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Red skin.
Warm.
Cato!
I try to jerk back, but the arms holding me don’t even budge. I’m wrapped around him like a monkey clinging to a tree, plastered to his body. He doesn’t seem to mind, though, holding me with one hand on the back of my head and the other on my ass.
“Erm, Cato?” I squeak out. He rumbles out a purr, only pulling me tighter until my face is squished against impossibly hard muscles and a slow, steady heartbeat. Wiggling, I manage to lift my hands and push at him, but he doesn’t budge an inch. Blowing out a steady breath, I crane my head back to see him already awake and looking down at me with a grin.
“Dude, you are heavy,” I mutter “Now move.”
“Do you feel better after a sleep, Tally?” he murmurs instead, reaching up to move my hair out of my face for me.
“Tally?” I narrow my eyes. “Don’t call me that.”
“Of course not, Tally, now let’s get you some food. Humans need that, right?” he questions.
* * *
I watch Cato as he works at his desk, unsure what to do. After he got up to order food, he sat down at the desk.
“What’s your research?” I ask, trying to fill the silence, still feeling uncertain after waking up in his arms.
“Why were you in the city?” he asks casually.
I stay silent, and he turns back around.
“That’s fine, you’ll tell me when you’re ready. As for my research, I was trying to find a way to extend our immunity to sunlight to help strengthen us during the day, since it’s our only weakness.”
“Only weakness? How very cocky,” I mutter.
“Not cocky, Tally, just truthful.” He winks, and then he comes back a moment later with a plate of food and hands it to me. When I take it, our fingers brush, and the electricity that sparks between us leaves me gasping. His smile turns smouldering, but then he sits before me, watching me as I pick at the food. The truth is, I’m too confused to eat, but when I stop, he nudges the plate, so I carry on eating.
“How far have you gotten on your research?” I find myself asking.
He seems to blush then, scrubbing at his neck nervously. “Not far. I’ve managed to successfully avert any birth defects and research our genealogy to help with reproduction and illness in our people, but this? It eludes me for now.”
The determination in his voice is familiar. “You will,” I state. When I’m finished eating, I sit back and watch him. “So what now? I’m guessing your people will wake soon, and they will find and kill me, right?”
“No,” he snaps, seemingly angry at the idea. Not angry…
Furious. His eyes flash a red colour I’ve seen before but don’t understand, nor do I plan to ask about in the face of such power and rage.
“So what now?” I ask softly.
“You will stay here. I will send a message to Akuji about your friend. When we know how she is, we will come up with a plan.”
“And until then?” I demand. “How long could it take for him to reply?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know.” Standing, he holds out his hand. “Come.”
For some reason, I almost giggle before sobering. I place my hand in his, and he lifts me softly. Keeping hold of my warm palm, he leads me across the room to a door that was locked yesterday. He pulls out a key and unlocks it. I eye it, and he chuckles.
“I don’t like people being nosey. I give my people every inch of my life, but here? It’s my haven.” I look around at the lab then and back to him, nodding in understanding. It’s his safe place away from people and expectations, where he can just think and be alone. He softens when he sees my expression and pushes in the door. “It’s a habit to keep this locked. I’m sorry.”
I step inside as he flicks something, and I can’t contain my gasp. Compared to the cool, almost barren lab next door, this room is completely different. I’m not sure if it used to be an office at some point, but it’s beautiful. The carpet is soft and luxurious. There are steel blinds drawn across floor-to-ceiling windows, but curtains have been drawn to make it more homey. String lights illuminate the space, strung across the ceiling in a zigzag pattern. There’s a cactus near the door and plants all around, even covering an old desk pushed into the corner. The place is an L-shape, and to the left, hidden from the door, is a comfort zone.
There is not a bed, but there are mounds and mounds of furs and blankets. It looks so comfy, my body actually aches. There are posters and books lying around everywhere in purposeful stacks. I wander in, dragging my finger over their bindings. From biology to romance novels, he seems to have it all, and they are clearly well looked over and read. There’s a partially open door, and I move over, my eyebrows rising at the bathroom I find there. It’s stocked with a shower, a bath, a toilet, and mirror. It’s modern and spacious. Just then, my bladder screams at me, and I turn with an embarrassed wince.
