Hunted

by Theresa Beachman

Hot tears smarted in her eyes. She couldn’t do this alone. She wouldn’t survive this without him.

  “Isa… too tight.”

  She released him and he sagged forward. He rolled away from her, laughing and coughing at the same time before he pulled himself up to sitting. He shook his head and wiped his mouth. His smile was tremulous. “Next time you want a hug, give me a warning.”

  She grimaced, winded, her throat tied in thick knots. “Unfair,” she croaked. But she was grinning. He could say what he liked. He was breathing.

  He patted his legs. “My knife’s gone.”

  “I saw something… a shark. In the water.”

  “Selachmi.”

  “Selack-what?”

  “Selachmi.” Small lines of tension edged the corners of his eyes. “Shark hybrids bred to be more dangerous than anything back on Earth.”

  A shiver skated across Isa’s shoulders. The water’s surface stilled, already deceptively calm. Right now? She wanted to get as far away as possible. She staggered up onto her feet and took a wobbly step. The world spun, forcing her to grab her knees and breathe for a few scary moments. “We need to leave here.”

  Heath lurched on his feet. He touched her waist. “Seen any drones?”

  God. She’d forgotten about those. “No.” Blood soaked her shredded overalls from his palms. “My God, you’re cut all over. You’re bleeding.” Her voice rose in pitch.

  Heath gave himself a cursory glance. “Selachmi have skin like sandpaper.” He palmed his thighs. “It’ll stop. I’m fine.”

  “Heath—”

  A dark drone buzzed above them, the back draft whispering against Isa’s cheek. She jerked away from the sensation.

  “Gentleman, the hunt continues. What more will our intrepid…” It looped skywards, circling high above their heads in a wide circle, the four engines tilted so the holographic image of the Games Master was visible. Same man, new drone, scrolling figures a blur behind his head.

  Laser fire scorched the sand molten inches from Isa’s feet. She stumbled then hit the ground flat on her back, Heath wrapped around her waist.

  Her voice screeched shrill in her own ears. “Seriously?”

  Didn’t this ever stop?

  Heath laced his fingers into her right hand. “Isa, when I say go, we run like hell.”

  19

  Heath hauled Isa to her feet, his legs jackknifing to get her off the exposed beach as fast as possible. He risked a glance over his shoulder. The drone was still high in the sky, but that wasn’t what drew his attention.

  A powder blue craft was heading in their direction, skidding over the glassy surface of the lake. Laser fire pumped from the front of the small ship, razing a trail up the beach.

  “Hunters.” He angled into the maze of rock that bordered the lake, his grip tightening on Isa. She wheezed behind him, still not recovered from nearly drowning. Gods, when was the universe going to give them a break?

  “They’re pissed we trashed their hunt.” Exhaustion soured his mouth. He didn’t know how much more of this she could take. Boulders detonated at their heels in a rain of harsh fragments.

  That was too close.

  The rocks ended abruptly. Narrow trees drew up from the scant soil, dark like cypress trees that grew in the Mediterranean. He plunged in, cool piney shadows cloaking him from the attacking ship and drone.

  Something caught his eye.

  The glint of manufactured metal.

  “This way.” He cut sharp right toward the glimmer between the trunks. Branches snapped as he pushed through making him wince.

  As he drew closer, he slowed, raising a finger to his lips to warn Isa. She nodded, her lips pressed in a determined line. Guilt stabbed him low in the gut. She trusted him. He blinked. He had to focus. Get her out of here.

  He crept forward in a crouch. The growth of the forest muffled the sounds of the drone and attacking ship, making it impossible to tell how close either of them were.

  Branches and bush thinned.

  Holy fuck.

  A break.

  Blood-tinged sunlight highlighted a small ground hopper. One used to travel between mother star liners and the planet surface. It squatted on two thick legs, bent like the limbs of a chicken. Three splayed toes at the end of each leg clawed deep in the dirt, bedding the craft to the rock. A shiver coursed through Heath as he remembered Baba Yaga’s hut. That story had scared the shit out of him when he was little. Not unlike now.

  Leaves fluttered close by, even though there wasn’t a breath of wind.

  “Heath…” Isa’s voice was little more than a whisper but he understood. Something was closing in, circling them.

  The rustle of silvery leaves pushed through the branches like a Mexican wave. A warning from the trees? Or were the trees signaling their presence to the hunters pursuing them?

  He eased up the craft and placed a hand on the pale green hull. Organic and pebbled. Like the skin of a lizard.

  He tracked forward, unsure of the entrance location. The craft looked like a large mottled egg dropped in the forest, bulbous at one end with a snub nose at the other. Not a design he recognized. Heath placed his ear against the craft’s frame, listening. Nothing. Sweat stung his eyes. Their options were running out. He didn’t think there was anyone inside…

  Laser fire howled to his left, ricocheting against rock. Isa flinched, dragging him down into a crouch. He held his breath. Someone was crashing through the forest and being noisy about it. The clearing remained empty, but the trees creaked. There was no response from the craft.

  Heath made a split-second decision.

  “Come on.” He skirted the large egg shape, feeling with his free hand for the door mechanism. He’d almost completed a full circuit when something clicked under his fingertips and a section of the hull sank away. Isa retreated behind him as the panel retracted. Cool air drifted out, the scent metallic and sterile. Heath leaned inside. The hull was thick. Inside was much smaller, designed for only two people, but best of all, it was empty.

  Dim light lit the interior.

  “Stay behind me.”

  Panels covered the curved walls of the craft from top to bottom, creating a cocooned shape that was claustrophobic. Heath hissed a slow out breath to calm his speeding heart. Even though the craft was opaque outside, in here, the entire front section was a giant viewscreen that stretched from floor to ceiling. The shadowed skeletons of the trees were starkly outlined against the glass.

  “Where’s the owner?” Isa asked.

  Heath gripped the back of one of two flight seats. “I don’t know but we’re borrowing it.” The seat spun under his grip. It was smooth and supple, fitted with fine leather. This was someone’s expensive play toy.

  Isa rounded his side, her fingers trailing on the leather. “This is awesome.”

  He glanced at the still open rear door then took a seat. Isa followed suit and there was a swishing noise from behind. The craft had sealed shut behind them. His chest tightened. They were committed now.

  “There aren’t any controls.”

  “I can see that.” He ran his fingertips across the arms of the chairs. “This is state-of-the art. Nothing is obvious.”

  “Heath…” Isa pointed to the viewscreen where a drone was hovering outside the craft.

  “Yup.” He pinched his lips together, racking his brains for something useful that would get the tin can airborne.

  Just maybe… He threw himself back into the seat, pressing his head into the headrest.

  A harness snaked from nowhere and restrained him against the seat, the center of the cross fitting snug in the middle of his chest.

  Whoa. “Isa, sit back.”

  She copied his movement, another harness slicking across her slender body. Agitation tainted her voice. “There are still no controls.”

  The drone had disappeared. Heath doubted it had gone far. He drummed his fingers on the armrest. “We just need to work out where they are.” Barbed tension tightened around
his forehead, doubling down by the second. Where were the flight controls?

  Flight.

  The ship sensed his words. Engines woke and reverberated through the floor in a throaty boom that spoke of serious power.

  “We’re off the ground” Isa stabbed a finger at the view across the tree canopy. “How did you do that?”

  “Hang on.” Heath leaned back in his chair, pushing into the head restraint and closed his eyes, visualizing turning the craft. The engine noise escalated to a palpable purr, and when he opened his eyes, the ship was turning as he’d imagined.

  He fired Isa a wide grin. “Holy cow. It reads minds.”

  20

  Isa clung to her seat belt as Heath took the craft higher, the rapid acceleration leaving her stomach somewhere in the tree canopy below. With the extensive viewscreen extending below her feet, her line of sight was unimpeded. “Oh, my God. We’re so high.”

  “I know.” Sheer delight infused his tone and his smile looked set to crack his face in half. “This is amazing. I’ve heard of this kind of tech but I didn’t know they’d built anything like it.” He winked. “Let’s see what she can do.”

  Heath took it higher, blowing through low-lying clouds until the curve of the planet filled the viewscreen. The ship tilted and accelerated, the ground and vegetation merging below as one dizzying blur. Isa tucked her dangling legs under. All that open space beneath made her pulse race, no matter how much confidence she had in Heath’s piloting skills.

  He stroked the armrest, appreciating the quality of the ship’s build. “Luxury ground hopper with all the bells and whistles. If you can afford to hunt on this planet, you’re not short on credits. You only fly the best.” Heath was having fun.

  “Someone will be pissed we took it.”

  Heath shrugged. “Finders keepers.”

  “I always dreamed of flying. My husband didn’t approve. Hover vehicles are the closest I’ve been.”

  He looked at her, dragging his attention away from the ribbons of cloud streaming past them. “Hardly the same.”

  “No.” It wasn’t. Excitement burned through her like electricity. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so alive. Or so close to death.

  Heath leaned forward and his seat restraint released.

  Isa gripped the seat tighter, her knuckles blanching. “What are you doing?” Endless rust-colored mountain ranges swept by at a blistering speed under her feet. The craft was eating up miles like small snacks.

  “You should fly this.”

  Her finger joints popped. “Me? Are you crazy? The only thing I’ve ‘flown’ is a hover vehicle. About a foot off the ground.” She was aware she was sounding shrill. “I’d really prefer it if you got back in the driver’s seat now.”

  “Its fine. It’s on autopilot.” He came behind her seat, his large frame bending over her. Electricity skated up her arms as he covered her hands with his. They were huge, roped muscle and sinew flexing at his wrists, golden hairs dusting his forearms. His face was right at her cheek, his breath warm on her neck.

  God.

  Heat ignited within her, despite her wet clothes. She swallowed, not trusting herself to say anything sensible when he was this close. Her heart was a rapid-fire buzz in her chest. Karl had never made her feel like this.

  Heath guided her hands, the callouses on his fingers scuffing her skin with delicious friction. He pressed her palms against the armrests. “Try it. This ship is so sophisticated it’s child’s play.”

  She risked a glance. The landscape below was toy town size. “We’re too high,” she squeaked.

  A dismissive grunt rumbled deep in his chest. “Just keep her nice and steady.” Was it her imagination or was he closer than he needed to be?

  “Disengaging autopilot.” He stretched and touched his own seat. But then he returned to his position over her, covering her shoulders and back with his solid body. She wasn’t imagining it. He was lingering. A frisson of excitement sparked through her. He wanted to be close to her.

  Isa relaxed, soaking up his confidence, the aura of safety he created within her.

  “Okay, now it’s your turn.”

  “I’m not sure—”

  “Rubbish. Just relax.” He released his grip and slid his hands up to her elbows. His warm breath fanned across her ear. His scent surrounded her. Healthy male sweat mixed with the sharp tang of greenery. She could become used to the shelter of this man around her. Her mind was running ahead of her, throwing caution to the wind but she was no longer sure if she cared. This was new and scary but being with Heath felt right.

  The pads of his fingers grazed the sensitive skin of her elbows. “Ship’s all yours. Have some fun.”

  Fun?

  He was insistent. “You’re a hover engineer? You drive them?”

  “Yes…”

  “Same, just higher up.”

  He made it sound so easy. He believed in her. She narrowed her eyes. There wasn’t a hovercar back home she couldn’t drive.

  “Relax. Open your mind. Be the ship.”

  Isa fought the tension in her body and relaxed into the chair, attempting to think of nothing which was damn well impossible with a big, sexy man hanging over—

  She gasped. Information erupted in her mind, flooding her senses with position, direction, and speed. Ship diagnostics flowed through her in a wave of sheer power that made her toes curl. “Oh my God.”

  A rumble of masculine laughter in her ear. Heath was still beside her. But she was the ship.

  Cool air sluiced under and over her, sweeping through her in a cold arrow of speed. Exhilarating, fluid energy penetrated every atom of her body. She was flying. A crazy smile cracked her face.

  She imagined, and the hopper responded, carving under her control like a speeding dart.

  Heath whooped. “Fly, baby!”

  Lightness filled her chest and happy tears welled at the corners of her eyes. This was what she’d wanted to do her entire life. She slanted the hopper low until it clipped along the top of some trees before exploding out over open desert. She clenched her jaw. This was what she had allowed Karl to stop her from doing. She had no one to blame but herself. “More juice?”

  A vigorous nod. “Hell yeah.”

  Isa pushed and the hopper ripped through the foggy gauze of cloud, climbing into the higher reaches of Resu’s atmosphere.

  Admiration laced Heath’s voice. “Damn, Isa. You never told me you could fly.”

  She pressed down, and the hopper plummeted rushing faster and faster until at the last second she swerved, breathless, corkscrewing back up into the sky. Holy crap. She leveled out, breathing hard, oblivious to everything but the ship and Heath.

  “Can we keep it?” She was breathy with excitement. Long ago, she’d forgotten what joy was. Lost it in her dead marriage. But this? This was living.

  Heath shot her a crooked grin and her heart almost imploded. “Take her over that way.” He pointed right and Isa angled the hopper, sensing the craft’s engines kick down. They hit a cloud and, for a second, the light dimmed, then golden late afternoon sunlight flooded the interior once more. It was exhilarating after the endless hours trudging across the bleak and rocky landscape. “This beats walking any day.”

  He smiled in agreement. “We can find the other escape pods in no time with this beauty but there’s a solar storm approaching.” He pointed at threatening clouds low on the horizon. “We should land.”

  “Sure.” She hid the disappointment in her voice.

  But there were compensations.

  Another night with Heath.

  Did he sound disappointed or pleased? Their worlds were light years apart and this wouldn’t work and yet… he drew her like gravity.

  He edged around the pilot chair so he was facing her. The craft slowed, hovering midair as her focus slipped to the compelling man in front of her.

  “We shouldn’t be doing this.” His voice was a deep rumble as he clasped her wrists, locking her in place.
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  A flush of pleasure stroked down her back. “No,” she breathed. “We can stop if you like.”

  “No.” His face hovered only inches from hers. Heat simmered in his blue eyes. “But… I don’t want to take advantage.” His gaze dropped to the wedding band on her finger.

  Her cheeks pinked and her head dipped. She’d made so many mistakes. Was there any way back from them? “That was over a long time ago.” She didn’t want this—whatever it was—to stop. “Just kiss me.”

  Heath released one wrist and with infinite gentleness, he traced a finger down her cheek and across her lip.

  Isa sighed and closed her eyes. His touch stilled everything within her, eased all the confusion and worry. He didn’t make any of it go away but close to him she believed she could handle it all. It no longer felt insurmountable.

  When she looked again, there was only a whisper of air between them.

  He brushed her forehead with his lips, skimmed lower, his breath soft as a butterfly across her cheek. Goosebumps pricked her shoulders as his lips grazed her skin.

  “Isa.” Her name sounded cherished on his lips.

  He snagged her lip, nipping the sensitive area. She groaned, a soft animal noise as he deepened the kiss and tugged her other hand free. She pulled him close, her fingers pushing into his thick hair. The taste of him was an unstoppable torrent in her bloodstream. Like the first sip of ice-cold champagne. Potent and intoxicating, weakening every barrier she had constructed to survive her loveless marriage.

  No one had ever told her kissing could be like this.

  She didn’t want it to end, but he broke the kiss, resting his forehead against hers, the sooty blackness of his eyelashes tickling her cheek. “I’m sorry…”

  Isa pressed a finger to his lips and took his hand and pressed it to her breastbone to show him how her heart raced under his touch. “Don’t be.”

  Outside, daylight was fading. Isa swallowed against the thickness stymieing her throat. Reality still waited beyond the confines of the small craft. “We should land before it gets dark.”

  “Yes.” Heath went to sit back in his seat, taking his time to release her fingers. He ran a finger under his ripped collar. The kiss had left him hot and bothered too.