by Hacket, Anna
“Say it.”
Their gazes locked. Cren, she was stubborn. He could tell she wanted to disobey him.
And why did he find that just a little bit intriguing? Probably because no one ever disobeys you.
“Davion,” she bit out.
“There. Not so hard.”
“You are incredibly aggravating.”
He melded with his symbiont, and a second later, a knife formed from the scales on his wrist. The blade glowed blue.
He saw her staring at it.
“Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.” He cut through the bindings, then shoved one of the backpacks at her. “Now, we have to go.”
His blade melded away, and he grabbed a shirt from his bags and pulled it on.
“Where are—?”
He pulled his pack on. “No time. For now, you follow my orders.”
She bad-temperedly shoved her arms through the straps of her backpack. “Men. All the same, regardless of species. Bossy.”
She stabbed a finger at his chest, and Davion felt a strange, electric sizzle. She must have felt it too, because she snatched her hand back and scowled.
“For now, we get away from the Kantos,” she said. “But I won’t be following your orders, War Commander. I follow no one’s orders.”
He grabbed her wrist, and when she tried to tug away, he held her with ease. “It’s Davion. Now, let’s go. That’s a request, not an order, but you’d better move. A Kantos kill squad will be here soon.”
She yanked her hand free, spun, and stomped off the ruined shuttle.
Davion followed. Well, his vacation was off to an interesting start.
* * *
Ugh, she hated the jungle. Sweat was dripping down into Eve’s eyes, and her high-tech spacesuit was not designed for the intense humidity. The suit stuck to her skin everywhere.
Ahead of her, Davion slashed through the trees and vines with the cool-ass machete blade that he’d created from his symbiont. It was attached to his arm, like an extension of him.
The man looked like he was out for an afternoon stroll.
He had a shirt on now, at least. His distracting chest was covered, but his powerful arms were bare. The muscles in his arm bulged with each swing of his sword.
Tearing her gaze off his bronze skin, she looked at the sword again. It glowed a brilliant blue, like the filaments in his eyes, and it looked damn sharp. She wanted to ask questions about his symbiont, but she doubted he’d answer them.
They heard the sound of a ship passing nearby and both froze. The Kantos were clearly still searching for them.
“Down,” Davion barked.
They both crouched, staring up through the jungle canopy. The plant beside her had huge leaves, twice as big as she was. Nearby, dense vines covered the trees, and glowed neon-green, pink, and blue.
The sounds of the searching ship faded.
“Let’s keep moving,” he said.
“Where to?”
“There’s a comm station about seven milar from here.” He tilted one wrist to look at the small comp screen attached to it.
“This is an Eon planet?” she asked.
“Yes. Hunter7. It’s a training planet for warriors.”
They kept moving, keeping up their rapid pace through the jungle. Eve didn’t complain. She wanted as much distance between them and the Kantos as possible.
One good thing about the Kantos attack was that it might just sweeten the Eon into helping Earth. She glanced at the war commander’s broad back. Maybe.
Finally, Davion waved at her and they paused for a drink. She grabbed a container of water from her backpack and gulped some down eagerly.
Suddenly, noises came from behind them. Something crashing through the jungle.
They both turned, staring in the direction they’d come.
“An animal?” she asked.
“Perhaps.”
Then she heard a distinctive clicking sound. She cursed. “No. Kantos.”
The sounds of pursuit were getting louder.
“Go,” Davion growled.
They moved fast. This time, the warrior didn’t slash at the foliage. They couldn’t risk leaving a trail.
Vines and leaves slapped at her, as they crashed through the undergrowth. They startled a small, furry creature. It had huge eyes, and hissed at them before it leaped up in the branches and scurried away.
They kept running, fighting their way through the vegetation. A vine tangled around Eve, tightening like a snake.
Shit. She shoved against it. Davion turned, grabbed it, and yanked it off her.
“Thanks.”
Together, they leaped over the log of a fallen tree with purple bark. Suddenly, Davion halted and stiffened. He lifted his head, scanning the jungle.
“Davion?” she asked cautiously. She couldn’t hear or see anything.
A Kantos bug leaped out of a tree, landing between them.
This particular alien had a sturdy, armored body with six legs, and long antennae on its round head. It also had two sharp mandible pincers, covered in serrated edges. She’d seen this type of bug before. They were like Kantos scout dogs.
Davion engaged, moving so fast he was a blur. Black armor spilled out over his body, his blue sword extending out from his wrist.
As he crashed into the Kantos creature, Eve held her breath. They swiveled, and he slashed at the creature in a whirl of blue.
Damn, the man could fight.
She watched as the bug slammed Davion into a tree. She winced.
Then, she sensed movement behind her. Company.
Calm dropped over her, and she grabbed a neon-green vine hanging right beside her. It pulsed in her hand. She turned, and she and another ugly Kantos bug faced each other.
“Come on, you butt-ugly creepy-crawly.”
The Kantos bug made a clicking sound, moving from side to side. A smell wafted from it, and Eve’s stomach churned—rot and decay.
Suddenly, the bug launched at her.
Wait. Wait. Every instinct told her to move, but she held in place.
When the alien reached her, she jumped, and wrapped the vine around the bug’s neck. She spun over its hard back, coiling the vine around it. As soon as her boots hit dirt, she pulled back.
The bug screeched and wriggled like crazy. Its legs scrabbled on the muddy ground as it tried to break free.
Eve gritted her teeth. No, you damn well don’t. But the creature was strong, and she couldn’t hold it much longer. A second later, two strong arms wrapped around her from behind. Davion’s hands closed on the vine, right beside hers. He added his strength to hers, and they yanked back, hard.
The Kantos bug’s neck snapped.
As the alien’s body dropped to the ground, Eve leaned over, sucking in air. She glanced over and saw the bug he’d been fighting was lying on the ground, not moving. Green blood leaked down its side.
Suddenly, Davion stiffened.
Two Kantos soldiers stepped out of the trees.
They walked on four long, jointed legs, had strong torsos of hard, brown shell, and two arms held out in front of them. The edges of their arms were razor-sharp. Kantos soldiers had no need for weapons when they had their own built in.
Hardened armored plates covered their shoulders and the top of their heads. Four small, yellow eyes glowed in two rows of two above a narrow mouth filled with very sharp teeth.
Fuck.
The Kantos soldiers rushed forward. Eve and Davion burst into action. Kick. Duck. Punch. Spin.
Davion was a fierce haze of black. Eve rammed a boot into the gut of her soldier and watched him stumble. He snarled at her. Damn, they were ugly.
She spun and jumped, her roundhouse catching him in his nasty face. He staggered back.
“Warrior.” She rammed into the soldier, sending it slamming into Davion’s opponent.
Anticipating her move, Davion dropped, slashing out with his deadly blue sword. His soldier was cut almost in two. With a wild clicking noise, it
made a kamikaze charge at Davion.
Eve’s soldier leaped back. His burning, yellow eyes fell on her, deciding she was the weaker prey. She smiled wickedly. “Bring it, bug boy.”
The soldier threw out its sharp, sword-like arms. He came at her, slashing.
Shit. Eve snatched a branch off the ground and swung it up like a bat. It smacked into the soldier’s arms and she heard him grunt.
“How do you like that?” she yelled.
She swung again, hitting the Kantos’ chest. It screeched.
“Oh yeah, I have more where that came from, Mr. Creepy.”
He rushed her on those fast-moving legs and she tried to twist away, but she felt a burn on her thigh.
Ow. She tried to block the pain, but as she turned, her leg muscle spasmed and she stumbled. The soldier tackled her, and they crashed into the rotting leaves in a tangle of limbs.
The Kantos rose up above her and she kicked her legs, trying to get him off her. “Oh, you like to get up close and personal? Well, just because you’re bigger doesn’t mean you’re tougher than me, asshole.”
He raised his clawed hand.
Eve’s muscles bunched, and she readied herself to dodge and knock him off her—
Suddenly, the tip of a blue sword burst through the soldier’s chest, just inches from her eyes.
She saw the Kantos’ four beady little eyes flare. Davion ripped his sword free and the Kantos collapsed. Eve quickly rammed her arms up and shoved the soldier off her.
“Jeez.” She pulled in some deep breaths. “They always smell so bad.”
Davion looked down at her. “Do you always talk so much when you fight?”
“Depends on my mood.”
He gave a tiny shake of his head, and Eve thought that perhaps he was amused.
“You are a decent fighter, Sub-Captain.”
“Ooh, big praise.” She shrugged. “Since we encountered the Kantos, we’ve adapted our fight training. Projectiles don’t always work on their hard bodies, so we learn a lot more hand-to-hand, and sword fighting.”
“Industrious.” He held out a hand and she took it. He pulled her up.
They stared at each other. Her blood was fired up, pumping thickly through her veins. They’d just taken down two Kantos bugs and two soldiers. Where Davion held her fingers, she felt that weird, tantalizing tingle.
Then they both moved closer to each other, their chests bumping.
She felt the air around him charge and heat. Oh God, it was like hot, edgy desire was wrapping around her like smoke.
“Oh, shit,” she said.
“Indeed.”
She had no idea if she kissed him or if he kissed her, but suddenly her arms wrapped around him and he scooped her off her feet. Eve was crushed against his hard chest, the kiss rough and hungry and fierce.
God, the man tasted like nothing she’d ever sampled before. A drug she wanted more of. She moaned. His fingers bit into her ass, while his other hand slid into her hair, tugging her head back. His kiss deepened, his tongue sliding into her mouth.
Eve bit his lip and tasted blood in her mouth. He growled and tugged on her hair. She wanted to devour him, be devoured.
Somewhere close by, an animal howled.
They released each other and stumbled back. Davion reached up and touched his lip. Eve licked hers.
Shit. Damn. Fuck.
What the hell was that?
Davion straightened, slamming down on the emotion soaking the air. With it gone, Eve felt a little bereft.
His face was unreadable, even if his eyes looked a little clouded. “We have to go.”
Eve nodded, skimming her hands down her suit.
“You aren’t injured?” he asked.
“Slight graze on my thigh. It’s fine.” Blocking out all her thoughts, she leaned down, and gripped one of the downed Kantos’ arms. She pressed a boot to his jointed elbow and yanked. The forearm broke off and she held it up. Makeshift sword. She swung it in a test swing and nodded. It would do.
Davion stared at her for a moment. Then he pulled out her blaster. “You might need this as well.”
“Thanks.” She slipped it into her holster. Then she hefted her new weapon and nodded. “Now, let’s move.”
Chapter Six
Davion moved fast through the giant plants, Eve keeping pace beside him. The little Terran kept surprising him.
In the distance, the call of some sort of beast echoed. He cocked his head. Far enough away to not worry about.
He pulled in a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. Despite the circumstances, it was always nice to be off the ship and not breathing recycled air. He breathed again, and this time his symbiont-enhanced senses brought him Eve’s scent.
She was perspiring, they both were, but he could easily pull the thread of her own unique scent from beneath it. Something flared in his body.
Davion could still taste her as well.
He shook his head. He needed an attraction to the kidnapping Terran criminal like he needed a Kantos kill squad to jump out of the sky and land on top of him.
Davion tilted his wrist, checking the timer on his comp screen. They still had a bit of time before he estimated the next biome shift would hit. Though Hunter7 was designed to be unpredictable and keep a warrior guessing, so it was possible his estimate could be off.
He heard a low curse and glanced back.
His Terran had slowed, lifting her boots up through a patch of sticky mud.
“Keep moving, Eve. We want to get to that comm station sooner, rather than later.”
She shot him a look and another curse.
Shaking his head, and ignoring the unfamiliar urge to smile, he pushed some huge leaves aside. On the other side was a small clearing, ringed by multicolored vegetation. The trees here speared high into the sky, their trunks virulent pink with leaves a wild mix of blue, green, and yellow.
“Wow.” Eve tipped her head back, mouth open.
Davion’s gaze stayed on her. He studied her surprisingly full lips, then the long column of her throat. For a second, he relived the kiss—the searing passion and heated need.
She had an elegant neck, long and slim, yet she was so tough. Her body was lean muscle and strength, but it was easy to glimpse the femininity beneath it.
Eve’s hair barely reached her shoulders, and it was a gorgeous, fascinating black. It matched her dark spacesuit that was built for stealth. A suit that also showed her curves.
He blew out a breath. He’d never seen a more enticing female.
His cock stirred. Okay, it wasn’t just her looks. Perhaps he enjoyed their verbal sparring, and watching her fight had something to do with the attraction as well. Eon females could be warriors, but few chose that as a profession.
Lost in thought, he didn’t pay any attention as Eve wandered closer to one of the colorful trees. It was covered in bright-yellow pods.
She reached up.
Davion snapped out of his reverie. “Eve, no—”
Poof.
The small pods on the tree burst, a pink mist pumping into the air. The small particles hung for a second, and Eve laughed, waving her hand through it.
Davion’s chest contracted. “Eve!”
As soon as her fingers touched the mist, it started to stir. It swirled around her body, moving like it was caught by a strong wind.
“What the hell?” Eve stiffened.
The mist solidified and clamped down on her body. The pink substance stuck to her, trapping her arms to her sides. A line of it ran back into the tree like a vine.
“Fucking hell.” She started to struggle.
“Hold still.” Davion hurried over. “The more you move, the more it will tighten.”
The substance contracted, lifting her off the ground. She swung from the tree, her feet well-clear of the ground.
She stilled instantly, her eyes wide. “What is it?”
“Most things on this planet are designed to entrap and kill you.” They were at eye level.
She hissed.
Davion called on his symbiont and generated a knife. He saw her eyes flash as he lifted the blade to her chest. He started cutting into the sticky, pink substance.
“Hold still,” he warned.
“Where do you think I’m going to go?” she said dryly.
“Are you always this ornery?”
She tilted her head. “When trapped by strange alien bubble gum that’s trying to strangle me? Yes. Actually, most of the time.”
He grunted, getting one of her arms free.
“So, what exactly is this place, again?” she asked.
“Hunter7 is designed to test an Eon warrior. To push him to his limits.”
“Great. And this is where you chose to have your vacation?”
“Yes.”
She snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”
Davion finally managed to free her, and she dropped down from the tree. He caught her as she fell.
They stared at each other for a charged second, and his gaze dropped to her lips. Again, he remembered that kiss.
Eve quickly shifted, twisting to get her feet on the ground. But before he let her go, he detected her pulse jumping in her throat.
She stomped across the small clearing. “Right. Don’t touch any pretty plants. Everything is out to kill you. Lesson learned.”
She was putting space between them. For some reason, Davion found it very satisfying to know his presence affected her.
He nodded, his knife melting away. He moved up beside her. “Let’s keep moving. I highly doubt the Kantos will give up this easily.”
Her blue gaze flicked to him. “You think they’re hunting us?”
“For sure.”
“Why?”
Davion frowned. “I’d like to know.”
“Well, they don’t know I’m here, so they must be after you.”
“It seems I’m a popular man.”
“I assume you didn’t broadcast your plans to vacation here.”
“No, but it wasn’t a secret either. It’s possible the Kantos intercepted a communication.”
They pushed through the next wall of vegetation and kept hiking through the jungle. Without much conversation, they trekked on for another hour, pausing briefly every once in a while to listen for any approaching threats. The plant life got thicker, and he once again used his sword to slash a path for them. Then the sound of water caught his ears.
