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“If they’re clever, that means they must be in distress. They could even be aware of what’s happened to them.” Georgia moved, so she was pressed back-to-back with Ash. “Where the hell are they?”

“Right here,” he whispered.

She spun to see the three beasts had reappeared and joined as a single group. They were smart, changing tactics so quickly.

She aimed her gun. “I’ll take the left.”

“I’ve got the other two.”

She fired at the same time as Ash.

Two beasts fell, but the middle one blasted past Ash’s fire and slammed into him. They rolled away in a blur of movement, before Georgia had a chance to take a breath.

Holy stars! That thing was lightning fast.

“Ash!” She aimed her gun, but they were still too entangled, and firing off a shot was risky.

Her body shook, panic and rage fighting for equal footing. Ash would not die.

The beast snarled and growled as its huge teeth clashed close to Ash’s throat.

He snarled right back, and a shot rang out. A second later, he was throwing the beast off him and staggering to his feet.

Georgia raced over, her heart pounding as she checked the beast was dead before turning to check on Ash. He held his arm close to his chest. “Did you get bitten?”

“No. I landed on a rock, bashed my arm up.”

“Are you sure? Those teeth could be poisonous. Are you feeling okay?” She pressed a hand against his forehead, checking for a fever and needing to make sure he was still in one piece.

“I’m already healing.” He showed her the marks on his arm. “I’ll be as good as new in no time. How about you?”

“Nothing bad. Just a few scratches.”

“And you’re feeling okay? If these animals were poisonous, you could be in trouble.”

“So could you.”

“I can heal from anything. And I didn’t get clawed or bitten.”

“Don’t go all alpha on me.” She lifted her chin. “Ash, that was too close.”

His gaze softened. “And those things came out of nowhere. I didn’t hear them coming.”

Georgia took a few deep breaths, forcing her emotions back in their locker. “They were a different kind of hybrid. The first animals we encountered in the cave were more like giant lizards and tigers. These were more like big bears on steroids.”

Ash studied one of the dead beasts. “Maybe they’ve been designed for different purposes. The lizard things could be the attack force, and the big cats could be the last line of defense.”

“Which means we’re getting close to something others don’t want found.” Excitement shivered through Georgia. “And those things would convince most people to turn tail and run as soon as they were spotted.”

“I’ll check in with the rest of the crew, so they’re aware that we’re not alone out here,” Ash said.

While he spoke to everyone over the shared comm link, Georgia looked around for any fresh signs of the aliens making these creatures, but the only thing visible were animal tracks and old footprints.

“Everyone else is fine,” Ash said. “They haven’t encountered any of the creatures.”

Georgia nodded, relieved the rest of the team were okay. “I think you’re right. We’re getting close to something important. We should keep going.”

“Then let’s move and discover what other delights have been hidden from us.”