I messed up because I’m used to something different, not because I don’t think you are fucking good at your job.”
She just stared at him.
His face twisted. “Airen, dammit—”
There was a rustle in the trees beside them.
Airen turned her head and saw glowing, pinprick eyes through the leaves. Then there was the sound of a large body running through the trees.
Donovan yanked out his pistol. “Kantos!”
He launched into the forest, and Airen sprinted after him, forming her sword. “Donovan!”
They rushed through the trees and bushes, and a moment later, reached a clearing. The Kantos soldier rose to its full height on its four, jointed legs.
The alien held two razor-sharp arms up in front of a torso covered in thick, brown, armored plates. Its flat face was dominated by four beady, glowing, yellow eyes, and a narrow mouth filled with sharp teeth.
It swung an arm at Donovan, and he ducked and fired.
Airen knew those arms were sharp enough to slice him open. She lunged, her sword flashing in the early-morning light. It hit into the hard shell of the Kantos’ torso.
The alien’s eyes flashed and it made a buzzing noise. Then it spun and rushed at Airen.
The Kantos slammed into her, knocking her down.
A sharp arm descended and she rolled to the side. The Kantos hit the dirt.
There was more laser fire, then Donovan rammed into the Kantos, knocking it off her.
Airen leaped up at the same time Donovan did. The Kantos darted into the trees, moving quickly on those four long legs.
“Shit!” Donovan ran and she kept pace one step behind him.
She shoved branches aside, feeling them slap against her face. A moment later, they came out at the edge of a large flat area. The horrible smell of mud and decay slammed into her.
“Dammit,” Donovan bit out. “A fucking swamp.”
The muddy area stretched out ahead of them. Donovan stared after the Kantos as it leaped across rocks and small, high points of dirt dotting the swamp like tiny islands.
“For the first time ever, I wish I had four legs.” Donovan jumped onto a large, flat rock, then another.
Dragging in a breath, Airen followed. There was no way they could move as fast as the Kantos soldier.
Still, they weren’t giving up.
They leaped across the swamp. Ahead of her, Donovan’s foot slipped and his leg sank into the swampy mud up to his knee.
“Ugh, this smells rank.” He yanked on his leg, but it didn’t move. “Crap, I’m stuck.”
She landed beside him and snaked her arm around him, otherwise they’d both tumble off this small island of dirt. She gripped his thigh and together they pulled until his leg came free with a squelch.
They fell back on the ground. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her from sliding into the mud.
“Okay?” he asked.
Apart from being plastered against his hard body, she was fine. She nodded.
He looked over her shoulder. “Kantos is almost to the other side.”
She let him help her up. “We need to keep moving—”
A gurgling sound rumbled behind them, and they both froze.
Together, they swiveled their heads.
A large, mud-covered creature rose out of the swamp.
Airen’s pulse spiked. It was huge.
The creature had a humanoid body with a stocky middle, and short arms and legs. Mud dripped off its face and gaping mouth. It had two glowing red eyes.
“Oh, great,” Donovan muttered.
The swamp creature let out a monstrous roar.
“Suggestions?” Donovan asked.
Airen glanced at him, her eyebrows rising. He saw surprise in her black-green eyes.
“I screwed up before by not listening to you,” he said. “But I told you I’m a fast learner. How do we fight this?”
“I don’t know exactly what this is, but the odds are good that it won’t leave the swamp.”
“So, we need to slow it down…”
“And get out of here.”
“Okay, but first—” He grabbed her, yanked her close, and pressed a quick, hard kiss to her lips. “For luck.”
She licked her lips and he tried to focus. Just that small taste of her was enough to scramble his brain. At that moment, his thumping pulse had little to do with the swamp creature.
Swamp creature. Imminent danger. Right.
He pulled out his laser pistol and fired. The mud creature jerked. Airen lifted her arm and morphed a weapon.
A green ball of energy hit the mud creature and it roared again, shaking its head. Mud splatter flew everywhere.
“Run!” Donovan yelled.
Airen took off, leaping from rock to small island to rock, elegant and graceful.
He followed, making sure he didn’t slip off anything again. Suddenly, a large rock flew