Page 16 of Charmed By the Alien Warrior

“How long are we going to stay here?” I ask, suddenly realizing I don’t actually know what our plans are for each location.

How long will we search for them? I know it probably isn’t wise to stay in one location for too long at a time outside the safety of the village, but I don’t know how long istoolong.

We’ve stopped on top of a tall cliff, and before me lies a large, flat green plain that stretches as far as my eyes can see. Probably further than even the Laediriians’ eyes can see. In the far distance, to one side, a dark, imposing mountain rises up like a hulking behemoth, its jagged peaks hidden by swirling gray clouds.

This is the first time I’ve really been able to get a good look at the landscape of Laedirissae, and I have to admit, it’s surprisingly beautiful and tranquil. Deceptively tranquil—because I know this planet harbors all sorts of sharp-toothedand sharp-clawed creatures that would be all too eager to make a meal of me.

“Until the next sunrise.” Sorrin speaks from behind me. The whisper of his voice leaves a trail of goosebumps along the back of my neck.

He points to the far end of the grasslands in front of us, where the sea of green blurs into the horizon. “It will take us the rest of the day to traverse the grasslands to the far end in the distance. We’ll search as we travel.”

I notice the tiny dark specks scattered on the verdant plains and realize they’re probably some sort of herd animal. Maybe the dicros the tribe counts on as their primary source of meat. From up here, it looks like there’s thousands of the animals roaming the grasslands below us. And just as Draggar said there are no signs that a ship crashed here, but the grasslands stretch so far in the distance, maybe we just can’t see it, yet.

Isabella speaks up from her place perched in front of Vrenner putting voice to the thoughts running through my head. “Won’t it be dangerous to cross the grassland with all those animals down there? They might stampede.”

“As long as we keep to the edge, stay as quiet as possible, and stick together, the dicros won’t startle,” Yarik says, his calm tone catching me off guard. He’s been mostly silent and observant throughout our journey, making his input unexpected.

“Which means Yarik will have to keep his chattering to a minimum,” Sorrin quips from behind me, his voice laced with playful sarcasm. The remark earns a chuckle from the other three warriors.

Yarik doesn’t reply, but there’s a subtle twitch at the corners of his mouth—a ghost of a smile. It’s strange how moments like this, so ordinary and lighthearted, can almost make me forget how dangerous this place really is.

“What about the anurois? And the Pugj?” I question, shivering as I remember the big pterodactyl-like birds that harrassed us for so many days in the spaceship. “We’ll be sitting ducks for them to pick off.”

I feel Sorrin shift closer to me before he answers my question, calm assurance in his voice. “I do not know anything about this fowl you mention, but the anurois tend to avoid this part of our world. We’re not sure why, but it has always been that way. Perhaps, they don’t like easy prey for their meals.” He clears his throat. “The Pugj, too. We usually avoid hunting dicros on the Vex Grasslands, so our enemies do not tend to travel here. And if we do encounter them, well, we’ll protect you.”

His words bring me some relief, though I don’t let my guard down. This planet has a way of surprising you at the worst possible moments.

Moments later, Sorrin gives the command and we make our way down a sloping hill, our eponirs in a single-file line. The trail is rocky and I’m glad for the surefooted animals we ride on that seem to have the balance of mountain goats.

The descent doesn’t take long and before I know it, we’re through the last stand of thick trees and at the edge of the large swath of grassy land. Now that we’re closer, I realize the grassy stalks are a bright, almost neon green and they reach up to about the middle of our mounts’ legs.

We move onto the grassland in a line, snaking along the edge of the wide plains. From this close, I can see and smell the dicros. From what I’ve been told, the males release a pungentodor to attract females to them, and as I take a deep breath in, the musk burns my nostrils and my eyes.

Just like nearly everything on this planet, dicros are big, about the size of an elk back on Earth, but that’s where the similarities end. Two thick horns curl up and back from the top of their heads with two smaller horns sprouting from the sides and curling forward. They have brown fur that I recognize immediately as being the source of our blankets back at the village. Their long bushy tails slink low to the ground with a white tuft of fur on the end reminding me of a fox. Their heads are big, almost comically so, with blunt, short snouts that end in large pink noses that look like they belong on a cartoon animal.

I watch with relief as the animals closest to us shift, their round, tufted ears swiveling, as they move away from the edge of the grasslands and further away from us.

We travel on for what seems like hours, passing what must be thousands of dicro grazing peacefully on the lush grass. The herd stretches so far in every direction that it seems to blend with the horizon. A few times, fights break out among the males in the large herd—rut-fueled battles over territory and females—and the grazing dicros skitter away, allowing the males to go at it. Their horns crash together with a resoundingcrackthat echoes around us like thunder.

Other than that, the journey across the grasslands is peaceful. The clean scent of fresh grass mingles with the earthy aroma of the soil, and the air hums with life. Birds flit about, their melodic chirps mixing with the low drone of insects and the occasional buzz of a large, iridescent bug darting past. The serene atmosphere lulls me, making it easy—almost too easy—to imagine I’m on a backpacking trip back on Earth.

But then the alien behind me shifts reminding me of his presence and shattering that illusion into a million pieces.

I’ve done my best to ignore the fact that I’m sharing an eponir with Sorrin, but the effort is wearing on me. Laediriians run hotter than humans, and his warmth radiates through the space between us, wrapping my back in a cocoon of heat even though we’re not touching. His scent drifts forward—a spicy, almost woodsy fragrance that’s distinctly him. Against my better judgment, I inhale deeply, letting it settle in my chest. It soothes me, but it also stokes an unfamiliar fire, causing my heart to race.

I don’t know what it is about this guy, but he sets me on edge.

And I can’t ignore the effect he has on me. Sure, he irritates me with his cocky grin and never-ending quips, but I’d be lying to myself if I said that was all. I’ve caught myself checking him out more times than I’d like to admit. His long body, a little leaner than some of the other men in his tribe, but still lined with rock-hard muscles. His dancing gray eyes and his shoulder length silver hair with swipes of aqua highlights. And that loincloth that seems to draw my attention more often than I’d like. He makes my stomach clench in a way that is unexpected.

I get it... I’m horny. And the longer I share a mount with Sorrin, the worse it seems to get. But jeez, why do I have to start lusting after a nearly seven-foot-tall alien? Especially one who irritates the hell out of me.

By the time we reach the edge of the grasslands, the sun is sinking toward the horizon, painting the turquoise sky with wide swathes of pink and lavender. We’ve scanned the area all day for any sign of the crash—flattened grass, smoke, wreckage—but we’ve found nothing. Even the warriors, with their super-sensitive senses, haven’t caught a whiff of anything unusual.

A heavy sigh escapes me as we reach the thick line of trees and undergrowth on the other side. I guess it was too much to hope that we’d find them in the first place we looked.

The bright turquoise sky is painted with wide swathes of pinks and purples signaling the day’s end when Sorrin’s voice calls out from behind me, “Let us halt here for the evening near the stream.”

His hot breath brushes along my skin and sends a shiver down my spine.

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