You Don't Belong Here

Chapter Eighty Three

O'kaor had done his best to ignore the small Ooman lying just on the other side of the deflated excuse of a pillow, but he couldn't ignore the scent of her chemical-laced soaps or the sound of water droplets falling from her hair and landing against the sheets. His mandibles flexed with the growing frustration that was building within as he stared at the darkened ceiling above. Even beneath the chemical stench that served as a human calling card, her natural musk crept through to the open air, and it made his blood boil. The fact that such an insignificant creature could trigger such an aggressive response from his mind simply by existing...well, that was an entirely new level of frustrating.

Something caught his attention: she was speaking in her unconscious state. It was something she had often done on the mother world, but having gone so long without having to listen to it was simply annoying now. He began to curse the woman in his mind until three words pulled his concentration right back to her: "Zaiyu", and "I'm sorry".

He could hear her heart pounding in her chest; the catches in her breath as her shoulders trembled, and the salty sweetness that filled the air as tears streaked her face.

O'kaor turned to look at the woman though she was curled on her side facing away from him. He clicked in annoyance.

"Please...d-don't leave me again..." the sobs intensified and O'kaor could feel his expression soften. "Ghost, please..!" His amber eyes flitted toward her and for a moment he hesitated. "Please..!" The desperation in her voice was unmistakable. Against his better judgement he let his body override his mind and grabbed the abused pillow and discarded it to the ground before effortlessly looping an arm beneath Brielle and pulled her closer to himself. He maneuvered the woman's body so that she was lying atop him with her head nestled against his warm, broad chest. Her grey eyes were wide with shock as his sudden interference with whatever nightmare she'd been trapped in had jolted her back into reality. "Ghost..?"

"Shut up..!" She didn't move except to wipe the tears from her face with nothing short of confusion melding into her expression. "Just go back to sleep, female. I'm tired of your chattering and whining." Despite the sternness and aggression in his voice, his touch was soft as his fingers traced the length of her back, etching soothing circles into her skin beneath her shirt as he did so. T'ahrou had taught him this trick not long after Brielle had begun staying at his dwelling while the others were away on hunts, and it had always proved effective. If the human had been angry or overly emotional, this simple action had always worked to some degree...though a hearty rutting session usually showed more improvement for the anger.

O'kaor growled at the memories. Even after all this time his body and mind retained what little knowledge of the human he had acquired in the past, and it irked him so.

It took him by surprise when the female finally allowed herself to meld against his own body. Her rigid, uncomfortable posture relaxed and her arms looped around his torso as she nuzzled her face against the curves of his thick neck. Her breath was hot against his skin and the sensation caused his heart rate to climb.

His lower left tusk grazed her cheek as he breathed in her scent once more. He tried to ignore the traces of added chemicals and instead relished the all too familiar musk that came naturally to the female. A gentle rumble reverberated through his chest and he could hear the female's heartrate begin to slow. Minutes later her breathing slowed and before long she was slipping back into a state of unconsciousness. O'kaor listened to her respirations and focused on the warmth of her body against his own. The feeling brought memories of their past experiences to the forefront of his mind and for the first time in a long time, he felt content.