War Games (Alien Instincts) by Cynthia Lore Page A

away from him, and Rae’s eyes were empty of life.

    A Dream
    When Rae came back to life, it was only because of a great pressure on her chest. The sensation of being crushed made her body jerk convulsively, while the water that had invaded her lungs was forced out of her. Opening her eyes a fraction, the first blurry vision she had was that of Markar. Blinking rapidly in order to purge the dirty lake water from her eyes, Rae was able to finally see clearly the man who had saved her.
    Markar was leaning above her body, which he had placed on the shore of the lake. His long wet hair hung loosely around them both and small droplets fell from the dark strands onto her. Markar’s eyes frantically searched through Rae’s, and continued to delve beyond the surface towards her soul.
    “Are you all right?” he spoke in a haggard whisper. Markar’s chest was still heaving, as if with great exertion.
    Rae tried to speak, but only ended up coughing up more water. After she removed most of the liquid from her lungs, she tried to answer again. “Yes.” The single word came out in a croak.
    Markar then dived towards her, clutching her body to him in a tight embrace. His grip was almost crushing, but Rae had just awoken from death and didn’t have the energy to protest the awkward hold. His head bent down towards the crook of her neck and Rae felt as if Markar’s larger body was enveloping her. She was glad to have his warmth pressed so closely against her because her wet skin magnified the cool air of the night that much more.
    Rae looked up into the night sky and was startled at the amount of stars cluttered in the deepest purple velvet she had ever seen. The planet had no visible moon, and the absence only made the stars that much more glorious. Scattered in the night like dust, they gave off just enough light to get by, but not enough to make Rae feel safe with the shadows that surrounded them by the lake. Her body began to shiver from the cold and her uneasiness over still being near the pool of water that had almost been her grave.
    In response to her movement, Markar leaned back to look down at Rae, and she met his curious stare straight on. In the gloom of the night, his predatory eyes glowed like two fallen stars. She could not be sure in the dark, but his face appeared sad to her. Lifting her up into his arms, Markar carried Rae back to their camp and only set her down once they entered the tent.
    Rae wrapped her arms around herself and shivered at the loss of Markar’s body heat. She watched him look through their belongings for a dry set of clothes for both of them. His movements were full of suppressed anger. After shoving some items under Rae’s nose, he proceeded to strip out of his own wet clothing right in front of her. Taking the items reluctantly, she glared at his naked back before turning around and peeling off her own soggy garments.
    “We are returning to the ship first thing in the morning.” Markar proclaimed in a tone that was hard to argue with.
    Despite that, Rae wanted desperately to argue. She scrambled to put her new shirt on before turning around in shock. “What? But this may be my only chance to ever see an alien planet!” She couldn’t help but stomp her foot in anger. Rae knew Markar was essentially the commanding officer while they were in foreign territory, but she craved adventure. Sure, she had almost died, but that was the price to pay for the sights she never would have imagined in her wildest dreams. “I don’t want to leave!” she yelled like a petulant child.
    The tent was not well lit, so Markar’s strange eyes continued to glow as he turned around to face Rae. Her body was frozen, caught in the eerie gaze of a wild animal, and Markar did indeed look feral. Fury radiated off of him, but his movements were controlled and silent as he stalked closer to Rae. Her eyes widened in alarm as the tall man was suddenly standing directly in front of her. She swallowed nervously as she