8. Hold Me Close

EIGHT

HOLD ME CLOSE

Faktil quo Laus

I scared her off again.

Faktil scowled as he watched Naomi scurry out of the cabin and across the yard. His instincts screamed to chase after her, while his common sense cautioned otherwise. He was at war with himself. He wanted desperately to soothe the sweet female. Naomi's warm brown eyes were filled with so much pain and uncertainty when she related coming to the island, then asked him to take her home. It physically made his chest hurt. He wanted to tug Naomi against him and hold her until all that worry faded away.

At the same time, he wanted to hold Naomi for a very different reason. Faktil ran his tongue over his fangs. He salivated and his gums itched with the desire to lick the delicate column of her neck. It would look good with his mark.

"Bite her and you'll scare the mess out of her," he groaned at himself. "Make yourself useful and cut up the damn fruit. "

Faktil turned toward the table and spied Bandit glaring at him. He'd almost forgotten about the bird while talking with Naomi.

"So, you like fruit." He sat in one of the chairs, but had to angle sideways since his knees didn't fit under the table.

Bandit squished a berry with its talon in reply, never averting its critical beady gaze. The gesture spoke volumes.

This bird really does hate me.

Sadly, there wasn't much he could do about that, so Faktil focused on the fruit in front of him instead. Naomi asked him to cut the small yellow round ones in half. That was easy enough. He grabbed one of the orbs and chopped it in half.

"Oh, that's unusual," he exclaimed, once the innards were revealed.

The fruit had a thin rind and contained dozens of dark seeds suspended in pulpy globules. For some reason he expected it to be solid, but it looked like a gloppy mess. He lifted a segment and gave it a sniff. It had an unfamiliar, but sweet and fruity scent. He was tempted to give it a lick, then paused, recalling the last time he tasted some of the native foods.

"I think I'll wait." He set the fruit down and finished slicing the other yellow globes, all while ignoring Bandit's persistent stare.

Once that was done, he was ready to move on to the next task but paused.

"Which is the bunun?" Faktil eyed the selection in front of him.

There were red berries, small dark brown orbs with hard shells, medium-sized red orbs, and two curved yellow pods. Naomi had only vaguely pointed at the provisions. Although he'd interacted with humans, he knew nothing about their food .

"Do you know which one is the bunun?" he asked Bandit, though he didn't expect much help from the bird.

"Ba-na-nuh," Bandit scoffed at him, indignantly ruffled his plumage, then took off. As the bird headed out the open door, Faktil was certain he heard it hiss bad pig .

The bird corrected his pronunciation and called him the insulting name, but didn't point out which one was the banana.

"Thanks," Faktil laughed, impressed by the jibe. That was a level of sarcasm he'd never expect from an animal.

He sighed and gave up on the project until Naomi returned. His gaze then landed on the clutter in the middle of the small room.

I could be useful and pick up after myself.

He stood and again tested putting weight on his injured leg. It was tender, though not too bad. Using his tail, Faktil picked up the towel that had been his pillow. It was still damp, so he draped it over the end of the bedframe to dry. He grabbed the sheet, folded it, and set it on the bed, too. Without bending over, his tail fetched his cup of water.

"That's handy," Naomi commented from behind him.

He turned to find her standing in the doorway. It was slightly surprising that she returned so soon, but he was glad she did.

"As good as another hand." He smiled, his tail raising the cup in salute.

Faktil quickly panned Naomi. When she fled the cabin, her shoulders were hunched, her face down, like she'd folded in on herself. Leaning against the doorjamb, she appeared more confident, her chin up. She still didn't look him in the eye for more than a handful of moments, but this was an improvement. Again, the urge to pull her close struck him. Except giving in to that urge was what sent her running in the first place. He needed to remember it would take time for her to get used to his mere presence. Keeping his distance was going to be hard, though.

"I cut the yellow fruit, but I wasn't sure which was the ba-na-nuh, so I tried to pick up," he explained, with a wave toward the bed.

"Sorry. I forgot you wouldn't be familiar with what I was talking about." Naomi grimaced apologetically. She went to the table and pointed at the elongated yellow pod. "These are bananas."

"Ah. And what were the yellow orbs I cut up?" he inquired.

"Lilikoi. It's a type of passion fruit."

Faktil nodded, attempting to commit the two new words to memory.

Naomi glanced around the cabin. "I gather Bandit left?"

"Aye. The bird is not fond of me."

"Don't take it personally. Bandit doesn't react well to anything new. He damn near lost his mind the first time he saw a seal. Although, I was pretty shocked the first time I saw one up close, too, so I can't complain," she chuckled.

He loved her slight laugh and wanted to hear more of it.

"A seal? I am not familiar with that." Faktil tilted his head.

His translator worked well, but there were some things that had no analogs from one language to another.

"It's an animal that has dark, thick, blubbery skin, a tail instead of legs, and two flippers instead of arms. And it barks. Honk. Honk." Naomi waved her hands up near her chest, imitating the creature's flippers as she made a rather humorous face and sound.

He nearly burst out laughing but suppressed it .

"A seal, hmm. How does that go again?" he asked as seriously as he could possibly muster.

"I'm not falling for that!" she laughed and pointed at him in censure.

"Fair," he laughed.

She grinned and continued. "They are adapted for water but breathe air, so when they come ashore, they're kind of awkward flopping up the beach. I was five playing in the sand when one emerged from the water coming straight toward me. I'd seen them from a distance but this was up close and it was much bigger than I expected. It stuck with me, so I wasn't surprised when Bandit was shocked by seeing one, too."

Naomi was animated as she shared the tale from her youth. He could almost picture a tiny version of Naomi sitting wide-eyed on the beach.

"I understand. At about the same age I had my first lesson on a manx . They are a four-legged furry creature that's ridden for transportation. I recall my sire lifting me onto its back and I balked. The manx's canines were as long as my arm and I was certain it would gobble me up if I tried to ride it." Faktil shook his head at the childish memory.

"I was going to say that sounds like a horse, but not with fangs." Naomi's eyes widened as she continued preparing first meal.

Faktil retook his seat in the chair. "One of your kind said the manx reminded them of an animal here. What was the word?" He tapped his chin. "A pigar, a kyger," he attempted to recall what was said.

"A tiger?" Naomi perked up.

"I think so. Does it have stripes?"

"Yes." Naomi nodded.

"Then that's it." Faktil smiled, feeling a sense of accomplishment they'd figured that out. As silly as it was, it felt like a communication victory.

Naomi paused in the middle of scooping the innards out of the passion fruit.

"Wait, one of my kind told you about tigers?" Naomi's brow furrowed and she tilted her head.

Torment! Faktil cringed. He'd hoped to avoid certain complicated subjects. I can't tell her what's going on. She'll take off running and not stop even after she reaches water.

Naomi's eyes narrowed on him when he didn't immediately answer. She was having no trouble making eye contact with him at the moment, though for the first time since meeting her he wished she'd look away. Naomi was a tiny scrap of a thing, however, the glint in her eyes was slightly frightening.

"Well?" She pointed the spoon at him and he was grateful it wasn't the knife.

"Are you sure you want to know? I fear this will scare you and when you return home it will be impossible to forget certain things," he attempted to explain his reticence.

A surprising laugh burst out of Naomi's mouth. Apparently, she found his serious expression and warning funny.

"I joke often but this is…"

Naomi sobered and held her hand up, halting him. "Your mere presence here opened Pandora's box. What you've already said will be enough to have my brain swirling for a lifetime. You might as well spill the rest."

He didn't know what Pandora's box was, but he understood the sentiment. Naomi was now involved by the simple fact he washed ashore on her island. She was clearly resilient. Naomi was also brave. What he had to say would undoubtedly scare her, but she'd faced her fears from the moment he arrived, so she could handle this.

"Very well." He nodded solemnly. "You might wish to sit down."

Naomi

Naomi's bravado waned as she took the other seat at the table. The way Faktil's jaw was clenched, the muscles standing out, she knew he meant business and dreaded what was about to come out of his mouth, but she had to know.

"There are more sentient races of people than Cadi and humans in the cosmos," Faktil began.

She wondered how many there were but didn't dare interrupt him.

"The Miran Sona believe they are your ancestors, that they seeded Earth. I can't say if it's true, and I don't know if they know either. They appear as different from you as I do. They are taller than humans, gangly, very pale, with larger bald heads, and all black eyes."

"That sounds like the Grays that people claim to encounter every now and then," she interjected, then what he said registered. Could humans be related to the Grays?

"I am not surprised that there are accounts of seeing them. The Miran Sona have been abducting your people for a while, though I don't know how long. My people and our allies only learned about it a few years ago. The Miran Sona sent several colony ships full of sleeping humans into our quadrant of space, and one of those humans made it to my planet."

"Colony ships?" she asked, feeling bad for mocking every person she'd seen on T.V. who claimed to have encountered aliens. However, believing alien life existed and saying you met them were two entirely different things .

"Aye." Faktil nodded. "The Miran Sona are sending colonies of your people out into the cosmos to seed new worlds. They are also recombining your biology with their own, to boost their genetics."

"Like a giant science experiment," Naomi gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

"Although my people and our allies don't agree with what the Miran Sona are doing, they are not as bad as the Jurou Biljana. They are a reptile race of slave merchants," he snarled.

The way Faktil growled the reptile alien's name was terrifying in and of itself. Naomi's breath froze in her throat, her heart pausing mid-beat. She thought the Grays were the whole story and now he was saying there were worse people out there.

"Because of the Miran Sona's carelessness, the Jurou Biljana know you exist. The reptiles stole rift drive technology from the Miran Sona, and now they're here, in your quadrant of space. That is the reason I am here with several of our allies. We're going to stop those bastards before they reach your world. I was on my way to infiltrate one of the reptile ships, but then something happened and I can't recall what made me crash on your planet." Faktil shook his head in disgust.

"Fuck!" she gasped.

"Aye, fuck!" Faktil agreed. "I assume I chased a reptile vessel here. If so, I hope I succeeded in destroying it before it could relay Earth's location. I just can't remember." His tail swished in agitation.

Naomi grabbed the mountain apples as all this spun in her head. Faktil was right, this was a lot to assimilate. Somewhere in space, there was a battle raging over her planet, and the human race was utterly clueless. She was about to pick up the knife to slice the fruit when Faktil put his hand on hers. She glanced at him and saw the concern swimming in his dark eyes.

"Naomi, are you all right?" There was a deep crease between his brows.

She stared silently at him, trying to organize her thoughts, part of which were now distracted by how sweet it was that he was so concerned.

"There's nothing I can do, so I guess getting worked up about it is pointless," she finally said.

Faktil's eyes widened.

"I don't mean that in a defeatist way," she clarified. "But seriously, what can I do? If I were home, I could try to tell my government that we're in danger, and they'd instantly lock me up in a psych ward. You and your people are working to stop the threat."

"We are," Faktil confirmed.

"Then I have to have faith that it will be okay." She smiled wistfully at him. "It's weird thinking that we're related to aliens, and possibly arrived on this planet differently than we've been taught, but our understanding of the universe is changing all the time."

"I'm glad you are not scared." Faktil smiled sympathetically, then took the knife from her and began cutting up the mountain apples.

Faktil was probably worried she'd cut herself since she was distracted. He was probably right. It was sweet of him.

"I don't know how to describe what I feel." She grabbed a spoon and started mixing up the fruit salad. "In my idealistic brain I thought that if a civilization was advanced enough to be able to travel the universe, that they would have moved beyond being giant assholes. At the same time, I'm humbled there are people we don't even know about who are trying to help us." Her vision blurred as she looked Faktil in the eye. "Mahalo. Thank you," she clarified, in case he didn't understand the word.

"Don't thank me." Faktil cringed and shook his head. "The human I mentioned who first arrived on Cadi helped end our centuries long war before the Jurou Biljana could get their claws in us."

"So, you're paying a debt?" She frowned.

"Not exactly. You said you don't know what you can do, but just because your people aren't as technologically advanced doesn't mean you are somehow less valuable or less necessary in the cosmos."

She smiled at Faktil and let out a little laugh. He really was sweet, trying to encourage her.

"I don't think I'm worthless." She patted his knee. "I understand that I have no clue what may cross my path. One day I might help save a red-skinned alien who turns around and saves my whole planet." She cast him a cheeky grin.

"Exactly!" Faktil barked.

His deep laugh made her grin. It was a wonderful sound that she missed hearing, and Faktil's laugh was especially nice. Despite the serious conversation, it lightened the mood as she finished making breakfast.

Faktil quo Laus

"That was delicious. Thank you." Faktil followed Naomi out of the cabin after they finished eating the fruit salad and nuts.

"Thank you for helping. You made cracking those kukui nuts look easy. I can't believe you can just pinch them like that." Naomi shook her head in disbelief while pinching her fingers like he had, mimicking breaking the nuts .

He chuckled, loving her shocked expression. He also didn't mind the ego boost for simply hulling some nuts.

"Don't forget those nuts have to be cooked, though," she reminded him.

After poisoning himself with the raw taro, he was paying close attention to what Naomi told him about the food.

"I will remember. Mahalo." He used her word of thanks as he bowed in appreciation, careful not to drop his armful of dirty dishes.

"Let me take those dishes. You can sit and relax in the hammock swing." She pointed to the netting hanging from the veranda rafter.

"Sit?" He tilted his head in confusion. "I thought that was your fish snare."

"Oh, no, it's not for catching fish." Naomi let out a cute little giggle. "It's a swing." She stretched out the netting and climbed into the unusual seat. "It's actually kinda fun." She smiled as she swung back and forth.

If I caught that fish, I certainly wouldn't toss her back, he thought as he panned Naomi in her scant bathing suit swinging all bound up in the netting.

"Tempting." He grinned at her. "But I'm happy to help you wash up."

"I think you're stubborn." She shook her head as she climbed back out of the hammock.

"Definitely, but it will be hard for us to continue our conversation with me sitting there."

"You're not sick of me babbling already?" Naomi laughed.

He considered Naomi, the sound of her melodic voice, her bubbly laugh, the light dancing in her eyes. She could talk to him about ice melting and he'd be enthralled.

"No. I am the exact opposite of sick of you." He smiled at the tiny female, loving the way she was coming out of her shell.

"You're just being kind. Oh, careful on the stairs." Naomi cupped his elbow to steady him as they went down the few steps.

It was absolutely adorable the way she tried to help him despite being twice her size.

"I am not just being kind. Your voice is gentle and I am fascinated by what we have been discussing."

Naomi's cheeks turned pink and her gaze darted away.

Torment! I'm making her uncomfortable again.

"It reminds me of talking with my sisters," Faktil quickly added. It was the truth, though perhaps not the whole truth, since he'd never been fascinated with his sisters the way he was with Naomi. Though, he did miss them. "I haven't been able to do that as much since joining the Anzac guard."

"I have a sister, too, Kiana. How many do you have?" Naomi asked, her demeanor relaxing again.

"I have two. Asbjorn is older by a season. Then there's Ciara. She's five seasons younger and from my second sire," he related.

Naomi paused as they reached the wash barrel. "Second sire? Do your women have multiple husbands?" She cast him a slightly impish smile.

"Oh, does that idea interest you?" Faktil teased.

Naomi's grin broadened, then she remembered herself and her cheeks turned pink. "Nooo." She shook her head adamantly and averted her gaze, focusing on the wash water instead.

Except that clearly wasn't the truth. Beneath Naomi's shy exterior hid a wild side. The more he learned about her, the more intrigued he was.

"Would it surprise you if I told you there is a human female on my world with two Cadi mates?" He couldn't help but goad her as he set the pile of dishes into the wash barrel.

Her gaze darted back to meet his, her eyes wide with surprise. "You guys married one of us?"

That wasn't exactly the aspect he thought she'd get fixated on.

"Yes. Several Cadi warriors have mated humans." He nodded, then bent down, getting closer to her ear. "We are compatible," he whispered, like it was a secret.

Naomi's cheeks shifted from pink to red. She held his gaze for another moment, her tongue nervously darting out to wet her lips. The sight of it made him want to groan, but then she looked away again.

"Well, I don't think I have the energy or patience for two men," she added with an authoritative tone as she started washing the dishes.

"Isn't that the truth. Many Cadi males have more than one mate, and I don't know how they manage it. The harassment I received from two sisters was more than enough," he chuckled.

Naomi chuckled and nodded. "So, you only have one mate then?" She glanced sideways at him.

He didn't miss that she was fishing for information and liked that she was interested. Except, it reminded him of the reason he wasn't mated.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer." Naomi grimaced. "It's okay." She then smiled sympathetically and started washing the dishes.

Faktil sighed. He didn't talk often about these things but maybe he should.

"The war on Cadi lasted generations. It changed our economy and even our mating structure. A female had to expect that she'd lose her mate to war." He paused and steeled himself against the emotions rising to the surface. "Every male names a Second to watch over his clan in his absence or if he dies. My sire named his friend from youth. Our village wasn't large so my mother also knew Avraham and they got along, but they were never amorous, so she said," he smiled. It had been a score of years so he was surprised he still remembered his mother's insistent tone. "Well, when I was one, my sire didn't return home."

"Oh. I'm so sorry." Naomi frowned.

"Thank you, but he chose a good male as his Second. Avraham wasn't already mated and he took care of us like we were his own. Although he was my second sire, he is the only one I actually remember. My mother insisted they didn't become true mates until shortly before Ciara was conceived, after she had time to mourn. It was never a guarantee that they would bond, but a male upholds the duty of Second as a matter of honor. If that gives you a better idea about our custom."

"It does." Naomi nodded as she seemed to consider what he shared. "We would call Avraham a step-father. Most places on Earth it's only legal to have one spouse at a time. A marriage either ends from death or divorce before another marriage begins," she explained, then focused on him. "I'm glad you have a good second sire."

"Thank you." Faktil gave her a nod. He didn't bother to mention Avraham was also killed in the war. That was a story for another time.

"You mind helping me dry the dishes?" She pointed to one of the towels on the clothesline.

"Happily." He limped to the line, and grabbed a towel.

"So, you joining the guard has gotten in the way of spending time with your sisters, huh?" she asked, bringing the conversation back around .

"Aye, or finding a mate." Faktil nodded as he took the clean bowl from her hand and started to dry it. "I've been off-world since the war ended three seasons ago, and before that the war kept me away."

"So, you went from fighting each other to fighting the reptiles?" Naomi frowned, grabbing another dirty dish.

"That is about right."

"I'm sorry. That sounds awful." She washed the cup.

"Not entirely. I've enjoyed serving since the war ended. We're making allies, seeing new worlds, new people, and hopefully making a difference. This is actually my second visit to Earth." He set the dry bowl down on the rudimentary board table.

"Really? Where?" She gaped at him as she passed him a cup.

"A place called Flora, no Florid, I believe."

"Florida?"

"That's it." He nodded while drying the cup. "We came to warn the planet. We were certain it was just a matter of time before those scaly flesh merchants found their way here. Unfortunately, we had to rescue the messengers, made some new friends, and riled the ones you call the Grays. But that's a whole series of stories."

"I can imagine. Thank you for trying to help us. Sometimes I think we're beyond help. I hope you were able to rescue your people." Naomi looked at him hopefully.

"Aye. Ashtoret and Vintor are doing very well." Both had been rescued with brand new human mates, but again that was a long story.

"Oh, that's good," she let out a relieved sigh. "Well hell, I haven't even been to Florida," she declared with a little laugh.

"It looks about like this." He glanced around, pointing at one of the spindly trees with a crown of fronds at the top that was also common in Florida.

"Ha!" Naomi barked. "You're not wrong," she chuckled.

He smiled at her as he dried a platter. Her amused expression then dropped and his mirrored hers.

"At least it was altruistic missions that kept you away from your sisters. I worked ridiculous hours at a hotel, trying to get a manager position. I was assistant manager, and I knew Jerry was going to retire, so for two years I busted my butt. I made sure they passed accreditation with flying colors. But then the misogynistic bastards gave the job to an outside man. That's what I learned before I wound up here." Naomi dropped the rag in the water with an angry plop. "I wasn't saving the universe, I was making sure toilets were clean, and cramming more tables into conference rooms, because some company lied about their numbers, and other nonsense like that. I lost a boyfriend. That dick left ‘cause I worked too much, cleaned me out, so no loss really, but I lost countless days with my ‘ohana. I can't believe all that I lost." Her chin quivered as she shook her head in disgust. "I'm going to go grab my dirty clothes," she abruptly added, then briskly walked back to the porch.

At first he was surprised, this was the most Naomi had said at one time, but then what she said broke his heart. She was angry and hurt. While trapped alone on this island she had time to question her priorities and every past decision. He sympathized, having had similar conversations with himself. With both of his sires gone, he was his clan's Prime. It didn't matter how young he'd been, it was his job to protect the females of his clan. It didn't matter that his sisters were well mated, he still had duties to them, and here he was galaxies away. And then there was his mother…

Faktil's brow furrowed as his thoughts spiraled further, wondering what became of his mother. He tried to find her after the war. Sadly, there were no clues about where the enemy took her or if she even survived that terrible day.

Then again, perhaps a quick death was better. He shuddered at the thought of what might have happened to his poor, brave mother at the hands of the Scelus warrior.

Naomi's approaching footsteps pulled him from his morose thoughts.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to belittle your experience or to go off on a rant. No matter the reason, we both miss our families equally," Naomi mumbled, mistaking his dismal expression for being upset with her.

"I understand. Do not apologize. You are allowed to be upset about what has happened to you. It's normal to wish you'd done differently. You didn't offend me by letting it out." He cast her an encouraging smile.

"Thank you. It's so easy to critique our past selves after the fact," she sighed, her shoulders slumping as she dropped her dirty clothes in the barrel.

"That is the truth." He nodded in full agreement.

"It's just a kick in the teeth. Losing the boyfriend wasn't a big loss. I mean it felt like it at the time, but in retrospect he was a selfish dick and used me. Cleaned me out, like I said. But here's the kicker, I was so busy I didn't see it. Then after he was gone, I didn't have the energy to fool with anyone else," she let out a sarcastic laugh.

Faktil tried to not clench his jaw and growl. He didn't want Naomi to think he was mad at her. Except the things she said about her former male angered him. He didn't know what cleaned-out meant but it couldn't be nice. It was a good thing the bastard was no longer around the sweet, caring female.

"But I missed holidays with my ‘ohana, and so many girls' nights with my sis because I was either working or too tired from working. That's time I can't get back, not now, and for what? Not to make a future for myself. As it turns out this is my future!" Naomi wildly gestured to the island.

The defeated look she then gave him, her big brown eyes all glossy, made his chest clench. He couldn't help it. He dropped the towel on the table and tugged Naomi against him. Surprisingly, Naomi's arms instantly coiled around his waist and she hugged him tight.

"I am so sorry." He rubbed her back, hating the way she trembled. "I promise, I'll find a way for you to see your clan again."

"Thank you." Naomi looked up at him, moisture slipping from her eyes. "I know getting stranded here was a terrible blow, but I'm really glad you're here." She hid her face, pressing it against his chest. "I've been so lonely," she sobbed.

Faktil opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He swallowed, except the lump in his throat didn't go away, so he held her tighter instead. He wanted to tell Naomi she wasn't alone now. A deeper part of him wanted to tell her she didn't need to fear being alone ever again. Though he also knew he couldn't make that promise. Life could be cruel, he'd seen that firsthand.

Naomi

Slowly it dawned on Naomi that she was clinging to Faktil and ugly crying against his chest. It just felt so good to be held, to unload everything with someone who understood what she was going through. First his rich, earthy scent reached her, followed by the warmth of his firm muscular abs beneath her cheek. Faktil was gently cradling the back of her head, while his other large hand stroked her back. When he reached the small of her back, she silently urged him to go lower. What started out as an innocent need for companionship swiftly shifted to another base need. Her heart fluttered and every inch of skin that connected with his zinged with awareness, making her nipples harden. The bulge beneath his kilt registered, and her pussy cramped with need. The exotic man wasn't even erect, yet she could tell he was packing some serious equipment.

We are compatible, she recalled him saying with that husky voice of his, just a few inches from her ear. The smile that he'd worn spoke of sin. She shivered at the memory.

No, foolish girl. Faktil doesn't want some gross, haggard castaway pawing all over him . It had been a few days since she'd been to the creek to bathe, and much, much longer since she'd shaved. Her nails looked like they'd been trimmed with a weed whacker. So sexy, she groaned.

Besides, him being kind isn't an open invitation. How many times had men at the hotel tried touching her just because she was nice and joked with them? It was too many to count.

"Mahalo," she said as she pulled away from Faktil, her desire turning to embarrassment. "I think I just needed to get everything off my chest." She scrubbed the lingering moisture from her eyes. "I bet you're regretting coming to talk to me now." She smiled tentatively at him.

"Not in the least." Faktil shook his head and smiled back at her, sincerity shining in his jet-black eyes.

Faktil wasn't just a handsome exotic man, he was sweet as well. Being stranded with him might prove as torturous as being all alone.