Page 273 of Gladiators of the Vagabond Boxset

It would have rendered my blade useless in such tight quarters, if not for the fact that I’d raised the point just in time for the animal to solidly impale itself.

Arianna had let go of my tail, and I swung it around, slamming the sharp, arrow-shaped blade at the tip into the eye socket of the beast.

Tossing it free of myself with a grunt, I yanked my Claymore from its belly just as three more creatures rushed from the underbrush.

I fended them off with broad sweeps of my favorite weapon, my senses focused on making sure Arianna was safely protected behind me.

Then Eoin joined the fray, metal melting from his skin as if it were liquid, forming into solid blades over his hands.

He called himself a metallurgist, and the applications of his skills never stopped amazing me.

I didn’t know what had happened to Jakar, but I couldn’t worry about it now. First, the two of us needed to take care of these and secure the camp; then I’d go out to look for the Pretorian.

*

Arianna

I was terrified when jaguar-like animals leaped from the trees and attacked us.

I hadn’t heard a thing, and I had assumed the fire would scare animals away.

These beasts were like big cats with strong, fanged bites and sharp claws.

They didn’t have any kind of visible ears sticking out from their heads, and their fur was the deep green of the foliage, indicating that their prey saw in color, or else they wouldn’t need that kind of camouflage.

Then I was mostly just incredibly impressed.

I’d seen Da’vi strap that huge sword to his back when we left the safety of the shuttle, just as Jakar had covered his body with knife sheaths and blades.

Still, I was not prepared to watch him wield that weapon like it weighed nothing.

Then Eoin joined the fight, and I was shocked to discover the reason he had appeared not to carry any weapons at all.

The swords just grew out of his hands, like it was magic.

It didn’t look like the two of them had all that much trouble with the earless cat creatures. They were wiping the floor with them, and while I didn’t really condone violence—being a pacifist—I could appreciate this. This was a fight for survival; this was self-defense.

Those thoughts had just crossed my mind when the hairs on the back of my neck rose.

I turned around, and something in me made me look up.

Oh fuck. There was something crawling down the face of the cliff, something far bigger than the earless cats.

It was just a black shadow that looked, to my eyes, bigger than a damn car, two red orbs glowing down at me.

I fumbled for the gun at my hip, pretty certain that the creature wasn’t going to respect a little pacifism.

It was big enough that it could probably swallow me in a single bite.

My hand trembled as I lifted the laser pistol and aimed it.

I’d shot guns for fun once, with a guy I’d dated at the time; a real, self-proclaimed cowboy.

I hoped I still remembered his instructions, and those that Camila had hurriedly given me that morning.

“Da’vi,” I said, not wanting to distract him from his own life-and-death battle, but desperately wishing he was aware of the danger lurking above us.

Only, I never got much further than that.

The moment the sound of his name left my lips, that huge black shadow above me leaped.

My finger squeezed the trigger on instinct, and a blast of laser fire burst from the barrel, glowing red as it flashed through the air.

In what had to be a stroke of beginner’s luck, it hit the creature square between the eyes.

I screamed, the sound echoing against the cliff.

The shadowy creature crashed down at my feet, dust flying into the air.

I scrambled backward, just barely avoiding the crushing weight of the collapsing creature.

Then Da’vi was in front of me, slashing at whatever kind of animal it was with his sword.

I was certain I’d somehow managed to kill it, but as Da’vi harried it with his sword, the shadowy pile flinched back.

Then it revealed a dozen feet with many, many hooked claws, slinking fluidly around Da’vi.

It pounced on the corpse of one of the earless big cats, dragging it back up the cliff. I guess I only stunned it for a second.

“You okay there, Arianna?” Da’vi asked me, his shoulders tense as he slowly turned to follow the huge rock crawler’s departure.

I flicked the laser pistol back to safety and holstered it gingerly, restraining the urge to hurl the thing as far from me as I could.

I shook out my palm, which felt a little numb from the weapon’s kickback.

I was pretty sure I was in one piece, so I searched his body to make sure he was too.

“Yeah, I’m fine. What the fuck just happened?

Are you hurt anywhere?” I asked, scrambling to my feet when I realized the danger had passed.

Eoin was already back at the rock wall, running his palms over the stone as if nothing had happened.

Two bodies from those jaguar-like creatures lay at the edge of the camp, but there was no sign of any others.

In the light of the campfire, I was pretty sure that neither man had even gotten a scratch on him.

“You shot that Barabask right between the eyes,” Da’vi said, and for once, he didn’t avoid my presence but stepped closer. His tail curled around my hip, yanking me a little closer, my hands braced against his wide chest. Yes, finally. I really hoped he was going to kiss me.

“I did, didn’t I?” I drawled, a little impressed myself. Should I tell him that I’d never hit anything in my life before—that it was pure luck that had saved my bacon? From the smirk curling his lips, I was pretty sure he already knew all that.

“Good girl,” he purred, his deep sub-harmonic voice sensually vibrating through my body at each point of contact.

Normally, I didn’t let a guy get away with calling me that, as if I were a dog or a small child.

I didn’t need praise from a man. Except that deep rumble was making me shiver, and something warm unfurled deep inside my chest. Oh boy, I was in trouble.

If he was making me feel like that, he could damn well deal with me being near him.

He sure didn’t seem to have any issues with touching me now, his arms had curled around my waist, and he was pulling me closer until we were touching from knee to chest. The heat of him soaked through my jumpsuit, my nipples hardened to sharp points, and desire clenched low in my belly.

“Oh yeah, want me to show you I can be a bad girl too?” I husked at him, sliding my arms up to curl them around his neck.

Scratching my nails along his skin drew a rumbling moan from deep in his chest. Once I had a good grip, I pulled myself up, hoping he’d meet me halfway.

I wasn’t disappointed, our mouths met, his lips warm and surprisingly soft against mine.

Opening my mouth was enough of an invitation; his tongue slicked inside, eagerly caressing me.

Any of that cool restraint—that prickly armor—disappeared in a flash as passion took over.

I felt like he was devouring me, sipping at my mouth like a man dying of thirst. Each touch, each stroke, fed the fire between us.

Why was he keeping his distance when we had this kind of amazing chemistry?

I shifted closer, feeling the hot brand of what had to be his erection pressing against my belly.

It felt big, but reassuringly familiar, the same general shape I expected.

Heat flooded me at the thought that we could make that work.

I wanted to climb him like a pole, so I threw up my leg, hooking it around his hip.

Da’vi never stopped kissing me, but he had me up in his arms, his cock grinding against my mons as he supported my weight. I think we would have started tossing our clothes and doing it right then and there, if not for the sudden noise of someone clearing their throat.

Shocked that I’d forgotten we weren’t alone, I pulled back.

Da’vi seemed less inclined to care, his mouth chasing mine for a moment, his amethyst eyes glowing intensely, completely focused on my lips.

Looking over Da’vi’s shoulder, I saw that Eoin and Jakar were standing side by side with shit-eating grins on their faces.

Heat scalded my face, but I smiled back, owning it.

Then Da’vi turned his head and rumbled a very impressive growl at them, and the two instantly turned away, getting back to work.

“That’s so hot,” I told him softly, running one of my hands from his neck up the side of his face to cup his chin.

He didn’t have any stubble, and I wondered if his species could grow beards.

I was still in his arms, still cradled tightly against him, and I was starting to think he had no intention of letting me go.

Was he going to take me into the woods for some quick sex now?

I wouldn’t be opposed to that. If he fucked like he kissed, it was going to be awesome.

Of course, he chose that moment to let me go, sliding me down his body until I was back on my feet.

I was pretty sure he was battling the urge to step back and push me away again.

He didn’t; his hands tightened on my hips, his tail sliding down one leg, curling around it like a vine.

“We have to talk,” he grunted at me. “Later. Stay here. I will set up extra precautions.”