Page 20 of Meat

Jale shook his head.

Whatever he was communicating, Alyx had failed to understand. The young alien stroked the stubble on his strong chin thoughtfully. After a moment, his eyes brightened.

He stood, towering over Alyx where she sat on the ground, leashed to a tree like a disobedient pet.

Jale’s hands moved to his hip, unfastening his loin cloth, which fell to the ground.

A cry of shock stuck in Alyx’s throat. All she could do was stare wide-eyed and gape-mouthed at the naked meat dangling between Jale’s legs. He gripped his member in one hand, brandishing it.

“Ukkur,” he said. He tapped his chest with his other hand. “Uk-kur…”

The naked and very well-endowed alien male kneeled beside Alyx. When his hand reached between her legs, she squealed and tried to scoot away, but she found herself trapped. She was backed up against the tree trunk to which she was tied like a dog.

Jale had her cornered.

He grasped his member again. “Ukkur.” Tapped his chest. “Ukkur.”

Again his hand moved between Alyx’s thighs, gently touching her naked sex, which was shamefully wet once more. Jale looked up at her from under his heavy brows, his expression open and expectant.

Alyx’s heart thumped hard in her chest. It took her a moment to find her voice, and when she did, it was weak and trembling.

“Woman,” she half whispered. “Wo-man…”

“Wummum,” Jale said.

“No. Woman,” Alyx said. Now it was her turn to play the roll of teacher and corrector. “Woman. Wo-man.”

“Wummum.”

Alyx was about to correct him again, but Ravnar interrupted, growling something at Jale in their alien language. Jale replied in an angry tone, and an incomprehensible argument ensued. The only thing that Alyx could understand was the topic of the debate.

They were arguing about her.

That much was clear from the way they both kept gesturing in her direction. Once or twice, she thought she heard Jale say “Licks,” attempting to speak her name.

After a few minutes of their angry back and forth, Krogg barged in and shouted them both into silence.

Krogg was the boss apparently.

And he came bearing gifts.

In his hands, Krogg held a simple wooden platter laden with what looked very much like old-fashioned American style biscuits. The kind that Alyx hadn’t had since she was a kid. Slathered over the top, there was even something resembling a thick, white gravy.

Alyx’s stomach practically snarled at the sight.

She was ravenous after days of barely eating, and the steam curling from the piping hot alien biscuits and gravy smelled heavenly. Her mouth was watering so badly, she had to be careful not to drool.

Krogg got to his knees in front of her, offering the platter.

Alyx hesitated. Despite her intense hunger, despite Jale’s attempts at communication, despite the fact that these men had saved her, she was still frightened.

Why were they feeding her?

Was there some ulterior motive here?

When she did not take and eat immediately, Krogg grew impatient. He grabbed one of the hot alien biscuits dripping with thick white gravy and pressed it toward her mouth.

Alyx was unsure what to do. She still did not trust these men, if she could even call them men. But she knew it was pointless to resist them. Better to eat willingly than to be force fed by these brutes, she decided.