“No. I… I just needed to get away from our campsite. My coworkers are very annoying.”
Apodis chuckled, then slammed his mouth shut, horrified. Did she think he was laughing at her plight? But no, she was smiling too, a dazzling look that made his stomach clench, like he was some sort of youth.
He needed to get a hold of himself.
“I’m sorry for your annoying coworkers. And your ankle. Is your camp far? You’re welcome to stay at my cabin for the night if you’d like.”
If she’d like… Of course she didn’t want to come to a strange male’s home in the middle of the woods. No matter how far her campsite was, he’d carry her back. It was the right thing to do, not least of all because this was his fault.
“I’m not actually sure where my camp is,” she said with a grimace. “I didn’t grab my comm so I don’t know how to get back.”
“Well, it might be difficult to find in the middle of the night, so… the offer stands.”
He tried not to act too eager, though he noticed the way Zenith’s ears flicked forward with interest. The thought of a female in his home was strange, something he’d never imagined, not with his solitary cabin. But he kept it neat and tidy, could cook her a meal and help her get clean if she wanted.
Well, she could use his bathroom, not thathewould be in there to help her wash the dirt from her face, to clean the scratches on her legs. Surely, she was capable of doing that on her own.
And he had a perfectly comfortable couch, so she could sleep in his bed, and it wouldn’t be weird at all.
“I guess I don’t really have a choice,” Gemini said with a shrug, motioning to a backpack on the ground. “Could you grab my stuff?”
Apodis nodded, though he was disheartened by the reluctance. Still, the fear scent was abating, the delicious aroma of alona blossoms returning, and he tried to maintain his composure. He slung her pack over his shoulder—with some difficulty given the differences in their sizes—and stood over her.
“CanI pick you up?”
So awkward, but he didn’t want to scare her again, Zenith still eyeing the scene carefully.
“Sure,” she said, and he bent over, scooping her easily into his arms.
She was about the size of an omega, something he didn’t want to think about while he cradled her against his chest. She was warm, her cheeks flushed with heat, and he could smell her blood pumping hard, her eyes wide as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“Thank you,” she murmured as he started walking, Zenith following closely behind—suspiciously quiet.
“It’s not a problem,” he said, giving her a stiff smile. “We’ll be there soon.”
CHAPTER 3
GEMINI
Well,at least she had figured out where the pine scent was coming from.
Was this a terrible idea? Probably. But something about this guy put her at ease. And he had a cute cat—well, a cat-like alien—so could he really be all that bad?
God, she had the survival instincts of a potato, but something told her that everything was going to be alright. And hey, at least it meant she would hopefully get a full night of sleep away from Halley and Cassio.
Would they even notice that she was gone? She hoped so, but somehow she wasn’t certain. Castor probably still had his nose in his console, and she was sure Halley and Cassio had long since retired to one of their tents.
Gemini settled into Apodis’ arms, trying to take her mind off her coworkers and the throbbing pain in her ankle. Her whole body was sore from the fall, and she was grateful this alien was able to lift her.
What would have happened if she were all alone in the woods? She would’ve had to crawl back to the campsite… if she could even remember the way after foolishly forgetting her comm.
Apodis was strong—carrying her with ease—one of those big Oslieths with the tentacles. His ultraviolet skin was complemented by the silver hair that curled around his ears. He had wrinkle lines at the edges of his eyes, which had the strange horizontal slit-like black pupils she had come to expect from this species, with mesmerizing irises that seemed to flicker between turquoise blue and golden yellow. His smile was gentle, like he was trying not to scare her as Zenith, the little cat-like creature, led the way down a near-invisible path.
“You smell nice,” she said, biting her tongue a moment later.
It had slipped out, though the statement was true enough, the spicy scent of pine overwhelming now that she was in his arms, a few inches away from his handsome face.
Apodis furrowed his brow before giving her an uncomfortable smile.
