Page 55 of The Warrior's Oath
Korvin’s feet landed firmly on the other side of the gap, the impact jarring her from her reverie. His free arm squeezed her tight, making sure she was safe and secure. He glanced down at the woman pressed against him, her arms and legs wrapped around his body. A spark flashed in his eyes. And with it, something different. Something tender.
She felt the swelling in his trousers press up against her and shifted her position slightly, grinding against him with the most delightful pressure. Korvin’s pupils dilated as he let out a soft groan.
Abruptly, he released his grip and peeled her from his body, setting her down gently on the ground.
“We, uh… We need to be going. Come along.”
He retrieved the rope and wrapped it around his pack then started walking.
What the hell? Nyota wondered as she stood there, her body full of endorphins, scared, aroused, and confused.
She took a moment, composing herself and settling her churning emotions and forcing down her raging libido. Her body did as she told it, thankfully. Walking when that turned on could be uncomfortable to say the least.
“I honestly don’t know what his deal is,” she said, then with frustrated resolve, she followed him into the brush.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Nyota found her legs moving with a renewed vigor after her not-so-near-death experience in the arms of her brooding alien companion. The adrenaline, along with whatever the hell they had brewing between them, had left her feeling exhilarated and the day flew by quickly as a result.
It was still going to be a long trek to the downed ship, of that she was certain, but picking up the pace a bit, it was looking like they’d make it there well before night began to fall. At least, she hoped that would be the case. Bumping into Raxxians in the dark was not high on her list of things to do. In fact, it wasn’t on it at all.
Fortunately, Korvin had been demonstrating just how keen his sight and hearing really were as they walked. The things he saw and pointed out that she would have missed entirely gave her a feeling of extreme confidence in his abilities. That he was also a highly trained warrior didn’t hurt either. But as he had clearly stated, the best fight was the one you could avoid entirely.
If you did have to fight, however, be fast, brutal, and efficient.
Lucky for her, he excelled at all of the above.
They walked mostly in silence, but it seemed more than tactical to Nyota. Yes, they were being cautious of the Dohrag presence, as well as making sure to avoid any Raxxians who might be nearby, but the overall feel was one of communing with nature. As if, after so much time trapped aboard the Raxxian ship, reconnecting with the beauty of the plants and animals was healing them both.
When he did speak, Korvin quietly showed her what other edible plants the Dotharian Conglomerate had seeded the world with, providing a history lesson while also gathering them a moving buffet of sorts as they continued toward their destination. Berries and tubers, edible leaves and stalks, by the time they came upon the broken trees and flattened shrubbery of the landing site, both were full of belly and renewed of spirit.
Korvin held up his hand as they drew close. Nyota crouched behind a bush at once. He flashed an approving nod, then vanished as he moved toward the landing area. Only a few minutes had gone by when he returned.
“You may stand,” he said.
“What did you find?”
“Nothing. The compartment landed intact and seems to have avoided any damage on its descent.”
“So good news.”
“Not exactly. It is also empty.”
“Did they make a break for it? Or were they captured?” Nyota wondered, a surge of adrenaline entering her bloodstream.
“Neither. From what I can tell, there was no one aboard. There are no signs of passengers. No footprints. Nothing.”
Nyota pondered what the odds were that more of the sections that had made it down in one piece might also be lacking occupants. She had no idea how many prisoners the Raxxians had been holding. For all she knew, the total numbers could have just been a small amount of the ship’s capacity. They were all segregated, after all, and aside from a select few aliens, she’d really only mostly seen humans during her imprisonment.
Korvin shook his head ever so slightly in what she assumed was frustration, then turned and walked back into the woods.
“Wait a minute,” she called after him. “Don’t you want to, I don’t know, maybe scavenge for more things to trade? Stuff we can use? You did it before.”
He stopped and turned back to face her. “We have a very long trek ahead of us across potentially difficult terrain in hostile territory and with no trading outposts to speak of. Not only are we unlikely to secure any trade, but the additional weight of any salvage would not only slow our progress but also hinder us in the event of attack.”
“But what about things we can use, then? Weapons, maybe?”
“We have all we need. As I have said, I will take what we require should the necessity arise.”
