A bone-jarring roar erupted from the ground. Gemma propelled backward, landing hard on her tail bone. She yelped in pain before her eyes locked onto the monstrosity before her.
Her breath hitched.
The creature’s reflective exoskeleton shimmered, momentarily blending the beast into the environment before it twisted its four legs at impossible angles. Each paw, tipped with curved claws, scraped against the ground. Razor-sharp spikes ran the length of its back, culminating in a tail similar to an Earthen scorpion.
But most unsettling was its head: four eyes, burning an unnatural yellow, glinted with predatory delight. Beneath them a colossal jaw gaped, revealing pointed teeth that could shatter even the largest human bone.
“Gemma, get up! Move!” Christian screamed through the mic in her helmet.
A shot from a rifle fired as the beast leaned back. Its eyes flared yellow, and Gemma spun onto her hands and knees, crawling away just as neon-green acid sprayed the spot where she’d once lain.
The fluid sizzled, melting the stone it touched. Gemma stared at the spot, frozen, picturing her flesh falling from her bones—
“They can’t climb. Get up here!” Christian yelled, snapping Gemma out of her stupor.
The beast leaned back again, its yellow eyes glowing.
Gemma took off, sprinting to her friend who still lay limp at the base of a boulder. “I’m not leaving Imara.”
“Draw it away from the girls,” Christian said to Hawk and Colton.
Gunfire sounded in rapid pops of fury as Gemma dropped to her knees and held two fingers against Imara’s carotid artery.
A strong pulse beat against Gemma’s fingertips. Imara was unconscious but alive.
The beast bellowed a challenge, its immense body scraping against the rock as it lumbered after Colton, Hawk, and Christian.
“Fire kills it,” Colton said through the mics in their helmets.
“Tried that before,” Christian replied. “Doesn’t work.”
“Then you haven’t done it right.”
Gemma tried to wake Imara, anxious to get the two of them up and away from the surface of the planet in case Colton was wrong. But Imara barely stirred.
“Brace yourselves,” Colton shouted.
A violent boom shook the world as blue fire erupted around the creature. It screamed, writhing on the ground and crying like a child calling for its mother until it stilled, its corpse blazing with cyan flames.
Whatever bomb Colton had used was wicked.
“Nice,” Hawk said as if he hadn’t just gone through the most terrifying moment of his life.
Gemma took off Imara’s helmet, despite the heat, to make sure her head wasn’t injured. She sighed in relief when there was no blood. Imara probably had a horrible concussion, but at least she hadn’t cracked her skull. These uniforms really were fantastic.
A strong hand pulled her to her feet.
“What were you thinking?” Christian scolded. “That slinger almost killed you.”
Gemma squared her shoulders. “Imara was hurt. I wasn’t going to let her get killed.”
“We would’ve coaxed the thing away from her, like we did with you.” He growled, taking Gemma aside. He took off his helmet and tapped Gemma’s, so she’d do the same.
“I need you to listen to me,” Christian said now that the others couldn’t hear them. His voice was calm, but his eyes were tight with concern.
Gemma knew he wasn’t trying to be unkind or controlling, but she still couldn’t stop herself from lashing out. “You’re not my boss. I’m good at one thing, and you’re not going to stop me from doing it.”
He ran his hand through his damp, messy hair. “I’m not stopping you, Gemma. The moment we’d taken care of that thing—”
