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Chapter 18

It just about toreGeorgia’s heart in two to see Ash so defenseless. And she was unable to help him.

She was his partner, and she’d let him down. But he was right. If the Siblet caught them both, there was nothing she’d be able to do to get him free. And that’s what she’d do. No matter what happened, she wasn’t letting go of Ash.

“I will get you back,” she said. “I promise, I’m not leaving you behind. I won’t let them hurt you.”

“I have no doubts about that. Now, move your sexy butt.” Ash was covered in mud and had sunk a good foot since he’d become trapped.

There was so much she wanted to tell him about trust, love, and being able to rely on her, but now wasn’t the time.

With a last, anguished look at Ash, she grabbed her banty, sprinted into the trees, climbed one, and waited.

A few moments later, two salivating mutant beast cats appeared. They stopped at the edge of the bog, snarling at Ash and growling.

“Here, kitties. Come take a bath with me.” Ash didn’t move, simply glared at them.

The troop of Siblet appeared thirty seconds later. There were twelve of them, and they were all armed.

“Hey, dickweeds! Why don’t you all come in?” Ash said. “Mud baths are great for the complexion. And yours must be shitty since you wear those helmets all the time.”

Georgia could do nothing but watch as they stopped and aimed their weapons. She was about to cry out, when a Siblet threw out a rope and lassoed Ash.

They hadn’t shot him. They still had a chance to get out of this.

It took three Siblet to pull Ash out of the mud, and the whole time they struggled, the rest of the troop had their weapons aimed at him.

Georgia almost forgot to breathe, she was so worried. But Ash was a warrior. He wouldn’t do anything dumb. Although he might if he thought her life was at risk. So she had to stay calm and quiet and look for an opportunity to strike and get her alien back.

One of the mutant beasts tried to bite Ash the second he was free from the mud.

A Siblet whacked the creature over the head, and it whimpered and backed away.

One of the troop gestured at Ash with his weapon. “Get on the ground.”

Ash didn’t move.

Another member of the troop whacked him in the side of the head then forced him down while he was shackled around the wrists and ankles.

Georgia growled softly, and her banty did the same.

“Where is the human you travel with?” a Siblet troop member said.

Ash shrugged, a bored expression on his face. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

“We saw her. Is she here with you?”

“Not anymore.”

“Have you hidden her somewhere?”

Ash lifted his chin, his eyes gleaming. “You must have known what would happen to her when we got into this stinking bog.”

The Siblet troop member looked at the mud. “She’s dead?”

“You know these humans. They’re adorable to look at but not made of tough stuff. How was she expected to survive in a hellhole like this?”

“It’s no matter where she is, anyway. We’re only interested in you.”