dawned on me. "You guys take care of yourselves," I breathed.

"Of course we do. Whatever our god doesn't do for us, we do ourselves."

I wasn't exactly sure what that meant. He must be speaking figuratively. Fourteen villagers wasn't many people, though. It was sad. "You must be lonely."

"Sometimes. We're a clan. We have each other."

A worrisome thought occurred to me. "Will your traedor allow me to stay with your clan?"

"I'm sure he will. You're female. He'll probably welcome you . And never fear, I won't let my traedor take you."

"Why would he do something like that?"

"Because he longs for a mate as much as the rest of us."

"None of you have me. Remember that." I wasn't going to be a plaything handed from one alien to another .

"Only me, mate. Only me."

"I can take care of myself, but I don't know anything about Zuldrux or how to live in the woods. I'm a city girl. I was never a Girl Scout, and I've never been camping. Last night was the first time I slept outside. I understand plants, at least the ones I select in the supermarket for dinner, but those are Earth vegetables, not anything from around here." I swallowed. "I'm determined to watch out for myself, but I don't know how to survive here."

"That's why I ask you to trust in me. I'll watch out for you."

"Until I figure out how to do it myself."

He grinned. "We'll see."

Yes, we would.

"Gerain and Floosar know everything about plant life," he said. "I'm sure they'll share their knowledge with you."

I nodded.

"We're not completely isolated," he said. "We trade with the Veerenads. We travel occasionally to visit other clans. Some of our males have found mates from among them and moved in with their clan."

"Are the Veerenads a clan like yours?" Perhaps they lived nearby and had a place I could stay until I figured out what I was going to do. The pod I'd arrived in had sunk into the lake, and I doubted it would function again even if I could drag it to shore. Like a phone dunked in the bathtub by accident, it wouldn't work until it sat in rice for ages. I suspected Zuldrux was fresh out of rice .

"The Veerenads are lizard people. They live quite a distance from here."

"If I remain with your clan, what would my duties be?" I wasn't seriously considering staying here, but where else could I go?

"You could massage my back. Pamper me as a good mate should."

My lips thinned and irritation swirled through me. "I told you I'm not your mate." Then I noted his lips curling up, and my irritation whooshed out of me. "You're teasing me."

"Somewhat. I would never turn down your offer of a massage." His smile rose farther. "I'll worship you instead. You can sit and soak in my adoration."

"I'm not a god."

"Close enough."

I tilted my head, staring up at him. "Your gods are female?"

"I don't believe they have gender. I never asked."

"What would your worship entail?" I wasn't sure why I was going along with this.

"I'd prepare all our meals. Feed them to you if you'd like. Hunt for you. Protect you." He pressed his fist against his chest again. "I will be your undying defender."

With a limp flower?

However, I wouldn't turn down a massage, and he was welcome to cook. "I'll feed myself."

"Very well. Aren't females worshiped where you come from? "

"Not enough, Xax. Not enough."

"Then allow me to do so."

The thought of him fetching me chocolates and rubbing my feet upon my command fluttered through me. Heat churned along with it, diving down to that sweet spot between my legs.

I was not developing a crush on this big blue alien, was I?

Nah. Not possible. I barely knew him.

We walked for at least another hour. I was dragging by then, and he kept shooting me concerned looks.

"Let me carry you," he also kept saying.

"No," was always my reply.

Finally, in a big open meadow ahead, I spied purplish white structures the size of two-story houses growing in a circle in the center of a big open field. I picked up my pace, taking care where I placed my slippers. Hopefully, his clan could provide me with boots or something similar to sneakers.

"Are those your shrooms?" I asked.

"Yes."

"They're pretty. Did you know that you can make tea with nonpoisonous mushrooms?"

"I did not know that. Please don't cut into our homes to make your tea."

"I wouldn't dream of it." I peered around, though I didn't recognize even a single leaf growing on the forest floor.

For my tea shop, I'd planned to work with suppliers to obtain stock, but I'd hoped one day to travel around the world and make arrangements with small organic suppliers who could ship more exclusive teas. I wanted to buy leaves direct and craft my own specialty blends.

My throat closed off with sadness. My dream had popped.

We rounded a thick stand of trees and stopped at the edge of the woods. Late day sunlight pierced my eyes, and I shielded them with my hand.

My gasp rang out. "Amazing," I breathed.

"See?" he said with a tusky grin. "I told you you'd like it here." There was something about him that made me itch to step closer. I wanted to stroke my fingertips across his muscular shoulders, slide them to his chest, and play music on his taut abs. I had a feeling the tune would be stuck in my head forever, and I'd never want to nudge it away.

Danger, danger. Red lights were flashing in my mind, but I couldn't make myself step out of his orbit. Fortunately, he didn't appear to notice my falling smile.

"Come. I'll show you," he said.

I followed him along a narrow track weaving through tall, golden strands of grass, gaping at the circle of shrooms ahead made up of milky white stems and wide caps in every shade of purple imaginable. They really did resemble huge alien mushrooms.

"They're incredible." I tipped my head back to study them. They'd been planted in a ring, each about a house-length apart, a good thing since the mushroom tops stretched well beyond the sides of their thick stems. Lush vegetation grew around each, the golden plants speckled with lavender and pink.

He continued forward, aiming toward one of the mushrooms on the opposite side. "It's not usually this quiet. More often, my clan members are outside, either enjoying the nice evening or working in their gardens. We grow our own vegetables and hunt for meat. Others collect tubers near the lake or gather berries in the forest."

"Maybe everyone's sleeping? Naps are a wonderful thing." I needed one badly.

"While our shrooms care for us like the crystal or wooden gods do in other clans, we still have many things we need to do during the day. We're much too busy to nap."

That was a shame.

"What sort of things do your shrooms do for you?" I asked.

"They provide and clean our clothing."

"Not to be unkind, but you're wearing a scrap of fabric tied around your waist." Not exactly what I'd call an outfit.

He glanced down. "Loincloths are comfortable."

"Do females wear loincloths too?"

"Tunics that come to here." He tapped the skin above his knee.

I assumed a dress like some wore on Earth.

He had thick thighs, bulging with more muscles as if he worked out all the time.

Maybe he was a logger on the side. Or . . . he competed in triathlons. I was going out on a limb with this, but there must be a reason his body was so ripped and luscious.

"Your job as your traedor's second must give you plenty of exercise," I said.

He frowned.

Why was he cute even while doing that? My hormones had gone haywire, that was why I felt that way. Maybe I was due for my period. Who knows? I'd been locked inside a pod for what could've been years.

"My duties take up much of my time," he said. "I hunt, guard the village when it's my turn, attend to my garden, cut wood for the firepit we all share in the evening."

"Wood is heavy. That explains it, then."

His brow knit further. "Explains what?"

"How you've bulked up." I tapped his thick forearm. "You have lots of muscles."

"I see."

I doubt he did but that was okay. "What else does your shroom god do for you?"

"They keep our structures clean."

"Like a central vac. That's nice."

He nodded, though I could tell he didn't know what in the world I was talking about. "They advise us and do many other things. You'll soon see."

"How do they advise you?"

"We ask, they reply in their own way. Don't you speak with your god?"

"Not often," I said .

"I can't imagine such a thing. It's hard not to speak with our god." His arm swept out to the enormous mushrooms around us. "Our god lives within our homes."

"Like Alexa?" I was trying to understand, but there was no comparison on Earth. "Alexa's a computer. She listens and answers questions. She'll tell you how to make a dish from a recipe, play music at your request, and she'll even order things online if you ask."

"Perhaps you do understand. Your god lives in your homes too."

Not really, but I was going to nod and go with that for now.

"I'm sure you'll show me the bounty of your god." It felt strange saying that, but this appeared to be how he saw it. I wasn't a religious person. I trusted there was someone or something out there and that whoever that was had my best interests at heart. But I couldn't fathom a physical being who vacuumed, did the laundry, plus provided other tangible items that proved their godliness. There was a first time for everything, I supposed.

He stopped in front of a shroom stem that had to be three of my arm's length around.

The center split, gaping to the sides, revealing a small space within.

"This way, my reluctant mate," he said with a sultry smile that tripped through me like a stiff glass of whiskey on a Saturday night. Using his limp purple plant, he waved for me to enter the stem ahead of him. "I can't wait to show you my home."