by Lily Thomas
Kyux watched her heft the spear between her hands, as she tried to figure it out on her own. Gently, he took the spear from her hands, once she was done tossing it about and positioned the spear in his hand to show her how to properly hold it.
“Ah, and so how do I throw it?” Skyler asked with interest.
“Take a step and follow throw with your throw.” Kyux demonstrated throwing his spear, and it landed firmly in a tree trunk with a nice solid thunk.
“Good aim.”
He glanced over at her. His mate was beautiful, so beautiful. She had her brunette hair held up with a hair band, but he couldn’t wait to see it lose around her shoulders. He’d bet the sight would steal his breath away.
“All it takes is practice. After some time, I’m sure you’ll be able to throw just like this.” He wanted to keep her hopes up, since he could see it meant a lot to her. She was an eager student. Her eyes watched every move he made.
“Hopefully, I’m not here long enough to become an expert on spear hunting.”
She sent him a smile, and he returned it. It was good she was making jokes. This planet would either break you or make you stronger, and so far, she seemed to be handling everything fairly well.
His black eyes turned towards her. “We’ve all wished that.”
“So, no one’s ever escaped or been rescued?” Her brown eyes gazed up at him, hope swelling up in those sweet depths.
Oh, how he wished he could give her the answer she craved, but he knew she’d appreciate him being truthful. “Not that I know of.”
Great. They were stuck on a horrible planet with aliens hunting them down for some sort of sick sport.
“What do these Hennians look like then?”
Skyler had never even heard of them before now, and she felt she should learn a bit more about the people hunting her down. They could have been the same aliens who’d kidnapped her at her apartment, but it had been a little too dark to get too many details. All she knew was that they hadn’t been human with their strength and size.
“They have scales, large canines, and a blood thirst that matches no other species that I know of.”
“Fantastic. They sound like a charming group.”
“Shh.” He threw a hand over her mouth, the black claws on each fingertip scraping lightly against her cheek. “We won’t get close enough to catch something with you rambling on like you are.”
Skyler gave a curt nod. She was growing hungry, and she didn’t want to be the one preventing them from getting some dinner. She just had a lot of questions. He’d been here for three months, she’d only been here for about a day.
His hand stayed over her mouth, as he gazed down at her. He smelled nice, like the woods and sun. Skyler gulped, couldn’t her savior be an unattractive guy instead of a guy that made her stomach tremble with fluttering butterflies.
Slowly, she pulled her mouth away from his palm, his black claws scraping against her skin lightly. The Krocosians were built to survive. With his horns and claws he might be able to survive without any weapons.
“I’ll keep the talking to a minimum.” She promised, keeping her voice to a whisper.
Kyux led the way through the forest, as he searched for some animal tracks for them to follow.
She trailed behind him, watching his movements. If she ever wanted to do this on her own, she’d have to be an avid student. He made almost no sound as he walked. Skyler did her best, but every once in a while, her foot would snap a twig on the ground, which would earn her a scowl from Kyux.
Skyler cringed and did her best to watch where she was stepping as well as keep an eye on Kyux.
Kyux wasn’t sure if he’d be able to catch them anything to eat. First, he had Skyler tromping along behind him, and then he had her eyes drilling into his back. How was he supposed to think with his mate watching him so intently? He wanted to impress her, and he felt the pressure weighing down on him.
Ever since he’d seen her he had an itch right under his skin. Kyux could barely think about hunting with her presence surrounding him. His cock was rock hard, and all he wanted to do was drive it into her soft flesh.
He felt his eyes go pure black, as he imagined her naked and spread out before him. He would love to dive between her thighs and taste her with his tongue in long slow strokes.
Shaking his head, he did his best to find an animal trail to follow and keep his mind off his delightful mate.
Thankfully it didn’t take him too long before he caught sight of a small trail. It was a small animal, but it’d be enough to feed the both of them.
They made their way through the forest, until he held up his hand to stop their progress. Pointing a finger into the forest he allowed Skyler a chance to spot the brown furred animal they’d been tracking.
She shrugged her shoulders, when she couldn’t see it. He was definitely going to have to teach her how to hunt, because if she couldn’t spot the animal only a few yards away, she wasn’t going to be a very successful hunter.
Kyux hefted his spear, making sure to let his biceps bunch up a bit for her viewing pleasure, and then threw it.
Skyler’s mouth dropped open when he launched the spear. It was hard not to get a little distracted by his impressive physique. She could imagine those arms wrapped around her after a night of passionate love making.
Whoa! Her body needed to take a step back. She’d only known him for a few hours. It was one thing to daydream about him and a whole other to fantasize about him.
Kyux brought back a rabbit like animal, and she did her best to shove those erotic thoughts from her mind.
“Dinner!” She beamed and gave him a playful punch to his upper arm. “Great shot!” It really had been a great shot, since she hadn’t even seen the animal he was pointing at earlier.
Kyux gave her a smile. “Perhaps you will be the one to get tomorrow’s dinner.”
Skyler snorted. “Don’t get wild or anything. I probably couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with this thing.” She looked at the sharp tip. She could only imagine it ripping through flesh and a shiver spread through her.
“We should head back and get this on a fire.”
“Sure.”
As they made their way back to the waterfall, she couldn’t keep her eyes off his ass. When had she turned into such a horny person? Skyler was finding it difficult to pull her eyes off of him. It was like her eyes were magnets, and they couldn’t stop looking at his fine butt. His clothing did nothing to hide his fine physique from her greedy eyes.
They arrived back to the waterfall, he sat the rabbit thing down on the ground, and then gathered some wood.
“You need any help?” She wanted to be as useful as she could.
Kyux shook his head. “There’s no need. I’ve got what we’ll need for now.” He came over with an armful of wood. “Have you ever made a fire before?”
“I’ve never had the need, but I know the general idea of how to do it.”
Kyux offered her some flint. “Would you like to?”
“Sure.” Skyler took the flint from him and bent down to where he’d positioned the wood in a pit.
“Just give it a few strikes near the kindling.”
She gave it a couple tries and saw some sparks, but didn’t light anything.
“Like this.” Kyux came up behind her, took her hands in his own, surrounding her with his masculine scent and warmth. He struck the flint closer to the kindling, and within a couple strikes they had a flame going.
He pulled away, and her pounding heart returned to normal. She was going to have to be careful about this, or she might just leave this planet with a Krocosian mate.
Skyler picked a spot next to the fire and held out her hands to the flames. She’d never gone camping before, and if she wasn’t on a hunting planet she might actually enjoy the moment. It was nice being alone with just one other person while nature surrounded them. There was no alone time when she lived in a bustling city.
“Won’t the f
ire attract attention?” Skyler looked up and was surprised by how little smoke the fire was creating against the sky.
“It could attract some attention, but there isn’t much I can do about that. If you want dinner to be cooked, then we have to have a fire.” Kyux continued to skin the animal with a dagger.
“Is there anywhere safe on this planet? Somewhere to hold out while waiting for a rescue?”
Kyux looked over at her. “Not that I know of. The Hennians probably scan the planet before landing to know where the majority of their prey is.” He paused. “I don’t want to ruin your hope, but a rescue is very improbable. The Hennians like to keep their hunting planets a secret. No one knows of the hunting planets until they’re on one, and then they die on the planets, not allowing them a chance to inform others.”
Skyler felt a little despair build in her chest. “And there really is no way off the planet?” If a rescue couldn’t find her, then she’d have to be her own rescuer. She had way too much to live for.
He placed the rabbit like thing over the fire. “There is a possibility for escape.”
“Well go on.” He’d piqued her interest. Skyler leaned in, her elbows resting on her knees.
“If we can hijack one of the Hennian ships they land on the planet’s surface, we can escape.”
Her eyes lit up. “I like the idea.”
“But there are a lot of risks involved.” Kyux cautioned her. “It would mean we’d have to be in the area they are hunting, and we could be killed before we even make it to one of the ships. I also have no idea if there are any larger vessels in orbit. If there are, they might just shoot us down when we take over a shuttle.”
“So, you’ll take me with you then.” Skyler smiled up at him, trying to be charming. She didn’t want to get left behind.
His eyes widened. “Of course, I would take you with me. We’re mates. I’d never leave you on this planet alone.”
Skyler’s lips pursed. There was the mate thing again. What was it with aliens and having mates?
“Besides, with the way you hold your spear, you wouldn’t last a day alone.” He commented.
She gave him a glare, and then smiled. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that.” No need to pretend like she was a badass, because she was completely out of her element on a hunting planet. Give her an arena with some boxing gloves and only one opponent, and then she would be in her element.
“Well, I’m in for taking one of their ships to get off this planet. I would rather risk my life on an escape attempt, then wait here to be hunted down by some blood thirsty aliens.”
Skyler watched him, as he tended to the roasting alien rabbit.
He was a handsome man. She wanted nothing more than to trace his horns and run her hands through his blonde hair. Maybe he’d take another dip in the small lake, and she’d be able to enjoy the sight of his naked body glistening with droplets of water again.
Skyler just wasn’t sure she was ready for another relationship and such a serious relationship at that. A mate? She’d never thought about being someone’s mate. Skyler wasn’t even sure what would be involved in such a relationship.
Would he be ok with her continuing her boxing career, or would he want her to sit at home popping out babies? Her stomach rolled at the idea of birth. No thanks. Not yet at least. She was only in her twenties, and she wanted to focus on her budding career. The only dream she had was being boxing champion of the year, not mother of the year.
“Tomorrow I will have to leave you alone, and I recommend you stay here at the waterfall.” Kyux looked over at her, his black eyes moving over her. “Straying away from here could be dangerous. The Hennians aren’t the only ones we need to watch out for, like you already experienced, there are fights between the prey.”
“I can stay near the waterfall, but where will you be going?”
Kyux took the rabbit like thing off the fire and used a small knife to cut off chunks of the cooked meat. “Here.” He handed her a flat rock with some of the meat laid out on top of it.
“Thank you. So where will you be going?” She took a bite of the rabbit, and her eyes widened a bit. Tasted better than she’d expected. If it had been cooked with some spices in a kitchen, she may have even loved it.
“The Hennians have drop sites where they leave food and weapons for their prey. I plan on gathering the supplies to stock pile in our cave.”
“They drop weapons and food for their prey?” It didn’t seem that logical to arm the people they were hunting.
“They want a fair fight. It’s not only hunting us they’re after, but training their warriors for close combat and the thrill of knowing their prey is armed and able to kill them as well.”
Skyler’s lips turned up in disgust. “They sound despicable.”
“Stay here near the waterfall. It’s the safest area for you when I am not around.”
Kyux handed her another slice of the rabbit.
“How about no?” Skyler was insulted he would ask her to stay put. This could be a sign of what was to come if she became his mate. He might expect her to take a backseat with her career, because it was too dangerous. She was a woman who liked to face things head on, not whimper in a corner.
His eyes narrowed. “No?”
“Don’t look so bewildered by it. I said no. You said drop sites, with an s. I can help you get the supplies faster, if we both go out.” Skyler didn’t know if he’d go for it, but she hoped so. “You saved me back there from those men. I would like to repay you and do my part. You can’t do everything for us.” She could see she hadn’t completely swayed him. “It’d make me feel less useless.”
He took a bit of alien rabbit between two of his black claws, threw it into his mouth, and chewed on it. “I’m not sure. There will be a lot of other aliens at these drop sites. You might find yourself in a similar situation that I rescued you from, but this time I won’t be nearby to assist you.”
“I can handle myself. You saw me fight back there. If the numbers had been more even it would have been more impressive, but I do know how to handle myself. I can assure you I’ll stay out of sight until the drop comes down.” Now that she knew what was going on with this planet she could be better prepared. She’d been in shock when she ran into that Cri and his Daen’su cohortes.
She could see him debating what she’d said inside his head.
“I can go for the food. Surely that will be the safest drop, and you can go for the weapons.” It was sound, and she hoped it would convince him to let her help out.
He slowly nodded his head. “Usually the food drop is safer.” Kyux confirmed.
“Then it’s decided. I go for food, and you go for weapons.” She sent him a charming smile.
“Only if you agree to practice with the weapons I have inside the cave. I won’t let you go to a drop if you can’t defend yourself. As good as you are with your fists, you won’t want to get into close combat with some of these men without some sort of weapon.”
He might be right about that, and some weapons training wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
“Ok, and what cave?” She glanced over at the waterfall. Had he gone inside a hidden cave? Smart man. No wonder he’d wanted her to stay here. No one would think to look for a cave behind a waterfall, well at least no one she thought of would.
“There’s a cave back there that’s big enough to live in.”
“Nice. No wonder you’ve survived for such a long time.” Because three months was a long time when you had people hunting you down.
“Finish your meal, while I fetch some weapons for you to train with.”
Kyux pulled his shirt up and over his head. Skyler’s eyes fixed on his six pack. She licked her lips. All she could imagine was scraping her nails over his six pack, until he took off his pants. Then a new fantasy floated into her mind. Even flaccid, his cock was the stuff of dreams. If he was a grower, he was going to be a very impressive specimen. He plunged into the water.
A pout formed o
n her lips. She wanted the sexy Krocosian back. A new relationship might be too soon, but a little fun in the sun never hurt anyone.
Skyler quickly downed her portion of the rabbit, before Kyux came back. She could feel butterflies racing through her stomach. She wanted nothing more than to impress him with her fighting skill, but using a weapon was a little different than just using her fists.
Kyux’s horned head popped up above the water, and he came striding onto the lake’s bank with an assortment of weapons in his hands.
Her gaze fell to his cock, and then her eyes shot back up to his face. She didn’t need to go ogling his cock, because he could get the wrong impression and think she was trying to initiate something sexual.
Daydreams and reality were completely different ideas. She needed to handle him with care. He wouldn’t care for a mate who strung him along only to be rejected.
“Take a look at them and think about which one might suit you best.” Kyux dropped the weapons onto the bank of the small lake, and then made his way over to the fire to grab another piece of meat.
“Well, I’m a boxer, so I think something small which allows me to use my hands and arms in quick jabs might be best, since I already have that training.” But it would mean she’d have to be in extremely close quarters with her opponent. It could be risky, but it would allow her to use skills she already knew.
“How about these?” Kyux handed her a couple small daggers. He grabbed her hands and placed the blades between her fingers so the hilt was held by her palm and the knife portion stuck out like a claw. “This might allow you to use the fighting skills you already have, but it will require close quarters combat. Be aware of that.”
Skyler nodded. It was the same thought she’d had. “I’m used to close combat… with rules and a bell.”
“Come at me, then.” Kyux motioned her forward, as he positioned himself next to the fire.
“With these? I could harm you.”
He snorted as a chortle came out of him. “I doubt it.”
She frowned at him. “Oh, really?”
“Really.”
She’d show him. Skyler feigned a punch to his right side, and when he moved left she let her left fist go.