Beks was still shocked when he sat down next to her, his thigh brushing her knee.He handed her the stone, which felt about thirty pounds heavier than it looked.Lihvan had carried it with such ease, but her biceps strained until she set it down in front of her.
“You can use this,” he said, handing her one of the crystals.By contrast, the crystal was surprisingly light.“It is very strong until the outer casing is boiled down.It is a good tool to carve with.”
Experimentally, she brought the crystal’s edge down into the stone’s notch,hard.To her surprise, a large piece of stone flaked off, like pastry.Lihvan nodded in approval next to her and Beks felt her chest warm a little, finally feeling like she could contribute.
“On this hunt that you talked about earlier,” she said, intensely aware how close he was to her, “how long did you stay on this planet?”
“Eight spans,” he replied.
In addition to guessing the meaning oftevandnix, Beks had also deciphered that ‘spans’ meant ‘days.’
“Were you alone?”
“Nix,” he said, proving her assumption.“There were three others.One died during the hunt.”
Beks’ lips parted, her hand hovering above the stone.“I’m sorry.Was he—or she—your friend?”
“No, we did not know one another well.It was a military training exercise, early on,” he said.Then he frowned.“Females do not hunt.”
Beks bristled slightly and she turned her head to ask, “Why couldn’t they?You don’t think we’re as capable as men?”
She swore she saw his eyes soften.His hand brushed through the strands of her hair and down her back.His gentle, intimate gesture shocked her into silence and that damned annoying feeling squeezed her chest again.
“Females are much too valuable to be subjected to the possibility of death, Beks.I meant no offense,” he murmured.God, she could listen to him say her name all day.His accent softened the harsh syllable and it floated into her mind.“The thought of an injured female…most Luxirian males would rather offer their own lives in exchange.”
Beks hesitated.“Really?”
Lihvan gave that head jerk.“Tev.”
“Luxirian?” she sounded out slowly.“Is that what your kind is called?”
Another jerk.“Tev.”
“And…” she started, licking her lips, resuming her chipping.“Is that why you saved us?Why you risked your lives to free us from that place?You just go around all the galaxies, rescuing women?You must have quite a fan club,” she joked, but thinking about said fan club made her carve harder.
Lihvan didn’t smile though, not like she’d ever seen him smile.“Our Prime Leader participated at the Pit.He took a human female as his prize.”
Outrage choked her, the crystal clattering to her feet.“You—yourleaderwas one of those brutes?And you say you’re a defender of women?”
Lihvan studied her, but remained calm.He ran a palm over his chipped horn before elaborating with, “His female made him see how wrong he was to participate.She made him understand the wrongdoings committed against females.He immediately entrusted me with this mission, to take the remaining human females from the Pit.Do not judge him so harshly.We did not know the full implications, since some females of certain raceschooseto be offered in the Pit.”
Beks couldn’t believe that.“I was locked in a cage when I wasn’t standing in that arena,” she told him.“They fed me God only knows what and I fell asleep at night to the sounds of women sobbing.No one would willing want that.”
Lihvan’s fist clenched on his thighs and his body thrummed with a sudden energy.It was the closest she’d seen him coming to completelylosingit.In a ragged voice, he said, “I wish I could kill them over again.I would offer you their heads if you wanted them.”
It was probably the closest thing to romance she’d ever get from a guy like this.
Beks blew out a breath.“Let’s talk about something else.Tell me about your planet.What does it look like?”
Lihvan was clearly struggling with his newfound rage, but Beks was impressed by how tightly controlled his emotions truly were.After a prolonged moment of a hardened jaw and the flashing of his strange, yet pretty, gaze, Lihvan answered with, “Just like many planets in the Quadrants, Luxiria is very different geographically depending on the location.”
“Where do you live then?What is it like there?”
Longing flashed across his face, so simple and yet surprising.It was clear he loved his planet, his home, and Beks couldn’t help but feel envious.
Home is where the heart is, she thought sadly.
Her best friend, Kate, had been the closest thing to family she had.She was estranged from her mother, had never even known her father.She’d always kept herself emotionally distant from people, so she didn’t have strings and strings of friends.That look of desire on his face…well, she’d never felt that sure of a home before, even though she loved Chicago.She’d never felt that sure aboutanythingbefore.
