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I watched him from the corner of my eye as I worked. His handsome profile was bathed in firelight, brow furrowed in thought. What was going on in his head? My fingers itched to smooth away that troubled expression. To pull him close and...
I shook myself. Now wasn’t the time for those kinds of thoughts. Not when he was being so infuriatingly remote.
The comms device suddenly crackled, a voice cutting through the static. My heart leaped. I adjusted the frequency, straining to understand the words. For a moment, hope soared within me. A connection to the outside world! Civilization, a way off this planet...
But as quickly as it came, the signal dissolved back into white noise. I smacked the device in frustration. So close, and now lost again. Across from me, Kian let out a harsh laugh.
“Having some trouble?”
His mocking tone ignited my temper. “What is your problem?” I snapped. “Ever since I started working on this, you’ve been acting like a jerk.”
Kian’s eyes flashed with anger. “Maybe because I don’t like being reminded that you’re so eager to leave.” He turned away, jaw clenched.
I stared at him, stunned. Was that what this was about? Did he actually want me to stay forever? The realization sent a torrent of emotions through me. Hope, longing, fear...love.
I crossed over to him, heart pounding. He refused to look at me. Gently, I turned his face toward mine.
“Kian, I...care about you. Deeply. But I don’t belong here. You know that. I can pantomime at fitting in, but I’m too… different.” My voice shook. His expression softened, but uncertainty lingered in his eyes.
The wind howled outside, whipping itself into a frenzy. We both flinched as a crack of thunder boomed, breaking the spell between us.
Kian cleared his throat, shifting away. “Storm’s picking up again. We should get further inside the cave.”
I sighed, resigning myself to more long hours of confinement. At least now I understood the reason for Kian’s brooding. But I still hesitated to confess the depth of my feelings, unsure if he could accept how fleeting our time together was.
We retreated deeper into the cave, the firelight receding to a faint glow. Darkness enveloped us, broken only by flashes of lightning. The storm’s ferocity unnerved me. Anything could happen inside this cave where we were cut off from the outside world. Just the two of us, isolated together.
My heart stuttered as Kian’s hand found mine in the dark. Our fingers laced together. I heard his breath quicken in the blackness. My own matched his as a crackle of energy arced between us.
The firelight was gone now, leaving us in total darkness. My senses heightened, attuned only to him. The solid strength of his body so close to mine. His warm, woodsy scent. Slowly, tentatively, his other hand came up to cup my face.
I shivered at his touch, my skin burning. How easy it would be to give in to this growing heat between us. To get lost in his arms and the blissful oblivion of passion, if only for a moment...
A deafening crack of thunder directly overhead jolted us apart. The storm battered the mountainside relentlessly. But inside the cave, a storm of another kind raged between Kian and me.
***
The sixth day dawned with a silence that seemed almost reverent after the constant roar of the storm. I stirred from an uneasy sleep, half expecting the shriek of the wind to greet me, but there was only a hush. Cautiously, I crept to the cave’s entrance and peered out. The world that met my eyes was washed clean, the air crisp with the scent of damp earth and renewal. A vast canvas of blue stretched above, unmarred by clouds.
“Kian,” I called softly, not wanting to disturb the peace.
He joined me at the mouth of the cave, his blue skin catching the morning light in a way that made him seem part of this reborn landscape. “It’s over,” he said, his voice rough with disbelief.
We emerged fully into the open, our siroccos nickering a welcome as they too sensed the change in weather. My skin drank in the warmth of the suns like a parched flower after rain. The oppressive weight of confinement lifted from my shoulders.
Kian and I set about breaking camp with a vigor fueled by our newfound freedom. As we prepared to mount our siroccos, he turned to me, his gaze holding mine with an intensity that sent shivers down my spine.
“Kate,” he began, but then hesitated as if searching for words that wouldn’t come.
I reached out and squeezed his hand. “Let’s get home,” I said, giving him an out.
He nodded once and swung into his saddle with fluid grace. I followed suit, settling atop Dakari with a familiarity that surprised me. Had I really become so accustomed to this creature in such a short time?
We rode side by side in companionable silence, allowing the siroccos to set an easy pace across the softened ground. The stark beauty of Surlon unfolded around us with every mile; it was as if I was seeing it all for the first time again.
My thoughts turned inward as we traveled. The closeness we’d shared during those days trapped by the storm had stirred something deep within me—a realization that was both terrifying and exhilarating. I had fallen in love with Kian.
I glanced at him, studying his profile against the endless sky. He rode with an effortless command, part of this world in a way I could never be. How could I fit into his life permanently? Could he ever truly love someone as alien as me?
