Текст книги "Ral's Woman"

Автор книги: Laurann Dohner

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Ral’s Woman
Laurann Dohner

To the love of my life, David. He’s always supportive in every way imaginable, always reminds me that true love really does exist, and is always eager to conduct “research” with me.

1

Ariel kept her eyes down. She’d learned to not look up. Her left cheek still hurt from the bruises she was sure marred her face. She knew help would never come. She was still in deep shock and it was hard to function as the hours passed. Her life was over, changed forever, and death would probably greet her really damn soon. This couldn’t be happening. How many times had that thought crossed her mind in the days since she’d been taken?

Her gaze drifted around the cave floor. Someone had painstakingly swept up the dirt and debris until it was almost clean. There were lights along the ceiling so the room was well lit.

She heard shoes striking the stones, and fear gripped her. What now? The thought barely surfaced before she heard one of the men who’d grabbed her enter the room.

“Useless,” he said softly.

She lifted her gaze. The man wasn’t human. The shock of someone not being human hadn’t started to dim yet. Days ago if she had been told other races existed she would have laughed and asked them what movie they had watched too much. It wasn’t funny anymore. Her gaze swept the man’s bluish pale skin and then dropped. His eyes were yellow. They were serpent-like and his voice was wispy in a creepy way that sent bad chills down her spine.

“Did you hear me, Earthling? You’re useless.”

She nodded. She didn’t speak. She knew if she looked at him too long or if she spoke, it would warrant another blow to her face. They were Anzons. That’s what she’d been told when they had grabbed her from the woods by her home. The days she’d been captive felt like forever to her.

Another set of footsteps. She glanced up. The females of their species had the same eerie yellow eyes and bluish skin tone. They had breasts and seemed to grow hair only in a strip from the top of their heads to the lower part of their neck but their body structure wasn’t that different. They were all lean and long.

“It has been confirmed,” the woman hissed. “She’s not capable of breeding with our men. Humans aren’t the answer we seek.”

“We could give the males some relief with her. She’s not hideous to look at and her form is similar enough to ours.”

The woman hissed loudly. “The physical exam I gave her when she was unconscious says otherwise. She’d die.”

“She’s useless anyway.”

The woman frowned. “Where is your compassion, Yoz? It would be excruciating for her. The hard shell at the tip of your staff would tear her apart inside. She would bleed out and the pain would be—” The woman shivered. “I wouldn’t wish it upon even an enemy. We’re not at war with her world.”

“She’ll die anyway and I am curious.”

“Yoz,” the woman hissed. “I will not allow it. I have another purpose for her.”

“We need a worker?”

“No. I thought we could award her to one of the miners. They probably aren’t breeding compatible but sexually it wouldn’t be harmful to hand her over to one of them.”

Yoz hissed. “Vhal, that’s disgusting. That’s cruelty. They are so hideous.”

“But they wouldn’t kill her. And they have hair like she has.”

The man snorted. Ariel sensed his eyes on her. “She has little body hair. They have more hair. They are also much bigger. Their skin texture looks the same though.”

“I’ve already discussed this with Mon. He agreed. It is done. Take her to the mines now. Mon awaits her.”

Fear struck Ariel deeply. She jerked her head up and locked her eyes on the woman. “What is going on? Please tell me something. Please.”

The man hissed angrily at Ariel. The woman—Vhal—gripped his arm and shook her head. Compassion filled her face as she released the man. Vhal walked forward, blinked at Ariel a few times, and ran a lizard-like tongue across her thin blue lips. She stared down at Ariel.

“You were taken from your planet as we passed because our males outnumber our females eighteen to one. We’re facing eventual extinction if we don’t find a race of females to breed with our men. Our female bodies only support one or two egg cycles in our lifetimes. We lay our eggs and hatch our young. We only have three to six children per egg cycle. We tested you and you are not breeding compatible with our species.”

Ariel was stunned. “May I please go home?”

“I’m sorry but no. We are on a large…” She frowned. “You would call it an asteroid. We send ships out to habitable planets. We are very careful with our fuel. Our mission is important and we must complete it before we are allowed to return to our home planet. If we do not find breeding compatible females we will eventually die of old age still searching for them. It is imperative that we save our race. There are other stations like this one out there searching for females. If we do find breeders we will need all of our fuel to take them to our planet.”

Hot tears filled Ariel’s pale blue eyes. “So I’ll never see my home again?”

“I’m sorry.” The woman’s hissing voice sounded sad. “We have miners. They mine this asteroid. It gives us fuel and then more living spaces. You will be awarded to one of them for his hard work. They are Zorn. It is another race of people we own.”

Own? She hadn’t missed that term. Dread filled Ariel. “What will happen to me?”

The woman blinked. “They treat the few females they have well. They do not share their females so you will be awarded to just one of them. The language implant in your ear will allow you to communicate with the male you end up with. Our commander takes pleasure in sports so the winner will get you. He offers them rewards. You are the prize.”

She stared up at the woman. “Please…no.”

The woman nodded slowly. “It is better than what Yoz had in store for you. One sexual mating with one of my kind would kill you very painfully.” The woman turned.

“Take her, Yoz.”

Ariel wanted to fight but she knew it would be useless. The man was six feet tall and damn strong, though he was thin. He gripped the chain attached to her wrist. It had to be some kind of alien touch-release shackle because it unlocked from the wall when he gripped it. He walked away, not waiting to see if Ariel would follow or not. She got to her feet to walk quickly after him so she wasn’t dragged. The man had long legs.

Their alien torsos weren’t that long but their legs were much longer than human legs.

Yoz led her through stone corridors. She gasped when she saw a large window of what appeared to be thick glass. She stared beyond the window into literal outer space.

She saw stars in a black sea. Yoz yanked hard on her chain and it made her jerk forward. Pain shot up her arm.

“Beautiful,” he hissed. “But stare at it later. You will see enough of it to be sick of it quickly. I am sick of it.”

He led her to what looked like an elevator. It was more of a rounded tube. No walls were attached to the platform. Yoz gripped the back of her neck and held on. The platform suddenly dropped out from under them at an alarming rate.

Fear gripped Ariel. She saw the rough rock around them sliding past. She was pretty sure she would tear up her skin if she touched one of the rough rock walls as the floor dropped them lower into the bowels of the asteroid. The man grasping her didn’t release her neck until the platform slowed to a stop. She saw more stone corridors.

Yoz walked off the platform. “Come fast. I am being called.” The man touched his ear. “I am nearly there, Mon.”

Ariel swallowed. She didn’t see any kind of device on the man’s ear, just skin. Then again she’d touched her own ear many times since she’d woken up after she’d been taken. She’d been so stunned by her surroundings at first it had taken her hours to realize when she was spoken to, the aliens’ lips didn’t move correctly to form the words she heard in her ear. She only heard them in one ear and not the other. She’d been informed that they’d implanted something so she could understand their language. Yoz must also have some kind of implanted two-way communication device in his cone-shaped ear.

She saw a large door and Yoz stopped to put his hand on it. Anzons only had four fingers—they didn’t possess thumbs. The door groaned before it opened up and cooler air hit them both. Ariel shivered as the air blasted them. Yoz started walking.

“Hurry or the door will crush you,” he hissed.

She ran to catch up with him. She heard a loud groan and turned her head back.

The door slammed down to the floor with a louder thud. She flinched. The halls were wider here and she heard something that sent fear up her spine again. It sounded like growling.

“It has already begun,” Yoz hissed. Excitement made him speak faster.

They turned a corner and the ceiling disappeared. The corridor ended in a large cavern. She saw more of Yoz’s kind standing there. They were staring below at the cavern floor. Yoz pushed forward shoving at another male alien. Ariel had little choice but to follow since he had her wrist leashed. She saw the bluish aliens staring at her as she walked past at least twenty of them. These aliens wore thick black clothing that looked like hard shells. She saw weapons strapped around their waists.

Yoz moved toward a very tall alien. The alien wore the black shell uniform with weapons attached around his waist. He turned his head and Ariel met a pair of cold yellow eyes. The alien eyed her back, his scary gaze wandering down her body. His gaze jerked to Yoz.

“Strip her down and chain her on the platform.”

Yoz hesitated. “Everything?”

“Is she wearing anything under her clothing?”

“There are small coverings over her breasts and her sex chamber.”

“Leave those on. I don’t want a riot.”

Yoz nodded and jerked Ariel out on a platform. It didn’t have rails. It was a long strip of flooring and then an open round platform like their version of an elevator. This one had two bars coming up from the floor. Yoz jerked her to the center of the platform and pointed to the center.

“Stand and hold.”

She was afraid. “Hold?”

“Do not move. If you fall you die.”

She tried to peer over the platform to below, but Yoz gripped her throat to jerk her head up as he pushed her to the center of the platform.

“Do as you are told.”

She held still and kept her head up. He released her throat, took the leash and yanked it upward so her arm was raised. He touched it to the pole and released it. The leash stayed attached to the bar. He turned and her eyes followed him. He held up his hand and another leash was thrown at him from one of the bluish aliens. Yoz caught it and he gripped her other wrist, wrapping the leash around it as he jerked her arm up, attaching the leash to the other pole. Her arms were above her, spread wide and high.

She could stand fine but she knew she could only move a few inches at most.

Yoz stepped in front of her to stare down into her frightened eyes. “I feel sorry for you.”

She gasped when he gripped her shirt to tear at it roughly—he was strong. She was helpless to stop the alien as the material was torn from her body. He reached down to shove his fingers inside the waist of her skirt. His sharp fingernails shredded the band from the inside out. He yanked her skirt from her so Ariel was left standing in only her bikini briefs and bra. Yoz eyed her with pity. Shaking his head, he walked away from her.

Ariel turned her head to track the alien. Yoz walked back across the strip of flooring to his fellow aliens. The platform she stood on suddenly dropped quickly. She gasped at the falling sensation, fighting a scream. The platform slowed to a stop with a stomach-churning lurch. She had probably dropped fifty feet to the cavern floor in just a few seconds.

She couldn’t help but stare. She saw a group of about eighty males. They were definitely males. She got her first look at what must be Zorn. They looked huge. They had hair all right. She remembered that comment from the aliens. The males had long, thick hair that ran down their backs to their waists. They had hairy chests. She could see that because none of them wore shirts. They had dark brown skin, almost looking deeply tan, and thick, huge muscles.

She saw one in the front the rest. She stared at his face. He looked almost human.

The difference was his nose was flatter and wider than a human’s. He had high cheekbones and thick lips. Those lips opened and she saw sharp teeth. Terror hit her.

They almost looked like what would happen if someone had combined a human with an animal. Her eyes locked on those sharp teeth before she tore them away to stare at another man who moved closer.

The light caught his eyes—bright electric blue. It was a color she’d never seen before it was so blue—they almost glowed. Terrified, Ariel started to breathe faster. She let the sounds around her penetrate her terror. The men were growling like vicious animals. She shut her eyes. She fought the wrist restraints but couldn’t get free of the leashes holding her arms above her.

“The winner takes her,” a deep voice hissed from above. “I want fighting in fours.

Clear the area and pick the fighters.”

Ariel forced her eyes to remain open. She didn’t want to look but she had to. The growling had stopped. She saw the men moving back into the shadows. She couldn’t see anything beyond the well-lit area in front of her. She took deep breaths to try to calm down. These animalistic men were going to fight over her.

They looked savage. Would the winner eat her? Was she dinner? She didn’t know what would be worse, the idea that they were fighting over her to eat or to have sex with her.

Four men walked out of the shadows. She stared at them. They didn’t look at her.

They looked up.

“Begin,” the male voice demanded from above.

The men split into pairs to attack each other. They used fists. They kicked out. The sounds of flesh hitting flesh were loud. She heard growling and grunts as blows landed.

Two men went down. The remaining two turned on each other. One of the men did a roundhouse move that threw the other man out of the lit area. He didn’t return. The last man standing walked to the side of the fighting area. He waited, crossing his arms over his chest.

Four more men came out. It began again. Ariel flinched at the brutality of it. These men were not messing around. Blood splattered on the floor. She heard one man’s arm break. It was that loud. The man roared as he went down holding his arm. Someone came from the shadows to drag him away. The man who’d won that match waited for the other two to finish. When one remained the two attacked each other.

Ariel shut her eyes. She didn’t want to watch anymore. The sounds of fighting continued. It was a brutal sound. Finally silence filled her ears. Her eyes opened from curiosity. Large, muscular men were waiting on the sideline. Some of them were smeared with blood. A few of the men eyed the others and backed away into the darkness to bow out of fighting. Ariel counted the remaining men who stood there waiting to fight.

“Begin,” the voice ordered from above.

All sixteen ended up in the lit area. They were fighting in groups together. Roars and growls erupted as they fought. The injured were dragged away into the shadows. It went down to three males. Two of them teamed together to attack the biggest one.

Ariel studied the lone man being attacked by the other two. He was a huge son of a bitch. He was bigger than his opponents by a few inches and he looked thicker in the arms and shoulders. He fought with amazing speed as he dodged fists and feet. He punched one man in the face. Ariel heard something crack. The man he hit went staggering back, collapsing on the floor. She saw blood on the fallen man’s face. He whimpered and rolled to his side to hold his face with both hands. He didn’t get up.

Her eyes flew to the last two men fighting. The larger one swung out a foot to hit the other man in the chest. The man gasped as he grabbed at his ribs. He dropped to his knees while blood dripped out of his mouth. He looked down before he crashed facedown on the floor. The lone man stood there growling. He threw his head back roaring out into the cavern. Ariel wished she could cover her ears so the terrifying noise could be muffled. The man’s roar cut off as he turned around to glare up at the bluish aliens.

“She’s yours, Ral,” the alien above her hissed. “Release her to him.”

Ariel felt terror as the man named Ral moved toward the platform. She heard someone close to her move. From the darkness, one of the bluish men in a black uniform appeared behind her. He gripped her wrist, freeing it with a jerk, and reached for her other one to free it too.

Blood rushed back into her arms as she lowered them to her sides. Ariel experienced that pins-and-needles sensation. She gasped as the bluish man gripped her arms firmly. He shoved her forward until she found herself staring up a good foot and some inches into the face of the man who’d won her. He had to be six and a half feet tall to her five foot three.

She recognized him instantly from his eyes. Those bright electric blue eyes looked like they glowed. He was breathing hard. She saw sharp white teeth peeking through his wide full lips. His flattened nose twitched and a soft growl came from his throat. His hands were large and warm as he gripped her hips. He tugged her from the platform, turning her toward the darkness of the cavern. He snarled.

Ariel’s knees started to buckle. She would have crashed to the rock floor if the man’s large hands weren’t gripping her hard enough to hold her up. He spun her around and stared down at her.

“Mine,” he growled.

Ariel opened her mouth but nothing came out. The man lifted her so they were face-to-face. She automatically put her hands on his chest so her upper body didn’t slam into his. Her hands were pale compared to his dark brown skin. She touched hard muscles covered by hot flesh. She stared into his eyes. He had long, thick black eyelashes that matched his thick black mane of hair. His skin was hotter than hers by far.

“Mine,” he growled softly at her.

Ariel gasped when tossed her over his shoulder. A thickly muscled arm trapped her legs against his chest while a firm hand gripped her ass, holding her in place. He stormed away from the platform into the darkness with her. Ariel couldn’t see a thing.

She shut her eyes and fought the terror she was feeling. What would he do to her?

2

Ariel could smell him. He didn’t smell bad. He actually smelled good considering he’d just been fighting. She realized he had skin under the hair that fell to his waist. At first glance she’d thought they just had hairy backs but the hair grew from their heads.

It was softer to the touch than it looked.

She heard low growls as he walked away quickly with her. She wished it weren’t so dark so she could see. Faint light started to penetrate as he walked so she could make out rough walls. The light grew brighter until she could make out the floor. It was an uneven stone, not smooth like the hallways she’d seen above.

“You won,” a voice growled softly. “Who will you give this one to, Ral?”

Ral stopped walking. “She is mine.”

There was a pause. “But you always give away what you win. I have been waiting the longest.”

“Not her,” Ral growled. “This one is mine.”

“But—”

“Enough,” Ral snarled. “Move or I’ll move you.”

She heard the other man growl. “Will you at least share her?”

“No.”

One word made Ariel feel relief. She didn’t want to be shared. The man holding her snarled. “Move out of my way. If you wanted a woman you should have fought harder to win.”

“But—”

“Move,” Ral snarled. “Get out of my way now.”

The man must have moved out of Ral’s way since they were moving again. She heard soft voices but she didn’t push against the man holding her to look up. She was afraid that whatever was around her wasn’t something she wanted to see. The man carrying her made some turns before he stopped. His hands left her, but he kept her tucked over his wide shoulder. Rock scraped against rock. He moved and turned.

Another scraping noise followed. He gripped her again so she wouldn’t fall. The room was dimly lit. Ral bent over slowly.

Ariel’s bare feet touched cool stone. The arm around her legs released her and the hand on her ass let go. They both straightened up to face each other. Ariel’s chin lifted.

She met his eyes before turning her attention on the room around her.

It was a small space. Rough rock walls surrounded them. A thick mattress with blankets sat in one corner and a pile of clothing took up another. She saw a rough door made out of a thin slate of rock. It was the only way in or out.

“What are you called?” His voice was deep as he growled the words.

She started, her eyes flying to meet his. “Ariel.”

He blinked, his eyes glowing. She swallowed, locking her eyes with his. A deep breath made his massive chest expand even further.

“I am Ral. I am Zorn. What are you?”

“Human. I’m from Earth.”

“They took you from your home planet as well?”

She nodded. “Days ago. They said they are looking for breeders but I am not compatible with them.”

His eyes lowered to her body. “Remove your clothing.”

Ariel backed up. Fear hit her hard. “No.”

He frowned. “Now.”

She backed up farther, shaking her head. “What do you want?”

“To see if you are compatible with me.”

Her throat went dry. “No.”

He softly growled. “I will not hurt you. I want to look at you to see if we are compatible.”

She shook her head again and looked for an escape. The man moved fast to grab her around her waist. She gasped as her feet left the floor. In seconds the man had her flat on her back on his mattress. It was soft and it smelled like him. His body straddled her hips as he grabbed her wrists. She fought but he was much stronger. He pulled her wrists together and locked them in one of his large hands.

She stared at his hands. They were like hers only larger. He had roughened skin on his palm and the pads of his fingertips. He reached for his waist to yank off the ropelike belt holding up his pants. He wound it around her wrists and shoved her hands above her head.

“Don’t move.”

She was terrified. “Please don’t hurt me.”

He blinked and frowned at her. “I have no intention to hurt you.”

She didn’t move her arms. The man was too strong and big. She knew she didn’t stand a chance to win in a physical fight with him. His eyes went to her bra as he reached for it. Ariel tensed. The man gripped the material between her breasts. With a tug her bra ripped apart. He shoved her bra cups to the side so he could stare at her breasts. He softly growled.

“The same.”

She fought the urge to move. Her heart was pounding and she was fighting the urge to whimper. “What is the same?”

“Your breasts are like our women.” He scooted down her until he straddled her thighs. He eyed her underwear and reached for them.

“Don’t,” Ariel pleaded softly.

He froze. His eyes lifted to meet hers. His intense eyes narrowed slightly. “I want to make sure I won’t hurt you.”

Ariel tensed hard as the man gripped her underwear and tore it off. He shifted his body, lifting up a few inches. He gripped her thighs, pushing them apart to put one knee between hers. He shifted again until he was sitting on his heels with his body between her spread legs. Ral’s complete attention went to where her underwear used to be.

He softly growled and his eyes rose. “Explain how you have sex on your world.”

Ariel pleaded with him with her eyes. “Don’t do this.”

“We are doing this. I want you.” He reached for the waist of his pants. “I will try to have sex your way but if you won’t tell me what I want to know then we’ll have sex my way.”

Her heart was pounding. “I don’t know what to say.”

He growled. “Have you shared your body with a male before?”

“Yes.” Her voice shook.

“How do you and your males have sex?”

“Look, until I was kidnapped I never even realized other people from other planets existed. Please don’t do this.”

He tilted his head. “Your world doesn’t have space travel?”

“We do but there is no planet close enough for us to reach where life exists. We looked at the nearby planets. They didn’t hold life.”

“Life exists on many other worlds.” He spread her thighs wider. His eyes roamed down her body. “Tell me what arouses you. This will happen so tell me what you need to enjoy it.”

She was afraid.

He growled. “I want you. Show me what you like or you might not enjoy what I will do to you.”

She fought a sob. She nodded. Her eyes traveled down his body. “What do you do for sex?”

He opened his pants. Ariel gasped. She stared at his cock. Mild fear hit her. He was very similar to humans only he was a little larger, thicker, and the head of his cock was more mushroomed.

“Do I look like your males?”

She swallowed hard. “You’re a little bigger.”

He touched her, spreading her labia with his fingers, and looked between her folds.

With his other hand he explored her slit. One finger sank into her pussy. Ariel gasped.

The man had thick fingers. He pushed into her deeper and growled.

“You can take me.”

“Please don’t do this,” she whispered.

He shook his head at her. “It is happening. I have a strong need. There is no use fighting, so show me what arouses you or tell me.”

“Release my wrists. Please?” Her voice shook.

He nodded. He held out his hand to her after he withdrew his finger from inside her. She lifted her arms holding them out to him. He unfastened the ropelike belt binding her wrists and tossed it away. He growled at her.

“Show me. Touch yourself the way you like touched.”

She stared up into his eyes. “Please don’t do this.”

He growled again and bent down until a foot separated them. “You have been taken. You are a slave now like we are. They won’t permit you to go home. You belong to me. I will protect you and feed you. I will be the only man who touches you. In exchange you will let me have you for pleasure.” His eyes narrowed. “I won’t hurt you if you show me how you like to be touched. Show me what you like so we both share pleasure or you can take your chances of me hurting you when I take my pleasure. Do we understand each other? I am your life now.”

She blinked back hot tears and nodded. “I understand.”

“Touch yourself and show me how you feel pleasure.”

She was shaking as she put her finger in her mouth. She wet her finger and reached between them. He leaned back to get a better view of her. He spread her thighs wider.

His eyes glued to her as she used her other hand to spread herself. She touched her clit with a fingertip and drew slow circles.

Shutting her eyes made it easier for her. She’d never masturbated in front of someone before. She was embarrassed. She was having a hard time getting over her fear. Opening her eyes, she gazed at him. He was watching her finger move in tight circles against her clit. He was breathing harder, his chest rising fast and harsh, and a look of hunger masked his features.

He suddenly inserted his finger inside her pussy again. He pushed in another finger a few seconds later. He pumped his fingers slowly inside her as she rubbed her clit. The sensation made her breathe harder. She moaned. He softly growled back.

She was getting turned on as her fear lessened and the feeling of him finger-fucking her while she rubbed her clit made her excited. Even his soft growls excited her. She felt perverse but it was too good of a feeling for her to care. She rubbed faster on her clit, crying out as she climaxed. A low moan rumbled from the back of his throat as he slowly withdrew his fingers.

“I feel you. You are tight against my fingers. You are wet now. You are ready for me.”

He gripped her hips as he moved back and turned her over. She gasped at his strength. Ral spread her thighs and moved back between her them. He sat back on his heels with his knees together. Gripping her, he lifted her by her hips off his mattress.

She fisted the bedding. Her inner thighs were against his outer legs. He had her facedown as he yanked her higher on his lap until he was pressing against her wet slit with his cock. He pushed into her slowly.

Ariel fisted his bedding and whimpered. He was thick and he didn’t pause as he slowly pushed into her body. He was forcing her to take him. He was so thick it almost hurt. A growl tore from his throat as he pushed into her deeper. Ariel found herself pressed against his body with him totally buried inside her as he hesitated. The sensation of being stretched by his thick cock was overwhelming.

He released her hips and large hands cupped her ass. His rough palms rubbed her skin and he growled.

“So good. So wet. So soft. Lord of the Moons, woman.”

She moaned as he withdrew a few inches and pushed into her again. He moved slowly at first and then increased the pace. His hands slid from her ass to wrap around her hips where he gripped her firmly. Ral lifted her hips a few inches over his lap. He started to pound in and out faster.

The sensations made Ariel moan and pant. He was making her feel more pleasure than she’d ever experienced. He slid one hand around her belly. He cupped her mound and found her clit with his fingers. Two thick fingers brushed against her sensitive nub with every movement he made. She was really wet, and with her face down, she could feel her wetness soaking her thighs. She was overloaded by raw pleasure. She screamed out as she came hard.

The man behind her roared as his body jerked violently. Ariel felt hot cum jetting inside her in strong bursts. Ral slowed his pace, finally stopping. They were both out of breath.

“You are mine to keep,” he growled softly.

Ariel shut her eyes. She shivered. Being seduced by a sexy yet scary alien was the best sex she’d ever had in her life. She fought tears. God, her life was so fucked up.

The man eased his cock out slowly as he left her body. He collapsed on the bed next to her and pulled her into his arms. He made her face him. She opened her eyes to stare at his flushed features. He frowned as he studied her eyes.

“Your eyes are wet.”

“Tears.”

“What are those?”

She blinked them back. “When humans are sad or hurt we get tears. Our eyes water and they spill down our faces.”