I scanned the mass of bodies, looking for her. I found her and another female curled up together, using a toppled-over table as a shield. She’d tied her hair up in a knot at the back of her head, and the pink streak I’d been searching for was barely noticeable unless I really looked.
There was a shout, and a body flew toward them, having been shoved hard. Dottie wrapped herself around the other woman, trying to protect her.
Before I knew it, I’d shoved several humans out of the way and was diving in to take the brunt of the impact. I wrapped my body around hers as the human male landed with a thud against my back. Then came the chair that was thrown at the male. As I shielded her with my body, our eyes met, and it was like I was suddenly jolted awake. My thoughts scattered in all directions; all the things I thought I’d say to her and the questions I wanted to ask were completely gone. I felt oddly unsteady, like the ground had been pulled out from under my feet. There was shock in her eyes like she didn’t expect me there.
“I found you.” The words rumbled from my chest, and the tightness there had me holding my breath.
“So you did.”
“I am Ror’k.”
She swallowed. “I know.”
I inhaled her tantalizing scent, and suddenly it was impossible to ignore the tightness in my chest. A loud rumble erupted from me, that distinct vibration that belonged to a Xarc’n hunter who’d just found someone compatible.
Her eyes were wide with recognition, and she snatched her hands, which had landed on my chest, away like she was burned. There was no hiding the sound from her or from myself.
Suddenly, everyone was moving, perhaps spurred into action by my own movement. There were shouts and yelling, and the loud scrape of metal chairs on the hard floor. No one noticed my chest rumbling except for me and the female in my arms, not even the female right next to us, as her attention was still on the fight.
There was a shrill whistle and humans in uniform rushed in, pulling the males apart. The female next to us crawled out from under the table and rushed over to one of the males who’d been fighting. But the brawler closest to us didn’t think the fight was over; he lashed out belligerently at the people holding him back.
He stumbled forward, arms still swinging, right into us. I caught one of his fists, even as Dottie ducked out of the way. The sudden anger I felt that he came so close to hitting her had me grabbing the inebriated male and lifting him off his feet. It was in this position that Roger, one of the leaders of the settlement, found me.
“What the hell is going on here?” Roger glanced around, his eyes landing on me. “Put him down, Ror’k.”
I did, and he teetered over to one side, crashing into a table.
“On second thought, hold onto him, will ya, before he ends up on the ground. Now you and you, come with me now. You’d both better have a good explanation.”
“He started it!” the one in my grasp shouted. “He stole my cell phone. We need that to forage.”
I glanced over at the male indicated. He had blood spurting out of his nose, and his eyes were starting to swell up.
“He didn’t!” shouted the female. “And you losers cornered him, three against one.”
“Hey! Who’d ya call losers?” The male lunged at the female.
But by now several larger humans in uniforms were there to hold him back.
“Enough!” Roger sounded more annoyed than angry. “Explain in the office. Everyone else, stop gawking and clean this place up.” A uniformed male took my drunken charge from me, and I was glad to let him go.
I turned back to the spot where Dottie had been.
Krux! She’d given me the slip again.
By now I was beginning to think maybe she was doing it on purpose. Was this the game humans called “playing hard to get”? That meant she was interested, no?
I was just about to follow her still fresh scent when someone tugged at my arm.
“Hey, big guy, mind helping with the tables?”
It only took a few moments to right the toppled tables, and then I was off after my mysterious female. I followed her scent through the halls and up a flight of stairs to the top floor. I recognized this area as where the youngsters learned their lessons. Her trail went directly through one of the doors.
I stood at the portal, straining my ears to hear if she was inside. All I heard was a male voice speaking about how to purify water. I stood by the door for a little while longer until realizing she wasn’t going to come out.
Should I risk another episode of loud screaming and open the door? This room was not filled with half-dressed females. I could handle a bunch of juvenile humans. I opened the door a crack to peek inside.
Dozens of heads turned toward the door, including the male speaking at the front. Dottie’s unmistakable scent drifted out from the room, but she was not inside.
