Page 15 of A Monster's Light
He tilted his head and growled something.
Okay, so he recognized his name. That was a good sign.
“We just escaped the research station. You protected me from the exploding Harbinger. But we have to go now.”
He murmured something back in a soft, growly tone, tenderly brushing a strand of hair off my face before planting a kiss on my forehead. Something changed, and I felt that familiar aching between my legs again, right before I felt his erection pressing the leather of his pants to the inside of my legs.
The desire that flooded my system was overwhelming. I wanted whatever this was, wanted him more than anything in the world. He ground his hips against me, rubbing the large bump in his pants against my clit. I made the most scandalous moan, unable to stop myself.
Now? Of all times? Fuck this! We weren’t home free yet.
“No!”
I shoved against him as hard as I could, then gestured wildly at the carnage around us. Parts of the Harbinger were still on fire and sizzling. I could hear it now that the ringing in my ears had lessened.
Gnnar looked around as if he’d only just noticed the world around us. He made a noise that sounded very much like cursing, then struggled up to his feet, pulling me up with him.
Oh good. Hero Gnnar was back. I’d take a raincheck on Loverboy Gnnar, please, and thank you.
He did a quick check, looking me over for injuries. I was banged up, with more scrapes and bruises than I could count, but I was alive. I’d be fine if we got out of Dodge and fast.
“I’m okay. Nothing major. I’ll heal. Not as fast as you. But I’ll heal.”
He frowned at me, concern wrinkling his brows. He tapped at the side of his head by his ear.
Oh! His translator? Was it malfunctioning?
The rest of him looked no worse for wear, all things considered. If anything, he looked even better than he had earlier.
Gnnar moved suddenly, his hand grabbing hold of a nearby rock and flinging it at the sky even as he turned. His aim was immaculate, and a metallic clanging had me peering around him to see a surveillance drone.
Oh no! Nova Vita was already here!
Unlike the Harbinger, the drone didn’t explode. They had marketed the drones as nearly invincible, able to take several blaster shots and still function. Gnnar grabbed a bigger rock, more like a boulder, and launched it at the drone. Then another and another until the drone was trapped under a deluge of thrown rocks. It might still be functioning, but if it wanted to follow us, it’d have to get itself free first.
Gnnar wasted no time wrapping his arms around me and leaping into the air.
Chapter 9: Gnnar
Now that I’d had plenty of calories and protein, I was feeling much better despite the singed horn. The increase in energy had an unintended side effect, however. My body didn’t have to worry about feeding itself for the recovery, so it focused on other needs. I wasn’t fighting the rut anymore. It was too late for that.
The rut was here, and it was hitting me hard.
It didn’t help that my mate was right here in my arms, her own need adding to the effect. She’d wrapped her legs around my hips, and every movement brought us together as we flew. My cock threatened to break free from my pants, and I had to remind myself that this was not a real mating flight; we were on the run.
I couldn’t stop myself from sneaking my tail between us so I could press the flat tip of it over her crotch. She let out a surprised sound that dissolved into a moan when my tail started to tease her. Then she was rolling her hips, rubbing herself against me. The heat was hitting her just as bad as it had me.
Fuck! I needed her now.
There was no way for us to reach the safety of our continent, and getting her to my nest was impossible. I needed to landbefore the rut consumed us and we fucked in the air, perfect prey to Nova Vita’s Harbingers.
I scanned the ground below. The endless desert sand had given way to an intricate maze of severely eroded sedimentary rocks. What was left were steep slopes, forming a labyrinth of ravines and gullies. The exposed layers of rocks shone with different colors in the setting sun.
It was a perfect place to hide. There were thousands of tiny caves and crevices here, and the topography blocked heat signals well. We could probably get lost here for days if we needed to. It would also be difficult for Vostak’s rescue crew to find us, but there was no other choice. I had to land.
At first glance, the landscape seemed devoid of life, but I knew better. There were plenty of animals that called this place home and many of them were good eating. The most difficult thing would be water, but Dana had thrown as many pouches of water as she could into her bag. If we ran out, there were streams that cut through these rocks, though often the water was more like sludge than water. I’d survived in worse conditions before. I’d gladly distill water for my mate if I needed to.
I swooped down into a canyon near one of these streams and started searching for a good place to camp. We were near a colony of suracets; I recognized the disturbances in the sand where the creatures sunbathed earlier in the day. The scaly, fat-tailed beasts were best eaten in the fall when they had a thick layer of fat but were still good eating this time of the year. Judging by the many disturbances in the sand, this was a large colony.
