Hunting Purity (The Hunting Series Book 2) Read online

  “Believe me, these will just make things worse.”

  He picks up a shoe and inspects it more closely, the heel in particular. Then he says something. There’s a question there.

  “Oh wow, how do I explain high heels to an alien? I guess you don’t have stuff like this where you’re from?” I huff out a breath, shaking my head and shrugging. “They’re meant to be pretty, but they hurt and they’re hard to walk in. These are literally the last shoes I would have chosen to wear had I known I was going to be abducted by aliens.”

  He asks another question, but I’m at a loss. It’s his turn to huff at me and suddenly I feel bad that went to all the trouble to hunt them down, just so I could spurn him. He tosses the shoes into the corner of the cave and stalks away.

  “Hey, wait.” I say, jumping to my feet. The sudden motion is dizzying, and before I know it, his arms are around me again. “I’m okay, I got it,” I tell him as I blink away the vertigo.

  He growls his next words to me, but it only makes me laugh.

  “I swear, I’m steady now,” I assure, patting his scaled and muscled arms. Still, he pushes me back into a seated position. I hurry to slide my hand into his larger one before he has the chance to leave. “It means a lot to me that you went to get my shoes. You’re very kind.”

  His angry eyes go soft and he frowns at me, looking troubled. Somehow, I feel like my words of appreciation are a greater misstep than the spurning of the shoes. He walks away then and puts the skull on the fire. Soon, the water inside will be boiling. I don’t look forward to having my wound cleaned again but know it’s a necessary evil.

  Stealing my focus from the heating water, Hero sets a rock covered in thick sap next to me on the log.

  “Yeesh, what’s that for?”

  He raises his brows in a teasing manner and a smile spreads across his lips. “You’ve got quite the sense of humor,” I notice and I shoot a smile back at him, enjoying his playful nature. By the sound of his response I assume he finds my situation comical. And I can’t even be mad. At least his humor lessens my anxiety about the pain I’m about to experience. I roll my eyes at him and he smiles again before getting to work around the cave, doing small and important things I don’t yet understand. I try to keep an eye on his actions, learning as much as I can, so that when I’m able I can start helping out.

  He ventures into the back recesses of the cave and I’m dismayed when he brings the hunk of raw meat from yesterday with him. He cuts a slice of the day-old meat that’s been stewing in the elements and offers it to me. Eating it raw was bad enough, today I worry it’s rotten.

  “Oh hell no!” I grimace, holding my hands out to stop him. “Don’t you eat that either, you’re going to get salmonella or a parasite or something!” Brazenly, he pops a chunk of it into his mouth. I scream and look away. “Gross! Seriously, Hero, ew! I’m going to freak the fuck out if you don’t cook that before you eat it!” I cover my eyes, refusing to look at him while he holds that disgusting thing.

  Though my eyes are covered I can sense him approach me. His voice goes low, taking on a tone I haven’t heard from him before. I realize he’s trying to coax me. I peek over at him and see he’s still holding the meat out. “I said, ew!” I tell him firmly.

  He tugs at my hands and I get the impression he’s worried I really will refuse to eat. And he isn’t wrong. I’m not eating day-old, raw meat. I did enough vomiting yesterday, I’m not looking for a repeat.

  Of course… I am hungry. But I’m also not about to ask him for something else. It isn’t like he can just pop over to the store and pick up some PB and J for me.

  I mean, maybe if he put it on the fire it would kill any germs that might be on it…

  “Oh my god, I can’t believe I’m even considering this.”

  He must take my words as defeat because I suddenly feel the wet meat pressed against my lips.

  “Bahhhhhh!” I scream and flail backwards. Again, he catches me, but I yank away from his grasp. Then, we’re both on our feet, squaring off to one another.

  “I cannot believe you just did that!” I shout indignantly, wiping at my mouth. Despite his challenging stance, I see his lips quirk upward into a half smile. That look alone makes my anger melt away. Suddenly I feel silly.

  “Laugh at me right now and you’ll regret it,” I warn, trying to keep my smile at bay.

  The next thing he says sounds like a provocation and I fight the urge to tackle him. If he were a human guy, I’d do it in a second, but as an alien, I don’t know how he’d interpret rough housing. So, I approach him instead, coming to a stop mere inches away from his wall of a chest. The way his eyes rake over me tells me he’s used to intimidating people, but I know his true colors. He doesn’t scare me.

  In lieu of a tackle, I poke him hard on the chest, trying to pretend his pectoral muscles don’t feel like solid rock. “You might think you’re hot stuff, Mr. Lizard, but you don’t know who you’re up against,” I tell him smugly.

  He sweeps his leg out suddenly, knocking me off my feet. I tumble into his arms and my mouth falls open in surprise.

  “Wow…you’re fast,” I breathe out.

  Hero’s not smiling anymore, but if I were to judge by the way his eyes are shining, I’d say he’s still having fun.

  Chapter 15

  He’Rokvska Naa

  My prey falls lightly into my lap and I pin her against my chest. “You will eat, female. I do not care if this food is appetizing or not. It will help you regain your strength, which you will need the next time you try to face me,” I tell her in a low and threatening voice. To my surprise, she still shakes her head no.

  “There’s literally nothing you could do to make me eat that.”

  “Shall we test that theory?” I ask. She stares blankly at me for a split second before I pin her wrists together with one hand.

  “Hero? What are you—” Her eyes go wide, watching my actions.

  I toss the meat on a nearby rock and use my free hand to rip a small chunk from it.

  “Ew, that’s so dirty! Oh my God, don’t you dare!” she commands as I bring the morsel close to her face. She starts to buck and wriggle against me and I tighten my hold on her. “You’re going to be so sorry!” she says furiously, before pursing her lips tightly together.

  I cannot help but laugh. She fights against me, trying in vain to break free from my hold on her. She even resorts to feeble attempts at kicking me, and for some reason I’m reminded of my visions of her on that first night. I can picture myself chasing my prey through the forest…and her, looking over one pale and delicate shoulder, anxious of my approach. I stifle a groan.

  “Open your mouth,” I say, demonstrating what I want her to do.

  If looks could kill I would be defeated in this moment. She refuses to comply, so I do the only thing I can at this point. I pinch her nose. Her eyebrows shoot up in surprise and only a few short seconds pass before she lets out an ear-splitting scream.

  “Wait!” she screeches.

  I release her nose and patiently wait for her to speak.

  “Okay, let’s make a deal. I’ll eat, but please, please, please, can we cook it? I just don’t want to get sick.”

  I shrug. It makes no difference to me as long as she eats. I pop the piece I was offering her into my mouth and toss the larger portion onto a rock in the firepit. The meat sizzles as it begins to cook.

  “Gosh, when did you become such a jerk?” she complains, pulling away from me, angered that she did not win our game…as if she ever had a chance. She lands inelegantly on the ground and makes no attempt to move.

  Still kneeling, I lean closer to her. “You are in my care, female, and that is a duty I do not take lightly. I will not allow you to go hungry, even if it causes you to resort to name calling. Unless I can assume that jerk means, ‘he who lives with honor’?”

  “You know, if you were human, I’d have kicked your ass for that,” she tells me, crossing her arms over her chest. Her words are hea
ted, but her expression hints at playfulness. I see the challenge in her eyes.

  “You wish to spar? Truly?” I am excited by the prospect. “Come then, hit me,” I tell her, opening my arms, welcoming a fight. She makes a weak attempt to push at my chest and I grab her wrist, blocking the move. My prey gasps suddenly, as if in pain.

  “Ow, my wrist!” she exclaims. I release her quickly, trying to get a look at the affected area. But before I can, she dives at me, knocking into me with her shoulder. It was a ruse.

  The fact that I had been in a crouching position, paired with the surprise of her attack… Well, I am ashamed to admit it, but I lose my footing and fall backwards with her landing on top of me.

  I am so shocked that I lie there for a moment stunned…and faintly curious as well. She quickly straddles my waist and grabs my wrists, trying to pin them with one hand, just as I had held her a moment ago. But the idea of it all is so absurd—she cannot even wrap her tiny fingers around one wrist, let alone two of them. Soon I’m laughing so hard it allows her feeble attack to continue.

  “Think it’s funny, huh? You won’t be laughing when I make you eat…” She eyes our surroundings, searching for something within reach. “This leaf!” She finds a small, dried piece of plant and shoves it toward my face. I easily keep her hands at bay, while she strains her muscles trying to force the sad little leaf at me.

  And she fights dirty, this one, pulling a hand free every now and then to jab me in the side. Her hits are not hard, nor do hurt…but, God’s help me, they…they tickle and I jolt each time she gets me. But I am a fast learner and I turn her trick back on her, with one hand on her waist, I look for the spot that might make her—

  “AH!” she yips, folding slightly to block her side.

  “Did I find the tickle place so quickly?” I ask, giving her another jolt, this time she collapses onto my chest and the laughter coming from her sounds like something more akin to a small woodland creature than a grown female. I attack the spot again, gentle but relentless, and she writhes against me, thwarted by her own hysterics. I can feel a growl building in my throat. Before I know what I’m doing, I flip her over suddenly, pinning her to the ground. She’s still giggling when I scrape my teeth across her neck…then she goes utterly silent.

  Reluctantly, I pull away, just enough to gaze upon my prey pinned beneath me. Her eyes are wide and her lips parted. Her chest rises and falls with each breath. I can almost hear her heart pounding. To my surprise, my cock grows hard.

  I rip myself away.

  “Sit down,” I command angrily, motioning toward the log. Without looking back, I stride from the cave, unsure of what it is I’m running from.

  Chapter 16

  Purity

  One second it felt like Hero and I had this special bond…something that can only be formed between two people who have experienced significant hardship together. Then the next second he acts like I dumped a bucket of ice water on his head and he can’t get away from me fast enough. I don’t know what happened. Maybe I made a mistake wrestling with him. We were having fun, freaking tickling each other for Christ’s sake.

  He did do that thing…with his teeth. It wasn’t really a bite, more like the way an animal might subdue his prey. Sure, it was a little…strange…primitive even. But he was completely gentle. I don’t know if it was a cultural thing. Maybe I missed some alien social cue and offended him?

  I let out a long and heavy sigh. A terrible thought crosses my mind: maybe I’m the only one feeling this kinship between us. What if the reality is I’ve just got a bad case of hero worship? “Hah, Hero worship…” I snicker at my own stupid, unintended pun.

  Regardless, Hero is gone again and the longer I’m left alone the more antsy I get. I feel like I need to do something. Hero’s been working hard and I’ve spent the last day sleeping and being bathed by him. I want to help out and be productive—actually make a contribution. I notice then, for the first time, that the cave is bare and I remember Hero had to build the fire pit yesterday.

  “I guess this isn’t his home either,” I say quietly. Other than my shoes in the corner and the pile of firewood, we really have nothing. He must be on the same boat as me then, stolen from his planet and abandoned here for some unknown purpose.

  Guilt washes over me. Sure, Hero seems more suited to this lifestyle, but he’s been doing everything for us. It must be daunting to go through all this and have someone relying on you for their life.

  I look back at the meat forgotten on the fire. It’s so charred now no one’s going to eat it. Suddenly my refusal feels like a sin. I wonder how scarce food might be or…how dangerous it is to hunt.

  “I’m an idiot,” I mutter.

  I also notice the water that was meant to boil in the skull has long since evaporated. While I might not be at a hundred percent yet, there are still some things I can do around here.

  Limping over with the water pouch, I pour what’s left of it into the skull then find a long stick on the wood pile to dig the charred meat from the fire. Other than that…I don’t know really know what else to do.

  The minutes tick by and I get curious about the weird rock with tree sap on it that Hero brought in earlier. I pick it up and give it a tentative smell, but quickly set it down again deciding it’s probably a bad idea to touch it. I mean, who knows if it’s poisonous or something, right?

  I opt instead to finger comb my hair, which is a trickier job than one might think considering the giant open wound I have on my head. I’m sitting there, wincing through my tangles and taking a moment to realize for the first time since arriving here exactly how absurd my clothing is. Suddenly I’m totally embarrassed. I must look like an extra from a bad sci-fi movie. I’m honestly shocked Hero hasn’t pointed it out yet. I mean, he’s wearing worn leather and I’ve got on neon lycra. I’m pondering what alternative clothing options might be available when Hero reappears.

  “Hey…” I start. He ignores me, stalking over to the fire. He sees the water beginning to boil and makes a single word mention of it. A quick “thanks,” I assume.

  “Hero.” I get to my feet and step in front of him. “If I did something wrong you can just tell me. We’re the only two people here, you’ve already seen me at my worst…” I tug nervously at the shoulder strap of my leotard. “What’s the point of letting something linger?”

  He stares at me long and hard while I bite my bottom lip and struggle to hold his gaze. I wish I hadn’t been thinking about my clothes, now I’m painfully self-conscious of my appearance.

  Surprising me, he grabs my chin and tilts my face so I have to return his stare. I’m confused, but his eyes narrow and he lets out a long string of alien words. I don’t follow any of it. Then he releases me and I notice a smug look on his face. I get the feeling I wouldn’t have much liked what he just said to me.

  “What, they don’t have pantomime on your planet?” I ask with my hands on my hips.

  He makes a big show of miming that he wants me to sit down.

  “Well at least you still have your sense of humor,” I say, rolling my eyes and dropping down onto the log.

  Chapter 17

  He’Rokvska Naa

  Trying not to think too deeply on my body’s reaction to the female, I retrieve the skull from the fire, setting the hot water within reach. Standing before Purity, I reassess her wound before cleansing it again.

  It is not so bad an ordeal this time, I think. Still though, she seems pained when I scrub the wound and has to dig her nails into the log to keep from crying out. Her eyes remain clenched the entire time and my gaze keeps darting to the way she nibbles at her bottom lip…her full, pink, and wet, bottom lip…

  I clear my throat gruffly.

  “Is it done?” she asks when I toss the wad of hair into the skull bowl.

  “The worst is over,” I tell her, reaching for the sap. From what my scanner tells me, it should help the cut remain clean and expedite healing. Beyond that, she seems to be on track to recoverin
g from her concussion.

  “What is that stuff?” she asks, crinkling her nose in the way that she does. I reach out and smooth it with my finger. It was a thoughtless action, but her smirk makes me bristle.

  “A natural medicine,” I reply, my tone stern. She stares blankly at me. “It has antiseptic properties, it will help you.”

  I scoop a thick blob of it onto my finger and wipe it directly on her wound.

  The change in her demeanor is instantaneous. “Hero!” she screams, jumping to her feet and slapping me so hard on the chest that it actually stings. “You did not just put that in my hair!”

  “Clearly I did, female.”

  “How could you? That stuff’s like freaking molasses! It’s going to ruin my hair!”

  Tears well in her eyes and she drops back down onto the log, covering her face. Her shoulders tremble. I think she might be crying. This certainly was not my intention.

  Sighing, I look around the cave, wondering if I have anything to make her tears abate—if only because they annoy me. But we have so little. It is a potent reminder of how much work still needs to be done. Work I should return to, but instead, I crouch before her, lamenting the fact that she does not have a translator.

  “Female,” I say in an attempt to garner her attention. She refuses to look up.

  “Female,” I demand. Still nothing.

  I tug at her hands and finally, she looks at me. Her eyes are filled with accusation.

  “Watch,” I tell her, motioning that her eyes should follow my actions. I pick up the wad of animal fur and use it to wipe down her feet. She hisses in pain a few times, but complies with my request. When I am done, I wipe the sap over her scrapes and the place where her nail was shorn off.

  “Oh…” she whispers, still sounding sad.

  “See?” I tell her. “It will help you, I swear to this.”

  She picks at her hair, touching it as if it were diseased. Her expression is one of complete dismay.