Page 16 of Gentle Giant

“Humans don’t eat slugs?” I asked, feeling crestfallen. I wanted so badly to please her, yet I knew so little about her people. I wished I’d spent more time observing her kind.

“No, we don’t,” she said, though her voice was gentle, as though she didn’t want to offend me. “But I appreciate the thought, Brutus. Thank you anyway. Maybe once we get back to the cavern, I’ll have some of those berries you gave me yesterday. Those were quite good.”

“Do humans eat grasshoppers?” I asked as I spotted a few of the green creatures in the tall grass near the rocky shore.

“Humans don’t eat insects,” she replied with a small smile. “Well, I think in some parts of the world we do, but where I’m from, we don’t eat insects or slugs.”

“I will learn how to cook fish for you,” I announced, deciding that I would build a fire and roast a fish upon it later today. What kind of mate would I be if I couldn’t properly feed my female?

“Thanks, Brutus. That’s… sweet of you.” A light rain began to fall, and the tiny droplets clung to her face. I had the sudden urge to lick them off, and my cock swelled larger as I stared at my pretty female, still holding the slug between us.

“I am sorry I didn’t feed you before we departed the cavern,” I said. “My people usually take their first meal of the day from the earth as we complete our morning tasks. Slugs, grasshoppers or other insects, raw fish, the occasional snake, or nuts and berries we find in the forest. Shall we return to the cavern now?”

“I’d like to keep walking,” she said. “I’m fine. A bit thirsty, but I’m not very hungry yet.”

I guided her toward the river and beckoned her to kneel beside me. The rushing water was so clear you could see the multi-colored stones below. I released her hand and scoopedwater into my mouth, taking a long drink. Then I turned to Hailey and gave her an encouraging nod.

“Drink your fill,” I told her. “The water is safe and clean. I bestow my healing energies upon it daily. It has no… pollution.”

I watched with pleasure as she delicately scooped a handful of water into her mouth. After she swallowed, her eyes widened, and she brought more water to her lips. Once she finished drinking, she sat back on the rocks and tucked her knees to her chest, watching intently as an eagle swooped down to snatch a fish from the river.

“How far are we from the cabin?” Her question caught me by surprise, and I found I didn’t want to answer. “I-I’d really like to take a shower or a bath. And I’d kill for a toothbrush and toothpaste right about now. Maybe you could point me in the right direction, and I could go get cleaned up at my cabin, gather a few supplies, and then come back?” She turned to me, her gaze brimming with hopefulness.

“The cabin is a half day’s journey from the cavern,” I said, though I refrained from telling her in which direction it sat, “but I will not permit you to leave by yourself. It’s too dangerous for a female to travel such a long distance without protection. If you truly need supplies from your cabin, I will take you there, but not today.”

She lifted her chin, her eyes flashing with anger. “I’ll have you know that before you showed up and kidnapped me, I enjoyed a long hike alone in the forest by myself every morning. I can take care of myself.”

“If you wish to bathe, I will take you to our private bathing area in the cavern. A small hot spring. The water is warm and soothing.” My blood heated at the prospect of watching her bathe.

“I want to return to my cabin as soon as possible. It’s not just the items I need, but I usually talk to my best friend a few times a week. If she doesn’t hear from me soon, she’s going to worry.”

Utterly confused, I tilted my head at her. “Talk to your friend? I did not realize another human was staying at the cabin. Your scent was the only one I detected.”

She mumbled something under her breath that I didn’t quite catch, then shook her head. “My friend isn’t at the cabin. She’s on another planet, if you can believe that. But we talk using something called a video comm. I type in her comm number, and her face appears on a screen, and then we can talk as though we are face-to-face.”

“That sounds like a spirit visitation, but you say she is alive?” I tried to understand Hailey’s explanation, and I hoped she wasn’t attempting to deceive me.

“Yes, she’s alive. Her name is Candy. Anyway, like I said, if I don’t call her soon, she’s going to worry about me. Please let me go to the cabin on my own. I-I promise I’ll come back.”

Chapter 11

HAILEY

I promiseI’ll come back.

The lie tasted bitter, and a sick feeling rose in my stomach. It took me a few seconds to realize it was guilt I was experiencing. I actually felt guilty for lying to Brutus, and for trying to trick him into taking me to the cabin. Sure, Candy would worry when she didn’t hear from me, but what I really wanted with the video comm was to try 9-1-1 again or a transport company.

But for some weird reason, even though Brutus had kidnapped me, I couldn’t stomach telling him a single falsehood. I sighed as he stared at me, an increasingly wary look in his eyes. My heart raced, and my palms broke into a sweat. Had he figured out I was lying? Would he refuse to take me to the cabin, period?

“I will not allow you to travel to your cabin without me, Hailey, and I will not change my mind.” He glanced up as an old-fashioned airplane glided across the sky, a low growl leaving him. Once the plane disappeared, he returned his attention tome. “I will take you back to your cabin in five days, sweet human, so you might pack any belongings you wish to bring to the cavern, and so you might call your friend.”

“Thank you,” I replied, still feeling guilty. “But why five days?”

“Ten of our males departed this morning for our northernmost border to reinforce the territory markers there. They are due to return in five days. I do not wish to leave until then since it is important that we have enough strong males around for protection. Normally, I do not allow so many males to leave the tribe at once, but the northernmost border is a long stretch of land that’s difficult to navigate.”

“Okay. Five days it is,” I said, but the hope growing inside me was tainted with guilt. And heartache. For reasons I couldn’t explain, the idea of leaving Brutus gutted me.

He rose to his feet and offered me his hand. I accepted it and he pulled me upward and immediately drew me close, settling his hands on my shoulders. A light breeze rustled my hair around my shoulders, and it also brought the masculine scent of the big Sasquatch standing before me directly to my nose. I inhaled deeply and wondered if his people used some sort of soap. He smelled woodsy yet clean with a hint of pine or perhaps eucalyptus.

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