Page 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

-Clay-

I CLAWED AT the ground as the creature pulled me backwards towards the thick foliage, each tug sending fire up my leg. If it got me in there, I wasn’t coming out again. As I slid past the base of a small tree, I twisted and swung my arm out. The bark was smooth and spongy under my fingers, and I gripped on for dear life. The creature growled and tugged harder, shaking its head as it tried to dislodge me. White clouded my vision as its teeth sank deeper into my flesh, and my fingers slipped.

“No,” I shouted as I slithered across the ground.

A rustle. A shout. The creature let out an ear-piercing squeal, and my leg was free. I lay still, stunned, before my brain kicked in and I rolled onto my hands and knees and scrambled away. The creature was on the ground behind me, thrashing, a long golden rod protruding from its back that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

Then a pair of long, toned, legs stepped in front of me, blocking my view of the creature. I looked up into familiar amber eyes.

“Run,” Arcay snarled with a flash of his sharp teeth. Then he spun and threw himself at the creature as it dragged itself back to its feet.

I stared. He was wearing nothing but a skimpy scrap of material over his groin with slits that showed the entire length of his thighs and the round curve of his ass. But I didn’t have time to appreciate the view, as he wrenched the spear free and brought it around, aiming for the creature’s head this time. It wheeled its insane eyes and lashed out with its front claws, catching Arcay on the thigh. At the same moment, the spear plunged into its shoulder, missing its mark.

As Arcay jumped back, blood spilling from his leg, the creature screamed and reared, barreled into him with its claws slashing at his chest. They both went down in a heap.

Arcay wrestled his arms around its wide head as the creature snapped at him, savage teeth inches from his face, and Arcay snarled back at it. He released one arm and reached for the spear, but the creature jerked at the last moment and his hand closed over open air. Sensing Arcay’s loosened hold, the creature twisted and sunk its teeth into his side, and Arcay let out a shout of pain. I flinched, still frozen in place.

“Arcay!” The shout escaped my lips before I realized it, and the creature’s tiny eyes swung towards me.

Shit.

It let go of Arcay and ran at me in a berserk rage, blood drenched and its mouth hanging open. I scrambled backward on my hands, dragging my leg. But before it could reach me, Arcay was on top of it. Muscles bunched under smooth skin as he wrapped his legs around its torso, arms gripping its head. He heaved and twisted.

CRACK .

The creature slumped to the floor and lay still, its neck turned in an unnatural angle. Arcay’s amber eyes locked onto me, shining from a face smeared with blood.

My relief at seeing him evaporated. He’d found me. What was he going to do to me? Snap my neck too? I kept going backward until the damp darkness of the terrarium gave way to harsh overhead lights, and I slid through the glass doors. Arcay was still inside, untangling his limbs from the dead monster and getting to his feet slowly.

I could try to run, but my leg was on fire and I doubted I could get very far on it. My head was still spinning from the adrenaline and pain, but a small part of me knew he wouldn’t kill me. He’d just saved my life, hadn’t he?

A loud guttural voice spoke behind me. “ Aleesial leis jaj.”

I jumped and looked up to see a huge figure looming over me. This alien’s features were blunter than Arcay’s, his jaw more square, his eyes narrow and vicious, and his brow heavy, with coils of dark hair down his back. He was the same one I’d seen earlier—and his yellow eyes were bright with hunger.

I tried to get to my feet, but he grabbed me by the back of my neck and lifted me off the ground. I shouted and kicked out. It felt like my head was going to disconnect from my body.

With a swift up and down, he took in my stupid skimpy outfit and bleeding leg. Then he rumbled something and sniffed me, his nostrils flaring out. His eyes flashed.

It was at that moment I realized there were two more huge aliens behind him, eying me with just as much hunger as him. One of them snarled something and the alien holding me spun so that I dangled between them. They argued and hissed over my head, and I held as still as possible, trying not to draw attention to myself.

Today just kept getting worse and worse, I was regretting ever trying to escape in the first place. If I’d stayed put at least I’d be asleep right now in a comfy bed, even if it was with Arcay. That was better than being torn to shreds by three huge aliens over—I could only guess—who got to fuck me first.

Behind me, I heard the noise of the glass doors to the terrarium opening. There was a blur, a smack of flesh on flesh, and then I fell to the floor as the alien holding me slammed into the far wall so hard it cracked. I huddled into a ball.

Arcay stood over me and snarled. I didn’t know if I was scared or relieved. The other two alphas didn’t step back, but they hesitated and their aggressive postures faltered. They suddenly weren’t so sure. The way they looked at him made me think he had some superiority over them. But the fallen alien struggled up off the floor, retaking his position in front of Arcay. He seemed less cowed than the others. He’d been on our ship with Arcay and their leader, so maybe that made him important too.

The other two, emboldened by his presence, regained some confidence. It was three against one. And the blood from Arcay’s wounds was already spattering the floor at his feet. This didn’t look good. I realized I’d made a huge mistake, and I really, really wanted Arcay to win.

The tension in the air built as they faced off, snarling and growling in their language like faulty cruiser engines having a conversation. The noises were so primal they made the hairs on my arms stand on end.

Suddenly, in a blur of motion, the big alien made a grab for me, lunging to the side with his arm out. Arcay slammed into him, but the movement caused the alien’s arm to whip out, slicing the side of my face. I gasped. The tension broke, and all three of them surged at Arcay.

It was brutal. They punched and kicked, clawed and bit. It felt like the floor was rocking under me. Arcay was already hurt from fighting that creature, but you wouldn’t have known it from the way he moved. He gave as good as he got, and then some.

It seemed to be going his way until two of them attacked him from the front while one spun around from behind. He sliced down Arcay’s back, rending a huge gash across its full length. Arcay stumbled, and, for a panic filled second, I thought he was going to go down. But he recovered himself, spun, and delivered a mighty blow to the top of his opponent's shoulder. There was a loud crack, and the alpha’s arm sagged limp at his side. He let out a howl of pain and fled.

It didn’t take Arcay long to see off the other smaller one as well. Now alone, the big one backed off and circled, not willing to give up yet, although it was clear he wouldn’t be able to beat Arcay on his own. Arcay stood firm in front of me, stance ready for round two.

The alpha kept his head down, but glared in pure hatred at Arcay. Then his eyes flicked to me, their cruel intensity making my skin crawl. I looked away.

He growled something one last time, turned on his heel, and stomped off.

I let out a breath. Arcay watched him go, standing guard over me until we were alone. Blood coated the expanse of his back, spilling down his legs and dripping onto the floor. There was a lot of it.

He crouched over me, his face so fierce and blood spattered that I flinched. But all he did was take my jaw in his hand and carefully turn my head to the side, inspecting my cheek. He pressed his fingers gently where the alpha had caught it.

I flinched at the sting and instantly felt pathetic. It was hardly a scratch. My leg was worse, but they were both nothing compared to the state he was in. He pulled his fingers away, the tips damp with blood. His face was twisted with so much anger that my breath caught in my throat. He looked like a vengeful god, and in that moment I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

He opened his mouth, let out a huff of air, and collapsed.