I gulp and force my gaze away, my pussy clenching like the whore that she is.

  “No, really, it’s fine.” My cheeks are so warm, it feels like I’m starting a furnace.

  Ga’Var studies me for a bit.

  As I pick up the food I spilled, I sense when he eases up and when my gaze finally meets his, I see that he’s put on his suit even over his head again.

  “I did not check the perimeter. I will do that now.”

  I stare as he turns to head out of the camper. “And the Scrit? Will you check on it too?”

  In my peripheral vision, I can see that the little thing on my wrist is still blinking red-blue.

  There’s no hope of us returning to base if either of these situations don’t change.

  And the food I’d collected…I need to take the mushrooms back and anything else I can find.

  Maybe some wild animals that have survived, like a few more snakes and squirrels, too.

  Ga’Var is so good at hunting, we might as well make use of his skills.

  “If I check on the enemy…I will be gone for a while…much longer than I would like.”

  His back is turned to me, but he looks over his shoulder with a backwards glance that tells me it isn’t something he wants to do.

  I don’t want him to go either.

  In a perfect world, I’d want him to stay with me in this camper.

  We could live in the wild, just me and him forever.

  But fairy tales like that don’t exist.

  We have to go back to reality sooner or later.

  “It’s best if you go.” I lower the piece of meat I’m holding between my fingers, my gaze drifting off to look at nothing. “We have to check if it’s still there.”

  And if it is, we have to make a plan to get back to base.

  I’m no longer injured enough to warrant remaining out here.

  But I don’t say that.

  I don’t have to.

  I know the big alien before me already knows.

  The way he looks at me tells me so.

  Before he leaves, Ga’Var turns.

  “Stay in the shelter,” he says, and I nod.

  He opens his mouth to say something else and he takes a step toward me before stopping himself.

  “I will be quick.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  GA’VAR

  I slip from the shelter with one final glance at Sa’am before I head into the bushes.

  My ba’clan back in place, they pulse against me as I leave.

  I have to go, I tell them, and they pulse again, almost pulling against my skin to go in Sa’am’s direction.

  They have bonded with her.

  I have bonded with her.

  The moment my sazi slipped inside her, I felt it with a certainty I have never felt before.

  Sa’am is mine…and there is no denying it.

  I do not know how to break this to her, though.

  She has no ba’clan of her own.

  She cannot feel a constant pull toward me that would tell her she is my mate.

  And the ba’clan that have migrated to her leg, they are not her own.

  She has not mentioned them, as if they do not communicate with her.

  That can only mean they will return to me after she is healed.

  But my mate cannot go without ba’clan. I will not allow it.

  She is already vulnerable as it is.

  I glance behind me, back at the shelter in which she hides, and I take a deep breath.

  I can still smell her on my lips…taste her on my tongue.

  My sazi throbs insistently at the thought, wanting more.

  If Sa’am wasn’t completely spent, I would have continued to take her until she begged me to stop.

  But she is weak from all that she has been through.

  Even more reason why I need to protect her.

  Every instinct in me is screaming to turn around and return to the shelter.

  To pull her into my arms and keep her there.

  But I must check the perimeter.

  I move through the strange green foliage, my ears perked for the slightest sound.

  It is quiet in this forest.

  Far too quiet, and I wonder if the small creatures have sensed my approach or if it is the greater threat off in the distance that they hide from.

  My ba’clan bristle at the thought of the Scrit.

  But Sa’am is right.

  I have to check if it is still there.

  And if it is…

  That is a problem all on its own.

  I circle the wide invisible perimeter that I’ve marked out with ease.

  The earth on this planet is soft and full of small fallen branches and dead leaves.

  It sinks under my feet with every step, and even though my mind is on Sa’am, I do not miss a thing around me.

  I stop suddenly as a scent passes through my nostrils, my hackles rising.

  I turn, scanning through the trees for the slightest movement, even as I listen.

  But there is no sound.

  There is the scent, though. Faint, but there.

  Hyu’man…but…different.

  I sniff again.

  It is not the scent of my Sa’am or any of the other hyu’mans back at the base, I am sure.

  I sniff again, pulling a deep stream of air into my lungs.

  The scent is gone.

  I turn slightly, my gaze skimming the bushes.

  I am sure I am not mistaken.

  Just in case, I head back to where I left Sa’am, cutting through the trees as quietly as the soft wind itself.

  I spot Sa’am’s shelter shortly after, and I sniff again.

  Nothing. Only Sa’am.

  From the elevated point where I stand, I see her sitting up on the sleeping pad.

  There’s a smile on her face, one that had never been there while in the tunnels, and I wonder if I am the reason…if what we just shared is the reason for her happiness.

  I crouch as I watch her for a few moments.

  The scent I smelled…is gone.

  But I am not usually wrong about such things.

  And for that reason, my gaze travels over the forest.

  I will check the perimeter again.

  I make three trips around the perimeter.

  The scent is gone.

  If I’m not mistaken…if there was a hyu’man close by, they have long gone.

  Still so close to where Sa’am waits, my ba’clan pull against me again, trying to get me to go to her.

  But I still have to investigate the reason we are stuck here.

  The Scrit that has stopped walking.

  Knowing what I know about our enemy, I cannot imagine that it has stopped for any good reason.

  The Gryken do not do things for the good of others.

  So I head toward the huge machine, careful to keep to the trees.

  The wind picks up against me as I run, caused by my speed, and it is not long before I see the huge metal legs rising from the ground.

  I stop far enough away from the machine that I can see it in its entirety.

  It looks the same it did when it first stopped.

  Giant.

  Spotless.

  The metal of the orb glistening in the star’s light.

  My ba’clan bristle, my hackles threatening to rise at the sight of the thing, but I know they are protecting me still, hiding my energy signature.

  If there is a Gryken in there, he cannot sense me, even if he is scanning right now.

  I stare at the thing for a while, questions rising in my mind.

  Why has it stopped?

  A little spike of hope goes through me that it may have stopped because its pilot is no longer in it.

  Dead…maybe.

  But I know that is wishful thinking.

  The Gryken don’t die so easily.

  No…it has stopped for some other reason.

  I am about to turn away and head back to Sa’am when my whole being shivers, or rather, my ba’clan reacts to something I am not yet aware of.

  But then I see it.

  High on the Scrit, in the orb itself, a hatch opens.

  Fear shoots right through me when I see a long, multi-jointed leg point out of the opening.

  My blood organ seizes…

  A Gryken.

  I don’t think I’ve ever seen one do what this Gryken is doing right now…exiting its machine.

  It’s a conscious effort to control my ba’clan as they pulse against me, telling me to flee.

  But I can’t go yet.

  I cannot leave until I find out what the Gryken is doing…

  Because this is not normal and whatever it is doing will most definitely impact the war we are about to fight.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  SAM

  Ga’Var has been gone for a while.

  Outside is quiet.

  I find myself just curled on the cot, staring at the wall with a silly smile on my face.

  I can’t believe we just had sex.

  There’s a tingling feeling in my stomach as the butterflies flit and flutter and I keep peeking through the windows of the camper, hoping to see the streak of black coming through the bushes as he returns.

  So far, nothing.

  I wish I had a clock or something. A watch maybe.

  Anything to help me know how much time has passed, because it feels like far too long since he left.

  When I look out the window one last time, the sun looks like it’s moved across the sky.

  It’s not just nerves and the newness of what we just shared.

  I’m not just eager to have him return. He has been gone for a while.

  I try to remember if the other times he’s gone out have been this long, but it’s a hard thing to judge.

  So I try to focus on something else.

  My gaze lands on my leg, the one covered in black, and I brush a finger over it.

  It pulses underneath my touch and I smile.

  It’s like a reminder that I haven’t imagined all this.

  I put some pressure on my leg, pressing it down into the cot, but I don’t feel any pain.

  For it to have healed already…

  That’s impossible.

  Yet, I’m looking right at it.

  “Really cool…” I whisper, and the dark ink pulses again, almost as if reacting to my words.

  “Really cool?” I repeat, and there’s another pulse.

  My brow furrows as I look down at my leg.

  It is reacting to my words. I’m sure. It can’t just be a coincidence.

  The thought that it can react to words I say…

  I’m about to open my mouth to say something else to try and elicit a reaction when I’m sure I hear voices outside.

  A chill goes through me that makes me freeze.

  “You sure nobody’s in there?” The voice hits me as clear as day.

  Low enough to be a few meters away from the camper, but clear enough for me to hear.

  It’s a male voice.

  Human.

  For a moment, my heart skips a beat. What I am hearing is another human that has survived somehow.

  But following right on to that is fear that shoots right through me.

  I don’t know why.

  “Pretty sure. Can’t see anyone. Maybe it’s abandoned.” Another voice. Also male. With a drawl that makes me think they’re from somewhere South.

  “Well,” the speaker sucks his tongue over his teeth, “might as well check it out.”

  That fear I was feeling…it shoots right through me again and my leg pulses hard.

  I’m alone.

  I’m half-naked.

  And I’m female.

  I have nothing to protect myself except that utility knife, but it’s at the front of the camper.

  I gulp as I hear silence, then the undeniable sound of boots crunching dead leaves as they near.

  I don’t think. I just move.

  There’s only one place for me to go, underneath the cot, and for once in my life, I am happy for my size.

  Yes, I could try trusting them.

  After all, there are few of us humans left. Logic says we should work together.

  But if I’ve realized anything since the world ended, I’ve realized one thing: things don’t always work out the way you wish.

  I don’t know if these guys are dangerous.

  They’re strangers after all.

  Maybe after I get some time to think…

  The door to the camper creaks as it is pulled open, just in time for me to pull my leg under the cot.

  I can hardly see anything, just the thick set of boots that enter.

  Definitely male.

  A large one.

  “Looks like someone found this thing before we did, Bob.”

  Fuck.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking they’ve found me. But as the male walks closer, he pauses near the cot.

  Somebody else steps in, Bob, I suppose, judging from the other pair of boots.

  “Doesn’t look like there’s much in here anyway.”

  I hear the twist of the tap.

  “No water either.”

  “Fuck.”

  “They must’a took it all when they left.”

  There’s a pause and I sense they’re probably looking around the place.

  I fight my instincts and the sudden pulsing on my leg.

  “Find anything?” This time, it’s a woman’s voice and my eyes widen a little as I strain my ears.

  It sounds far away, as if she’s somewhere outside. Just how many of them are there?

  “Nothing.” The man closest to me turns, his boots thumping on the floor. “Why don’t you go back to the other women? We’ll handle this.”

  Other women?

  Okay.

  So this is a group.

  I swallow hard as the thoughts fire in my head.

  If they’re traveling with women, maybe they’re not so bad.

  Maybe I could disclose my location. Tell them there’s a safe place for humans and that all they had to do was wait till Ga’Var returned.

  Shit…Ga’Var.

  They wouldn’t know about him or that he’s on our side.

  Goddamnit.

  I take a deep breath and squeeze my eyes shut for one more moment.

  I can do this.

  I’m just about to crawl from under the cot when the butt of a rifle slips into my field of view.

  My heart does a lurch, and it almost feels like my injured leg is vibrating.

  Ok. But that’s usual, isn’t it? That’s normal. They gotta have a way to protect themselves.

  That doesn’t mean…

  The man holding the gun moves again, leaning over the cot and I hear when he uses the gun to touch something.

  My bowl and fork jingle on top of the cot and something dies inside me.

  Shit.

  I don’t get any time to react.

  One minute I’m hoping they just brush off the fact there are utensils on the bed and the next the cot is being flipped.

  A scream leaves my lips as rough hands grasp me, pulling me up.

  “I knew there was somebody in here.” Cold blue eyes set into a scruffy face meet my gaze.

  He’s squeezing my arms so hard, holding me like I weigh nothing, and it’s frickin’ painful.

  “Ouch! You’re hurting me. Let me go!”

  “Shut up, bitch!”

  The other male comes closer.

  Same scruffy brown beard like his friend.

  Same cold eyes.

  I would be surprised if they aren’t brothers.

  “Looks like we got a new addition to our group, huh, Jim?”

  Jim and Bob.

  Fuck me.

  I meet Jim’s gaze.

  “Put me down. You’re hurting me.”

  He grunts and releases me enough that my feet touch the floor and when I jerk enough to release one of my shoulders from his grasp, his nostrils twitch as he glares at me.

  “A little too much fire in this one,” Jim says.

  Bad guys.

  Definitely bad guys.

  Bob moves closer, peering at me, and I feel the urge to pull the blanket even tighter around me.

  It’s not secured with anything, just draped around me like a towel, but it’s already coming loose.

  The last thing I want to do is bring their attention to it.

  But I realize immediately that any hope of that is already gone as I watch their eyes move down me with an intensity that makes my skin crawl—and my leg throbs so hard it almost burns.

  But I don’t have time to look at my leg or what may be happening to it now.

  “Are you alone out here, bitch?” Bob asks. He wipes the back of his hand across his face as he peers around the camper and my heart begins to slam against my ribs.

  I can’t tell them about Ga’Var.

  “Yes.”

  They glance at each other.

  “Think she’s telling the truth?”

  “Well, if she’s got a man out here with her, he ain’t gonna be able to do nothing to us two together. And Billy’s outside guarding the women. That makes three of us and one of him.”

  Bob makes a sound of annoyance in his throat. “Forget about Billy. Boy couldn’t fire a gun if one of them cats came straight at him.”

  So three males…maybe more.

  Shit.

  This group is bigger than I thought.

  “Well, we found Deja alone.”

  Jim glances at me. “Yea, but she was almost half-dead when we found her. Close to starving.” His gaze slides down me. “This bitch looks taken care of.”

  He releases my other arm and I glare at him, rubbing the spot he’s no doubt bruised.

  “Take it off.”

  His words make me freeze and for a moment, I forget the anger I’ve been directing straight at him.

  “What?”

  “Take. It. Off.”

  He grasps his gun and gestures to the blanket draped around me.

  Oh no.

  Oh no no no no.

  “No.” I’m happy my voice doesn’t tremble because right now, I feel anything but confident.

  They glance at each other and a leer develops on Jim’s face.

  “See. Fire in this one.” His gaze darkens. “I like that.”

  Fuck.

 

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