17
SAM
"You're awake," I gasp, pulling Sessah's cloak over my naked lower half. I try to ignore the fact that he was watching us in a private moment. Hell, it was more than private. Sessah practically had me in a handstand as he desperately ate me out, and I kind of loved every single moment of it. It was amazing, and Sessah was tender and sweet and perfect the entire time and I'm no longer afraid of resonance, weirdly enough.
Because if it's anything like what I just experienced with Sessah, it'll be wonderful.
But now we have a new problem. I wrap the cloak around me like a towel, tucking it under my arm, and pull Sessah behind me. He's clothed, but his loincloth isn't leaving anything to the imagination. I stare at the cat-man. "Who are you?"
"A keffing unlucky chap, it seems." His eyes seem strange to me after looking at glowing blue ones for so long. His are golden, with slitted pupils like a feline, and I immediately don't like them. That's unfair of me, I realize. He can't help that his eyes aren't warm and welcoming, and possibly a little too close together. He gives me a smile that's all fang. "Didn't realize I'd wake up and see a human. Where am I?"
My senses tingle. Why is he noticing the “human” part of our pairing and not Sessah? Is it because Sessah's ancestors are common in the galaxy? Mardok has implied as much. I put on a bright smile, determined to be friendly. He's just disoriented and confused. "You're on our planet. I don't know if it has a name. That's not important right now. Rest. You're safe here."
He just looks around, staring at the cave. "We in a greenhouse?"
"A fruit cave," Sessah says, his hands resting on my shoulders. He gives me a squeeze and then moves to the male's side, a beaming smile of welcome on his face. "I am called Sessah. Welcome, my brother."
As I watch, Sessah extends his hands out. The cat-guy eyes him, then glances over at me before he puts his hands into Sessah's. "Thanks. You can call me Kvasaht."
Sessah's tongue tangles on the name, but he manages to repeat it. "You are among friends here, Kvasaht."
My translator changes that to “Blade” in my head, and I keep smiling, but there's something about all of this that feels off. The cat-guy—Kvasaht—looks over at me again, and I could swear there's a calculating look in his eyes. Like he's seeing dollar signs when he looks at me. "You don't know where we're at? This a human planet?" he asks. "Or are you two stranded?"
"Stranded," I say, moving to Sessah's side and stroking his cheek. Somehow I don't like the idea of telling him about the others. Not until we can trust him. It didn't occur to me that the person we were waking up might be bad news, but now that I've met Kvasaht, I'm a little wary. There's something about the way he keeps watching me that makes me uncomfortable.
It reminds me of Brad, and I don't know if I'm overreacting or if my worries are legit.
So I keep touching Sessah, and I stroke his tail. He jerks at that, glancing over at me as I press against his side. "We're stranded," I say again brightly. "It's just the two of us here."
Kvasaht lifts his chin, studying us. He throws back the blankets and gets to his feet, and I could swear there's a blinking cuff of some kind on his ankle. He eyes the fruit cave, looking around. "How'd the two of you end up together? Not exactly the same species."
I squeeze Sessah's tail again as the sa-khui male just stares at me with confusion. "We were on the same ship that crashed together. We were both slaves."
"Both of you, huh?" The cat-guy touches one of the fruit and glances over at Sessah. "How'd you manage that?"
"He crossed the wrong person," I volunteer quickly.
"Mmm." I'm pretty sure Kvasaht doesn't believe me, but I don't care. I need to talk to Sessah alone. There's something about this that bothers me, and I'm starting to feel like we made a mistake. But the cat guy only grins at Sessah, showing sharp teeth. "Lucky you to get stranded with a human female. Some would call that paradise."
"Would they?" Sessah blinks at me. "Why?"
The cat-guy just laughs, waving a finger at Sessah. "Your act is a convincing one."
I pinch Sessah's arm, indicating (hopefully) that I need to do the talking. "How'd you get in that pod?"
He smiles at the two of us. "How do you think?" He touches another piece of fruit, and then heads for the ledge, peering down. "Quite the little set-up you have here. Must have taken you a while. You do it before or after you got stranded?"