by Anna Hackett
The predators got closer, and Thane tensed.
“Fuck,” Kaira said. “They look like black polar bears crossed with wolves.”
The large bodies ran quickly on all four legs. Instead of fur, they were covered in black, leathery skin. Two wicked fangs, as long as his forearm, flanked their jaws.
“With a dash of sabretooth tiger.” Kaira lifted her sword.
“Run for the outcrop. I’ll distract them to give you a head start.”
Her dark eyes narrowed. “Nice try, warrior. I’m not running, and I’m not leaving you.”
Cren.
The creatures thundered closer.
One reared, showing the sharp claws on its paws.
Thane ran forward, and leaped into the air, lifting his sword.
Protect Kaira. That was his only priority.
Chapter Five
Kaira watched Thane’s powerful body fly through the air, sunlight reflecting off his sword. He hit the lead beast, sending it skidding across the ground with a growl.
A huge bear-wolf landed in front of her and snarled.
“Come on, then.” She ignored the wicked fangs and braced herself.
It charged.
Kaira dodged and swung her sword. The tip of her blade raked the creature’s side, leaving a jagged, red line.
Enraged, it spun. Several others were close by, pacing, watching the fight for their turn.
Maybe the alpha pair got first dibs. Sorry, vicious alien creature, no snacks for you today.
The creature came at her again and she slashed with her sword.
Thane leaped in from the side. Together, they forced the bear-wolf back.
“Will the rest of the pack attack?” she asked.
“Eventually.”
The creatures were pacing, looking restless and hungry.
“We need to keep moving,” she said. “We need to get to that outcrop.”
Another creature slunk closer and snarled.
Thane charged it.
He was fearless. She sucked in a breath. God, he was something. She could watch him fight all day.
He slashed at the creature, leaping high and attacking again.
There was a growl behind her and she spun.
A smaller, leaner bear-wolf was stalking her. It snarled. She guessed it was a juvenile.
She spun her sword in her hand, getting a better grip. The beast charged, its mouth open, showing its huge teeth.
Hell. Kaira dodged, almost tripping on some loose rocks.
The creature spun and lunged at her.
She dropped low and it sailed over her head. Its skin was black like ink. Jumping up, she sprinted away. She needed room to maneuver.
She heard it coming after her. She dived to the side and rolled.
Ignoring the hard impact with the ground, the rocks biting into her, she leaped back to her feet.
The bear-wolf bore down on her.
She rocked on the balls of her feet. Come on, then.
“Kaira!”
Thane, sword dripping with blood, sprinted toward her.
She blocked him out and focused on the alien creature.
It raced closer and roared.
Kaira ran…straight at it.
She jumped and grabbed a handful of loose skin on its neck. She leaped onto the creature’s back, giving a thousand mental thank yous for her horseback riding lessons as a kid.
She clenched her legs onto the animal, holding tight. It bucked and spun, then dashed away.
Toward the outcrop.
It required all her strength to hold on. Her bones rattled, and the bear-wolf leaped into the air. She leaned forward.
It skidded to a stop and she almost flew off.
It turned in an agitated circle.
The rocks loomed above them. When she glanced back, she saw Thane sprinting toward her, the rest of the pack chasing him.
The bear-wolf she was riding reared, bucking her off.
Shit. Kaira landed hard, the wind knocked out of her. She rolled onto her hands and knees.
And saw the bear-wolf running at her.
Oh, fuck. She rolled.
It almost trampled her. It reared up, and slammed its paws down, missing her by inches.
Her heart was pounding like an out-of-control jackhammer, the beast’s low growl was loud in her ears. It slashed out and caught her shoulder. It burned.
The bear-wolf reared again and she rolled the other way. Paws slammed into the rock right beside her head.
“Hey!”
Thane’s shout made the creature lift its head. Thane attacked it.
“Go, Kaira,” he yelled.
She rolled away.
“Climb the outcrop. I’ll be right behind you.”
She saw the rest of the pack running at them. Fast.
Shit.
She ran to the rock wall, gripped a crack, and started climbing.
High. She needed to go high. She was pretty sure the bear-wolves could jump a reasonable distance.
She wedged her foot into another crack, gripped the small ledge, and hauled herself upward. Then she slipped. Crap. She caught herself, gritted her teeth, and kept going.
Finally, she pulled herself onto a flat rock outcrop. Panting, she looked over the edge.
“Thane!”
Her throat closed. The wounded creature was still attacking him. The others were getting closer.
What if he got hurt? Killed? “Thane, now!”
He stabbed the alien beast, and its back legs collapsed. Then he sprinted toward the outcrop.
The other creatures were gaining.
“Come on, warrior,” she whispered, her heart in her throat.
He leaped, and hit the rock face. Then he climbed.
The closest creature was readying to leap. Kaira grabbed a loose rock, lifted it, and heaved it.
It flew past Thane and hit the bear-wolf’s head. It dropped to the ground with a yelp.
Thane reached her, and she grabbed his arm and helped him over the edge.
Thank God.
The creatures milled down below. Contemplating them.
Thane stood, breathing heavily. Then, the first bear-wolf leaped, trying to climb up the wall.
“Oh, shit,” Kaira said. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Thane lifted his arm. His sword was gone and a large blaster formed.
Wow. She needed to work out how to do that.
He aimed. A ball of green energy hit the climbing beast.
It fell backward and crashed to the ground.
Thane fired again and again. The creatures scattered, bounding away.
“Thank God.” Kaira pressed against Thane and he wrapped an arm around her.
Thane’s blood still pumped wildly through his veins. He sat on the rocky outcrop, holding Kaira close to his side.
They were safe. For now.
“Jesus.” Kaira scraped a hand over her face. “That was intense.”
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
He suspected that was just a small taste of what this planet would offer them. He spotted a scratch on her armor. Through the tear, he glimpsed the skin on her shoulder and blood.
“Your shoulder.” He leaned over and touched it.
She winced. “I don’t think it’s too bad. Will the armor repair?”
He nodded. From what he could see, the scratch was thankfully shallow. His helian would help her body heal it.
She sucked in a breath.
“It hurts?” he asked.
“No.” Her voice lowered.
He slid his hand to her neck and felt the fast tick of her pulse. Then he looked into her eyes and felt a stir of heat in his gut.
Desire burned there, hard and hot. His own need flared to life. He was so glad she wasn’t hurt and alive.
“Thane.” Her gaze ran over his face.
Then she closed the gap between them.
As soon as her lips touched his, Thane wrapped
his arms around her. She felt so good.
She cupped his head, hummed, and deepened the kiss.
He felt a deeper heat. Cren, was this the mating fever stirring?
Her tongue stroked his and he gripped her hips. “You’re so beautiful, Kaira,” he murmured against her lips.
Beautiful. Brave. Tough. His mate was magnificent.
She made a needy sound, then she stiffened and wrenched away.
Hurriedly, she scrambled to her feet. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
Thane’s hands curled into fists. He fought for control. “I’ll never hurt you, Kaira. Never force you.”
“I know. I want you.” She blew out a breath. “But…I can’t get involved. I can’t.”
He rose, emotions tearing at him. She’d made it clear that she didn’t want him or their mating. It felt like claws tearing at his gut, worse than anything this planet’s creatures could do to him.
He looked at the ground. “I understand.” Then he met her gaze.
She took a step toward him, then stopped herself. “It isn’t personal, Thane. I just can’t…” She swallowed. “We need to focus on getting off the planet.”
He pulled in a deep breath. She was right. Survival had to be their main focus.
“What now?” she asked, trying to sound businesslike.
Trying to shift his mind off his desire for her, he scanned the landscape. There were no signs of the predators that had attacked them, but there were some large ominous-looking shadows in the distance.
There was also the mountain range, just jagged shadows, and more slab-like rocks spearing into the air.
Then he noticed something.
“See that?” he pointed.
Kaira squinted and shook her head. “I can only make out vague shadows.”
“On the nearest mountain. There’s a cocoon-like structure attached at the side of it. It’s Kantos construction.”
She sucked in a breath. “Their base here on Crolla?”
“They’d need a base here, or bases. Somewhere to bring in the juvenile soldiers to the planet.” He studied the bulbous outline. “There would also be a comms system.”
“Something we could use to get a message out to the Eon.” She smiled.
He nodded. “We can piggyback off the Kantos comms.”
“But first, we need to get there and sneak in.” She nodded. “We can do this, Thane.”
He knew they could. He had the greatest motivation. Kaira might not want a mate, but he would protect her with his life.
“Let’s get off this outcrop,” he said.
She grabbed his arm and he felt her touch deeply.
“I’m sorry, Thane. I wish things could be different…for us.”
There was true regret in her dark eyes.
He gave her a quick nod, despite his tight chest.
Just then, a faint buzzing sound filled the air.
He frowned. “Get down.”
They lay flat against the rocks and Thane peered over the edge.
“Over there,” she whispered, pointing to the left.
A small pack of Kantos soldiers came into view. They were moving fast, flowing across the rocky ground. Then they paused.
Thane noted they were a little thinner than the soldiers he usually encountered.
“Juveniles,” she murmured.
They milled around a little and the one in the lead was looking toward the outcrop.
“You think they can detect us?” she asked.
“I don’t think so. They might have been tracking the creatures that attacked us.”
Finally, the juveniles moved away. The leader kept staring at the outcrop for a moment, before it finally swiveled and followed the others.
“Phew,” Kaira said.
Thane watched until the soldiers disappeared into the haze. “Let’s get going. It’s a long journey to reach the Kantos base.”
They climbed down, checking that the bear-wolves were gone, then headed in the direction of the Kantos base.
Thane’s jaw was tight. It wouldn’t be an easy journey. It was rough ground, and ahead lay another large patch of dense vegetation.
And who knew how many other predators and dangers they’d come across?
They moved into a light jog.
It was both torture and pleasure to be with his mate. A woman not interested in love or mating.
Surviving an aborted mating was difficult. It rarely ever happened. But once mated, he’d never heard of a rejection. He wasn’t sure what would happen to him.
He couldn’t worry about that now. He’d keep Kaira safe, and find a way off this Kantos planet.
He guessed his family really was cursed when it came to mating.
As they continued on, it got hotter, and both of them started sweating.
“The temperature’s rising,” Kaira said. “And the humidity.”
The jungle patch was getting closer. It was far larger than the previous one.
Thane frowned. “Going around this will add substantial time. We’ll need to go through it.”
She straightened. “Let’s do this.”
Cautiously, they entered the jungle, stepping into the dappled shade. The trees were tall and twisted with vines. Neon-green sap leaked down the trunks.
Something moved in the dense vegetation, crashing away from them. They walked deeper, shoving vines out of the way.
He might need to form a sword to slash their way through. He shoved some bushes aside and saw a tiny, grass-covered clearing. He sensed life signs in the vegetation around them, but nothing too large. And the wildlife didn’t seem interested in them, thankfully.
As they moved, he was excruciatingly conscious of Kaira beside him. The smell of her healthy sweat and her own scent teased his senses.
He gritted his teeth and kept moving.
Then he heard Kaira gasp.
He spun and saw her legs get pulled out from under her. She fell flat on her front.
“Kaira!”
“Something’s attached to my leg.”
Thane took two steps and spotted a long vine wrapped around her calf. He formed his sword.
Suddenly, she was yanked across the grass on her stomach. He heard her curse.
He ran after her. Another vine wrapped around her middle.
“Hold on, Kaira!”
Then something hit his back.
Suddenly, a vine wrapped around Thane. He fell and was dragged as well.
“Cren!”
He was yanked across the grass, right next to Kaira. Right in front of his eyes, several flowers bloomed along the length of the vines—small blooms in white and pink.
“I hate gardening.” Kaira kicked, trying to get free. “I hate plants.”
Thane tried to move his sword, but the vine was holding his arm tight.
A puff of pollen came from the flowers, hanging in the air around their heads. It smelled sickly sweet.
“What now?” Kaira muttered.
Thane’s sword dissolved. His pulse spiked. He felt the bond between him and his helian go dull.
Like his helian was sleeping.
His armor started flowing away.
“Thane?” Kaira said. “My armor is disappearing.”
“The pollen…it put my helian to sleep.” He fought back a sharp spike of panic. He hoped to hell this was temporary.
Kaira coughed. “Whoa, my head is spinning.”
“Kaira?”
“I’m all right, just whoozy.”
Thane felt the faint effects of the pollen as well, like a muscle relaxant. “It must be the plant’s defense mechanism. To stop us fighting it.”
More vines wrapped around them, and then they were lifted upright, dangling there, caught in the vine’s hold.
Thane’s body collided with Kaira’s. They were pressed firmly together as more vines wrapped them up tightly.
Her face pressed to his chest, just below his chin. Her breasts mashed against his chest.
Th
en they were yanked higher off the ground, up into the tree canopy.
“Oh, God,” she said.
“Don’t move.”
“I can’t move.” She wriggled a bit.
He felt every movement she made. His muscles tightened.
The vines stopped. Thane and Kaira swung from the tree.
“Well, shit,” she muttered.
He turned his head to the side. The ground was a long way down, but a fall shouldn’t kill them. He hoped.
“Ideas?” she asked.
He tried again to command his helian. The bond wasn’t broken, just sluggish.
“I can’t connect properly with my helian.” Frustration wound through him.
“Let me see if I can reach the vines. I can move one hand a bit.” She moved her arm around him.
It pressed her harder against him and the feel of her made his cock stir. He ground his teeth together.
Cren. He needed to find some control.
“Almost…” She strained.
Thane felt her fingers brush his lower back.
“The vines are too tight, and they’re damn strong.” She slumped against him.
“We should conserve our strength. I’m hoping the effect of the pollen will wear off soon. Then I can use my helian again.”
“Man, I feel like I had one too many margaritas.”
“Margaritas?”
“Alcoholic drink. Delicious.” She giggled.
He looked her down at her. It was such a sweet, unexpected sound. She tipped her head up and their faces were close.
“Damn, you’re handsome, Thane.”
He let out a breath. “Kaira.”
“A sexy silver fox. How did you end up with hair so gray?”
“My grandfather and father were the same.”
“I’m a blend of my mom and dad. Brown skin and eyes from my dad, and my height, or lack of it, from my mom.”
Thane shifted a little and heard her gasp.
“Kaira? Did I hurt you?”
“No. Nope.” Color streaked her cheeks.
He stilled. Her gaze locked with his and he saw it. Desire.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he said, voice deepening. “You said you couldn’t do this.”
“I know. I meant the mating thing.” She licked her lips, her gaze settling on his mouth. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not attracted.”
He felt his gut knot with need. “Kaira, what the cren am I supposed to do with that?”
“I know.” A husky whisper. “It’s not fair to you.” She shifted against him.
