by Lexa Luthor
"I should check—"
"There's no time," Charlie cut off. "I need your help to land this beast."
Raine reached under the dash and pulled out the retractable yoke. She engaged it and said, "We're about fifteen marches to the ground."
"Char… Status…What ha—" Kal hailed on the comms.
Charlie swore and said, "Betty May, what's the status on the comms and engine bay one?"
"Electrical fires in the communication room and engine bay one. Halon fire suppression systems have been engaged," the Betty May reported. "Communications are expected to fail in two minutes and twenty-six ticks. Engine bay one is expected to detonate in thirty-one ticks."
"We're at twelve marches to the ground!"
Charlie checked the digital gauges indicating they were coming down too fast. "Betty May, shut down engine one and two." With the engines shut down, she doubted it would blow, at least until they crashed onto the planet.
"Shutting down," the Betty May replied.
Once the engines turned off, Charlie felt and heard the quietness. Even with two out of four engines left, they had a good chance to land the ship and limp away.
"We're still coming down too fast," Raine said.
"If we slow our descent, then we give that fire more time to spread down the fuselage to the fuel tanks." Charlie wiped her face and smeared the blood across her cheeks and forehead. "Manually turn on the emergency alert," she ordered Raine, who was already working on it. After the last crash, she wasn't about to rely on the automated systems to do their jobs.
"Six marches." Raine glanced over at Charlie and asked, "What's the plan?"
"At three marches, we'll raise the nose," Charlie replied. "If we can bleed off enough speed, we'll crash safely." She was gripping the vibrating yokes with all her strength. "Find me a good landing spot."
Raine kept one hand on the yoke and used the other to search the ground. "It's all fucking white!" She looked over at Charlie and said, "I can't see anything."
"Are there trees, hills, or other obstacles?"
Raine shook her head and stared at the screen. "I don't see anything. It's pretty barren and flat." She sucked in a breath and hollered, "Three marches!"
Charlie gritted her teeth and pulled back on the yoke, thankful for Raine's help. "Betty May, activate the landing system." She gritted her teeth when a new alarm popped up for the landing system.
"Anchors are not responding," the Betty May reported.
"Power loss in the landing system," Raine said.
"I guess we'll do this the old-fashion way." Charlie peered out the cracked window after checking the ship's speed. Her heartbeat started to accelerate as the ship's nose lowered for a moment. She gauged the approaching landscape of the area and decided spiraling down the rest of the way was the best method. "Here we go. Give me a count on the distance," she ordered her friend.
"One and half marches," Raine said.
Charlie licked her lips and tasted blood that made her stomach churn. She wiped each hand on her pant leg and prepared for the final descent to the ground with the knowledge she had more lives than her own to worry about this time.
"Char… can you re…." Kal hailed over the distorted comms. But it was useless; the comms would fail any moment and leave them in the dark. The ship's emergency signal would have to be enough to save them now.
"Half a march!"
Charlie raised the nose higher, cut away the rapid speed and also her view of the landscape. Using her peripheral vision, she watched the side windows as whiteness crept up. "Brace for impact, again!"
"Charli… are you…." Kal's broken voice was heavy and raw.
Raine was pulling back on the yoke that was tighter than a guitar string.
"Betty May, shut down engine three and four!" Charlie cried out as the first flakes of snow began to fly over the nose and cloud the window. If they were lucky, the pending snow would extinguish the burning engines in the first engine room.
"Engines shutting down."
Without the engines or the anchoring system, Charlie was dependent on the planet's gravity and surface to stop the ship. "Don't drop the nose, Raine!"
She and Raine both yelled as the ship sank into the planet's unforgiving surface.
At first the landing was soft but blinding while snow showered over the windows. The Betty May had floated above the surface for a moment, as the swirling air under the airframe gave it a brief cushion. Then it all collapsed under the ship's incredible weight and slowing airspeed and forced the Betty May to plow into the snow.
Charlie and Raine's cries were outmatched by the ship's metal screaming against the snow, ice, and ground. The entire window was coated in white that blacked out the cockpit. The ship then slammed into an unmovable object, ending its reckless landing.
With weakened arms, Charlie let her hands slide off the damaged panel where her head rested from impact. She groaned and turned her head to the left and stared over at her friend, who was unconscious or dead and bloody in the face. A brief prayer for Andren and Raine's lives dashed through her mind. As her grip on consciousness was fading, a familiar voice crackled in her ear and tugged at her soul.
"Charl… you… ed me… Char…."
The damaged comms beeped in Charlie's ear, indicating the radio systems were terminating. Even still, Charlie worked her bloody jaw and rasped until one word formed on her lips between her chokes.
"Sum-n-ner."
End of Book 3
Thank you for reading Born to Be Mine! If you enjoyed the story, please take a moment to leave an honest review at your favorite retailer. Your review makes a difference, helping new readers determine whether or not this book is for them. I truly appreciate the support.
There is more to The Alpha God series. To continue enjoying Charlie and Kal's story, please see Book 4, Collecting Stars.
About the Author
Lexa Luthor is an avid writer and reader of the Omegaverse trope especially F/F pairings. In her books, each main character(s) is a strong-willed female, who navigates difficult situations but always ends up finding love with their mate. Every tale has a twist and is gripping, sexy, and even a bit adventurous.
When not writing, Lexa enjoys binge watching television shows like Game of Thrones, Gentleman Jack, or The L Word. Her other favorite hobbies are playing cornhole, rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs, and laying around the pool in the summer. At times, Lexa finds time to read romances (both dark and fluffy) and great sci-fi books but nothing else can beat a steamy, downright erotic F/F romance with biting, knotting, and slightly possessive love.
Lexa always enjoys meeting new people and discussing Omegaverse, especially F/F. You can find her on Facebook or contact her through email at [email protected]
Visit her website at www.LexaLuthor.com. Also be sure to sign up to her newsletter for the latest release information, exclusive content like I, Alpha, bonus material, freebies, and sales.
More from Lexa Luthor
The Alpha God
Sci-Fi Romance Omegaverse Series
Dancing in the Darkness
Book 1
https://books2read.com/DancinginTheDarkness
* * *
Come to My Door
Book 2
https://books2read.com/CometoMyDoor
* * *
I, Alpha
Novelette
https://lexaluthor.com/books/i-alpha/
* * *
Born to Be Mine
Book 3
https://books2read.com/BorntoBeMine
* * *
Collecting Stars
Book 4
August 2020!
https://books2read.com/CollectingStars