Page 78 of The Warrior's Oath
“As one would expect of two Infalas denied their final bonding.”
“Like I said, it is not practical.”
“Practical has never been our strong suit anyway.” Halvax’s voice lowered as his eyes skimmed over their herd of wayward survivors. “Listen, I am moving to take the lead. We have not seen anything of concern all day. If you and Nyota were to fall behind a bit, I do not think any would notice.”
Korvin felt his Infala flare and his cock twitch at the mere suggestion, but he forced them both to calm. “Thank you, brother. But with the Dohrags and Raxxians out there, the risk is far too great. I will tough it out until we reach Molok. It is the wisest course of action.”
“As you wish, my friend. But remember, you are not the only one feeling the effects of this denial.”
Korvin followed his friend’s gaze. Nyota was walking with the others but staring at him.Hard. Her cheeks were flushed and her nipples visibly erect even through her shirt. He felt his body strain to respond, his cock abruptly pushing against the material of his trousers. He was tempted.Verytempted. But again his training kicked in. This was very much not the time or place.
His erection began to grudgingly subside.
Mind over matter. It had been drilled into him for years to the point it was second nature now. And no matter how miserable it might be at the moment for him, he was sure it resonated even stronger through his mate.
He watched her lovingly, his animal passion taking back seat to his simple, pure affection for her for the moment. She would be suffering indeed. And that was something he promised himself he would more than make up for when they reached safety.
Once they were once again in Molok, all bets would be off, and that lovers’ game would most definitely be afoot.
The group walked on, all but Halvax oblivious to the drama in play between the newly bonded lovers. To the rest of them, any strange behavior was likely just a stress response to the situation. Little did they know.
It was late afternoon when a faint sound silenced the birds in the nearby trees. Almost in unison Korvin and Halvax called out for everyone to drop and get under cover.
The survivors had grown a bit complacent over the duration of the trek, but seeing these two toughened soldiers react in such a manner snapped them out of their collective daze.
All hit the ground, rolling under whatever they were nearest too, be it a tree, a shrub, or into a pile of leaves, as one of them did. The key was to blend in. At least, as much as they could.
The sound grew louder into a buzzing hum. Nothing ear-splitting, just enough of a noise to stand out in this place unmarred by artificial clamor. Nyota stared upward from her hiding spot under a prickly bush, wondering what in the world it could be.
Raxxian? Maybe. And if so, that would be bad. But they had made it a long way from the site of the slaughter. And if a search were to be started, it would take some time for it to fan out this wide. At least, she hoped so.
But what about the Dohrags? She really didn’t know much about them other than the ships were crewed only by males, and they were a particularly nasty bunch.
Or maybe it was something else. Unfortunately, despite her badass alien mate, she was still the new kid in town and as such she simply didn’t know a lot of things others might take for granted.
She watched a lone bird circle high in the sky. But it was moving a bit erratically, Not fluid. Not following the wind.
A moment later the spot abruptly dropped lower revealing itself to be something other than a bird. Something much larger and altogether different. The craft stopped its fall about three hundred meters above the ground, halting its descent abruptly then spinning a slow three-sixty.
Its hull was blue-gray, with small projections that could have been wings of some sort, though she couldn’t help but think they’d never support a craft that size on such tiny things. Of course, if these guys possessed the technology for interstellar travel, maybe, just maybe, the simple rules of aerodynamics weren’t much of a concern for them.
The ship hovered a moment, slowly drifting in the breeze. Then, as abruptly as it arrived, the craft powered up and moved away laterally in a flash. Korvin and Halvax counted to ninety as was their habit before sliding from cover.
“It is gone,” Korvin said, dusting himself off.
Nyota found herself at his side, her hand wrapped around his forearm without even thinking about it. “Who were they?” she asked, feeling his heat warm her fingers, his heartbeat synching with hers.
“Dohrags,” Halvax said, stepping between them, breaking their moment of unexpected reverie. “It was a standard transport ship, not a scouting vessel. If we’re lucky, they’ll just head on to wherever it was they were going and not even notice the Raxxians we killed.”
“And if they do?” Steve chimed in, slowly emerging from under a pile of leaves.
“If they do, then they’ll be on alert for Raxxians in their territory,” Korvin noted. “But worse, with the Raxxian bodies, they’ll also be on the lookout for whoever killed them as well. We need to keep moving. Our escape window may have just shrunk, and we have no way of knowing.”
“I’ve got point,” Halvax said, taking the salvaged Raxxian rifle from his friend.
“I’m on the rear,” Korvin replied.
Nyota might have been tempted to make a flirty remark about that under other circumstances, but her libido had just taken a very abrupt cold shower and she was all business now. The business of survival.
