When he didn’t say more, I moved on. “So what are you? I’m a human from Earth.” I pointed to myself.
“I am a Sirret from Valo Prime.”
“Sir-ret.” I let the word linger on my tongue.
“Hu-man,” Tarak said then he asked, “Do hu-man’s speak Sirret?”
“No, humans have many languages but Sirret is not one of them. The people who took me from my home gave me a translator so I can understand and speak your language.” I pointed to the back of my neck where I could feel the small device embedded in my skin.
Tarak nodded his head in the way that people do when they don’t fully understand something but they want to move on with the conversation.
“I am sorry you were taken from your home. It is a great sorrow to have to leave your dekes behind.” A flash of grief showed on his face as if he were remembering a painful memory.
“Thank you. At least I’m not alone. There are ten other women who crashed here with me.” I hadn’t had time to process the fact that I’d never go back to Earth. I’d left behind a mother and one brother, who I knew I’d miss very much, but I would deal with my grief later. I needed to be in the present to get more information from Tarak.
“There are more females?” His eyes grew wide with surprise.
“Yes, and…” I chewed my bottom lip. I wanted to ask Tarak for help, but did I trust him? He’d been very kind to me so far and I certainly wasn’t going to be able to find the women again on my own. “Will you help me find them? I was with them last night when a blue guy, like yourself,” I gestured to Tarak, “took my friend. I ran after them, but he was too fast for me to catch up, and then I ran into you.”
“The other females are in the area where I found you?” His brows furrowed as he contemplated the information I gave him.
“Yes, we found a den and used it as a shelter.”
He nodded his head. “I will help you find your dekes. My hunters and I will bring them here to the mountain where it is safe.”
I signed with relief. “Thank you, Tarak.” I put my hand on his knee and he tensed under my touch. I quickly removed my hand and gave him my best smile.
My stomach rumbled and I asked. “Do you have anything to eat?”
Tarak quickly got up, almost looking relieved. “Yes, I will bring you food.”
And without another word he left and I sat there staring at the empty chair where he’d just been. There was an uneasiness that settled in my gut. It was like an intense feeling of sorrow that Tarak wasn’t in the same room as me, but that was silly, so I pushed the feeling away. Tarak had kept me safe, that was what I missed–his protection, not the alien himself.
Chapter 7
Tarak
Gab-bae’s touch felt like a forbidden delight and I wanted more of it. I’d spent the last seventeen seasons believing I’d never feel the touch of a female, but now Gab-bae was here and even though she’d seen me in my shifted form she still reached out to me. It all felt too good to be true. This soft, beautiful hu-man female not only wasn’t from the other dekes, but she looked at me with joy instead of the disgust the other dekes had shown the night I’d first shifted.
“Savrix, what did you learn?” Lumod, my hunter who could smooth talk his way out of any situation, had taken over the cook fire today since Orsu still hadn’t returned. Orsu’s absence troubled me. I’d never gotten to see where he went off to. If that boar hadn’t tried to attack Gab-bae then I might have been able to search for him.
My fists clenched at the memory of Gab-bae being in danger. I had only just met her and yet, I felt an intense desire to keep her safe.
I grimaced as I approached the cooked meat Lumod had prepared. Orsu was the one who did all the cooking for the dekes. Not only did he enjoy cooking, but he was actually good at it, which was not the case with Lumod.
The red-haired, smooth talking hunter handed me two flatbreads topped with seasoned meat.
“Gab-bae is not from the other dekes.” No sooner had I finished my sentence than a crowd of hunters surrounded me. It was for the best. It would bring them all peace knowing that no one would be punished for the female’s presence here.
“If she isn’t from the other dekes then where is she from?” Brexl asked.
“She is a hu-man from a place called Earth. She and the other females crashed here on something she called a ship.” I did not know what a ship was, but I suspected it was the object that made the thunder and had the strange burning scent.
“There are more?” Drovo, my forest shifter who always had a new invention in his hands, asked with rapt attention. This caused a stir among my hunters who were now murmuring amongst themselves.
“Yes. We will search for them in the morning.” I knew better than to tell them I suspected the females were in Orsu’s den. If my hunters knew that they’d risk going out into the night to find them, and there are far too many lethal predators that haunted the forest at night for me to allow that. The females would be safe in Orsu’s den. It was a sturdy structure that Orsu kept well stocked with food and other supplies.
“How many are there?” I bit back a groan. I understood my hunters’ excitement about this news, but I ached to be back with Gab-bae. Being apart from her felt wrong and the hollowness I’d felt in my chest before had returned. It urged me to seek her out, keep her safe, to touch her soft skin and to pray that she’d want to touch me in return.
