CHAPTER 014

ROLEC

After nights spent in the cave, Vex broke from our tentative routine and shook me from sleep. Groaning, I stretched my arms overhead then rubbed my eyes. It took a few seconds before I was able to focus.

"Yeah? What's going on?" I gave another twist before sitting myself upright.

It was odd. Vexarok made it a point not to wake me up. While I usually feigned sleep, he would slip outside to take care of business. I couldn't even pretend he was relieving himself, considering all the noise he made; Vexarok was anything but subtle.

But this morning was different. Vex stayed at my side, urging me to finish what remained of our rations and water. I'd found the fresh oolma to be decently good, but the urzol was less so. From what I could tell, it was some sort of root vegetable. It smelled fine, but the taste was bland beyond an underlying heat.

I ate it all the same; I didn't want to offend my host. As far as I was concerned, Vex didn't have to feed me, but he did so anyway. He risked leaving the cave to make sure we had supplies. I was grateful for that much.

I offered the waterskin back to Vexarok, and he tied it to his waist.

Sharing water, and therefore germs, had been a concern days ago. But exposure had already happened and with zero consequence. I'd come to the conclusion that whatever pathogens might pass between us weren't able to make the leap from species to species.

He spoke, his voice rich and soothing. It immediately pulled me from my wandering thoughts, though not without a sigh. The language barrier was starting to get to me. While I'd learned a few words, my translator had yet to work out anything that Vex was actually saying. Much to my annoyance.

Our inability to hold actual conversations hardly kept Vex from talking.

He continued on in his deep and rumbly voice, fixing me with a stare. I knew he was trying to explain his plans for the day, but what those were hardly mattered. At this point, Vexarok was the only thing I could rely on; everything else on the planet wanted me dead. Vex, on the other hand, seemed intent to keep me alive. Content to, even.

Why he'd even bother, I didn't know. But I forced myself not to dwell on it. If Vex had wanted to hurt me, he could have done so at any time. I lost absolutely nothing in trusting him.

Vexarok suddenly stood, doing one last check that his belongings were secured, then reached out a hand to me.

This came as a surprise.

All the days before, when Vex had gathered his things, he'd left the cave alone. Not today, it seemed.

I took his hand and was immediately pulled to my feet. He paused only long enough to allow me time to put on my boots; having not worn them for days, they'd finally dried out.

Deemed ready for travel, I wondered if we were going to have a repeat of our first night, when he'd slung me over his shoulder, but I was wrong. Vex picked me up, dumping me onto his back like a pack.

Piggy back.

This was definitely an improvement. I felt much more secure, my arms hooked over his shoulders and my legs looped around his thick waist. I had an idea of what I'd be in for; another dizzying sprint through the canopy. I wanted to ask him where we were going, since he'd given no hint that we'd be leaving anytime soon.

Despite the futility, I indulged myself. "Are the saber-tooths finally gone? Is that why you're taking me with you today?"

Vex answered with a flick of his ears.

"You know, if we're heading out, a bath would be really nice. I haven't had a proper wash since leaving my pod."

Saying it aloud, I realized how much I probably stank. Which made me all the more self conscious. More so when I recalled all the times Vex had snuffed me over the past few days. Yet, somehow, Vex smelled fine; earthy but not dirty. Maybe he'd washed up privately whenever he left me alone in the cave.

I wasn't able to dwell on it for long because the alien started to move. We were through the draping vines and into the morning sun before I could even blink.

Vex climbed lower, moving expertly from branch to branch. Then without warning, he jumped and began a mad rush through the trees.

Screwing my eyes tightly shut, I tried to ignore the way my guts seemed to bounce into my chest. I'd had a few days to recover from the last wild flight he'd taken me on, but it wasn't enough. I didn't think it ever would be; I'd never get used to this sensation. Vex, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content.

The wind whipped my face, and each leap sent dew flying. I could feel it against my bare arms. It reminded me of the first shower I'd taken outside my shuttle.

"I almost wish it'd rain."

As long as I was stuck to Vex's back, I knew I wouldn't be getting cold anytime soon. He burned hot like a furnace against me.

That was another thing I was grateful for; he'd kept me warm through the nights.

I moved on. "You know, you've taken this whole meeting-an-alien thing pretty well. Are all your people this friendly, or is it just a you thing?"

Vex shifted his large hands beneath my thighs, ensuring I was still secure on his back. Even through my pants, the touch felt more intimate than it had any right to. And to my mild disappointment, Vex didn't seem to react. Maybe I'd been reading too much into it, and his early morning sessions weren't about me after all.

"I must be pent up," I said with a long sigh. My chin was resting on Vex's shoulder, so he could hear my ramblings perfectly clear. "Maybe I should sneak one in the next time you run off to do your thing." A laugh pushed past my throat, though there wasn't much humor in the sound. "If I'm being honest, relationships were kind of the last thing on my mind. Even before this whole shitshow started, I mean."

Vex rumbled against me. It wasn't really a response, but it seemed to be an acknowledgement of some kind.

"You want me to keep talking?" The question was for my own benefit, considering he was a captive audience and made no effort to silence me. "Well... Really, I don't know what I'm gonna do in the long term. My pod's wrecked, so I'm pretty much stuck here. And even if I could get the power back on, what use is the distress beacon? The only people who'd come this far out are scavvers."

Or bounty hunters.

My nose wrinkled at the sudden reminder.

"Did you know I was working on a scavenging vessel before coming here?" Of course he didn't. "I'm kind of a drifter. I'd reach a depot and join up with whatever crew would take me. I mean, there are always people looking for extra hands, and in the outer sectors, most don't bother to ask questions. I sure as hell didn't. That's how I wound up crossing paths with Enzen..."

My lip curled at the mere mention of his name. Even now, living stranded on an alien planet seemed better than whatever Enzen had planned for me.

"The bastard's this big-shot smuggler," I explained, as if it were at all necessary. "Calls himself a 'lord' and everything. I thought he was just an arms dealer, but come to find out he's got his fingers in damn-near everything. If you can think it up, he probably sells it. All kinds of unsavory stuff. And, you know..." I tried motioning with a hand, but it served no purpose.

Why was I even talking about this? How had my thoughts wandered from my last lay to my bounty?

With another exhale, my rambling stopped, and I threw a quiet look at our surroundings.

We were still neck deep in trees, the jungle looking no different than it had anywhere else. It was dark and muggy. I had no clue how Vex managed to navigate this place. I would've guessed by the sun, but it was so often obscured by trees and clouds that it seemed unreliable.

Maybe through smell?

Every so often, Vex would pause and turn his nose into the air to sniff. It sent a fresh wave of discomfort through me. Not because of any possible danger, but because of my own lack of hygiene.

"I bet I look like death warmed over. Probably smell like it too. How have you put up with me so far?"

Vex seemed happy with what he did or did not smell and threw himself back into motion. I immediately closed my eyes, shrinking into his shoulders. I'd run out of thoughts to voice, which left a silence between us.

At least for a moment.

Vexarok opened his mouth, turning his head slightly to catch my lidded gaze. He smiled before pointing out a little creature scurrying across the trunk of a neighboring tree. I eyed it. The thing had six legs, and was covered in deep green feathers. They helped it blend with the bark when it wasn't moving. At a glance, I would have assumed it to be a clump of moss.

"Ekta," Vex told me.

Ah, so that was what the lizard-on-a-stick looked like pre-cooked.

With a nod, I repeated the word. Ekta wasn't just something generic like skewered meat. It was specifically that animal.

I watched the lizard scurry about before it disappeared into the leaves, and I lost sight of it. After so many days of nothing but fruit and roots, meat sounded amazing. But rather than trying to catch it, Vex moved us away.

I spared a longing look back at the lizard's tree, then turned my attention forward again.