Chapter 17 Zoey

It didn’t matter how many awards The Notebook had received in its heyday; it was impossible to pay attention to any of it with Harb’k right next to me. I had no idea what was going on on the screen, but I knew exactly where each part of Harb’k’s body was.

I was glad Heather had chosen couches at the back of the room so that her mate Nov’k wouldn’t block the view. I’d only met these people briefly before the movie started, and I didn’t want their first memory of me to be us all cuddled up while Harb’k’s horns blocked the screen. That wouldn’t be an ideal first impression, especially after my little mishap with Pip.

My first impression of this base was that it was a lot smaller than I’d expected. Unlike Sanctuary, which spanned a suburban block, this base was only a single intersection consisting of a shopping plaza, and kitty-corner to it, an old farmhouse that had once been converted into a daycare. There was also a barn and a few sheds.

From the air, I’d noticed that they’d cleared out a large nearby field, which still had much of their winter crops covered in clear plastic tunnels.

A little farther away, there was the strangest structure I’d ever seen. It was made from sections of prefabricated buildings and platforms. It was huge, almost the size of a city block. Harb’k had called it their battlefield. It was designed to funnel and trap large numbers of scourge while keeping human and Xarc’n fighters safe.

It made sense. With no cover here, they were sitting ducks for the flyers to pick off. They’d created artificial cover to even the odds when they fought, especially since it seemed the humans here fought alongside the hunters.

The living quarters were in the shopping plaza. Heather had promised me a quick tour after the movie. Friday was movie night.

Before settling down for the movie, I got to visit the most important location on the base: the outhouses. I appreciated that they’d built a covered and reinforced walkway to them. It would make going in the dead of night or during flyer hours much easier.

Then Heather pulled me into the room to join everyone for the movie, and Harb’k joined us not long after it started.

Someone passed out bowls of freshly popped popcorn to each couch. With the bowl of yumminess on his lap, Harb’k pretended to stretch to put his arm over my shoulder. He did it so obviously that it was humorous, like he was copying something he’d seen in a movie.

That had me thinking about the way he’d helped me relax so I could sleep earlier. I never did return the favor. Heat rushed to my face, and I was grateful again that we were at the back of a dim room. I leaned into him and reached over to grab some popcorn.

The buttery goodness almost had me moaning. Damn! I missed real butter so much.

It wasn’t a full-on moan, but I did make a soft humming noise, barely audible so as to not disturb the people actually paying attention. Harb’k’s body stiffened at the sound. I tilted my head up to look at him, and our eyes met. I found myself drowning in those golden orbs. A soft purring started up in his chest, but the rumbling didn’t stay soft. It grew louder and louder.

I looked around, but no one seemed to have noticed, or perhaps they had but were being polite by not mentioning it. Or maybe these Xarc’n warriors purred so often that they’d gotten used to it.

Yeah. That must be it.

Who woulda thunk they were jacked-up purple kittens!

I pretended to focus on the screen again, even though all I could really pay attention to was the heat emanating from his body. Okay, that was a lie. I could also pay attention to his massive, brawny arms around my shoulders and the thick thighs pressed next to mine. The vibrations from his chest traveled through our bodies to hit me where it counted, right between the legs.

I squeezed my knees together, hoping that those rumors about the aliens being able to smell everything, including lust, were just hearsay. This was when I noticed that Harb’k’s hand was clenched in a fist so tightly that his knuckles were a pale lilac. Was this his way of keeping the vibrations and the purring from getting any louder?

Deciding to distract myself from him with some popcorn, I reached over for the bowl but ended up grabbing the giant bulge behind it instead. Suddenly, the purring intensified, almost rattling the entire couch. There was no way anyone in the room could have missed that. I snatched my hand away. But it was already too late.

Harb’k’s nostrils flared, and he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply before a thunderous rumble threatened to shake our couch apart. That answered my question. Yes, they really could smell everything.

This time, someone from in front of us turned around angrily, glaring not at us but at Nov’k and Heather on the other couch. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Nov’k, just take her to your shuttle already.”

Oops. They’d mistaken the sound for the other hunter. But Nov’k and Heather didn’t call us out. They just stood and quietly left the room. But if they weren’t here to take the blame, the next time Harb’k purred, everyone would know it was him. Harb’k seemed to have figured that out as well. He stood, urging me up with him. We followed Heather and Nov’k out of the room through a doorway covered with heavy fabric drapes.

We were in another shop in the shopping plaza, and this one had been a restaurant. The original tables and chairs were still there, and the hall was clearly being used as a mess hall. The survivors had knocked an opening in the walls between the shops so they wouldn't need to step outside to get around. Some of the openings had proper doors installed, while others only had heavy drapes. Smart. It sure beat going outside during the noon hours when the flying bugs were thick in the skies or in the dead of winter when it was freezing.

“Sorry,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Don’t be. I already saw the movie anyway. No loss,” Heather said nonchalantly. “Maybe I can give you the tour of the place now.”

Nov’k frowned, looking terrifying. Clearly, he’d been looking forward to taking her to his shuttle for real.

“I will give her a tour,” Harb’k offered.

A calculating look crossed Heather’s face. “That’s a great idea.” She winked at me. “Enjoy your ‘tour’.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. She was trying to set us up.

“Toodles.” She wiggled her fingers at me before her hunter guided her out the door and into the parking lot.

I was alone again with Harb’k. Kind of. There were plenty of people in and around the camp, but everyone was busy with their own thing, so no one paid attention to us.

As much as I wanted to explore the base, a part of me secretly wanted to explore him instead and continue what we started in the shuttle. Helping me out was fine and good, except now that I’d had a taste, I craved more.

His hand was on my lower back, and warmth radiated from it. I let him guide me toward a set of double doors. He held the door for me and guided me through. I held my breath as I squeezed my body past his.

“The bottom level is mostly for working and training. The movie was playing in the war room. It’s where we make plans and have meetings. We were just in the mess hall. And these are the stairs to the top level.”

The professional-looking mirrored foyer looked almost exactly like the one leading to my old doctor’s office. There was a board on the wall with all the room numbers upstairs. But next to each number were the names of people instead of businesses.

He took my hand in his giant one and led me up the stairs. When I got up to the top, I was surprised to step into a large, open room. I’d expected a narrow, carpeted hallway like the one to my doctor’s, but they’d knocked down the walls of the offices closest to the stairs to form a large common area.

There were comfy-looking couches, beanbag chairs, and several low tables. A large dry-erase board was mounted on the wall with a drawing of a chipmunk on one corner and what looked like a foraging list down one side. Many of the items had already been crossed out. In the middle of the room, there was a set of playmats with a baby fence around them and enough toys inside to open a toy store. There were several cat trees, even though I hadn’t seen a cat yet.

There were sheer white drapes covering the windows, and heavier blackout curtains pushed to the sides. I could see through the gap in the curtains that the windows were heavily reinforced with metal bars. No centicreep was getting in here!

It was already past sundown, and the large room was lit by sconces with a warm, soft light. The hallway leading to the other offices was dark though, and lights came from several open doors down the hall.

Harb’k went to the first open door, knocked, and poked his head in.

“Hey, Harby, you made it back in one piece,” said a friendly female voice from inside the room. “I was worried about you.”

Harby? Jealousy surged through me. Why was this woman calling Harb’k a cutesy nickname? I recalled Pip talking about women with crushes on him.

I quickly tamped down the irrational emotion. Harb’k wasn’t mine. We were temporary partners, albeit with benefits. We weren’t like Heather and Nov’k.

“I did, and I brought a guest.”

A woman with mousy brown hair tied up in a ponytail stepped out of the room. And holding onto her leg was—

I gasped, the jealousy fading. I was staring at an adorable, mauve-colored toddler.

“I’m Mary,” said the woman. “And this is my daughter, Mina.”

That couldn’t… that wasn’t possible. The scientists had said… but obviously, the scientists were wrong. Because right in front of me was a mixed Xarc’n and human baby. There was no doubt about it. It had all of Mary’s features but also little teeny tiny nubs on her temples that I assumed would one day be horns. And she was mauve. And had little claws on her feet. And she was absolutely adorable!

“Oh my god!” My words came out in a high-pitched squeal. “You’re so precious. I never knew. Oh, wow.” Then, realizing that I was being ridiculously rude because I’d completely ignored the hand Mary had stuck out for me, I grabbed it and shook, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of little Mina.

“I’m assuming from your shocked expression that you aren’t from another hunter group.”

“No,” I said. “I was a nomad.”

Suddenly, another hunter stepped out of the room, growling. The menacing sound had me stumbling back a few feet. Harb’k was instantly between me and danger.

The hunter snarled, and Harb’k’s device translated. “Get her out of here, or I’ll remove her myself.”