When The Heart Sings

Chapter 30

Serena's POV:

Darien was on edge and Alex also remained near me. Neither of them trusted the warriors around us. We had made camp on the side of the road for the evening. The Tarulk didn't like travelling at night since this planet had some nighttime predators that made travel in the dark very dangerous.

Darien barely let go of me the entire time. Thankfully the warriors had taken Darien's threat to heart and kept their opinions to themselves. There was something similar to a one stall outhouse here and Darien had actually leaned against the closed door in his paranoia while I was inside.

When he had to use the washroom, he had gotten me to remain beside the outhouse while Alex stood in front of me with his dagger drawn even though none of the warriors looked at us. I still had no clue where he was hiding that dagger. It just seemed to magically appear and disappear from his hands. He had shown me several other sleight of hand tricks while we were travelling, so I knew it wasn't actually magic, although it was beginning to seem like it.

The wagon's back wall unfolded to create a tent frame that we slid a canvas cover over to create an impromptu tent. It was roomy enough for both Darien and Alex to share it overnight. The warriors apparently planned to sleep under the stars.

I knelt on the ground and unrolled the massive sleeping bag as Darien spoke quietly with Alex near the tent entrance. I sat on the end of the sleeping bag and waited for Darien. It didn't take long before he came over.

Darien stripped off his shirt before sitting on the sleeping bag and taking off his shoes. His bare chest was a sight I hadn't seen yet. He wasn't 'ripped' like some humans were, but his muscles were quite apparent. He looked quite sexy. I hadn't thought I could be more attracted to him, but I was once more proven wrong. It was hard to take my eyes off him.

Darien put his shoes to the side and reached over to pull me onto his lap. He held me to his chest as he lay back and pulled the top half of the sleeping bag over us. I wiggled sideways until I slid to the side and partially lay on the creaky wagon boards as I leaned against his side. He chuckled and pulled me back on top of his chest, "You could get a chill from the drafts."

I blinked sleepily at him, "With the amount of heat your body gives off? I highly doubt it."

His soft smile warmed my heart, "Let's not take any chances. Sleep, my heart."

He leaned his head down to kiss the top of my head. I leaned my cheek against the warm bare skin of his chest and relaxed as sleep tugged at me. He wrapped his arms around me and I could feel his muscles relax.

Alex climbed into his sleeping bag. He must have had the patience of a saint since he never said anything or even so much as glanced in our direction.

My peaceful sleep was suddenly disturbed by howls and shouts. Darien somehow slid out from underneath me as he yelled at Alex to guard me. He charged out of the tent before my sleep-fogged mind could even begin to focus. My heart was hammering at the rude awakening and resulting adrenaline.

Alex crouched over me with a drawn dagger and spoke urgently in a low voice, "Stay down and keep quiet." His eyes were fixated on the walls of the tent as he listened to the chaos outside.

I remained lying down in the sleeping bag where I was. Shouts, howls, growls, and snarls echoed around the tent. Some came from the Tarulk warriors outside, but some had a different animalistic sound to them. I could only assume it was some sort of predator attacking. I could identify the snarls and growls that belonged to Darien, although how I could pick his out of the noise so easily was beyond me.