by KD Jones
Bending down, he peeled back the thatch and lowered the rope inside the cabin. He heard a feminine gasp.
Then the male she had been talking to asked in a low tone, clearly confused, “What in Kitana is going on here?”
He used the rope to climb down inside the cabin, ready to fight this male, whoever he was. CristOF’s eyes took in the scene in one fell swoop. Tera was tied to a post, along with five males who were similarly restrained. Only one of the males was awake; the other four seemed to be sleeping. He inhaled, and wished he hadn’t. No, at least one of these males had passed on. From his scent the male had been dead for hours, maybe even days.
“CristOF, is that you?” Tera whispered in surprise.
Moving to her he cupped her face between his large hands gently. Even in the darkness he could see a bruise on her delicate skin. Which male did that to her? Which male was he going to kill?
“Are you injured anywhere else?” He feared that she had been abused in the worst possible way for a female. None of the warriors he trained with would ever do such a thing, but he saw firsthand what the Morins had done, and it was…horrific.
She shook her head. “I’m just tired, scared, and furious.”
He couldn’t stop the smile that escaped him. Tera was gentle, but she had a fire inside of her. She would have to have, in order to move to a foreign planet surrounded by aliens and make her own way. Looking at the rope holding her, he pulled out a blade from his boot and cut it easily.
“Why did they take you?” CristOF asked.
“I think the guys that grabbed me had been at the prime city spying or something. Their leader’s name is LazarUS. They had seen us together on our picnic and thought I might know what your mission was. I told them I didn’t know anything, but they took me anyway.”
She was taken and injured because of him. “I am so sorry that you are in this situation because of me.”
Tera shook her head. “It wasn’t your fault. I can’t believe you’re here. I thought for sure I would die in this cabin.”
As soon as she was free she jumped into his arms, and he held her tightly to him. Nothing felt as right as holding her against him, but they weren’t out of danger yet. He had to get her to the boat and back with his team. Pulling her with him, he took hold of the rope.
“Hold on to me and I will lift us up out of here.”
Tera stepped back. “Wait, we have to help these men.”
“Tera, you’re my only concern right now.”
“They’re innocent, CristOF.”
“How do you know that? Who are they and how did they come to be here?”
“These are the elders of a mining colony, maybe a Kiljorn mining colony. The rebel leader and his men took the males hostage threatening to kill the women and children if they didn’t obey. The elders refused and were brought here to punish them as examples. We can’t let them die.”
CristOF noticed that the other males were now awake and had managed to stand up—apart from the dead one. He looked at the older male across from where Tera had been tied. “Is this true?”
“Yes, we have been taken from our village against our wishes, and forced to fight for the rebel cause or die. We don’t expect you to help us—you need to get your female out of here. This is no place for her.”
CristOF bit the inside of his cheek. Everything male in him wanted to take Tera to safety, but his honor as a warrior pulled at him to help a fellow Kiljorn. “If I take her and leave you here, you will not live past tonight. The rebels have no honor and will take out their anger over her loss on you and your males. However, if I free you, what would you do without assistance? You can’t take on the rebels on your own.”
“We will be able to go to our younger males and convince them to rise up against the rebels. Half of the males here are part of my village. They will be willing to fight for their freedom.”
He felt Tera’s eyes on him, waiting for his decision. “I came by boat; it will take an hour or two to get back to my team. Then I will have to call for warships to come, which could take another hour.”
“We will leave the cabin but hide and bide our time, secretly getting word to our males. LazarUS will not want to lose half his army, so it will take time and effort for them to be able to subdue us. Hopefully it will be enough time for you and your people to come back for us.”
CristOF nodded his agreement. “You will need to dismantle any shuttles or warships that the rebels have, any forms or transportation they have to get off the island, like boats. Keep them here and keep them busy until I can get help. Will you be able to do that?”
The older man smiled. “Yes, we can do that.”
CristOF looked at the other males, who also agreed. He quickly went to each one and cut the ropes holding them. He even cut the rope of the one who had died, but didn’t move his body. He said a quick silent prayer that the Goddess KatieRI would greet the male’s soul with welcome.
Standing up, he walked back over to Tera who kept looking at the still body on the ground. Her tear-filled eyes gazed up at him.
“Is he…?”
He nodded, but blocked her view of the body. “We must leave, Tera. Wrap your arms around my neck and hold on tight.”
Tera did as he said, and he began to pull both of them up the rope. “Don’t let go of me. The rooftop is not strong enough to hold both of us. When I get us high enough up, grab the tree limb above us and pull yourself up.”
He pulled them up all the way to the limb, as close as he could get. Tera struggled but managed to pull her body onto the limb. He followed after her sitting up with his legs straddled. He helped her get into the same position. They scooted over to the tree trunk, and then they stood up looking down the tree.
“Maybe this isn’t the best time to mention...I’m afraid of heights,” Tera said with a shaky breath.
“You’re very brave. You have nothing to fear. Can you climb down the tree using the branches?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do not worry. Climb onto my back and close your eyes. I will not let you fall.”
Tera did as he asked. He could feel her trembling, and he hated that she was so scared. “You’re doing great, beautiful. Just squeeze tight and we’ll be on the ground in no time.”
All he wanted to do was take her somewhere safe and guard over her. He also longed to make love to her over and over, giving her something more pleasant to think about. But first things first—her safety was the top priority.
He climbed from branch to branch, making sure to give her encouraging words. Once they reached the ground, he bent to help her put her own feet down. “There are two males patrolling the area. You must follow my directions exactly.”
“Okay.” Her eyes looked so large in her small face.
He couldn’t stop himself from bending down and quickly giving her a kiss. “I won’t let anything happen to you. That’s my brave girl.”
“You’re saving me again. I was supposed to save you next time.”
How could he tell her that she had saved him? She’d brought laughter and joy into his life when it was sorely missing. In the short time they had shared together he’d started to fall in love with her. He prayed that once he got them off that damnable island he would have plenty of time to show her just what she meant to him.
“You can save me the next time, then. I’ll even put myself in peril for you to have the chance.”
She snorted and shoved at his chest. “Don’t joke about that, CristOF.”
He felt ease at her getting her emotions under control. Lifting his hand to her face, he asked, “Are you ready?”
She nodded. “Yes, let’s get the hell out of here.”
Chapter 11
Tera held his hand as he led her through the woods. He was so natural at it, easily helping her avoid stepping on twigs that would have alerted the men guarding the camp. She knew he was a tracker and a hunter; she could see him now in his element, and she was impressed.
&n
bsp; His eyes were bright and sharp, noting every movement, every blade of grass, and every squawk of the birds above them. CristOF was amazing and incredible.
“Wait,” he told her as he moved them to hide behind a large tree.
She couldn’t hear or see anything, but she remained perfectly still. A few minutes later, she could make out the shape of first one man then another as they walked toward each other from opposite directions. The men stopped for a moment and stared in their direction. Tera held her breath and didn’t release it until the two men had passed each other and continued on their way.
CristOF reached for her hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “The boat is hidden another twenty or thirty feet away, straight ahead of us. Once I sense that they’re out of earshot, we will make a run for it.”
They waited until CristOF gave the go-ahead. He kept hold of her hand and led the way, running at a slower pace that she knew was for her sake. She had to pause for a moment occasionally, not used to such rigorous exercise. She should have done more walking in her life.
He didn’t say one word of complaint, remaining patient and vigilant when she had to take a moment for breath. CristOF was strong for her when she needed him to be. And in return, she wanted to be more for him, stronger or braver. He deserved a woman who equaled him, and at that particular moment she didn’t feel up to scratch.
They soon began to emerge from the jungle part of the island. “The boat is over there, under those branches and leaves.”
All of a sudden she heard yelling and screaming from behind them. She looked back the way they’d come, and saw the two men running toward them.
“Go, Tera! Get to the boat and get it in the water!”
She ran to where the boat was hidden and pulled branches off of it. There were oars inside. It was inflatable, but also heavy. She used two hands to drag it down to the water. Grunts and yells made her glance up, and her shock at seeing CristOF battling the two men on his own made her drop the boat. Damn it!
Picking the end up again she continued to drag it to the edge of the water with more desperation. Finally her feet hit the water.
She looked up and watched with hypnotic horror as CristOF stabbed one male in the heart, making him fall to the sand. Unfortunately that move left him vulnerable to the other man, who sunk his own blade into CristOF’s side.
“CristOF!”
He started to fall, and the man was about to stab him again.
She took one of the oars and ran toward the man, who had his back to her. She lifted the oar up and brought it down hard over the man’s head. He fell to his knees, and CristOF reached over and twisted his head, snapping it. Then CristOF fell backward onto the sand.
“No, no. You can’t be hurt,” she cried, kneeling next to him.
“Get to boat,” he told her.
“Not without you. You’ve got to help me, I don’t think I can drag you on my own.”
She put her shoulder under his arm and helped him to stand. They walked to the boat, him limping and clutching his side. She helped as he half-climbed, half-fell into it. She remembered the other oar and ran back to fetch it, ignoring the bodies on the sand.
Running back to the boat, her adrenaline was pumping through her body. She shoved the boat out into the water, and then waded waist-deep, pushing it out far as she could from the shore. Then she dragged herself up into it.
CristOF was slumped back against the side of the boat and his shirt was being soaked in blood. He looked deathly pale, holding his hand to his side. She had to do something to stop the bleeding or he would bleed out. She lifted his hand off the wound to take a look. It was gushing so badly; she had never seen so much blood before. Taking her shirt off, leaving her in just her bra and pants, she wrapped it around his waist and tied it tight to help stop the bleeding.
“Look inside my coat, there’s a syringe with emergency nanos. Inject it near my wound. I would do it, but…I think I’m about to lose consciousness.”
Reaching inside his coat, she pulled out what looked like a needless needle. She injected the nanos into his side. Hopefully they would repair the damage, but she wished she could have given him something for the pain.
“I need to…row,” he mumbled.
“I’ll do it, I just don’t know where to go.”
“Go straight through the twin islands and keep going. Team will be on the fourth island.”
The fourth island? How long was that going to take her to row to? He’d lost a lot of blood, and she worried that it was too much.
“CristOF?”
His head was tilted back and his eyes were closed. He was still breathing, so that was good, but otherwise she was on her own. Tera had never rowed a boat before, but her adrenaline was still going strong and she managed to figure it out. Thankfully the water wasn’t too rough. She got far enough that she couldn’t see the island behind her and stopped paddling. She put the paddles in the boat and crawled over to him. His wound had stopped bleeding, thank God.
Feeling that she had done all she could at the moment, she went back and took the oars again. She resumed rowing, trying to set a steady pace. Note to self, get more exercise in case of future kidnappings.
Tera didn’t know how long she had been at it; her arms were starting to hurt but she didn’t dare stop. She saw the twin islands that he had talked about and felt a surge of gratitude.
CristOF stirred and opened his eyes. “The suns will be rising soon.”
“I think we’re going to have to stop,” she told him. Her arms were starting to feel like spaghetti noodles.
“We can’t, we need to get to my team.” He pulled himself to a better sitting position and reached for the oars.
She frowned at him. “CristOF, you can’t…”
“I can. The nanos did wonders. Let’s switch positions.”
It took some effort, but they did manage to switch positions without tipping the boat over. CristOF took the oars and began rowing with strong, efficient strokes. They moved faster through the water than she had managed. She grimaced and rubbed her arms.
He noted the movement. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not used to this kind of activity. My arms hurt a little, but nothing serious.”
“You should have told me, I would have given the nanos to you.”
She snorted. “Your gushing stab wound was slightly more important than a few aches in my arms.”
“I don’t like to see you in pain,” he growled out.
Tera felt emotions almost choke her. “I never want to see you almost die like that ever again.”
He stared into her eyes. “I want to take you into my arms and hold you.”
She smiled at him. “We’ll have plenty of time for all that once we get these assholes taken care of.” Tera couldn’t help but shiver and wrap her arms around herself.
“You are one of the bravest females I have ever met.”
“I don’t feel very brave. I kept worrying that I would lose you. I can’t lose you, I just found you.” She whispered the last part, but he easily heard her.
“I feel the same about you. When I saw those males dragging you into the camp my heart nearly stopped. Then they took you into the cabin and I nearly lost my calm and control. I wanted to attack them, tear them apart.”
“I nearly lost it when I saw you get stabbed. I wanted to hit the guy even more, but I had to get you off the island.”
“When this is all over, I would like to spend time with you...alone, just the two of us. Without the danger looming over us.”
Tera smiled again. “I want that too.” She just hoped they lived through all this to get to that point.
Chapter 12
Sweat had broken out all over his body, the pain wasn’t too, but CristOF refused to stop paddling. He couldn’t believe that he had passed out earlier and that his Tera had taken it upon herself to paddle the boat herself. Looking over at her, he could tell her arms hurt from the exertion. She was so soft and delicate, she wasn’t u
sed to such hard labor. He kept her talking for several reasons: one, to keep himself awake; and two, to keep her from being so scared.
He kept her talking for several reasons. One was to keep him awake and the second reason was to keep her from being so scared. She was trembling and had her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to hold herself up.
“You told me a little about your family. What are their names?” he asked getting her to think about something else.
“My parents are John and Mary Kincaid. I’m the eldest of five daughters. My sisters are Lola, Sarah, Allison, and the youngest is Daisy.
“What are your parents’ professions?”
Tera smiled. “Teachers, both of them.”
Your parents must be proud to have you follow in their footsteps.”
“I guess they are. Of course, they’re happy for us girls to do anything that would keep us busy and out of trouble, away from boys,” she laughed.
He growled at the mention of boys, which made her laugh again. He loved the sound of her laughter. She continued talking about her family.
“We can definitely be a handful, especially when we are all together.”
The mentioning of a handful had him glancing at her chest. It had been really hard not to stare at her shirtless state. She wore one of those contraptions that human females wore under their clothes. If not for that tiny piece of black material, her beautiful, full breasts would be completely bare. That thought made his cock stiffen uncomfortably. Kitana! How he wanted to make love to her.
She shivered, and he knew that she was probably cold too. “Would you like my coat?”
“No, if I get too warm I’ll probably fall asleep. I need to stay awake so that I can keep you awake.”