After a while of watching Earth slowly rotate on its perfectly tilted axis, plunging the western hemisphere into darkness, she had taken a relaxed breath that– beyond her own control– turned into a yawn.
She truly wished it hadn't.
Tomak had been on her in an instant then, gently prodding and encouraging her to rest. She was stubborn though, insisting she watch its rotation for a while longer.
Perhaps stubborn wasn't the proper description, afraid was more accurate. She was afraid to go to bed. She hated the idea of waking up and no longer seeing her home, where she was born, where familiarity was. She knew it was going to happen at some point, realistically they couldn't float above Earth indefinitely. But it was so hard to let go.
Tomak had explained that he wished to take her to a galaxy that humans hadn't even discovered yet. Apparently it was so far, it evaded even their most advanced telescopes. The idea of it was amazing and exciting, but also terrifying.
You have faced worse than change, she tried to remind herself, though sullenly.
Watching the flickering of the city lights over the general area of her home, she uttered a heavy-hearted goodbye to her planet and the milky-way galaxy. By this time tomorrow she would be in a strange place with new and hopefully promising horizons.
Silently, she let Tomak lead her away from the large bay window and down the hallway to where the other rooms were, silently taking note of what looked like a training room in passing.
It turned out that this vessel was designed not just for one singular hunter, but it had a couple resting chambers. It was the first time in this arrangement that there were now two beds between them, something Tomak didn't even question. She got the sense though that as he led her to one of the bedrooms, he was forcing himself to take a step back and give her her own space to wind down and relax.
She appreciated that, never having met a man or alien that greatly respected her boundaries. There was a small part of her though, that prickled aspiringly at the thought of being wrapped up in his arms again, but she bashfully kept that information to herself.
Upon entering her new room, a gasp left her mouth at the sight of the large circular pit in the center of the room, filled with several soft-looking pelts and even her pillows. This must have been a yautja's version of a bed, and it was massive! This was what a bed fit for Tomak looked like. For her though, boy, she would look like a doll in it.
Stepping closer to the large bedding, she knelt down and brushed her hand over the thick furs, perking up at their remarkable softness, carding her fingers through the multitude of wondrously fine hairs.
She could feel Tomak's heat behind her, already answering the question she had on the tip of her tongue. "It is called the Wasarn, a large beast that resides on the ice moon of Kor'ah. Its thick white fur protects it from the harsh winter winds while providing it with natural camouflage, making it an effective hunter."
His stories always filled her with wonder. He visited so many planets and solar systems, it was a reminder that he had done this countless times before. It helped ease some of the anxiety she felt about never seeing her home again, or at least for a while.Tomak will take care of me,she faithfully repeated in a silent mantra.
Combing her fingers through the pelt's luxuriously soft material once more, she smiled, "It's incredible. I'm sure it will keep me warm tonight."
He grunted, though the sound was not entirely positive, which had her turning to look up at him curiously. "It will suffice for now," he gruffed, his gold eyes being drawn from the pelt back to her face, his pupils dilating, "until I can provide you with something more... impressive."
Part of her imagined he was offering himself to her as her blanket of warmth, her eyes floating down the imaginary stream that started from his chest and further past his navel, to his thighs. He was far more impressive than any fur pelt, but she quickly blinked out of her daze.
Scolding herself for thinking such thoughts, Rae almost made the mistake of saying that whatever he wanted to gift her was unnecessary, that this was enough, but she couldn't hide her smile at the sudden realization that this was Tomak being jealous, wanting to give her something of his instead of an unknown yautja's. Turning and rising fully, she resisted the urge to touch his firm abdominals in comfort, and ran her hands down his powerful arms instead, soothingly and tactfully replying, "I would love that."
His eyes glowed with her answer, and the heat that was pouring off him now felt like it had turned up a notch as those eyes lowered on her lingering hands.
She had to bite her lip to hide some of her smile, which was hardly successful. Feeling paralyzed by his amorous gaze, she was unable to look away, her frame tightening as a sharp unexpected tingle rode down her spine and prickled over her skin, erupting goosebumps.
Wisely, like a mouse squeezing itself out of the claws of a cat, Rae slipped away from him and skirted around the bedding area, placing a generous amount of space for the electrified air between them to disperse.
Weirdly, she could almost feel his energy pulsing near her like a beacon, something she had never been able to sense before without placing her hand on him, it made her heart race.
As a much needed distraction from all the signals Tomak was either knowingly or unknowingly giving off, she took note of the little belongings she had packed away, lined neatly against the far wall.
It was a sobering thought to think that her entire life had fit all in one suitcase. The majority of it were clothes and a few essentials for maintaining her curly hair, which, as she considered that, she was reminded how limited those supplies actually were; they would not last forever. She really hoped the yautja would have some viable options that could help once she did run out, but taking into account Tomak's glossy, tubular hair, she was left unsure.
A question for another time.
Turning her eyes to a nearby entryway that she had missed at first inspection, she took a curious step toward it. "Is that the bathroom?" she half turned to Tomak, seeing as he had not moved from his original spot, almost frozen in animation aside from his subtle nod, confirming her suspicions.
She smiled, biting her lip as she looked at him. "Is it the same as the bathrooms on Earth, or is there something I should know?" she teased.
As if that was all that was needed to snap him out of it, he relaxed his body and kindly walked ahead of her, showing her around the bathroom. Thankfully the large alien toilet was very similar to a human one, only instead of a lever, there was some sort of automatic device that signaled when the toilet was not being in use, flushing the contents into the cold vacuum of space. That in itself brought on a whole slew of unwanted thoughts.
Next, had been the functionality of the shower and the swimming pool sized bathtub. Both were well suited for Tomak's size and it brought her back to when he had to squeeze himself into her bathtub and curb his height to fit under the showerhead. It turned out that there were two sensors built into the wall to adjust the temperature and three more to adjust the intensity and he kindly demonstrated it with his hands, letting the water beat against their hands so she could figure out which setting was to her liking.
Stepping away from the water show, she looked around to the next logical step after a shower. "What about towels?" she asked, silently wishing she had thought to bring her own.
Approaching a hidden side panel in the wall next to the shower, he showed her some smaller towels that could be used for that purpose, but then also explained and demonstrated the drying system that would blow warm, arid air to dry off more quickly and efficiently. It was an interesting concept to her, the efficiency of it all.
Looking around the very modern room, she felt compelled to take a hot shower. Even though she had already washed earlier this morning, the idea of the hot water beating into the tense and sore muscles in her shoulders and back before bed sounded like the perfect way to ease into a restful slumber.
Noting her far-away look, Tomak purred softly, recapturing her attention. "Will this be okay?" he waited patiently as her sweep of the room ended on him once again.
When she looked up at him, seeing his soft calculating gaze, she once again bit her lip, oddly feeling a tad bit shy, before nodding. "I think I'll manage. Thank you."
Grunting in acceptance, he stepped out of the bathroom and she followed behind. "My quarters are close by if you change your mind."
"Okay," she responded softly.
Giving her a comforting purr, he left her to take care of herself.
Everything had been amazing and uneventful as she showered and dressed, choosing a thin tank top and shorts that would hopefully keep her cool in the semi-humid ship, especially since she did not see a fan anywhere.
After playing around with the sensors on the wall to figure out which light setting she wanted, she managed to turn off the lights and crawl in the incredibly soft linens. It was the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in, which meant falling asleep was no hardship.
Staying asleep, however, was another story.
After a few hours her heart fluttered in her chest irregularly, and her hands fisted the bedding.
Rae groaned then, tossing and turning beneath the heavy covers, her mind continued to conjure up flashes of images that she couldn't piece together. Her brow furrowed severely, her body only beginning to tense up.
One word continued to rattle on in her head: Trapped. Trapped. Trapped.
Opening her eyes with a gasp, she quickly got up from the bed. The bedroom door slid open with a pressurized hiss. She felt weighed down as she strolled through the wide corridor, hoping to elude the frightening sensation clawing in her chest. Eventually it split into two halls, leaving her at a stand-still, unsure of where to go. Which one led to Tomak?
She rubbed her tired eyes and looked at it all again, but now it was different. The left hall was foggy, the mist appearing almost purple in color, the other bright and welcoming, like the rest of the ship. Strangely, she felt a pull to go left, her eyes drawn by the unique coloring.
Purple.
Again, why this color? Why did it spark so much familiarity? Where had she seen purple like this?
Walking down the mysterious corridor, she heard voices, some distinctly male, one female. They sounded to be right around the corner.
"Aurora, are you certain of this?" a man asked, and Rae's heart leapt in her chest at the mention of the name.
She held her breath in anticipation as the female voice followed, but it was muffled and difficult to make out. Peeking around the corner where the voices had sounded so close, she found nothing, another long empty corridor. Tomak's new ship couldn't be this big, could it?
Still following the path of purple carefully, she went for what felt like several minutes down this never-ending hall. It didn't feel right, it felt more like an illusion than anything else. It was she had made a mistake coming down here.
Resorting to her only source of help, she called, "Hey, Tomak?" Her voice echoed distantly, and when it fell silent, she listened carefully and pensively for a reply. But there was none.
To make matters worse, the purple mist that had called to her so warmly before, suddenly began spewing out of the walls like a cold heavy gas, making her sputter and cough. Triggered by her past, Rae changed her mind about following the voices and went to run back to the other hall, but when she turned around she was met with a wall that had never been there before, blocking her escape.
Left with nowhere to go but forward, Rae lifted her arm and tucked her face in her elbow as she charged ahead into the darkness, her heart pounding faster as the hiss of gas was replaced with a different kind of hissing.
Shadows of that black demon surrounded her.
She crashed full force into another wall, now boxed in.
"You think I'm the scariest thing out there?" Price's eerie familiar chuckle made her shiver and claw to get away, his face appearing right in front of her. "You have no idea what's coming for you."
Without warning, his face morphed into something black and terrifying; the monster in the cell. Its eyeless sneer was now staring at her with an evil pleasure, forcing unwanted chills down deep into her bones.
Shaking in terror, she watched helplessly as it coiled like a spring before striking faster than she could evade.
She yelped, reacting instinctively and jumping awake with a loud piercing cry.
Kicking the pelts off her sweat-coated body she stared down at herself, her hand clutching her chest where the beast had gotten her, only to find nothing. No puncture, no trace of blood, no history of torn flesh.
Still in a state of fear, her eyes sought out her enemies, bouncing around the foreign room, expecting to see the Director's evil sneer, but again was met with nothing. Slowly, as her body stilled, her mind caught up to recent events, reassuring herself that the facility had been destroyed, as was Director Price and his abominable research.
As she tried to control her breathing, reminding herself of these facets, Rae tentatively lifted her arm to her forehead, feeling that it was cold and wet. Was the dream that bad she broke out in a sweat? Having gone from being too hot to breathe, to a cold shivering mess, she could not get comfortable. And now with her tank top sticking uncomfortably to her back, she laid there in sweaty annoyance.
Wrapping the pelts around her legs once more, she sat up straight and brought her covered legs up to hug them. If she was lucky, she could calm herself enough to fall back to sleep, but she wasn't usually as fortunate.
Her eyes sought out her usual source of comfort only to be painfully reminded that Chase was not here either. She wished he was, he always cuddled close when her nightmares were especially bad and would purr until she relaxed. But he was billions of miles away by now.
Her adrenaline returned with vengeance as she heard something shift outside the door to her room. Her heart pounded heavily, her mind conjuring up all the unrealistic things it could be. Growing more taut, she winced, watching apprehensively as the door slid open with a hiss.
Then, like a passing breeze, her fears dissipated.
A scantily clad Tomak rushed in, his chest rising and falling quickly as his glowing eyes instantly found and held hers.
He must have heard her scream, she realized, her face blanching in shame. "Oh Tomak, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to wake you." Her heart hammered faster in her chest as she took in his state of attire, or lack of.
Ignoring her reaction to him, he moved with purpose towards her, where she was resting. "Are you hurt?" his deep reverberating voice, barely masked the worry in his tone.
More embarrassed than anything, Rae covered her face with her hands. She must have looked like such a wimp. "No, I'm fine. It was just a nightmare, I'm okay."
He made a sound of disagreement, as he got down into a deep squat at the edge of the pit, "You are shaking," he reached out, his hot, rough palm sweeping down her shoulder and further down her back. She had forgotten that he could see perfectly well in the dark, he was not hindered by such a biological disadvantage as she was, which made her heat up in further shy embarrassment.
She didn't want to imagine what she looked like right now. Her hair was likely a rat's nest and her reddened face slick with sweat. Nothing attractive, that was for sure. Very quickly, she laid back down, trying desperately not to embarrass herself further.
"Come here," he gently nudged her arm with a large, warm knuckle, urging her to find comfort in him.
Her eyes briefly glanced down at his loincloth, noting that it was not like his longer tunics that hung to his knees, no this was much more... fitted. It was almost cruel. She shivered and pulled the blankets up to her chin, covering her bare arms. In Tomak's presence, wearing even a tank-top felt like being bare. "No, it's okay, really," she curled up beneath the furry pelts in a poor attempt to get comfortable, "I'll be fine, just go back to sleep."Please go back to sleep, she begged him behind closed eyes.
But Tomak didn't move. Cracking her eyes open, she barely saw the slight tightening of his hands as he silently knelt at the edge of where she slept, the outline of his frame hardening into something immovable. "Gorgeous," he warned in a tired gruff voice.
She tensed at the sound of it, tucking her legs further in her fetal position, her eyes shutting tight once more. She remained silent, hoping he would get the message. She was fine, she could nurse this small burden alone, she just needed time to herself. It's what she had always done, it was how she coped.
But that had been when she was alone. She wasn't alone anymore and Tomak was making that painfully obvious the longer he stayed put. His silence however, had her wondering if he had finally accepted the message she was trying to convey.
That belief went swiftly out the airlock when she felt his hands drag her closer. And before she knew it, strong immovable arms were lifting her up bridal style, cradling her against his broad, heated chest.
"Tomak-!" she was uncertain, as her eyes widened at the sudden change in position. Her hand held onto his shoulder, as if that would steady her.
It still amazed her how easily he could just pick her up. She had no clue as to how late it was and yet even just a moment after being woken up, Tomak could carry her as if she were the weight of a newborn infant.
Wordlessly, after securing her to him, he turned on his heel and walked them both out of the bedroom and into the corridor.
Rae wanted to say something like,I'm not an invalid, orI have two perfectly good working legs you know, but he had her wrapped up like a warm cozy burrito in her new blanket, against his equally warm chest. As much as she would have liked to speak up, her body made the final verdict, relaxing further against him without so much as a fuss.
He really was so good to her, maybe a little too good. She found herself smiling shyly against him, once again enjoying his attentiveness.
His movements hardly even jostled her as she started to doze off again in his arms, not even aware of him entering his chambers or approaching his bed. As he stepped down into the soft bedding, he carefully laid her down in the center of it.
His movements had been so gentle and serene, she probably would have transitioned from her half-awake doze to a deeper sleep had he not began unraveling the blanket that was wrapped around her, making her tense up as the cooler air kissed at her mostly bared skin.
She wasn't the only one aware of her abruptly rigid state. Chuckling softly as he positioned himself next to her under the soft pelts, he draped his arm over her body and tugged her ever closer so they were now in direct contact with each other, his large body braced against her back.
She tried to shake the unwelcome thoughts filtering in her head at the thought of them both being close to naked under the sheets, but no matter what she did her body heated in flush embarrassment over her predicament.
Tomak again, having already sensed her unease, tightened the arm around her waist, and whispered softly in her ear with that sexy, unused voice, "Sleep, gorgeous."
Easy for him to say. There was absolutely nothing between them but her very thin top and shorts and his nearly nonexistent loincloth! It didn't matter that they had shared a bed before. That had been when she was healing from her wounds and transitioning from being a prisoner of the labs.
But now you're transitioning to life in outer space, the voice of reason argued silently.
While that was true, it didn't make sharing a bed any less new to her, it was still unnerving.
At this point, she was starting to believe it was impossible to go back to sleep. Her mind was too active, and her body too stiff. And she probably would have been right, if she didn't feel the big guy shift, his powerful purr starting up while his tusks ticklishly played with the soft new hair growing at the base of her skull.
God did it feel good. The vibrations mixed with his otherworldly warmth made it feel like she was cuddling with a heated massage blanket, working the stress out of her tense muscles and plummeting her into a deep state of unconsciousness, and the soft tracing of his tusks only tipped her further into that blissful condition.
She went so peacefully she didn't even have time to consider how easily her traitorous body turned into his touch, unknowingly cuddling him back.
The last thing she heard was his deep whispering voice speaking words in a language she was sorely unfamiliar with.
—
As the morning hours came, the two were still pressed together under the covers, delightfully and unknowingly enjoying the other's presence as they continued to have a blessed snooze.
Undisclosed to Rae, she had sidled up to Tomak, her face nuzzled against his side, and her hand somehow having snuck over to his territory, her fingertips grazing the hard planes of his chest.
It would have remained that way if something didn't pull at her consciousness, and she was so glad it did.
There was a sound somewhere far off, easily ignored at first, but as it grew in volume it tugged her from her sleep, in the most aggravating way. It was only as the familiar and annoying tune reached her ears, that she realized what it was. Her morning alarm on her phone was going off, and because she wasn't turning it off, it was increasing in volume.
She had to get up and get it, but her first attempt to do just that was spoiled with Tomak's arm around her waist. With every effort she made to unnoticeably slip free, his arm incrementally tightened, reducing any hope of her escaping without his knowledge.
Hearing her phone more clearly, she groaned inwardly, giving up. "Tomak," she whispered, looking up at his sleeping face. She couldn't help but enjoy this tender and incredibly rare moment of waking before him. His natural frown was still there, the muscles in his face not designed to fully relax, but his mandibles were a whole different ballpark. They were slack with tiny upticks of movement as he slowly drew awake.
Sharp gold eyes peeled open and settled on her; a deep rumble resonating from his chest was her greeting.
"I'm sorry to wake you I just... you're holding me hostage and I need to grab my phone," she bit her lip to hold back a tempting smile as he huffed a large reluctant sigh, his arm unwinding from around her.
She was still tired, not entirely ready to wake up. So as his hand caught her wrist, in silent warning that she better return, she promised with a racing heart, "I'll be quick."
Taking her arm back, she hurried out into the hall following the sound of the echoing song being played. She tried to remember how many 'left' and 'right' turns she took as she navigated through the maze of halls until she located her new room.
In her groggy state, she hesitated momentarily at the closed door, finding no door handle and no obvious sensor. Reaching out, she went to touch it, and before her fingers even met the smooth surface, it hissed open, and she snatched her hand back. And by the time it fully opened, the music was at maximum volume, blaring in the high-ceiling room.
Marching inside with a tired groan, she tore through her suitcase, digging out the once neatly folded clothes and carelessly tossing them aside in her haste to find her phone. She was stopped short as she got to the bottom of the suitcase, not finding it.
Her brow lowered in tired confusion, when she realized it had been in the zipped sleeve inside the cloth casing itself. With a swift swipe of her thumb she turned off the alarm, sighing as she carried it back to Tomak's room.
Placing it outside the bedding, she flicked her eyes cautiously to Tomak, who seemed to have fallen back to sleep, his breaths long and even, and most importantly, undisturbed. She wanted to keep it that way. So with careful movements, she mapped a good place in the bed for her body to lay that would put a respectful distance between them and hopefully not accidentally shift any pelts near him.
Crawling back into bed with extreme, slow-motion care, she let out a startled squeak as Tomak was very suddenly awake and hauling her in close, his movement arresting completely as he got comfortable again and settled.
She was irrevocably tense after that. His stillness after such intense and nimble motion had shaken her trust in any chance of slipping in or out of bed without his knowledge or any instinctive action for that matter.
Fortunately, like any other time her body was filled with adrenaline, it slowly tapped out of her system and was replaced with a heavy dosage of melatonin.
Unfortunately for Tomak, that created some unforeseen issues for him.
Yautja males rarely shared a nest. It was mostly females that shared with their young and of course lifemates, but a single male tended to sleep on his own without the worries of sharing their precious space with another. Tomak got a small taste of why that was as Rae tossed and turned in her sleep, jolting him awake when she rolled over his long tendrils, pulling his extremely sensitive hair.
Growling, he sat up and glared down at her, watching as she eventually stilled. He thought that was the end of it, but it wasn't, he found his sleep being disturbed as she unconsciously stole his pelts and moved some more.
The solution to both problems was thankfully a simple one. He arrested her movement with his heavy arms cocooning himself around her protectively. She stilled then, now content and fully absorbing his heat and much to his tired amusement, she entangled her limbs around him, wanting to get as close to him as possible.
Satisfied that she was comfortable, Tomak managed to fall back to sleep, his deep chuffing exhales blowing hot air against her forehead, but he hoped it wouldn't be this much of a struggle every time they wanted to sleep together. Confident with his own abilities to make it work as a capable male, he let his guard down and trusted that they were safe here in this ship and more importantly, in each other's arms.
—
A few more hours had passed before Rae's phone lit up once more, a loud song once again piercing the near-silent air of the ship as a second alarm went off.
Aware of the irritating disruption to his sleep once again, Tomak released a tired growl, nearly sitting up straight in bed with a sudden intake of air.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry," she apologized groggily, hearing the song on her phone going off. "I usually set two alarms to ensure I wake up on time, but," she almost fumbled the phone before finally dismissing the alarm completely and flicking off the need for it to repeat itself for the rest of the week, "I guess I don't really need to set that anymore do I?"
"No," he answered for her, his response a mixture of tired annoyance and disgust.
His grouchy response and raw unused voice made her smile. Guess someone wasn't a morning person. She couldn't say she was too much of one either especially after being woken from such a restful sleep.
According to her second alarm, it was now eight-thirty in the morning in the state of Maine, she wasn't sure what time that translated to in the universe. Did they even have a way of keeping track of time?
At the moment, it would have meant little to her, but turning her head to the large yautja laying next to her, there was some sort of significance there that was tugging at her heartstrings. Something was up and she was trying to understand what.
In previous weeks this large yautja would already be outside in the early morning air, pushing his routine to the max, but here she was seeing someone completely different. He was still on his side, holding her incredibly close, a surreal experience in itself, but that wasn't what was setting her off. His breathing indicated that he was restful, not necessarily sleeping, but he didn't look like he was getting up anytime soon when he normally would be. Was he still tired? Was this how he was when not exploring a foreign planet?
She couldn't help but tease him then with a little grin, resting her head back down on the fluffy propped up furs. "I didn't think bumming in bed was your style, Tomak."
She hardly got a reaction other than a snort, his hold on her tightening. With closed eyes, he began to stroke his hand up and down the curve of her spine, making her heart flutter woozily, prompting her to go along with his silent demand for more sleep. It all but confirmed her theory, he wasn't going anywhere.
Lying there staring at him with tired-glazed eyes, she couldn't help herself. "Is this what you do on your days off? You sleep in?"
Those golden eyes cracked open and all he had to do was level one little look on her and she smiled, dismissing her question. "Fine, goodnight, sleepyhead," she mumbled. He made a small sound in response.
—
The next time Rae woke, Tomak was gone. It was as expected. She was more surprised that she woke up three hours later and she didn't even remember falling asleep! She needed to get that checked out, or maybe the answer was the five-hundred plus pound hunk of sizzling yautja meat pressed up right next to her. That definitely ought to do it.
Feeling well rested, she managed to sneak back into her room to take a shower and change. She opted for leggings and a t-shirt and forewent the hoodie, finding that the spaceship was not nearly as cold as the movies made it look.
She didn't feel the need to wear layers and she was thankful, because when she found Tomak next, it was in his version of a dojo. At least that's what it looked like with all the weapons hung up neatly on one wall and the sparring mats in the center. And of course, he still had every intention of training her and pushing her past her limits; layers would have indeed been a huge mistake.
Now breathing heavily, having built up a sweat, she went off to the side lines, wishing she had a bottle of water or something to guzzle down.
Tomak surprised her as he opened up a hidden compartment in the wall, filling a yautja-sized glass of ice water for her.
Taking it back to her, she accepted it with a grateful smile, "Thank you."
He nodded, watching her drink from it, hastily gulping down a large quantity, it told him everything he needed to know. "That's enough training for today."
Rae lifted her eyes above the rim of her cup to his glowing ones, "You're sure? I only just started breaking a sweat. That usually means nothing to you."
Tomak chuffed, having already made up his mind, "You have done enough." Showing her mercy this time, he rose, deciding that just because Rae needed a break did not mean his training was complete for the day and there was something he had obtained in that human facility that deserved to be shown attention after all those years sitting behind glass.
Little did he know that such a choice would be a titillating experience for his chosen mate.
Rae felt a shiver run down her spine at the visual of Tomak's muscles in his thighs rippling and tightening as he stood to his full, imposing height, turning back to her as he made his way over to the weapon wall.
That delicious trapezius muscle flexing and extending as he lifted his arms, taking down the whip that he had taken from the facility. She had remembered seeing it littered in Price's own mini museum. He collected things that did not belong to him and Tomak had rightfully taken something back.
Watching him unfurl it, she followed his movements as he directed his attention to one of the dummies at the end of the room. He whirled that thing around his head, warming up before flicking his wrist and cracking the lash around the skull of his opponent and yanking it back toward him.
He did this several times and Rae couldn't help but notice that he was very practiced with it, like he had used a whip in the past. When he had taken a moment to draw the weapon back looping it in his hand, she piped up.
"You're good with that."
His eyes flicked up from his task only briefly, "A warrior must be proficient in all weapons."
She recalled him saying something similar before, but she was still curious. "There were many weapons at the lab. Why did you take the whip? Do you prefer it over the others?"
Tomak smiled, his gold eyes watching her with renewed appreciation. She was observant. This was good. "No. This belonged to my master, Ze'ev." He saw the recognition light up in her eyes and purred, "He favored this weapon and I am returning it to its place of honor."
Rae now understood and nodded, smiling gently, "Are you always so thoughtful?"
He chuffed, neatly placing the weapon back up on the wall. "I believe you were an eyewitness to times when I have been thoughtless."
She smiled shyly, not disagreeing, especially in the beginning of their relationship. Shrugging, she decided, "It just means that when you are being thoughtful, it's an even more valuable moment."
He grunted, getting her smile to widen.
Sitting back, she watched him pick another weapon and begin moving around the kherite, fighting his usual invisible opponent.
As he did, she found her thoughts going down a rabbit hole of questions. Tomak as she had just seen was still very, not primitive, but almost wild with how he responded. Unrefined being a better term. Talking wasn't always his strong suit, mixing it in with sounds he made to convey meaning. She wondered if all yautja were like that or worse.
She would be entering a new culture and language. Would Tomak need to translate for her? Would she be looked down on because her mouth wouldn't be able to produce the same sounds and guttural growls required to speak such a language? Would she be looked down on simply because she was not yautja?
Obviously there were a lot of questions she had, and a lot of concerns. But what stood out was her nervousness for the future. This was honestly scary. Traveling through space was scary, going into the unknown was scary. Leaving behind everything she knew was terrifying.
Perhaps that had been why she had such an awful nightmare, her head was too full of the wrong emotions.
Letting out a stressed sigh, she thought about the dream again, her mind leaping from one branch of thought to a different one. What did it all mean?
The color purple was a common theme in most of her dreams, though she didn't know why. The only difference was purple used to lead to something good, something comforting. This time, it hadn't.
She thought long and hard about the voices she heard in the hallway. They were human voices, one distinctly female and the other male. Who were they though?
Aurora. The name popped into her head, recalling what the man said, or at least she tried to.
She didn't know an Aurora; she didn't meet one in the labs. She only remembered the name from her father's recordings. Perhaps that was how she got mixed into the dream. Maybe the nightmare had no meaning at all and it was a culmination of everything that scared her, things that were unknown and things that were dangerous.
Rae had been so caught up in her ruminations that she hadn't realized that Tomak was finished with his workout routine and was actively trying to get her attention.
There was a grunt, then a high-pitched trill. Rae's eyes suddenly lifted and she was met with the bold stare of Tomak's.
Blinking in surprise at the intensity his gold eyes brought, she quickly found her voice. "Sorry, did you say something?"
"Your mind," he rumbled, pausing as he took her in, tilting his head in a curious manner, "it drifts," he commented.
His attentiveness and concern made itself known again, and Rae was helpless to it, an appreciative smile gracing her face. "I was just thinking about the nightmare I had." She didn't want to burden Tomak with the stupidity of it, since it meant nothing, so she waved it off, "Don't worry about it, it's nothing important."
Putting the impressive alien blade on the wall with the other weapons, he drifted towards her, his large build getting down into a deep squat, his arms resting on those thick thighs as he looked at her closely.
He was so wonderfully distracting she almost missed his question.
"What is it you dreamt?" his concerned twin sun eyes flicked to her face, her answer hadn't been good enough.
Rae swallowed, running her fingers through her scalp, trying to come up with the words to describe it. "I don't remember all of it to its entirety, but..." she sighed.
When she didn't continue he lifted his hand to her face, his knuckle supporting her chin and lifting it to view her better. "I am listening," he purred.
It was such a buttery sound, it warmed her heart and yet it brought chills to her skin, erecting more goosebumps across her arms. Feeling heat enter her cheeks, she pushed herself to speak despite the heavy pounding of her heart. "I just remember I was trying to get to you and... I got lost and there were two paths." She frowned, trying to recall it to mind. "I saw a path that was purple, I followed it. Then suddenly I was trapped and I saw that monster then Price's face and he said something to me. I... I forgot what he exactly said, but it scared me and then... I woke up."
Tomak's large hand shifted, smoothing his warm palm against her cheek, his thumb carefully tracing just under her eye, getting her to blink and look at him. "You are safe," he purred, feeling her nod.
"I know, it just... it felt so real. My nightmares always feel so real." She couldn't understand it.
"I am sorry, gorgeous." He said it so sweetly. Reaching for her face, he heard her breath catch as he cupped her cheek. "You will always be protected."
Rae's heart felt like it did a flip in her chest, those fluttery butterfly wings going off in her stomach. He was so incredibly sweet. "You can't stop my nightmares, Tomak. Not even I can control them. It's something I've gotten used to. I've had them for years and they happen frequently."
Tomak was silent then, lowering his hand from her face, absorbing her every word, his eyes scanning over her face. Then he surprised her with a solution.
"I want you closer to me," then he went on and rumbled, "from now on you will sleep in my nest with me."
Her heart stopped, her head spinning.What?
Realistically, being close to Tomak would help her feel safer when she woke up from her night terrors, but she wasn't sure it was the right choice. Besides, she wasn't a baby. "I don't know Tomak," her fingers grazed her scalp again.
He rumbled, watching her hands, recognizing that this was how she comforted herself. He would make the decision easier for her then. "Make it my prize."
"Your prize?" Then it came back to her with striking clarity. There had been a bet between them and she lost. She let out a small little huff at that, seeing how it all played against her. It was a reminder that she would never bet against a yautja, especially this one.
Thinking over his proposal, she paced a few more steps before slowly turning to face him, her eyes filled to the brim with suspicion. "That's all you really want? Just to sleep in the same bed?" she clarified.
He held her gaze, "Yes, and—"
She started to laugh, stepping away from him, "Here we go, see, Iknewit wasn't going to be simple, Iknewthere would be a catch."
He growled playfully, taking her hand and pulling her closer to him and his heat. "And," he emphasized, continuing without interruption, "I want us to explore a new part of each other every night."
Her smile went away, her heart treading faster. "You want to touch a new part of me every night?" This felt like a big jump.
Sensing her inner turmoil, he purred, trying to soothe her. "No, I want you to explore me too. One day I will touch a part of you, the next you will choose a part of me to explore. I want to ease your anxiety, gorgeous. I want you accustomed to my body as well as my touch."
"I don't know, Tomak." It seemed like a lot. How many parts of her would he get through in a week's time? How much later would he be pressing on to more intimate parts of her that hadn't even explored herself?
"I will not push you," he promised, his voice deeply laced with an oath, and it took her by surprise. "We will take it slow." Tracing his eyes up and down her face, he took her hand in his, grazing his thumb over her knuckles, "Do you trust me?"
Her eyes lifted to his shyly, yet with confidence. "I do trust you."
Pleased by her inherent faith in him he crooned in open encouragement, "You start." Resting both hands flat atop the bench he sat on, he held perfectly still for her. "What part of me do you want to explore?"
Rae made a soft sound, a mixture of embarrassment and disbelief, staring at him with impossibly large eyes, having not expected such an invitation. "Are you being serious? Right now?"
"Why not now?" he challenged.
She didn't have a good enough reason that would be convincing enough for him and sighed heavily in defeat. Looking down at him in his seated position, she really put thought into his request. His face would have been an easy choice, but it was equally as intimate to touch as his body was and she felt it was too soon for that. It mattered very little that she had been pressed up against that body numerous times before. Purposefully touching him went beyond mere happenings.
The longer she took staring, the worse it got as Tomak began to preen, puffing his chest out like a paradise bird flaunting its uniquely beautiful plumage for an inspecting mate.
Rae was helpless to stare at the bulging muscle being flaunted at her, those massive pecs begging to be properly appreciated. As much as she would love to explore his chest, she decided not to jump to dessert on day one. She always preferred saving the best for last anyway and she turned her attention elsewhere, more specifically, his right arm. She had been meaning to take a closer look at his tattoo.
Tracing the muscled limb from his shoulder down, she traced the swirling patterns as well as the bold symbols laid within.
"Can you tell me about your tattoo?"
He nodded, closing his eyes to the feel of her delicate fingertips. "It has... special meaning. I had it done the day I had come back from my chiva, my right of passage," he explained, pointing to the scar he had shown her on his forehead. "It is in honor of my bearer."
Rae met his eyes and smiled sadly, now having a new sense of admiration towards the infused ink. "Your mom? So what does the tattoo represent?"
He purred, and taking her hand, he guided her to trace the outside edges of the tat. "What do you see here?" he watched her eyes that were frowning adorably in thought.
Rae took her time. There were a lot of swirls and curls to it, but the shapes stuck out to her as familiar. Tracing the unique pattern fencing the symbols within, she looked up at him in curiosity, "Are these vines?"
"Yes, like those found in the jungles of my homeworld. Her favorite hunting grounds. She would take us there often."
Moving on to the symbols that were within the vines, she started with the one she most recognized. It was one of the symbols on Tomak's crest.
Sensing where her hand was he purred, "My clan. The Rising Sun. It was the clan she was born into and the clan she died protecting."
Her frown deepened with deep empathy. She knew what that was like to lose a parent that even in their dying breath was trying to protect you. Stroking his arm, she laid her head against his shoulder, speaking in a soft tone. "She sounds very brave."
Tomak grunted, "She was. She was known for her boldness in battle." Pointing to the next symbol that was written in their language, he churred deeply, "She had a unique fighting technique making her a formidable opponent in hand-to-hand combat."
Rae ran her thumb over the symbol. "Is that what this means? Hand-to-hand?"
He purred, nodding.
Remembering his comment about never losing in the past, she wondered, "Did she ever teach you some of her moves?"
He chuckled. "I was too young, but she had every fight recorded. I watched every one, memorizing her movements. Her defiance in losing was what drew my sire to her."
Rae giggled, "Is that where you get your sore loser attitude from?"
He chuffed, mildly bemused, "She did not play silly human games with you."
Smiling, finding it funny that Tomak was still a little sensitive to that, she bumped him playfully, returning his attention back to his tattoo.
"And what about this one?" she pointed to the final mark inside the vines.
"It is the symbol for Paya, the goddess of life. My bearer was a life giver and I wanted to show honor to that, for what she has done for me."
Rae pressed herself tight to him, "Tomak, your birth was an honor to her. I'm not a mother, but deep down I know the day you were born was one of the happiest moments for her. Every parent feels that way about their kids, finding pleasure in their milestones. She would be so proud to see what you've become, I feel it."
Tomak's purr pulsed in his chest, his large hand reaching up to cup her face again, "I should thank the goddess for gifting me such a compassionate and gorgeous female, because Paya knew I needed that."
Rae smiled, placing a soft kiss to his upper tusk. "I think you're the gift," she contradicted. "God knew only a big, strong, stubborn male could uproot me from my problems and make me feel safe again."
"Not handsome?" he quirked his brow, getting her to laugh as he expanded the area of his chest, bulking up once again to make her blush.
"Oh you are stunningly handsome," she amended, giggling as he shuddered, so obviously pleased with her description.
Not wanting to enlarge his already inflated pride, she fell back on their earlier discussion, stroking her hand down his tattooed arm that was steadily tightening with every pass of her fingers. "So did it hurt, getting this tattoo? I can't imagine ink stays infused in your tough skin very well." She faintly wondered if his scales made it more difficult, but his answer all but confirmed her prediction.
His other hand lifted and covered over hers as he thought back to the moment he had it etched into his flesh. "It was a grueling process, very painful, but worth it."
She smiled at his dedication, looking over the swirls and symbols, noting how easily it could be overlooked with his coloring. "So why black ink? It doesn't show up nearly as well against your skin."
"That is what I wanted, for it to be visible but still blend in with my natural coloring. I wanted it to look like it was part of me, likeshewas part of me."
Rae chewed on her bottom lip, tracing the patterns admiringly, never having heard something so beautiful. Pressing a gentle kiss to his arm, she felt the pistons fire in the muscle, tightening it into a rock-solid mass, capturing her attention in an entirely new way.
"But sheisa part of you, Tomak. Just like my dad is a part of me. Others see those same qualities that were in our parents, in us." She then pressed herself against his front in a tender hug. Peering up at him, past his mandibles, she remained there for a little bit, completely comfortable. Softly she added, "Even though I would have loved to meet her, I can imagine what she was like."
He rumbled then, the sound transforming into a purr as his arms tightening around her.
The sensation reminded Rae of a massage chair, a weighted blanket, and cosy fireplace all bundled up into one. It was the most magical and comforting feeling, almost lulling her like the sun did to Chase for a regular nap.
He then lowered his head, his tendrils falling around them as he spoke softly against her scalp, "I will show her to you when we arrive."
Rae felt her heart warm, her eyes shining as she peered up at him, "When?"
He purred, "We must make one more stop before we reach the clan ship, but soon."
Clan ship? Another stop? She pulled away to read his facial expressions eagerly which earned her a deep chuckle.
"You have questions," his mandibles shifted in a gentle smile. Rising, he took her hand and led her out of the kherite and into the maze of halls. "Come, I will answer them."
He ended up taking her to the cockpit, showing her where they were and where they were to go next.
Staring out the reinforced windows out into space, she let out a breath, realizing that the bright twinkling star in the distance was her sun, the star that warmed the planets in her solar system. It astounded her the technology that the yautja possessed to move them across space in a matter of hours that would have taken humans several lifetimes.
Tomak chittered, turning in his chair to look at her as she placed both hands on the glass, nearly fogging it up with her breath.
Unaware of Tomak's affectionate stare, Rae watched as they moved further and further away from what was familiar, listening to the soothing hum of the ship as they went deeper into the unknown.
She hoped her future looked brighter than the darkness clinging to the horizon outside, but even with Tomak's warm gaze upon her, she couldn't help but still hear Price's eery words, now returning to her,"You think I'm the scariest thing out there? You have no idea what's coming for you."
Author's Note
Well I certainly didn't think it would take eight months to produce and release this chapter. I'm so sorry to make all you wonderful readers wait that long. Unfortunately, I got really busy with work and then my motivation tanked a bit, but honestly, what kept me going and pushing to get this chapter out was all your really kind and supportive comments. I read every single one of them and I truly appreciate it. Thank you all for being so patient.
I have no idea when the next chapter will be out, but my goal is to work on it every week and have it out much much sooner than this last one. This book is certainly not abandoned or finished, so please stick around for more Tomak and Rae.
Thanks everyone! :)