by Hacket, Anna
When he stepped out of the trees this time, there was a large chasm cutting through the ground ahead of them. It was like a giant gash in the ground. He peered down at the river raging below, heaving and rushing over sharp rocks.
Eve groaned. “Please tell me we don’t have to cross this.” She wiped an arm across her forehead, mopping off her sweat-dampened face.
“The comm station is on that hill.” He pointed to the peak across the river.
She groaned again.
“Come on, Terran. Surely you enjoy a challenge.”
She made a gesture with her hand, her middle finger raised. He didn’t know exactly what it meant, but he could guess.
Davion scanned the area, and spotted some sturdy, long vines dangling from the nearby trees. He grabbed one, testing it. Then he looked down at the water.
“Here.” He passed one vine to her.
She took it, tugging on it. Her lips tipped up. “Me Tarzan, you Jane.”
He frowned. He had no idea what she was talking about. “What?”
“Nothing. Okay, time for a little swing.” She winked. “See you on the other side, warrior.”
She pushed off. Of course, she did. There was no caution or hesitation in this woman. She barreled into any situation with a confidence he admired.
She swung out powerfully and he watched her arch through the air. She was such a surprise, this Terran warrior.
All of a sudden, there was a violent splash of water.
Davion took a step forward. No. His muscles locked.
A giant, streamlined, reptilian creature lunged up from the water. Its giant, fang-filled jaws were opening…and aimed right at Eve.
* * *
Fucking fuck.
One second, Eve was enjoying the wind in her face as she swung over the river, the next she was watching a freaking enormous, crocodile-like monster rear up out of the water.
Shit.
It looked hungry, and she was clearly the snack on offer.
She pulled her legs up. There was nowhere to go, and the thing was huge. It looked like some sort of dinosaur had mated with a crocodile and given birth to this mutant offspring.
Oh, God, all those teeth…
She cursed the Eon warriors and their need to have this deadly, everything-out-to-kill-you planet.
The beast was coming up beneath her, moving fast. Her pulse hammered under her skin, and her heart felt like it was about to tear out of her chest.
Suddenly, a heavy weight hit her from behind. Large arms clamped around her, and they swung forward with a sharp jerk. The giant reptile snapped its jaws closed, inches behind them.
Davion’s arms held her tight as they swung the rest of the way to the other side of the chasm.
They hit the ground together, releasing the vines, and both of them rolling to their knees. Eve turned, watching the giant dino-croc sink back into the water.
“Damn. Damn.” She tried to calm her breathing.
“You okay?” Davion asked.
“Yes. No. Jeez.” She looked at him. “I hate your planet.”
He smiled.
It made an already attractive face damn irresistible. He was so damn big, strong, and powerful. And he’d saved her life.
Eve pulled in another breath, adrenaline surging through her veins. She was alive and free. They were both gloriously alive.
She crawled toward him.
He watched her come, his face impassive.
She pressed her hands to his chest and he fell back. She straddled his lap.
Her mouth hit his.
This time, the kiss shot straight to wild in seconds. Eve opened her lips and his tongue surged into her mouth. She ground against him, and his hands clamped on her ass, pulling her closer. She felt the very large bulge between her thighs and undulated against it. His tongue stroked hers, and she sucked on it, kissing him harder. Then his hands were tearing at her suit.
She showed him the release near her neck, and he pushed it down. The suit spilled open, baring her breasts. Support was built into the suit, so no bra was required. He had instant full access to her naked breasts.
He made a hungry sound and his mouth closed over one nipple.
Oh God. Her head dropped back. He sucked hard and she moaned. Pleasure arrowed through her, right to her middle. Hungrily, his mouth moved to the other breast, and she tangled her hands in his thick hair.
“Beautiful.” He murmured the word against her skin. His hands bit into her, and she felt the desire pulsing off him.
He made her feel beautiful.
Then, a vicious squawk echoed overhead, and they froze.
Whoa. What the hell was she doing? Eve leaped up, pulling her suit closed. Her damn hands weren’t steady and it took a few tries.
Davion rose stiffly, and she could hardly miss the giant bulge in the front of his pants.
“Maybe something on this planet is affecting us?” she said. “A pollen, or pheromone, or something.”
His brow was scrunched and he didn’t look convinced. “That must be it.”
“You’re Eon and I’m Terran.”
“I’m well aware. I’m a war commander, and you’re a Terran criminal.”
Eve shoved her hands through her hair. The Kantos were hunting them, she’d almost gotten eaten by a tree and a dino-croc, and now she was making out with the Eon war commander that she’d abducted.
A fierce, annoying, Eon war commander.
She was clearly losing her mind.
“We need to get to the comm station,” he said. “That is our only goal. I never, ever get sidetracked by anything.”
Right, so kissing her was a mistake. “Never?”
“Never.”
“Don’t you ever take a day for yourself? Chill out? Relax?”
His brow creased, like she’d asked him if he liked to salsa dance naked on his bridge. “No.”
Eve smoothed her hands down her thighs. “War commanders aren’t allowed to have fun, huh?”
His gaze had dropped to follow her hands, then he jerked it up. “My life is my job. I get pleasure from serving the Eon Empire.”
“That sounds uptight and lame.”
His eyes flashed. “I’d expect that response from a Terran.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Everyone is entitled to do some things for themselves, Davion. Even you.”
He looked unconvinced.
Moving on. “So, the plants are trying to kill us, the animals are trying to kill us—”
“I warned you that everything on Hunter7 is designed to test you.”
Just great. “And the Kantos are trying to kill us.” She sucked in a deep breath. Time to get her head back in the game. “Where’s the comm station?”
Davion lifted his head, looking at a distant hill. “Up there.”
Eve set her shoulders back, then scowled. “I lost my Kantos weapon in the river.” She hoped the dino-croc choked on it. “I still have my blaster but a sword would be better.”
“There are weapons caches all over the planet. We’ll pass one on the way to the comm station. We can do better than a piece of Kantos arm.”
Weapons caches. Of course there were.
Davion gave her one of his unreadable looks and then spun, trekking off into the jungle. She followed, trying not to look at his ass. Again, she remembered the very large cock brushing between her legs.
She swallowed a groan. Yep, definitely losing her mind.
They trekked in silence for a while, and were getting closer to the hill, when the ground started shaking.
Davion cursed.
“What now?” Eve held her arms out to keep her balance.
“I was hoping we’d make it to the comm station before this.”
“This?” She grabbed his arm. “What is this?”
The ground tilted and split open nearby. She sucked in a breath.
“The biome is changing.”
It was what? Sand began to spill out of the crack, and she watched th
e jungle vegetation nearby start shrinking, like it had been subjected to heat.
Davion grabbed her, holding on tight as the ground continued to shake around them. A tree toppled, crashing to the ground. Sand rose up, covering it.
Eve held onto Davion, watching more sand wash over their boots. A few minutes later, the shaking stopped.
Eve looked around and gasped. Holy space dust. The jungle was…gone.
The air was dry and the sun felt extra hot on her skin. All around them lay huge desert sand dunes.
“Davion…”
“Hunter7 is a synthetic planet, Eve.”
She stared up at him. “You made it?”
He nodded. “We used a proto-planet, and our scientists augmented it. It was designed to be a proving ground for our warriors. Every few hours, the biome changes. A new climate, new vegetation, new animals, new challenges.”
“All out to kill you.”
“To test you.”
She snorted. “And the comm station?”
“Still in place. As are the weapons caches, healing stations, and rest stations. They’re scattered around to aid warriors.”
Eve shook her head. “It’s like being in a giant videogame.” She tipped her head. “How are the stations restocked?”
“It’s all automatically done by the planet. When a biome changes, the stations are replenished according to the program.”
“And the dead Kantos and your shuttle?”
“Dead organic matter is absorbed by the planet. Inorganic materials, including objects like shuttles, are left untouched.”
“What if a warrior is badly injured or killed?”
“Then he’s failed the test of his abilities. However, warriors in training who are sent to the hunter planets are monitored and retrieved, if necessary.” Davion searched the dunes. “There.”
She followed the direction he pointed, and saw a glint of sunlight off metal at the peak of a huge dune.
The comm station.
She smiled briefly. Not too far away. “Okay, let’s go before giant sand creatures try to eat us, or something worse happens.”
He shook his head, and she was pretty sure he was trying not to smile. They started trudging through the sand.
There was a roar of sound in the sky.
They both looked up. Two Kantos ships—that looked like ugly flying insects—cut through the blue, heading toward them.
Davion cursed and Eve closed her eyes. It looked like she’d jinxed them.
“There’s no cover.” He gripped her arm. “Run!”
Chapter Seven
They sprinted up a dune. It was slow going. The sand certainly wasn’t making it easy.
Laser fire struck the ground nearby and Davion leaped, taking Eve with him. They hit the top of the dune, somersaulted, then started rolling down the other side.
Cren.
Eve came up cursing, spitting sand out of her mouth.
They ran, hearing the Kantos ships circling. Eve yanked out her laser weapon and was taking shots at the ships. Ahead, at the peak of the next dune, Davion could see the outline of the comm station.
So close.
A Kantos ship cut through the sky in front of them. Davion melded with his helian, and the weapon on his arm morphed into a blaster. He aimed up at the ship and fired.
Boom.
It only took one shot. The laser blast hit the ship, and it exploded in a fireball of flames and smoke. It crashed into the sand nearby.
“Move,” he barked.
“I’m moving,” she snapped back.
They both pumped their arms as they dashed up the final dune. They just had to get a message off to the Desteron, and help would be sent.
The second Kantos ship roared overhead. This one was bigger.
Boom. Boom.
A barrage of laser fire blasted the comm station.
The installation exploded, rattling the ground beneath Davion and Eve. Eve jerked and started to slip back down the dune. Davion grabbed her.
She stared up at the destroyed station, her mouth open.
There was another bombardment of laser fire. It hit the sand not far from them, tracking toward them. Davion slammed into Eve.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the red flames of the comm station suck inward. Cren. He knew what was about to happen.
He covered Eve’s body and they slid down the dune. As they slowed, he pressed her into the sand.
The massive explosion was deafening, turning the world a brilliant white. Something heavy slammed into his back, and he heard the whine of the Kantos ship’s engines as it sped out of the blast zone.
Eve shifted under him.
“Hold still,” he warned. “They used plasma weapons. And they’ll be back.”
They stayed there, partly buried by the sand. Davion’s ears were ringing. Sure enough, the ship circled overhead again, clearly searching for them.
Or their dead bodies.
The minutes ticked by, and finally, the ship sped off.
Davion sat up and pulled Eve up beside him. She pushed her tangled hair out of her face, sand streaming out of it. Her face was covered in grit and grime.
She shook her head, fingers rubbing her ears, and stared at the ruins of the comm station. “Well, fuck.”
He rose and she pushed to her feet beside him. He glanced down at himself, and saw that he was coated in dust and grime as well.
“And I lost my favorite blaster.” Her nose screwed up. “Is there another comm station?”
He nodded.
Her nose wrinkled more. “Your face tells me you aren’t too happy about something, warrior. I can feel unhappiness pumping off you.”
His people had told him before that his face was like stone—scary and unreadable. And he’d spent years learning to stop his helian-amplified emotions from leaking out. That she could read him so easily was slightly disturbing. “My helian magnifies my emotions.”
Her eyes turned curious, dropping to his wrist. “Really?”
“A warrior usually can shut it off.”
She made a sound. “You don’t. It blasts off you like a wave.”
“Not usually.”
Eve nodded. “Well, this fucked up situation would be enough to make anyone gush pissed-off vibes.”
Davion didn’t think it was simply the situation, it was this woman as well.
“So, the other comm station,” she prompted.
“It’s a day’s trek away,” he told her.
She groaned. “And in the meantime, the planet will keep changing and trying to kill us.”
He nodded.
“And the Kantos will keep hunting us.” She cocked her head. “They want you badly.”
“I noticed,” he said dryly.
“Why?”
“I’m a war commander in the Eon Fleet, Eve.” His pointed gaze zeroed in on her face. “A lot of people are interested in abducting me.”
She smiled. “Touché.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“Good point.” She rubbed a hand down her face, smearing the dirt on it.
Davion was well aware they were both battered and tired. They needed to rest and refuel before they pushed on to the next comm station. He tugged off his backpack and offered her some water.
She wasted no time chugging it back. He sipped his water and pulled out some nutrition bars. He handed her one and tore open his own.
Taking a big bite, she paused and chewed. “This tastes way better than the crap Space Corps gives us for missions.”
He almost smiled. “I didn’t pack much. I had planned to hunt fresh food.” He glanced at his wrist. “There should be a healing station close by.” He spotted the glowing dot on his screen. “It isn’t too far. It will have additional food, water, and medical supplies.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “That’s something.”
“Also, the biome doesn’t change at night.”
“Well, that’s good, too.” She smiled.
>
Davion couldn’t believe she could smile at a time like this. He nodded in the direction of the healing station, and they started trudging through the sand.
The sun was scorching hot and unforgiving. It was enough to make him wish he had chosen the pleasure planet option for his vacation.
Then he glanced at Eve. Fascinating, intriguing, infuriating Eve.
Maybe not.
They continued on over the dunes, the ground becoming stony. Small, sharp rocks poked up through the sand in places.
“The station should be close,” he said.
“Thank God.”
Davion stopped, looked at his wrist screen again. Eve took a few more steps, glancing out toward the horizon.
Suddenly, the ground shifted beneath their feet, the sand rippling.
They both froze.
“Biome change?” Eve said.
He frowned. “Too soon.”
Then, Eve’s boots started sinking into the sand. “What the—?”
Davion started sinking as well.
“Quicksand.” Eve threw her hands in the air. “Just what we needed.”
They sank fast, the sand sucking at their legs. Davion tried to lift his boots up, but the sand was too viscous.
“Don’t struggle,” he warned. “You’ll just sink faster.”
“Have I told you that I hate this planet?”
By Eshar’s bow, she made him want to laugh at the worst times.
Davion was waist-deep now. He made swimming motions, trying to get closer to her.
“Eve, take my hand.” He stretched out one arm.
She reached out, their fingers brushing. They missed.
They were sinking fast now. Davion kicked his legs, trying to keep his head above the thick, sticky sand. Every move felt like it was draining his energy. Soon, only the tops of their heads were sticking up out of the quicksand.
“Dammit.” Eve was panting from the exertion of stopping herself from sinking.
Davion lunged at her and their hands gripped. He tugged her closer, sliding an arm around her. Sand filled her mouth and she spat it out.
“Hope you have a plan, warrior,” she gasped.
He called on his symbiont and generated a rope. It coiled on his arm and he threw it hard, tossing it toward the closest rock.
