Page 18 of Captured By the Alien Captain

She’d be able to keep up with me. There wouldn’t be another of her kind to come close.

“What?” Feeling my stare, she snaps her agitation.

“I grow more and more curious about you, that is all.” Admitting the truth, I fight the urge to touch her, to satisfy my curiosities.

From her sweet, intoxicating scent, to the lack of wanting to see her meet her demise, I have too many questions to ask.

What if we are compatible enough for this one in particular to be myRhis,my mate?

That healer has done nothing but put ideas in my head. Ones that sound too good to be true.

Ones I don’t want to catch myself entertaining.

5

Jax

Runar doesn’t rush me in any direction. While we wait for any news of my sister or this Varrum creature, I have nothing to do to help pass the time. I can’t stand still for long. Not without letting my concerns take over.

I’m too twitchy, stirring beneath Runar’s gaze. A moment of weakness on my part has done nothing but encourage him to watch over me. Instead of finding humor in watching his enemy struggle, the captain does nothing but frown as his eyes follow my movement.

For a brief moment, I’m distracted by the alien. His behavior is enough to lift some flags and now is the best time to start taking in the shift happening.

Ever since that embarrassing moment with the doctor and her questions, Runar has been watching me closely. I can feel his eyes even now, staring at the back of my neck.

It’s a lost cause to ask him why he’s so curious. None of his answers are satisfying, or the truth.

At this point, I’m ready to find my way back to the training room so I can beat the real reason out of him. My knuckles still ache from the one punch I landed, but it’s hardly enough to itch this scratch to get my hands on him.

I’m beyond frustrated with myself at this point. So much is going wrong, yet here I am, remaining only a few feet away from the bane of my existence.

“Do you feel anything?” He breaks our silence once we’ve strolled back toward the front of the ship. No one pays us any mind as we reach a view of theInferno. “Anything that you hadn’t before coming on our ship?”

Squinting, I try to process what he’s asking me.

“When I’m nearby, I mean.” He shifts, looking a bit uncertain. For a moment, he looks like he regrets asking the question. However, he doubles down by crossing his arms over his chest as he waits for some kind of answer.

“I feel more annoyed than usual.” The words come out without a second thought. He grunts and I look out at the ship.

I suppose annoyance is only a half-truth. When he’s nearby and he isn’t testing my patience, he’s bringing along the sensation of safety. Ugh, just thinking about it now is enough to make my insides tighten.

“You trust me?”

He sounded so surprised. I did make it seem that way. Asking him to stay at my side only made me sound even weaker. Can I be blamed? That woman looked like she wanted to dissect me in the name of science.

“I feel a lot of things,” I admit with a sigh. “Though, that comes with being a human. There’s a whole range of emotions.”

He almost looks disappointed by my answer. What does he want me to say?

I could admit that my heart rate has been a calm steady thump for the last few hours, only spiking during our sparring match when he was on top of me. I could admit that my heart pounded hard enough in my chest that I thought I was experiencing a heart attack. Maybe it was fear, or maybe it was something else. Who is to say?

There are plenty of things Icouldadmit, but I won’t.

He nudges a little closer to take in the same view as I am. Breathing in, I smell the scent of cinnamon drifting off his skin. When his kind aren’t covered in our blood, they typically smell of spice. He doesn’t smell bad.

Unfocusing from the ship, I take in his reflection. Those golden eyes of his are looking almost orange in this lighting. Not a terrible color. Far prettier than my basic green. They remind me of a constant fire burning, fueling his desire to keep going.

His chest brushes my back and I realize just how close he is. Frowning, I’m caught off guard when I feel his breath against my hair.