Kyris: A Sci-fi Alien Abduction Romance (Captured by Aliens Book 4), A.G. Wilde [most life changing books txt] 📗

to him, it looked like something from a nightmare—a tall wall of swirling sand that was headed their way, blocking out the light in its path like some hungry monster summoned by the old sands of Muk. She didn’t need to see it.

“Is it bad?” Her voice was just a whisper and as he glanced down at her it was impressed upon him that she was so defenseless…so fragile.

The fear in her voice reminded him of how she’d been broken in that Isclit slave carrier and it tugged at his hearts for another reason. She was still traumatized from being on that ship. Any normal being would be. But not him. He’d seen too much of the Tasqals’ monstrous acts to be surprised by what they’d done behind that screen.

It was why they were vermin.

To her, everything outside her planet was terrifying.

But that wasn’t the case. The universe was beautiful and incredible. His home planet, for one, was nothing like this horrible desert world.

It would be nice to show her someday—to see someday joy in those dark eyes, not fear.

But regarding her question of whether the storm was bad, it certainly wasn’t as bad as the horror she’d seen on that slave ship.

“It’s a sandstorm,” He finally answered her question, circling another set of rocks, his gaze raking over the formation quickly.

He knew exactly what he was looking for, so it didn’t take him long to scout the rocks, and again, this one was unsuitable.

“A sandstorm.” Her voice quivered a bit but registered comprehension.

He guessed she had sandstorms on her planet then.

“It’s loud.” Her gaze rose to meet his again.

“It is close.” He tried to make his voice sound even, level. He didn’t want to alarm her but from the looks of it, when the storm hit them, it was going to be bad.

He’d have to land.

Swooping down as graciously as he could, his feet touched the sand lightly, but the pain in his shoulder pulsed with renewed vigor.

Rolling the aching joint, he glanced around them. There were some uneven rocks and arches. The rock wouldn’t provide much shelter but it would help.

“It will hit soon,” he answered the question she didn’t need to ask.

“Will we be okay?”

Her question caught him off guard and he couldn’t help the furrow that creased his brows.

If she was worried about him protecting her, he was more than capable of doing so.

He had spent many orbits fighting for the Restitution and before that, he had sparred with many young Vaen his age atop the ensa trees on the perimeter of the barracks.

But as she blinked up at him, her dark hair framing her face and those dark innocent eyes, he realized she hadn’t been questioning his ability to keep her safe.

She was genuinely worried about their safety, not just hers, but his as well.

He didn’t know how he could see that in her eyes, but he could. He could see it clear as day and it silenced him.

As the sandstorm came up behind them, that look behind her eyes stuck in his mind, pulsing alongside the mantra that was already echoing there.

Her head was pounding and she was still finding it difficult comprehending what was happening around her. Nevertheless, her eyes widened slightly as huge iridescent wings covered them both. Like a large winged canopy, they cast a shadow and blocked out the light from the setting sun. Mildly confused as to what he was doing, she had little time to understand before she heard the roar around them.

Even though she couldn’t see what was happening outside the thick canopy, she could tell it had gotten darker—almost as if the sun had been blotted out by something else.

The sandstorm.

But she was well-protected. No sand was getting in between the thick knit of his wings.

He was covering himself from the storm...well…no.

He was covering her.

His eyes were closed, a slight frown creasing his forehead as if he was concentrating on something and she realized immediately what that was. His body was taking the brunt of the sandstorm now raging around them.

The particles had to sting something fierce.

If it was anything like sandstorms on earth, being uncovered and unprotected was a recipe for disaster.

Yet, he was covering her. Covering her and leaving himself to bear the brunt of the storm against his back.

Why?

His unexpected kindness again surprised her and a feeling of gratitude crashed through her. He was nothing like those aliens on the slave ship…at least, nothing he’d done so far seemed even relatively close the terror of the captors.

It made her gratitude swell even more but right underneath it, a feeling of helplessness followed.

It was all she’d been feeling since she’d woken up on the alien ship and realized she hadn’t been dreaming. One moment she’d been walking back to her dorm after pulling a late one at the university library and the next she’d woken up bound and chained in a living nightmare.

And even after escaping the alien slave ship, the feeling was still there. That crushing feeling of helplessness.

She’d been helpless then and she was helpless now.

As the painful thought lingered in her mind, she raised her eyes to look at him and was happy to see his eyes were still closed.

And with his eyes closed, she let her gaze wander. She knew that under his closed lids, striking violet eyes were set underneath his sculpted brow. His golden blond hair was cut low, the sides shorter than the top and the strands looked so soft, she wondered what they felt like to the touch. His nose was straight, pointed, and underneath it was a set of full lips that had a cupid’s bow.

His jaw was sharp, leading to a strong chin and as he shifted in the sand, she felt the muscles in his chest flex, reminding her of just how strong he was. With his arms still holding her close she was very aware she’d need both hands to grasp just one of his biceps.

Yet, he was tall, lean…it