Midori's stomach lurched. The drop reminded her of riding a roller coaster and popping over a hill at high speed, where gravity meant nothing at all. The ground vanished, and the pod plunged down the mountain. She didn't even have time to scream.
The drop didn't last forever. It just felt like it until the pod slammed against something hard and they were rolling. The door must have shut from the force, because all she could see was the interior of the pod and Cael's big blue frame pressed against the side of the vessel. Two of his arms gripped against the sides while the other two crushed her against his chest. She couldn't breathe, but he was the only thing keeping her from slamming her head against the walls as they careened down the side of the mountain.
Please don't die. Not here. Not like this.
Thoughts of her sister flashed through her head. Would she ever find her way home? Would she forever wonder about Midori's fate?
The pod slammed against something hard, throwing Cael and Midori's bodies against the wall. This time, Cael's manyarms just weren't enough to cushion her, and Midori's head struck the metal wall with a crack, turning everything black. The pod slowed and stopped spinning, coming to a stop.
Midori didn't want to open her eyes. The pain in her head was so intense, she wasn't sure if it or the spinning was the cause of her nausea. Bile rose in her throat, but she forced herself to keep it down. She refused to add more misery to their circumstances by throwing up in the tiny space.
"Midori, are you all right?” Cael's voice emerged from the opposite end of the escape pod.
Midori blinked and winced against the pain. How was Cael at the other end of the pod? Her feet were straddling his head, and she was lying face down on top of his torso. Somehow, their tumble down the mountain had thrown her completely upside down in the escape pod.
"I think I'm okay," she said, but moaned when she lifted her head to look around.
"Don't move yet. I'll grab the med kit, and we'll check for damage."
Midori didn't have enough energy to argue, but then she noticed her head was laying directly in his crotch, which meant Cael now had a spectacular view of her ass. Although both of her arms were wrapped around his powerful thighs in a death grip, she pulled them free and pushed herself up, hoping to get out of the embarrassing position as fast as possible. But as soon as she sat up, she banged her head against the top of the pod, immediately regretting her movement and falling back down from the pain.
"Ooof!" Cael groaned as her head landed on his crotch once more. "Please," he said, a little breathless. "Please don't move."
"I'm sorry," she murmured, her mouth full of material from his leather-like pants.
Cael groaned again, this time not from pain or surprise, but from some place deep inside. The sound of it caused a tingle to race up Midori's spine to the base of her neck and back down again, ending in a shiver between her thighs.
"Don't. Move," his voice growled.
Midori's nether regions shivered again, thinking about how close his mouth was to her. If he just slipped down her leggings, he could?—
Oh my god, I must have a concussion to be thinking about this right now. We just slid down the side of a mountain! You cannot seriously be thinking about sex.
Cael pulled a latch, and the top of the escape pod lifted back on its hinges. Frigid air blew inside, instantly raising goosebumps on Midori's bare arms. Her eyes opened, and she realized her cheek was resting right against Cael's manhood. Flames of embarrassment shot through her, but she forced herself to lie unmoving as she remembered the guttural sound of his voice growling at her to stay still. No doubt he was just as uncomfortable as she was.
"Ok. I think you can sit up now. Carefully, though."
Midori cleared her throat as she gathered her courage. The bottom of the pod was too far beneath Cael's body for her to reach, so she placed her hands on his legs and pushed her body up, knowing if she moved any farther, she'd be sitting on top of his face.
More naughty images flooded her mind but quickly evaporated as she turned her head to look out the pod. She barely saw over the rim, but the view took her breath away. Blue-hued mountains covered in lavender-colored snow surrounded them on all sides. Even now purple snow was falling, covering the dark blue fir trees growing all around.
"Oh, it's so beauti—Ow!" She moved too quickly, and her head throbbed in objection.
Cael's four hands lifted her up and—without knowing quite how he did it—he gently cradled her in his lap.
"You're hurt. Show me where."
Gone were the short grunts of yes and no she'd become accustomed to on the spaceship. This man was demanding, and his tone made it clear he was ready to take charge.
"Here." She winced as she touched a lump on the back of her head.
"It's not bleeding." His hands were gentle on her scalp as they massaged around the swollen bump, pushing her hair back and forth as he studied the wound. "Look in my eyes."
She obeyed, lifting her eyes to meet his gaze. His irises were like molten silver framed with flecks of ice blue and black, and his black eyebrows arched as she studied his face. His nose was long and thin, the complete opposite of her short, flat Japanese nose. Though his hair was black like hers, it had a deep blue sheen, and each end was tipped in silver. What would it feel like to run her fingers through it?
One of Cael's hands slid up to cradle her neck, and Midori's eyes dipped down to his lips, their blue hue a shade darker than the rest of his skin. His lips were full and looked silken to the touch.His mouth hung open as he studied her, and her attention focused on his sharp canine teeth. But it was his dark blue tongue peeking out which caused her to shudder once more as she imagined the touch of it against her skin.
"Cold?"
