Hide to Stay Alive (Club Release 1) (28 page)

“
Seema, open your eyes,”
Zar commands in his most authoritive tone. The scary as shit
one.

My eyes burst open. My
gaze wildly darts around, the other vehicle is gone and we are in
one piece. I pat myself just to make sure. My heart is still
beating at the speed of a hummingbird’s wings fleeing a hungry
cat.

When my jaw is able to
move properly, I ask, “What happened? Why aren’t we dead?” My hand
gestures wildly to the jungle around us. “Why aren’t we being eaten
by wild beasts?”

His smile is sympathetic
with a touch of humor. “Our vehicles are made to avoid a crash.
When they get within a certain distance of each other the vehicles
automatically separate.” Zar gestures upward. “One goes over the
other.”

“
Oh.” I feel stupid for
freaking out. Then I frown as I realize something. I turn narrowed
eyes on my uninformative warrior. “Why didn’t you tell me that
would happen?”

A humor filled smile
curves his lips. “Because I didn’t think about it.” The ass
chuckles. “I’m glad I didn’t. Your response was hilarious, seema.
You are a true treasure, little one.”

I glare at him until he
has the decency to look at least a little ashamed.

“
I’m sorry, seema. I’ll try
to forewarn you of things that may shock you in the future.” His
gaze looks sincere enough.

Now that my heart has
slowed from its death-is-looming beat and since no harm was done, I
figure I can forgive him. “It’s alright. I guess it’s nothing new
for you.” I place my hand over my heart. “Nothing else bad is going
to happen today, is it? I don’t think my heart can handle any more
shocking surprises.”

His pretty gaze softens.
“No, seema. From here on, the day should be filled with new but
good experiences.”

As his gaze goes back to
the path so he can maneuver through a turn, I go back to looking
out the window.

Orange-striped yellow
fruit hanging from a green tree catches my attention. I look deeper
into the lush area and see several of the food baring trees among
the hugmar trees, purrdot plants, and many other plants I don’t
know the names of.

The interesting looking
fruit has me wondering about it. “Din Zar, what is the
orange-striped yellow fruit?”

“
Those are zophar trees.
The food those trees produce is more like a vitamin packed
vegetable. The taste is very bland but the food has all the
nutrients that a zaphinian needs to survive. Humans can survive on
the vegetable too. Zophar trees are all over the planet.” Zar slows
a little so I can get a better view of an upcoming zophar tree
that’s close to the path.

“
Those are the size of a
coconut shell I once saw on Earth. You say they’re bland? That’s a
shame. The colors make it look tasty.” It looks like some kind of
sweet fruit instead of bland vegetable. Or better yet, it looks
like a big piece of candy ready to be licked.

A chuckle comes from Zar.
“In this case looks are deceiving. The trees do serve a good
purpose though. They produce food year round. That orange and
yellow food source has saved many poor people from starving. It
also comes in handy for warriors in the jungle. The negative is
that the zophar vegetables also feed the rogues who live out in the
jungle.”

We enter a clearing and my
eyebrows shoot up. There are several tall glass and metal building
all connected by stone paths. Each business has beautifully
designed stone steps.

Din Zar pulls the vehicle
into a parking lot. I grip my seat as the vehicle lowers to the
ground. Zar gets out and comes around to my side. He’s so fast, I
barely have time to unstrap from the seat before he’s opening the
door. Like a perfect gentleman, he grasps my hand and helps me
out.

I look up at the sun.
Seeing the pearl colored orb ringed in blue never ceases to amaze
me. The sun’s rays feel good raining down on my face and arms. I’m
wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of cargo pants. I slide my
hands into my pockets and just enjoy the feel of such a normal
act.

“
Thanks again, for getting
these for me, Din Zar.” He’d just given me these clothes this
morning.

I still can’t get over the
fact that he remembered I’d wanted a pair almost two months ago.
Until now, I hadn’t need them. As I watch others move about on the
paths, I’m glad he was looking out for me.

Zar is looking good in his
fitted dark shirt, pants, and ass kicking boots that have a few
weapons attached to them. I wiggle my toes in the soft boots he
gave me along with my new clothes. They feel good on but I’m not
used to wearing any kind of footwear.

He takes my arm and leads
me down the stone path. “I’m glad you’re enjoying the clothes,
seema. They look good on you. Not as good as the uniform you wear
at home though so don’t get any ideas about wearing these clothes
for anything other than occasional visits here and to friends’
homes.”

The edge to his voice lets
me know he means business. That commanding sound also triggers some
part in my brain that makes me want to do as he says.

He inhales and then growls
lightly. “Your submission has a beautiful smell, seema.”

Heat flushes through my
cheeks. I’m happy that he thinks my submissive side smells good but
I’m a little embarrassed that he can smell it. I wish I could smell
his and others feelings. It would make my life easier on my new
planet.

The delicious aroma of
good food surrounds me and makes my stomach growl. I happily walk
up the huge set of stone steps. When I step onto the landing at the
top, I see an interesting design. It has a crisscrossing sword and
axe with four lines out to the sides and a wavy line under
it.

I think about Zar’s steps
at home and realize his landing has a knife with stars along the
sides and a wavy line under it. The design looks just like the mark
on his chest. Since I never go out on the front landing, I didn’t
put the pieces together until now.

I point at the artwork and
ask, “Do zaphinian landings have a family crest in
them?”

“
Yes, seema. This one
stands for WavTe. You are about to meet Din Ryk’s brother. I expect
you to greet him and his family properly,” Zar says in that tone
that means business.

Desire swirls around my
core. I love that tone. “I will, Din Zar.” The gleam in his eyes
tells me he knows what his voice does to me. I like him
knowing.

Over Zar’s shoulder, I see
a sign high up on the glass and metal building. “Midday and More,”
I whisper. A moment later, it dawns on me that the sign isn’t in
English. In surprise, I look up into Zar’s pretty eyes. “I can read
other languages!”

Zar hugs me to him and
chuckles. “Yes, you can, seema. Now let’s go inside so we can eat,
little one.”

CHAPTER

31

~ Hallie ~

♥

He clasps my hand and
guides me into the building. I can’t help but notice that he hasn’t
cuffed me today. Maybe that means he’s starting to trust me as much
as I’m starting to trust him.

Covertly, I look around
the restaurant as Zar leads me to a pretty blue wooden table. This
is a strange new place. Zar keeps my hand in his as we stand near a
table.

A moment later, a
zaphinian male comes over to us and slaps Zar on the shoulder. To
my surprise, a zaphinian female carrying a baby is following
closely on the male’s heels. She doesn’t look into Din Zar’s eyes
and I wonder why.

When the male turns his
green gaze toward me, I immediately hold his gaze and wait for his
nod to release me. The male prods my soul for a long moment and
then nods. I smile up at Zar as I acknowledge that staring into a
predator’s eyes is becoming second nature to me.

My heart warms when he
smiles back and wraps his muscular arm around my shoulders. He then
pulls me in close to his side. I inhale his unique scent and relax
into him.

The baby makes a noise. I
look up and into the female’s eyes. She holds my gaze for a second
and then nods. I’ll have to ask Zar what that was all about. Am I
supposed to look into female zaphinians eyes as well? This is so
confusing.

The baby pulling the
female’s black hair makes me smile. He’s adorable. I look into his
green and gold eyes. He shocks me by looking deeply into my gaze.
Damn, zaphinian males truly are born dominants.

Zar rubs his hand up and
down my arm drawing my full attention back to him. He gives me a
nod of approval and then looks at the couple standing near us. “Din
Tymor, Din Zima, baby Sakmor, this is my seema, Hallie.”

Din Zima! I wonder if
she’s a warrior too. That would explain her not addressing Zar the
way I’d expected her to. It would also explain her holding my gaze
for a moment.

Zima looks me over and
then grins at Zar. “She’s a pretty little thing. Her scent is
interesting. I can see why you’ve taken her in.” A male hurries
over to Zima and whispers something into her ear. She nods and then
looks at Zar. “It was good seeing you again. Take care of your
seema, she seems special.”

I watch in shock as the
female walks off. It’s weird to be talked about as though I’m not
in the room. Even if the words were nice.
Girl, you are far from Earth. That
was just a reminder
, my logical side
wisely points out. Once again, she’s right. Here, I’m not an equal,
I’m a submissive. Right now I don’t know if I like my role on this
planet.

Zar pulling me down into
his lap has me looking around. Din Tymor is gone. Damn, I’m getting
soft. I was so focused on my thoughts that I didn’t even pay
attention to my surroundings. Too much security can be deadly. I
need to remember that.

Din Zar grips my hair with
his fist and turns my face so that I’m forced to look into his
intense gaze. “I don’t like your scent, seema. Tell me what you’re
thinking.”

His tone lets me know I
better tell the truth. I blow out a breath and answer, “I’m losing
my edge. My place here on Zaphin is changing me in ways that I’m
not sure are good.”

“
How’s that, seema?” he
asks in a soft tone that makes me want to share my feelings. I bet
he’s a master at interrogation.

“
When I’m with you, I just
want to do what you ask. I sink into your will and forget to look
around me. I forget to look for predators. That behavior is
deadly.” Shame stings my face and weighs my heart down. My parents
would be so disappointed.

He inhales and then looks
deeply into my eyes. “There is no shame in being a submissive.
Here, that quality is cherished. Your job is to focus on my needs.
My job is to be alert and keep you safe. Your place on this planet
is different, I’ll grant you that, but it’s no less important.” He
brushes his soft lips across mine causing me to shiver. “Your place
here is more important than the one you had on Earth. Never doubt
that for a second, seema.”

Hope floods my heart. He
is right. My place here on Zaphin may be different but it’s more
fulfilling than anything I’ve ever felt. The love that’s been
growing in my soul for Zar just blazed into an all-consuming
fire.

His vents and nostrils
flare and his eyes glow lightly.

The sound of a group of
people entering the restaurant kills the moment but not my new
appreciation for being his cherished submissive.

Zar breaths deeply and
approval gleams in his eyes. Happiness floods my soul. A baby
crying has me looking around for trouble. Maybe my alert side
hasn’t totally withered away. I’m glad about that.

Zima bends and picks her
demanding son up. She frowns at him and says something into the
baby’s ear. From here I can barely make out his returning frown.
Whatever his mother said seems to have temporarily gotten him in
line. From the look on his face I wonder how long he’ll remain
obedient. For a dominant baby that has to be a hard task. So would
teaching such a child. I feel a little sorry for both of
them.

Thinking of babies has me
looking up into Zar’s eyes. I flush as I realize how intently he’s
been watching me.

“
Go ahead, seema. Ask me
your question.”

With flames licking my
cheeks, I ask, “Do zaphinians ever get humans pregnant?” The sight
of the adorable baby has me kicking myself for not asking this
question sooner. Would I want a child that would be trying to
dominate me all the time? More like, am I tough enough to handle a
child like that?