Chapter 41

Disclaimer: I do not own Alien/Predator series or any characters and may not follow all customs and cultures found in Alien/Predator movies.

The kiss was much more than expected. A tingling sensation ran deep into their skin and even though the muscle and bones. Both held tightly against each other as they deepened the kiss. It was strange though, given that A'stea had to move around his mandibles but he spread them to give her access. Kaail moved with her, rubbing their bodies as the passion grew. They felt the heat burning, growing as their hearts pounded hard. He tangled his fingers in her hair, noting how different they were to a Hish . . . soft and delicate. A'stea held onto him, focused solely on the kiss, tasting him like he was a buffet she couldn't get enough.

Things went fast as soon as A'stea grabbed a few ends of his dreadlocks, squeezing them. She squealed when Kaail lifted her off her feet and placed her on his bed with him half on top of her. They refused to break the kiss, pressing hard in their union. His husky smell mixed with the honey of herself egged them on.

A'stea held onto him as tightly as she could, feeling a wave of pleasure run through her. Her fingertips and toes were going numb as Kaail began to run his hands all over her, touching any exposed skin that was available to him. He breaks from her mouth and kisses her shoulder, repeating what he'd done before in the dance. He noticed her scent was thicker and stronger, wondering if it was his touch that was driving her. Either way, it was a drug that he needed as he caressed her again and again.

The passion leaped when A'stea felt him nibble at her neck, not too hard but enough to send electricity down between her legs. She throws her head over and moans that mix with his purrs and her hips rise to rub against his involuntarily. She shuddered at something hard pressing on her thigh. The thought of what it was pulled her over the edge . . . a little too much. As soon as her hands reached for his back and dug her nails into it, Kaail tensed in pain. The wounds on his back stung badly. Without thinking, his nails scraped on her, leaving deep gashes on her shoulders.

A'stea gasped and Kaail released her, pulling him and herself back into a sitting position on the bed.

"A'stea." Concerned, he carefully moved her to the side, enough to see the damage he hand done. A few drops of crimson blood began to seep out and even more, he saw under his claws. "I'm sorry. I . . . didn't mean to—"

"It's alright."

A'stea spoke, holding a hiss when she touched her shoulder. "It's my fault entirely. I should have been more careful since you're still healing."

Kaail opened his mouth but he didn't know what else to say to make things better. She didn't seem angry but then again, she was in a lot of pain. He hurried to the bathroom and grabbed more cloths and the healing gel. Funny isn't it? Once by her side, he got to work in cleaning her.

She didn't move but was uneasy when Kaail came back with the gel and stuff. But she allowed him to take care of her, being ever so gently as he wiped the excess blood and applied the gel gently. She still felt it was her fault but it was nice to let him help her. She closed her eyes and waited for him to finish.

"It's done," Kaail spoke, placing the items on the ground.

A'stea chuckled. "I guess we took things too far."

He sighed. "Yeah. We did."

She played around her lip for a moment. The silent awkwardness and on top of what they were about to do . . . neither one knew what to do or say until A'stea spoke softly. "I guess we need to get some sleep."

"I agree." Kaail shuffled the bed and pulled a part of the fur blankets off. "You can sleep here tonight. I'll just . . . sleep on the ground."

He was about to move away and get something on the ground for him to settle, thinking it was best to keep apart for a while. But then, his arm was tucked back. Hands wrapping around his forearm as he tensed. He looked back to see A'stea holding on to him. He was about to protest but he stumbled when her eyes conveyed such longing. She bit her lip in uncertainty for a moment.

"Please?"

It sounded awkward and a futile attempt to make him stay. She thought he was going to reject her and in her heart, she couldn't blame him. But then, Kaail moved back to her, wrapping his arms around her before softly laying them down on his bed. He threw the fur blankets over their bodies and got settled in, holding her close to him. A small solace he had in such a dark world and he wouldn't reject her for anything.

A'stea was surprised, so much that she didn't move as she rested against him in the bed. But then, it melted into happiness, small as it was but it was enough. She closed her eyes and smiled against his chest as a peaceful sleep took them for the night.

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The days have gone by quickly, especially with the matches going back and forth at the stadium and bringing endless entertainment for the masters. But the first rounds came to an end, leaving a selected few who made it to the next round where the warriors will fight for the title of champion in hand-to-hand combat. Of course, Kaail made it without a hitch but that means the competition is becoming fierce. And this is only the first set of the tournament.

But the good news is that there's a few days of a break between to allow the masters and servants of the winning Hish warriors to celebrate future victories. The biggest was being held by Mor'dath's master. Kaail rolled his eyes at the thought of it. Master Thu'at would do the same except that he's too busy dealing with the new uprising of Hish servants and a few warriors. It appeared that word of the Rebellion coming was starting to scare some of the masters. He didn't care but some part of him was relieved but scared at the same time.

For now, Kaail spent most of his free time helping at the hideout, hunting with A'stea, and bringing meat reserves to replenish the stock for the rest of their group. He wanted to help out as much as he could but secretly, he wanted to spend more time with A'stea. But they didn't exactly know where their 'relationship' was or if there was, to begin with.

"Thanks, Kaail," Fi'ka spoke as he finished carrying crates of meat to the tent. Many of the Hish in the hideout has begun to accept his presence, especially given his willingness to help. Fi'ka was the one who changed the most with him, maybe due to her bond with A'stea that she warmed up to him faster. A good start.

"You're welcome." He sighed, feeling a bit of exhaustion from the labors of the day. "Have you see A'stea around? I haven't seen her since this morning."

Fi'ka hummed. "I think she's still talking with the members. She hasn't come out since then." Her voice threaded with worry and it got to Kaail as well.

When he departed from A'stea when they made it to the hideout, she was called to an urgent meeting with the leading members of their group. She reassured him that it wasn't a big deal and that she would be finished by the time he was done with the chores she was going to do that he offered to finish. He hoped she would be done but got no word until now.

"I'll go and see her."

He saw a glimpse of a smirk from Fi'ka before it disappeared. "You go and do that. I'll take care of the rest."

Kaail nodded and turned around, only to bump into someone passing by. "Sorry about that. I—"

Kaail stopped and tensed into a tight ball of steel. He recognized it as the male with the scar across the face. Nu'hka was it? He never got a good vibe from this one. Ever since he first arrived in the hideout, it was like this male had a cold stare on him. It was too much like a guard watching his every move but the intentions were far different. There was a silent stare-off between them, neither backing down. I don't like this one.

"Nu'kha!" Fi'ka's voice snapped both of them out of it. "Leave him alone."

Kaail huffed in annoyance while Nu'kha growled. "Excuse me."

The male passed by but gave a shove on him with his shoulder. Kaail resided in the urge to growl. An offense like that would have him killed if he was allowed to do so but Kaail didn't want to cause trouble.

"Sorry about that." Fi'ka comes to his side. "He shouldn't have done that."

"It's fine. What's his problem though?"

He saw the uneasiness in Fi'ka as she stuttered. "It's not my business to explain."

"Then who's?"

He waited for an answer but Fi'ka shook her head and then put up a smile. "You should find A'stea. She might be finished with the meeting by now. Go on."

She lightly pushed him in the right direction before disappearing into the crowd. What a weird female. Still . . . something's not right. With nothing else to do here, Kaail went towards the larger tents to find A'stea. It wasn't long after he made it to the front of one that he heard shouts and growls coming from the tent.

"We can't do that!"

It was A'stea's voice, angry and frustrated. What is going on inside?

"I thought we have already discussed this!"

A male's voice answered. "We don't have a choice. The masters are starting to kill off groups of those who defected, trying to get to our hideout. We knew this would happen if you began to bring warriors to us. And with the tournament so close—"

"It doesn't matter!" A'stea's voice grew angrier. "What you're doing will only make things worse!"

And then, there was silence.

Kaail became nervous and tempted to go inside and find out what's going on. But he stayed put, standing near the entrance while trying to look inside. Eventually, he heard A'stea groan and sigh in frustration.

"Just . . . wait until our next meeting in a few days. Give me more time for recruitment and to finish the weapon. That is all."

He heard footsteps coming to the entrance. Kaail moved out of the way and out of view in case it was one of the leading males. But upon seeing A'stea coming out, he relaxed but only for a moment. He can see the weariness in her eyes, the frustration in her posture. She stopped in the middle and lifted her head to the ceiling, eyes closed.

A'stea . . .

After a minute, Kaail walked into the open and towards her. She didn't even notice him coming until he was only a few feet away. She gasped softly when she caught sight of him, straightening herself. "Kaail. I didn't know you were waiting."

"Only for a few minutes." He grunted, glancing at the tent. "What happened at the meeting?"

She scratched her head. "More frustration. The usual agenda between those idiots and me."

Kaail tilted his head. "About what this time?"

He watched as A'stea lowered her gaze. The stress was clear in her eyes. "They're still trying to get a ship to flee. The recent massacres are scaring them more. They're such idiots." She kicked a small rock, making it fly across the cavern to hit the wall.

"And what are your plans for it?"

His curiosity got the best of him. It wasn't something he should be asking but he couldn't help it. He waited for any answer from A'stea but she shook her head. Her focus was somewhere else. After a minute of silence, he thought of an idea that might lift her spirit . . . and maybe his in some way.

"Do you want to get out for some fresh air?" He asked.

As soon as she heard that, her interest peaked. A'stea tilted her head as she smirked. "That depends on what we're doing."

Kaail felt his body heat up. That was not my attempt.

He recovered quickly. "Hunting?"

A'stea hummed, thinking for a moment. "That sounds like a good plan. Besides, I still have some lessons to teach you." She began to walk away, heading for the exit but stopped to look back. "Are you coming?"

Kaail perked up and quickly ran to catch up to her. The excitement of a hunt was swirling inside them. But he couldn't help but think about the male . . . Nu'kha . . . and the way he acted towards him. For some reason or another, he had a feeling that it had to do with A'stea.

He couldn't help but feel something twisting inside him . . . and he didn't like it one bit.

Hi everyone!

I couldn't wait much longer in posting this chapter. Technically it's Wednesday at my time so it still counts lol. But I'm also excited that I finished my final and got an A in it. So proud of myself! With that, I'm officially done with school and got my masters at last! And that means more chapters to be posted!

So here it is.

A sweet moment they have and would have gotten further if they didn't push it. Always something in the way, right? Lol. Although A'stea is still having a difficult time convincing the leading members, Kaail is fitting well with the others . . . Except for a small detail that is driving him nuts. Do I sense some jealousy?

I can tell you that Hish/Yautja doesn't really behave well when it comes to that particular emotion. The only question is what will happen? A fight? To show strength?

Let's just hope it doesn't interfere in their Rebellion . . . or maybe it might?

Find out when Chapter 42 comes tomorrow!

Thank you for the reviews (Anonymous-E, Mariah, HuntressQueen22, and IanAlphaAxel)! They are very important for me and I hope I see more readers posting as well. All opinions are welcomed. I hope you keep on reading! ;)

And thank you for your support. :)

Happy Hunting! :))))