“The ship’s an old style Paohl destroyer. See the ribs on the side, the markings.” Calloor says as he points. “And that’s only half the ship.”
“Paohl?” I whisper the word.
“Pointy ears, tail, vertebra spines. Everything has to be pretty, not just functional,” Ava says.
She’s just described Eskar. Except he was breathing water and the Paohl don’t do that. They aren’t aquatic. How could I have imagined him when I didn’t even know there was a Paohl ship here?
“It looks like the ship broke up on impact.” Calloor points to the hills that surround us. Metal juts out from the rocks and trees. “I doubt many would’ve survived.”
But some did. Eskar did. Unless I’m seeing ghosts.
“So? Why can’t we investigate? We haven’t found a better place to stop and it’ll be getting dark soon.” I have to get over there. There’s a need in my blood. A hunger pulses through me. He’s waiting. I take a few more steps out onto the river before I realize what I’ve done.
The water moves swiftly beneath my feet, but the ice holds. The river is only about six meters across. Not that far. My gaze darts between the Paohl destroyer and my crew mates. I can’t explain this to them when I don’t understand what is happening. I hesitate, not sure I trust this feeling, but not knowing what else to do.
“Crossing is too dangerous. Please come back.” Ava takes a step toward me.
“It’s fine. I’m fine.” I am not fine. There is something wrong with me, and maybe if I find Eskar he’ll give me the answers.
“Your lips are blue and you’re not thinking right. You were under for a long time.”
I stare at her. She knows I was saved. But it’s clear she doesn’t believe me and never did. “I’m going over. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I turn back to the ship, and a man steps out from the shadows. He’s tall and pale and dressed in a black Paohl military uniform. My belly tightens, and the heat spills into my blood.
Behind me there’s muttered curses. I’m glad they can’t see the blush spreading over my skin. A wave of lust wants to take me to my knees. It’s definitely lust, not a fever because my panties are wet.
“That’s impossible,” Calloor grumbles. I agree. I shouldn’t be having this kind of reaction to seeing Eskar. Calloor continues, “that style of ship is over two hundred years old. The crew should be dead.”
But they can see Eskar, so I’m not losing my mind. I didn’t imagine him when I was dying. I take a few steps closer. The need to go to him is all consuming. I want to taste his lips again and feel his arms around me.
He waits for me, smiling. Maybe that wasn’t him in the water, but some kind of mental trick or tech. Whatever it was, he saved me and has been waiting for me. My body pulses with need. I ache to touch him, to press against him, to fuck him. That realization makes me stop a meter from the shore.
What is wrong with me?
Eskar holds out his hand. “I’ve been expecting you, mate.”
Chapter 6
Mate?
I stare at his now familiar face. Ava is calling me back. Calloor is calling it a trick. A trap. This whole planet is a trap. What else could go wrong? I can’t go back to them. My feet won’t let me. If I move, they will take me right to his arms. And I can’t think of a reason why I shouldn’t do just that.
“Eskar?” Is he real, or is this another trick? A projection the ship has made?
“Yes.” He smiles. His hand is still extended in welcome, like he expects me to step off the ice and into his arms.
I close my eyes and count to three. The lust doesn’t dissipate. I swear I can almost smell his desire. I open my eyes and my gaze skims over his body. He’s tall and lean, but his uniform reveals muscles and a sizeable bulge at his crotch. I jerk my gaze up. My cheeks are on fire. The heat spreads down my neck, and my nipples harden into tight peaks.
My crew mates have stopped yelling. I glance over my shoulder. Ava is making her way over the river. Does she want him?
I snap my attention back to Eskar. “How is this possible?”
He lowers his hand. “How is what possible?”
“That you are here when I saw you under water. You told me your name…” Something isn’t right, but I don’t know what.
“You were dying. I couldn’t let that happen. It’s been a long time since anyone has come.”
