Page 19 of Doom Averted

I was certain I’d somehow managed to kill it but as Da’vi harried it with his sword, the shadowy pile flinched back. Then it got to a dozen feet with many, many hooked claws, slinking fluidly around Da’vi. It pounced on the corpse of one of the earless big cats, dragging it with it back up the cliff. I guess I only stunned it for a second.

“You okay there, Arianna?” Da’vi asked me, his shoulders tense as he slowly turned to follow the huge rock crawler’s departure. I flicked the laser pistol back into safety and holstered it gingerly, restraining the urge to hurl the thing as far from me as I could. Shaking out my palm which felt a little numb from the kickback of the weapon. I was pretty sure I was in one piece, so I searched his body to make sure that he was too.

“Yeah, I’m fine. What the fuck just happened? Are you hurt anywhere?” I asked, scrambling to my feet when I realized the danger had passed. Eoin was already back at the rock wall, running his palms over the stone like nothing had happened. Two bodies from those jaguar-like creatures were lying at the edge of the camp, but there was no sign of any others. In the light of the campfire, I was pretty sure that neither man had even gotten a scratch on him.

“You shot that Barabask right between the eyes,” Da’vi said, and for once he didn’t avoid my presence but stepped closer. His tail curled around my hip, yanking me a little closer, my hands braced against his wide chest. Yes, finally. I really hoped he was going to kiss me.

“I did, didn’t I?” I drawled, a little impressed myself. Should I tell him that I’d never hit anything in my life before? That it was pure luck that had saved my bacon? From the smirk curling his lips, I was pretty sure he already knew all that.

“Good girl,” he purred, his deep sub-harmonic voice sensually vibrating through my body at each point of contact. Normally, I didn’t let a guy get away with calling me that as if I was a dog or a small child. I didn’t need praise from a man. Except that deep rumble was making me shiver and something warm unfurled deep inside my chest. Oh boy, I was in trouble.

If he was making me feel like that, he could damn well deal with me being near to him. He sure didn’t seem to have any issues with touching me now, his arms had curled around my waist, and he was pulling me closer until we were touching from knee to chest. The heat of him soaking through my jumpsuit, my nipples hardening to sharp points, and desire clenching low in my belly.

“Oh yeah, want me to show you I can be a bad girl too?” I husked at him, sliding my arms up to curl them around his neck. Scratching my nails along his skin drew a rumbling moan from deep in his chest. Once I had a good grip, I pulled myself up, hoping he’d meet me halfway. I wasn’t disappointed, our mouths met, his lips warm and surprisingly soft against mine.

Opening my mouth was enough invitation, his tongue slicked inside, eagerly caressing me. Any of that cool restrain, that prickly armor disappeared in a flash as passion took over. I felt like he was devouring me, sipping at my mouth like a man dying of thirst. Each touch, each stroke fed the fire between us. Why was he keeping his distance when we had this kind of amazing chemistry?

I shifted closer, feeling the hot brand of what had to be his erection pressing against my belly. It felt big, but it felt reassuringly familiar, the same general shape I expected. Heat flooded me at the thought that we could make that work. I wanted to climb him like a pole, so I threw up my leg, hooking it around his hip.

Da’vi never stopped kissing me, but he had me up in his arms, his cock grinding against my mons as he supported my weight. I think we would have started tossing our clothes and do it right then and there if not for the sudden noise of someone clearing their throat.

Shocked that I’d forgotten we weren’t alone, I pulled back. Da’vi seemed less inclined to care, his mouth chasing mine for a moment, his amethyst eyes glowing intensely, completely focused on my lips. Looking over Da’vi’s shoulder I saw that Eoin and Jakar were standing side by side with shit-eating grins on their faces. Heat scalded my face but I smiled back, owning it. Then Da’vi turned his head and rumbled a very impressive growl at them and the two instantly turned away, getting back to work.

“That’s so hot,” I told him softly, running one of my hands from his neck up the side of his face to cup his chin. He didn’t have any stubble and I wondered if his species could grow beards. I was still in his arms, still cradled tightly against him, and I was starting to think he had no intention of letting me go. Was he going to take me into the woods for some quick sex now? I wouldn’t be opposed to that. If he fucked like he kissed, it was going to be awesome.

Of course, he chose that moment to let me go, sliding me down his body until I was back on my feet. I was pretty sure he was battling the urge to step back and push me away again. He didn’t, his hands tightening on my hips, his tail sliding down one leg, curling around it like a vine. “We have to talk,” he grunted at me, “later. Stay here, I will set up extra precautions.”

Chapter 14

Da’vi

Setting up several small agitators, spheres that gave off a noise that would disorientate animals, was an easy task. I just needed to press the button and aim them in the right direction. Plenty of time to contemplate what had just happened between myself and the pretty human. Time to face the fact that I wanted her to be mine, that like Thorin had predicted, another really had bitten the dust. I found I didn’t mind, but I needed to come clean first, that was only fair to Arianna.

Casting a look over my shoulder, I watched as she sat at the fire, adeptly heating our travel rations over the open flame. She was smiling and humming and I found myself eager to find out just who this sunshine was supposed to be. Was it an abstract figure, just a bit of song, or was it someone real?

I did know for sure that I would be crawling into that tent with her tonight; I was starting to look forward to it even. I was even more grateful that Fierce and Hina were taking care of Babbit while I was down on the planet. I didn’t need a nosy animal for an audience while I tried to tell her how I felt. Shooting a glare at the backs of Jakar and Eoin, I hoped the two of them would keep their noses out of this too.

With the agitators set up around the camp, I moved to haul the bodies of the two predators further away from camp. They would attract scavengers if we left them lying out like that, so I made sure to dump each body a good distance from our walking route back to the shuttle and the camp itself.

When I came back, everyone was sitting around the fire, sharing food. Arianna’s smile was radiant when I approached, and she held out a covered container that smelled like a heated Kertinillian food ration, the type they called meat with sauce. I hoped it tasted as good as it smelled, but that was generally disappointing when it came to the prepackaged foods.

Sitting down crosslegged next to Arianna, she smiled even wider, “Hi, glad you’re back.” My tail flicked at the sound of her voice and I gave in to the urge to curl it around her hip, seeking out the close contact, claiming her with the possessive gesture. I knew that both Jakar and Eoin didn’t miss it, but that hardly mattered when Arianna scooted closer and stroked her palm along the limber tip of my tail. I almost groaned at the feel of her fingers on my flesh, stuffing food into my mouth in a hurry.

Earlier, I hadn’t wanted to stop kissing her. I hadn’t wanted to step back and let her go, it had been a fight to try and get myself to move. A fight I’d lost but I couldn’t regret it. I felt lighter for having made the decision to talk to her, to come clean about my shameful eavesdropping. I shouldn’t be enjoying her eager nearness until I had but now that I’d made up my mind, I couldn’t stay away.

While she shared lively talk with the other two, I focused on eating my food. She’d already finished, pushing away her tray with leftovers, she didn’t object when I pulled those to me and finished them too. I was almost eager to get her into the tent now, to get this talk over with.

“I will finish getting the last of the ore,” Eoin said, getting up and wandering back to the cliff face, already deep in thought. Jakar and I watched him go, then I shared a look with the Pretorian. He was nodding barely a second in, his face splitting into a grin, and the colored freckles that marked him turned yellow. I knew they marked his moods but I hadn’t paid enough attention to know what that meant.

“Come on Arianna, let’s get some rest,” I said, ignoring the grinning male. Pulling her to her feet, I turned her to the nearest tent. Then I hesitated, I wanted to throw her inside and pounce. I needed to talk to her instead, would she crawl into that tent with me? Was I going to be strong enough to make her listen? I was pretty sure that just a few of her touches would make me lose my mind to desire. The way it had every single time.

*

Arianna

I was a little unsure about how safe it was going to be to sleep in a flimsy fabric tent but Da’vi didn’t seem too worried. Casting a look over my shoulder at the gladiator still sitting at the fire, four arms made him more alien-looking than a pair of horns did, or maybe that was just because I had a clear preference. Catching the wide grin on Jakar’s face, I knew what the guy was thinking we’d be up to soon.

Shooting him my widest grin, I winked, just to make it clear I didn’t give a rat’s ass what anyone thought. I really didn’t, despite hearing the nagging voices of my family in the back of my mind all the time. I generally did do whatever I wanted, even if was impulsive and got me in trouble. I didn’t think I’d be minding the trouble I could get into with Da’vi though so I was ready to let my heart rule over my mind.