Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Alina tugged on her hand again, but the male in the pod still wouldn’t release her.
He wasn’t hurting her, not in the slightest, but he was far stronger than her, even in his newly awakened state.
However long he’d been… encapsulated, it clearly hadn’t diminished his strength.
Those muscular arms were every bit as strong as they looked.
“I can’t just stand here forever,” she muttered. “And you just woke up. Aren’t you hungry? Or thirsty? Hungry? Thirsty?” she repeated, mimicking eating and drinking.
Recognition flashed in those blue, blue eyes. He sat up, moving with a speed that startled her. Damn, he was big. He was at least a foot taller than her and twice as wide. She instinctively tried to take a step back but he still hadn’t released her hand. Her breath caught.
This close to him, she could feel the heat radiating from his body and catch a subtle, spicy scent that was unexpectedly appealing. It wrapped around her and she started to lean closer, to take in more of it, then realized what she was doing and pulled back, heat rushing to her cheeks.
Her blush must have been obvious, despite the breathing mask, because he gave her a fascinated look, running his finger across her cheekbone above the top of the mask.
His finger was warm and slightly rough, sending an unexpected rush of excitement through her veins.
But then he started to tug at the mask and she panicked, tugging at his free hand.
“No! If you take that off I can’t breathe. Please don’t.”
If he decided to take it off, she had no way of stopping him. But he seemed to understand her panic, if not her words, and he smoothed it back in place. Relief escaped her lungs in a shaky breath.
But he didn’t release her completely. His finger traveled down across her jaw, then brushed slowly back and forth across her lower lip, leaving a trail of heat behind.
“Soft.”
The pronunciation wasn’t quite right, but the word was recognizable. He tilted his head, looking as confused as she felt. The fact that he had originally spoken in a language she didn’t recognize made a lot more sense than hearing an English word emerging from his lips.
“Soft,” he repeated. “Alina soft.”
She could hear the question in his voice, and she nodded.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “That’s the right word.”
He returned the nod, looking pleased with her response.
“Alina soft.”
He finally took his finger away from her mouth, but instead of removing it completely, he ran it gently down the sensitive skin of her neck. He started to dip it beneath her coverall before she came to her senses and grabbed his hand.
“That’s another no,” she said firmly, refusing to admit that she wondered what that warm rough finger would feel like traveling lower over her bare skin.
“No?”
He looked disappointed, but didn’t try again. She started to raise her hand, then realized he’d taken advantage of the opportunity to wrap his fingers around her other hand as well. He didn’t release her when she tugged on it and she gave him an exasperated look.
“How do you expect to eat or drink if you’re holding both my hands?”
Since he was still holding her, she couldn’t mime the actions, but he clearly understood. After a brief hesitation, he released one hand. She sighed, but decided to take what she could get.
“Eat. Drink,” he repeated and she nodded. She started to lead him back towards her pack, but he came to a halt in front of one of the purple vines. He furled one of the leaves to form a cone, then offered it to her.
“Drink?”
He clearly recognized the vine, but she wasn’t about to take any chances with a strange liquid.
“No, thank you.”
He frowned at her, and for a moment she was afraid he was going to insist. Instead he gave her an oddly human half-shrug, then dipped the contents of the leaf into his mouth.
He repeated the process with two more leaves, not removing them from the vine, but letting them fall back into place after he was done.
“Drink,” he said proudly, and grinned at her, his teeth very white and very sharp with fang-like extended canines.
Could you even kiss someone with teeth that sharp? she wondered, and immediately felt the heat rushing to her cheeks. Why am I even thinking about kissing him?
She was sure he noticed her blush, but before he could reach for her face again, she quickly tugged him towards her pack and pulled out a water bottle.
“This is what I drink.”
She took a sip, then handed the bottle to him. He mimicked her actions, then nodded.
“Drink.”
Was he agreeing that the action was the same or the substance?
“This is water.” She tapped the bottle, then pointed to the leaves. “Water?”
He tilted his head again, then nodded.
“Water.”
Was she right? Was the fluid on the leaves actually water?
If it was, and if the vines could be reproduced, it could make a huge difference in the colonization process.
Mars wasn’t actually short of water, but it was all frozen deep underground or locked in the polar ice caps.
If the homesteaders could have a readily accessible source of water without drilling, their lives would be significantly easier.
She was still considering the possibilities when he gently tapped her mouth, and she gave him a startled look.
“Eat?” he asked.
“Sorry. I got distracted.”
She fumbled through her pack for a protein bar, then broke it in half and gave him the larger piece. He immediately tried to give it back to her, but she shook her head, laughing.
“You’re bigger than I am. You get the bigger piece.”
He frowned, clearly disagreeing, but she ignored him and took a quick bite. He studied the bar for a moment, then took a cautious bite. She studied his face, trying to read his expression as he ate.
“Is it good?” she asked, giving him an exaggerated smile. “Or bad?” She frowned.
“No good. No bad,” he said seriously, and she laughed.
“Fair enough. It’s designed to keep you alive rather than taste good.”
“Drink water,” he said, tapping the bottle. “Eat?”
“Eat protein bar.”
He hummed softly, before leading her inexorably to the far side of the cave, and she sighed.
“You really don’t have to keep hauling me around. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”
The wall she’d slid down was too steep for her to climb, and she hadn’t seen any other way out of the cavern. All she could do was rely on Cass to come looking for her. And won’t she be in for a surprise, she thought, sneaking a glance at her companion.
He was looking down at her with an expression she couldn’t read. Did he understand her? If he did, it didn’t seem to make any difference since he kept a firm grip on her hand as he led her across the cavern.
He stopped in front of another wall of vines, this one with slender blue leaves. He gently parted the leaves to reveal clusters of small, white berries hidden beneath them.
“Eat skara,” he said triumphantly as he freed a cluster and offered it to her.
“I really don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He seemed to understand her hesitation, and he popped two of the berries into his mouth.
“Skara good.”
He offered them to her again, but she shook her head.
“Just because they’re safe for you, doesn’t mean they’re safe for me.”
After all, he was a native of Mars. Or was he?
All of her earlier questions came rushing back.
Who was he?
Where had he come from?
How could he be here? How could any of this be here?
She was standing in an underground cavern that shouldn’t exist with a male who couldn’t possibly exist. A huge, naked, undeniably real male.
A rush of dizziness washed over her and she swayed, her knees threatening to buckle. A strong arm wrapped around her waist. The last thing she remembered before darkness took her was the unmistakable sensation of being pulled securely against his chest.