“I’m not leaving you,” I warned him.
A brief smile touched his lips and his eyes flashed. “Of course you’re not.” He turned his eyes back toward the fleeing Jane and his mouth returned to a grim line. Her sudden sprint caught the attention of the Dregers and several of them screamed out and soared after her. As they whipped past us, lowering toward the ground, I could see them more clearly.
“Oh my God! They’re people. Bird people.” Though their arms were covered with feathers, their heads and faces definitely resembled the Varlings I’d seen earlier—who appeared to resemble primitive Earthmen. Some of them were females; telltale breasts poked out from their chests. They wore no clothing. All of their lower regions were also feather covered. Their hands had sharp talons for fingernails.
I watched in amazement as the rest of them, seeing their comrades race after Jane, flew after her as well. Jane, hearing the screams overhead, slowed her pace and stared upward. She cried out as two of the largest bird-men swooped down and snatched her by her arms.
“No!” I cried. I began to race toward her, but Ayres stopped me.
“Stay still,” he warned.
Jane continued to struggle, but once her captors had her high up above the ground she stopped. Her head dropped forward and she hung completely still. Fainted, I surmised. We watched as the swarm flew off becoming small dark specks in the sky.
I turned on Ayres, yanking free of his grip. “You set her up!”
He shrugged. “Would you rather they had taken you?”
I didn’t know what to say. But as he turned away and resumed walking across the barren land, his weapon still in his hands, I realized something about my companion.
He could be a cold-hearted son-of-a-bitch when he needed to be.
Chapter 14
So the problem of finding a safe place to ditch Jane was no longer an issue. Part of me, I must admit, felt a little relieved when those bird-men flew off with her. A bigger part of me felt guilty for feeling that way. At least I didn’t have to contend with her flirty laugh anymore. Also there'd be no more worrying if Ayres would decide he liked her better and leave me to rot in this place.
I eyed Ayres critically as he and I sat by a small fire surrounded by tall trees. The forest we’d entered a couple of hours ago—I estimated—seemed so much like one in Graneden it made me feel homesick. The night sky was lit up with zillions of twinkling stars, and the rustling of small animals all around reminded me of the nights I’d spent with Uncle Mick at the cottage. I refused to even think about alien Aunt Erin—the traitor.
Ayres had caught some kind of large rodent and roasted it over the fire on a stick. The smell of it cooking made my mouth drool. Disgusting, but I was starving for something substantial to eat.
“Those things that took Jane, the Dregers, we don’t have creatures like that on Earth,” I said.
“I know.”
Of course he did. “What’ll they do with her?” Please don’t say they’ll eat her.
“Depends. From what I know, they will probably breed with her. I have heard they prefer to capture alien females because their own have trouble giving birth.”
A vision of those sharp talons flashed in my mind. “Will she be okay, do you think?”
He stared into my eyes. “A worse fate could have befallen her here. She is better off with the Dregers.”
“You mean there are worse things?”
“Far worse. We have been lucky to not meet up with giant wild beasts or smaller, but more ferocious tribes.”
“More ferocious than the Varlings?” I didn’t even want to consider the giant wild beasts.
“Far worse,” he repeated.
“Do you think the other competitors have gotten far?” Lissa’s Oro was a tough alien. Hopefully they were still in the game.
“Two are out so far. That only leaves one against us.”
I hoped our paths wouldn’t cross. Ayres and Oro were both huge and strong. I wouldn’t want to see them battle each other. The thought of Oro coming for me made me shiver.
Ayres reached out his hand to me. “Are you cold? Come sit by me.” I shimmied over and curled up against his side. He gripped the stick again, needing both hands to slowly turn the cooking meat. “After we eat, we’ll sleep.”
“Oh.” I’d been hoping, now that we were alone, he’d want to love me again. It’d been a while. Well, only a couple of days, but still...
We ate the rodent and then lay out side by side. The warm glow of the fire made dancing shadows against the trees. I reached for Ayres’ hand and took it in mine. The strength and firmness I felt made me antsy for some attention. His eyes were closed, but as I rolled to my side and put my hand on his crotch, they opened. He allowed me to stroke him to hardness through his clothing before he sat up and pulled off his shirt. When he looked at me, I was pulling mine off as well.
“Anxious?” he asked, his lips curled into a sarcastic grin.
“Don’t you want to?” Maybe he was too tired? Or he could be thinking about Jane?
He looked down at the outline of his hard cock straining against his pants. “What do you think?”
“That looks uncomfortable,” I said innocently. “You should take them off.”
“As you wish.” He got to his feet and lowered his pants; his cock sprang free. When he would have sat down again I scooted over and took hold of his prick in my hand, stopping him in his tracks. In Lindove, I’d heard the older women talk about having a man in their mouth. I’d already acted out this scenario with Ayres dozens of times in my horny Episodes, so the reality should be a piece of cake.
Gently, my tongue flicked out to lick his tip. When he groaned, I took it as a good sign. Growing bolder, I swirled my tongue around his rim and sucked the head of his cock into my mouth. Deep I took him, as far as I could without choking, praying all the while I wasn’t making a fool of myself. By the movement of his hips and the growling noises he made, I figured I was doing okay. When he could stand it no more, he gently pushed me back and lowered me to the ground. He made a grab for my ankles, and after yanking off my boots, he pulled off my pants in one swift movement and tossed them aside. Then he was opening my thighs wide apart with his hands as he settled between them.
I felt the head of his cock push against me, causing me to lift my bottom and welcome him. He plunged deep inside me with one thrust, as he had the first time he’d taken me. But this time, he didn’t wait for me to grow accustomed to his size. Seeing as I was no longer a virgin, I guess he didn’t feel the need to go slow. He began to pump right away, causing me to cry out in delight. This was the man he really was—the warrior, the man who would take without mercy.
He continued to thrust inside of me for a long while. Quickly at first, only to slow his pace just as he sensed I was about to come. My body twitched in agitation. No matter what I did, be it squeezing my thighs or my passage, he soldiered on. I arched my body and scratched his back, all to no avail. The look on his face was one of pure concentration. Perhaps he wasn’t as immune to my charms as he pretended? I couldn’t stand it anymore. He’d brought me to the brink several times, only to tease me with the promise of fulfillment.
“Damn it, Ayres!” He reached down to squeeze my boob, ignoring my plea. I was a mass of horny hysteria before he finally took mercy on me. He sank deep inside me with a mighty thrust and stilled his movements. Sensing he was near completion, I squeezed tight and took my pleasure, crashing into wave after wave of ecstasy. It was several moments before I realized he’d gone the same time as me.
“You’re an asshole.” He rolled off of me and I snuggled against his side. Though I didn’t look at his face, I could practically feel his superior grin. He may have made me writhe and beg this time, but next time, I determined, I’d be the one who would make him squirm.
We awoke to the sound of chirping birds and it surprised me to find Ayres still on his back beside me. Usually I awoke last and he had to urge me to get up and get moving. His eye
s shot open suddenly, probably feeling my lingering gaze. He sat up and ran a hand over his shorn head.
“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” I gave him what I believed to be a sexy smile, hoping he may forgo our journey for an hour or so.
No such luck. He got to his feet and I watched his backside in regret while he donned his clothing. I got up and dressed as well. “We are over half-way. The next trek will be difficult.”
“More difficult than the scorching desert?”
Seeing my glum look, Ayres reached out and brushed a stray hair from my face. Such a tender gesture for a deadly man. “Where we go next will be mountainous and very cold. I will have to hunt for furs to protect us from freezing to death.”
From boiling to freezing. This trip just gets better all the time. “Hunt what? Those giant beasts you spoke of?” I didn’t like the idea of that. But I disliked the idea of freezing even more. “Isn’t it dangerous?” I asked when he nodded.
“There were several tracks on the trail. The Daeodon, I believe. Should be large enough to provide a warm fur for each of us.”
“What is it?”
“The Daeodon is actually an ancient relative of Earth’s wild boar. It lived in North America and went extinct about 18 million years ago, or so I was told. We named Taleon’s beast as such because of its striking similarity.”
Modern day boars on Earth were deadly animals. Huge and powerful with those dangerous tusks, able to gore a man or other animal in seconds. I couldn’t imagine what an ancient relative of it would look like. Probably even bigger and meaner, as most of the ancestors of Earth’s animals were.
“So do we just carry on until we spot one?”
“I was hoping we’d come across one last night. The fire must have kept it away. They usually hunt at dusk, so tonight we’ll set a trap.”
“With what?”
“I’ll snare a couple of sways—the furry creature we ate last night. It has to work, or we won’t keep to our time frame. We must reach the cold land by mid-morning tomorrow. But without furs for protection...”
“We’ll freeze to death.”
He nodded. “We can bring the meat along as well, as there’ll be nothing to eat.”
We followed the trail through the forest, stopping along the way at streams to refresh ourselves, and picking weird berries to eat. Ayres allowed me to strip naked and splash around in the water for a few minutes, which was a delightful treat. I had hoped he would join me, but always the warrior, he stood guard and only rinsed off his face and neck. When the sun began its descent, Ayres hunted a couple of sways and laid them down as bait in a clearing, where he’d ambush his prey. He made me scale a tree while he took to hiding behind a thicket to wait. Soon enough we heard the telltale rustling and snorting of something large coming our way. From my high perch—over Ayres’ hiding spot and to his left—I spotted it first.
“Shit,” I whispered. It did indeed resemble a huge boar. Its thick furry head was about three feet long, and it must have been about six feet high at the shoulder. Its body was covered with brown and black spiky fur. When it lifted its head to sniff the air, I noticed it didn’t have any tusks, but its mouth was shaped like a huge dog’s, sporting giant, razor sharp teeth. It was bigger than a polar bear. I watched Ayres swing off his scythe and position himself to move. Was he actually going to take that thing on?
The boar moved cautiously toward the sways, no doubt smelling our scent as well. The animal turned around in a circle a couple of times and then slowly moved in to snuffle at the ground by the bait. Satisfied, it began to eat. The snap and crunch of bones drifted up to my ears. My gaze flashed to Ayres who was ready to spring. Everything seemed to move in slow motion in that moment.
Ayres jumped out, and the beast swung round to face him. They both stayed frozen in place, sizing each other up. The beast was the first to move. It growled, displaying all of its teeth, and bowed its head as though to charge. Ayres stood, feet braced wide apart, arms out in front of him, holding his scythe at an angle. When the Daeodon lunged, he was ready. They came together in a clash. Ayres held his ground at first, but moments later, he went down.
“Ayres!” I screamed, scrambling down from the tree. I paused on a lower branch to see what was happening. All I could see was the great beast lying atop Ayres, and one booted foot beneath the heap of fur and muscle. “Get off him!”
Further down I climbed and finally jumped to the ground, causing the animal’s head to dart in my direction. Bent forward, keeping my arms wide to make myself appear larger, I walked toward the pair slowly. The beast shifted as I changed direction, circling behind them. The movement caused its body to lift slightly, giving Ayres a chance to slip out. It was all he needed. Suddenly, he was rolling away, weapon in hand, and while still in a crouched position, swung his weapon in an arc, making contact with the animal’s leg. The beast howled in rage and swung back to Ayres. Ayres got to his feet, and I saw with relief he appeared unharmed.
“Come for me,” he taunted, not taking his eyes from his opponent.
But then, another sound from behind the pair caught my attention. A great crashing noise coming closer and closer soon revealed, to my horror, another beast approaching.
Chapter 15
“Ayres! Behind you...” My cry got his attention. Instead of turning, he charged forward and sliced at the first beast with lightning fast blows, drawing blood and anguished screams. Once the animal lay at his feet, he spun round and faced his next opponent who stood only yards away, head ducked and pawing at the ground. This Daeodon, at least, was slightly smaller than the first. Probably a female, I surmised.
Ayres, despite the terrible battle, barely seemed to be breaking a sweat. I marveled at his strength and stamina. I myself would have been a quivering mass of tears, rocking back and forth by now.
The animal looked past Ayres toward me and then to its fallen mate, lying in a bloodied heap on the ground. It threw back its head and let loose a heart wrenching cry.
“Move on,” Ayres urged her. “There’s been enough killing today.” His voice was gentle and I’m sure I detected a hint of regret.
The great beast shook its mighty head, snorted a few times, and then, to my amazement, turned and crashed away through the trees. Ayres watched it flee for several moments before he turned back toward his kill. His gaze flashed to me and the line of his mouth drew even grimmer.
“You should not have moved,” he said.
I didn’t come toward him. I took a step back instead. “I was afraid for you.”
He stalked slowly forward, going around the carcass and came to a stop right in front of me. I had to tilt my head back to look into his eyes. They were cold. He reached out a hand and grabbed hold of the back of my braided hair, wrenching it tight. “Do not defy me again. All of this will have been for nothing if you foolishly disregard my warnings.” He gave me a bit of a shake and then pushed me from him, causing me to stumble. I steadied myself and watched him turn his back on me.
“Fuck you!”
He stopped and turned slowly back around. “What did you say to me, girl?”
Though I trembled in fear I held my ground. “If I hadn’t distracted the beast you would probably still be lying beneath it. You should be thanking me, asshole.”
Stalking forward, he stopped before me once more and raised his hand as though to strike. I flinched, but remained still, facing him in defiance. He scared me, and yet, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. Not much anyway. He needed me alive for the game.
As though reading my mind, he lowered his hand. “I may need you now, but once the tournament is over, be assured I will punish you.”
“For what? Speaking my mind? Can’t your tiny ego get over the fact that I helped save your ass?” Damn my big mouth!
His hand flashed out and grabbed hold of my throat, just as that other giant had done to his woman when we arrived. His grip was tight, but not choking. “Remember that you rely on my good will for your survival.”
“That may be so. You had best pray to your god that we win. If we lose, I’ll have no further use of you. Except perhaps to cater to my baser needs,” he said with a sneer.
Had I actually thought I was falling for this guy? Of all the arrogant, egotistical, self-serving jackasses I’d ever known or met, or seen on TV, he was by far the worst. “When we win, I expect you to keep up your end of the bargain. Freedom, and return to Earth, me and my friends. I have no use for you either.” A stupid, cursed tear slipped down my cheek.
Ayres let go of me and strode away, without another word, toward the Deaodon. He used his weapon to begin skinning it for its fur. Seeing the cold fury of my companion, I had a feeling I was gonna need that fur.
Ayres hadn’t bothered to touch me when we lay down to sleep that night. He’d hung the furs he’d cut over branches and used some of the hide to wrap thick chunks of meat for us to cook along our frozen journey. By mid-morning, just as Ayres predicted, we entered into a snowy land and began the slow climb upward into the mountain. The higher we got, the more snow-covered and colder it became. We’d barely spoken a word to each other. I had no desire to say anything to him anyway. What a pompous ass, I thought, glaring daggers at his back.
The ever-present viewer bubbles floated around us. They’d been there yesterday when Ayres fought the beast. I suppose I should have noticed by the number of them that something big was going on. Ayres had probably noticed them as well. Maybe that’s why he figured he didn’t need my warning about another beast, or my distraction to free him from the first one. The bubbles didn’t interfere, however, with anything we did. And if he thought a bunch of them would distract a Deaodon lying atop him, he was a fool as well as an ass.
Higher we climbed. The path we took was an easy incline, so I wasn’t overtaxed. The snow was becoming a problem. Wind was stronger than it’d been below, and with it the heavy falling flakes obscured my view. Ayres walked ahead of me, but now I could barely see him. He slowed once in a while to allow me to catch up, but I could tell he was irritated having to wait. He paused at the top of a turn ahead, and once I was beside him he reached to pull the fur I clutched around my shoulders tighter. It was heavy and awkward to hold onto, the snow weighing it down even more. Thankfully, Ayres had the meat sacks slung over his shoulder so I didn’t have that burden to bear.
Survivor Planet Series 2-Book Box Set Page 8