Ice Planet Barbarians (Ice Planet Barbarians, #1)(32)

“I got held up. Are you guys okay?” I ask as they snuggle in the blankets. Kira’s wearing Vektal’s traveling cloak, and Liz and Megan are huddling together under one fur, Josie and Tiffany under the other. They’re standing and alert, so that’s good.

Megan sniffs and then sneezes. The others grimace. Liz rubs her forehead, and she’s clearly exhausted. “We’re hanging in there,” Liz says. “Food’s almost gone. Water, too. But—”

Something big and heavy thumps behind me, shaking the entire cargo hold. Everyone’s eyes go wide as they scatter, retreating.

I turn and see Vektal shaking a bit of snow off of his leather boots. His nostrils flare with the stench of unwashed bodies and human waste, and then his gaze fixes on me. He frowns at the realization that I’ve given away all my furs.

“It’s okay,” I tell him, moving to his side. I pat his big chest, trying to soothe him with small touches. “Vektal, these are my people.”

“He understands you?” Liz asks in a small voice.

“Well, only little bits and pieces,” I say, watching him. I don’t think he’s going to greet the others with oral sex, but you never know.

He gazes at the others and then puts a hand on the back of my neck and pulls me against him, possessive.

Yeah, I guess I’m the only one special enough for that greeting. Oddly enough, I’m pleased by the thought. I like being special to him. “Ladies,” I say, gesturing at my big blue-gray friend. “This is Vektal. He’s from around these parts.”

They look at him warily.

“He looks like a demon,” Liz says, ever blunt.

“He’s nice, I promise,” I say and give him another pat on the chest. “He’s been keeping me alive for the last few days.”

“I don’t care if he looks like a demon,” Josie says, her small voice trembling. “Is that a dead animal hanging from his belt? Can we eat it?”

I look down. Sure enough, Vektal’s got his kills strapped to his waist. They look like gigantic naked rats or rabbits with no hair or ears. That’s right. He was checking traps this morning. “I’m sure he’ll share,” I say and gesture at his belt. “Can I have that, Vektal?”

When I reach to his belt, he grips my hand and gives me an incredulous look, then rattles off a string of syllables.

“He just asked if you want to mate here,” Kira says, voice full of disbelief.

“Oh shit,” Liz says. “That’s what held her up. Alien nookie.”

My face feels flaming hot. I jerk my hands back.

They’re all staring at me. Megan looks amused while Tiffany looks a little horrified.

“I can explain,” I begin.

“I wouldn’t,” Liz says. “Just let us imagine for a bit. And feed us. I don’t care if you fucked an entire stadium of aliens if you give me something hot to eat.”

“He’s not keen on the ‘hot’ part,” I say, then turn to Vektal and point at the rabbit-things hanging from his belt. “Food? Food for humans?”

“Humans,” he agrees, unhooking the meat from his belt. As I take it, he offers me his knife.

“We need fire,” I tell him and mime the hand-warming gesture. “Fire.”

“Oh shit,” Josie says. “I’ll even blow him if he can get us a fire.”

“Right?” Liz says in agreement.

I feel a flare of annoyance at the girls. They’re cold. There’s no reason I should be jealous of them. I’ve been frolicking in the snow with a big sexy alien for the last two days while they’ve been freezing their butts off and starving. But the thought of them touching him makes me . . . unhappy.

Jealous.

Crap. I cannot be falling for a big blue alien. No matter how good he is in bed.

“Fire?” Vektal asks. He looks around the cargo bay and frowns, then points at the ceiling and spits another stream of syllables.

“He says that there’s no wood this high up the mountain. He’ll have to go get some from the cave and come back.”

I nod at Kira, then at Vektal. “Please do that.”

His ridged brows draw down, and then he points at Kira and says something else.

“He wants to know if I understand him,” Kira whispers. She edges closer to the others. “What should I say?”

I reach up and brush a hand on Vektal’s hard jaw, turning his frowning face toward me. It’s impossible to tell what he’s thinking right now. “Vektal?” When his attention turns toward me, I gesture at my ear, then move to Kira and pull her forward. “You speak, and she hears it. Understands it.” I add a lot of pantomiming of words and lips moving, in the hopes that he’ll grasp it.

His face lights up, blue eyes glowing. Another string of words, and he gestures at Kira’s ear.

Kira’s face wrinkles. “He says I have a shell that is allowing me to understand him. I wonder if the translation isn’t all that clear.”

“It’s something like that,” I say, nodding at Vektal.

He turns to Kira and says something else.

“He wants to know if my parasite teaches me his language.” She shakes her head. “Just translates.” She taps her ear, then her mouth. “Hear, no speak.”