I finish bathing her and pull an extra tunic and a skirt out of the bag I had on my shoulder. We took old clothing from the women of our tribe for Shorshie's humans, but when it became apparent that there were eleven humans and not the five we'd expected, the clothing became a precious commodity, and I hid what I could for my mate. I dress her in these as best I can, then let her sleep by the fire as I take a bite of travel rations. The food sticks in my throat. It's difficult to eat when my mate is right there, her legs covered by a long leather skirt. I could easily slide between her legs and claim her, and her body would welcome mine.
And then she would look up at me with more hate in her eyes. I shake the thought away, rub a hand over the bulge of my groin until the ache goes down, and then decide to hunt for my mate.
Fresh food. That will be what she needs. With that idea in mind, I haul myself out of the cave and pick up my hunting spear.
LIZ
Everything hurts. I feel like I just woke up from an all-night bender. My head feels swimmy, my skin feels hot, and my foot aches.
But weirdly enough? I'm not tired. Not the bone deep ache that has been my constant companion since arriving on this planet. I smell something fresh and fruity and turn my head, realizing that I'm lying in a nest of furs and the nice scent?
It's my hair.
That wakes me up. I sit up and glance around. I haven't been shower-fresh in weeks, and I suppose I got used to my stank smell. But my hair is clean and soft and brushed, and I'm wearing new clothing.
My nostrils flare and my breathing quickens. I'm wearing new clothing. Someone fucking undressed me while I was unconscious.
A heavy fur covers my legs, and there's a banked fire with a tripod of something that smells like tea over it. I sit up, confused.
As I do, a big figure enters the small cave and looms in the doorway.
Raahosh. He lifts his chin at the sight of me, awake, and then tosses a fresh kill on the floor of the cave. Then he puts his back to me and works on securing the leather flap that acts as a door.
The sight of him reminds me of why I was unconscious. The cootie. It's inside me. I whimper and my fingers go to the wound that should be at my throat, the wound that Raahosh cut for me when I changed my mind.
It's gone.
It's all sealed up. The thing is in me. I claw at my throat, desperate to remove it.
As I do, Raahosh storms over to me and grabs my hands, pulling me away. As he touches me, my chest starts to rumble. At first I think it's my stomach, but the rumbling gets louder, until my breasts are practically vibrating with the response. I'm purring…for Raahosh.
Do not want.
I fight against him, now a mixture of furious and desperate. I don't want the cootie. I don't want Raahosh. I don't want any of this. I kick and snarl and fight against him as he holds my wrists. I try to reach for my throat, but he won't let me. He won't let me claw it out. The alien grabs my jaw and forces me to lock my gaze with his.
Then, he gives a small shake of his head. No, he's telling me.
Well fuck that. And fuck him. A moment later he releases my hands, testing me.
I slam a fist into the side of his face. "Dress me while I'm unconscious, motherfucker? Bathe me? Fucking force a cootie in me? I hate you!" Each shouted word is punctuated by flailing arms and kicking feet until I'm an unstoppable dervish of anger, beating against him.
His only response?
An annoyed sigh. Then, he grabs my wrists again, wrestles them behind my back, and pushes me into the furs.
"No!" I shriek even as my cheek hits the soft fur.
He mutters something in the alien language and then I feel cords moving around my wrists. The bastard's tying me up.
Just when I think Raahosh can't be a bigger dick, he surprises me. "I hate you so much," I snarl.
He finishes tying me, moves to tie my feet, and then returns to the nearby fire as if it's no big deal.
Panting, furious with anger, my gaze darts around the small cave. Where are we? "Where is everyone?"
He skins the carcass of the small animal and begins to butcher it, ignoring my questions. When he's satisfied, he cuts small pieces and then lays them on a hot rock. His lip curls as they sizzle and begin to cook, and his gaze slides over to me.
My stomach growls. Worse than that, my chest is still thrumming with the reaction of my cootie to him. If this means what I think it means…
I just acquired myself an alien husband.
Fuck.
This guy?
I moan, because this is not what I wanted. If I had to have an alien, why couldn’t I have a nice smiley guy? Someone with a grin that lights up at the sight of me and treats me like gold? Someone that looks at me like Vektal does Georgie?
Instead, I have the alien version of Grumpy Cat, and he just roped and tied me like a calf at a rodeo. Asshole.
I put my head down on the blankets, trying to calm myself. “Okay,” I tell no one in particular. “You’re here, Liz. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. You’re alive. You’re healthy…parasite notwithstanding.” I adjust, trying to flex my arms in the bonds. “You’ve got a new friend, and a nice warm cave. And someone’s making you dinner instead of you being dinner. It could be so much worse.”