As he started to feel a bit lightheaded, he activated his helm. The nano-structures formed a porous network that was able to filter microscopic particles out of the air, and he breathed a little bit easier, although he was starting to fall backwards.
With two unconscious human females dangling from his hands, he only had his legs free.
Rykal’s mind raced. He could drop the other human and rescue Arin, but when she came to, Arin would be annoyed with him. He sensed the two females were friends, and he didn’t want to destroy the small amount of trust that had flourished between him and hisashika.
“Ah, fuck it.”
In one fluid motion, he fell so that he was dangling upside-down from with his legs hooked over the ladder rung, like some fucking Veronian acrobat.
Holding a human in each hand, he was the only thing standing between these women and certain death, and hehad to hurry. If they were this sensitive to the gas, there was a chance it was harmful to them. Time was critical.
“Fuck,” Rykal growled. He was completely exposed. If a Xargek came across them now…
He had to get the humans out of the shaft. Above him, light filtered in through the door Arin had managed to open before she passed out.
He couldn’t see her face. She was hanging upside down, and his hand was clenched tightly around one of her calves.
If only he could reach the fucking doorway. He needed to be about four rungs up to get there, and he was all but immobilized.
Ah, this was going to be a pain in the ass. Rykal raised himself up from an upside-down position in an extreme version of a sit-up, his powerful abdominal muscles flexing as he managed to get his torso horizontal. He slowly extracted one leg from the ladder and planted his foot against the wall. His knee was bent all the way up, but if he extended his body, he could wedge himself in between the two walls of the shaft. Taking a deep breath, he removed the other leg from the ladder. For a moment, he lost his balance and started to slide down, but when he straightened out, planting his other foot against the wall with a sharp crack, he was able to hold.
Of course, he did this while holding onto the two humans. Slowly, he began to climb up the shaft like a Kaiin-cursed Xargek, his back pressed against one wall, his feet firmly planted on the opposite side.
When he reached the open doorway, he gently slung the two women out, briefly dropping back down to retrieve his sword before emerging into a dimly lit corridor.
He breathed in and found that the air was cleaner here, although that putrid-smelling gas was spilling from the shaft’s open doorway. Rykal turned and pulled the door closed.
Exposed to fresh air, Arin began to stir. Rykal sighed inrelief. Her friend was responding in the same way, her limbs moving slowly as she started to regain consciousness.
Rykal dropped to his knees beside Arin, gently caressing her cheek with the back of his hand as she moved her head from side to side, mumbling something in human-speak. She began to cough, her chest moving up and down as her breathing became deeper.
She’d lost her jacket back in the comm room, shortly after she’d draped it across his naked loins. It was a nice garment; Rykal had liked how it looked on her. If he had time, Rykal would go back up and retrieve it for her.
Her crystalline eyes flew open, and there was no recognition in them. Her fist flew to his face with a sharp crack, connecting with his nose. Blood started streaming down his face as pain blossomed along the bridge of his nose.
He welcomed the pain, savoring it.
It so rarely ever happened, but she’dsurprisedhim.
“Goddess, you hit hard, woman,” he murmured, his cock feeling as if it were about to crack through the solid plate of his armor. He tasted blood on his lips and grinned savagely as he licked them. Arin fought with all her strength as he pinned her down, gently holding her wrists against the floor as he straddled her. “Calm down, Arin. It’s just me.”
Her blue eyes fluttered in confusion. Rykal had seen this before. Low oxygen states could cause temporary disorientation. Concern for her overrode his arousal, and he pushed his lustful thoughts aside as he held her down. He was getting used to being constantly horny anyway, thanks to her mystifying presence.
“It’s just me,” he said again, slowly this time, injecting force into his words. “You’re safe with me, so relax,ashika.” He leaned in so his face was close to hers, so he could feel her warm breath feathering his cheeks. “Arin,” he said gently, savoring the taste of her name as it rolled off his tongue. “Relax.”
Eventually, she stopped resisting. Recognition dawned in her eyes. She blinked and went still. “R-Rykal?”
“Yes. It’s only me.”
“Death is everywhere,” she slurred, still not completely herself. “This entire freighter is a floating death-trap, and I’ve become obsessed with him.”
“Who?” Rykal’s voice was sharp. The thought of her becoming besotted withanothertickled his fierce killing intent.
“Death,” Arin replied, bringing her hand up to his face. She caressed his cheek with her fingers, bringing them down to Rykal’s lips, which were stained with traces of his own blood. “I never knew death’s smile could be so brilliant.”
Her touch was like a spark, igniting his desire all over again, stoking the conflagration to new heights. He burned with the need to touch her, aching to feel her bare skin against his. He became acutely aware of her body underneath him.
His gaze was drawn to her rising and falling chest, to the sweet creaminess of her bare skin between the molded material of her black suit, to the alluring valley between her generous breasts.
