But he was already righting the shuttle. The flyers behind him weren’t so lucky, however. They crashed into each other, one of them getting hit in the face with the bladed whip. Talk about friendly fire! They both tumbled out of the air in a ball.
Ror’k was already chasing after them, diving down through the clouds even as he released the first blaster shot. The shuttle spun around me as the G’s hit, and I closed my eyes, hoping I wouldn’t hurl.
The horrid creatures exploded in the cloud of red, spattering the shuttle as it flew by.
“Oh god!” I held my breath instinctively.
“My shuttle will filter the air. It is safe to breathe.”
I did, taking a ragged breath. Only then did I realize I’d been digging my nails into his thighs. Oops.
Behind me, Ror’k’s chest was softly rumbling. Not the insistent kind like when things were starting to get hot and heavy, but something light, almost like his body was trying to calm me. It was working because as we twisted and turned through the air, chasing that last mutated flyer that was fleeing as fast as it could, my brain switched from “Holy crap, we’re going to die!” to “Hey, this is kinda fun!” Almost like a rollercoaster.
When was the last time I’d been on a rollercoaster? Not since my ex-husband and I were dating. Wow. That was several lifetimes ago. And Ror’k was nothing like Martin!
His warrior body was rock hard behind me as he moved with purpose, controlling the craft like it was an extension of his body. It embodied confidence and capability. And it was sexy as fuck! And he was all mine!
I suddenly wanted a piece. Right now! I’d spent the last decade or so ignoring my needs, first because I was stuck in a marriage that was no longer right for me, and then because of the bugpocalypse. And it was like the past few days with Ror’k had woken it up for good.
I’d heard that some women get another spike in their libido after menopause, and I’d already thought that was a big crock of bull. But now? I finally understood. It just took the right situation and the right man. Or in this case, alien.
Screw just dating, I wanted him for real!
I didn’t have forever on Earth, and I was done letting my past limit me anymore. Swearing off men had been the right thing to do at the time but was in the past. This was a whole new chapter in my life, and I was ready to live it.
And besides, this felt different. It wasn’t like Ineededhim to be happy. I’d already proven that I could be happy by myself. But that didn’t mean I should deprive myself either. We could both make each other’s lives better, and that was something I could get behind.
“Ror’k!” said a hunter’s voice through the shuttle’s speakers. “We are in the air and leading the other mutants away. Get those youngsters back to the settlement. Roger wants a word with them.”
“Got it. Happy hunting.”
I waited for Ror’k to set the shuttle down in front of the buildings where we’d seen the boys.
“Keep the vessel uncloaked,” I said. What I planned wouldn’t take long, but I didn’t want the boys to disappear on us in the time it would take us to get out of the shuttle.
The second he released the harness that held me down, I jumped him.
Chapter 26: Ror’k
Today, I learned what a “quickie” was. And I’d decided that I liked them just as much as taking my time with my mate. Technically, Dottie wasn’t really my mate, but I didn’t care. She could be the mate of my heart. I didn’t need a mating trigger to know it.
It wasn’t just the intimate connection with my Dottie that had me grinning ear-to-ear and feeling on top of the world. It was also the thrill of knowing that I could still give those flyers the runaround if I wanted to. I hadn’t had that much fun in a long time.
I couldn’t believe that I’d ever considered going on my last hunt. There were still so many hunts left to go! And I wanted Dottie by my side.
By the time we were presentable again—another new concept—and stepping out of the shuttle, the boys were already around the craft poking at it with a stick that they thought would wake it and make it come to life again.
“Hey! It’s Ror’k!’ exclaimed the small one named Jason.
The others crowded around.
“Thanks for shooting at those weird flyers. We would’ve been goners.”
Dottie explained that she’d run into Shawn and Kai and that they’d updated everyone on what had happened with the New Earth Militia. “My friends have already brought them to New Franklin.”
Visible relief ran through the group.
“We didn’t want to do it,” said the tallest of the youngsters. “We feel so bad.”
