Abandoned with the Enemy Ch. 02

She smiled a little more. 'So, with all the bad things happening with males, it confusing to find an enemy male caring for us.'

I caressed her hand with mine, frustration twisting my guts. 'I'm really sorry to hear what happened. It makes me want to kick that guy's face into bits and turn back time.'

She shook her head. 'Then I would not have Naylee. I love her.'

I nodded. 'I just wish I could do something to make you both happy here.'

'You done more than any have before.' she said and smiled gently at me.

Wendy barked and we noticed the sun was setting soon.

'We better get inside.' Tashee said.

'Yes.' I said and helped her up. 'Where's Naylee?'

We checked in the direction she had run off to but we saw nothing.

'She come back when feeling better.' Tashee said.

'I would agree when we would be alone on this island.' I said. 'I don't want her to be alone in the dark. I'll go look for her while you prepare dinner.'

I wanted to walk away when she held onto my hand and I looked back at her.

'Thank you..' she said giving my hand a squeeze before letting go.

I smiled softly at her. 'Anytime.' I said and hurried with Wendy after Naylee.

I looked left and right for her tracks while shouting her name while Wendy sniffed for her scent. We had gone quite a distance and I was worrying I might have gone too far, but then Wendy found some of her footprints the wind hadn't swept away. After a few more hundred metres of shouting her name I saw her footprints leading to a couple of big rocks sitting between the beach and the sea.

'Naylee!?' I said, following the prints between two rocks, then seeing her sit on a rock just above the water.

I called out to her but she just kept sitting there, so I waded through the water to her, leaving Wendy on the sand.

'Naylee, it's getting dark soon. We'd better go home.'

She shook her head.

'I know now. Tashee has told me everything and I wished I could change everything so neither of you had to get hurt.' I said softly. 'I'm really sorry.'

I moved in front of her and saw her crying. 'Naylee?' I whispered and reached out to wipe her cheek.

'No!' she snapped and swiped her claws at my hand, cutting my palm. 'You're just lying like the rest!'

I bit through the pain and felt anger well up. 'I promise I won't do anything to hurt you or Tashee! You can cut my throat if I do! So will you please stop worrying us and come back!?'

'No.' she said and shook her head.

'Dammit!' I said and grabbed her waist and legs, lifting her up into my arms to her surprise and walked back onto the beach.

'Wait! Let go!' she said and struggled to get out of my arms.

'No!' I nearly growled and held her tight. 'I'm not going to leave you alone while there's danger around here!'

'I'll be fine!'

'I'm not taking any chances with that monster walking around!'

'We not seen it in long time! It must be on other side!'

A nearby roar and Wendy's barking let us know otherwise.

'I wasn't exactly hoping I was right.' I said.

'Maybe we better run.' she said softly and I let her down on the sand.

We started running but I saw her lag behind with a little limp and stopped. 'Something happened with your foot?'

'Just twisted a little on slippery rock in water. Nothing serious.'

'Always the same with you.' I said and grabbed her into my arms again.

'I can run!' she said.

'Not fast enough for my taste.' I said and started running when Wendy barked in warning again.

Another roar came from the trees and Naylee clung to me. 'Maybe you right.'

I grinned at the small victory but was too busy with running to speak. When we reached the hut Tashee stood outside with her bow.

'What happened?' she asked while I carried Naylee inside and she closed the defence behind us.

'That thing was out there.' I said, putting Naylee down on one of the leaf pillows on the floor.

Tashee grabbed a bandage and took my hand to clean it. 'What happened to your hand?' she asked and looked angrily at Naylee. 'You do this?'

Naylee looked down in shame. 'I..'

'It was an accident when I helped her get off the rock. She had twisted her ankle and couldn't walk properly.' I said.

Tashee looked at me and knew that wasn't it, but she also knew I wouldn't let this count against Naylee and sighed. 'Just not let happen next time.'

Naylee glanced up at me. 'I won't..' she said softly.

'I want to keep watch tonight, just to make sure that thing hasn't followed us.' I said, checking the bandage around my hand.

'Not all night.' Tashee said. 'I'll relieve you later.'

'And I watch too.' Naylee said softly.

I thought I heard a hint of happiness in her voice and nodded.

Tashee went to sleep shortly after we ate and I sat just outside the front of the hut. Naylee came out and gave me a bowl of sour fruit to keep me awake and fresh. She sat down on the other side of Wendy and scratched Wendy's ears.

'Thank you..' she said softly.

'Whatever it was for, don't mention it.' I said, picking one of the green parts in the bowl and smiling at the gesture she had made by peeling the fruit for me.

She hugged her knees with one arm while her other hand was at the mercy of Wendy's desire for attention. 'I'm still scared..'

I flipped a pit into the water. 'For what it's worth, I understand. Not only do you have the past to deal with, there's the present where you're stuck with an enemy man, and the future where either of our forces may appear to find us.' I picked another part out of the bowl. 'If yours comes, would I be able to see you go back to the life you had? If mine comes, would I be able to leave or arrange for you to stay on my planet in safety? I might just want us to live here without ever getting found if there's no better alternative.'

Wendy barked at me and I chuckled. 'Of course I won't go if I can't take you with me.' I said and deserved a lick for that.

Naylee chuckled and I thought it was the cutest sound I had heard in a while. I was glad to finally hear it.

'You must have many women back home if you can get fierce predator to love you.'

I flipped another pit into the water. 'I've only been once with a woman, and it was when I turned adult and it was paid for by friends in the service.'

She raised her eyebrow as she looked at me.

'It was a sort of birthday present and I was half drunk at the time.' I recalled from memory. 'It was too quick and too uninvolved. It made me feel cheap afterwards, although I didn't say anything to spoil the fun for my friends. Since then I only wanted to do it if the girl really loved me and dodged every opportunity when it came to one night stands or hookers.'

'You haven't looked for a woman?'

I shook my head. 'I was away from home most of the time. Especially when I got drafted into this unit. A woman at home would just get hurt by herself. And I never was really good with starting a conversation with a woman I didn't know.'

Naylee stared in front of her. 'Lonely..' she whispered.

'Well, it's not all bad.' I said, leaning back against the wall and smiled dreamily. 'I'm on a tropical island now with two,' I looked at Wendy and scratched her chin. 'no, three exotic beauties close to me. I'm the envy of just about every man back home.'

A small smile appeared on Naylee's face. 'Even if they slice your soft skin?'

'If it helps to make her happy in the end, yes. It's worth a few cuts and bruises. I just hope it stays as few as possible.'

She chuckled and I saw her wipe her eyes. Wendy leaned against her and gave her a lick on her cheek.

'Well, well. Looks like Wendy shares my opinion.'

Naylee gave Wendy an extra dose of scratches and made her squirm from pleasure. 'You almost as bad as your master.' she giggled and cuddled with Wendy for a while before she started yawning.

'Why don't you take Wendy with you and have her join you on your watch?' I said. 'You can go nuts with girl talk then.'

'Girl talk?'

'That's when women and girls on my planet get together and talk about their personal things, but us men suspect it's only to talk about embarrassing things involving us men.' I grinned.

She thought about it for a moment, then grinned at Wendy. 'Want to tell about things he has done?'

Wendy murmured as if whispering she would have a lot to say. I hoped Naylee couldn't really understand her that much.

'Good night, Rafe..' Naylee said softly. 'Thank you, for not hating me.'

'Girl, I might have been angry, but hating you would be impossible.' I said and received a chunk of good night kisses from Wendy.

Naylee gazed at me for a few moments and I wondered if something was wrong, then she moved closer and gave me a nuzzle against my cheek before hurrying inside, giggling with Wendy as she laid down to sleep.

I leaned my head back against the wall and smiled, hoping I'd do more things to deserve nuzzles from those two women. Wendy barked softly once. "Yes, and from you too, Wendy." I thought and I really wondered if she could read my mind.

***

'Hey..' whispered Tashee as she came to take over my watch.

'Hey..' I whispered, smiling at her.

She sat down next to me. 'I saw Wendy sleeping with Naylee.'

I nodded. 'I'm afraid they'll be the best of friends from now on and give me a lot of trouble.' I chuckled.

She looked puzzled at me.

'I'll explain later.'

She didn't understand, but she nodded. 'All quiet?'

'Yeah.' I said and looked up at the stars. 'Maybe we're lucky tonight.'

She followed my gaze and we sat quietly for a while before she asked 'How you get into military?'.

I took a deep breath through my nose. 'The family I was born into was very poor. There's a big gap between those who have, and those who have nothing, and the only way to keep me alive was to sell me into the military who raised me and educated me. I did very well in certain areas and got assigned to the unit you encountered here, specialising in infiltration and operations behind enemy lines.'

'You ever try to find family?'

'I tried when I found out what had happened to me. But when I checked the original address they were no longer there. No clues to where they'd gone to.'

'You no have family like we do then..' she said softly.

'Well, my unit was my real family as far as I was concerned. There was Zeke, an old bastard who just couldn't be killed by anything and was like the unit's father. He would set us straight when we went over the line and support us when we had a difficult time. He was just a single rank higher than us because he refused to become an officer, but was most respected by anyone. Then there was Sarah who was our sister and mother depending on what was needed, she made sure everyone was taken care off, on and off duty. Singh, the nutty little brother who could always make you laugh, Han, the smart brother who always found a way to do things together with Zeke, Maria, another dear sister who was always up for a fight with us brothers, and Jan and Isaac who were experts at sniping and explosives and made sure we could get out of any situation.'

I stared up into nothing while going through the various memories of people I'd never see again. I had lost that family forever.

'Sorry for losing family..' Tashee whispered and I saw her look of sadness.

'You lost people close to you too, right?'

She shook her head. 'We been sent to this unit not long ago. I lost most of old friends long ago at other battles.. No family left to mourn like you..'

I laid my hand on hers. 'For what it's worth, as long as we're stuck together here you're family to me.'

She smiled softly at me, then looked up at the stars again.

After a while of hearing nothing but an occasional bird above the waves moving slowly up and down the sand and rocks I yawned and stretched.

'You go sleep. Have kept you awake too long, sorry..' Tashee said.

I smiled at her. 'It's okay. I'm glad I could tell you a little about me.' I said and handed her the bowl with half of the fruit left. 'To keep you awake?'

She shook her head. 'Naylee peeled them for you.'

'I thought so.' I said and stood up to stretch once more. 'Then I'll take them with me. Do you need anything before I go to sleep?'

She took my hand and looked up at me. 'Thank you for Naylee..'

I caressed her fingers with my thumb and gave her a gentle smile. 'She wants to see you happy. You want to see her happy. I just want to see you both happy. Good night, Tashee.'

She returned the smile and let go of my fingers slowly. I watched Wendy and Naylee sleep comfortably for a moment, then laid down on my bed and closed my eyes. I rolled over, then realised I hadn't thought of one thing when I had Naylee take Wendy to bed. Now I had nobody to hold for comfort and worried I might not be able to fall asleep at all.