Pirate's Gold - S.J. Sanders Page 0,59
move until she nodded and followed him to the ledge. Immediately, Veral gripped one of the higher branches of a nearby tree and began to drop down its length. The moment he let go of the branch, Terri followed, the weight of her mate’s eyes on her as she trailed his path.
She was only vaguely aware of Azan lowering Garswal to the branch until she heard Egbor’s angry shout from above. She tilted her head up and looked beyond the young Blaithari trembling on the branch to the sight of the pirate captain leveling a blaster on his second-in-command. Terri continued to inch toward Veral, but she couldn’t look away, her breath caught in her throat at the sudden hostility.
“He is mine, Azan! He will not be going down without me. You are clearly forgetting your place,” the captain shouted.
“He will not be able to do anything for you on this climb,” his second-in-command retorted.
“I will go next then. By all rights, he is to remain by my side.”
“You want him by your side? For what purpose? Never mind, Captain. I yield to your wishes, as always. If you insist on following at his side, I will carry him.”
Egbor’s mocking laughter could be heard even above the hollow sound of the water and wind growing louder now that they were within the ravine. So could Veral’s impatient growl when he turned and noted that Terri wasn’t directly behind him. She shot him an apologetic look as she began to move to his side, but half her attention remained on the standoff between Azan and Egbor.
“You wish to be burdened by him? Who am I to object? That he is at my side is all that matters. Just watch your tongue, lest I be tempted to remove it from your mouth. Do not forget that as much churlishness as I tolerate from you, Azan, I will not allow insubordination.”
“No insubordination intended, Captain,” Azan interjected smoothly. “I am merely unwilling to lose a youngling due to carelessness when it can be avoided.” The way the boy had been bitten came to Terri’s mind, and she had little doubt that the Blaithari female was also thinking of it as she spoke. “He is not strong enough for this climb alone.”
“It would be wise for someone to descend,” Veral snarled loudly. “Delaying defeats the purpose of staying together.”
Egbor let out a bark of laughter, as if amused by Veral’s foul temper, and holstered his blaster as he waved Azan forward. The female didn’t acknowledge the gesture outside of a tight smile before she gave Veral a half-salute and dropped quickly into the tree.
Whatever fear the pirate had hanging above the ravine, Terri couldn’t see a trace of it as Azan climbed quickly over to Garswal and helped him slide onto her back. The boy clung tightly, his tiny claws hooking into her thick vest and his legs wrapping around the female’s hips.
“Come, anastha,” Veral murmured, the glow of his eyes warm on her.
Terri licked her lips, steeling her nerves, as she slid from the branch she gripped onto another vine-laden tree, her feet scraping against the rocks. Small pebbles broke loose and fell, and small plants tore away. She scrambled when the large stone beneath one of her hands broke free and dropped, the sound of it hitting rocks and branches loud enough to make her freeze until she forced her muscles to keep moving.
The protrusions from the trees that slid over her were distracting, more so when one of them gripped at her hair and tugged slightly before releasing her, but she kept moving over the wall. Her concentration couldn’t be spared for anyone other than her mate as she placed her hands and feet in every spot she noted that Veral touched. Keeping his advice in mind, she moved swiftly, putting as little of her weight as possible on her hand and foot holds, until at last she arrived at the side of the ledge.
Veral didn’t even wait for her cross onto the wide stretch of rock. His claws dug into the ravine wall as he stretched forward and plucked her from the thick mass of vines she clung to. With one sure movement, he lifted her to the safety of the ledge. The moment her feet cleared, his other arm curled around her until she was wrapped fully in his arms. He didn’t set her down, but carried her to the back wall of the ledge, where he dropped down with