Текст книги "The Alien’s Bond"

Автор книги: Kira Quinn

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 17 страниц)

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Darla and her enormous alien companion made good time on their trek once they put aside any thoughts of further shenanigans. There would be time for that later, and the promise of bedding down together was not far from either of their minds as they pushed ahead at a blistering pace.

They walked hand in hand at points, at others Heydar would gently place his hand on her waist as she stepped over an obstacle. But it wasn’t in a patronizing way, and she could see the arousal in his eyes just beneath the surface. To be fair, she was feeling pretty much the same way, wishing he would just bend her over a rock and fuck her senseless.

All the little touches were adding up, and fast, and her body was absolutely on fire from the sustained arousal. But it would be some time before they turned in for the day, and in the meantime, it meant an ongoing and subtle foreplay that they were both looking forward to bringing to fruition.

“We will need to be on our guard if we happen upon any roadways or frequented paths,” Heydar said, pausing to take in their surroundings with a more critical gaze. “It could be quite dangerous.”

“What do you mean? The Oraku are really nice people.”

“But there are many more races on this world than just the Oraku. Rohanna the elder made that much abundantly clear. There are other settlements here. Offworlders as well as indigenous people. The Oraku stay away from them as much as possible, but even they sometimes have to fend off raids. The Dohrag in particular are apparently quite a problem here.”

“Dohrag? What’s a Dohrag?”

“An offworld race, brutish and combative, but a people with advanced technology and abundant weapons. Not an adversary you would wish to get on the bad side of, if at all possible.”

“And the Oraku fight with them?”

“Not as much fight as fend off their raids.”

Darla flashed him a confused look. “Hang on. You said the Dohrag were advanced. Like, way more advanced than the Oraku.”

“They are, yes.”

“Then what would they even bother raiding them for? I mean, food? They can just catch their own and it would be far less trouble than stirring up a fight with the locals.”

Heydar stopped and turned to face her directly. “It is not crops and livestock they seek. The Dohrag come for females.”

Darla’s stomach dropped. “Females? What do you mean, females?”

“It is as you surmise,” he said, gauging the serious look in her eye. “There are several races on this world who value females as a prize. But the Dohrag? They are particularly nasty pieces of work. They travel the stars in small groups, their ships crewed entirely by males.”

“No women?”

“Not a one,” he replied, shaking his head. “The Dohrag are a foolish people who ignorantly do not believe in sending females on missions of any significant duration. In so doing, they not only deny themselves the skills women clearly possess, but it is also terrible for the morale of the all-male crews.”

“I bet. How long are these missions, exactly?”

“Years. Many years. The leadership never ventures from their creature comforts, so they are not affected by their edicts. But in their quest for non-distracted efficiency they have caused a systemic morale problem. It was not always this way, mind you, but the shift of power on their world skewed their path toward that of foolishness.”

“I’ll say,” Darla agreed. “And holy hell, those guys have got to be hella pent up. No wonder they’re restless.”

“And when they find a female, you can imagine what becomes of them.”

Darla’s jaw set firm at the thought. “We need to find the others.”

“I know.”

“There were at least a dozen women in our holding compartment.”

“I am aware of that.”

“And who knows how many on the rest of the ship?”

“Which is why I agree that we must move. If we reach them quickly we may be able to spare them the atrocities of a hostile capture. Come,” he said, then turned and continued on at a brisk pace.

Darla followed close behind, matching his increased stride step for step. She couldn’t help but appreciate his motives. He had been a bit surly at first, and they had most definitely not hit it off, but despite that, and with no ties whatsoever to these other women, he was making saving them a priority.

On top of that, he had made his decision to do so with no hidden motives. He had started this quest before they had their liaison. In fact, he had been planning on doing the whole thing on his own before she’d forced him to take her along.

He’s a good guy, she told herself. Naturally, the one good man I find is an alien, and a bazillion miles from home no less. Well, like Mama said, we make the most of what cards we’re dealt, she thought, the air quiet but for their footsteps on the uneven ground.

Several hours later they had covered a lot of distance, moving across the terrain with an ease Darla would not have been remotely capable of just the day prior. She still felt amazing, and even with the sun starting to lower in the sky she felt as though she could take on the world.

Unfortunately, the rolling hills and brief stretches of plains had transitioned to jutting rock cliffs once again. It was something they hadn’t been able to see even from their position the other day; the shift being hidden by the trees and natural curvature of the hills around them.

It was some sort of seismic plate they had stumbled upon. Long dormant as the buried piles of shattered rocks made clear. Nature had covered the fallen shards and boulders with dirt ages ago, and plant life had taken hearty root, growing well in the fecund soil.

“You think it’s stable?” Darla asked, walking up to the stone face and tugging on a jutting chunk of rock. “It doesn’t look like that other spot.”

“It is not. This is a different sort of rock. Far harder and not prone to fragmenting.”

“Well, that’s a relief. I wouldn’t want to go causing a landslide again.”

“That makes two of us,” he said, the memory of her previous mishap fresh, but the smile in his eyes showing nothing but warmth. “I am afraid, however, that we are likely going to need to climb this cliff. From what I can see of the seismic upheaval, this faultline almost certainly runs for some distance, and we cannot afford to add one or more days to our journey to circumnavigate it. Allow me to shift my pack and I will carry you up.”

Darla looked up at the rock face and rolled her shoulders. “Don’t sweat it, big guy. I’ve got this.”

Without a moment’s hesitation she jumped up to the nearest solid handhold and began hoisting herself up the cliff face with startling ease.

This is amazing. I feel so much stronger! she marveled, then began climbing even faster.

“Wait!” Heydar called up after her. “Go slower! Conserve your energy!”

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine!” she replied, flying up the rocks.

Heydar reached up and grabbed hold of the rock, pulling himself up after her as fast as he could. With her newfound strength, however, he was having to put in far more of an effort than he expected. Nevertheless, he was gaining on her, albeit slowly.

Darla was hauling ass, her hands and feet finding purchase without a second thought. Whatever it was these runes did for her muscular endurance, balance was also part of the package. Like Jack scaling his beanstalk, up and up she raced, not thinking about how high she was, and certainly not looking down.

She was on cloud nine until her left hand suddenly slipped, her grip weakening. She quickly reestablished her purchase on the rock face, but her whole body was starting to feel weird.

“Heydar?” she called out, fear creeping into her voice. “What’s happening to me?”

“Hold on!” he shouted up to her, increasing his pace as much as he could.

Darla didn’t know how far it was to the top, but she was quite certain she was high enough for a fall to kill her, and panic was setting in. Her fingers began to slip, and her vision swirled, her equilibrium making the world spin inside her head.

“Heydar!” she managed to squeak out just as her hands popped free from their handholds.

She was weightless, floating in the void. Or so it felt until her body slammed into something firm yet forgiving. This was not the rocks far below. Amazingly, she realized she was still alive. Alive and intact, so far as she could tell in her weakened state.

The reality of the situation was that Heydar had managed to secure one fist deep in a crack just as she fell, wedging his hand in as hard as he could then pivoting out, extending his free arm beneath her.

His powerful muscles tensed as he caught her falling body, absorbing the impact, his tattoos flaring and shifting within his skin, drawing from the system’s power and adding to his natural strength. Even then, her velocity was almost too great to overcome, but with every ounce of resolve he possessed he managed to hold on and draw her in close.

Heydar took a moment to catch his breath then shifted her motionless weight, draping her over his shoulder and securing her as best he could, tucking her arms into the gap between his pack and his shoulders. The pressure would not be comfortable, but at least she wouldn’t slip out as he climbed.

He grabbed the rock with his free hand and carefully withdrew his other from the rocky crack. It was scraped and bruised, but otherwise intact. She had hit hard. Had he tried to simply hang on with his fingers her impact would have undoubtedly peeled both of them off the rock face.

Quickly, but carefully, he ascended the cliff, making sure to only grab the easiest, most secure of handholds as he carried her upward. It took several minutes of slow going before he reached the top and crawled onto the summit.

He moved a safe distance in from the edge and set her down, untangling her from his pack’s straps.

“What happened?” she asked, her voice weak.

“You pushed too hard.”

“But I felt good. I was able to climb so easily.”

“Yes, your pigment has grown strong within you. Too strong for so short a time. The bond is still tenuous, yet you pushed too hard and drew deep upon it before it was fully set in your body. And now you will be weaker for it, though with your body’s reaction to the pigment I do not know for how long.”

Darla shook her head, trying to knock the cobwebs loose.

“I’m fine,” she said, trying to get up. She immediately fell over, which was why he had made a point to set her down far from the cliff’s edge.

“Shh. Rest, Malaika. I have you.”

Darla was drifting off even as he lifted her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing. By the time he started walking she was melting into his embrace, a moment later falling sound asleep against the warmth of his broad chest.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Darla woke to find herself covered with both of their furs, cozily ensconced in a bundle of warmth. Wiping the drowsiness from her eyes she looked around. Heydar had made camp under a copse of trees up against a jutting rock. It wasn’t a cavern by any means, but the location was a fairly secure one against the elements.

The ground beneath her was slightly raised. She reached behind her and felt a closely woven layer of small branches covered with abundant leaves to cushion her. Heydar had made a point to keep her off the cold ground while she slept. Again, going above and beyond without her even asking.

She smiled lazily to herself as she gazed up at the sky through the branches. It was just barely light out, the sky a lesser shade of blue.

“Wow, I must’ve really drained myself if I slept until sunset,” she mumbled, pushing up onto her elbow.

Her body ached. A lot.

Unlike recently, her new runes were not feeding her body with a seemingly endless surge of energy. In fact, at the moment Darla felt like she was almost entirely back to her old self again. Tired and aching, namely. She hadn’t realized just how much the pigments were boosting her muscles.

And now she felt like a hot mess, and it was entirely her own doing. Heydar had been right. She’d pushed herself too far hard and was paying the price.

Heydar’s silhouette separated from the nearby tree he had been leaning against, her silent protector moving close and sitting beside her. He gently brushed the hair from her face, concern in his gaze, his warm fingers soothing on her cool brow.

“You are awake,” he said, offering her a drink of water from the skin hanging around his neck.

“Thanks. I’m parched,” she said, greedily gulping down mouthful after mouthful.

“You would be. You overextended yourself.”

She painfully rolled her aching shoulders. “Yeah, I realize that now. Thank you for saving me.”

He nodded once, saying nothing more, settling down behind her.

“You really do look out for me,” she said, reaching out and taking his hand, pulling his arm around her as she nestled up against him with a contented sigh. “I really did overdo it. I can’t believe I slept so long. It’s already nightfall.”

“This is morning,” he corrected.

“Wait, what?”

“You slept straight through the afternoon and night. It is a new day. This is why you must be cautious until your pigment is fully settled.”

Darla was freaking out on the inside but only felt a slight surge of adrenaline. For one, she’d used it all up the previous day. For another, she was still in a semi-daze, and curled up in Heydar’s arms she felt no fear despite the instinctive moment of panic.

“Wow,” she finally managed to say. “Note very much taken. I should have listened to you. Sorry.”

He squeezed her close, his hand drifting to her breast as he pulled her in tight. “Your reaction is natural, especially for one unfamiliar with our ways. I can imagine how intoxicating a sensation it must have been for you. And without generational knowledge of what to do and not to do, pushing yourself too hard is not entirely unexpected.”

“But still a big no-no.”

“Well, yes, naturally. But one that is understandable and readily forgiven. What is important is you are unharmed.”

“But we lost half a day’s time because of me. More, even. We should be at the crash site by now. What if the others have been captured or killed because I slowed us down?”

“Then we will deal with that when we come to it. There is no sense in what ifs, Darla. You will find life far more pleasant if you do not deal in them.”

His hand squeezed tighter, her nipple caught between his fingers. A jolt of happy arousal ignited between her legs despite her exhaustion. Darla snuggled her ass back against him, savoring the growing bulge in his trousers pressing hard against her. She was tired, but not too tired for this.

And apparently, he was more than game for some playtime.

Slowly she began grinding against him, working his length with her rear, taking her time, enjoying every bit of the moment, the heat of his cock hot against her ass even through their clothes.

Heydar let out a low groan of pleasure, his lips finding her neck and kissing it, his hot tongue darting out and tasting the salty tang of her bare skin. Darla felt her body flutter with anticipation.

A cracking twig snapped them both from their moment. Heydar was on his feet in a flash, still erect as he crouched low, both of his blades in his hands.

Again with the knives. How did he get them? Was he even wearing them? Darla marveled.

Another crackling broke the silence, then another. Heydar shifted his stance, his erection dropping rapidly as his body transitioned into fighting mode.

A blast hit the ground at his feet, a crackling bolt of some sort of power. Plasma? Electricity? Darla didn’t know what it was, save that it seemed deadly enough whatever its nature.

“Drop the knives,” a strange, deep, rumbling voice said from the cover of the trees and brush.

Heydar didn’t hesitate, tossing them to the ground at once, to Darla’s surprise. He stayed still but turned his head toward her.

“Dohrags,” he said quietly. “Do not make eye contact with them, no matter what.”

Darla felt her blood run cold. If these were Dohrags, then they were in some serious trouble. No wonder Heydar had given up his weapons so readily. From his description of them, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill just for sport, let alone any perceived threat. The fact they were willing to take prisoners was about the only good luck they were going to get out of this encounter.

The bushes rustled as five armed troopers stepped out into view. Darla didn’t look at them directly, but she did manage to catch a glimpse with her peripheral vision, and that was more than enough to shake her to her core.

The Dohrags were shorter than Heydar, but were still tall. Muscular as well, but not overly so. They had blue-gray skin stretched across their broad faces. With almost no protruding noses, the appearance of the leaner ones was almost skeletal. The meatier of them were almost attractive in their own way, save for the wide, flat foreheads that looked as though they could headbutt the most belligerent barroom drunk into oblivion with a single blow.

They were bipedal, with two arms and hands that seemed normal enough by Darla’s standards. She couldn’t make out any more though as they were clad in futuristic uniforms that covered them from their necks to their wrists and ankles. She couldn’t be sure, but it seemed as though there might even be some sort of armoring built into the outfits, though they appeared flexible enough.

They had tattooed lines running up to their ears from inside the high collars of their uniforms, a now familiar translation rune inked behind them. Darla would have to ask Heydar if the additional connection to the designs concealed in their armor gave them some sort of additional oomph or if it was just a decorative thing.

If they survived this, that is.

She scanned their captors with a critical eye, taking in any details that might possibly prove helpful. The gear strapped to their bodies stood out compared to the native Oraku people. Where the latter carried knives and spears, the Dohrags were sporting high-tech alien equipment, secured to their uniforms by some invisible means rather than belts and straps. Most importantly, each of them carried a large blaster type weapon in their hands in addition to the smaller unit mounted on their hips.

No way he could have taken them on, she realized. It would be suicide.

She glanced toward Heydar, her face still cast low, steering well clear of the Dohrags’ gaze. The apparent leader noted her movement regardless and strode to her in a flash, almost charging like a silverback gorilla might. It was terrifying, but she didn’t think he meant to harm her. At least, not yet.

He reached out a gloved hand and grabbed her chin in a steely grip, lifting her face up for him to study. She forced her eyes toward the ground, even as he leaned in close, sniffing her curiously. He then turned her head side to side, examining the shape of her skull and features.

His eyes flicked lower, taking in the rest of her body in a glance. He grabbed her breast roughly, squeezing hard, eliciting not pleasure but pain. Darla winced but forced herself to remain silent. Heydar’s eyes flashed with anger, staring toward the ground, but only just. The Dohrag ignored him, grabbing Darla’s other breast, giving it a squeeze, then shrugging, unimpressed.

“A weak race,” he said to his men. “I have not seen this one before, but whatever she is, her kind are clearly not sturdy at all. I fear we may break her, boys.”

His men laughed, a loud, rumbling roar of ill-spirited mirth. Heydar’s rage flooded him, his head lifting to stare fully at the Dohrag leader. If looks could kill, the man would have been dead in under a second.

“You dare gaze upon Marshal Jinnix?” the ruffian growled, slapping him across the face.

Heydar’s jaw flexed, but he somehow managed to remain silent. He was good with a knife and could likely cause a fair amount of damage before they stopped him. But stop him they would. This was an unwinnable situation and they both knew it.

Darla looked up at him, willing him to see her. Sensing her stare, he glanced at her, locking eyes a moment. She shook her head, mouthing the word no, then turned her eyes down once more.

Heydar’s muscles relaxed slightly with a defeated sigh. He lowered his gaze, even bowing his head slightly.

“You’d do well to remember your place,” the one called Jinnix said, nodding to his men.

One stepped in and hit Heydar hard with the butt of his weapon while the others quickly bound his arms. A small trickle of blood ran from his temple, but the beating stopped there.

“You may live. For now, at least,” Jinnix said. “He’s a strong one. Good enough for labor at our camp.”

“And this one?” a trooper asked, gesturing at Darla.

Jinnix pondered a moment, then pulled her close, sniffing her hair while staring at Heydar, daring him to respond.

“We’ll take her with. I’m sure we can find something she will be good for.”

Now it was Darla’s turn to feel angry. Exhausted as she was, she felt power begin to grow within her, surging through her body. She glanced down and realized her tattoos were churning under her skin once more. And they were getting more active by the second.

Heydar shook his head with an urgent look in his eye. He appreciated her fire, no doubt, but if the Dohrags saw her unusual pigment reaction, there was no telling what they might do to her.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. If she couldn’t manage that feat, she might be a dead woman. At least, sooner than later.

The tattoos fell silent just as the Dohrag troops bound her hands, shoving her into a forced march along with Heydar. She couldn’t help but marvel at the turn their day had taken. Things had gone from pretty damn nice to utter shit in a heartbeat. And she was worried they would only get worse.

OceanofPDF.com