by Tana Stone
“Besides, I kind of need you to survive this place,” she added, aiming the scanner at him and pressing a button.
He twitched as a green beam shot from the end and started to seal his torn flesh. It didn’t hurt, but it sent a warm tingle through his body.
“Hold still,” Trista said, her eyes focused intently on his side. “Almost done.”
Watching his own skin knitting together was an odd thing to observe. He looked away, until he heard the device click off.
Trista beamed at him and waved a hand at his newly healed side. “As good as new.”
Torven touched a finger to the pink patch on his flesh. It was still tender, but there was no scar.
“Drexian technology really is impressive.” Trista flipped the scanner around in her palm. “I wish there were devices like this to fix cars.”
Torven shrugged his suit back up over his shoulders. “You are a curious female.”
“I’m okay with that.” Trista’s mouth curved up as she returned the scanner and used packets to the med kit, and hiked the pack up onto her back. “We need to get you someplace where you can rest.”
“I am fine.” He picked up his own pack as he pulled himself up to his full height, and black spots danced in front of his eyes. He swayed on the spot, throwing his arms out as he staggered to one side.
“Torven!” Her voice cut through the roaring in his ears. “You’re too close to the edge.”
He tried to stop himself, but the world was a swirl of white as he fell, his arms catching nothing but empty air.
Chapter Sixteen
Trista dove for Torven as he listed to one side near the edge of the path. No way was she losing him after working so hard to keep him alive, and no way was he leaving her alone on a frozen planet.
His arms windmilled as he realized he was falling, and Trista clutched one of his hands in an attempt to stop his momentum. He clasped her hand and his weight yanked them both off the ledge.
Shit. Air rushed by her as they plummeted down. She was too startled to scream, even as panic clawed at her throat. She couldn’t believe that after everything she’d survived, this was how she was going out. She tightened her grip on Torven’s hand, and closed her eyes.
The impact was softer than she’d expected, with clouds of snow flying into the air around them as they landed. Torven took the fall on his back, and she bounced on top of him, the only pain coming when her head knocked against his.
She lay still for a moment, savoring the fact that she wasn’t dead. She ran a hand over her upper body. It didn’t feel like anything was broken, either.
“Torven?” she whispered as she pushed herself off his chest. “Are you okay?”
He groaned. “You pushed me off the mountain.”
“Pushed you?” She slapped his chest. “I was trying to save you, you big—” She stopped when she noticed the grin playing around the corners of his mouth. She slapped him again, this time harder. “I should push you off the mountain.”
He opened one eye and peeked at her. “How many times have you tried to kill me now?”
“Not enough,” she said, but couldn’t help laughing.
“If we ever get off this planet, remind me not to arm you.”
Trista sat up completely and glanced around. She was so relieved they weren’t dead, she couldn’t even be upset that they’d fallen so far that they’d lost all their progress into the mountain range. The pile of soft snow they’d landed in was at the base of the craggy rock face.
She sighed. It would take hours to retrace their steps, even if Torven was strong enough to walk that far. She’d led the Kronock away from them, but that only gave them a head start. It wouldn’t take long for the enemy to discover the trail was false and circle back around.
“We still need to find someplace to hide,” she said.
Torven pushed himself up onto his elbows. “We’re almost back to where we started.”
Trista heard the weariness in his voice. No way could he hack another hike up the mountain. She wasn’t sure if she could, either. The adrenaline was wearing off, and a chill passed through her body.
“I have an idea,” she said, standing up and brushing the powdery snow off her suit. She tugged Torven up with her. “We go back to the tunnel. The Kronock will never think we’re there, because they chased us out. I’m guessing they’ve blasted their way out by now, so we can circle back and hide inside.”
Torven’s forehead creased into a mass of wrinkles as he seemed to consider her idea. “It’s an interesting strategy.”
Trista didn’t say aloud what she was thinking. It was risky, but it was their only decent option considering Torven’s state, and the position of the tiny sun in the sky. Soon it would be dark again, and she did not want to be stuck outside when the temperature dropped even farther.
Torven took the lead, holding his blaster in front and moving slowly, as they navigated the short distance back to the tunnel. They didn’t encounter anyone, or hear the sounds of a hunting party. Maybe her distraction had worked, and the enemy was wandering out in the snow searching for them.
They approached the entrance to the tunnel with trepidation, but it appeared to be deserted. The stones he’d caused to fall over the entrance were blasted away, as they’d suspected. He stepped over the rubble to reach the dark hole.
“Ready?” he asked, peering into the blackness and looking back at her.
Trista hadn’t gone to church since she was a girl, but she said a silent prayer that no Kronock were waiting for them inside. “Let’s do it.”
As they shuffled hand in hand along the narrow passageway, Trista thought it was steeper than she remembered. They were walking down a lot, which meant that they would have been walking up coming from the opposite direction. Had they really walked up for so long before? Since they had been pursued earlier, Trista guessed the stress must have muddled the details. Her ears popped, and she gave her head a shake.
Instead of becoming cooler as they descended, Trista could swear it was warmer. And humid. She took a deep breath. Yep, the air smelled damp, if that was possible. She took another breath, picking up a hint of rotten eggs.
“Torven,” she whispered. “Do you smell that?”
“This is not the same tunnel,” he said, putting voice to her suspicion. “There must have been a fork in it we weren’t aware of.”
It was still too dark to see anything, but Trista squeezed Torven’s hand. “How far are we going to go? It may not come out on the other side.”
“Up ahead.”
Trista squinted through the dark. He was right. There was a faint, blue glow in the distance. As they drew nearer, the blue light grew brighter until they came out of the tunnel into a subterranean cavern. Tiny flecks of blue glowed in the walls, and stalactites extended from the high ceiling with matching stalagmites reaching up from the floor.
From the faint light emitted from the walls, Trista could see that the cave was large, with columns throughout that appeared to have been formed from dripping minerals. It looked like rock had been poured down is globs, or cobbled together out of icicles. In the center of the cavern was a pool of water, with steam rising from its surface.
“I must be hallucinating,” Trista said. “Either that, or we actually died, and this is heaven.”
Torven lowered his blaster as he walked forward and touched one of the hanging needles of damp rock. “It feels real.”
Trista walked to the edge of the pool and leaned over, dipping her hand into the water. “It’s warm.” She pulled it out and sniffed her fingers. “This must be a natural spring deep within the planet. The water smells like sulfur.”
Torven wrinkled his nose. “It is healthy to breathe?”
“It’s fine, I think,” Trista said. “If it’s anything like on Earth, it’s actually good for your skin. I had a cousin who went to Hot Springs, Arkansas, for her honeymoon, that’s why I know. She couldn’t stop talking about soaking in the natural springs.”
<
br /> Torven shrugged himself out of the environmental suit, lowered himself to the rock floor, and leaned his back against one of the lumpy formations. He blew out a steady breath, and flinched as he held a hand to his side.
Trista studied him. He must be in pain. She knew what she’d done to patch him up wasn’t a permanent fix, and she didn’t know if he had internal injuries. Her heart squeezed when she thought about something happening to him, but she gave herself a mental shake. First of all, why was she so worried about someone she barely knew? Aside from the fact that she always fell for the wrong type of guy, of course.
She watched him with his eyes closed and his head resting against the craggy rock. He wasn’t so intimidating when he looked like he was sleeping. Sure, he still had a face full of dark scruff, and thick tattoos ringing his biceps, but his square jaw and full lips softened his look. It didn’t hurt that he’d risked his own life to save hers.
Maybe he was just doing a really good job of convincing her, but her gut told her he’d never intentionally put her at risk. She knew she should still be upset that he took her from the station and landed her on a frozen planet with nothing but terrifying monsters trying to kill them and Kronock chasing after them, but it was hard to stay angry at someone when they kept saving your life and you were fighting off the urge to jump their bones.
No one back home would have been surprised by this, she reminded herself as a rush of shame flooded her cheeks. It had become a given that if there was a bad boy within fifty feet, Trista would be drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Of course, none of the bad boys she’d liked had ever turned out to be nice guys underneath. They’d all been jerks who’d made her feel like crap, which was why she’d vowed never to so much as look at one again. Being taken to outer space had helped, and then she’d seen Torven, and all of her good intentions had gone out the window.
Of all the Drexian warriors available, how was it she got stuck with the bad-boy outcast? She knew they’d been matched, but she could reject the match, especially since Torven might end up a convicted traitor. All she had to do was resist him until they were rescued, go back to the station, and ask for a clean-cut soldier with no tattoos. Her eyes fell to his broad chest, the black shirt pulled tight over his sculpted muscles, and a throbbing heat pulsed between her legs. Easier said than done.
She shifted as the uncomfortable warmth became a tingle. Had she really learned nothing from her past? As much as she tried to fight it, she knew she was falling for the rough-around-the-edges warrior.
“Typical,” she muttered under her breath.
He looked up as her soft word echoed through the cavern. “What?”
“Nothing,” she stammered. “Maybe we should get you in the water. It might help your wounds.”
Torven raised a suspicious eyebrow and eyed the steaming pool. “Are you sure this is not another of your ploys to do away with me?”
“By making you soak in a natural hot tub?” She laughed. “If so, there are worse ways to go.”
The corner of Torven’s mouth quirked up. “Maybe you are running out of other ways.”
She shrugged. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of a woman?”
He seemed to take this as a challenge, standing and pulling his shirt over his head in one fluid movement. He smiled at her. “I am not scared of you, cinnara.”
“Cinnara?”
“It means ‘my sweet one.’ I could also call you the other name. What was it? Grease monkey?”
Trista didn’t know how to respond. She’d never had a cute nickname, unless you considered being called ‘woman’ endearing, which she didn’t.
Torven didn’t wait for her answer as he stepped out of his pants, leaving them in a pile on the ground. She knew this was the point where she should look away, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from him. There were those nodes again, she thought, as she got a quick glimpse of the row of bumps along his spine. She’d seen him in just his boxer briefs before, but her breath hitched in her throat as he also pulled those off and tossed them aside.
The other tribute brides on the station had told her that Drexians weren’t as modest as humans, and they didn’t have any problem stripping in front of virtual strangers. Now she knew why. If human men looked like Torven, she was sure they’d be parading naked in front of as many people as they could. Hell, they’d probably take out full-page ads. They’d need a full page to do it justice.
She knew she shouldn’t stare, but she’d never seen such a huge cock in her life. Not that it came as a surprise. Everything about Torven was massive, and she’d felt his girth pressing against her leg earlier and suspected as much. Still, seeing it was different than imagining it. Thick and long, it was as bronze as his skin with the crown only a shade darker.
Trista watched as he poked one toe in the water then lowered himself completely. He submerged himself under the surface before rising up from the water and sweeping water off his face and dragging his hands through his hair. Water beaded off his chest and streamed down his tattooed arms.
She felt a spasm between her legs. Holy shit. Was this guy for real? It was like living a perfume ad, with the sexy guy emerging from the water to tell you to buy a bottle of whatever he was selling.
He leveled his gaze at her. “Don’t make me drag you in.”
Chapter Seventeen
Torven watched as Trista’s cheeks flamed red, and he knew it wasn’t just because of the heat. He’d heard that humans were more self-conscious about being naked than Drexians, but he thought after the moment they’d shared in the cave and the fact that she’d seen him almost naked before, she wouldn’t be so modest.
It was true he hadn’t seen her unclothed, but even the thought of seeing her naked curves made his cock twitch. He splashed some of the warm water up onto his bare chest and watched the last traces of blood dissolve. She’d been right about the water. It seemed to revive him, and his muscles relaxed from the heat.
Trista took off her boots and rolled up the legs of her environmental suit. “I’ll just get my feet wet first.”
Torven lowered himself into the steaming water again, and the knots in his shoulders unwound. The water may have smelled funny, but there was no doubt it was helping him recover.
Sitting on the edge of the pool, Trista dangled her legs into the water. She watched Torven, but he could tell she was doing her best to avoid looking beneath the water’s surface.
Glowing blue flecks, like the ones in the rock walls, illuminated the pool from within. The water was so clear that even in the eerie blue light, it would’ve been hard not to notice Torven’s huge erection. He tried to ignore it himself, as he ducked his head under the water and let the heat envelop him.
He knew he shouldn’t be thinking about claiming her until he could prove his innocence. It had been a promise he’d made to himself, but one that was becoming harder and harder to keep. He hadn’t anticipated how much he would want her, or how impossible it was to be near her without wanting to touch her.
At least she was making it easier for him, staying out of the water and keeping the oversized suit on. He focused on the floppy fabric bunched around her knees, and hoped that would make his cock stop throbbing.
“Screw this,” Trista muttered under her breath. She stood and started to strip.
So much for getting rid of his arousal, Torven thought. He didn’t know if it was more polite to avert his eyes, but he couldn’t pull his gaze from her.
Wiggling her hips as she slipped the suit off and stepped out of it, Trista didn’t glance at him as she shimmied out of the clothes beneath the suit. When she stood in nothing but small, black panties and a matching bra, she hesitated. “Turn around,” she said.
He started to laugh, but saw she was serious. “You do not wish me to see you?”
“I know we’re supposed to be matched and all, but I still just met you, and I’m not used to stripping for guys I barely know.”
He wondered if this had to do with her ridiculous i
dea of not being attractive enough. She’d let it slip in the cave, but he’d hoped his enthusiasm over her small, soft body had convinced her that was not the case. Torven wanted to argue that he knew her, that he’d been thinking about nothing but her for weeks, that he could not imagine a more desirable female, but he did not. If his mate was shy, he would look away. He pivoted so he faced the other direction and after a few moments, he heard the splash as she entered the pool.
“Okay,” she said. “You can turn around.”
She’d removed her remaining clothes, and lowered herself nearly all the way in the water. Despite the damp heat, Torven’s mouth went dry, as he saw the top of her round breasts bob in the water. She leaned back and dunked her hair into the water then sank down so that only her head was above the surface.
“Oh my God,” she said. “This feels so good.”
Torven was unable to speak. Knowing that her wet, naked body was within arm’s reach had his heart racing and his cock rock hard.
She swam to the edge and hooked her elbows behind her so that only the tops of her breasts were out of the water, her pink nipples peeking out as the water ebbed and flowed. She stretched her feet out in front of her and kicked gently, dropping her head back and closing her eyes.
Torven knew the promises he made himself, but he also knew in his heart that this female was his. He’d known it from the moment he saw her image. He couldn’t explain the connection he felt to her, especially before he’d even met her, but when he’d seen her on the station, his instincts had been confirmed. This light-haired female ignited something in him no one ever had, and after what they’d been through together, he was more certain than ever. It didn’t matter what happened next. It didn’t matter if he was convicted or found to be innocent. The only thing that mattered to him right now was being with her and claiming her as his.
He stood up in the water and it poured off his back. He took a step toward her, grabbing her feet and making her eyes fly open.
