He looked away from me, but I could see he was angry. "You're always thinking about yourself, aren't you? You don't care who gets hurt in the process."
I stopped walking. "Why would you say that?"
He stopped as well and turned around to face me. "Because that's the way you are."
I felt cursed tears prick at my eyes. "That's not fair. Just because I thought I'd like some company, which, by the way, they seemed up for it too—at least, last night they did—it doesn’t make me a bad person."
"It does when you intentionally put someone in danger."
I shook my head. "I told you. I wasn't thinking about that when I suggested it."
"Why do you think I was so quick to leave?" Aris demanded.
"Because of Baynar. But when I made the suggestion to Clarissa of us staying nearby I wasn't thinking about him. Not until she got all weird. That's when I thought he'd gotten to her."
"She wasn't weird last night."
"I know. It was just this morning. I thought maybe she was embarrassed ’cause I saw her sucking on that tree, but I covered, and I don't think she knows that I saw. It's why I thought about Baynar..."
"What? She was sucking on a tree?"
"Yeah. I thought she was kissing it, but when I got a closer look at it—the tree—I saw she'd plugged up a hole. It was sap, I guess. Maybe she's got a sweet tooth or something. Anyway..."
Aris looked dumfounded. "Holy shit."
"What?" I was still stinging from the dressing down he'd given me. He had a lot of nerve saying that stuff to me.
"Last night I saw some things. It was pretty dark, so I thought I was mistaken, but in the morning I knew it. There were things in that cabin that didn't belong there and it looked as though they'd tried to hide them from sight."
"What kinds of things?"
"A uniform and weapons."
Didn't sound strange to me. "So?"
"So, I don't just mean a regular old uniform and weapons, like stuff that'd been used in the past decade or so. I mean this stuff was old."
"They probably scavenged them. Or maybe they were gifts? We can't be the only people they've seen. They're probably afraid of getting ripped off and that's why they stashed them?"
"Possibly," Aris said. We started walking again. We'd crossed the long, open field and entered into another forested area. The sky overhead looked dark and the air had begun to feel moist. "It wasn't just the objects, which were strange enough. It was some of the things Juniper said. This morning he talked a bit about Calixtus, but it was as though he spoke of days long past."
"He said they'd been here for a while," I reminded him.
"The way he spoke reminded me of the elders from Calixtus."
"Elders?"
"What you'd call great-grandparents. Or older," he clarified.
"Well, I didn't notice anything like that with Clarissa." I waited for a smart-ass response that I wouldn't notice anything if it wasn't to do with me, considering how bloody selfish I was.
"But now that you mention the tree, and Clarissa sucking on the sap, it reminds me of something I heard before. It was a legend really, nothing anyone took seriously."
"A legend?"
He nodded. "Yes, the fountain of youth. That it existed on Taleon."
"They weren't that young," I said.
"Maybe it just slows the aging process. What if they were a pair of the first players on Taleon?"
I smirked doubtfully. "That'd make them over a hundred years old."
He raised an eyebrow. "Makes you wonder."
"Yeah, and maybe Clarissa just likes sap. Have you ever tried maple syrup on Earth? It's probably just like it. I mean, the way she was sucking that tree, you'd think it was giving her an orgasm or something." Hadn't he been the one to constantly remind me how dangerous Taleon was to non-natives? He'd made it seem that our life expectancy here was next to nil, and now he was suggesting that some people could have been around for a century?
"It's just speculation. Anyway, we have more important things to worry about now."
"Yeah, like food." My stomach was rumbling. Though we'd entered a forest, the trees around us were huge and I noticed vines hanging from them. All kinds of weird animal noises echoed throughout, bouncing around the trees. There didn't look to be anything to eat. "What is this?" I asked, swinging my gaze round.
Aris tilted his head to gaze up the length of a giant trunk. "We're in a jungle."
"Hey, you know what'd be cool? We could make a treehouse and live in it, just like Swiss Family Robinson, or Tarzan."
If he was confused by my suggestion he kept it to himself. "The jungle's probably not the best place to settle down." He seemed uneasy, and I saw his hand was gripping the battle-axe extra tight.
Everything was vibrant; the colors, the sounds, the oversized vegetation. Even the insects were big and thriving. What looked like giant ladybugs lay upon wide green leaves munching away. I heard a humming sound and saw a huge mosquito buzz past my head, its sucker about an inch long. I was beginning to see Aris' point. "Yeah, if the bugs are that big you may be right."
"It's not only the bugs that worry me."
"No?" His tone made me feel uneasy.
"Remember I said there were things far worse than Varlings?"
"Yes." He had told me that.
"Well, this is the kind of place where those things live."
Chapter 21
"Great. How big do you think this jungle is?" Now everything around me took on a sinister air. I became even more concerned when I saw a Seer float past.
"I'm not sure if we flew past this area in the lightwing or not. We went over a jungle, but that was at the tournament grounds, so I've no idea."
"Let's walk fast. I don't want to spend the night here. And if you see anything we can eat, grab it," I suggested.
We moved quickly as we could, covering what we hoped was enough ground to get us out of the jungle by nightfall. Snatching pieces of fruit along the way, we only stopped when absolutely necessary. The height of the trees blocked out a lot of the sky, casting our journey in dim light. I worried how dark it would become when night fell. When it appeared the jungle would go on forever, and the day had worn on, Aris stopped before an outcropping of heavy rocks.
"Why are you stopping?" I asked. We'd barely said two words to each other, both of us wrapped up in minding our hasty steps and keeping our eyes open to any dangers. Not to mention we were both still annoyed. He'd said some mean things to me that, though unfair, were not altogether untrue. And I'd snapped back in defense, making for an uneasy truce while we dealt with the present obstacle. Once we were safe I was sure he'd lay into me again.
A large pond lay to the right of a hill of rock. Aris studied the formation. "I was hoping we could find a cave or alcove, something relatively safe to pass the night."
So he wasn't the only one who'd given up getting out of here today. "Let's look." We split up and began climbing over and around the large boulders that made up the hill.
"Danni," Aris called.
I spotted him higher up off to my left. "Find something?" I shivered. As the moons began to slowly rise, I felt as though the jungle was becoming even more alive and closing in on us.
When I reached his side he was bent over peering into the dim interior of a cave. He gave the battle-axe a tap against a rock at his feet and the blade lit up like a torch. "Let's check it out." Both of us had to duck to get through the low entranceway. Once inside, the cave opened up, being more than high enough for us to stand.
"It's huge," I observed. The ground was level, but farther back it appeared to slope down. With Aris lighting up our way, we headed deeper inside. The floor was dirt while the sides and ceiling were made up of large stone.
"It goes back pretty far." Aris held up the battle-axe, illuminating the vast interior. "Want to explore a bit?"
I nodded. My curiosity was piqued. Though the space was cool, it felt warmer than the air outside. We moved down into the bowel
of the cave and saw several tunnels branching out. A pool of water about six feet by four was set against the wall. Steam rose up over the surface, drawing me over. Kneeling down, I poked a finger into the water. "It's warm." When Aris came up beside me, the light reflected in the pool and I saw that it appeared empty. Encouraged, I dipped my whole hand in the water. "Oh, what I wouldn't give for a nice warm bath," I said.
Aris actually grinned. "Looks safe enough."
Both of us shed our clothes, the tension between us melting away as we sunk into the warm depth of the pool. "Ahh, this is nice," Aris said, leaning back and closing his eyes.
I dunked my head and used my fingers to scrub at my scalp. I came up and leaned back, closing my eyes as well. "Okay, I'm rethinking the whole jungle thing," I admitted. "I could get used to this every night."
"Mmm hmm."
A while later I peeked open my eyes and studied Aris. His bare skin glimmered in the light cast by his weapon that he'd pushed into the ground behind him. His chest rose and fell with deep, easy breaths. I felt my own breath become short pants as my gaze shifted lower and checked out the rest of his body. His cock was aroused and even now bobbed above the surface of the water watching me intently, like a one-eyed serpent.
When Aris' mouth opened slightly and I heard a little snore escape his lips, I grew bold. Closing the distance between us, I bent forward and put my lips to the head of his cock. He jumped slightly, but when I looked up I saw his eyes remained shut. I caught hold of him with both hands and took him into my mouth. Holding my breath, I lowered my head, taking as much of him into my mouth as I could. I felt his hands come up and tangle in my wet hair. He groaned as I moved up and down on his shaft, holding my lips tight. He lifted his ass and began to thrust into my mouth. I reached down and cuddled his balls, which felt warm and big in my hands.
Aris tensed and I felt his grip tighten on my hair. He moved his hands down to catch me round the waist and pull me up so that my breasts pressed against his chest. Our lips met and opened as we kissed hot and deep, our tongues battling. Easing me down, I felt the tip of his cock press against my pussy. I moved down and let his long, hard length stretch and fill me. Gripping my ass in his hands he glided me up and down on his cock, a gasp escaping my lips every time I felt him enter me. I didn't think I could ever get used to the sheer size of him. I watched the muscles of his arms bulge as he moved, and felt the power of him, every inch the warrior. I wondered what it'd be like to be his in every way, living on Calixtus, in his home, his bed. He'd not told me how the women on his planet behaved. Were they warrior-like, or more like trinkets to their men? Pretty, docile things meant for loving, and breeding? He'd told me the population on his planet was seventy-five percent male.
I liked the odds.
His thrusts became deeper and faster, building up the tension and excitement in us both. With one final thrust he stilled, holding me tight, and threw back his head and cried out. My own orgasm ripped through me with intensity and I joined him in ecstasy. When I pulled away from him I smiled at him smugly. He may dislike me much of the time, but he sure as hell loved to bury himself deep inside my pussy. At least we had that. As though he read my mind, his eyes narrowed as he saw my victorious grin.
"Don't get too comfortable," he cautioned.
I wasn't sure if he meant in the cave, or with our closeness. I wasn't about to ask. We got out of the pool and let the air dry us. We dressed, and spreading our jackets on the ground for a bed, laid down on them. We lay side by side, but didn't touch.
"Goodnight," I said, feeling the tension creep over us again.
"Night." He turned on his side facing away from me.
I sighed. We may have great sex, but if we couldn't find a way to bridge the gap between us, I feared we were doomed, doomed to spend the rest of our lives living on Taleon in a perpetual state of anger, suspicion, and resentment.
How lovely.
After listening to Aris snore for a long while, I finally drifted off to sleep. Sometime in the night I awoke. The glow from the torch had dimmed, but still allowed me to see when I sat up and looked around. Something had awoken me. I just wasn't sure what.
Wait.
A noise. That's what it'd been.
A slithering noise.
I strained my ears and listened. Sure enough, a few moments later I heard it again.
"Aris?" I said, reaching over to touch him.
"Mmm?"
A scrape sounded over us at the top of the cave, and the next moment I started screaming my head off.
Chapter 22
Aris was on his feet in seconds. He reached out, grabbed the weapon, and spread his legs wide in battle position. "What?" he yelled.
"O...o...over there," I stammered. I pointed. "And...there."
"Holy shit."
The word spider didn't even come close to describing the creatures that slowly began emerging from behind every rock, crevice, and curve. The horror of them took my breath away. Long-legged black bodies that indeed were spider-like, yet the size of frying pans, followed by a flowing, swishing, reptilian tail about two feet long. These were not things you'd want to get close enough to stomp. They appeared to be covered with an armored body that would withstand any assault. Worse than the slithering, snake-like noise they made when they moved was the chattering of what sounded like dozens of sharp little teeth in their heads. At the front of each of their faces were two large pincers that squeezed and then opened, revealing gaping mouths. Their legs alone were each over a foot long.
Aris and I stood back to back on our jackets. Every time I screamed and pointed, he fired a laser bolt, blowing the gruesome creatures to smithereens. But they kept coming, and coming. Dozens turned into hundreds, turned into thousands. Some were ginormous, while others were smaller, baby-like, and even worse were the ones with the great rounded bellies that I knew held offspring. Over the tunnels they began spinning webs so thick I knew we'd never break through them.
"What do we do?" I cried while Aris continued to fire at will. I feared it was only a matter of time before his laser ran out of power. Only one tunnel remained uncovered. Aris pointed in that direction. The way we'd come in was out of the question since most of the spider-things seemed to be pouring in from that direction.
"That way," Aris shouted. Firing us a trail, we bolted for the tunnel. Down the long narrow passage we ran, the route taking us on a snaking, turning, twisting path. The battle-axe lit up our way, but from the dim glow I could tell we'd soon run out of light. The thought of those creatures all around us, hunting us in the dark, terrified me. To my relief the tunnel appeared free of them, but when I looked back over my shoulder I could see they streamed in after us.
"They're coming," I cried.
"Keep running." Aris reached back and grabbed my hand, pulling me along to keep up with his faster speed. To my surprise, I could see light ahead. The tunnel widened, and before us yawned the gaping mouth of an opening to outside. The light of three half-moons glowed before us.
An exit! Thank God. We'd escape this labyrinth of hell. But as we neared the opening, Aris threw out his hand, halting me just at the edge. I looked out and gasped, seeing the way down appeared a mile long and ended in a pile of rocks. A ledge across from us and down by about ten feet offered salvation. If only we could reach it. Back over my shoulder I saw the creatures slithering closer and closer, the clacking of their teeth getting louder and louder.
"We'll have to jump," Aris said. He passed me the battle-axe. "I'll go first."
I looked down at the sheer drop and gaped at him. "Jump?"
He stared at me grimly. "You have a choice. Take your chances jumping across, or wind up spider food." He moved back to get a running start. I held my breath, my grip tight on the weapon as I saw him sail over the great divide and land with a thud on the opposite ledge.
"Throw me the weapon," he called.
I aimed the battle-axe like a spear and threw it to the other side. Aris watched it land then stared u
p at me. "Jump, Danni," he yelled. "I'll catch you."
Yeah, right.
I had no choice. The spiders were getting closer.
I moved back into the cave to get a running start like Aris had. The sound of the clacking teeth behind me spurred me on. I began to run...hard. And then, thinking only of reaching the other side, I leapt toward Aris' outstretched arms. I felt the entire planet hold its breath as the ground beneath my feet disappeared. I moved my arms and legs in a swimming motion, trying to increase my distance, concentrating on Aris' face. He watched me intently. Time seemed to stop as I saw his lips curl into an encouraging smile. I practically felt his arms around me.
Then time sped up again and I began to fall.
Aris reached out, standing as close to the edge as he dared, desperately trying to get to me.
But it was no use.
I was falling. And falling...
I looked up and saw Aris on his hands and knees staring over the ledge, watching my descent, his face a mask of horror. Time seemed to slow again. I reached up my hands to him, wishing I could touch him one last time.
"I'm sorry," he cried.
"I love you," I screamed. It was the end for me, so what did it matter that I lay my heart bare to him? Our eyes locked and held as I dropped, the moon giving us this gift of light for our final farewell.
Suddenly, something grabbed me round my underarms. I jerked, and lurched upward with the force.
What the...?
I was moving.
And my underarms felt like they were on fire. In front of my face I saw a feather flutter past. I peered over and saw large claws hooked onto my shoulders, encircled under my arms, carrying me. The ground far beneath me flew by at an alarming pace. My belly lurched and my limbs tingled. My head grew dizzy and my heart pounded in fright.
"You are all right," said a voice over my head. "I have you."
A female.
Though I couldn't see her entirely, I knew suddenly, without a doubt, who had saved me. A Dreger. The baby's sister. She must have been watching over us. We swooped upward and I saw the ledge where Aris was. He now stood, and his face was lit up with awe and amazement.
Survivor Planet Series 2-Book Box Set Page 21
