Page 34 of Monstrous Heat
Closing my eyes, I jumped.
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KROKTL
She jumped. My fucking badass mate fuckingjumpedout of a moving helicopter like it was no big deal.
I knew without a doubt that I could catch her. That wasn’t a problem.
What filled me with sheer terror was the thought that I might accidentally bite her in half when I did.
I leaped as high as possible to reduce her time in the air, but it was still a hell of a fall. Opening my jaws wide, I snagged her around the waist. Air whomped out of her lungs at the impact, but she didn’t scream. Though she didn’t move, either. Probably scared to death.
Please, please be alright!
I landed, letting my legs take the impact like coiled springs. With a tip of my head, I spilled her down in front of me, using my forearms to control her tumble to the ground and hopefully keep my teeth out of her fragile skin.
The helicopter whirled back around. Bullets tore across the ground straight at us. I dropped to a crouch over the top of her, taking a few nicks in my hide, but nothing serious. Only armor-piercing rounds would have a prayer against my scales, and even that wouldn’t stop me unless they managed a direct hit in my heart or skull. Still, I didn’t like being out in the open like this. I couldn’t afford to be documented or noticed by any planetary authority. With an off-grid squad deployed, HQ would be monitoring Earth’s communications. If a picture got leaked of the prehistoric-looking creature in Guatemala, the jungles of South America would be crawling with dyni.
Assassins. Looking to put me down or bring me in.
Frustration and urgency burned in my gut. In this form, I couldn’t tell Natalie that we needed to get the hell out of here. She’d already done the unthinkable by bailing out of a helicopter, but she wasn’t safe yet. Not by a long shot. My attempts at communication before had only terrified her, even when I’d been as soothing as possible. She certainly hadn’t wanted my help. Not in this form.
But I couldn’t leave her either, not even to try and draw enemy fire. One stray bullet would end her fragile life. She didn’t have my scaled hide for protection.
Her hands slid up my chest. She was touching me—and not freaking out. “I’m okay. Do what you need to do to get us out of here.”
Hold on, baby. My muscles coiled, waiting for the helicopter to pass back overhead. Then I jerked her up against my chest, gripping her thighs to lock her in place. Her arms looped around my neck, squeezing tightly. Hanging in front of me, she jounced with each step, though she was strong enough to keep a good grip on my neck.
A quick sprint got us into the jungle. Under good cover, I crouched, letting her drop back to the ground to rest her arms. She swayed, her head dropping back against my chest as if she couldn’t even hold it up. She didn’t even mind touching my creature—which told me a lot about how out of it she was.
Worry made me hiss and growl with helpless rage. I didn’t want to scare her, but her condition was definitely scaring the shit out of me. I smelled fresh blood, so I’d at least scratched her up some, but I didn’t think I’d injured her internally. No, whatever ailed her had been dealt by the hands of those fucking humans who’d taken her from the hut.
The helicopter still whirled around, scanning the jungle. With my coloring, I’d be impossible to find if I chose to simply stay and hide, but I’d rather get her to safety. Not back to the hut. Not when humans had already infiltrated it. I needed a place of safety for her. A nest.
Mentally cursing this fucking miserable planet, I hefted her back up against my chest, cradling her as gently as possible. She couldn’t hike, not in this condition, and I could move faster if I carried her. I had to hope that I wasn’t mentally scarring her by keeping her so close to the monster. I couldn’t risk shifting in front of her yet. That would really push her over the edge. Besides, I could cover more ground as dynos anyway. Distance from this place and the people who’d seen me would ease some of my concern.
I loped through the jungle, keeping my pace as even and smooth as possible. Away from the village I’d found earlier. It was too risky to take her anywhere near people. Deep wilderness would be best, though I had to worry about food and shelter for my human mate.
Not to mention medical care. Her body temperature was lower than it should be, and she shivered. In the humid warmth of a jungle. Not good. Not good at all.
I found a small stream of good clean water and a sandy, flat spot to rest. Steep rocky cliffs rose on either side of the stream, giving me a semblance of security, though I’d feel better with thick, solid walls around her. I found the sunniest patch of beach and lay her down so I could scan her body for injury.
First, I nosed up her shirt enough to look for injuries from when I’d caught her. She had a few scratches on her back, but no deep punctures. A fucking miracle. Her head was a problem, though. Swollen with an angry looking bruise, tender to the touch. She blinked repeatedly, as if she couldn’t see well. Her pupils were wide and dark despite the sun. Her face was pale, her skin clammy.
I had no food. No shelter. No medical equipment. She still wore the backpack, though the other bag I’d fetched earlier was gone. I took the straps off her shoulders and searched for anything that might help her.
Yes. An empty water bottle in the side. I flipped the lid off and left her momentarily to get some water from the stream. When I returned, she’d managed to sit up, though she leaned forward, bracing her head on her knees. I let out a low, soft breath, a sigh more than anything, so I wouldn’t alarm her.
Her head came up. Eyes wide, she stared at me a moment without moving.
I waited in place, keeping my body still, head low, lips carefully covering my teeth. Though I couldn’t help but scan her continuously. Body temperature was still too low. Heart rate was slower than her basal rate. I blinked, switching to scan the deeper tissues in her brain. I didn’t detect any fresh bleeding, though her brain waves were definitely off. Slower, as if she were drowsy or just waking up.
One corner of her lip quirked up. “How did you know?” She rasped, holding out her hand.
I passed the water to her, careful not to let a claw touch her. She drank several long swallows but then paused, her shoulders drooping, as if even drinking was too much effort. Her blood sugars were low again. I rummaged in the bag, looking for anything edible. A wrapped rectangle smelled organic, so I offered it to her.
Wincing, she shook her head. “My stomach’s too queasy for chocolate right now.”
