He points across the room. “I will finish and wait for you here.”
“Thank you.” At least I don’t have to go out into the dark and cold. I walk around the lake and through another winding doorway.
There are holes in the ground and a water filled stone bucket nearby. No composting like on the farm. No air flush like in space.
When I’m done, he’s drying off. Water trickles down his spine and disappears into the towel. The towel isn’t big enough for a man his size. He must be close to two meters tall and is solid muscle.
He reaches for a piece of clothing and drops the towel. It floats to the ground. His ass is more perfect naked than it was in the leather pants. He slips a cream robe on, then turns and smiles as though he knows I’d been watching.
I glance away.
I don’t remember seeing a towel or clothes when I walked in, but I must have missed them in the shock of seeing him in the lake, because there is a pile of cloth and his boots to one side of a stone ledge. I hadn’t noticed the ledges on my first visit either.
“Are you sure you don’t want to bathe?” He smiles revealing fangs. With the fangs visible, his smile reaches his eyes. I decide that is his real smile.
I can’t shake the fear that there’s something lurking in the water—something other than Indiz. I lean against the wall, keeping a safe distance between us. I need to keep my clothes on around him. But we are literally the only two people on the planet. “What is this place? Who made it?”
“I don’t know. The lake was here when I arrived.” He belts the robe, but it doesn’t hide nearly enough. There’s too much of him. “I think it’s fed by a stream.”
“It’s warm in here.”
“Volcano?” He shrugs. “I’m just glad it’s here.” He walks closer. “That you are here.”
I have to tilt my chin to look up at him. My heartbeat triples. “I’m glad I’m not in the cold…but I have to go back to the ship in a few days when rescue arrives. I’m sure they’ll take you too.” I add in a rush.
That may not be true, but they should. It’s not like humans have anything against aliens. Though most wouldn’t cross species lines the way others do. Humans tend to stick with humans.
Indiz considers me for a moment. “Now you are here you can’t leave.”
“I will.”
He places a claw tipped finger under my chin. “If it were possible, I wouldn’t be here.”
“The mining company will want their data.” It isn’t me they’d be rescuing. I didn’t matter to anyone.
His hand drops. “We should eat.”
“Yes.” Then he’d put pants on, which would be far less distracting. The front of the robe has lifted. I glance away, hoping to find something to look at. I don’t need to know what’s under his robe. “I have food in my bag.”
Then I remember he’d been hunting.
He frowns.
“I’m not sure about eating and drinking the food here. I don’t want to get sick. And I need to purify some more water.” I’m babbling, rushing to fill the void so I can block out the inappropriate thoughts that have snuck in. We are theonlypeople on the planet, and I have days to fritter away now I’m not scrabbling to survive. “You didn’t need to go hunting for me.”
“I didn’t. I need to eat sometimes.”
Not all the time? What kind of alien is he? “Your kind doesn’t eat often?”
Indiz turns away. “No. But I enjoy it. Will you dine with me, or eat your own food?”
I have offended him. “Will you try my food?”
“Of course.”
Damn.I smile. “Great.”
“Great.” He copies. “I will meet you in my room for dinner.”
