Page 7 of Evan and the Alpha

I sink my teeth into the hunk of meat, stripping it from the bone. It’s kind of bland, like chicken. Really could use some BBQ sauce. I lick my lips, then my fingers. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna tell.”

Sobek seems to consider me for a moment or two. Thenhe reaches over the plate. “This part is best,” he says. “The tenderest part, with the best flavor.”

“Oh yeah?” I’m about to reach for my own when he pushes the morsel against my lips.

Okay, that is way more intimate than anything I was suggesting. He looks about as embarrassed as I feel, though.

How do I make this not super awkward?

Instead of, I don’t know, doing anything else, I just take what he’s offered into my mouth, accidentally kissing his fingers in the process.

We both look away. “Maybe I will go get my own,” I say when I’m done clearing my mouth.

“That would be advisable, I think.” He won’t meet my gaze.

“Uh. Yeah,” I say, “I’ll … I’ll do that.”

To do that, I have to wriggle back out of the space between him and the table. I make two squirming swishes of my hips. Instead of stepping back like a normal, reasonable person, Sobek just stands there.

And then he catches me around the waist, claws just a couple of inches away from puncturing my belly. I freeze against him, swallowing tightly. I really hope that’s a banana he has shoved in his pocket. But Sobek doesn’t have pockets. And, as far as I can tell, there are no bananas on this God-forsaken planet.

My breath catches in my throat. Sobek’s breathing hard behind me. His grip tightens; I’m a little worried he’s going to squeeze me to death, or maybe sink those claws into my gut, and—

Why the hell am I so turned on? I go from frigid to full flag in two-point-five seconds flat, I swear.

“Um,” I say, because I don’t know what to do. Is there some kind of protocol for when your alien abductor wants to bang you?

Sobek releases me without warning. He steps away hurriedly. I’m relieved but also … disappointed.

Sobek won’t even look at me. I wrap my blanket a little tighter, then step outside into the night, hoping the cold will freeze my rushing blood. We both need to cool off.

It’s been a while, I reason. I mean, it’s been months since I left Earth, and it’s not like I was exactly getting laid before we left either. And I might be desperate, but I’m not desperate enough to put the moves on Darwin.

But am I desperate enough to put the moves on some crocodile alien? At least Darwin’s the same species, even if I don’t find him attractive.

I guess that’s the problem, I admit to myself, almost sheepishly. I think Sobek is more than attractive. I mean, sure, there’s the whole crocodile face thing going on, but the rest of his body is … almost humanoid. And jacked. I almost shudder with the memory of his arms around me, holding me tight.

And those claws. And—all right—there’s something about the crocodile face that gets me going too. Maybe it’s the teeth. Or maybe it’s something in his eyes.

I shiver again. I’m really not helping myself here. I need to calm down. Especially before I get to …

I stop a few feet back from the circle of kroakka that have surrounded the fire. Most of them, I don’t know. They look pretty similar to me. One of them, Ge-Ro, he’s easy to pick out. He has a scar over his left eye.

He turns to me now, as does the rest of the circle. Golden eyes blink at me. “Um.” I lift a hand. “Hey. I was told there was food, so, uh …”

Ge-Ro gets to his feet. “What are you doing out here?” he demands in his deep baritone. “You are supposed to be resting.”

“He shouldn’t go anywhere alone either,” Yafir says. When he catches my eye, he says, “Omegas shouldn’t be alone.”

I sigh deeply and rub at the back of my neck. “Okay, but I was hungry and Sobek wouldn’t share so—”

That gets some surprised—almost angry—squawking. “Wouldn’t share!” Yafir cries.

“You asked him?” Ge-Ro sounds floored by the idea. I don’t know. Maybe omegas aren’t supposed to ask?

I’m glad it’s dark; they can’t see how rosy my cheeks are. “No,” I huff, folding my arms. “I asked him where he got the food, and he told me out here.”

Some more concerned noises. Ge-Ro sighs, then gestures to the circle. A couple of other kroakka move aside for me.