Molly's Fate

Molly: Hunting Vargosh

[Author's Note: Before you comment on how she grieves, please know, this happens to me. Months can go by then bam, in the middle of lunch, I'll start to cry. Your comments tell me more about you, that you haven't experienced grief or understand how it can manifest decades after the loss of a loved one. If you do understand, I thank you for not ruining my day.]

"I'm ready now," she whispered against his parted mouth.

He rumbled and lowered her until her feet touched down. Falling in behind him as he strode toward a different entrance, his broad back dominated her focus. His harem-style pants hid his ass from her attention. She was certain it was tight enough to bounce nuts and bolts off.

Overall, she wouldn't say she had a bad view. She hadn't realized how wide his shoulders were, nor the strength in his thick thighs as he set a fast pace. At the mere thought of his thighs, her breath hitched. Her palpitating heart screamed she was a thigh-girl. Though, she had to admit, she had never met a more beautiful male in her life.

She kept pace as best she could, having to do double the steps to their one. No male complained, and some took time to comment on the fauna and flora they encountered, teaching her a little more of their world. She appreciated it, finding herself smiling and laughing more. They didn't intimidate her, and even when she frowned in thought, they continued to engage her in conversation. So, no longer 'scared' of her scowls? Good.

"What of your family?" a male asked.

She paused, surprised at his question. Tazo? Yes, that was his name.

"We traveled around. My father was a renowned botanist—a man known for his knowledge of plant life." She gestured to the fauna around her. "My two sisters and I traveled with him. Our last home was Ganymede. It's a moon far from here. They grew apple trees and other fruit. For many months, my sisters and I worked the farms as something to do. It was wonderful to be under the best ultra-violet lamps funding could buy."

A lump choked her, altering her voice, and she struggled to swallow past it, as she recalled the last time she had seen them. A Titan battleship had plummeted to Ganymede's surface. Later, she had learn there had been a space-battle kilometers above their heads.

"A ship hit the surface. We didn't have warning. The dome shattered as debris rained down on us. I was closest to the door. I grabbed breathing masks and rushed around the devastation searching for Cammy and Harper." Her breath caught on a sob, her arms wrapping around her waist trying to smother the agony as the ever-present pain and hollowness resurfaced.

"The crop was ruined, and the trees unrecognizable. I couldn't find them, Tazo! What kind of sister am I to fail them?" she wailed. "The emergency crew said I was the only survivor. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I had died with them."

Arms looped around her, gathering her against a heated chest. She struggled for a second, but as the male's scent penetrated her sorrow, she melted. Anzar. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she clung to him, succumbing at last to her need to cry. He pressed a cheek to the crown of her head, his hand sliding up and down her back as he mumbled nonsensical words.

Her sobs dwindled into hiccups, then into sniffs before she had the courage to lean back and wipe her cheeks. "Thank you." She offered a weak smile, suspecting she looked a sight.

"You can kiss me later," he said, and she chuckled.

Shuffling away from him allowed a passing breeze to cool her cheeks, but she missed the comfort of his embrace. She dried her eyes with the collar of Anzar's tunic as she faced a frowning Tazo. "Oh, Tazo, it was nothing you said." She slipped her arms around his waist for a hug. "I'm sorry if I startled you."

"In truth?" He looked skeptical but circled his arms around her carefully as if she might explode into more crying.

"Yes, truth. I try not to remember that day. Your sincere question caught me off guard." She released the poor man, and raised her gaze to the sky, preferring to focus on the soft clouds that at the males gaping at her. "See, tears gone."

"Do they always come so unexpectedly?" Duro's posture was stiff as if he prepared for battle.

She nodded. "Don't your females cry?"

"Not that we are aware of," another male grumbled.

"As human females, we cry often. I'm sorry, we tend to be extreme on the emotional scale." She faced Anzar, hovering close in case she cried again. He was a big ol' teddy bear, coming to her aid when she had least expected it. What kind of male hugged a weeping female?

A smile conquered her lips, again. Shit, she was doing that too often. Having promised him she would do so, she hadn't expected to change. Well, that was a quick transition. It was easier if she pretended that they were old friends.

"If we come across a stream, please let me know. I'd like to wash my face."

He nodded and brushed the pad of his thumb across her cheek before sucking on it. She gaped, heat bursting anew across her cheeks. Had he just tasted her tears? He rumbled, flashing her a look she didn't understand. He spun on his heels, grabbed his axe Mesu held out to him, before setting a brutal pace again.

Ignoring her grumbling stomach, she fell into line with a deep sigh. The pod had rations, so she would eat when they arrived. She hoped Jasmine could supply a hot shower. A moan escaped from under her breath. She kept her chin on her chest lest they see her pink cheeks. She hadn't meant to be so vocal, but this was a hot shower she was longing for.

"Molly?" Duro rested his hand on her shoulder for the barest of touches.

"I'm fine, just excited to reach the pod." She flicked a hand in a dismissive manner.

Anzar paused at a stream so that they could quench their thirsts. She kneeled beside it to drink, before splashing her face as well. She ran a wet hand along the nape of her neck, allowing the water to cool her.

Her legs were on fire having not done this much continuous exercise in ages. The hour or two she spent a day climbing through engine rooms and ventilation shafts didn't prepare her for a double-time hike with hulking warriors.

Not that she could complain. This much eye candy felt as if she had visited a way station's strip club. Fanning her face, she studied the leaves, stems, trees, and sky, anything to not drool over these poor males.