Arin went after him, still carrying her pack over one shoulder, although her rocket launcher thing had been left behind. It started to slow her down, its bulk rubbing against the narrow walls of the stairwell shaft.
“You need to lose that,” Rykal called.
She hesitated, then shrugged the thing off. “Ah, fuck it.” She let it drop, and it fell down the shaft, landing with a dull thud somewhere in the darkness below.
Rykal glanced up. The other human had followed them too, but his eyes were only for Arin. From down here, he had a good view of her legs and ass.
She had such muscular, shapely calves. They flexed as she climbed, clearly outlined under the thick black material of her suit. His eyes traveled up to her lean thighs and her beautifully rounded ass.
This view was like a gift from the Goddess herself. Rykal savored it as he descended, his erection pressing painfully against the rigid plate of his armor.
Her scent drifted down to him, driving him just a little bit nuts.
“Arin,” he said, resisting the urge to reach up and caress her magnificent calves, “where are we going?”
“Docking levels. If there’s going to be a retrieval, it will be orchestrated from there. We need to figure out an evacuation route from the central to lower decks and make sure there aren’t any Xargek waiting in the wings.” She’d flicked on that little blue light at her wrist again, illuminating the shaft in artificial light. There were markings on the walls, indicating the levels of the ship.
“You know you’re driving me nuts right now?”
“Excuse me?” Arin paused. Above her, the other human made a little choking sound in her throat.
Rykal wished they were alone right now, but it was good that they had company. It kept him somewhat decent.
“I’ll explain further when we’re alone,” he said teasingly as they continued their downwards climb.
“Hmph,” Arin said nothing; she just aimed a little kick in his direction, her boot grazing the top of his knuckles. Rykal grinned. He liked teasing her. Her surly response energized him because he knew she was trying to hide her true feelings. He’d seen how she’d reacted when he’d been naked in the comm room, his nanites having retreated into his body to repair his severed organs. Being injured hadn’t stopped his dick from working, and Arin had noticed.
Oh, how she’d noticed.
She hadn’t been able to tear her eyes away.
And that had made him feel fucking brilliant, even with a severed left hand and a hole in his chest.
They passed a few more levels, and every step was torture for Rykal, because each step seemed to make his dick harder until he feared he would explode if he didn’t get release.
Soon.
Soon, he’d get his way with her.
Rykal clenched his teeth, trying not to lose focus as they continued their descent.
He wrinkled his nose as a strange smell permeated the air, and moments later, Arin and her human companion started to cough. The scent was unpleasant and harshly chemical, but Rykal’s biologically enhanced lungs weren’t as sensitive to such things. Whatever it was, it was proving harmful to the humans.
“Out!” Rykal snapped, as they reached the doors of another level.
“It’s a gas leak,” Arin coughed, holding her hand over her nose. “Wait, Riana, what the fuck?”
The other human slumped, losing her grip on the ladder. She started to fall. Arin reached out to catch her with one arm,grunting with exertion, but it wasn’t enough. The unconscious human fell through her arms.
“Rykal, do something!” She coughed again.
He caught the human by her arm. Her limp legs dangled as he held her out over the empty space. That’s when Arin began to waver.
“Open the doors, Arin!”
She managed to pull the manual release lever just before she passed out, her fingers slipping away from the metal rung of the ladder.
“Kaiin’s balls,” Rykal swore as Arin began to fall. Without thinking, he stabbed his sword into the wall and snatched her with his free hand, grabbing her by the leg. She swung upside-down, her body bumping gently against the ladder with a soft clang. Rykal grunted in frustration, annoyed that he hadn’t been able to catch her perfectly.
