Stolen by the Zandian - Renee Rose Page 0,36

Feel his touch. Remember the closeness we felt in the cave.

The console repeats. “Awaiting command.”

Sweet Mother Earth. What should I do?

Chapter 9

Khrys

The shooting goes on far longer than I expect.

Arrows fly towards me in carefully-planned volleys—these locals are smart. Part of me admires their tenacity and ability to craft such weapons with rudimentary tech. The other part of me just wants to survive.

“Get back, veck you,” I mutter. My weapon is set to high stun; I don’t want to kill. But if they don’t back off soon, I’ll be forced to do what’s necessary. “You idiots. Don’t make me kill you.”

At first, I just held them off long enough to give Kailani a head start. I planned to run as soon as I was sure she’d made it to the ship. But when I ran, fresh groups appeared on all sides and cornered me against an outcropping of rocks. They approach through the sodden flower field, slowly but surely. The dozen or so of them in the lead have now lifted up what look to be rough animal hide shields that are protecting the archers behind them.

But their heads are still visible. To my relief, my good eye and fast weapon drop over half of the visible archers, and the arrows slow. The group raises shields and gathers in a circle.

Stars, their maneuvers are surprisingly modern. I adjust my laser gun to the burn feature and launch a series of fast laser strikes at the shields. When the hides burst into flames, I whisper, “Yes!”

Screams of horror and dismay rise up from the group, who finally turn and race away from me, apparently having decided it’s not worth it—right now.

“Finally,” I mutter. I look once more to ensure they’re really going, and then run for my craft. I’m concerned about Kailani.

Vecking stars, if she encountered more locals on the way back, I would not be able to live with myself. What if she had another panic attack?

Excrement. I run as fast as I can, but in the distance, I see the ship unmask, the engines running at full launch power.

Veck.

She’s vecking leaving me. The ship is departing.

Kailani has betrayed me—she’s about to flee with my craft, leaving me here alone on this planet.

“That cursed human,” I sputter, as the sky booms and rain pours out like a waterfall. I’m blinded by the sheet of water, but suddenly an apparition wavers through the streams of liquid. I raise my laser gun at a misshapen figure tromping toward me, but something makes me hold my fire. The figure swims into focus as it approaches.

“Khrys? Khrys!”

My heart stutters. Stars! It’s Kailani, wearing a set of far-too-big Zandian gear, tramping doggedly through the storm.

She waited.

She didn’t leave without me. She could have—stars, she probably thought about it. But she didn’t. She came out to find me.

Hail starts to tear through her garment. “Kailani!” My voice is instantly lost in the storm. She doesn’t hear me. I run toward her.

She holds up her laser gun, pointed at me.

“Kailani, it’s me.” I grab the weapon from her hands before she can shoot. “It’s Khrys.”

“Khrys! Thank the sweet Mother Earth!” She throws her arms around me in a stranglehold.

She waited. My heart can’t stop celebrating. My human had everything she needed to escape—the ship, her medicine, a weapon. But she didn’t leave.

She has truly bonded to me. Veck, is it what the humans call love? This means...she’s mine. She claimed me. I’m going to claim her right back.

“Come on, let’s go!” I tug her aboard the craft as the hail starts to pound the ground with vehemence, the spiked balls even bigger than before.

We collapse onto the floor in a wet heap, panting.

“Awaiting command,” says the console.

I scramble into action. I sit at the station and program the route to Zandia, avoiding the asteroid belts and the danger zones where we know Ocretion ships lurk lately. Then I launch us into space.

Kailani

The moment Khrys launches us into space and we’re safely away, he gets up from the console and stalks toward me. I’d buckled in for the takeoff, but now I unbuckle, trying to discern whether he’s angry or…

He reaches for me, grasping me behind the head and yanking my mouth to his. “Kailani,” he growls after a searing kiss.

I blink up at him, stunned by his intensity.

He doesn’t stop to explain. He captures my mouth again, sweeping his tongue between my lips at the same time he picks me up to straddle his waist. “I’m going