by Maven, Ella
“Mikko,” I whispered.
“Now you see, warrior Rian, why I will do anything for you,” his voice was low, almost seductive. “Because you are the only good thing to ever come into my life. Since I can remember, I’ve only wanted to destroy my enemies for revenge. That festers in here.” He jabbed his finger at his temple. “And in here.” He pounded his fist over his heart.
I gasped softly.
“It’s a sickness that tore me up from the inside. But now because of you, my purpose isn’t to destroy. It’s to protect and deliver you to safety where you can live out a happy life in this galaxy that’s far from your home. I want to create something with you, not destroy others.” A slight smile curved his lips. “There have been many rotations I wished I wouldn’t wake up, that my cora would stop pumping the toxic anger through my veins. Now, there’s nothing better than breathing the same air as you.”
Every single word was a shot of adrenaline. If someone could experience death by a thousand cuts, then one could also be revived by a thousand words from Mikko. I felt like every ugly thought had been chipped away and all that was left was the way I saw myself before all the ugliness of life altered the picture. I saw what Mikko saw. And it was beautiful.
I cupped his cheek, and his eyes fluttered as he leaned into my touch. “It breaks my heart how painful your life has been. I know I didn’t trust you at first, because it’s hard for me to rely on anyone. But you’re the only person in my life who hasn’t given up or let me down when things got rough.”
“I’m not perfect.” His purple eyes bore into mine.
“Perfect by what standards?” I asked.
He flinched, and then frowned. “I’m not sure.”
“Exactly. Objective perfection doesn’t exist.”
“Subjectively, you’re perfect to me.”
“I’ll allow that. And ditto.”
“What’s ditto mean?”
“It’s means I’m repeating what you said.”
“I’m subjectively perfect for you?”
“Yes.”
“Then say it.
“I did!”
“You said, ditto. I don’t like that.” He pouted. An actual pout with pursed lips. “Say it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, big strong Mikko. You’re subjectively perfect for me.”
“You forgot to mention that I had a big cock.”
I barked out a laugh and then playfully slapped him on the cheek. With a sexy growl, he lunged forward, and our lips touched.
I was kissing an alien in an underground hot tub, and in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t even the craziest thing I’d done all day.
* * *
Mikko
Rian tasted like nothing I’d ever had before. Her lips opened for me and I dove inside, tangling my tongue with hers as I sought to imprint her flavor onto my brain.
She clung to me with her short fingers, and her blunt nails dug into my scales.
I hadn’t meant to kiss her, but I hadn’t been able to help myself. When her hand had playfully cracked across my cheek, my cock had leaked libo and for a moment I lost my head. I had to have her.
I’d never met anyone like Rian. She was so small yet fierce. She showed her emotions willfully, and even when she was afraid, she still fought. Her spirit was unlike anyone I met. Despite her situation, she still had a fire within her that called to me.
And she kissed me back without hesitation. On a low groan, she pushed her tongue into my mouth, and I relished in the feel of her want to explore me. Her hands began to roam and everywhere she touched, my nerves lit up with sparks.
My cock pressed against her belly, and I didn’t bother to hide how she made me feel. Her body quivered in my arms, and when I smoothed my hand down her back to squeeze her rounded backside, she let out a breathy moan that nearly made me come.
“Rian,” I whispered as I skated my fangs down her neck. “You make me crazy.”
“Ditto,” she answered with a smile in her voice.
I barked out a laugh and nipped at her soft skin.
The frenzied flapping of wings had me abandon my downward study of her body. My head went up to find Meri sailing into the room in a cacophony of shrills and squeaks. She dropped our clean and folded clothes in a bundle along the edge and patted them frantically while looking over her shoulder.
“What’s going on?” Rian asked a moment before York and Crife hobbled into the room on their stubby legs.
“You must run!” York cried. “They are coming. They will find you!”
“What?” Rian cried.
I didn’t bother asking questions. Using my body to hide her nakedness, I hauled her out of the qua and shoved her clothes at her. We both dressed quickly and then I grabbed her hand. “Is there somewhere we can hide?”
“We have several small tunnels to hide in, but they are only large enough for us.” York’s lower lip quivered. “They are even too small for the pale one.”
“Oh no,” Rian whispered as scraping sounds could now be heard all around us. “What do we do?”
“I’m sorry!” York wailed, clearly distraught. “We never thought to make them larger—”
“It’s not your fault,” I said gruffly.
“The guards gave them tools,” Crife said. “They must have found our main tunnel entrance after the ricin wore off.”
“You three need to hide now before they dig through these walls,” I said, gesturing to the two hilbobs and Meri. “Rian and I will figure something out.
York wrung his hands helplessly while Meri began to flap about and clap her paws together. She emitted a series of squeaks to which Crife listened to intently. When Meri pointed to a small alcove in the room, Crife blinked. “Are you sure?”
Meri once again clapped.
“What’s she saying?” Rian asked.
Crife glanced at York before staring up at me with big eyes. “She wants to help you escape. Topside. She can show you the tunnel she takes to get us supplies. You will have to climb. It will not be easy.”
“We’ll do,” Rian said quickly. She slid a glance at me. “Right?”
“It’s our only chance.” But my gut was uneasy, and I felt unsettled looking at the hilbobs. “But what about you two?”
“We will hide.”
“What if they find you?”
Crife stepped forward and placed a hesitant hand on my wrist. “We will be fine. And if not, then we will die knowing we committed one last good deed.”
“No,” Rian said on a gasp. She reached for Crife and held his clawed paw in hers. “Come with us, please—”
“We cannot climb that far. We are diggers. Not climbers. Our life is here.”
Rian glanced at me helplessly.
“I can carry you,” I offered.
York shook his head with a sad smile. “That is kind, but no. We will only be a burden.” A sudden muffled shout sounded through the cave walls just as dust and debris rained down on our heads. “Quick, go,” Crife urged.
“You must go now.” York handed me my bag, which felt fuller than it had before.
I frowned at it. “Did you—”
“Just some things for you. And Meri.” York swallowed as he gazed at his furry friend.
Were they worried they wouldn’t see each other again? Fleck, my cora hurt. It had been my choice to leave my friends, but the pain of missing them never faded. I thought about them every day.
The two hilbobs joined paws and gave us one last nod. “It’s time for us to hide. Until we meet again.” And as the digging sounds from the outside grew louder, they took off down the tunnel. Meri didn’t waste time. In a flap of wings, she sailed over to an alcove and slid open a small hatch to reveal a doorway. Rian and I ran through it into a small tunnel. A dim solar light lit our way. After closing the hatch, Meri sailed over our heads to lead the way.
The farther we ran, the more distant the digging sounds became, letting me know we were venturing away from the Pit. A faint light appear
ed in the distance, and as we drew closer, I realized it was a single beam of light. When I stepped into it, I looked up and far above me up a narrow vertical path, a small patch of sky was visible.
The problem? To get there, we had to climb straight up. I didn’t have wings like Meri. This was going to be a climb, one agonizing step at a time, using my machets. I looked back at Rian, who blinked at the sky, the light highlighting the small dots on her face. Her hair sparkled. And despite my already aching body, I knew I’d do anything and suffer any pain to get her to the surface.
Eight
Rian
I could see the sky. It’d been so long since I’d seen it, I wanted to cry, but there was no time for emotions. Although the digging sounds were faint, they were still present, and growing louder.
We had to move, or we’d be trapped. But as I stared up the shaft to the surface of the planet, despair stooped my shoulders. That had to be a couple hundred feet straight up. I ran my hands along the walls, and although they were made of the softer stone, there was no way I could climb it. There was nothing to hold onto, and I didn’t trust my strength for that long.
Meri sat on the ground in front of us, clearly worried as she wrung her paws together. Her big eyes shifted between the sky and Mikko.
I watched him as he studied the shaft and dug his claws into the stone to test the material. His great chest heaved, and he dropped his hands to his sides where he flexed his fists. He nodded at Meri. “I can climb. I’ll carry Rian.”
“Wait, what?” I asked. “There’s no way you can climb all that distance with me weighing you down.”
He raised a nubbed brow. “You think I can’t do it?”
“I—it’s not—it’s just—that’s a really long distance!” I pointed up. “How are you going to climb? There’s nothing to hold onto.”
Keeping his gaze locked on me, he ripped out the longest spikes on his forearms, the ones closest to his elbows. He barely flinched, but his purple eyes darkened with the pain. He held up the long spikes and slammed them into the stone. Blood dripped from his arms to splatter onto the ground. “I’ll use these.”
His machets were already regenerating, and they emerged bloody and shiny. I swallowed. “It’s too far.”
“I can handle it. You’ll have to hold onto me. I can’t climb and hold you too.”
He was so sure. I didn’t have any other options but to agree and do my part. I nodded. “Of course. I can do that.”
Leaving the spikes in the walls, he beckoned me with his hands. “Come on then.”
Right, I couldn’t be on his back because of his back spikes. So, I hopped into his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck. I could just barely lock my ankles behind his back. He was thick so it was a stretch. I wasn’t comfortable by any means, but then again, he had to rip out his own spikes. I could hang on to him.
I buried my face in his neck, the scent of him now so familiar. It represented safety to me. I blushed thinking about how it had felt to kiss him. Normally men who were rough around the edges didn’t do it for me, but Mikko… he was different. Maybe because under it all, I could tell he was nothing but sweet and honorable.
He’d proven it to me, and while it took me a long time to trust, once I made my decision, I was loyal. Mikko had earned that loyalty trifold. So, I wanted his rough too.
I wanted to know what he’d sound like when he let go, when he was able to put his hands on me.
Great, now was not the time to be thinking about that as he gripped his spikes stuck in the wall and got into position.
“Meri,” his deep voice rumbled.
I repositioned my grip at the back of his neck and spotted the hilphen standing at attention.
“You fly ahead. I’ll follow.”
A deep boom reverberated somewhere in the distance, and dust cascaded over our heads. A chunk of stone from above us came loose and crashed to the ground at our feet, narrowly missing Meri.
“Go!” Mikko shouted at the hilphen. “Before this shaft caves in!”
I hadn’t even thought of the shaft caving in. Thoughts of being buried alive gave me a full-body tremble. With a flap of wings, Meri took off. With a deep breath, Mikko plunged his spikes higher into the shaft, and he began to climb.
The shaft was slightly narrower than Mikko’s arm span. Using the spikes in his fists, he slammed one into the rock and hauled himself up enough to slam the other spike a little bit higher. Each time was an effort, as he grunted and panted.
He used his legs to help haul himself up, but the majority of his body weight was hauled by his arms. The sharp edges of the spikes dug into his hands, and by the time we were halfway up the shaft, he was panting heavily, and his palms were bleeding. Black blood trickled down his wrists and forearms to drip ominously off his elbows.
I felt useless just clinging to him as he used every muscle in his body to get us to safety. More explosions sounded in the distance, each one causing stones to crash down around our heads. One hit Mikko’s biceps, and with a cry, his hand slipped off the spike, I screamed as we swung to the side and crashed into the shaft wall, held there by Mikko’s one-handed grip on the other spike. His blood dripped on my forehead, and his breath was hot and heavy in my hair.
“Mikko,” I whimpered.
“I’m okay,” he panted. “Just give me…” his breath came in sharp gasps. “a moment.”
“Can I help? What can I do?”
His free hand patted my back. “You’re doing great.”
“I’m not doing anything. You’re doing all the work. You’re bleeding. You’re tired—”
He bristled at that. “I’m not tired.”
Despite our situation, I held back a smile. He was such a male. If a little ego stroking got us out of here, then I wasn’t above it. “You’re right. My mistake. Gosh, you’re so strong. I can’t believe how well you’re climbing. You’re my hero.”
He pulled us up with one hand and managed, with a loud grunt, to grasp the other spike. “Are you patronizing me?”
“Not at all.”
“Hmmm,” he hummed under his breath. “I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just hang here then.”
“Mikko!”
“What’s my incentive to get you to the surface, warrior Rian?”
I couldn’t believe he was smirking. “Now is not the time.”
“Now is exactly the time.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to lick you.”
My breath left my body in a rush. “Um…”
He began to climb again, grunting each time he pulled us higher. “I want—” grunt, “—to lap up—” grunt, “the sweet juices of your hot—” grunt, “tight—” grunt, “wet—” grunt, “cunt.”
And… I was turned on. At a totally inappropriate time. But damn, his voice was gravelly and thick. His muscles were bulging. He was bleeding for me, and yeah, I was down for whatever he wanted. I buried my face in his neck. “I did promise I’d lay myself out for you like a buffet if you got us out of here, so I’ll uphold that promise.”
“That’s my warrior mate,” he murmured.
“Mate?”
A sudden, close explosion rocked the shaft. From above, I heard Meri squawk and I glanced up to see her perched on the lip of the shaft at the surface. She seemed close yet so far away at the same time.
Mikko let out a cry of agony as several stones slammed into us. One glanced off my head and I felt a trickle of blood slip down my temple.
I gritted my teeth at the pain, unwilling to draw attention to my injury.
“No jokes, Mikko,” I yelled as the shaft trembled. “Please, please get us out of here. I could never do what you are doing. I don’t know anyone who can. I trust you and I believe in you. Now please, climb!”
With a roar that echoed up and down the shaft, Mikko hauled ass. One fist after another, he powered up the shaft as it crumbled around us. To the percussion of explosions and the symphony of Mikko’s grunts along with Meri’s squeaks, we
reached the top of the shaft in record time.
Mikko flung us out of the hole onto the red sand of the surface just as the shaft below us imploded. We scrambled out of the way of the sinking dirt until we were safely at a distance to stare as the shaft caved in. In record time, the sand came to a standstill, and it was like the shaft never existed.
I placed my hand over my mouth as I knelt in horror. “York and Crife,” I gasped.
Meri sat at my side despondently, one hand on my knee while the other gripped the fur on the top of her head. She made little snuffling noises that sounded a lot like crying.
“Maybe they’re okay,” I patted her back. “They said they had lots of tunnels, right?”
She nodded and I turned to attend to Mikko. He lay flat on his back, staring up into the sky as his mighty chest heaved. His hands were worse than I realized—his palms sliced clean to the bone. I shuffled to his side and gripped them, horrified. “Mikko!”
“They will heal,” he muttered, but he held his arms stiffly, and I didn’t like how pale he was.
I ripped a few fabric strips from the bottom of my shirt and wrapped them around his palms. I despaired at the fact they were soaked with black blood in seconds. “What can I do?”
“I promise they’ll… heal.” His eyes seemed glassy. “Is there qua?”
I hauled the pack from my back and upended the contents of the canteen in his mouth. He sputtered a moment and pushed me away. “Not too much,” he admonished. “Need to ration it. Desert planet, you know?”
“You need this right now. I don’t give a fuck if I have qua if I don’t have you!”
I hadn’t meant to shout it, but I did. His eyes went soft for a split second, and a faint ghost of his telltale smirk crossed his lips. “Okay, warrior Rian. Help me drink.”
He’d swallowed a few gulps with his eyes closed when a shadow fell over us.
Immediately, Meri started losing her shit.
I glimpsed up and all I saw was a massive figure blotting out the sun. I lunged for one of the spikes Mikko had used to climb and snatched it up. Brandishing it in front of me, I crouched over Mikko and snarled, “Stay back.”
