Read Eden for Free Online Page B

gone unnoticed, as the monkey creature had, because the dense leaves had kept everything hidden. She crouched behind a red, spiny bush, and watched with envy as he ate.
    He turned, and walked away, disappearing into the dark forest. Jenny stood up, torn by following him and the fruit he dropped to the ground. Her stomach growled, and saliva filled her mouth.
    Giving in she ran over, falling to her knees on reaching the fruit, like a woman starved. She twisted off a single fruit from the thick stem, raised it to her mouth, and bit. The outer skin was tough, but the flesh was surprisingly soft like a peach. The taste was bitter sweet, perfect to her hungry stomach.
    *
    He watched. She was so small; her hands barely able to reach round the fruit. Without his help she would last maybe until nightfall.
    He pursed his lips thoughtfully, his eyes and thoughts lingering on the curves of her body, and heat flared his senses.
    He jerked his longing gaze away. He had, at last, a companion and the mere prospect of companionship would keep his more primitive urges at bay. He would see to it. He let go of the branch and it sprang back with a snap.
    The female looked up, following the noise of the branch with her eyes. Fruit flesh stuck around her mouth and dribbled down her chin. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, and rose.
    “Hello,” she called blindly.
    Surprised, he swung round. She still couldn’t see him but he could see her, clearly.
    “My name ’s Jenny. I don’t know if you ’re aware of it, but you saved my life back there. The wolf would’ve killed me.”
    She stood holding the fruit; her mouth wet and glistening where she had failed to remove all of the stickiness. He stepped away from the tree, and watched, with fascination, the look of fear wash over her face.
    He noticed the tiny swallowing movements in her throat, and the red weals on her skin caused by his own hands yesterday. He could smell the fear that she tried hard to control, and the smell had intensified the moment he stepped into her line of vision.
    She hadn’t realiz ed he was this near, and her earlier thoughts of making friends dissolved as quickly as sugar in hot water.
    “Woman,” he said, his lips exaggerating the two syllables.
    Jenny took a step backwards, as he took one forwards.
    “Human, earth,” he said.
    She took another backward step, and then stopped with her feet spread wide apart as if to brace herself from taking anymore. She drew on air and forced herself to meet his strange gaze.
    “Are you stranded here, too? Maybe w-we could help one another...?” she finished lamely.
    The black eyes continued to regard her, the gaze burning into the top of her lowered head. Nervous, knowing the next move was his, Jenny trained her eyes on his hands. The grubby, long fingers twitched, and then the fists balled, sending her head rearing up with fear widening her eyes. But the alien had merely turned, and walked away.
    Hesitating a fraction, she began to follow him again. She really had nothing to lose, and his presence offered some sort of security that she wasn’t about to turn down. Somehow, his hands around her throat were lost in the deepest part of memory as her survival instincts screamed she needed him, or at least the loan of a cabin in the decaying spaceship until Bodie and Matt rescued her.
    He reached the spacecraft, and stepped inside. The poignant smell of his kill early this morning barely registered against the awareness of the human following him. He purposely left the door open; knowing the spaceship was her only safe shelter from the natives and for his own selfish reasons he felt he had to keep her safe.
    He entered the cabin wearily, and sitting heavily on the bed, he began to pull off his boots. Pain, from his injured foot, shot up his leg and he grunted. Testing the toes he wriggled them, and all but one responded. He fell back on the bed snatching up the bottled alcohol. The bottle felt strangely light, and when he