Cordelia sat forward, her gaze sharpening. “These auretians… they might know where more of my people are? They might know a way to reach Earth more quickly. Or maybe there’s a colony somewhere in this quadrant!”
His happiness at hearing her speak soured as he realized she was formulating a plan to leave Yulaira behind.
“Perhaps,” he said resentfully. “But as I’ve said, you are welcome on Yulaira.”
Her face softened. “Thanks, Rentir. It’s… good to have options.” She rose to her feet, tucking her canteen away and stretching her arms wide. “Let’s keep moving.”
They walked in silence for a while. Rentir was preoccupied with trying to come up with some way to coax her into staying on Yulaira, when both their comms pinged at once. They’d finally gotten close enough to a pod to trigger the short-range scanner.
“This way,” Cordelia called, veering to the left.
She moved fast through the dense underbrush, and his heart pounded as he lost sight of her. It was intolerable. She needed to stay where he could see her. Where he could reach out and touch her would be better.
“Found it!” she shouted.
He raced to catch up with her, smacking a low branch out of his way. She was standing beside a lifepod, open and glaringly empty. She pored over it, tapping a small screen on the side of the pod.
“This was Thea’s.” Her gaze darted around the small area the pod’s landing had cleared. “There—she left on foot. Fuck, she’s out here somewhere barefoot and half naked.”
She braced both palms against the pod and let her head fall forward. Her hair rippled over her shoulder like silk, obscuring her face.
He stepped closer, stroking the tip of his tail up the length of her back in a gesture he hoped was soothing to humans, ignoring the way his lust flared at the contact. “We will find her.”
“I know,” she said, but her voice was tight with grief. After a moment, she sighed, rubbing a hand over her mouth. “At least it’s Thea. Pretty sure you could drop her into the woods nakedand she’d be killingberrswith a spear by the end of the day. Used to be akohmando.”
She’d just straightened and put her hands on her flared hips when a violent gale blew over them, throwing sediment all around the small clearing. A shadow passed overhead. Rentir’s blood ran cold.
He lunged for Cordelia, dragging her behind the wide trunk of a tree just before the shadow returned, lingering overhead. The dropship’s thrusters scalded the uppermost boughs of the trees as it hovered over them.
“Who is that?” Cordelia whispered, one arm clutching his in a biting grip.
“The Aurillon.”
She opened her mouth to speak again, but he clamped a hand over her lips, pulling her back against him as he leaned out of cover to watch the dropship. She tugged at his hand, but he didn’t relent. The door of the ship opened. A tall, lithe figure dressed in a black battlesuit dropped the long distance to the ground. An expensive piece of technology. There weren’t enough on board to outfit all the guards, which meant this soldier was something else. A special operative? He’d thought the last of them had died during the riots.
The male rose in a graceful ripple, his dark visor canting toward the pod.
Cordelia’s tongue swept over the inside of Rentir’s palm, making his cock strain against the prison of his waistband. He bit back on a hiss of pleasure, knowing the technology in the auretian’s visor would pick up even the smallest sound. He snatched Cordelia tighter and dipped his head, nipping the rounded tip of her ear hard in warning. She stiffened against him; he could feel her indignation radiating in the air.
Leaves crunched underfoot as the auretian moved around the pod. Rentir wanted to free a hand to reach for hisblaster, but he wasn’t sure Cordelia would remain quiet. Rentir wasn’t wearing armor like the other male, the kind made with nanotechnology to absorb impact and repair damage. He wasn’t sure what good his weapons would be against the superior tech.
If he’d been alone, he might have risked it, but he couldn’t bear the thought of Cordelia being caught in the crossfire. Their best shot was to stay silent and wait for the auretian to leave.
The footsteps grew distant. The dropship pulled away, plunging them into sudden silence.
“You must be quiet,” he whispered into Cordelia’s ear. “He’s retreating, but his technology is sensitive to sound. Do you understand?”
She shivered against him, nodding.
He let go of her slowly, and she twisted toward him, her hands falling on his chest as she looked up from beneath her lashes. “One male. An auretian, combat trained. I’m not outfitted to deal with him. We need to get back to the hovercraft.”
“We can’t.” Her fingers knotted in the fabric of his shirt. “Thea is still out there. We have to get to her first.”
He cupped her face in his hands, pained by the distress in her delicate features.
“I cannot protect you,” he said, sweeping his thumbs over her soft cheeks. “We have to go. We can return in force.”
Her brows furrowed, and her gaze turned steely.
