Page 26 of Monstrous Heat
And if I were going to be her sole protection, I needed weapons. Lots of weapons. I needed to find a place of safety where I could stash her in comfort while I made sure to keep our nest secure. If she bore my young…
How could I possibly do everything alone to keep her safe, when I was programmed and bred to only be twenty percent of a team?
My beast paced vigorously inside me, slashing with teeth and claws. Furious anxiety wound me tighter and tighter, all my senses screaming with alarm. This place wasn’t safe. Human smugglers were nearby. The people she’d been with might come searching for her. I had no idea how far away the rest of my squad might be, let alone if HQ had sent another squad to locate—exterminate—us.
I needed information. The sort of intel only another dynos could provide.
Too fucking risky. Gnashing my teeth, I tried to think of another alternative. If I tapped the grid, they’d know exactly where I was in seconds. If they were close…
But I’d know where they were too. I’d know if anyone else had been sighted. Maybe they’d managed to kill Axxol and were trying to find me. Though to what end, I couldn’t begin to guess. Without our pilot, we’d still be trapped here. Unless another squad had joined us. Even then, we’d go straight to Nyan.
And I’d never see Natalie again.
Instinctively, I curled around her sleeping body, tightening my grip on her. She whimpered softly, so I quickly loosened my arms. But couldn’t calm the beast roaring inside me. If I went back to HQ, they’d never let me keep a mate. If she were truly compatible for breeding, they’d…
Panting, I pushed the thought away. I couldn’t even allow myself to contemplate what would happen if Dynosauros found us, or she’d wake up to the monstrous lizard that terrified her. I wouldn’t survive without her, but I couldn’t guarantee that my human mate had the same biological limitations. She might endure even if something happened to me.
My best bet was to use my skills. Run the point. Circle the squad—which was now solely my mate. In a typical mission, I easily covered four times as much ground as the rest of the squad, making loops back and forth, ahead and behind to see if we were going to encounter a target or if we were being followed. No one could cover as much ground as me in as short a time. Though running point meant I had to leave her.
Unprotected. Alone.
Not good. At all. I certainly couldn’t leave her sleeping and unaware. I checked her vitals, measuring her brain waves and heart rate. Delta waves had increased, so she wasn’t quite as deeply asleep, and her blood pressure had risen slightly. I began to stroke her back and arm, a soft, light touch that gradually deepened in pressure.
“Natalie,” I whispered. “I need you to wake up, baby.”
She blinked languorously and nuzzled deeper against my chest. “But you’re so warm.”
“Mmmm, and you’re so soft and tasty. But I’d like to check our perimeter and scout for a safer place.”
She tipped her head back, her brow furrowed with concern. “Have you heard something?”
“No, not yet. But I’d like to find a more secure location with easy access to food and weapons.”
Her eyes widened, her heart rate quickening, but she nodded and began untangling our limbs. I’d been the one to wake her, but I still regretted losing the feel of her soft thigh pressed between mine. “I’d like to know if anyone from base camp is looking for me yet.”
I pushed up out of the bed and grabbed the small handgun I’d found taped underneath the kitchen counter when I claimed the place. “Do you know how to use this?”
She shook her head. “No. I’ve never even held a gun before.”
“This one’s easy.” I pressed it into her hand, holding my fingers around hers until she adjusted her grip. “Move this slide back, point, and pull the trigger. It’s already loaded.”
“Wow, it’s heavy. I’m assuming it’ll have a pretty big kick if I have to use it?”
“It has a recoil, yes. The trigger is sensitive enough that you can deliver several shots quickly without having to release it. There are eighteen rounds but they’ll go quickly. I haven’t located additional ammunition for this weapon yet, or I’d have you practice.”
She pushed it back toward me though I didn’t take the gun from her. “You should have it, then. I don’t know anything about how to use it.”
Slowly I shook my head, letting the beast peek out from behind my eyes. “I’m your primary weapon. This gun is just to use if I’m away scouting. But trust me—if you shout my name, I’ll hear you from miles away. I’ll scorch the earth getting to you and slaughter anything and anyone in my path. This gun will just give you a little more security until I can reach you.”
Her bottom lip wobbled. “It’s bad, isn’t it?”
Gently, I took the gun from her and laid it back on the counter in plain sight. Then I cupped her cheeks in both hands and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. “I haven’t scouted for a few hours, so I don’t honestly know yet. No one was anywhere near us then. I just need to be sure, and I don’t like to leave you unprotected. I’ll feel better once I get us to a safer location.”
“Where?” she whispered.
“I don’t know yet,” I admitted, hating my own limitations. “Away from humans first. Then I’ll worry about other dyni.”
“Or those killer ones?”
