Edge of Eon: Eon Warriors #1

by Hacket, Anna

  Davion pulled in a deep breath. Not much rattled his Eve. He looked at her face. Yes, he loved looking at her, and he loved that sleek body of hers, but he also loved her resilience and toughness. His woman just didn’t give up.

  And more than anything, he wanted her off this deadly hunter planet.

  She reached around and gave his ass a pat. “Okay, get moving, warrior.”

  Then she reached up and started climbing again.

  Davion shook his head and followed. Fearless.

  Soon, they pulled themselves over the edge of the top. Thank the warriors.

  As they crouched on the flat platform, the comm station gleamed welcomingly in front of them. It was a small, dome-like structure, and it shimmered a faint blue from the energy shield protecting it. It was made of clear, hexagonal shaped tiles.

  “Why’s this one got a shield?” she asked.

  “Some do, depending on the biome. My guess is that it’s to protect it from any lava flows.”

  Davion rose and walked toward it. He found the entrance to the dome and pressed his palm to the nearby panel. It chimed. He stepped inside, Eve right behind him.

  In the center of the dome was the comm unit. A cover slid back, and he pressed his hand to the controls. His symbiont shifted, a thin cable extending from the armor at his wrist and plugging into the comm unit. He quickly created a message to send to the Desteron.

  “How long will it take them to come?” Eve asked.

  “I’m not sure. They had maneuvers planned—”

  Boom.

  They both threw their hands out, grasping anything within reach for balance. They looked up. A projectile hit a rock nearby, throwing shards and chunks of stone in all directions, with many pinging against the energy shield.

  “Fuck,” Eve said.

  They sprinted for the exit. They ducked out of the station, drawing their weapons. Shaggy crouched nearby, hissing.

  Davion turned and saw two large Kantos flying creatures in the air. Their giant, leathery wings flapped up and down as they hovered in place.

  “Great,” Eve muttered.

  Both creatures were saddled with riders, and armed with missile launchers on either side of their solid bodies. As they watched, one of the missile launchers turned bright red and then fired.

  Davion spun. “Watch out—”

  Boom.

  The projectile hit the comm station. Davion was tossed into the air, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eve hurled away from him. They both landed hard on the rock, rolling close to the edge of the cliff.

  Cren. Davion gripped onto the rock to stop his slide. “Eve!”

  She was closer to the edge, her upper body hanging over it. She looked dazed, a thin trickle of blood dripping down her temple. She shook her head.

  “Eve, move slowly…”

  She turned her head, and when she realized her precarious position, she quickly scrambled back.

  Davion reached her, yanking her up beside him. “We’ll be safer in the comm station.”

  She nodded and they sprinted back toward the station. Another missile whizzed overhead, and they ducked. Davion whistled for Shaggy.

  The three of them dived into the comm station just as another missile hit the shield. The comm station shook.

  Eve grabbed the central unit to stay on her feet. “You sure the shield will hold?”

  “Yes, but it won’t hold out indefinitely against prolonged missile fire.” They had to get out of there.

  And the only way down was an arduous, dangerous climb…with flying Kantos shooting at them.

  Then, Davion saw something else fire from the second flying creature. A dark cable whizzed out, wrapping around the comm station. Another matching cable fired from the first Kantos creature.

  “What the hell?” Eve said.

  Davion frowned. He didn’t like this.

  Suddenly, the entire comm station lurched. The two creatures flapped their wings, flying higher and higher. The station lurched again, and Eve bumped into Davion. He wrapped his arm around her. Shaggy skidded across the floor.

  One more violent jolt and the entire comm station broke free of its foundation.

  Eve gripped his arm. “Holy fuck.”

  Shaggy let out a wild round of guttural growls.

  The comm station sailed out over the edge of the cliff, suspended between the two Kantos creatures.

  Eve and Davion stumbled, then both braced themselves on the central unit, knees bent. The comm station bobbed and swayed as they soared through the air.

  “I have a really bad feeling about this,” Eve said.

  Davion suspected that was an understatement.

  * * *

  “I hate this planet.” Eve kept her feet spread in a vain attempt to keep her balance.

  “I don’t think you can blame Hunter7 for this one, shara,” Davion said.

  She wondered what shara meant, but now wasn’t the time to ask. The station dome jerked wildly, and they both jolted again, falling to their knees.

  “Well, I fucking hate the Kantos too.”

  “I’m right there with you,” he said darkly.

  “We need a plan, warrior. We need to get off this thing.”

  Shaggy was sitting on his butt, looking through the shield and growling at the flying creatures outside. Eve glanced down and her stomach rolled. The dark, rocky ground, crisscrossed with rivers of lava, lay far, far below them.

  The Kantos were taking them somewhere, and she could only guess it wasn’t anywhere nice. Plus, the farther away they were from the comm station location, the less likely Davion’s people could find them when they arrived.

  Then a thought occurred to her. “Did your message get sent?”

  A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I’m not sure.”

  Great. So they had no idea if help was coming, and even if it did, the Desteron rescue team would arrive to find nothing more than the remnants of what was once a comm station.

  Davion looked at her. “Ideas?”

  “How strong is the shield, if the Kantos aren’t pounding it with missiles?”

  A crease appeared on his brow. “Strong.”

  “Then we need to cut the ropes free.”

  Davion stilled. “What?”

  Before he could process her idea, Eve pulled out a knife, and quickly moved over to the exit. She pushed her way through.

  “Eve!”

  Outside, the wind whipped at her hair. She turned, pressing her palms to the dome and started climbing. She used the small, raised joints between the hexagonal tiles as handholds. As the station bobbed, she fought to keep her grip.

  She made her way toward the closest rope. It arched through the air, up toward the giant flying Kantos. The damn creature made her think of a dragon.

  One of her boots slipped on the slick shell of the dome. She slid a few inches down. Shit. She pressed hard to the dome, gripping on.

  “Eve, this is too dangerous.”

  She turned her head and saw Davion making his way up to her.

  “We need to get back to the ground, Davion. Or they are going to drop us in a camp full of Kantos, and we’re as good as dead anyway.”

  She scrambled closer to the rope, then pressed her knife to it and started sawing. The cable was sinewy, fibrous, and gross.

  Davion’s big body brushed hers. “Even if the comm station shielding stays intact, the plummet could kill us.”

  “The Kantos will kill us anyway. I prefer to do it on my own terms.”

  She heard his grunt and she kept sawing the blade. In moments, she was halfway through the cable, and she smiled grimly.

  Suddenly, the rope jerked wildly, and Eve almost tumbled off the edge of the dome. She glanced up, and saw the Kantos rider staring at them. He’d spotted what they were up to and was flying erratically, trying to stop them.

  Eve starting cutting again.

  Davion raised his arm, a blaster forming on his arm. He fired a bolt of blue energy at the Kantos.

&n
bsp; The flying Kantos gave another wild dip, and this time Eve slid down the dome, her knife flying out of her hand.

  “Eve!”

  Davion grabbed at her, but missed.

  She shot over the edge of the dome and out into the air.

  Oh, God. Her heart lodged in her throat and she frantically windmilled her arms. Skydiving with no parachute was definitely a bad idea.

  Something blue snapped around her waist. Suddenly, she jerked upright, and was no longer falling.

  She dangled in the air below the dome, a blue rope circling her waist. She gripped it and the realization clicked. A symbiont rope. She looked up.

  Davion was pressed against the dome, his arm extended toward her, and the blue, scaled rope linking her to him.

  Eve felt a pulse along the line. It was alive and powerful.

  Davion started pulling her in. As soon as she got close, he reached out and yanked her into his arms.

  “Cren.” He buried his face in her hair.

  “Nice save, warrior.” She burrowed her face into his neck, waiting for her pulse to stop racing.

  “No more falling.”

  “I’ll do my best.” She noticed he’d left the blue rope around her waist.

  The comm station bobbled, bringing her back to the situation at hand.

  “We still need to cut the ropes.” She’d lost her knife in her fall, but she wasn’t giving up.

  Without stopping to think, Eve touched the blue rope, running her hand over it. The blue flowed over her hand and a knife formed on her wrist.

  Holy cow, that was so cool. She had no idea that Davion could share his symbiont with her. She crept closer to the Kantos cable and moved her hand. The blade sliced right through it.

  The dome wobbled in the air and began to fall.

  Davion cursed, pressing her against the dome so that she was pinned to it by his big body.

  “Back inside. Now.”

  She nodded, and together, they shimmied downward and slid back inside the station.

  Inside, Shaggy was sliding around the room, clearly unhappy and agitated. The dome had begun to swing wildly, and Eve realized that one Kantos flying creature alone wasn’t strong enough to keep the dome in the air.

  She saw the lone creature flapping its wings like crazy, but they were continuing their downward trajectory.

  Fast.

  Hell. She watched the rocky ground rushing up at them.

  “Warrior…oh, shit.”

  Davion yanked her down and covered her body with his.

  Suddenly, the black of his armor started shifting and moving. Her lips parted, and she reached up to touch it. It flowed over her, binding them together in a protective cocoon. She gasped and she saw Davion frown.

  Then they hit the ground.

  There was an ear-splitting crash, and a jolt that made her teeth rattle. They were tossed around, the dome rolling like a ball. Eve held on to Davion for dear life.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Davion commanded his helian to retract, and pushed to his feet inside the dented and smashed comm station. The armor flowed off Eve and back into his own.

  When he saw her blinking up at him, he released a breath.

  But shock still coursed through him.

  Not from the attack, or the fall from the sky. Eve had commanded his symbiont, and it had responded. Then it had acted to protect her.

  His helian had connected with her.

  He’d never, ever heard of a partner or mate that could control an Eon warrior’s symbiont. It was unheard of.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Eve cupped his cheek, her eyes concerned.

  He nodded. There would be time to ponder the incident later. “Let’s find some cover.”

  “Yeah.”

  Shaggy scampered over, running circles around them. The animal had clearly survived the fall without harm.

  A shadow moved over them and Davion looked up. The remaining flying Kantos was circling overhead.

  “Come on.”

  They turned and had taken two steps when he paused. He sensed…something. Something big.

  “What?” she asked.

  There was movement up on the ridge nearby. Davion straightened.

  Rows of large, six-legged Kantos bugs crested the ridge. They were all saddled and topped with soldier riders.

  “Ah, hell,” Eve muttered.

  “Run.” Davion jerked her in the opposite direction.

  They both sprinted, Shaggy running beside them. They leaped over several meandering streams of lava.

  Behind them, Davion heard the thunder of the Kantos bugs giving chase. He turned his head and saw them streaming down the ridge.

  “They’re coming!” he shouted.

  A buzzing hum filled the air. Shaggy growled and hissed.

  The glow of lava appeared ahead and Davion cursed. This river was wider. Too wide to jump. They cut left, running along it.

  “Shit, Davion. Look.”

  Directly in front of them was an enormous lake of lava.

  They were trapped between the Kantos and the lava. No.

  Eve stopped, her chest heaving. “Nowhere to go.”

  No.

  She gripped his arm. “We fight, warrior.”

  Davion wrapped an arm around her and yanked her close. He kissed her—hungry and desperate. “We fight.”

  His sword formed, elongating on his arm. But Eve had no weapon.

  Then he held out his arm to her. She stroked his sword, then touched the scales of his armor.

  His symbiont shifted. A small part of his armor flowed across to her arm, circling her wrist. A smaller sword formed on her arm.

  She lifted it, staring at it in wonder. “I had no idea you could do this.”

  “I’m not doing anything, you are. I’ve never heard of it happening before.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “What?”

  But they were out of time for explanations. Davion turned. The first wave of Kantos were getting closer.

  Eve stepped up beside him. Then she winked at him.

  Fearless. They both nodded, then ran toward the incoming bugs. Shaggy bounded past them, eager to attack.

  “Bring it!” she shouted.

  They hit the lead wave of Kantos, dodging out of the way of thundering legs. Davion sliced out with his sword, cutting through armored arms and legs. He leaped up, spinning, and cutting a rider out of his saddle.

  Nearby, he saw Eve swinging her sword. Blue energy drifted off it like smoke. She slid in low, knocking over several soldiers, before she jumped, cutting them down.

  Still running, she leaped onto a rock, took two steps, then jumped. She landed in the center of several bugs and attacked with a vengeance.

  Amazing. His.

  The leg of a bug smacked into Davion, sending him stumbling. He dived, somersaulted across the rocky ground—narrowly avoiding a pool of lava—and came up swinging.

  He slashed through several more bugs. Adrenaline pumped through him, the heat of battle settling on him, fueling him. He saw Eve land on top of one of the bugs, yanking the rider off.

  She sat in the saddle and the bug bucked beneath her. She flew off and Davion jumped, catching her midair. They both landed in a crouch.

  “Thanks.” She smiled briefly at him, and he saw the battle heat reflected in her eyes.

  She spun and sprinted back into the mêlée. He watched as she swiveled, kicking one Kantos soldier in the chest.

  “How do you like that, bug boy?” She swung her deadly sword, shouting as she fought. “Second wave!”

  Davion saw them coming. He raised his weapon, the blue glowing brightly.

  The bugs hit them like a wave. He fought his way closer to Eve, and soon they were back to back, fighting in perfect unison. He swung in low, while Eve slashed high, swinging to cover him. Nearby, Shaggy fought with his usual enthusiasm, tearing into the Kantos.

  But soon, he felt his muscles start to ache. Sweat dripped into his eyes and he knew they were tiring. Eve
was still fighting, but her swings were a fraction slower. He turned his head, that incessant clicking of the Kantos driving him crazy. More bugs were marching toward them. That was always the Kantos advantage—numbers. They liked to swarm and overwhelm.

  Soon, Davion and Eve were surrounded. There were far too many Kantos for them to fight off all of them. He watched Eve cut down another bug.

  He wanted Eve to live. His chest tightened. He’d trade anything to keep her breathing and unharmed.

  “Eve—”

  She read his tone. She spun, her clothes splattered with green Kantos blood. Her hair waved around her face in the breeze. “We fight, Davion. We never give up.”

  He dragged in a breath. There was that grim determination that he knew came from her very soul. He nodded.

  They kept fighting, and soon Davion was drenched with perspiration. His arms burned, and Kantos claws had opened up a wound on his back. He was moving slower and slower. Even Shaggy was flagging.

  But the swarm of bugs wasn’t getting any smaller.

  He was a master of strategy. He achieved success by calculating odds and outcomes, and now, his chest tightened. The Kantos were waiting for them to tire.

  Suddenly, the ground started to vibrate beneath them. Nearby, several cracks opened up in the ground. Lava poured down through it.

  “Biome change?” Eve yelled.

  A large crack opened up beside him and Eve leaped over it, landing beside him.

  Davion frowned. It felt different. “I don’t know.”

  The rumbling increased, and he saw several of the Kantos stumble. The ground heaved, more cracks forming.

  One of the Kantos bugs let out a horrible screeching sound.

  Eve lifted her sword. “Come on. You can’t be afraid of a little shaking.”

  More bugs screeched, skittering backward.

  Eve laughed. “Cowards.”

  Davion watched the bugs pull back. By Ston’s sword. What was happening?

  “Come on, you ugly bugs.” Eve stepped forward. “Fight!”

  Davion sensed movement behind them and turned to look over his shoulder.

  His gut clenched.

  “Eve.” He grabbed her arm.

  She turned and her face froze.

  Behind them, a giant lava creature was rearing up out of the lake.

  * * *