Alien Storm, page 5
“And why, exactly, do I need to come out and see this?” I said flatly.
“Because it... It’s just wild! I can’t even explain it. Just come on.”
I didn’t bother fighting Fiona as she grabbed my wrist and pulled. I knew better. She could be as stubborn as a Mustang when she wanted to be. Which was... A lot of the time.
So, I let her lead me out, just managing to yank up my hood and slap my sunglasses onto my face as the hot morning sun drenched us.
“Alright. So where is he?” I asked, resigned.
I needn’t have asked. Just outside the tent, a group of human women had gathered. And they were all staring upward at the same thing.
I followed their gazes.
And gasped.
OK. Fiona was not kidding. This is pretty wild.
About 15 metres off the ground, Gahn Errok stood on a flat ledge of stone. Actually, at that moment, he wasn’t standing, but squatting. He straightened his legs with visible effort before immediately dropping back into a squat again. I stared up at him, speechless at... Whatever this was. Training session? Performance? Who the fuck knew?
In the sunlight, some of the differences between him and the Sea Sand people became more pronounced. He had the same jacked-up bodybuilder physique, of course. The same kangaroo-like ankles, feet, and tail. The same high, pointed, horse-like ears. But his skin was a different colour. A stony violet shade tinged with blue that swirled and shifted into indigo down his legs, at his hands, and at the tip of his tail. His hair hung forward in two rivers down his chest, displaced by the boulder and forced forward by his squatting motions. The strands were thick, straight, and inky blue, gleaming with electric aqua everywhere the sun touched.
It was hard to tell from so far away, but his eyes appeared to be closed. Which, frankly, was a bit of a relief. I didn’t need those sight stars trying to get any deeper inside me the way they had last night.
“He’s been at it all morning,” said Tilly when she noticed us.
My eyebrows rose. Tilly was an early riser, often waking up at dawn, or just before.
Which meant he’d been out here for...
“Hours,” Tilly confirmed.
Fiona’s words from the tent echoed. He can’t keep this up for long.
“What is the point of this? What is he even trying to accomplish?” I asked, frowning up at him. He hadn’t stopped the entire time I’d been out here and his movements seemed strained.
“I told you. He’s like a gym bro. This is the alien equivalent of ‘welcome to the gun show, want me to bench press you, love?’” Fiona snickered.
“Yeah, well, I don’t care about stuff like that. He should just stop,” I muttered.
“I don’t think he will,” Nasrin said slowly from nearby. “I think you might have to tell him to stop.”
“What?!” I cried. “Why do I have to? Just let him tire himself out and he’ll give up.”
“He already looks tired,” Nasrin countered.
I glanced from her face upwards again, just in time to see the boulder wobble on Gahn Errok’s back. A collection of gasps and cries ran through the group of women. My hand flew to my mouth, my eyes widening as I fully expected the boulder to roll off his back and seriously injure him.
But it didn’t. With what appeared to be a ferocious channelling of willpower, he steadied the boulder on his back.
“OK. He’ll definitely stop now,” I said breathlessly, heart hammering at the near miss we’d just witnessed.
But nope.
He did another squat.
“What are you doing?!” The words left my mouth before I even had time to consider them. My body moved of its own accord, pushing through the group until I was at the front. I planted my hands on my hips and craned my neck, staring up at Gahn Errok.
At the sound of my voice, his eyes flew open. Even from this distance, I could feel the probing white pricks of them on my skin.
He stared down at me, holding my gaze fiercely, almost mulishly, as he did yet another squat, this one even slower and lower than the previous ones.
Show off.
“I am training,” he snarled down.
“For what?” I called back up, exasperated. This guy may have been the most obnoxious alien, perhaps the most obnoxious man, I’d ever met. But I didn’t want to see him crushed like a pancake under that boulder. I eyed it uneasily as he answered.
“Training for-” His words faltered, turning into a grunt of exertion as he did yet another squat. “Training for you.”
“I never asked you to do that,” I cried, shaking my head at him. “But I am asking you to stop before somebody gets hurt.” That somebody being you.
Gahn Errok straightened out of his squat, and for once, he didn’t immediately descend into another one. Instead, with great effort, he worked the boulder off of his back and held it in front of him. Then, in a quick, jerky movement, he swung it up and over his head. He stood, arms straight up above his head, holding the boulder up the way an Olympic weightlifter would hold a barbell. His broad chest heaved, every muscle straining under his purple hide as he fought to maintain his position.
“Oh my God, just put it down already!” I called.
“I cannot,” he forced out between clenched fangs.
“And why exactly not?” I countered.
“You must... Must see,” he panted, tendons bulging in his thick neck.
“See what?!”
“Me.”
Fiona was right. This was some kind of show he was putting on. Trying to prove something to me.
“Well, all I see is an idiot who’s about to smash his own skull trying to prove... What? That you’re strong? Obviously, you’re strong. That’s not up for debate!” I cried.
His arms trembled violently enough that I could see the tremors from here.
“Just put that down and come down here and we can talk,” I said, grasping at anything that would get him to stop. I was getting more and more concerned that he actually was going to seriously hurt himself up there.
Apparently, saying we could talk was a secret fucking password to make him act like a normal person. He immediately tossed the boulder heavily down.
Something else moved up there with him – some kind of animal. My mouth fell open in shock as he mounted it and took off right into the air.
I’d heard about the flying alien creatures the Deep Sky warriors rode from Chapman and the others. But their descriptions didn’t live up to the reality before me. Or rather, above me.
The creature was massive, with an elegant, feathered wingspan that gleamed in shades of dove grey, cobalt blue, lavender, and violet. Its many long legs tucked under its body as it flew, its majestic head angling downward on a long, heron-like neck. Gahn Errok commanded the creature with ease, with subtle adjustments to his positioning. He had no need for reins or anything like that – every movement and hitch of his body commanded his mount seamlessly.
Something lurched inside me. A nostalgia made sharp by both grief and longing. The desire was so thick it made my throat go dry. I want to ride like that.
This creature was nothing like a huge, lumbering irkdu. It had grace and intelligence and rugged nobility in the raw power of its wings. Its feathers were so dazzling they almost looked like they were made of metal, dozens of daggers flashing in the light. It soared downwards and landed lightly, its many spindly legs cushioning the blow of gravity.
Gahn Errok sat tall upon his mount’s back – perfect riding posture. As much as I hated to admit it, he looked good up there. Like it was exactly where he belonged.
My breath hitched. I used to belong somewhere like that, too.
I walked forward as if drawn by an invisible force, coming to a stop before Gahn Errok and his mount. I tipped my chin up to meet the mountain warlord’s gaze.
“Alright,” I said. “Let’s talk.” Clearly, me ignoring him or just walking away the way I had last night wasn’t going to achieve anything. We needed to talk this out. So that he understood that I wasn’t interested in him.
Gahn Errok swung his leg over and then jumped down onto the sand. Fuck me, he was huge. I had to keep my chin tipped back just to look at him. I squinted behind my sunglasses, letting my gaze roam his face. His face was broad but not quite as rugged as some of the other Sea Sand men’s. There was a masculine sort of refinement to it. High cheekbones to balance out the strong jaw. A full mouth and dark blue brows above his large, relentless eyes. Like some kind of dark alien angel.
“Must we speak here?” he asked, his bright white sight stars shifting behind me to the crowd of human women watching. Now that he had descended, some of the Sea Sand guards had taken notice of the situation, too, their eyes never leaving us.
“Alright. Hold on.”
I turned to everyone watching.
“I am going with Gahn Errok to speak in private. In...” I glanced around. “In there.” I pointed to a crack that led into the cliffs and would afford us a little privacy.
“I don’t think you should go anywhere with him alone,” Tilly called over uneasily.
I heard a hiss building in Gahn Errok’s throat, but I spoke before he could say something colossally stupid and offensive.
“If I need any help I’ll just scream or something. But I need to deal with this.”
Fiona and Tilly looked at each other, and the Sea Sand guards didn’t exactly look happy about it. But ultimately, this guy was supposed to be my mate. Which meant they couldn’t stop us from from going somewhere together if I agreed to it.
“Come on,” I said, walking away from him. He caught up quickly, and even through the fabric of my hood I could feel the penetrating blade of his gaze.
We entered into the crack, walking through a shadowy tunnel of stone into a small, sunlit clearing. I leaned against a wall of red rock, shaded enough in my spot that I could take off my hood and sunglasses.
Gahn Errok stood in the centre of the clearing area. The sun poured down his body as if the very light worshipped him. I wonder if he’s ever had somebody say no to him before.
“So. That... Um... Display,” I started. I wasn’t exactly sure how to ask what I wanted to. It was something along the lines of, “What the actual fuck were you thinking?”
But that wouldn’t translate easily.
“Were you suitably impressed?” he asked, watching me closely. His face was unreadable. Closed off and cold, his eyes narrowed calculatingly.
“Uh... I guess? Like, yay you, you’re strong? But so is every other guy on this planet. It doesn’t mean anything.”
His lip twitched, his jaw tightening. “What does one derive meaning from, if not strength? If not prowess? If not the glory of a lone man with a boulder on his back fighting until there’s no fight left?”
“Oh, please. You weren’t fighting. You were showing off.”
His brows rose, his mouth falling open to reveal pointed fangs. “You make me sound like a boy playing at being someone he is not.”
I quirked a brow, silently confirming what he’d said.
“You.... This is not fair!” He closed the distance between us in two large steps. I gasped at his sudden proximity.
“This is not fair,” he said again, his voice lower and huskier than before.
I was about to roll my eyes and snap that life wasn’t fair, and hadn’t anyone ever told him that? But he spoke before I could get it out.
“You’ve got my heart. You can do whatever you wish with it, and clearly what you wish to do is crush it. I cannot stop you. Will not even fight you. But it’s only fair that you give me your own heart in return.”
His gaze turned stormy, sight stars buzzing as they stroked down my face, settling on my mouth.
“Oh, and what would you do with my heart, then?” I sputtered. His words had thrown me off balance.
He swallowed, his thick throat visibly bobbing before he whispered, “Cherish it.”
I gawked at him. Before I could fully recover from that statement, he swept my hands into his own. Shocked at the unexpected contact, I stared down at my hands, looking so small and pale in his huge clawed ones.
“Come with me,” he said, his voice so harsh it almost sounded like a groan. “Come with me, back to my mountains.” His words came faster and faster, spilling out of his mouth in a fervent tumble. “Let me lavish every luxury upon you. Let me make you my Gahnala. Let me show you everything the Deep Sky has to offer. That I have to offer.”
His words came to a halt, his breath shuddering out of him as the rough, warm pad of his thumb brushed the sensitive skin of my inner wrist.
Despite the heat, I shivered as electric sensation ran under my skin. My pulse leaped against his touch.
I snatched my hands away. I crossed my arms and stuffed my hands under my armpits, keeping them out of sight and out of reach. For the briefest moment, his skin on mine had felt... Well, not nice, exactly, but...
Stimulating.
And I did not want to repeat the experience. It made things too confusing.
“And what exactly is that, then?” I said. “What do you have to offer?”
Confusion wracked his handsome features. If he weren’t so obnoxious, it would have been cute.
“I... I have already shown you my strength. You saw me with that boulder, did you not?”
“I did,” I said, nodding once, my tone clipped.
His confused frown deepened.
“So... Strength?” He sounded unsure, now. I had a feeling he wasn’t used to that. Being unsure of himself.
“Plus, I am Gahn! Ruler of my tribe. Frankly, I am the best out of both Gahns of the Deep Sky. Which means I am the best Gahn out of all of them.”
Oh boy. Here we go again with the ego.
“Literally none of that stuff matters to me,” I said. “You can’t just swagger in here, say you’re better than everyone, and act like that fact should sweep me off my feet!”
“I don’t know what your feet have to do with anything,” he hissed, his sight stars two vibrating pulses of intensity, “but I do know that I am better than any other man I have ever met.”
I gave a bitter laugh at that.
“Not from where I stand,” I shot back.
He moved to stand at my side, his back to the stone wall like mine. His huge arm brushed the sleeve of my jacket. Even with the fabric separating us, another annoying jolt of sensation flew down my arm.
“No,” he said after a moment. “It is still the same from over here, where you stand. I remain the best.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
He glanced down sideways at me. When he saw that his arguments weren’t getting him anywhere, his confusion turned to exasperation. He stepped back into his previous place, standing in front of me, sunlight rippling down every hard line of muscle. “Any woman would rejoice at the chance to be my mate!” he cried, slamming a huge fist into his own chest.
“Yeah, well, I’m not any woman,” I said, unconvinced that what he’d said was even true.
He let his hand fall back to his side as he regarded me critically, his jaw working.
“Clearly,” he said after a long tense silence.
We stared each other down, tension crackling between us.
Finally, Gahn Errok broke the strained silence.
“What is your name?”
I blinked in surprise. I hadn’t even realized that with all the commotion we hadn’t had any sort of normal introduction.
“It’s Stephanie,” I said.
“Zzzzteph... Zuht... Zuh-Tephanie.” He grunted, his tail jerking on the sand behind him, a curving, muscled line of indigo contrasting with the shimmering copper sand. “Your name is as impossible as you are.”
“I’m being impossible?” I said, rage turning my voice to a low murmur. Gahn Errok must have recognized just how pissed I was, because his sight stars pulsed, his brows rising at my tone.
I jabbed a finger at him. Anger never made me shaky and flustered. If anything, it was the opposite. Made me smoother, harder, more competent. Some people got all stopped up when they were angry. Couldn’t get the words out, couldn’t say what they meant and then agonized in the shower later about how the conversation could have gone. Not me. Anxiety could shut me down and take my voice, sure. But I didn’t feel even a whiff of anxiety now. Just the sluice of cold fury in my veins.
“I will tell you this once and I expect you to listen because I have no intention of repeating myself,” I said, my voice venomous. Gahn Errok’s eyes grew wider and wider, his sight stars misting across his gaze as he stared at me.
“I had little interest in being someone’s mate before this and I have absolutely no interest now,” I continued. “I already had my doubts about love being true and lasting on Earth, and now I can see that the so-called mate bond is just as flimsy and unreliable since it’s bonded you to the last person who would want you. I don’t feel it and I will never feel it. Not for you. You have proven to me, without a shadow of a doubt, that I will never, could never, love you.”
Gahn Errok reared back as if I’d swung my fist at his nose. Not that my human fist would do anything to him. But clearly, my words had.
The truth hurts, bud. I didn’t want to be an asshole or anything, but I had to get it through Gahn Errok’s thick skull. I had to be clear with him. Set this boundary now so that he didn’t keep peacocking around, expecting me to melt into his big muscly arms.
Gahn Errok took a heaving breath, his chest inflating. His abdominal muscles tightened, crunching inward as he let the breath out in a harsh growl.
“Despite the assurance of your speech, you have gotten two things wrong,” Gahn Errok muttered darkly. The shock from my words was gone from his face, replaced by a stormy rage that mirrored mine.
“Oh, really?” I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “Enlighten me.”
His lip twitched at the same time his tail did, his entire body thrumming with barely controlled tension.
“Firstly,” he hissed, “the mate bond is not flimsy. To say so would imply that I am weak for succumbing to it. Which I am not. It is sacred and strong and impossible to shake.” His voice turned flat. “Though I am now questioning the Vrika’s judgment in bonding me to you.”
