“Eaten by the land shark.”
“Turned into a mushroom.”
Aanya and Connie weren’t making much sense anymore, but they were grinning ear to ear, clearly enjoying themselves.
“And sure, the hunters say no help comes in the Dead Zone, but that just means no help fromthem.Plenty of humans are crazy enough to go in if given the chance. That place is ripe for looting,” Aanya said.
“And not all hunters follow the rules. Case in point, Bael’k. And my Jorg’k’s just as reckless. So don’t give me a reason to come after you, because I will.”
“Me too!” Katerina chimed in. “Can you imagine the loot we’ll find in there?”
Her eyes sparkled like she could see the forageable goodies already. Beside her, Aanya nodded with enthusiasm. Once a forager, always a forager. These two lived to bring back treasures.
It was reassuring to know we wouldn’t be completely alone once we crossed the magical line. And these ladies’ energies were contagious. They almost made me feel like I could do it.
Hell, who said I couldn’t? Maybe this mental image I had of myself was wrong.
What would young me do? Twelve-year-old Kiera had been a tomboy with a fearless, go-forth and conquer attitude. Then life happened. That younger version of me would jump at this adventure with no hesitation. Just the idea of being the first to uncover some vital piece of information no one else had would be enough.
I dug deep, searching for that version of Kiera again. She was still there, a tiny flame burning in my heart, buoyed by the support of my friends and lit by the spark of hope. Suddenly, the mission didn’t seem so impossible after all.
Chapter 13: Bael’k
I woke to something warm and soft pressed against my side, breathing in slow, steady rhythms, and the weight of an arm slung across my belly.
Kiera.
They’d declared it too dangerous to cross the fences after sundown, and I agreed, especially with the sky clouded over and no moonlight in sight. The sensors used by both our motherships and Earth’s satellites needed at least a trace of light, however minute, to function properly, just like my own vision.
My shuttle had echoed the warning, repeatedly insisting it was unsafe to proceed, even as we halted at the western edge of the zone to settle in and wait for morning.
But the main reason was that Kiera was already showing signs of fatigue. She’d spent most of the trip gazing down at the terrain and jotting notes into her device. I was used to seeing the planet from altitude, but she wasn’t. So I’d ordered the shuttle’s floors and walls to turn transparent, letting her take it all in.
By the time we looped around the Dead Zone to approach from the west, she was yawning every few minutes.
I’d nestled my shuttle among dozens of similar vessels belonging to the hunters stationed here. Sleep had claimed us both in my sleeping nook, me pressed against the wall, and Kiera curled up against the energy screen.
She’d been tense last night, closed off and too anxious about the mission to accept any comfort from me. I’d kept to my side, chest rumbling from her nearness, carnal thoughts of her swirling in my head.
Now the delectable female was tucked against me, her limbs draped over mine like we belonged together. Her mess of fiery curls brushed against my skin and claimed my sleeping nook like it was hers.
Shifting in her sleep, her leg slid against me, bumping against my morning-hardened cock, making me think of all the intimate, unspoken desires I wanted to try with a human female before I left this planet. I gritted my teeth and bit back a groan.
No. Not with any human female, but with Kiera. In the last few days, she’d replaced every nondescript woman in my fantasies. Maybe they’d all been placeholders for her from the very start.
Kiera wore the thinnest, threadbare T-shirt, and it was currently gathered around her waist. She’d gone to sleep wearing all her undergarments, but the contraption called a “bra” was now flung over my chest, smelling strongly of her, and I had to resist the urge to bring it to my nose.
The tiniest scrap of fabric covered her sex. It was light blue and had gray colored boxes with faces, and the wordsI? Robotsprinted all over. Strange. Those didn’t resemble the drones humans used.
She moaned softly, the scent of arousal thick in the air. Whatever she dreamed of had her hands clenching at my bellyand her hips moving against my leg, her inadequate crotch covering leaving a slick of hot moisture against my skin. I didn’t need to ask what she dreamt of, but of whom.
Was it me in her dreams? Touching her? Claiming her? How would she feel writhing beneath me?
At least one of those questions was answered by her softly muttered, “Bael’k.”
Krux!
The sound of my name on her lips was a promise. Every instinct screamed at me to pull her close and make her mine. Give her what she dreamed of. Her scent was intoxicating, wrapping around me and triggering a need so fierce it stole my breath. My cock throbbed, straining against its leather confines, demanding release, demanding her.
