***AUTHORS NOTE***

Soon the chapters will become too long for both Zena's and Xai'an's point of view to put into one. So please keep that in mind in the upcoming chapters

***END AUTHORS NOTE***

I slammed different articles of clothing into my bag. Mom had called back to let me know she found a flight in 6 hours which meant she would be gone by the time I got there since the airport was two hours away. So Sosha would be on his own for a whole hour. Tragic. I know. Mom assured me he would be sleeping by the time I got there, but I had my doubts.

The clothes I picked were for warmer weather since Harrisburg was always about 20 degrees warmer than here. A quick glance at my weather app confirmed that it would be in the 70's all weak. Yeah, this called for shorts and tanks.

I made sure to grab my phone and chargers for both it and the watch. I wasn’t going to be able to afford to just buy one down there. I had already put in my personal time off request for work for the next few days and personal time was always unpaid. If I had known a little sooner I could have put in vacation time, but you don't ever plan for death.

I was almost finished packing so I went to my window and clicked my remote start for my truck. I always parked in space Z34 because I could see it from my apartment and knew the remote start worked from here. Small blessings.

I almost left then, but then I caught my reflection in the mirror and it stopped me in my tracks. Yikes! My pale skin was littered with grime and my jacket was ripped from the shoulder down to my elbow. A thick layer of blood coated my arms so it wasn't shocking that it was painful as hell to peel it off.

"Fuuuck!" It hissed out as I finally tossed it into the trash can. I guess I'd have to take time to shower and change. It would give the truck a little longer to warm up anyway. I couldn't very well head down there looking like this. Lord knows that I'd get looks galore.

The shower definitely stung my battered limbs but it also washed away the blood to show it looked far worse than it really was. Nothing more than scrapes. I'd always been a bleeder. Even the many horror theme tattoos that decorated my body tended to bleed excessively.

As I stepped out to wipe myself down, I knew I was going to be bruised, but it was nothing a few Tylenol couldn't help with. If had worse injuries from the guys at the dojo. I did apply a few bandages on the scrapes that seemed persistent to stay open and rushed to my closet.

I yanked on a black pair of lace cheekies, yoga shorts and pulled on an oversized hoodie that I didn't remember ever buying. That meant it was probably one of the guys that somehow managed to find its way into my belongings. Oh well. Mine now. After checking my bag one more time to make sure I had everything I needed, I pulled on my converse and headed for the door, keys in hand.

As I approached my car, that feeling of being watched came back. It stopped me in my tracks and I looked around. The parking lot looked empty. There didn't seem to be anyone from the apartment building behind me watching me.

I gripped my keys between my knuckles and slowly approached my silver Tacoma. I could hear nothing but the soft pur of its v-6 engine, so why did my heart pound harder with every step toward my truck?

I kept waiting for someone else to hop out and try for me again...But nothing happened.

Before I opened the truck to climb inside, I looked into the truck bed just to make sure no one was lying in wait. My hands gripped the side of the bed and I hopped up to make sure I could see the whole bed. Satisfied that it was empty I opened the driver's door and tossed in my bag. I was about to close the door when I heard a clicking noise.

Again, there was no one out here. What that hell?

I was losing my fucking mind.

***

Xai'an waited patiently on the building next to the structure the little female was in. From here, the windows gave him full viewing access to her whole place. It was something he'd never allow for himself. Such openness was asking for an enemy to kill you from afar. Though she didn't seem to pay it any mind. Oomans never seemed to think they were in danger unless at war with each other.

He watched her shuffle around while she spoke on her hand held device to another female. His mask picked up a similarity to their speech patterns which suggested a parent. Mother most likely. He found himself wondering if her mother was proud of her warrior daughter.

The little female suddenly came to the window, her hand holding a small black device. She was looking down at the various metal boxes on wheels. Primitive ships that were stuck on land. One lit up and she seemed like she was about to leave but stopped to look at herself in a reflecting glass.

Her face twisted with displeasure and then pain as she began to disrobe right there. She was covered in her species red blood and dirt clung to her pale skin.

Having only hunted males of her species, he had never seen an ooman female fully nude before. It fascinated him. He was amazed at how similar her body structure was to that of his species as she stepped under the running water, leaving the door open to her facility. It washed the grime and dirt from her, giving him a more accurate look of her. Though she was much softer, more fragile, she still had toned muscles under that tattooed flesh. The tattoos were of images he wasn't familiar with and wondered if they were the faces of her enemies that she bested? If so, they looked to be fearsome opponents. One in particular was a heavily burned male with a razor hand weapon.

Her sex was in the same spot as the females of his species; between her legs. Where female Yuatja were lithe, toned, with very little fat to them, this little female still had fleshy curves despite the muscles. The thickness of her thighs and curve of her butt gave an illusion of power. What really interested him were the fleshy globes on her chest. He knew that his females only acquired sizes like that right after they had given birth. There was no hint that this female had given birth or even if she had a mate.

What kind of male would this little female desire? He growled at the thought. Why did he even care?

After she was cleaned and bandaged up, she dressed quickly and acquired her bag. Time to move.

He made it to her...vehicle? Yes. That's what his mask told him they called it. The back of her vehicle seemed to be made to carry things, which worked for him. The inside definitely was too small for him.

He hopped into the back just as the little female came out so she missed as the metal contraption groaned under his weight. She was only feet away when she froze, her eyes landing directly on him. For a moment he wondered if his cloaking faltered which should have been impossible so long as he was still, but then her eyes scanned the night, looking for threats. She had nearly sensed him again.

When she put metal between her fingers, his blood pumped with excitement. She was smart enough to use what she could as a weapon. She needed the advantage due to her small size and boy, was she small.

Being this close to her now, he could see just how small. Especially when she placed those tiny hands on the metal frame and pulled herself up. Out of curiosity, he slowly leaned over her, curling his own dark hands next to hers. So slow that she wouldn't notice the movement. His hand was easily twice her size but what struck him more was the way she smelled. Floral. Sweet. And he liked it. He liked it a lot.

When she pulled back, she almost brushed his chest. Why did that excite him? He hated it when others touched him. So why did he crave for her to touch him when the thought of females of his own species didn't move him?

Though she was toned with muscle, he knew from his previous hunts of ooman males that their skin was soft. Hers looked softer still. He caught himself because he almost reached for her and he growled at himself to get a hold of himself. He was almost treating her as a potential mate which was ludicrous. Not even his own females wanted anything to do with him.

The vehicle started moving and he settled down to rest as much as he could. The little female had said this journey would take 5 hours. He would use this time to clear his mind off anything other than the hunt before him.