4
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Myla
“Where you going?” I holler as I trot alongside Tekil, leaving that arrogant sleazeball Andred behind. It’s hard to understand what’s happening, but Tekil definitely seems upset.
“Hey!” I grab his arm, but he jerks away.
Glaring at me with accusing, wide eyes, his voice is angry. “What magic do you wield?”
Confused and a little hurt, I fold my arms across my chest. Defensively, I ask, “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” He looks away, blowing out a long, slow breath.
“Then why do you think I have magic? Wait— do other species ‘wield magic’?”
“Some, yes.”
I gape at him momentarily before recovering my composure.
“Well, not me,” I reply matter-of-factly.
Although that would be a neat trick to have, I think, picturing Superman flying through the air, or Wonder Woman blocking bullets with those neat wrist bands she wears. That’s not magic though, hmm…and then there’s Harry Potter... I wonder if other species carry magic wands?
Shaking his head a little, he seems perplexed, maybe even confused. I’m right there with him.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, then slightly turns to stare out over the barren terrain. Without looking at me, he adds, “To answer your initial question, I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
Andred saddles up beside me and I hear Tekil let out a long, frustrated sigh. It’s pretty obvious that they really don’t get along.
Tekil glances around before catching my gaze again. “We need to go back and rescue the others.”
“Are you delusional?” Andred explodes, his eyes narrowing as his mouth twists into a snarl.
“Look around.” Tekil waves his arm at our surroundings. “This area is barren; it appears that nothing can grow here. There are no shrubs, no vegetation, no water…it just looks dead.”
My jaw drops. Just thinking about heading back makes my hands tremble. “Seriously?”
Tekil holds his hands out, palms up. “If either of you have a better idea, please, let’s hear it.”
Yeah, nothing pops to mind. I can’t even see a way to get off this planet, and I sure don’t want to spend the rest of my life here. Looking around, I’m pretty sure we will starve to death. Either that or die of thirst.
After a moment of silence, Tekil scoffs. “I need to rescue my team, hopefully free the others, and find a ship so we can get off this Acradidia- infested planet.”
An image of the two blue men pops into my head, making my heart rate increase. The way they looked at me…I knew they would protect me. I felt it all the way to the marrow in my bones. It was both exhilarating and confusing.
“What team?” I ask slowly, still thinking of those two men. “There’s only three of us.”
I am cautious in the way I approach my words; I understand he doesn’t want to leave the others at the mercy of those spiders. I don’t either—no one deserves to be someone else’s lab rat. But there’s only three of us.
“I didn’t say I would help!” Andred interjects incredulously, kicking a tiny, non-existent pebble.
Tekil glares at Andred, then huffs out a harsh breath.
“Do you not wish to free your own team?” he asks calmly. “Or would you leave them enslaved?”
Andred narrows his eyes, snarling angrily. What an asshole, only thinking of himself. Granted, I don’t want to go back, but I don’t feel right about leaving them there either.
My eyes shift between the two of them until Tekil turns his back on Andred, addressing me directly.
“Right now, we need to find a place to rest and hopefully find some food,” he says. “We will figure out a rescue plan later.”
That sounds good to me. Food and a little rest will help clear our minds and allow us to think straight.
“I am going to search for my own resting place,” Andred adds. “Somewhere with less…” He glances at the sky. “… light.”
Transforming into his wolf form, he trots off. I try not to stare. Earlier, when Andred stood naked in his natural form, I tried to not look down there …but I managed a glance or two. Okay, maybe three. But then Andred caught me and smirked, and I didn’t look anymore after that. I don’t think Tekil noticed. At least, I hope he didn’t.
I mean, sure, Andred is nice to look at with his tan, muscular body but…something draws me to Tekil. I don’t understand why. It’s not like I know him, and he certainly isn’t that friendly. In fact, he seems irritated when I try to talk to him. Still…
Stealing a glance from the corner of my eye, he’s squinting hard. I scan the ground and find the cloth he’d discarded earlier, picking it up. Holding the cloth out, I step closer. “Let me tie this over your eyes.”
“Thank you.” He lowers his head, making it easier for me to reach him.
My heartbeat increases as his warm, powerful scent surrounds me. I have to fight the urge to reach out and caress his fur. It looks so soft, inviting… Taking my time, I wrap the cloth around his head again and cover his eyes.
With the cloth securely tied in place, Tekil’s shoulders visibly relax.
“You don’t like him much, do you?”
“Andred?” he asks.
“Yes, who else?”
He hesitates. “I do not trust him.”
“Admit it. You don’t like him either.”
“Be careful around him. He is…unstable at times.”
Personally I don’t really think Andred is dangerous though. Self-centered, maybe, arrogant, definitely, but not really dangerous. He reminds me of a cocky farmhand. He knows he’s nice looking, and he uses that to try making Tekil feel inferior. It doesn’t seem to be working.
Tekil on the other hand radiates strength and power. He’s quiet and possesses a maturity that Andred lacks—a quality you would find in an older man.
“So, what are we gonna do?” I ask, staring at the nothingness of the world.
“We must rescue the others; it is our only chance of survival.”
“Safety in numbers, huh?”
He scoffs. “Yes, something like that. But first, as I said, we must find food and water and get some rest, or we will never build up the strength to rescue anyone.”
“I agree. Sleep, food, and water. The essentials needed to keep going.” My head bobs like it’s my idea.
As we walk, I think about what Tekil said earlier, the way he confronted Andred. Even if he won’t admit it, he doesn’t like Andred. At. All. I wonder if there’s a reason, or if it’s just because. There have been people that I didn’t like before, nice people who gave off bad vibes. So maybe they weren’t so nice after all?
I know, I’m ramblin’. I tend to do that when I’m nervous, which is pretty rare. But standing close to Tekil makes me that way. He turns me into a mumbling idiot, even if it’s just me talking silently to myself.
I’ve been close to men before. Okay, he looks much different than a man. His half-shifted form should be a turn-off, but it’s not. That’s also confusing.
When his shoulder bumps against mine, I feel a deep need bloom to life that reaches down to my core. I squeeze my thighs together and hope he doesn’t notice.
Trying to think about something besides how close he’s walking next to me, I ask, “What did you mean when you said ‘team’?”
From the corner of my eye, I see his pointed ears twitch.
“The Acradidia grouped us together, connecting us mentally so we could work as one unit. Vi’del, Zeno and I are linked.”
“I don’t understand.”
He smiles. “No, I suppose not.”
His words pierce my heart and I deflate internally (not that I let him see the affect he has on me). I know I’m not space smart, but I have a lot of common sense. Sometimes, being able to think fast on your feet is better anyhow. I try to shake off the insult.
“When will we go after the others?” I still think it’s a terrible idea but I agree, we can’t just leave them there. And there is safety in numbers.
“I am not sure. To be honest, I’m in no hurry to rush back in. But if we wait too long, they might move them.” He glances my way. “Perhaps a day or so, after we have rested and hunted for food.”
“Food sounds delicious, but I don’t think I can sleep here.”
The ground looks hard and uncomfortable, almost as bad as the cell I escaped from.
He chuckles, and something inside me relaxes. “Neither can I. For the moment, I am just walking slow and resting my eyes, giving them a chance to recover from the harsh light, and then we will find a more suitable spot.”
“Okay.” I glance up at the sky. It’s bright outside, but not too bright. Instead of asking what he means, I let it go.
“You don’t think they’ll find us?” I ask.
“The Acradidia ?” I nod. He’s silent for a moment and I know he must worry about that a little. “No, or at least I do not think so.”
That’s not very reassuring. I glance over my shoulder and scan the surrounding area for good measure. The Acradidia are a strange species and I plan to be alert. Eyes and ears open at all times.
“Tell me Myla, how did you end up a prisoner on this planet?” he asks.
What to say? I feel like an idiot for not knowing much about space? That I’m a country girl who stayed home to help out my family? I don’t want him to think I’m ignorant, even though I’m not that good with words (as he apparently is).
“It’s complicated,” I finally reply. Maybe when I get to know him a little better, I’ll tell him the whole story. “What about you?”
He hesitates. “I hope to find out when I make it back to Kintuke.”
“Kintuke. Is that the name of your planet?”
“It is. And you are from Earth, or were you born on the space station?”
“I’m from Earth. What’d you do on Kintuke?”
“I am what you would call…” he hesitates for a moment, “on Earth, I think it is called an Historian.”
That sounds important, and only makes me feel even more insignificant. I wish I could start over, do something with my life other than farm life. Not that I don’t enjoy it, I just want to make a difference.
Hmm, maybe I can. I’m still young enough and a quick learner…
“What about you? What did you do?” he asks.
“I helped out my family on their farm.”
“A farm? A place where you raise your own food?”
“Yep. Do you have farms on Kintuke?”
He shakes his head. “I have never seen one, although I suppose there might be agricultural areas outside of the main city.”
I find it a little surprising that an Historian wouldn’t know that. I mean, that’s their job. Right? Letting it go, I smile at him and tease, “Ah, you’re a city boy.”
Then I humiliate myself by stumbling over my own feet and fall, arms flailing as I try to catch my balance. Tekil snatches my wrist before I hit the dirt face first.
A tingle shoots from his hand and runs up my arm as I let him gently steady me. Tilting my head back, we’re so close...
“Thanks…” It comes out breathy as I stare at his plump grayish colored lips, wondering if they’re as soft as they look.
Something aggressive springs forth, takes over. Tiptoeing, I lean in and nip his lower lip, drawing a little blood.
He rears back, growling and making me wet. I like it when he growls like that.
“What are you doing?”
A haze of confusion muddles my thoughts.
What am I doing?
I step back and frown.
“Sorry.” I turn and hurry away, embarrassed by my behavior.
That’s not me. I don’t get aggressive toward anyone, let alone a strange man I just met…
“Myla!” he calls, but I keep marching away briskly. “Myla, wait up!”
Tekil trots up next to me, but I’m still too mortified to meet his eyes. I’m not a sex-crazed person; hell, I’ve only had sex one time before, and it wasn’t that good. Five minutes and it was over. I’ve had other offers, but I didn’t see the point. Five painful minutes or less, it definitely wasn’t satisfying, and I had no desire to do it again.
“Myla.” He grabs my upper arm.
I turn, still unable to meet his gaze. Not that it matters with the blindfold.
“I don’t know why I did that,” I murmur.
He gentles his hold, his finger rubbing my upper arm. Softly, he says, “It took me by surprise.”
I accidentally snort. “Me too.” And it did, which scares me a little.
“I am sorry that my actions hurt you.”
You didn’t hurt me… I stop myself short of protesting aloud.
Okay, maybe he hurt me a little, but I just feel out of control. Injecting me with that yellow liquid has changed me somehow, and I don’t know if it’s good or bad. Shaking my head, I decide it’s definitely bad. What if I half-transform into something like Tekil? Or even transform completely, like Andred? Or were they trying to do something else to me? I really want answers, and I want them right now! More than that— I want to kill every last one of them!
The full strength of my conviction shocks me, and I suck in a sharp breath.
“You didn’t hurt me,” I finally say aloud, still staring at the ground in front of my bare feet. “I just embarrassed myself.”
One finger gently but firmly lifts my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes as he rips off the blindfold. “Please do not be embarrassed.”
I scoff, jerk my chin away from his hand and look away. “I can’t help it.”
He drops his arm and sighs. “Let’s see if we can find somewhere more suitable to rest and hunt. We are both exhausted.””
I nod, wanting to put this humiliating moment behind us. To say that I am out of my element is an understatement.