The ride to the mall wasn't as horrible as Alex thought it would be. Alex told Sarah to take the paper balls out of her hair, which she did, admiring her golden hair all the while. The girls on the back seats didn't shy away from asking the drell whatever they could come up with, and Alex managed to learn a little about him just by listening to them. He didn't give away much of his past, which made Alex curious.

Questions and theories built themselves in her mind in hopes of getting a picture of him of his younger days, but every attempt failed. Mister Krios was a mystery she couldn't solve alone; she hated to admit that she needed his help to get a hint of the man behind the mask.

Instead of joining the conversation whenever she could, she decided to stay silent and was glad when the girls and Krios decided to leave her alone with her thoughts. Alex needed to cool down a little from everything that had happened this morning; from the embarrassing scene on the streets, to the embarrassing scene in the classroom. After everything though, she had managed not to bite off Krios's head and instead absently stared at the scenery outside.

After a half hour ride, they finally arrived at the parking lot in front of the mall and, as soon as Krios turned off the car, Sarah and Natalie stepped out. Alex unfastened her seat belt as quickly as possible and grabbed the handle to open the door, but stopped when the drell called out for her.

"Miss Adams?"

Releasing a long breath through her nose, she closed her eyes for a second before turning her head to look at him, her eyes narrowed. "What?" she bit out harshly, wanting to get away from him as soon as possible. Being this close to him threatened to invoke her anger again, and she didn't want to be angry while she spent the afternoon with her friends.

Krios's black orbs found hers, and for the first time she admired the beauty of his obsidian green eyes and the difference in their complexion. "Are you well?" he asked as his expression softened with worry.

Alex opened her mouth, wanting nothing else but to tell him to mind his own business, but shut her mouth before the words could leave it. She realized she was overreacting and, as much as she hated to admit it, she saw no harm in him asking if she was alright.

Her expression softened a little before she stated with a heavy sigh, "Yeah, I'm fine." looking away from him and towards the entrance of the mall.

Krios nodded and stepped out of the car without voicing another word. Alex rolled her eyes and stepped out as well, and was immediately greeted with Sarah's hurried calls to get inside.

The size of the mall and its interior always managed to amaze her, and this time wasn't any different. The floors were of the purest marble she had ever seen, and the walls were a striking, snow-white color. The stores were filled with designer pieces, be it furniture or clothes, that came from every corner of the galaxy. A small smile curled her lips as she inhaled deeply, but the smile faded a second later when she heard Sarah directing a question to Krios. The beauty of the mall almost made her forget that he was with them.

Mister Krios was hired to keep her safe, yet they didn't know anything about him that would prove his loyalty to the contract. Who said he wasn't one of the kidnappers and was only waiting for the right chance to slice her throat or, worse, to kidnap her again? Alex was highly suspicious of people she didn't know, it was something that ran in her blood and she couldn't switch it off. Everything about Krios made her suspicious of him and she once again wondered how her parents could talk to him as if he was a lifelong family friend. She couldn't wrap her head around it and doubted she ever would.

Though she was suspicious of him, he hadn't done anything to validate her suspicions. She started to wonder if she was only imagining the threat he posed to her and her family. Maybe she was only imagining things? Whatever the matter, Alex agreed that she would never trust him, but decided that he was not one of the kidnappers. It just didn't make any sense.

Instantly her mind flew to what had happened this morning in the car. The way he'd glared at her made her uneasy and slightly afraid of him. He didn't look like the polite and always-happy-to-help kind of guy; he looked like a killer, and that realization terrified her. She didn't know what he was capable of and that made her weary of him.

"Hey Alex," spoke Sarah as she materialized next to her. Trying her best to hide her nervousness, Alex looked at her friend as they stood in a small circle to debate where to go first.

Sarah's smile was that of excitement when she said, "I have a date tonight." and waggled her eyebrows.

Alex furrowed her brows as she looked at her friend, and remembered with who she had wanted to have a date with so desperately. "Did Steven finally agree?"

Sarah was a strange person when it came to dating people. She wouldn't wait until a guy she liked invited her out. Instead, she invited them out. It always amazed Alex how the woman had the guts to ask a few of the most handsome men out. But what really shocked her was that it almost always succeeded. Six out of ten would agree, which was impressive.

The smile that unearthed on Sarah's features was plotting when she informed, "No, he actually invited me out."

"Of course he did," Natalie joined in with a sigh, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Poor man, I can't even count the times you asked him out."

Sarah rolled her eyes and waved her off. "Pfft, you two are just jealous that you don't have the guts to ask a guy out." she stated, and Alex crossed her arms as well as she quirked a scolding eyebrow.

Shaking her head, Natalie corrected, "No. Why should we fight for a guys attention when they should earn ours?" and Alex could only agree to that with a nod.

Unconvinced of her statement, Sarah shook her head before she jabbed her index finger into both Natalie's and Alex's chest. "And that, my ladies, is the reason why you're still single."

Shaking her head, Natalie bore a scolding look into her friend as she retorted, "Yes, but we still have our dignity."

Sarah wanted to argue back, but Alex interrupted her with a smile on her face before the two started arguing. "Alright ladies, let's focus on finding a dress for Sarah, and some cool gothic accessories for you, Natalie."

The two were always picking on each other. Natalie couldn't stand Sarah's naivety and how she couldn't be bothered to take anything seriously, as if life itself was a huge adventure, and Sarah couldn't stand Natalie's realism and her sometimes too obvious pessimism. Somehow though, the two managed to stay friends despite everything they said to each other.

Sarah huffed, crossed her arms and stuck her tongue out to Natalie. Natalie just rolled her eyes, and Alex couldn't help but smile at their silly show. She looked around, trying to find a store with the best dresses displayed. As she did so, she caught the drell standing a few feet away from them, his eyes directed at her and a small smile planted on his lips.

Alex huffed and her smile fell when she quickly looked away. She didn't like the way he was looking at her, it unnerved her for a yet unknown reason. On the other hand, she had no idea why she even bothered. There was nothing new with the fact that men stared at her hungrily, she lived with it on a daily basis and she knew how to ignore them. What confused her though, was that Krios wasn't looking at her that way. He simply looked at her with a smile on his lips, there was no hunger or need hidden behind his eyes, no desire or lust.

Shaking her head to clear her mind of the thoughts, she spotted a store with the most elegant dresses. She called for her friends and when she received their attention, she pointed to the store with her head. Sarah let out an excited, "Yay," and she hurried towards the store, immediately dragging Natalie along. Alex chuckled at the display of Sarah pulling Natalie after her while having a firm hold on her wrist, and decided that she wouldn't let the drell's presence ruin the evening.

For all she cared at the moment, he could be the most wanted killer in the galaxy; if he had the guts to attack her, he was deadly wrong if he thought she would give up without putting up a fight. That was why she had Krav Maga training, to show who ever wanted to hurt her that they were messing with the wrong person.

Inhaling deeply before releasing the breath slowly, she quickly glanced behind her shoulder at the drell and saw him patiently waiting for her to lead the way. Without showing him to follow her, she turned around and went after Sarah and Natalie into the store. Krios could be here, but his presence had as little importance to her as the gossips that evolved around her, and she would show him exactly that.

####

The look in her eyes had changed countless times by now; it changed from weary and uncertain to determined and fearless since they'd stepped from the parking lot and into the mall. The weariness and tension that was radiating off of her was hard to ignore, but Thane pretended that he hadn't noticed anything. He could feel she was still weary and suspicious of him, but the look in her eyes became that of pure determination and strength.

Thane had to admit that Alexandra was a complex, impulsive, and sometimes very irrational person that, if something didn't go her way, would blame everyone and everything around her. She knew how to irritate people, knew how to get a rise out of them, yet also knew how to get what she wanted. She was a smart woman, cunning, perceptive and intimidating, and yet he felt as though he had only caught a glimpse of her personality. Thane couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her personality than she let on, and it instantly made him wonder if he would ever get to know all sides of her.

He stood near the entrance of the store and watched the three women browse through the many displayed outfits, trying his best not to disturb them. Her friends had questioned him about everything they could come up with on the way here, and he expertly maneuvered his way through their interrogation, carefully choosing how to answer each question. He had no intention of giving away anything of his past that could threaten his contract, so he kept most of the details of his youth out. He'd expected Alex to prod about who he was, but he quickly realized that she wasn't paying any attention to them.

He moved his eyes from her friends to Alex and watched as she looked at one dress after another. He'd never seen her so peaceful before, so calm and serene. The Alex he was looking at now didn't resemble the Alex from this morning one bit. But no matter if she was angry, infuriating, stubborn, yelling or pouting, she was always beautiful.

Alex was a beautiful and smart young woman that knew what she wanted, and Thane respected her for that. Alex wanted her privacy and her freedom, and she fought with every fiber of her being to live carelessly just as she had before he stepped into her life. As much as she irritated him, Thane would stand his ground against her and show her that she was in no way in danger of him or that he would threaten her privacy. He would make her see that she could trust him with her life.

He inhaled sharply when he realized he was losing himself in his thoughts. He needed to stay focused and keep a watchful eye over Alex without disturbing her privacy. Suddenly he was very grateful for his assassin training; he could take out anyone that threatened her, with minimal to no witnesses, within seconds. He shifted from foot to foot and cracked his knuckles as he scanned their surroundings, but quickly realized that there was nothing threatening her safety.

Thane once again averted his eyes to Alex and, for the first time, he allowed himself to admire the difference in their complexion. The first thing that caught his attention was her eyes. They were the most striking shade of blue he had ever seen, their color reminding him of the oceans on his homeworld, Kahje. They were beautiful, but a mere, striking look could silence whoever disagreed with her.

Her hair had to be the most beautiful hair Thane had ever seen. It flowed like a stream of gold down her shoulders until it reached her middle back, and resembled the softest and most shiny silk. Her skin reminded him of porcelain, flawless and smooth and pale. Thane didn't need to look twice to know that her arrogance was built around of her looks; she knew she was attractive and didn't shy away from showing it to anyone.

He tensed slightly when he felt the presence of someone else next to him, but relaxed when he realized it was Sarah. "Mister Krios?" turning his head around to face her, he offered the girl a warm smile that encouraged her to continue whatever she came here to ask. "I was wondering if you could help me?"

Thane blinked both his eyelids and turned to face her completely. "Certainly. How can I assist?"

Sarah smiled sheepishly and scratched an imagined itch on her chin before she found the courage to ask, "Well… this is a little embarrassing, but I was wondering if you could help me pick a dress for a date. I mean, you're a man, and... you know."

Thane's smile widened a little and he assured the girl with a nod before saying, "It would be my pleasure." Sarah let out a happy 'yay' before she turned and went to the dressing rooms where Natalie was already waiting for her. He turned and locked his eyes on Alex, and he had to shake his head again to stop his thoughts from venturing.

He stopped next to her, but she was either ignoring him or she didn't acknowledge his presence. Whatever the matter, he cleared his throat to announce his presence and could immediately hear her sigh in frustration.

"Miss Adams?" he called softly, having no intention to irritate her further.

She bit out a harsh, "What?" without looking up at him from the dress she was holding in her hand.

Thane looked down on the dress and smiled; it was a red summer dress. It was knee length and had a thin brown leather belt around its waist. His smile widened as he stated, "That dress would suit your eye and hair color," and anticipated her reaction. He didn't know what came over him, but he wondered if maybe a different approach would not make her so upset.

Her expression tensed in what he guessed was concentration and for a second he thought she was going to buy the dress. Instead, she frowned and huffed before she returned the dress where she'd found it. She walked past him without looking up at him or acknowledging him in any way; it was as though he was transparent and Thane bit back a disappointed sigh. He couldn't do anything right by that woman.

"Miss Adams," he called for her again when he turned to follow her.

He almost bumped into her when she stopped abruptly and spun around, pointing her sharp eyes into him. "What now?" she demanded. He could see that his persistence was annoying her but there was nothing she could do other than accept it.

Thane blinked both his eyelids and decided to start it easy, hoping not to annoy her further. He couldn't deal with her overly dramatic attitude now; he'd had enough of it for one day. "Sarah has asked me to help her choose a dress."

Alex furrowed her brows and crossed her arms in front of her chest, her expression that of disinterest. "So? What does that have to do with me?"

He let out a long breath through his nose as he straightened his spine and set his shoulders for her inevitable dramatic reaction; she was going to make him say it. "I can't leave you alone, Miss Adams."

Alex let out a bitter laugh as she raised her brows in mock amusement. "Wait, you're kidding, right?" She pointed with her hand to the dressing rooms where Natalie and Sarah were waiting before she added, her attention on him. "They're right over there. Go help her out and leave me to look around." although sounding annoyed, there was no hostility in her voice, before she turned to browse through the clothes again.

Thane lowered his head a little and closed his eyes. Why did that woman always have to make everything more complicated than it already was? Why couldn't she, for at least once that day, work with him instead of against him? "I'm afraid I can't do that, Miss Adams." he said when he lifted his head and directed his eyes at her.

She raised her head and inhaled deeply before she turned to face him, her expression stoic. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she blinked twice and gave him a pointed look when she asked, "So you honestly want to tell me that you can't leave me alone for five minutes and help my friends while I am here, only a few feet away?"

"Miss Adams-"

Without giving him the chance to finish, she cut off whatever he wanted to say with a dismissive, "I'll be here, Mister Krios." before she turned away from him, her attention on the many dresses displayed in front of her. "Go and help my friends. Nothing you say will change my mind, so you may as well leave."

Thane grit his teeth in annoyance and inhaled deeply. Gods, that woman would be the end of him. He knew that there was nothing wrong with him leaving her alone for a few minutes, but she didn't understand that in such a short span of time everything could go wrong. These mere few seconds could be all the kidnappers need to kidnap her again. But he also knew that there was no force in the galaxy that could convince her to follow him to the dressing rooms where Sarah eagerly waited for him.

He hung his head for a second and, with a heavy heart, he decided to agree on her request. "As you wish, Miss Adams." he said, and could almost feel the relief rolling off of her. Taking a step back from her, he assured politely, "I'll be back in a minute." before he turned and took a hurried step towards the dressing rooms.

When he arrived, Sarah was already inside trying out the first dress while Natalie waited outside. Thane felt even more on edge than he thought he would as he kept a watchful eye over the perimeter, and Alex. Whenever he looked away from her, he feared that that split second would be enough for her to disappear. Alex was a smart and beautiful woman, that he knew and it was no use denying it, but Gods her temper and stubbornness were driving him insane.

With a heavy sigh, he turned his attention to the curtain being pushed aside before Sarah stepped out, wearing a yellow, knee length dress with a yellow rose attached to its waist. Thane nodded, showing the brown haired woman that he committed the dress to memory, giving Sarah the green light to try on the other dress.

Smiling as Sarah went back behind the curtain, Thane used that moment to glance at Alex, and it was good that he did because a moment later and she could be in danger. His smile immediately fell and his shoulders tensed while he watched her talk to a man that was breaching her privacy, and even from here he could see that she was uncomfortable because of the unknown figure.

Thane dismissed every thought from his mind and hurried towards her without peeling his eyes from the unknown man, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He would make sure that Alex was safe; it was his job and responsibility after all.

####

Letting out a breath of relief, Alex enjoyed the solitude as a small smile curled her lips. She didn't even realize just how much she'd missed being alone, without the drell somewhere close by. She had put up a fight and she'd won. A feeling of satisfaction spread through her at the thought that she'd actually won a debate against the drell.

But it also made her wonder why he accepted defeat so easily. He was usually much more committed to the contract, and giving up was something she thought he would never practice. Yet he did and Alex had to say that she was grateful for that.

She had meant to buy the red dress she held in her hands earlier; it was cute yet sexy, exactly the combination she was looking for. But that had been before the drell suggested that the dress would suit her, so she'd put it back without a second thought. She didn't want to buy something he said would suit her; she didn't want him to think that she had started listening to him.

Smiling, she kept looking out for another dress similar to the red one when suddenly someone placed their hand on her shoulder. Whipping around startled, she thought she would face Krios, but her heart fell with dread when she spotted a very familiar figure, one that she did not want to see ever again.

"Sam," she breathed out nervously, feeling the frustration and irritation from before creep back in. Sam took a step in her direction to which Alex took a step backwards, immediately earning Sam's slightly insulted look.

Sam was her ex. They had split up in a very ugly way and she avoided him as best she could because from what Natalie had told her, he was still madly in love with her, which wasn't good. Sam was a very jealous and possessive man, it was the reason why she had broken up with him.

Sam forced a creepy smile onto his face as he took another step in her direction, forcing Alex to step back again. Everything about their proximity unnerved her, she was intimidated by his height and the plastered smile on his face that looked anything but heartwarming. "Alex, it's been a while," he said, the smile widening a little. "I missed you."

"What the hell do you want?" she bit out. "I thought I made it clear that I don't want to talk to you, ever again." He kept walking towards her until her back hit the shelf behind her, cornering her and leaving no way to escape from him. Sam reached his hand out and tried to take hers, but she snatched hers away. From the way Sam's expression narrowed, she knew she was in trouble.

"Miss Adams?" her head shot in direction of the drell's voice. He was standing beside them, his hands at his sides and his attention on her. Alex felt relief flooding through her, the tension from a mere second ago forgotten.

Krios gave Sam a quick once over before he returned his obsidian eyes to her, and Alex felt a strange feeling knoting her stomach when they looked into hers. "Is everything alright?" he asked, and for the first time she admitted that she was relieved to see him.

She opened her mouth to answer, but Sam was faster when he took an offensive step toward Krios. "Get lost, frog-boy," Sam bit out, his eyes shooting daggers at Thane. "This is none of your business."

Krios turned his head slowly toward Sam, his voice calm and controlled when he stated, "On the contrary. Miss Adams' safety is my responsibility, and you are threatening her safety."

A scoff sounded from Sam as he took another step towards the drell, and Alex's eyes shot from her ex to Krios. It was then she noticed that his shoulders were tense, his spine straight and his expression deadly serious just as it had been this morning. Nervous sparks ran up her spine as she both anticipated and feared what could happen next. Sam had always been stubborn and overly jealous, but from the drell's expression she could guess that he wouldn't back down no matter what. Alex felt adrenaline rushing through her veins as she waited for any one of them to make a move.

Feeling the growing audience around them Alex tried to talk her ex out of any stupidity that had come to his mind. "Sam, what do you want?" she asked, now boring her narrowed eyes into him.

Sam kept his eyes on Krios when he answered, "I want to talk to you without being interrupted by frog-boy."

"There's nothing we need to talk about," she knew that being a smartass now was only making the situation worse, but all she wanted was to spit the words into his face.

Sam's head shot up and fear bolted through her when she saw the anger and insult swirling in his handsome green eyes that were filled with a slight note of madness. Alex was waging through dangerous water, but she couldn't shut her mouth even if she wanted to; it was both a blessing and a curse.

"We're done for good. Now stop pestering me and go to hell," she stated, and it was exactly what sent Sam over the edge.

He moved in her direction, ready to lash out at her and, from the look in his eyes, he would even use violence to get the chance to talk to her. However, he was held in place when Krios's arm shot up in front of Sam's chest, stopping his further approach.

Sam tried to shove his arm away, but was only pushed back a few steps, enough to put some space between them. Sam's eyes widened with outrage and Alex could hear her heart thudding wildly against her ear drums. It amazed her how Krios stood between her and Sam, blocking her ex with all his might, but she was afraid of what Sam might do. After all, she had no idea if the drell knew how to defend himself. She didn't want to be the one pulling his ass out of danger.

Sam grit his teeth and clenched his hands into fists when he glared at Krios who was now standing in front of Alex, blocking her from his view. "I told you to get lost frog-boy!"

A heavy and thick silence fell between them, and Alex kept her wide eyes on Thane, who stood defensively in front of her. He bravely defended her against Sam and she couldn't help but feel thrilled and excited. She shouldn't feel like that, not in a situation such as this, but she'd been trying to come up with a way to see Krios's fighting skills the entire morning. Now she had her chance, and she wasn't going to miss it.

"Alex," Sam growled, his deadly eyes directed at Krios. "Tell your lapdog to get out of my way or he will regret it."

Shaking her head, she was sure to maintain eye contact with him as she confessed, "The only nuisance here is you. Go to hell Sam, and leave me alone."

It was exactly the wrong thing to say. "You arrogant bitch!" he said when he took a step towards her, then another, getting dangerously close to the drell. Sam raised his arm and tried to reach Alex over Krios's shoulder when he shouted, "How dare you-" but he never got the chance to finish or to even touch her.

Krios grabbed his arm, twisted it painfully at his back before he pushed Sam on his knees in front of her. Alex blinked rapidly as she tried to understand what had just happened in these mere few seconds.

Krios had no problem holding him in place even though her ex struggled roughly against his hold. She lifted her eyes from Sam to Krios. The expression on his face was the same as before, tense with concentration.

He yanked Sam's hand roughly causing him to yelp in pain when Krios spoke, demanding, "Apologize to her."

Alex stared at the drell, her mouth hung open and her eyes wide in disbelief as she tried to comprehend if he had really just said that. She knew he had when he yanked Sam's hand again, this time more roughly than before when he demanded again, "I said apologize to her!"

"Alex I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Sam pleaded in pain as Krios held him in place. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she could feel Sarah's and Natalie's presence as both asked her if she was alright, but Alex was too enraptured in the sight of Krios forcing her ex to say exactly what he wanted that she couldn't peel her attention from the thrilling scene unfolding in front of her.

Krios leaned down a bit and his mouth came closer to Sam's ear when he demanded again, "You are going to respect Miss Adams' wish and stay out of her life. Understood?" Sam was silent and stared angrily at her, but when Krios growled a much louder, "Am I understood?!" Sam nodded hastily in agreement as he yelped in pain.

Krios stepped away and released his hold on her ex, when Sam realized he was free he ran for the entrance of the store and out of the mall. Alex watched him all the while he ran away like the coward he was, and when he was out of her line of sight she returned her eyes to Krios, only to see him standing in front of her as if nothing had happened. His calm and peaceful demeanor came back and she couldn't believe just how well he controlled his emotions.

"That asshole," growled Natalie when she stood on Alex's right, placing a hand on her upper arm. "You alright?"

Alex somehow managed to peel her eyes from Krios and looked at both her friends. Both were worried and shocked, and when Sarah suggested, "Maybe we should head home?" it was only to irritate Alex. Her ex had created a scene, so what? She wasn't going to let that scene ruin their shopping trip.

Alex stepped up between them and bore her irritated gaze into the both of them. "No, I won't let Sam's show ruin the rest of the evening. We are here to shop, and that's exactly what we're going to do."

Turning around, she was met with Krios's eyes and a strange feeling knotted her stomach again. Concern shone brightly in his black eyes, but Alex looked away before she could identify the other emotions swirling in them. Alex tried to beat down her excitement over the situation, the rush of adrenaline when Krios moved and stopped Sam from reaching her, and she wanted to beat down her anger because Sam's little escapade ruined the overall mood, even hers. She didn't want that, so she pretended for the rest of the evening as though nothing had happened.

But the further the evening progressed, she became more and more annoyed by the constant tension that was hovering over them. When, after hours spent in the mall, Alex finally declared that they should head home, all were visibly much more relaxed.

####

The scene when Krios pushed Sam on his knees before her didn't leave her mind. Even now, as he was driving her home, she couldn't stop thinking just how fast and precise his movements had been. She never would've thought that he was so fast, so strong to keep a huge man such as Sam in place without much effort. Nothing about Krios said that he knew how to defend himself, but today's show proved the exact opposite.

Krios was dangerous, threatening, he showed that whenever his expression tensed with concentration. His eyes would narrow and a dangerous gleam would shine in them, telling whoever dared to mess with him that they should mind their own business. His body would appear relaxed, but Alex could guess that his every muscle was tense in anticipation. His body would become a weapon to fight whatever threatened her, and that thought made her extremely weary of him.

They dropped Natalie off at her home, it would take them an hour to reach her mansion, and that was reason enough for her to be annoyed. After everything she'd witnessed today, she didn't want to spend so much time with him alone trapped in a car. Seeing that other, more dangerous side of him somehow made her even more edgy around him than she already was.

Still, she would be a liar if she said that she wasn't grateful for keeping Sam away from her. She had hand-to-hand combat knowledge, enough to put Sam in his place, but she didn't want to touch him. The mere thought of having to touch him or punch him was icky, and for the first time since she'd known the drell, she was grateful that he was around.

Slowly turning her head in his direction, she took in the differences in their complexion while he was focused on the road. Her eyes wandered over to the rosy flesh of his frills, down to his muscular and thick neck, then back up to his lips and nose before they rested on his black eyes. Drell were a rare species rarely seen beyond hanar territory, but were without a doubt a beautiful species. Their scales were always a beautiful vibrant color adorned with dark lines that resembled tattoos.

As she silently admired the difference of their species, she couldn't help but feel curious about Krios and his fighting skills. Krios had proved today that he could fight and Alex found herself succumbing more and more to her curiosity, until she finally gave in.

Returning her attention in front of her, she asked, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

She waited and waited, but his silence was the only thing she got as answer. Turning her head to bore her narrowed eyes into him, he caught her gaze for a split second and shifted uncomfortably in his seat before he answered a disappointing, "It's a long story; one that I would rather not talk about."

His statement did nothing to sate the curiosity that only grew with his admission. "So you can know everything about me, but I can't learn anything about you?" she inquired, letting the annoyance reflect in her voice.

The drell shifted his grip on the steering wheel as he answered, "I don't know everything about you. I only know what I need in order to protect you." his gaze distant and focused on the road.

"Which is a whole lot," she stated, crossing her arms stubbornly across her chest. "I don't want to hear your life story; I just want to know where you learned to fight like that. You're obviously a pro at what you do."

His brows furrowed only a little and he kept his focus on the road as he answered with a harsh, "Telling you how I learned my skills is my life story."

If he thought she would stop now then he was terribly mistaken. Alex had the patience and stubbornness to question him to death if the need should arise, only to get the answers she so longed for.

He let out a heavy sigh and gripped the steering wheel a little harder while she shamelessly stared at his profile. Alex could feel and see just how tense and uncomfortable he was because of her questioning, and she had to fight the smirk that would otherwise appear at her success of getting under his skin. When it took him long enough to reply to her question, she stubbornly said, "So?" before the silence stretched again.

Her lips thinned with irritation and her finger tapped on her upper arm as she waited for his answer, but received none. The drell was ignoring her, again, and Alex had to suppress her frustration over his stubbornness.

The drell stopped the car when they reached the red traffic light near a crossroad. Alex anticipated his reaction and was already scheming plans as to how to get the answers from him. When he lowered his head a little and his hands into his lap, she couldn't help but feel guilty. He looked so vulnerable like this, so sad that it tore at her heart.

She narrowed her eyes and ignored the small voice in the back of her mind that told her to stop pushing the subject because he obviously wasn't comfortable talking about it. The drell sat there, unmoving and silent, and when the light turned green, he drove off without voicing a single word.

Just as she was about to voice her displeasure over his silence and ignorance, he spoke before her without looking at her. "My past is something I do not wish to discuss, Miss Adams. I would appreciate if you accept it." His voice sounded calm, but the undertones of his raspy voice bore a pain that showed just how much he wished to drop the subject.

Despite the fact that he was begging her to drop the subject, Alex couldn't just accept his lame excuse. Trust was an important factor in her life, she needed to know the people around her before she could trust them. How could he expect her to trust him when he expertly blocked every question directed at him? No, Alex couldn't trust him, not until she at least had a vague image of him. "And I am supposed to trust you? A total stranger?!"

"Yes," he answered without a fraction of a doubt. "I assure you, Miss Adams, that my only concern is your safety and nothing else."

"Why?" she bit out, earning his confused gaze.

"Why what?"

"Why are you so concerned about my safety?!" something didn't feel right. Alex could smell lies or half-truths from miles away, and this half-truth was sickening her and making her angrier by the minute. He had to stop this little game because she couldn't believe that he would put his life on the line for her without a fraction of a doubt. She needed to know him to be able to trust him, otherwise they would play this dance over and over.

The drell kept his expression neutral as he answered, "Because your father hired me. It is my responsibility to keep you safe."

Alex ground her teeth and looked away, her patience slipping away. These short and well thought answers only served to piss her off, and if he didn't supply her with real answers soon she would get out of the car and go home alone.

"I can't trust a person I don't know," she stated stubbornly, her voice bearing a warning edge. She hoped he would see that her patience was at its end, but from the stubborn set to his jaw she knew he was everything but convinced.

"You will have to learn to trust me, Miss Adams," he said, his voice calm and soothing, as if he was talking to a child. Turning to look at her, his expression was sympathetic as he added, "I know it's hard for you, I understand. But I assure you that your life is in good hands and that nothing will happen to you."

There was nothing Alex could do other than stare at the drell that metaphorically pledged to protect her with his life. Something about the way he spoke to her made her actually feel safe and protected for the first time since she met him. Still, the little seed of doubt was already planted in her heart. She would learn to trust him, but she needed to know the man behind the mask he carried every day. Only then would she learn to trust him blindly.