CHAPTER 5
THE MATE
~
A chilly wind swept over her, and she shivered.
The earthy and musky smell of undergrowth and moss filled her nostrils, and as she came about, she felt the soft, cold, and slightly moist pillow of greenery beneath her.
She tried to open her eyes, but the lids were heavy; her whole body was heavy, weighing more than a ton as she tried to move.
She could hear the rustle of trees as the wind caressed the branches, and when she finally managed to open her eyes, she saw nothing but a blur of green and brown, muted colors in a murky light.
She tried to move again and managed to dig her fingers into the moss underneath her, and memories came rushing back.
Was she outside the facility? Had Mr. West thrown her out into the Canadian wilderness? Had he left her to starve?
When a deep rumble filled the air, the hairs stood on their ends all over her body.
Slowly, the blurriness stilled, and she saw the outline of a giant coming toward her.
Surely, it was a hallucination, an image her mind had put together after seeing the large alien come through the woods in his enclosure so many times.
Yet, her body reacted as though it was real.
Her heart jumped in her chest, she wanted to cry, but all she could do was to whimper, “Atlas,” before her mind drifted again.
* * *
The next time she came about, she was no longer lying on the cold ground. Instead, the strong smell of fur and hide filled her nostrils, as well as the smell of firewood and smoke. She was warm, cozy even, but she still felt heavy and disoriented.
She tried to move, and with some effort, she managed to snake her arm out of the furs that were wrapped around her.
She opened her eyes, blinked to rehydrate them, and saw a burning fire just next to her.
She squinted and sat slowly. Her head was spinning, her neck was straining, and she brought her hand to where Melinda had injected her with whatever hellish compound she’d used.
It hurt like a bruise, but nothing else. She barely felt the small prick wound.
It was dark wherever she was, save from the fire, and she inspected the furs she was wrapped in.
The hairs were short but dense, warming effectively without being fluffy; the hide was carved skillfully, but the surface was rough, as though the knife hadn’t been sharp enough.
For a moment, she wondered if she’d been taken in by a hunter or indigenous people.
Looking over the fire, she was surprised to find herself alone. Sitting up a bit better, she reached out to feel the heat of the flames. That was when she saw the two, glowing eyes peek at her from the other side in the dark, and she drew a sharp breath as she threw herself backward.
Crawling along the ground, she tried to scream but no sound could escape her.
She scrambled to her feet, her heart in her ears, and she was just about to run when someone grabbed her arm and spun her around.
The eight feet tall alien stood before her in the dark, like a silhouette against the fire in the back—but his eyes seemed to be luminous as they glared down at her.
She could barely breathe; the creature’s hand wrapped around her arm as if it were a twig, and for a second, she thought that was it—this was the moment she would lose her life.
But Atlas only stared at her and let out a low, guttural growl.
After a few moments that felt like an eternity, he pulled her effortlessly along to the fire.
“Atlas,” she breathed out as she stumbled along. She tried to fight him, but he didn’t seem to notice. “Atlas, let me go!”
The alien plumped her down on the furs and gave her a strict look before he sat down on the other side of the fire, his gaze never leaving her.
Lila struggled to breathe. He had pulled her along as though she weighed nothing, and he would have no problem overpowering her.
Her arm hurt where he had grabbed her, and she was sure it would bruise.
“Atlas,” she whispered, “please…” She didn’t know what she was begging for.
This could only mean one thing—she was in the enclosure.
And if she was in the enclosure, there was no way for her to get out.
The alien observed her as intensely as ever, cocking his head slightly. The way he sat was so human-like, so familiar; his arms rested on his knees, his muscled shoulders were comfortably slanted, and his legs were wide apart. Even though he seemed relaxed, his gaze was sharp and dangerous.
Lila made herself small, terrified of what might stir in the large creature’s mind.
She had been picked for him—or, if Mr. West was to be believed, she had been picked by him.
Would he force himself on her? Had he waited for this moment ever since he’d first seen her in the flesh?
Why did the thought make her feel oddly flushed?
He, on the other hand, did not seem to prepare for an attack. He just sat there, observing her from across the fire.
She wrapped her arms around her knees. Running would be fruitless, she knew that, and she’d rather not trigger anything primal in Atlas, like acting like prey. Instead, she buried her face in her arms and cried.
The alien was silent as the night, and for a moment, Lila heard nothing but her own sobs and the crackling fire.
When she looked up again and wiped her tears, Atlas was still observing her.
He wasn’t staring, not blatantly, but he didn’t look away.
There was an intensity in his eyes that made her nervous, but there was no maliciousness there.
Only undeniable dominance, as if he knew she was beneath him, that he could end her with a single strike.
They sat like that for what must have been an hour, at least. The fire burned down, leaving nothing but cinders. The cold crept nearer, and Lila wrapped the hide tighter around her.
The alien shifted, and the change made Lila tense.
“Atlas,” she tried again and sniveled. “Please, don’t hurt me.” She knew he wouldn’t understand her, but she couldn’t help it. She had to try, had to believe in the connection they might have. “I am not your enemy. I’m a friend.”
He tilted his hand again, and the dark brows she had learned weren’t hair at all, but short, dense whiskers, furrowed. A low, soothing rumble escaped him, almost like a purr, and it gave Lila slight hope—maybe he did understand her, after all.
“Yes,” she said and nodded. “A friend.”
But then, the beast rose, and at once, Lila felt terror shoot through her. She crawled back, as quickly as she could, to get out of his long reach. But Atlas did not try to grab her. Instead, he nodded his head deeper into the forest, waiting for her to respond.
She tried to read him, tried to figure out what he was telling her; soon, she realized that he wanted her to move along. Pulling the stiff hides closer around her, she swallowed. “In t-there?”
Atlas huffed, and he moved his hand to gesture her forward.
The glass separating the enclosure from the rest of the facilities was so thick, it somehow must have warped his image; being this close to him, without the glass, made him look so much larger.
His hand was massive, with one finger surpassing the size of two—or even three—of hers.
He chuffed, clearly impatient, and Lila gasped.
Then, she rose on trembling legs, still holding the hide around her.
She could barely breathe as she approached him.
The smell of him was odd—clean but musky—and she felt his breath brush against her head as she passed him.
The hair stood at the back of her neck, her belly tugged, and her lungs were nearly robbed of all air.
But she put one foot in front of the other, and soon, she was walking further into the enclosure.
Atlas walked behind her, his heavy and assured steps making her heart beat faster.
She was astonished at how large the enclosure was. It seemed like a real forest, deep and never-ending. In a natural forest, there would be stars lighting up the sky, but not in there. In there, faint fluorescent lights illuminated the man-made clouds, and cast dusk-like shadows over the dark moss.
Her legs were still heavy from the sedation, and the fear was still crippling; Atlas walked just behind her, silent and stoic.
Sounds echoed around them—birds and wind and the creaking of trees—but Lila couldn’t decern if they were real or fake.
All she knew, was that an eight-foot alien prowled behind her, and she had nowhere to run.
Carefully, she dared to glance over her shoulder from time to time.
The alien’s bluish-grey reptilian hide melted strangely well with the muted colors of the forest, and despite the obvious fact that he was lethal, she felt a bit calmer thinking he hadn’t attacked her just yet.
He didn’t even seem as though he wanted to attack her.
The universe, however, had other plans. Suddenly, he grabbed her and pulled her along behind a tree. She didn’t even have time to shriek, and she was completely frozen in fear as her face was inches from the alien’s ripped abdomen.
She shook violently, wishing that whatever he’d do, it would be over quickly—but Atlas only nudged her side and pointed behind the tree.
Carefully, she leaned to the side and looked at where he was pointing.
In a birch tree, amongst some branches, she noticed a small, red light pulsating in the dim light.
It was a camera, and she couldn’t help but to feel disgusted.
She knew there were cameras inside the enclosure, but being in the predicament that she was, she found the whole thing repulsive.
Whatever they thought Atlas would do to her, they would watch it.
She was strangely relieved he had moved her out of the way.
Whatever potential depravity the alien would subject her to, she wouldn’t want anyone to watch.