by Lily Thomas
Jessica could hear people running after her. Leaves and branches crunched under their feet, and she didn’t know how much longer she could run before her lungs exploded and they caught her. Dread filled her as images of her death flashed before her eyes.
If she tripped, she could imagine a Hennian jumping on top of her and stabbing her to death with the sharp metal of a blade. Or if she slowed down or stopped, she could easily see them filling her body full of sharp-tipped arrows.
She couldn’t die. Not now. She had so much to live for and a life not yet fully explored!
Suddenly, Jessica was thrown to the ground, a strong hand clamped over her mouth, and she was dragged down a small cliff among tree roots.
Chapter 2
Jessica’s first instinct was to freeze, and then her next instinct was to fight for her life. She had no idea whose hand this was over her mouth and what their intention was. She had to get away from here before the Hennians found her.
Panic soared inside of her as her heart rate accelerated, nearly pounding its way out of her chest.
Right as she gathered some energy and courage to fight, the sound of men stomping closer had her blood freezing with dread. It was too late. The Hennians would spot her if she moved. She couldn’t risk even a muscle twitching now.
Deciding the hand over her mouth was a new friend, she let it be. She just hoped this hand knew what it was doing because she really didn’t want to feel a sharp arrow tip pierce through her skin. Staying quiet and not moving an inch, she waited to see what would happen.
Whoever was nearing them slowed down to a walk, and she heard them step closer, leaves and small sticks crunching under their feet. Then the feet walked right up to the cliff, and her eyes followed the dirt that fell past her face.
Jessica attempted to turn her head up to see who was standing up there, but the hand on her mouth prevented any movement of her head. Whoever was helping her was strong.
Then the hand over her mouth turned her head, and her eyes went wide as she looked over at her maybe-savior.
A Sri’thaen.
A shiver of dread spread over her before confusion clouded her mind.
She couldn’t believe a Sri’thaen would be the one to save her, but she’d take what was being offered and not question it. It wasn’t like she was stupid. The bigger threat to her life right now was the Hennian standing above them.
His other hand came up to his mouth, and he placed a long finger against his lips without making a sound. She nodded slightly. There was no way she’d make a peep with a Hennian standing right above them.
His other hand made its way down to the sword at his waist while he kept a firm grip on her mouth. She wanted to take offense at him not trusting her to keep quiet, but at the same time, she couldn’t blame him. He didn’t know how smart or stupid she was.
Right as his fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword, the person above them walked away. Her eyes slid closed for a brief second in relief. Here she thought this would be her last day on this planet. It would be both a horrible thing and a blessing. Now she’d have to remain alive with panic plaguing her every day.
Jessica wished she was the type of person who could roll over and let the Hennians finish her off so she could get off this planet once and for all. But there was a part of her that refused to die so easily.
A few more quiet moments passed, and Jessica figured the threat the Hennians had posed was gone by now. She moved her head trying to loosen the Sri’thaen’s grip over her mouth, but his hand stayed firmly planted over her mouth.
Gaining some courage, she stuck her tongue out of her mouth and licked his palm. She was done having his hand over her mouth now that the threat had passed.
Flinging himself back, a look of disgust overcame his handsome face as he frowned at her. Before she could blink, he reached out the hand she’d licked and wiped it down the front of her shirt and then stalked away.
“Disgusting human.” He muttered under his breath, and she wasn’t entirely sure if she had been meant to hear that or not.
Jessica stared at his receding back, before grabbing her stuff and jumping into gear. She wasn’t about to let her savior walk away. Now that her group had been hunted and she knew at least two were dead, she needed to band together with someone.
Even if he was a Sri’thaen.
Jessica began trailing after him following him through the forest, and then he stopped and looked back at her. It gave her a good look at his double tipped ears that stood out against the backdrop of his dark brown hair.
He arched a brow. “What are you doing?”
“Following you of course.” She sent him her best smile.
His frown only deepened though. “I don’t think so.”
“Then why did you save me back there?” She hitched a thumb over her shoulder.
“I may have saved you, but it wasn’t because I was searching for a human companion. You’ll do nothing but get in the way.” He glared at her, and she could’ve sworn he slightly snarled the words.
She wasn’t willing to back down though. She’d survive better with someone else on her side, so she wasn’t about to take no for an answer.
The Sri’thaen started walking away again, so she followed after. He’d have to kill her to get her not to follow him because she wasn’t willing to live on her own on this dangerous planet.
“I can list several reasons why you should keep me around.” Jessica began eager to convince him that she would be useful. “First, I’ll probably run slower than you which will allow you time to get away from any Hennians while they slaughter me. Second, I’ve been here for a while and have some good intel on where and when shipments of supplies will be dropped off.”
“Shut up,” he spun around, “before you bring the Hennians down on us with your incessant speaking!” He pointed a finger in her face. “This is why I don’t want you around!” He leaned down near her face as he growled the next words, “You will talk too much and bring the Hennians down on us.”
He spun on a heel and strode away, but she was quick to follow after him. He could yell all he liked, but she was now hitched to him. If he hadn’t wanted a companion, then he shouldn’t have saved her. It was as simple as that.
They were walking alongside a small river, and the gurgling of the racing water was so peaceful. If she didn’t have the Hennians hunting her day in and day out, then this would be a great place to camp and be one with nature. The planet they were on was beautiful and untouched by permanent technology. She could hear the animals around them without the hum of technology that had become a part of modern human life.
“So… why did you bother to save me?” She asked as she continued to trail after him.
Silence.
“I mean if you didn’t want a companion, then why save a stranger?” It really didn’t make any sense to her. If he hadn’t wanted a companion, then why had he bothered to save her life?
Silence.
“You must have a soul somewhere in there. You saw someone in distress, and you saved me.” And she was beyond thankful for the assistance.
Silence.
Jessica decided she would try another tactic then. “Do you know what your people want to do with the human species? I mean, if you did, you would’ve let me die. Instead, you saved me, which means you must not know.” Time to try a little shocking news to get him to respond.
He spun around, and she nearly ran into his chest. He pointed a finger in her face while advancing on her, causing her to backpedal. “I should have let you die.” He kept advancing. “I made a mistake back there saving your life.”
Her mouth snapped shut. He didn’t have to come out and confirm what she was saying. Sheesh.
Then he marched away from her.
He could yell all he liked, but she wasn’t going to just walk away.
Then Jessica noticed the rope he had wrapped around one of his shoulders. It was a lot of rope, and it had to be heavy, which meant he was carryin
g it around because it was important to him.
“What’s up with the massive amount of rope?” She pulled up beside him keeping up with his rushed pace.
With a growl, he rounded on her pulling a dagger out of a sheath and pressing it to her neck as his other hand came up and gripped her hair.
Her eyes went wide as the metal of the blade caught the light from the sun and reflected it back at her.
“I’m serious about you keeping your mouth shut, human.” He leaned in close enough until their noses touched. “No wonder the Hennians were chasing you down… because you made it easy for them to find you with your persistent talking.”
Jessica gulped. She was too scared to even nod her head lest the sharp metal of the dagger accidentally nick a delicate artery in her neck and spill her blood all over the forest floor.
The Sri’thaen’s hazel eyes pinned her, and she found it hard to look away. He was allowing her a chance to really see his species up close. She’d heard a lot about them but hadn’t ever met one before. She wasn’t sure any human had met a Sri’thaen before, or if they had, they hadn’t lived to tell the tale.
His double pointed ears fascinated her to no end. She had the urge to reach out and caress them, but she held back knowing the contact would be unwelcome. It might even give him a reason to finally slit her throat ear to ear.
Taking the dagger away, he released his grip on her hair. “I saved you. Get over it. It meant nothing.” Then he stormed away, and she watched as he began to quickly make his way over some boulders in the river, leaving her behind.
He was dangerous, and she was pushing her luck. She knew that much, but this whole planet was dangerous, and she was betting he was the lesser evil. He had saved her after all when he could have easily let her die. That meant there was something good in his heart, whether he saw it or not, and it gave her enough hope to think he could become a new person for her to join up with. It wasn’t like she knew where Sabo was, or if he was even still alive.
Quickly, Jessica jumped into action and followed him over the boulders. She clambered onto the first one and found it covered in moss and damp with water from the river crashing into it. They were slicker than she would’ve thought, but she was determined to catch back up to him. He wasn’t about to lose her without a little effort.
He’d attempted to scare her back there when he’d held the dagger to her throat, and it had worked… a little. Her heart was still thundering away under her ribcage, but try as he might she got the feeling he was more bluster than anything else.
If she let him leave, then she was on her own, and she couldn’t let that happen. Survival was easier in a group. It would give the Hennians more to chase and give everyone in the group a higher chance survival rate.
Determination set in as she scaled another boulder, nearly slipping off the side as some of the moss gave way, but she caught herself. Jessica glanced down at the river, it may be small, but she got the feeling it was deeper than it looked.
Glancing back up at her Sri’thaen savior, she noticed he was gaining distance on her. Soon he’d be on the other side and gone, forever.
Increasing her speed, Jessica jumped to the next boulder and… her foot slipped. There was no time for recovery she was going in! Her arms pinwheeled uselessly at her side.
A hand reached out of thin air and grabbed a handful of her shirt. Jessica heard it rip, as the Sri’thaen flung her up and flush against his chest. She flung her hands up which landed on his biceps. She nearly swooned as his scent rushed up to greet her nose. She never thought she’d find a sweaty man appealing, but oh baby!
What could she say? She’d been here for months without any action. A little action was long overdue in her mind.
Turning her head up, Jessica met his gaze again, but this time there was a hunger burning in those hazel eyes of his. She was close enough to feel his arousal at their intimate contact, and a smile grew on her face. He was also interested in a little action.
He might push her away, but his hard on was evidence he also found her attractive. She could work that to her advantage.
Her fingers tightened around his biceps, his very impressive biceps. His head descended, and she braced herself for a soul-searing kiss. She was positive it would knock her socks off. She was sure of that.
Right as her eyelids slid shut, he pushed her away. Her eyes popped wide, as she flew backwards right off the boulder. Her arms pinwheeled by her side for a split second, before she hit the water.
She held her breath waiting for the moment her head would go under, but it never did. Her bottom smacked into the rocky river bottom, and she sat there stunned. Maybe she’d been a bit dramatic about the depth of the river.
Jumping up, Jessica found her bottom half soaking wet. “That wasn’t very nice, you pig.” She grumped as she waved her hands in the air a couple of times to get the river water off of them.
She glanced up to find him making his way back to the river bank, not even giving a care that he’d pushed her into the river.
“Asshole,” Jessica muttered as she slopped her way through the water, nearly slipping a couple of times on the algae-coated river rocks. Then her foot slipped between two rocks and sank into the thick river mud. Hefting the pack of supplies that was still slung across her back, she gripped her knee with her hands and pulled her foot out of the mud.
“Ugh.” This day would never get better. First, she had been hunted by the Hennians, then she’d lost her original group, and now she was soaking wet.
Thankfully, the rushing river water washed the mud right off her foot as she continued to walk through the river. As she neared the river’s edge, the Sri’thaen reached down, grabbed her arm roughly enough to make her wince, and pulled her up the bank.
“You really should apologize for what you did!” Jessica bent down and washed the remaining spots of mud off her shoe.
He said nothing.
“Typical! You won’t apologize even though you know you should.” Jessica rolled her eyes. “Like every other man I’ve been around.” Like her ex-husband… that divorce could’ve been handled without a million lawyers, but no. He hadn’t wanted to speak with her, so they’d had to go through middlemen.
She glanced up once she was done washing her foot and found him… nowhere. Popping up straight she spun in a circle, but he was gone. “What the…? Hello?” Maybe he was playing a trick on her. Otherwise, she’d have to face the fact that he’d just abandoned her.
Jessica sighed.
She hadn’t lived on this planet alone before, and she wasn’t sure she was looking forward to spending the night by herself. Not only did she have to worry about the Hennians, but she would also have to watch out for any wild animals, and other aliens placed here as prey, they could be just as dangerous as the Hennians.
She couldn’t spend the night alone. She glanced around, and she’d lost her spear somewhere along the way. She darted into the forest hoping she could catch back up to the Sri’thaen.
Chapter 3
Bruyx had left the annoying, talkative human by the side of the river. He’d done his good deed for the day by saving her from the Hennians, but it was time she moved on and got out of his hair.
It’d felt nice to have her pressed up against his body for that brief second, and that was precisely why it was a bad idea to let her stick around. He didn’t need any distractions when he was trying to figure a way off this dangerous planet while doing his best not to get killed. There’d be time for him to lust after a woman once he got back to his people.
He was serious when he said she talked too much. If she couldn’t learn to keep quiet, she’d be running from danger for a long time. The key to avoiding the Hennians was staying silent and letting them run through the area without allowing them to see or hear their prey.
Bruyx hefted the rope slung over his shoulder. When it came to staying alive on this planet, this was his most precious commodity. He’d kill anyone who thought of trying to take it away
from him. It was the only reason he was alive, and it was the only thing that would continue to keep him alive.
Thoughts of the human woman kept floating through his mind, as he made his way through the forest. The forest around him provided cover, but it also could hide potential dangers, which meant he needed to have his mind free of troublesome thoughts like that human. He really wouldn’t be surprised if her talking had been the reason her group had been killed. Hell, even he had heard them talking, as they’d been traipsing through the forest.
Complacency was not something someone could afford here. Not when the Hennians were determined to hunt their prey with deadly accuracy.
After about an hour of walking through the forest, Bruyx spotted lunch. A little rodent that was eating something between its two front paws just a few steps away.
Ever so slowly, he eased his bow off his shoulder and notched an arrow. Lining up the sight, he pulled back on the string and let the arrow soar through the air. He watched with bated breath as the arrow whizzed through the air until it landed true, spearing the rodent to a nearby tree.
A smile worked its way onto Bruyx’s lips as he strode over to reclaim his arrow and take care of his new catch. Maybe he’d save it for later. It wasn’t like he was actually that hungry. His hand wrapped around the shaft of the wooden arrow and pulled it out of the rodent and tree. Then he wiped off the bloody arrowhead on the grass at his feet, slipped it back into his pack, and then whipped out his dagger.
Using the tip of the sharp knife, he began to cut a slit down the belly of the semi-large rodent. He scraped out the innards, letting them fall to the forest floor. Some lucky animal would make a snack out of it. Then he hung the rodent on his belt by its tail.
Bending down, Bruyx cleaned his blade off by wiping it on the grass at his feet.
As he straightened, he smiled. The day had started a bit rough, but it was looking up. He headed off watching and listening for anything that he might need to watch out for like Hennians or other aliens that might threaten his life.