by Presley Hall
“That’s amazing, Jaro,” I tell him, grinning back.
I have no idea how this mineral can be used to create the tech they need, but I assume the Voxerans do. Or at the very least, that they can find someone capable of producing what they need if given the necessary materials. Jaro mentioned that there’s a city they sometimes visit to do trade in.
But before I can say anything else, Jaro frowns.
“No.” He clenches his jaw, shaking his head. “No, we can’t. It’s too dangerous. If I were to go into the cave myself to search for the diamantum, that would mean leaving you out here undefended. And bringing you with me would put you in unknown kinds of danger.”
He shakes his head again, releasing my hand and reaching up to cup my cheek. His fingertips slide through my hair, and he leans forward to kiss me. “I cannot risk you, my kira. Not when I’ve just found you.”
My stomach clenches. The protectiveness in his voice and the possessiveness in his kiss make me want to nod—to tell him he’s right, it’s not worth the risk. I don’t want to lose him either, and crawling into a dark cave on a dangerous planet is a risky move at best.
But…
“This is important to you, isn’t it?” I whisper.
His jaw clenches. He pulls back a little, conflict raging in his eyes. “Nothing is as important as you.”
I smile. I can’t help it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone say those words to me and mean them as completely as Jaro does. And that’s part of why I can’t let him walk away from this possibility.
“Your people are important too,” I say softly. “I know how much you care about Droth and the others. I can tell they’re like family to you. And… well, they’re kind of like family to me now too. You? The other Voxerans? The women from the crash? You’re all I have left, what I care about the most. And if this has a chance of helping you and your people, it has a chance of helping all of us. No one took that escape pod from the Foreigner II because it would’ve basically been a suicide mission, but what if opening up communication to another planet could help us all get off Nuthora? Isn’t that worth the risk? I think you should try to find the diamantum, Jaro. And I’ll go with you.”
My mate’s face goes still, almost blank. For a moment, I think I’ve upset him somehow. Maybe I offended him when I said his people are my people?
But then he lets out a low growl and drags me against his body, wrapping his arms around me and pressing his lips to mine in a searing kiss.
21
Jaro
We’re both on our knees in front of the cave entrance, and my mate arches against me as I slant my lips over hers, tightening my hold on her as if I could somehow join us into one.
I don’t think she knows how much her words mean to me. I was alone for so long, isolated and friendless as a slave, and it was only after I came to Nuthora that I found a true connection to others again. A clan. And to hear my mate embrace my people as her own makes my heart swell with a rush of emotion.
My hands delve into her hair, cradling her head as I kiss her over and over, and when I finally pull back, we’re both gasping for breath.
A dazed smile spreads across Sadie’s face. “Wow. So does this mean I get to come with you into the cave?”
My jaw clenches, the happiness draining out of me as worry takes its place. As touched as I am that my mate is willing to risk herself for the betterment of my people, everything in me rebels at the idea of putting her in danger. Our trek across the Nuthoran landscape has been hazardous enough without willingly walking into a perilous situation.
I swore an oath to do everything I can to help the Voxerans who took me in as one of their own. But I also made a vow to Sadie that I would keep her safe. The two sides of me feel suddenly at odds, and I grimace as it feels as if my heart might split in two.
Perhaps she can see the conflict raging in my face, because Sadie reaches out and rests a gentle hand on my forearm. “Jaro, your people are warriors, right?”
“Yes.” I nod, narrowing my eyes slightly as I try to guess where she’s going with this.
“Then let me be a warrior too,” she says. “You and the other Voxerans have already done so much to keep all of us who crashed here safe. But if we’re going to be joining forces, then that’s what it should be. A true joining. What’s good for one of us is good for all of us, and if this could help your people…” She shakes her head, her blue eyes serious. “Well, I couldn’t live with myself if we didn’t at least try.”
There’s something steely in her tone, a strength and certainty that makes her sound like exactly what she just asked to be—a warrior.
I swallow, capturing her hands in mine and bringing them to my lips. I kiss her knuckles, then nod slowly. “All right. We’ll see how deep the cave goes and try to find the diamantum. But if it’s too dangerous, if I tell you to turn back, you have to promise me that you will. Please.”
“Okay.” She squeezes my hands. “I promise, Jaro.”
Her words bring little relief to my worried heart, but I cling to them anyway. At least we’ll be together in the cave, and I will die to protect her if I have to.
The daylight won’t last much longer, so we waste no time. I return to the bodies sprawled on the ground and test out the blasters that they used to kill each other. Only one still has any charge left in the fuel cell, and it’s nearly emptied, so I’m not sure it will offer much in the way of protection. But there’s a light on the barrel that projects a thin beam of illumination, and it will be useful for navigating the darkness of the cave. I’m so on-edge that my markings are glowing, and that will help as well.
Back at the cave, I draw my knife and drop into a low crouch before slipping through the narrow entrance. It’s a tight fit, especially for my broad frame, but the space opens up almost immediately, giving me enough room to stand.
I glance around to get my bearings, and when I see no immediate threat, I turn back to peer out at Sadie, who’s kneeling by the entrance with the blaster in one hand. “Come on.”
Holding out my hand, I help her crawl through the narrow opening. Once inside the cave, she stands next to me, sweeping the dull beam from the blaster around the space. Not far ahead of us is a small puddle of dank-smelling water, its smooth surface glinting red in the dim light.
Diamantum. I’m sure of it.
The water itself doesn’t hold enough of the mineral to be useful, but perhaps it can lead me to where the ore is located. Stepping forward, I squint at the ground as my gaze traces the small line of red-tinted water leading to the shallow puddle.
The slow trickle curves and wends over the craggy rocks of the cave floor, and I follow it cautiously, Sadie right beside me. I can hear her steady breaths in the quiet stillness of the cave as she directs the beam of her light ahead of us.
The cave goes back farther than I hoped it would, narrowing into something more like a tunnel as it cuts through the rock. It becomes difficult for us to walk side-by-side, so I step ahead of my mate, keeping my knife raised and my senses alert for any threat from ahead or behind.
We walk up a gentle slope, following the trail of water. It makes the ground beneath our feet a bit slippery at times, and I turn back quickly to catch Sadie’s arm as her foot slides over the rock floor.
“Are you all right?” I ask, my voice low.
She nods. Her face is almost completely shadowed, but I can make out the glint of her wide eyes. “Yeah. Do you see any of the diamantum?”
“Not yet.” I shake my head in frustration. “Shine your light on the walls as we walk, and tell me if you notice anything I’ve overlooked. It would appear as a bright red streak in the rock.”
“Okay.”
We resume walking cautiously, and Sadie sweeps the blaster from side to side as we go. As she does, I realize that the beam of light from the blaster is fading slightly.
Slanch. The fuel cell will be completely empty soon.
Although my markings provide some illumination, I
’m not sure it will be enough to get us out of here without the aid of the blaster’s light. I pick up my pace a little, torn between turning back and forging ahead as hope and worry battle within me.
Before too long, the walls widen out again, and the trickle of water grows a little bigger. I can still see the streaks of red in it, which gives me hope that wherever the source of water is, it’s near the diamantum deposit.
“There! Jaro, look!”
The light from Sadie’s blaster flickers ahead of us, and I see that the tunnel opens up into a larger cave-like space again in the near distance. The beam is so faint that it’s hard to see into the wider cave from here, but I catch a glimpse of something bright red on the stone wall.
My heart leaps. That’s it. It must be.
Making sure Sadie is close behind me, I stride toward the opening where the cave widens out. As we near it, a high, almost inaudible screech reaches my ears. A heartbeat later, something black swoops through the air ahead, flying right toward us.
I react instantly, my knife arcing through the air with a speed that comes only from years of training. The blade cleaves through flesh and bone, and the winged creature drops to the ground at my feet.
“Holy shit,” Sadie breathes, shifting closer to me as she peers at the dead animal lying on the stone. “What is tha—”
Before she can finish speaking, a whooshing sound fills the air. Several high-pitched screeches rise up, and like a black cloud, more of the winged creatures dive through the air. There are too many to take down all at once, so I do the only thing I can think of. Grabbing Sadie by the shoulders, I press her up against the cave wall, shielding her body with mine as the creatures fly past us. Wings beat against my back, and small, sharp talons tear at my skin, but I ignore the bites of pain as I curl myself around my mate.
After a long moment, the rush of wings subsides. A few more of the creatures fly out of the wider part of the cave, and then silence falls again.
I lean back a little as Sadie looks up at me, her face lit dimly by my glow. Worry creases her features as she blinks. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” I flex my back, wincing slightly. “A few scrapes and cuts, but no bites. They weren’t trying to attack, just to get out of here. We must’ve disturbed their nest.”
She grimaces, fear reflecting in her eyes. “Whatever those things were, I’m putting them in the ‘incredible but not nice’ category.”
Despite the danger of our situation, I grin. “I think that’s fair.”
“I did catch some streaks of red in the rock up ahead though, I think,” she says, her tone turning excited. “Did you see that?”
“Yes.” Taking her free hand, I pull her away from the wall. “Let’s go.”
As we enter the wider cave, I angle my body in front of Sadie’s, prepared to face any new threats before they can hurt her. But the space is empty. It smells dank and musty, just like the rest of the underground space, but there’s also an unpleasant odor that I quickly identify as the droppings of the creatures that flew past us.
The scent barely catches my attention though, because as Sadie shines the dim light over the walls around us, I see that she was right. Deposits of diamantum cut through the dark rock on one side of the cave. Water drips down the stone wall from somewhere up above, making me think we’re somewhat close to the surface.
Adjusting my grip on my knife, I make my way over to the wall. Sadie is right behind me, and without me even having to ask, she trains her light on a large red streak that cuts across the wall.
Carefully, I dig into the stone with my knife, chipping away at it. It’s bad for the blade, but that’s not my main concern at the moment. And fortunately, the rock is slightly soft, crumbling away as I gouge the knife’s tip into small cracks. It takes several long moments of work, and sweat beads on my brow as I chip away at the stone as quickly as I can, conscious of the blaster’s fading light.
As I hack loose a piece of rock with a particularly large vein of diamantum in it, the blaster’s light suddenly winks out.
“Shit,” Sadie curses, and the note of fear in her voice makes my stomach clench.
Reaching out in the near-darkness, I take the blaster from her and tap the side of it roughly against the wall several times. The beam of light springs to life again, flaring bright for a moment before quickly dimming.
“It won’t last long,” I say grimly. “We need to get out of here.” I look down at the small pile of ore-filled rocks I’ve managed to chip loose. “That will have to be enough.”
“We need something to carry them in.” Sadie bites her lip, then raises her arms slightly. “Use the bottom half of my shirt. We can tie all the rocks up in a little bundle. It’ll be easier than trying to carry them loose.”
I nod. There’s no time to debate, and she’s right. It’s the smartest choice. Quickly, I use my blade to cut through the frayed fabric of her garment, leaving the upper half of it covering her breasts and removing the bottom half. The sight of her curved waist and flat stomach make my cock twitch, even at this most inopportune time, but I shove down the desire that sparks to life inside me, focusing on the task before me.
Once the piece of fabric has been cut away, I hand it to Sadie, and she holds it out while I pile the small collection of rock pieces into it. Then she wraps the fabric around our treasure and knots it, creating a makeshift sack.
“Good enough.” She looks up at me, her expression alert and anxious. “Ready to go?”
I’m more than ready. Now that we’ve done what we came here to do, my entire body practically vibrates with the need to get my mate out of here, to return her to the relative safety of the clearing outside the cave. Darkness will fall soon, and I’d like to get well away from the felled bodies before then. Animals will be drawn to the scent of carrion, and I don’t want to risk another attack.
The blaster’s light flickers and nearly goes out again as we leave the open space of the cave for the more narrow tunnel that led to it, retracing our path back toward the entrance.
We move at a good pace, taking care not to slip on the slick rock as it slopes gently downward. But as we reach a curve in the narrow passage, the walls around me begin to vibrate. Particles of dust and dirt filter down from the ceiling, and as the rock around us begins to shudder harder, fear spikes in my veins.
It feels like another makret stampede.
Only this time, instead of being safe above ground, we’re below the herd.
22
Sadie
“Run!”
Jaro bellows the word a second before his large hand closes around mine, pulling me after him. My feet skid across the water-slicked rock below me as the entire tunnel seems to rumble around us.
The dying light from the blaster bounces off the walls as we sprint as quickly as we can over the uneven stone. It’s almost impossible to see anything more than a few feet ahead, and as we race into the darkness with the rumbling sound of shifting rock filling the space around us, panic rises up in me, sharp and biting. Acid coats the back of my throat, and my knees feel like jelly as I try to keep pace with Jaro, determined not to slow him down.
I slip and almost go sprawling, saved only by Jaro’s tight grip on my hand. He pulls me back to my feet, his fingers nearly crushing mine as we cling to each other so tightly I can feel my bones grinding together.
But I won’t let go. Not for anything. And I know he won’t either.
We’re in this together, and if we don’t make it out alive, I at least want to be connected to him in my final moments.
The rumbling sound gets louder, and the stone beneath my feet vibrates more strongly, making it even harder to run. When a large chunk of rock falls from the ceiling ahead of us, I scream. The sound bounces off the walls, making it seem like an entire chorus of people are screaming along with me, and Jaro and I dodge sharply to one side as another piece of rock breaks away from the ceiling.
I don’t know what’s causing the ground to shake—whethe
r it’s another group of those horned animals we saw earlier or if there are actual earthquakes on Nuthora—but it doesn’t really matter. Whatever it is, it’s destabilized the rock and packed dirt around us enough that a domino effect seems to be building. More rocks fall, some big and some small. We manage to evade the largest of them, throwing ourselves to the side as the dark chunks of stone plummet from the ceiling, but smaller rocks and pebbles pelt us as we duck our heads and sprint forward.
Where the fuck is the entrance? Where is it?
For a terrifying moment, I think that maybe we’ve gotten lost. That in our desperation to get back outside, we’ve veered down a side tunnel that we didn’t notice on the way in. Visions of running into a dead end, left with nothing to do but cling to each other as the ceiling gives way above us, swim through my mind.
Between that terrifying thought and the exertion of running flat-out on an uneven surface, I feel like I might vomit.
Then a dim light appears ahead of us. At first, I think it’s just my fading blaster beam growing brighter again, like it did when Jaro smacked it against the rock. But as we keep running, the light grows brighter. Bigger.
The entrance.
Hope rises in my chest, but I almost can’t feel it through the haze of fear in my mind. Jaro wraps his arm around me, half carrying me and shielding me with his body as larger and larger rocks fall around us. He grunts as a heavy chunk of stone hits his back, and my stomach clenches.
Fueled by pure desperation, we put on a final burst of speed as we near the entrance. We duck low, and Jaro practically tosses me through the small opening before sliding through after me. I hit the grass on the hillside and roll down the slope in a tangle of limbs. Jaro ends up sprawled beside me, breathing heavily.
The ground is still shaking out here, although it’s less noticeable now that it’s not happening on all sides of me. Lifting my head as I gasp for breath, I watch the rocks at the cave entrance shudder and crack. The ground above the cave sinks inward as the stone shifts beneath, and my heart lodges in my throat as we watch the whole thing collapse.
