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Chapter Eight

Xaixek

In the light of day, the forest surrounding us didn’t feel as daunting as it did at night, when all sorts of vile creatures roamed about—hunters and predators who sought nothing but the demise of their prey.

I kept myself bound together with the human, but I allowed her wrists to go free—and instead tied us together via ropes around our waists, with about eight feet of slack between us.

“This is for your own safety,” I explained as I tied the rope around my waist and hers, but not so tightly that it would hurt her “If we somehow were to get separated, believe me—the wild beasts and storms out here in the night would have you begging to find me again.”

She nodded, thankfully without protest. She still managed to give me a cold look in the eyes, but she acknowledged that she understood what I was saying. She knew I had a point—she was safer with me than without me, especially because she was unfamiliar with what was safe to eat out here in the wilderness.

We had been traveling on a designated path for about two hours when I stopped us at a fruit tree.

Alliana peered at them curiously. “The fruit hanging from the branches resembles oranges we had back on Earth in both color, size and shape, but these have tiny little prickles all around the surface.”

I plucked a ripe one down from a low lying branch with my hand, uncaring about the sharp pinpricks on the fruit that jabbed into my fingertips because I knew that it was just the price to pay to get to the juicy, delicious center on the inside of the rind.

“What is it?”

“We call this delicious food utiv xirta,” I said and tore the juicy fruit open with my teeth, after plucking the individual spikes off it. “It has these little sharp things on it as a defense mechanism against bugs and insects that try to eat it before it’s ripe,” I further explained.

Xirtameans angel,” she said, and then her eyes lit up. “Angelfruit? It’s an angelfruit.”

I grinned and nodded.

“Oh.” She nodded, watching me suck up the delicious juices and soft fruit inside. It was heavenly, a burst of citrus and sweet flavor on my tongue. I was starving and parched, and Alliana looked the same.

I wasn’t that much of an asshole. I couldn’t watch her suffer through watching me enjoy the fruit so much, so, I picked another one and carefully peeled off the skin before handing it to her.

“It is safe to consume the guts of the fruit, just not the skin or the spikes on top,” I said. “I’ve taken the liberty of peeling it all away for you, so you can go ahead and eat it now.”

Alliana nodded gratefully, cupping the fruit in both her slender palms.

I studied her as she began to strip off pieces of the fruit one layer at a time, savoring in how delectable it was. I ate the rest of mine. The juices inside were cool and refreshing sliding down my throat. It was a nice little boost and would probably keep us going for another couple of hours.

I gave her a half grin. “You like it?”

Alliana nodded enthusiastically. “Very much. I could eat one hundred of these.”

I authentically smiled for the first time since I met her, although I still wasn’t’ ready to let my guard down around her just yet. “That would certainly give you a belly ache.”

She shrugged as if it made no difference to her, ravaging the fruit, sinking her teeth into it. “I’d take my chances. It’s totally worth it.”

“There are more fruit and berries for us to pick as we trek down the path, so save your appetite,” I advised. “Although, the birds and other critters around here are quite stingy. They’re known to snatch food rom unsuspecting travelers.”

She nodded again and gobbled down the rest of the angelfruit. She seemed to relish the flavor and wanted it to last forever. Out here in the wilderness, fending for ourselves—I could relate to her on that level.

“Since you like these, I’ll stock up on them,” I said and began harvesting them. I placed several, one by one into my satchel for safe keeping.

About a mile down the road, we stopped again to refill bottles of water to drink.

“This should hold us over until we reach the rest station,” I mentioned.

“Where is the rest station?” Alliana asked, gulping down some water.

“It’s several more miles away, but we will have access to better supplies and sleeping quarters. The conditions are better too, and we can take refuge and shelter inside a hut.”

“Oh. Okay.” Alliana gave me a blank look and continued to drink from her water canteen.