Pirate's Gold - S.J. Sanders Page 0,60
her held firmly against him.
They sat like that, with Terri sitting between his splayed legs and her back resting on his abdomen and chest, as they watched Azan clear the remaining distance. The female’s face was drained of her normal vibrant color, her expression pinched.
Despite how shaky her legs appeared as she landed on the ledge, she didn’t crumple with relief or exhaustion. Instead she straightened and walked steadily until she reached their side. Only then did she gently untangle Garswal’s death grip from around her. Even after his feet touched the ledge, one of his hands continued to cling to Azan. He didn’t even turn to acknowledge Egbor when he dropped heavily to the ledge.
Egbor’s strides were almost cocky, his guard trailing behind him like a lost pet, until he stood before them. His eyes immediately fell on Garswal, and he gestured for him to rejoin him. The boy’s grip on Azan tightened, his face set in a stony silence as he refused his father’s order. Azan stood protectively over him, a small smile on her face.
The message was clear. The boy rejected his father’s protection for that of the Blaithari female.
The male’s brow furrowed in puzzlement before his expression turned angry. When Garswal still didn’t move, the captain shrugged nonchalantly and finally dropped his extended hand as two of his hands fisted at his hips. He proceeded from there to ignore the boy as he looked around, his lips pursing.
“Well done, Argurma, though we could have easily traveled for another hour or more. The sun has not even begun to sink into the horizon. I do not enjoy wasting light.”
“The sun drops fast, as you ought to have noticed. The odds that we would find another ledge to rest upon before it became dark are extremely low. Although that would not impede me, it would be reckless for your crew to attempt to climb in the dark. Without suitable shelter, that is exactly what you would do throughout the night, hoping that you were not plucked off the wall by a predator, or falling to your death from a misplaced hand or foot. If that is an acceptable risk to you, then we can most certainly continue. I would not be able to guarantee the safety of any but my mate, however.”
The captain grumbled as he squinted out over the vista. If he wasn’t convinced, it didn’t appear to bother Veral. Her mate’s hand stroked her hair as he held her more firmly against him. The captain’s posturing became unimportant as she turned her cheek against his to soak in his warmth and comfort.
“Ah, this must be one of those advantages of mated bliss,” Azan mused. “I guess there had to be something—some benefit to tying one’s life to a male.”
Terri cracked an eye to look at the other female. She would have shot her the finger if the pirate would have had any idea what that meant. Since the effort would have been wasted, she smirked and cuddled farther into Veral’s embrace. Egbor’s complaints were harder to ignore until a sharp cry and the sound of falling rocks and breaking branches rose over the captain’s voice, silencing him. The screams grew fainter as the unfortunate pirate plummeted until he was lost.
“I suppose it is a good plan to rest here,” the captain finally conceded.
Azan’s derisive snort filled the silence before the crew began milling around to claim a safe place along the ledge. There was a sort of somber sobriety that fell over the males as the stress of losing yet another crewmate began to show.
The tension didn’t appear to let up, even in sleep. It was palpable in the air. Everyone seemed to know that the planet had more in store for them, waiting to kill every offworlder who ventured onto its surface. Terri felt it too, and so wasn’t surprised when a horrific clatter of numerous shrieking voices descended over the ledge. Terri activated one of the few remaining illumination discs attached to Veral’s armor and swallowed back her fear.
From every direction, mouths filled with sharp, needle-like teeth snapped down at them from narrow reptilian heads edged with hard bony beaks at the end of their muzzles. Their long, scaled necks jerked at every effort as enormous claws grappled for purchase. All the while, wide wings filled with glossy feathers beat around them as the animals attempted to pluck prey from among the crew. The disc didn’t provide enough light in the open, and they