Chapter Five
Delaney
Something was wrong.
Delaney woke to the sound of a low, pained noise rumbling from Maelic’s chest. His arms had tightened around her—not gently, but desperately, like he was trying to hold onto something slipping away.
“No.” His voice was rough, broken. “Mamir—no, don’t—”
She blinked groggily, her brain struggling to catch up. He was still asleep, she realized. His eyes were squeezed shut, his jaw clenched so tight she could see the muscle jumping beneath his skin.
“Run,” he choked out. “Please—just run—”
His whole body jerked, wings flaring slightly behind him. The sound he made next wasn’t words. It was grief. Raw and so fucking heartbreaking she felt it in her bones.
“Hey.” She shifted in his grip, pressing her palm against his chest. His heart was racing beneath her hand, hammering like it was trying to break free. “Maelic. Hey, it’s okay.”
He didn’t respond. Just kept making those awful sounds.
“Maelic.” She said it firmer this time, rubbing her thumb in small circles over his sternum. “Wake up. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”
His eyes snapped open.
For a second, he just stared at her. Disoriented. Lost. Those red eyes were wild, searching her face like he didn’t recognize where he was.
Then something in him cracked.
He pulled her closer—so close she could barely breathe—and buried his face in her hair. His whole body was trembling.
“Del,” he whispered. Just her name. Like it was the only thing tethering him to reality.
“I’m here.” She wrapped her arms around him as much as she could, which wasn’t much given how massive he was. “You’re okay. It was just a dream.”
He didn’t say anything. Just held her.
She didn’t ask what the nightmare was about. Didn’t push.
She just stayed, rubbing soothing circles on his chest.
The steady inhale and exhale of his breathing finally slowed to an even rhythm.
Eventually, his grip loosened. The rigid set of his body eased. And when she glanced up, his eyes had drifted closed again—this time peaceful.
Delaney had been awake for twenty minutes now, cuddled up with her new friend.
Friend.
Her face went hot. What they did last night didn’t exactly qualify as platonic. She flushed deeper just thinking about it.
It was absurdly warm in his grip. His soft skin molded against her, that gentle vibration of his purr rumbling through her back. Her thoughts kept looping, stuck on the night before.
How had she gone from being terrified of this male to letting him eat her pussy within an inch of her life?
It had been a while since she’d done that with anyone. Usually she’d put on a show to make her hookup feel good, then move on to what she considered the main event. Oral had never been a favorite of hers.
But Maelic’s tongue and fingers had felt so good she’d actually come hard enough to pass out.
Well. First time for everything.
He shifted, arms wrapping more possessively around her. His face buried into her neck again. He always seemed to zero in on that spot. He was relaxed like this, the tension zapped out of him. That terse, tense demeanor had melted away, leaving nothing but a puddle of giant moth alien.
She snorted.
His tattered clothing caught her eye. She frowned. Gingerly, she extracted herself from his grip. He groaned, brow furrowing, but didn’t wake. Just buried his face in her pillows instead.
She’d assumed he had a fever the night before, but watching him now… maybe it was something else. Who knew what effect being on a foreign planet had on his species.
Fucking aliens.
She should be freaking out. Any sane person would be. But something about this male didn’t set off the alarm bells it should. Something about him screamed safe.
And that? That was the terrifying part.
She chewed her lip and made a decision. She grabbed her green fluffy robe off the reading chair and slipped into it.
She padded down the hall to Grandpa’s old room. The scent of stale air hit her first. She’d been avoiding this room. But underneath it was that familiar hint of his cologne.
Her eyes burned for a second. She shook it off and moved to his dresser, digging around until she found a pair of old jeans.
The largest ones there. They’d be a tight fit on those thick thighs of his, but better than wearing ruined clothes.
She didn’t know if whatever material Maelic wore would survive a run in the dryer, but she could try.
She laid the jeans out on the flannel-blanketed bed, then moved to the closet. Now this would be trickier. Maelic had a wide chest, and Grandpa’s coat had been too small.
She spent a few moments digging around, chuckling over the fishing novelty shirts he’d collected over the years. Her eyes caught on the oversized Christmas sweater she’d bought him a few years back.
A lump formed in her throat.
To be blunt, it was ugly. A cat dressed as Santa riding a T-Rex. But it was oversized. There were a few more gems like that in there. She pulled them out and nodded to herself. This was the least she could do… he’d almost killed himself to get her glove last night.
She wondered how Grandpa would have reacted to this situation. The old coot had been a big fan of Prehistoric Aliens, always making her watch it late into the night and listen to his theories.
He would have loved to meet Maelic.
She swallowed hard.
Her eyes caught on a green and red keepsake box on the top shelf. The thick cardboard kind, meant for photos and special mementos.
I wonder if Grandpa had some old pictures in here.
She reached up and grabbed it, setting it down on the bed. Something to look through later.
Her attention shifted to the sweaters. Maelic had wings, but…
Grandma’s old sewing kit still sat on the dresser. Delaney grabbed the scissors from inside, the handles worn smooth from years of use. It only took a few minutes to cut slits into the backs for his wings.
It hurt a little to do this to the poor sweaters. But Grandpa wasn’t around to use them anymore, and alien or not, he wouldn’t have been pleased with her leaving a guest half-naked.
Besides, he’d only ever worn these to make her happy anyway. If he’d still been here, he would’ve volunteered them himself.
Delaney grabbed a quick shower and checked in on her mothman.
The fact he was still passed out was a little alarming.
Then again, he had survived a space crash, braving a snowstorm, and eating her pussy like a world champion all in the span of like twenty-four hours.
The nightmare also gave her pause. It seemed bad.
Dude must need the rest.
She was in the kitchen now. Looking through Grandpa’s room for the clothes had made her more than a little nostalgic, and it had spurred her to make Grandma’s favorite holiday breakfast.
She was plating up the smiling reindeer—well, reindeer adjacent if you squinted—shaped pancakes when heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs.
The male who had spent the morning in her bed looked so disoriented and aloof compared to the fierce version who’d been between her legs the night before. His nostrils flared as he took in the smell of food. Her lips quirked up.
“Hungry? I made an Earth delicacy.”
He assessed her like she might be a landmine. His antennae gave an interested flick upward and he nodded slowly. The smell of syrup and coffee dominated the room. She wondered how those familiar scents would smell to an alien.
Awkward would be a generous way of describing the atmosphere as they ate. She chuckled at how he handled his fork, gripping it like she might hold a pencil. He paused, brows knitting together, and finally spoke up.
“Thank you for the sustenance… and last night. I was not myself…” His face darkened a little. “I apologize for such disgraceful behavior when you had only been trying to care for me.”
How did one respond to that? ‘Oh, it’s no big deal. Thanks for giving me random but amazing head while you were in some sort of weird alien fuck frenzy.’
“Oh? Uh, it’s no problem. I definitely wasn’t expecting it but it was really nice.” Her brow quirked. “Is that how your kind say thank you?”
Maelic coughed on a bite of pancake.
“N-no.” He cleared his throat, looking everywhere but at her. “I was struggling with my biology. There was… a medical device. It was ruined during the crash.”
He paused, his wings twitching with obvious agitation. “Artaisan males are sensitive to pheromones. Without regulation, they can send us into ruts.”
“Wait, like pheromones? I think I read a book about that.” She leaned forward. “Are you like an alpha? Do you have an omega?”
He blinked, absolutely confused.
“What is an alpha?”
“Uh, well, you are pretty close to what I think one would look like… but anyway, it’s a fictional concept. Okay, so not an alpha then.”
“You also seemed to have a nightmare last night, something about Mamir? What does that mean?”
Maelic stiffened. “I rather not discuss this.”
Alrighty then.
Her gaze drifted to the window. The snow had finally stopped. When she looked back, Maelic was watching it too.
“I must get to my ship and assess the damage.” He stood, wings shifting. He wasn’t looking at her.
Her fork paused halfway to her mouth. He was leaving. Right. Of course he was.
“You should shower first! I managed to scrounge up some clothes for you.” She set the fork down, voice coming out brighter than she felt. “Then if you don’t mind, can I join you? I swear I won’t get in your way. But it kinda seems like a once in a lifetime deal to see an actual alien spacecraft.”
Those red eyes swept over her face, lingering like he was deciding whether this was a terrible idea.
After a beat, he slowly nodded.
“I find that to be acceptable.” He bowed his head.
Delaney smirked, widening her eyes in a way that wasn’t fooling him for a second.
“Oh, great. I think you’re gonna be a big fan of your new wardrobe.”