Wisps of fire ignite over the Drath’s body and bound wings. The black armored pants he wears are covered in sand, scratches, and smears of fresh blood. He roars in a rage with a long, raucous force that rattles rocks loose from the mountainside. They tumble down around them, plunking into the water.
His power is savage, his fury apparent. He protected me, whether he knows it or not. Watching him has my own body heating up. My heart pounds from the rush of his glistening red muscle flexing in the sunlight.
But that roar… Holy fuck.My pussy tenses and slicks like it’s hoping for a taste of a bond that would surely incinerate me.
Security drones zoom over the mountainside. The Drathious closes his hands, snuffing out the light. Seconds later, a security pod hovers down beside me and a squad of soldiers, half human, half alien, unload and take the soaked and bloodied Talhuskin into custody.
The Drathious watches the Talhuskin until he’s in cuffs and shackled inside the ship. A human soldier speaks quietly with him. The Drath nods and taps his plate. I can see the red bars tick down like a draining charge. When they’re done, the man comes to me.
“Are you alright to continue? Or would you like me to call a transport for you?” he asks. He has a kind face, though it’s riddled with scars. His hair is short-cropped like every other soldier’s, and he wears the same uniform, carries the same gear. The only thing that sets him apart are his scars. And I havelearned to pay attention to them as a sign of who I’m really working with. This guy has been through some shit.
“I’m good. I just need a minute.”
“Water will help with the adrenaline,” he says.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
He nods and leaves. The security pod hovers off the ground and races down the river to an area of the envirodome not on the ABR maps.
The Drath cautiously hikes toward me. He stops at my side, squats, and studies me with burning red eyes from behind his mask. His body steams as it evaporates the water.
He shimmers under the sunlight, and I realize he isn’t made of magma. As he cools, the black crust and vibrant red-orange light soften and fade to skin made of tiny dark red facets. He doesn’t speak, but he inspects my injured cheek with gentle, hot fingers. His tenderness is unexpected after the recent fight. Then, he slides his arms under me and picks me up, cradling me to his muscled, bare chest.
I swear I’ve seen eyes like his before, almost like they’re familiar. But I can’t place them.
“I can walk,” I tell him.
He squints down at me as he carries me back toward the complex. The Drath swallows as if his throat aches.
My wristband beeps with the one-minute warning.
I guess the doctors were right.
But I feel like he didn’t get to catch me the way he was supposed to. Talhuskins were likely the last thing he wanted to deal with here. So I grin, wiggle free, drop to the ground, and take off running down the beach.
When I glance back, he’s just standing there like I’ve completely abandoned him. I slow and call back, “Well, come on! You’re supposed to catch me!” I check my wristband. “Thirty seconds!”
He perks up and starts running.
That’s it, you big hottie. Come get me!
I sprint with everything I have down the wet edge of the beach. My cheek throbs, but I don’t care. Maybe I’ll get incinerated. But what a way to go.
I check my wristband.Fifteen seconds. Ten.I run faster.Five. I wonder if I should slow down.
Then I feel an arm wrap around my waist and scoop me up from the sand with strength.
The alarm goes off as I’m slung over his shoulder. I don’t care that my body hurts or that I’m out of breath. He protected me. He caught me. And he’s a lot more powerful and faster than I am.Not to mention sexy as hell.
I brace myself between his wings and stare down at his muscled backside as he hikes us through the hills toward the race complex. The heat of his body and the way he sways with each step are soothing and drop me into a state of relaxation as we return. He’s clearly a soldier, a fighter, and not afraid to go head-to-head with a bigger, brutal enemy force. I know Drathious don’t have much in the way of credits, but that was never what I was here for. I wanted a guardian. And I’m certain I found one.
9: Jorusk
I caught her. She ismine.
When she smiled and ran, I thought she was laughing because she was escaping, and the money was what she wanted. It could buy her a lot of useful things.
The rejection stung so badly I locked up.
