by Vi Voxley
Hers were tugging at his armor, completely and utterly lost in the kiss. Their tongues danced as Soros claimed her mouth, kissing her with all the passion she'd seen in his eyes before. They were both lost in the exchange, drinking each other like they needed it to live. Kat's lips hurt from the intensity, but she didn't pull away before air ran out from her lungs.
It felt surreal.
When she leaned back, uncertain of what was going to happen next, Soros merely looked at her seriously. But Kat could still see the lust playing behind his gaze.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"Yes," she whispered, feeling her teeth begin to clatter again.
He gave her a good long look, and for some reason, Kat felt like she was under scrutiny. After some time, he clearly came to an answer and nodded.
"There are plenty of ways to get warm," he said, and Kat could feel her heart skip a beat.
It felt like a dream. Not necessarily a sexy dream, but a good one nonetheless. The conversation she was having was, simply put, unreal. In no universe could she be having that talk with Soros. She felt a lump in her throat, reminding Kat of her youth and making her feel like a blushing virgin again.
"But I can see the answer," the warrior finished. "Come, we can move closer to the fire."
There was a knot of disappointment in her stomach as she got up and let him move them almost to the edge of the fire pit. On the other hand, Kat didn't feel like she was in her right mind to make decisions like that, so maybe it was for the best.
All she knew was that the fire was nice and warm. Soros pulled her into his arms, and she curled up with the blanket on top of her. As he sat there, holding her safely away from the fire, sleep came swiftly to Kat.
"How will you sleep?" she asked, already slipping away.
"I won't," she heard Soros respond.
Kat wanted to protest, to say that it wasn't fair, but she fell asleep before she could get one word out. She dreamed of him.
* * *
The morning came too soon for someone who was very much happy with her sleeping arrangement. No doubt it was still cold as hell, and she had slept in a weird seated position, but the rest more than made up for it.
They should market this concept, Kat thought drowsily. Find a huge alien warrior. Cuddle up. Enjoy.
She couldn't remember what she'd dreamed about exactly, but Kat was pretty certain it had been about Soros. It ended too soon when he realized she was awake, which was immediately – damn those warrior senses.
Kat swallowed the whine of protest that wanted to make its way over her lips.
Stop it. You're behaving like a lovesick girl.
Soros got up and went to start the fire again. Apparently it had gone out during the night, and he hadn't moved to stop it. Kat felt guilty, thinking that he had wanted to let her rest. She couldn't imagine how cold it must have been for him, even with her on his lap.
"You can sleep now," she offered. "I can keep the fire."
"No need for that," Soros replied. "I can go for days before I actually need rest. It's light outside. I should use it to hunt and find out if someone is still on my trail."
Kat nodded. It made sense. It also left her with nothing to do but sit and guard the cave like a stone age housewife. That image did not help her already considerable confusion.
I shouldn't have kissed him. But it was so damn cold, and he is so fucking hot. Only, now what?
Nothing, was the answer.
It was obvious he considered her attractive, and Kat had already admitted the same. It changed nothing. They were merely two people stuck together.
In a cave.
Alone.
In need of a way to get warm.
This can only end well, she thought with a grin.
Soros left, but not before telling her in no uncertain terms that she was to stay inside. Kat nodded, waiting for him to leave before stepping outside and looking around.
She tried to follow the path they had taken the day before, but, well… Heaps of rocks looked exactly like other heaps of rocks. And after taking a few turns, Kat was no longer certain she was going the right way. The walls of stone rising to the skies on either side of her offered no support. She couldn't see up ahead, even after climbing a bit.
Well, that's disappointing, she thought. Unsurprising, but still. I suppose I have to last another night before figuring out a new way to escape.
She started walking back, being very careful about it. Getting lost in the middle of nowhere would be bad. Even Soros might have a hard time tracking someone who had no idea where they were going.
The thought was unsettling. Kat had no intention of dying out there. She was going to find a way to escape Soros and deliver the message, as she was supposed to. Especially now when Soros' opinions on the matter were obvious enough and his answer crystal clear. Then the chieftain would be free to do as he liked, including proving her either wrong or right.
Kat had no idea why she'd defended Nadar Brenger so ferociously the night before. Maybe she just wanted to believe that there was a happy ending to the whole thing out there. The way Soros made it sound truly left them no other choice but to hide until Corgans learned to behave, which was unlikely to happen in their lifetime. At least that much they agreed upon.
She was so focused on trying to figure a way out from the mess she'd gotten herself into that by the time Kat saw the creature, it was too late to run.
At first, she'd taken the tall shadow in front of the cave for Soros. Then her mind began to take in the details as her feet seemed stuck on the ground.
Although as tall as Soros, the creature in front of her wasn't a Corgan warrior. Say what they like, but Soros didn't have horns or claws as long as her arm. The tremendous hairy beast – some sort of wild Toron – opened its fanged mouth in a roar. Blood trickled down its cheeks. It looked like it had already had breakfast, but when it moved, Kat knew she was going to be lunch.
"Soros!" she screamed, scrambling for her weapon.
Chapter Ten
Soros
Her scream echoed across the mountains as Soros ran back to the cave.
The beast he'd been chasing had managed to slip away from him in a rock maze, going by animal instincts Soros didn't have. The seconds he'd spent trying to make sure he was going the right way had apparently given the creature enough headway.
He didn't know why it had gone to the cave. The fire, Kat's scent, it made no difference. All that mattered was that it had, and he was not there.
Jumping over chasms, barely minding the razor-sharp rocks that stood in his way, Soros ran faster than he ever had. His twin hearts beat fast and hard, urging him on. The thought of being late was unbearable. Somehow he didn't think he could take seeing Kat's blood on the ground.
Of all the things to hunt, he had chosen the beast. The Torlock was a remnant of old times, a bloodthirsty monster. A forefather of the Torons, a species of mountain-dwelling hairy creatures far removed from the thing he was after.
Torons were intelligent, communal heavy workers who worked in most of the Hetton mines. The wild strain, nothing more than the animal Torons had evolved from, was almost extinct now.
Soros didn't appreciate the irony of setting one of the last members of the species on Kat. She had come to the mountains with him, expecting to be safe like he'd promised, not facing a beast even most Corgans had forgotten.
Finally, the cave was up ahead, but it felt like the scream had cut through him ages ago. Soros dashed around the corner to see Kat fighting the Torlock, although surviving would have been a more apt term.
She had her gun out and was taking shots at the rampaging beast every chance she got. By luck or skill or the grace of gods, Soros saw that Kat had managed to jump into a tight crevice where the beast couldn't follow.
It wasn't going to last forever. Meticulously, mercilessly, the Torlock beat its huge fists against the rock to break itself a way to the prey it wanted.
Up so close, it was ev
en bigger than Soros had guessed by viewing it from afar.
All those observations didn't take him even a second. Without hesitation, he charged at the Torlock, pulling his swords free. It reminded him of his days as a student at Dolon Hall. His commander had also sent them into Grouvelle. They'd learned the hard way how quickly the long swords lost their edge in the narrow spaces of the mountain range.
It wasn't a nostalgia he appreciated, but at least his battle cry got the beast's attention. Answering with a roar, the Torlock charged him, approaching like a war ship. Gritting his teeth, Soros braced for the impact.
The beast crashed into him, sending him flying backwards, but it had achieved that at the price of several painful cuts. The Torlock took a step back, raising its bleeding arms like it had forgotten what it meant to be wounded.
Soros got up, holding the swords ready in the narrow passage they were in. One ahead of him, one held over his head. There was barely any room for him to turn, but it was also hindering the Torlock. The beast clawed at him, trying to reach him but it found Soros' swords in the way at every turn.
On open ground, Soros would have had no problem with it. The mindlessness of the Torlock spoke of animal behavior and hunger, both of which made it reckless. It pushed against the sharp rocks when it should have lured Soros out. Yet, in a place like that, even a feral beast could be deadly if its opponent wasn't careful.
And there was the solution. Backing away, Soros waited until the Torlock broke its way to him. Step by step, he endured the amazingly quick and powerful blows of the creature's hairy fists. He made sure every advancement came with more wounds to the beast. The ground was red where the Torlock passed, and Soros hoped there would be more rain or others might find their way to him by the path it left.
As he backed away, the passage grew tighter and Soros was grateful that he and Kat weren't huddled together in the same refuge. Soon, he barely had enough room to move, but the Torlock was almost stuck as well. It was a dead end, but Soros knew the beast would reach its limit before he did. And finally, the passage became too tight for the Torlock to be able to deliver any meaningful blows. Though that didn't mean it gave in.
He wished he could hear Kat speak or cry out, at least, so he'd know if she was still alive in her hiding place. Perhaps she was, he didn't know. There was a whole section of the mountain between them and the Torlock's roars were burying everything else beneath them.
With his back literally to the wall, Soros watched, unafraid, as the beast got truly stuck trying to reach for him. The claws came within inches of his face, but then the twin blades in his hands struck back. The creature roared, trying to break free and back away, but it was too late. He'd waited until the moment was right, and now the Torlock was unable to stop the strike coming for its heart.
A long guttural growl signaled its death as the twin blades cut through its heart, and Soros finally breathed out. He stood there for another moment, looking at the dead beast. He too had small wounds on his forearms, but that was expected.
Nothing at all compared to what the Torlock would have done to Kat if it had caught her. The crevice she'd hidden in offered no room to back away any further or she would have.
The Torlock would have torn her limb from limb, but Soros found himself unable to think of that. He climbed out of the passage, pushing his way out from under the Torlock's corpse, and then he stood in fresh air again.
Kat rushed to him at once. The look on her beautiful face was pure terror.
"I thought you were dead," she said. "How could you possible survive that?"
"I would be a lousy hunter if I let my prey kill me," Soros replied. "Go and make sure the fire is ready to properly cook meat."
"That..." Kat began, looking at the Torlock with disgust. "Is that our meal?"
"Yes," Soros said. "Trust me when I say it tastes better than it looks."
It took them awhile to cut and carry the meat to the cave. They hung most of it from the ceiling, but one piece went to cook over the blazing fire. He left Kat to tend to that and headed back to the cave. Soros spent another half an hour there before he returned, carrying the heavy fur on his back. The meat was starting to look really appetizing, but he only had eyes for Kat.
"What is that?" she asked, wide-eyed, pointing at the sack over his shoulders.
"A hide," he replied, grinning a bit when she nearly gagged at the smell. "I know it reeks, but you'll be thankful for it when night comes."
Kat nodded, trying to stay as far from the fur as possible.
"I probably will," she admitted. "I guess we can't do anything about the stench?"
"I will leave it outside unless it rains. Fresh air might help, but not much, no."
Despite looking a bit pale, Kat smiled at him. It warmed his very being.
Curious.
"Thank you," she said. "I mean it. It will most definitely be the worst blanket I've ever used, but I appreciate it. Is that why you chose to hunt it?"
"Yes," Soros replied and saw the smile grow even wider on her face before she turned back to the meat.
"I think it'll be done soon," she said without looking at him. "I'll bring some water."
They ate, making sure to check that every piece was properly done.
"You were right, you know," Kat said with her mouth half full, glowing with delight. "This tastes so much better than it looks."
"That's not a very difficult task," Soros replied.
This time, Kat laughed out loud.
"I suppose so," she said, nodding and reaching for the next piece.
Her simple joy over something so trivial was interesting to see. She fascinated him, and he found out something new every second. It was no surprise to anyone that he had been able to slay the Torlock, but it was practically a miracle that Kat had managed to survive it as long as she had.
The way she told it, she would have had to run a considerable distance with a roaring beast on her heels before reaching the crevice. The fact that Soros found them a good way from the cave confirmed that, though he was not surprised to realize that it was in part because she had perhaps looked for a way off the mountain. It required amazing self-control and some skill to see the escape route from the Torlock in the first place, even more so for someone who was not familiar with the mountains.
Later, Soros dragged the hide back in. They set it as close to the fire as they dared and Kat folded it in two so it doubled as a mattress and a cover. Seeing that everything was in order and that the fire was burning strongly, Soros returned to his place by the wall, closing the makeshift door before taking his seat.
He liked having an eye on the cave door, just in case someone on his trail was clever enough to not attack as soon as they had eyes on him.
He saw Kat staring at him, still sitting on her new bed.
"You can join me, you know," she said. "Out of the armors, we should both be able to fit underneath it. And body heat warms better than –"
She trailed off when Soros grinned, but carried on.
"I'm not asking you to bed me, I'm literally asking you to be in the bed with me. So maybe we'll both be warm."
"I don't care about the cold."
"But you still feel it, don't you?" she asked sharply, but Soros could see the amusement in her eyes.
"Of course. But I've learned to endure –"
"Don't start with that again," she cut in, turning her back to him and starting to remove her armor. "Big bad warrior and all that. I offered. You can come and be warm or sit there and catch a cold out of stubbornness."
Soros chose not to mention how difficult she made it for him to concentrate on undressing when the sight of her made him hunger for her with new-found lust. Every inch of her body revealed from under the black cloak and the thin plated armor she wore underneath was gorgeous and smooth. Beneath it all she wore a long sleeveless shirt that she didn't remove to his silent disappointment.
Kat climbed under the fur that stank considerably less than it had before an
d waited for him. Unable to take his eyes off her, Soros finished removing his intricate and complicated armor and joined her under the covers. He could feel the way her body trembled softly, but it might have been the cold.
It probably wasn't.
He'd ended up with nothing but his boxers and a shirt. He could feel her long legs slip between his, looking for warmth. Soros wrapped his hands around her, pulling the covers close as well as he could, enveloping them into a little world of their own.
Kat had her back to him, but he could feel the way she couldn't entirely stop her body from grinding against his. It would have been too much trouble to try and fight the way his cock hardened at once, so he didn't. Instead, with a grin, Soros pulled her right up against him. She giggled sleepily.
"You forgot your gun," she said and drifted off almost immediately.
Dreams didn't come so easily for Soros. He stayed awake, holding Kat against him, wondering how long she’d manage to live the life intended for warrior training. The fur would help them endure the nights better, but he needed to find another place for them to stay if he was going to keep Kat by his side until the situation resolved itself.
Underneath those concerns, Soros couldn't deny the dark wish in his heart – to stay on the run like that forever, just him and Kat, away from the rest of the galaxy. It would continue spinning with them gone.
* * *
The next few days went by fast, but Soros found himself enjoying every second he spent with Kat. When the news of what the clan lords intended reached him, Soros had prepared himself for a long solitude. Now he had Kat, and her company was nothing like anything he'd experienced before. There was a light in her that he couldn't explain but was hopelessly drawn to.
And the weirdest thing was that he didn't mind it one bit, even if he knew she was quickly becoming a weakness he didn't need.
