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Elian had to know. "What? What would you do?"
"The worst thing I could do… would be nothing." The firelight glimmered off of Rael's fangs as he smirked. "Let you run. Leave you on your own. You wouldn't like what might happen if you ran into a gang of clanless Borraq."
Elian's stomach churned at the implications. From the little he knew of this alien's kind, to be clanless was to be a pariah, an outcast.
A shudder ran through him at the thought. As much as Rael terrified him, at least the alien seemed to have some twisted sense of honor, wanting to keep Elian alive for some nefarious purpose.
But if Elian ended up in the hands of Borraq who didn't have those scruples…
Rael seemed to sense the direction of Elian's thoughts. "You have nowhere to run, little human," he said, his tone authoritative and almost… gentle? "This is Vasz. A harsh world, full of dangers and bloodthirsty beasts that would make short work of a fragile creature like you. There is nothing for you out there."
The weight of Rael's words settled over Elian like a heavy shroud. He was trapped, utterly and completely. Even if he managed to escape this alien's clutches, the planet itself would seek to destroy him.
Despair welled up inside him, thick and choking. Was there really no hope? No possibility of freedom, of ever seeing his own kind again? "Then where are you taking me? What are you going to do with me?"
Rael regarded him with an inscrutable expression. "Get some rest," the alien said gruffly. "We have a long journey ahead of us."
Elian wanted to rage, to fight, to do anything but meekly obey. But what choice did he have? He was alone, a tiny speck of life on an alien world that seemed determined to snuff him out.
With a heavy heart, he curled up on the bedroll, trying not to think about what horrors might await him.
And not about wherever Rael was taking him.
Chapter six
As they walked, Rael watched Elian.
The human walked through the wilderness of Vasz beside Rael, working hard to keep apace in the gnarled trees and the thick underbrush. Rael had draped him in a light travel cloak, the garment helplessly oversized on the lean little human.
Ever since his first escape attempt, Elian had seemed obedient. Over the last few days, he'd walked placidly enough alongside Rael, obeying commands with only a moment of cautious hesitation. They'd traveled together through the wilds, heading towards Rael's destination. By all accounts, Elian had learned his lesson.
Rael didn't buy it for a second.
Humans were devious. Everyone knew that. Whatever Elian was going to try next, Rael would be ready for ti.
But that wasn't what the thing about Elian that put Rael most on edge.
Instead of Elian's cunning, it was his vulnerability.
The human was a creature not made for this place, not adapted to its harsh environment. His eyes were sharp, taking in everything around him, but there was a fragility to him that screamed prey animal.
It was infuriating. Rael's instincts kept locking on to Elian, on this creature who obviously needed protection.
And that wasn't all.
Elian's scent was in the air, a warm and earthy smell that filled Rael's head and stoked his instincts.
Rael gritted his teeth, and focused on the mission. He was no mere pup, about to have his head turned by pheromones on the breeze— but it was a distraction. When walking the wilds, a distraction was the last thing you wanted.
Nonetheless, the scent teased him. The urge to claim, to mark, to make sure that everyone in earshot knew that this particular mate belonged to him — it burned within him.
Rael had to tear his gaze away from the sight of Elian, and focus on the path in front of him. It was safer that way.
Safer for both of them…
His brooding was shattered by a hiss.
Rael's head whipped around, just in time to see a thick, scaly body rear up from the underbrush. The snake was enormous, its mottled green and brown scales the size of coins.
