Bounty Hunter

Chapter 22

WARNING: If you're opposed to physical affection skip this chapter!

I rub my eyes tiredly. Before I can gather my bearings someone grabs my hand. I squint blearily to see Kai staring at me. He tugs me upward and places a finger over his lips. Then he points to Kahari who appears to be sleeping. When I look out the window all I can see is a dark night. Kai pulls me down the hatch noiselessly. For someone so massive his movements are quite nimble. I follow him confused as he leads me blindly through the black quarters. "I can't see anything!" I hiss stumbling through the dark.

"Remember when I told you I was going to make it up to you?" he asks.

"Yeah..." I answer with interest.

"Well I found a good way to make it up to you," he says. I grip his leather clad hand tightly. He ushers me over to the circular bed. He releases my hand and beckons for me to climb up. I crawl onto the bed perplexed. "No shoes on the bed," he says with a cringe. Rolling my eyes I kick off the boots. All of a sudden I notice Kai is no longer wearing his simple uniform of shirt and jeans. His appearance has transformed into one more befitting of a bounty hunter. His inconspicuous t-shirt has been exchanged for a noticeably purple long sleeved shirt. The purple sleeves look as if they're made from a tough material. Layered over his shirt he wears a black vest. His pants are black with purple material running down the outer sides. The only thing that hasn't changed are his combat boots, currently lying on the floor. He sits on his knees by the window. I imitate his stance and perch on my knees. I look outside the wide window in attempt to find what Kai's staring at.

As I'm about to protest Kai prevents me by muffling my mouth with his hand. He shushes me urgently. I narrow my eyes at him in a glare. "Listen," he says whispering in my ear. His breath tickles my ear sending a trill running up my spine, and turning my cheeks red. Silently, I thank G-d that the darkness conceals my blush. A child like voice chimes out from beyond the glass. Startled, I grab onto Kai's arm. Realizing my mistake I quickly slip my hand away. I peer out the window waiting for something to appear. I sneak a glance at Kai's face. Inside, I secretly wish he would grab my hand again. I furrow my brow as I notice a small speck of light dance across Kai's face. Another light begins to chase after the first speck. Then a third light begins to twirl after the others. The third light is distinguished from the others by a soft blue color. The colors begin to congregate along his cheekbones like a constellation of stars conducting their own ballet. A distinct humming sound thrums gaining my attention. I peer outside craning my neck to see. My eyes widen at the sight of a symphony of lights spiraling inward and outward. They twirl around climbing through the air as if were the sea. The childlike yet strangely adult voices ring out again in a haunting call. The voices are accompanied by the deep twinge of strings like a violin yet with a rawer chant. Their crooning resonates against my heart with the same strength of a mallet striking a gong. They twirl around and as they flicker near the window I realize the creature is remarkably similar to a sea horse.

However, unlike a sea horse this animal's tail is surrounded by a wing like appendage. Their tails fan out as they flit across the sky. The tails curl in and out as if they were an instrument. And their tiny mouths gape open to release a stream of melodic song. Their colors swirl together creating a light show more alluring than any art presentation I've ever seen. I feel a pair of eyes glued to me and I know them to be Kai's. Yet I refuse to meet his gaze for fear my heart will fly out at him. I swallow nervously and my breathing seems unreasonably loud. "Aeris Cavalari," Kai murmurs.

"That's what they're called," he explains.

"Is this what you show all the girls?" I can't help but wonder aloud.

"No I've only shown this to Kahari. A man named Piero showed them to me. He was what you would call a monk," Kai reveals.

As the lights trace themselves in a pattern over Kai's skin I turn back to the window. "This still doesn't make up for you putting my life at risk," I say quietly.

"I know. I just hoped that it'd make up for it a little," he admits.

"It does. But only a little," I say.

The lights reflect on the glass enchantingly. I look at Kai who's openly staring at me. His eyes are slightly hooded as he peers at me from beneath his lashes. I look away immediately. "Why do you always look away?" he asks blatantly.

"Why do you always stare so openly?" I counter softly. Here in the dark it's as if time has stilled just for us. Perhaps the Universe has frozen just for us, leaving two beating hearts and swirling star dust. Soul mate. Such a strange concept. What does it mean. Is it the person who you are meant to be with forever? Or is it the person who makes your bones tremble and your palms sweat. The person who's gaze can knock your heart out of its cage.

"Women like it," he answers simply. I turn away from him once again. "Hey," he says softly. The deep melody rises an octave. His fingers lightly graze the spot underneath my chin.

"You can't do this to me," I say. It's as if in this strange world my boundaries have been misplaced.

"Do what?" he asks confused.

"Make sweet gestures. Act like I mean more than I do," I answer.

"You're mad because you think I sleep around," he states.

"I know you sleep around," I say in confirmation.

His chest expands as he hesitates for a moment. His eyes search me seeking the right words to utter. "How many fingers do I have?" he asks.

"I don't know," I remark indifferently.

"Ten fingers," he states. "I haven't slept with more women than fingers," he adds. "I promised myself I wouldn't," he continues. When I don't offer a comment he resumes speaking. "Aliens can get STD's too," he informs me.

"I don't believe you," I say in a quiet voice.

"I can name every single one of them. I've slept with three women. The first girl I was ever with was Thalina," he begins. Before he can continue I abruptly stop him.

"I don't need to hear their names," I grumble. "What about that officer?" I ask.

"I never slept with her. We only got to second base," he protests. "I'll admit I've done that with a lot of girls," he says honestly.

"I can't trust you," I tell him solemnly.

"Your face is colorful," he remarks changing the subject.

"So is yours," I say humorlessly.

He leans forward bringing himself closer to me. He lightly trails his fingers across my following the path of light. I grab his hand to stop him. He takes the opportunity to bring me closer to him so that in order not to fall upon his chest I have to place my palms in front of me. The plane of his chest is solid and strange because of the armor underneath. I look into his green eyes where the flecks of gold shine more brilliantly than the Aeris Cavalari. Although it shouldn't be possible his eyes entrance me more than the unnatural symphony outside. "Kai," I mutter. My protest comes out in a halfhearted sigh which is more of a plea. "Don't touch me like that," I entreat him.

"What if you give me your permission?" he asks. My hands are still against his chest. He leans his forehead near to mine. Instead of answering him I grab his neck. Pulling him closer to me until I breath the same air as him. His mouth is delicate against mine. He applies the right amount of pressure against my lips. He softly entreats me with his soft lips to come closer. I mold myself against him even though I shouldn't. I pull away needing oxygen. As my breath slips out in pants his eyes are cast down towards my lips.

A/N: Hi guys! SO this was a pretty intense chapter! It was very unexpected. Leave a comment below to what you think of it. If you have any tips to improve my writing just leave a comment. Thank you for reading! I finally reached a the big 1K! I love and appreciate all my lil kimchies. If you have social media hit me up on the following!

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