“I don’t understand. Then why are you here?”
He reached for his knife belt, unrolling the woven strands, and showed her the sheet of plastic, so like her own, that had been concealed within.
“Oh my God. You too?”
She jumped to her feet, unable to remain still, and began pacing around the clearing. “I don’t understand,” she muttered again. “Is this some kind of sick game? And why wouldn’t you tell me?”
She was so busy pacing and muttering that she ran into him when he stepped in front of her. He was favoring one leg, but he was standing, and the familiar ridges of his chest as he drew her into his arms were unexpectedly soothing.
“Dohnt noh,” he repeated.
“You don’t know why we’re here either?”
He shook his head, studying her face.
“But we’re heading for the same place?”
“Yehss.”
“You should have told me.”
“Yehss.”
“Oh, Tarax, I’m so confused.”
But despite her confusion, she didn’t pull away from him. Instead she leaned closer. His hand cupped her cheek, then skated down to gently circle the bite mark on her neck. He gave a satisfied hum and her breath caught. Had the events of the previous night been about more than just his fever?
She looked up to find him watching her, eyes glowing again, and she opened her mouth to ask him. But she couldn’t stand the thought that he might regret his words.
Instead, she gave him a bright smile and hoped it looked sincere. “Perhaps we’ll both find the answers once we reach our destination. You should rest for the rest of the day and then, if you’re still improving, we can set out again tomorrow.”
Taraxan’s heart ached as Jayn turned away from him. He longed to reassure her, but he didn’t have the answers she needed. And he suspected that something more than their circumstances was troubling her.
Had something else happened last night? He remembered feeling a rush of happiness, but he didn’t remember what had caused it. His only clear memory was of making love to her with an overwhelming need. Had he been too rough?
He watched her anxiously all afternoon, but although she was unusually silent, she didn’t seem afraid of him. When the time came to go to sleep, her cheeks turned that enchanting shade of pink again, but she accompanied him readily enough.
He longed for her touch, but he didn’t want to cause her distress. By the Swords! He hadn’t been this uncertain since his first solo mission.
To his enormous relief, she sighed and turned towards him.
“Make love to me, Tarax,” she whispered.
He happily obeyed, slowly and thoroughly worshipping her body—trying to convey with his touch what he could not say with his words. His slow pace continued until he brushed his lips across his mark, and her body quivered with excitement. When he repeated the gesture, she arched into him. She was reacting as a bonded mate would and satisfaction filled him as he focused on the mark, using it to drive her into a long, shuddering climax before he allowed himself to follow her.
They set out early the next morning and, although Jayn was still quieter than usual, her hand rested easily in his, and he finally relaxed.
The jungle began to thin as they walked, the trees diminishing in size and growing further apart. The moss under their feet disappeared, replaced by a carpet of leaves. Jayn winced as she walked, and he made her stop, digging through her bag for the last few scraps of fur. He lashed them to her feet with some additional vines to form crude but effective foot coverings, and she gave him a grateful smile.
“Thank you.”
They set out again, but their pace remained slow. He suspected that neither one of them was anxious to reach their destination.
The land continued to change. The trees disappeared altogether, replaced by rolling grassland. The featureless plain made it hard to maintain their direction, but he kept the river to the right and the sun directly ahead. It was beginning to sink towards the horizon when they topped a small hill and came to an abrupt halt.
Directly in front of them was a gleaming white edifice, completely out of place amidst the natural surroundings. If he had encountered it on Dotura, he wouldn’t have given it a second thought, but after all this time in the wilderness, it looked disturbingly foreign.
Jayn’s hand tightened on his.
“Is that it?” she whispered.
There was no one around to hear her speak, and yet he understood her urge to keep her voice low. Even Misstuh Tiduhlz perched on Jayn’s shoulder in subdued silence. The only sound was the wind swishing through the long grass, but he suddenly felt as if someone was listening to their every word.
“Yehss.”
Neither one of them moved. Finally, she looked up at him, her small teeth worrying her bottom lip again.
“I suppose we should go find out what this is all about.”
He nodded his agreement, but his free hand dropped to the hilt of his knife as they walked slowly down the hill. As they drew closer, he realized that the structure was not as large as it had seemed from afar. One long, low building flanked a taller structure that resembled a ship hangar. His heart beat faster. Would there be a ship inside? A way off this planet?
He looked down at Jayn, still clinging to his hand. He would not let them be separated, he vowed silently.
But what if she wanted to return to her own world? Were her feelings for him enough to override her longing for her home? His chest ached so fiercely that he could almost believe he had been struck by a weapon, but this was a far greater agony. There had to be a way for them to be together.
As they approached the smaller building, a door panel slid to one side, and his hand clenched on his knife hilt. It might only have been an automatic mechanism, but he didn’t like the feeling that someone had been waiting
