Ravok glares at me, shaking his head, his skin glowing a darker shade of silver. A low, annoyed-sounding growl builds up in his chest, echoing around the small cabin. He tends to growl and snap his teeth at me, but I notice that he seems to take care in not making any actual threatening moves towards me, so his ire doesn’t scare me.
Somewhere within me, a spark of defiance kindles to life. Maybe it’s the exhaustion, or maybe the insanity of my situation, but I push back. With my heart pounding, I growl back, mirroring his rumbling sounds. Unyielding, he simply crosses his arms over his massive chest, growling louder. He bares his teeth at me. They glint ominously under the cabin’s lights. Startled at his audacity, I gasp out, “Don’t you bare your teeth at me, Ravok.”
Then Ravok raises his arm, demonstrating that he can barely lift it perpendicular to his torso.
Throwing my hands up in the air, I huff out a breath, “Fine! But don’t come complaining to me if you get a chill.” I drop the hoodie on the coffee table and pick up the splint. I approach Ravok, intending to put it back on his arm when he growls at me again. “What? We need to keep it immobile for a little bit longer. I want to make sure it heals properly.”
I approach him with the splint, and he growls at me again. I prop my fist on my hip and give him my best ‘stern nurse’ face. “Ravok! We need to put this on you. It’s just to support your healing.”
He gives me a look that reminds me of a stubborn toddler refusing to eat his veggies. Ravok shakes his head and says a series of deep, growly words I can’t possibly interpret. But the meaning is clear: He is refusing to wear the splint.
It’s not like I could wrestle it onto him – even if it is for his own good.
I stomp a foot and throw my hands up in defeat, dropping the splint on the coffee table next to the hoodie. Then I march out of the room with as much dignity as possible while only being clad in a damp towel and sporting a messy bun. Just before I turn the corner and head into the bathroom, I look back at Ravok. I get the distinct impression that he finds me and my anger amusing. I narrow my eyes at him, letting him know he’s officially gotten on my last nerve.
He watches me intently, his glowing eyes capturing mine once more. “Grroz ferruckt, Leelee.” I’m assuming that he’s saying, ‘Thank you, Lily. You’re always right and I should listen to you more. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. You’re the best.’
I can’t stay annoyed now. Plus, it’s really charming how he says my name. It sounds exotic in that deep, growly voice. His voice is like gravel but somehow still as smooth as silk, with a hint of gratefulness gracing his tone. I can’t help but blush underhis gaze. I hope he doesn’t realize I’ve been perving on him while he’s stuck with me and vulnerable.
“I know, Ravok. You’re welcome. Let me get some clothes on and I’ll make us some breakfast.”
CHAPTER 26
Ravok
Leelee lifts her chin, stalking away towards the washroom with the bearing of a Cryzor queen. An annoyed Cryzor queen. Based on my time with human scientists, I know that my accelerated healing is shocking to her people, so I understand she is just trying to help me to the best of her understanding. The splint is unnecessary for my healing. As this morning demonstrated, I don’t want a hindrance if we come into danger. I don’t want anything in my way if I need to defend us. It could prove the difference between life and death. And I will not allow anything to hurt Leelee after she’s gone to such trouble to help me.
As she stomps her foot in irritation, I battle an impromptu bout of laughter. She speaks again, the sounds clipped. Though I don’t understand the words, I recognize the tone. She’s just given me a command. That answers that question –not a slave. Knowing it will only upset her further, I swallow my laughter, keeping my face neutral. Her bravado, her sweet spitfire nature, it’s admirable. Leelee is the most unexpected creatureI have ever encountered. It’s impossible to ignore the courage she has shown in dealing with me – a hard-hitting fact that commands my respect and, dare I say, fascination. I find myself falling, tumbling down the deep canyons of Leelee’s intriguing personality – the empathy, kindness, and fire she displays in equal measures.
The memory of this morning’s incident replays as a vivid tableau in my mind – I had watched from the corridor as Leelee’s slight frame barred the doorway, blocking the intruder from entering. She had used her body as a shield – to protect me against one of her own people. Her aura of determination had temporarily frozen me, and I’d stood transfixed, a prisoner of my surprise.
I am at a loss. I cannot understand how to dissect her actions. Nothing about Leelee makes sense.
Despite the insignificant amount of fabric that barely covers her nudity, Leelee displays no fear. Not to the visitor earlier and not to me. On Cryzor, Outriders are feared and respected. Yet here she is – this tiny, soft being – lecturing me. I can’t help but feel a flutter of unfamiliar mirth, and a begrudging respect.
I suppress a grin as Leelee lectures me. I know that she is trying to sound stern and severe, although her sweet voice betrays the softness of her character. Finally, she throws her hands up and stalks off.
“Thank you, Leelee,” I call after her as a peace offering. She turns on her heels and returns my stare. We hold each other’s gaze for a long, silent moment. The weight of unsaid words and thoughts hang heavy between us.
Leelee dips her head in acknowledgment, then heads into the washroom. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. As I listen to her getting dressed, my mind replays the previous few minutes. A vivid vision of Leelee on her knees, clad in nothing more than a scrap of fabric, leaning over my lap, hoveringher face mere inches away from my cock fills my mind. I keep replaying the moment when she realized how close to my genitals she was in my mind’s eye. The shocked, and perhaps almost greedy, look on her face, the flush working its way up her throat and settling on her cheeks. The heat of her trembling exhale blowing over my cock. The gentle swell of her breasts peeking over the top of the damp fabric. The way she bit her lip in a way that turned my mind into chaos. The plumpness of her lips had suddenly caught my attention in a way I can’t explain. I had to clench my hands to keep from reaching out to brush a thumb against her plump bottom lip. I’d had to suppress the sudden urge to lift my hips the smallest amount and brush my cloth-covered cock against the underside of her chin.
I roughly rub my fists into my eye sockets, trying to remove the images from my mind.
It was a strange and stirring moment that pulses a peculiar sensation within me. Her embarrassment was evident, but so was something else… an awareness. She may have been avoiding my gaze, but her body’s reactions didn’t lie, and I could see in her fumbled movements, the flush of her skin, the tremble of her limbs, and the rush of her breaths that she recognized the gravity of the moment as well.
It’s all emblazoned on my psyche, permanently etching that moment into my very fiber. I will carry the memory for all my days, I think.
While I am still occupied with my thoughts, Leelee returns to the room, now fully dressed. She speeds into the kitchen and swiftly fills a glass with water. As she hands me the glass, our fingers brush and she quickly snatches her hand away as if burned. I’m not sure how I feel about that.
Once I finish the water, I hold the glass out for Leelee to take back. She seems to startle and return to herself, blinking at me uncertainly. When Leelee points at my lap, heat surges throughmy body, and I feel every muscle in my body quiver, at the ready. Leelee asks tentatively, “Ungry?”
I realize that she was pointing at my stomach, not my cock. I am an overeager idiot. Why did I react like that? My mind is in turmoil, and I’m having difficulty processing my chaotic feelings.
Realizing that Leelee is waiting for an answer, I dip my head. A wide, happy smile spreads across her face and she rushes back to her cooking area.
As a pan sizzles with the promise of hot food, I find myself in a surreal moment, wondering how I ended up in this absurd yet exhilarating situation.
A burst of orange leaps into my lap causing me to release a snarl. My instincts flare at the sudden movement, and I unthinkingly unsheathe my claws, ready to defend myself.
