He glanced down in disbelief at the sword through his gut, then he choked, blood running out of his mouth. She pulled the sword free and the man collapsed to the ground.
“You talk too much,” she said.
“Damn, you’re something, Second Commander.”
She looked at Donovan, and he took in the fierce lines of her face. He wanted her. Desperately.
She smiled at him.
Then they heard a loud, baying cry, followed by hoots and hollers. The criminals were close.
Fuck. “They’re coming.”
“All of them,” she said. “We can’t take them all down.” She frowned. “There are too many.”
Damn. Damn. Damn. He met her gaze. “I need you to trust me.”
She hesitated a second, then she nodded.
“Take your armor off. You need to let me claim you.”
Her eyes flared bright turquoise.
“We can’t give away your armor or skills just yet.” He strode right up to her. “Let me protect you, Airen. Play the game, and we’ll escape as soon as we can.”
She drew in a harsh breath, then she nodded.
He cupped her cheek. He knew this was hard for his proud warrior. To make herself vulnerable, put herself in his hands.
Her scales flickered away, folding back until she was naked.
“I know it’s not the time,” he said. “But you are so damn beautiful, Airen.”
She swallowed.
Donovan crouched and swiped his fingers through the dead criminal’s blood. When he rose, he streaked some across her cheek. She didn’t flinch, just lifted her chin. He moved his hands lower, and smeared blood across her upper chest. His hand brushed against her breast and they both sucked in a breath.
Then they heard the shouts. The criminals were almost there.
“Kneel, Airen.”
She quivered, then dropped to her knees at his feet.
Shit, he hated this.
Crux and the others broke out of the trees.
Their gazes went straight to Airen and Donovan, then flicked to the dead criminal sprawled on the ground.
Donovan tangled his hand in Airen’s hair, tilting her face up.
“I claim her. She’s mine.”
Chapter Eleven
Night had fallen and Airen sat on her knees, still naked, pressed against Donovan’s legs.
They were back at the criminals’ camp, all sitting around the fire.
She listened to the laughter and deep voices. Even though she wasn’t wearing any clothes, the fire and proximity to Donovan were keeping her warm.
The criminals sat around eating and drinking some noxious beverage that they brewed from tree roots. They were all half drunk, and a few of them had passed out. She’d listened to them brag about the horrid crimes they’d committed in order to be sent to Oblivion.
“You gonna fuck your toy, new guy?” a man called out. “We’d enjoy the show.”
Donovan glared at the man, as he’d been doing every time someone looked her way.
She fought back a smile. She liked him taking care of her. Cren. She’d been protecting herself a long time, but this Terran was getting under her skin.
Making her feel so much.
She eyed the harsh, desperate men around them. She knew they’d keep pushing him, unless she and Donovan gave them something.
She pressed closer to him and moved between his spread legs. She felt his muscles tense.
His gaze was on her now, the firelight turning his eyes a vibrant orange-gold. He cupped her jaw, and she nuzzled into his palm.
He had such strong hands.
Then he hauled her into his lap and wrapped an arm around her. She pressed her face against his neck. Even after everything they’d been through, he still smelled good. All man.
She moved her mouth to his ear and nipped his earlobe. His fingers stroked her hip. She saw his big hand on her. How dark it was against her paler skin.
She moved her mouth higher and whispered. “Are the rest of them ever going to pass out?”
“Fuck, I hope so,” he murmured.
“We need to get out of here.” She knew the Kantos would come. They were running out of time.
“Donovan, my friend,” Crux called out. “If you want some privacy with your female, you’re welcome to use the shelters.” The alien jerked his head.
A few ragged tents made of furs and hides had been set up near the trees.
Donovan nodded and rose, lifting Airen in his arms.
Her heart gave a little thump. She liked him carrying her. Way too much.
He strode across the ground and ducked into the tent. He set her down and then fiddled with a small container filled with oil. He lit it, and golden light filled the makeshift tent.
He touched her shoulder. “How are you doing?”
“I’m okay.”
He nodded, but he didn’t look happy. “I want to beat each of those assholes to a pulp every time they look at you.”
She cupped his cheek. “Right now, we need to focus on getting out of here.”
“Crux told me more about Oblivion’s planetary security net. To get through it, we need to head to the prison command. From what I gather, it’s not on this island, and he said the place is packed with wardens. All trained to kill unruly inmates.”
She blew out a breath. She’d known it wouldn’t be easy. “I hope Malax and the Rengard can find us.”
The shuttle had a tracking beacon in it, but she knew that both of them were aware that there was slim hope of the warriors finding them. The wormhole had dumped them too far away.
“Fucking Kantos,” Donovan said.
“So.” Airen straightened. “We get away from your new friends, and find the location of the prison command.”
“That’s our plan.” He pulled her close, and she wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m glad I’m with you,” she said quietly. “And not alone.”
“Damn, me too, Airen.”
They looked at each other, the light flickering over their faces. And then she moved, leaning up until her lips touched his.
He kissed her, and only took seconds to deepen the kiss, taking her mouth hungrily. Her hands slid over his short hair and she moaned. By the warriors, he tasted so good, and felt even better. Desire was a hot, burning fire inside her.
It felt like seconds, and it felt like forever, but finally, she reluctantly broke the kiss.
Panting, he pressed his forehead to hers. “You obliterate my control, Airen. Any time I touch you, it’s just gone.”
She smiled. “I like knowing that.”
His answering smile was wide and white. “I bet you do.”
Suddenly, bright lights speared through the cracks of the tent. Shouts echoed outside.
The chaos was followed by the unmistakable sound of laser fire.
“Fuck,” Donovan bit out.
They both leaped up and Airen formed her armor, instantly feeling much less vulnerable.
Donovan shifted a flap of the tent, and through the opening, she spotted a Kantos ship in the sky. It fired at the criminals, who scattered across the camp.
A moment later, several Kantos soldiers skittered out of the trees and into view.
“We need to move,” she said.
Donovan rummaged through the gear in the tent, and grabbed a knife and a rusted sword. He also threw some food and drink in a leather bag and swung it onto his shoulder.
He turned and slashed at the furs at the back of the tent. They both pushed out of the slit and ran outside. They sprinted toward the trees.
Lights hit them.
Cren.
Laser fire cut up the ground, moving toward them. Airen dived on Donovan, shielding him.
Dirt and rocks flew around them, and a second later, a sharp burn sliced across her back and she cried out.
“Airen!”
Wincing, she rolled off him. The pain made it impossible to talk.
Donovan lifted her and she fought off
the agony. She had to stay conscious. He started running, and then, they were in the trees.
Airen dragged in a breath, her vision blurring. Don’t pass out and don’t vomit.
Donovan set her down against a tree trunk.
“Baby, let me—” He touched her shoulder, trying to look at her back.
“O-kay. Helian…stopping pain. Healing.”
The air shuddered out of him. “You’re sure?”
She managed a nod.
“Can you move?”
She knew that she didn’t have a choice. She nodded again.
He helped her up, keeping an arm around her, careful not to bump her laser burn.
Then they set off running.
* * *
Donovan ground his teeth together, scanning the jungle as they ran.
Airen had fucking taken a hit to protect him. For a blinding second, he’d been sure that she was dead. Her weight had been on him, her body lax.
He glanced down at her. She was looking stronger and she seemed fine, but his body was still on edge.
He heard shouts and screams, and the sound of fighting. The criminals were fighting back, and the Kantos ship still hovered over the camp.
Now, he and Airen needed to put as much distance between them and the Kantos as they could, and then find somewhere safe to hole up.
The sound of heavy bodies crashing through the trees reached them. Dammit.
You cannot escape us, Eon female.
A shiver ran down Donovan’s neck. An elite Kantos. Only they had the ability to speak telepathically in other people’s heads.
Airen cursed. “Faster.”
They picked up speed.
We will capture you.
“You can try,” she muttered.
A piercing, buzzing noise cut through the night.
With a sharp cry, Airen dropped to her knees, her hands clasped over her ears. Her face contorted.
“Airen?”
“It…hurts,” she moaned.
Donovan looked around and realized the noise was worse for her. It was some weapon designed to mess with an Eon warrior’s acute hearing.
A second later, two Kantos appeared, skittering on their four legs. One was the elite—a little taller and paler than the other soldier.
Donovan stepped in front of Airen and lifted his sword. Damn, he wished he had a better weapon.
The Kantos soldier rushed forward, his arms slicing through the air.
Donovan ducked, swiveled, then dropped to his knees. He saw those four sharp legs and he chopped out at one, aiming for a joint. He knew all the weak spots on a Kantos soldier’s body.
The Kantos teetered. As it struggled for balance, Donovan leaped up and kicked it. As soon as it hit the ground, he drove his sword down into its chest.
There was a cracking sound, as metal met the hard shell of the Kantos’ body. Grunting, Donovan forced his sword in.
Green blood leaked out of the alien’s chest, and a second later, it went still.
Airen was still on the ground, trying to get up, but it was clear that the agony was keeping her down. Her hands were pressed to her ears.
Donovan turned, and spotted the device clutched by the elite. With a growl, he strode toward the alien.
The elite swung an arm, and Donovan danced back.
“Come on, asshole.”
Your taunts mean nothing to me, Terran. You are weak and insignificant.
Donovan charged in and swung his sword. It sliced across the elite’s hard shell without injuring the Kantos.
I will kill you, then take what I came for.
“You know, I’m sick to death of everyone thinking Airen is a thing. Treating her like a commodity. Fuck you. She’s Airen Kann-Felis, Eon warrior and second commander of the Rengard. She’ll cut you up into tiny pieces, and I’ll enjoy watching her do it.”
With a vicious swing, Donovan cut his sword through the air and hit the device. It smashed.
Airen shook her head and rose. Blood was leaking out of one of her ears. Her sword formed on her arm, contained fury on her face. She stalked toward the elite.
The Kantos skittered back a step.
You will never—
Airen swung her sword. She tore into the Kantos, and Donovan jumped in as well, attacking from the side.
The alien went down under their brutal blows.
When the elite was dead, Airen stepped back, her chest heaving.
Donovan eyed her carefully. “Feel better?”
She tossed her tangled hair back. “I do.”
“Good.”
A faint smile curled her lips. “Not bad for a weak, insignificant Terran.”
He snorted, cleaning his sword off on a bush. “The weakest people are always the ones who have to belittle you and exaggerate their own abilities.”
She nodded. “And the strongest are the ones who’d stand by your side and never let you down.”
Damn. Donovan felt her words deep in his gut.
All of a sudden, he heard shouts, followed by a sharp whistle that echoed behind them in the trees.
Dammit. Crux and his gang were coming.
“We’re going to find you, new guy.” Crux’s bellow echoed through the trees. “We’re going to take your woman. We hear she’s worth a lot of credits and a ride off this rock.”
“Fucking fuck.” The Kantos had recruited Crux and his criminals. “We need to move.”
She nodded.
Together, they jogged into the vegetation.
“Let’s keep going,” she said. “The more distance we can put between us and the criminals, the better.”
They kept running, but the shouts never went away. The criminals knew the land better than them, and they were not going to let them go.
The island terrain narrowed, and he saw moonlight glinting off the ocean on either side. They moved up a hill, and when they looked back, moonlight speared down through the trees. He saw the crowd of criminals, many of them holding burning torches above their heads.
They were like a pack of rabid dogs.
He and Airen jogged down the hill. They ran out of the trees and stumbled to a halt.
“Shit.”
A massive, wide waterfall blocked their way. It was full of smooth, small platforms of rock, filled with pools of steaming water.
The water glowed in bright greens and yellows, caused by whatever minerals were in the water. And it was clearly hot. Steam rose off the pools.
Donovan’s jaw tightened. “How the hell are we going to get past this?”
Chapter Twelve
Airen’s pain was finally fading, but her ears still throbbed. Her head felt like it was caught in a hard vise, and her helian was working overtime to heal up the last of the damage.
“There’s high geothermal activity here,” she said.
Behind them, the shouts and cries were getting closer.
“We need to get across,” Donovan said.
They both knew the criminals’ blood lust was up. And there could be more Kantos anywhere around them in the jungle.
Airen studied the waterfall and pools. Black stone edged the pools, and in places, there were some large, flat stepping stones.
She nodded. “Let’s go.” She started across the rock, holding her arms out for balance.
Donovan moved in behind her.
“How hot is this water?” he asked.
“Hot. Don’t fall.”
As they made their way across, she glanced ahead. A solid wall of rock barred their way, and her gut cramped. They’d have to climb—
No, wait. There was a cave.
Cren, she hoped it led somewhere.
“Airen, faster,” Donovan said.
She picked up speed. To her left in a pool, she saw a snake-like creature appear, swimming lazily. It disappeared down into the cloudy, glowing, green-and-yellow-tinged water.
Wild shouts broke out behind them, and when she glanced back, she saw the criminals at the edge of the jungle, pointing
at them.
The first one started across the rocks after them.
It wasn’t long before several criminals were crossing the pools in a single line.
Airen paused and climbed up to a higher pool. The rocks were hot to touch.
“Gonna kill you, traitor,” a criminal yelled. “Then I’m gonna claim that female, have some fun with her, then sell her.”
Donovan turned and pulled out a knife. He gripped the hilt, looked down, then threw it.
The blade slammed into the criminal’s neck and the man teetered, his arms waving madly. He fell into a pool with a splash.
He came up thrashing in the water, his screams making them all freeze. Airen watched as his skin started to melt off his bones. She winced.
Donovan cursed and turned. “Keep going. And don’t fall.”
She carefully placed her feet, and drew in a steadying breath. They kept moving.
Suddenly, there was a whistle of sound.
A long, wooden arrow flew past them, its sharp end hitting the rock. It rebounded off the stone and landed in the water with a splash, sizzling as it melted.
“What the hell?” Donovan barked.
Airen glanced back. A tall, pale-skinned alien held some sort of crossbow.
“Go, go, go,” Donovan yelled.
She tried to move faster, but they couldn’t go too fast, or they’d risk falling into the water.
Two more arrows flew past. Airen crouched down, and saw Donovan do the same. The bolts hit the water with a dangerous splash.
Close. Too close.
“Go ahead of me,” she said.
“No.”
“Donovan—”
“You’re not going to be my damn shield, Airen. Let’s just get across, as fast as we can.”
Stubborn Terran. She moved into a crouch and kept moving. The cave mouth was getting closer.
They were almost there.
She heard the whistle of another arrow, then Donovan grunted.
No! She spun. She saw him over-balancing.
Airen lunged and caught his arm. She gritted her teeth, holding him tightly so they both didn’t topple into the geothermal pool.
“Donovan.” She saw the ugly point of the arrow spearing out his chest. Cren.
“Keep…moving.” His voice was drenched with pain.
Claim of Eon: Eon Warriors #6 Page 9
