“I’ll go first,” I volunteered. “I’m Gabby, short for Gabriella. I’m twenty eight years old, I’m from Indianapolis, Indiana, I’m a big fan of BTS, and I’m an anime nerd.”
“I’ll go next.” Julie spoke up. She tucked her short black hair behind her ears and began her introduction. “I’m Julie Garcia, I’m also twenty eight years old, and I’m from Chicago. I’m a professional chef and I like to run to relieve stress.”
“Hello I’m Fatima, and as some of you have guessed I am the oldest daughter of four kids. I’m from Columbus, Ohio and I’m thirty years old.”
“Hi, I’m Ashley. I-”
A creaking sound from the level above made everyone go silent. No one dared to even breathe as loud footsteps thudded above us. A set of large pawed feet stood at the top of the dirt steps. The mystery person slowly walked down, revealing what looked like a mix between a blue alien and a brown bear. The alien looked male with his broad chest, thick legs, and large hands.
He scanned the room, looking confused and out of breath. He silently assessed every woman as if one of us held the answer to some important question.
Then his gaze zeroed in on Julie and he stalked toward her with a look of determination on his face. His nostrils flaredand he reached out a clawed hand and lifted my friend off the floor and slung her over his shoulder.
In three broad strides he was out of the room, up the stairs and headed for the door.
“Julie!” I cried out after her.
“Gabby!” Julie reached out her hand but it was too late. They were already out the door and the bear alien was running at an incredible speed.
“Gabby!” she cried again.
It’s not too late. I’m not going to just let her get taken. Not again! Not after we’d already been taken from Earth!With my eyes focused on Julie, I took off in a sprint. He may be fast, but he had to slow down sometime, right? As long as I could keep them in my line of sight I could catch up to them.
I did my best and made my legs move as fast as they could but the alien bear man made a sharp turn around a cluster of trees and they were out of sight. By the time I finally made it to the trees where I’d lost them, they were long gone.
I stopped running and rested my hands on my knees as I bent over, panting and trying to catch my breath. The sounds of bugs and frogs surrounded me. It was comforting to not have to stand there in silence. The sounds of the wild life made me feel less alone.
With a heavy heart I turned around and started the long walk back to the den. There were two moons in the sky. One was large and took up a lot of real estate on the horizon while the other was smaller and farther away. The big one looked like it was almost full and it illuminated my way back.
I had already lost Julie and I didn’t think this night could get any worse when I heard the sound of twigs breaking behind me. I turned around, but all I saw was the shadow of a creature that moved very quickly behind one tree and then another.
I took a step and the shadow stopped moving. Out of the darkness emerged a beast that looked like a giant wild boar with long fangs and spikes on its back.
Maybe I could climb up a tree and wait until the boar left. I side stepped to my right and so did the boar. I took another step and the boar did as well, but now it was snarling. It dragged a hooved foot through the dirt, getting ready to charge, and I screamed as it came running toward me.
I braced for impact, fully anticipating the feeling of sharp teeth digging through my skin, when I heard a loud roar and saw a giant furry blue alien man crash through the trees and sink his claws into the boar and then throw him into the nearest tree.
The boar let out a wine and landed on its side. It scrambled to its feet and was up again within seconds.
The alien man stood in front of me in a protective stance with his claws out and his tail thrashing behind him. His very fluffy looking tail. I wanted to touch it, but this was not the time to be distracted. The alien flexed his clawed hands and let out another roar. He and the boar charged at the same time. The alien that looked like the Japanese racoon called a Tanuki shifted to the right and slashed the boar’s thick hide. Then he turned around and faced me.
There was a mix of panic and confusion on his face as he took in the sight of me. His chest and arms were covered in a brown and black fur that contrasted with his blue skin, sharp jawline, beautiful purple hooded eyes, a strong nose and-
My BTS delusional ass must be hallucinating because this man looked like the alien version of Taehyung–well, his face did anyway, not the blue skin, or brown fur.
My alien savior looked over his shoulder at the boar that was starting to get up again. He frowned and turned back to me with what looked like wonder in his eyes. Then he shook his head and picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.
I sure hoped he was fast because that boar looked pissed.
Chapter 6
Tarak
Who and what is this female and where, by the goddess, did Orsu go? I did think he was right when he’d said he was looking for something important, because as soon as I laid eyes on this female the hollowness in my chest was filled with joy. Was she somehow connected to the strange thunder we’d heard earlier?
I didn’t have any time to ponder that question, though. The boar I’d wounded was chasing us. I must get this female to safety. A feral protectiveness had washed over me the moment I’d seen the boar staring her down. The need to protect her and keep her safe had been overwhelming and now that I was holding her, my nostrils being filled with her scent was causing my cock to stir. This was not the time to be aroused. I forced myself to not think about herverysoft skin and herverysweet floral scent as I ran through the trees to the mountain.
A large jagwa leaped onto the trail bearing its teeth. Jagwas were pack animals and where there was one there would be more.
