Page 151 of Gladiators of the Vagabond Boxset

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I was unsure if my promise to protect her had come across, but it didn’t matter, I’d prove it to her with my actions.

At least I’d made progress; she no longer seemed scared of me, and she didn’t seem too bothered by Snarl’s presence now, either.

I shot the Ferai beast another sharp look.

“You really should have stayed up there and gone to fetch Sunder and Jakar. Now we’re all stuck down here. ”

He huffed, “But then you wouldn’t have time to court your female in private!

I guard, you court.” The statement was followed by a dry, huffing chuckle that perfectly conveyed his amusement with the entire situation.

I fought to maintain my camouflaged colors for a moment, my entire body flushing at the thought of courting Hina—flushing so much that my skin almost turned entirely red.

That would be extremely telling if I’d let my colors give me away.

It was nice to see her cuddle with Pet. The small juvenile, Riho, was purring as loudly as she would for Snarl or me.

It seemed to calm Hina a little more, now her shoulders were down and she was smiling, which was beautiful to see.

I loved seeing her pink mouth pulled into a happy expression, her dark eyes sparkling.

Forcing myself to look away—before my colors really did start to betray me—I bent down and picked up my bag, strapping it on again.

I checked my ax blade for chips or scratches, but the metal was still holding a decent edge.

Good, I had a feeling I was going to need it.

In the distance, I could hear more than one creature moving around in the dark, the sound of scales sliding across rock clear as a bell.

I didn’t want to alarm Hina, but we needed to move from this spot, I didn’t like those sounds.

It seemed more prudent to vacate this area than to hang around and meet these creatures.

“Do you hear them, Snarl?” I asked, tilting my head toward each cave opening to pinpoint which tunnel was going to be our best bet.

The Ferai beast rose from his resting spot on the cave floor and to his feet, circling Hina and me as he checked out each tunnel.

“Yes, at least three Scaly Ones. We should leave.” I nodded in the direction of the leftmost tunnel, and he gave me a decisive nod.

“That one seems best. Smells freshest.” Yes, that’s what it felt like to me too, the most likely shot for us to find our way back to the surface of this planet.

When we did, I was sure I could manage to hail Sunder or Kitan on the com.

Or maybe they’d reach me; I knew, with some confidence, how to answer a call.

Gesturing at my female, I pointed in the direction of the tunnel I wanted us to go.

She eyed the dark hole with obvious trepidation.

“Are you sure that’s our best shot?” she asked me in her native language.

My translator, at least, allowed me to understand what she was saying.

When I gave her an emphatic nod, she squared her shoulders and got to her feet.

With brisk movements, she checked the fabric pouch attached to her belt, giving me a brief glimpse of a pile of metal wires and two flasks.

Stepping into the tunnel first, I was glad to note that she didn’t hesitate to follow.

Snarl brushed past us and trotted into the darkness ahead, nose in the air as he scouted the way.

Soon, even my sharp eyes couldn’t pick him out any longer.

Hina stumbled, her footsteps losing their sure stride the deeper into the tunnel we went.

It reminded me of how poorly humans saw in the dark.

When I looked at her over my shoulder, I noticed she had her hands out in front of her, her eyes blindly searching the dark.

Pet’s eyes were two glowing green spots on her shoulder, where the small Riho perched.

“Here,” I said, finding her hand and curling it around my belt.

Her slender fingers were cool to the touch as she eagerly hung on.

Her footsteps became a little more sure as we resumed our walk.

It wasn’t going very fast, though; she was still shuffling, scared to trip.

My skin prickled, shifting colors instinctively at the sound of activity behind us—scales sliding across rock. Something big was following us.

I debated, only for a split second, the wisdom of what I was about to do, then decided not to take any risks.

I spun and dipped to pick her up in my arms, slinging her over my shoulder and launching into a brisk trot.

She let out a squealing sound in surprise but quieted almost immediately.

“This better be for a good reason,” she warned me in a quiet hiss.

Her cold palms slid across my back, searching for warmth and purchase as she hooked them into the weapon harness straps crisscrossing my body.

A chuckle escaped my throat, purring from my chest in a low rumble. “I will keep you safe. There is no better reason than that.”