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“Eww! Rexx, that’s nasty. You don’t have to know everything about your partner.”

“I do. And when you’re menstruating, you gain five pounds, mainly on your stomach and your hips, and there’s a faint flush to your cheeks. And—”

She jammed a hand over her ear. “Quit talking about my period. It’s weird. Most guys have no clue what’s going on with a woman’s body. But you...” She waved a hand at him. Again, this was creepy, but it was every day with Rexx. He noticed the little things. It’s what made him an amazing warrior. Although the importance of her cycle was one hundred percent off limits.

A ping from the detection scanner alerted Daisy that something was moving. She set down her protein bar and picked up the scanner. “We’ve got company. Our boy’s on the prowl.”

“We should still abort. If you’re not operating at full capacity—”

“My operational capacity is great. Let’s focus on this capture. Pack the gear. He’s moving to the first trap.”

She ignored Rexx’s grumbles as he packed their surveillance equipment. Despite her protests, they worked well together. If it weren’t for the fact Rexx took the strong, overly protective act to the extreme end of the spectrum, it would be ideal.

“I’ll lead.” It was his usual response whenever they were on a mission. Rexx put himself front and center when there was a sniff of danger.

Daisy had stopped arguing with him that she could take care of herself. She’d punched plenty of aliens when they’d gotten too aggressive and landed a few good kicks to their soft and dangly bits. But, as Rexx always told her, what’s the point of having a kickass alien warrior on hand if you do all the work yourself? Well, he never said those exact words, but that’s what he meant.

She adjusted the temperature on her body suit, she was feeling clammy, and followed Rexx out from behind their watch base.

The terrain of Eveiha was nothing to write home about. There’d been several attempts at terraforming, but the unstable plate tectonics meant no one stuck it out for long. The air was breathable, which was good. It meant no full body suits were needed. But the instability of the planet meant only the hardiest of creatures stuck it out. And that included zinibars. They were survivalists. Unfortunately, they didn’t survive the weapons of most aliens out there.

They were considered a delicacy by many, so were popular to hunt and capture. That made them rare and at risk, which had brought them to the attention of Daisy and the crew of the Apocalypse.

She had big plans for this creature. She wanted to see dozens of baby zinibars bouncing around in the care of one of the preservation sanctuaries located across the star system.

Rexx stopped so suddenly that Daisy almost slammed into his back.

“Jeez! A little warning.” She backed up a few steps.

“I see him.”

She peered around Rexx, and a smile crossed her face. “Look at the colorings on his scales. He’s rainbow marked.” Zinibars were similar to armadillos. They were armor plated ground shufflers with elongated snouts. The main difference was their size. These guys hit eight feet in height, and they had a frill around their necks they used in courtship and threat displays. And they could punch through an armored vehicle when they got their speed up.

“He’s heading straight to the trap,” Rexx said.

Daisy inhaled and pressed her lips together, delight bouncing inside her. “He’s almost in. Another dozen steps, and we’ll have him.”

The scanner she held gave a faint ping, signaling more movement. She raised it slowly, so as not to startle the creature, and her forehead wrinkled. “Could another zinibar be out here?”

“They don’t travel in packs.”

“Something’s moving close by. Keep an eye on this one. I’ll take a look.” She focused on the scanner as she located the origin of the movement. It was close. Too close, which meant it must be small.

Daisy took a few steps away from Rexx.

“Stay where I can see you,” he cautioned.

“Always. I know you’ll come after me if I don’t.” Daisy had taken ten more steps when she froze. “Oh! You’re kidding me.” Partially concealed inside a scoured out piece of rock were two small zinibars, barely bigger than the palm of her hand. “Rexx! There are baby zinibars over here. We’re standing almost on top of a nest. There must be a breeding pair on this planet.”

He was at her side in an instant.

Daisy crouched, keeping her distance, to make sure she didn’t spook the babies. “They look in good condition.”

“That must be why the male was tempted out so easily. He has young to feed.”

A low, angry growl came from behind the rock the babies were nesting in, and the dirt shook beneath their feet.

Rexx grabbed Daisy and yanked her back, just as another zinibar stomped out, the frill around its neck exposed in all its beautiful, terrifying glory.