Page 5 of Hunter’s Valentine (Xarc’n Warriors)

I should’ve pushed away when I had the chance, but Mur’k was so warm, and I was freezing. So I’d stayed. But then the purring had started, and everything had changed. I got my warmth all right, in the form of little fires spreading all over my body from the places we touched, amplified by the vibrations. The last remaining fear I had dissolved, turning into unyielding need that surged through me so strongly I couldn’t breathe.

And then he was kissing me. His lips were soft but firm against mine, and the press of his fangs was titillating and exciting. His fingers tangled in my hair, already messy from the fight with the bugs earlier. Heat surged through me as he held me captive in his embrace.

Despite his clear inexperience he was assertive, claiming every part of me he touched. And when I responded with a surprising hunger of my own, he demanded more. He’d slid down to sit against the wall, hauling me down to straddle him. Something hard and insistent bumped the V of my legs, sending another surge of lust through me, clawing to be set free.

All the tidbits I’d ever heard about the alien hunters rushed to fill my head, the most important of which being that we were sexually compatible despite our differences. There definitely was a size difference; they were huge everywhere. They were not human-shaped down there, either, a fact I could now confirm from what I felt, though I couldn’t quite tell what shape it was exactly.

Firm hands rolled my hips against the hard bar of his erection, and a needy moan escaped my lips.

God! What was I thinking?

I couldn’t let this continue. I had to get to New Franklin, and that wasn’t going to happen if this hunter stole me away and onto his shuttle.

I reached up, grabbed his horns and shoved, using them for leverage. But the rumbling in his chest got even louder. His hips bucked, grinding us together again.

Okay, note to self: do not grab the bull by the horns unless I want a wild ride.

So I shoved at his chest instead, hard, and he finally released me. My breath was ragged, but to my credit, Mur’k appeared even more dazed than I was. He blinked several times, like he was trying hard to regain control of himself.

I used the opportunity to put some distance between us, scrambling to the opposite side of the room.

“Don’t even think about kidnapping me back to your shuttle for sex,” I said, glad that I sounded a lot more composed than I felt. “If you do, you’ll be sleeping with one eye open.”

“There is no fear of that,” he huffed. “I’m not interested in a mate. You’re the one reeking of desire.”

I gaped at him. How dare he call me out!

I mean, he wasn’t wrong, but still. The nerve .

I glanced down at the erection threatening to bust right through his loincloth. “Says the one sporting a tentpole.”

He looked confused, so I gestured to his crotch and the poor piece of leather that was straining to keep it all in.

“You are attacking me with your pheromones.”

What the hell ?

“Excuse me? You can’t control yourself, and it’s my fault? You’re just as bad as the rest of them.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Men!”

“I am not a man. I am a Xar—”

I saw the movement reflected in Mur’k’s golden eyes even as he stopped mid-sentence. My back was facing the window so I couldn’t tell if it was a flyer or one of those giant centipede-like creatures, the only two types of space bugs that could make it all the way up to the roof. Whatever it was, our arguing had drawn its attention.

“It’s behind me, isn’t it?” I whispered.

Instead of replying, Mur’k moved, pulling me away from the window and behind him. The sound of glass breaking sent fear zinging through my fingers and toes. I knew before I turned and looked what I would see.

Only the giant centipedes could break glass so easily. I’d seen them do it before by smashing the sharp protrusions on the sides of their body at windows. They were also adept climbers and ridiculously fast. Not to mention, those protrusions were tipped with a neurotoxin, so if they cut you, you were basically dead meat.

Hell, if they even saw you, you were as good as dead. And this one had seen us.

Quick as lightning, Mur’k snatched up his axe, then brandished it in front of him, the edge of it glowing white-blue with energy. Was he seriously planning to engage with it? The thing was huge!

I guess it was fight or die.

I couldn’t believe that after all I’d been through, I’d meet my end here, next to a stupidly brave purple warrior. Well, if he was going to be brave, so was I.

I reached for my weapon, which was leaning against the wall. The rooftop garret was small, and it would be nearly impossible to fight that monstrosity with Mur’k’s axe if it got inside. He wouldn’t even have room to swing.

It was only now that I realized I’d used three shots, and I hadn’t reloaded. I had no idea how many shots I had left. The choice to start my travels without a full mag was now coming back to bite me in the ass.

The creature reared back, then smashed the side of its body on the glass again, making the hole even bigger. It was long and sinuous, and it didn’t need a large opening to get through. Mur’k slashed at the creature, trying to cut off its head, but the thing was fast and managed to dodge his blows, especially since Mur’k was trying hard not to get tagged by one of the many spikes sticking out from the creature’s body.

My brave hunter got several hits in, but the beast didn’t react to a single one. It wasn’t here to tango with the alien warrior. It had its eyes on a better prize: me. These bugs attacked anything that moved but had a clear preference for what was tastier. It dodged another swing and rounded on me.

“I cannot fight it in here,” Mur’k yelled. “We must go.”

I barely managed to put on my pack and swing my rifle over my shoulder before I found myself in Mur’k’s arms again. I didn’t know how he managed to run with me barely hanging off him, but we were soon speeding across the roof.

I wasn’t sure where he was going but anywhere was better than a tiny room with that thing in it. Mur’k had slammed the door closed behind us, forcing the creature back out the window, slowing it down. But now we were exposed to the flyers, and many had already come to investigate, having been alerted of our presence by the giant centipede.

I slammed the magazine into the slot, and it clicked into place. It was an awkward position to shoot from, but I managed. The first flyer that swooped down got a wing full of lead—not enough to kill it, but enough to take it out of the fight. But now the giant centipede had backed itself out of the window and was coming across the roof toward us. And it was fast.

I tried to shoot it, but I either missed every shot or it didn’t feel them at all. It continued charging.

Mur’k and I were suddenly flying through the air. I glanced down at the street below and at the scuttlers waiting there amidst the rubble. I’d never seen it from this angle before, and it was so surreal that my brain didn’t comprehend what was happening until we landed on another roof.

Damn! He’d leaped to the next building while carrying me! I was never going to underestimate these warriors again.

But the roof didn’t stop the centipede either. It disappeared over the edge and seconds later was already on our roof. The way it moved was unnatural: fast, smooth, yet also jerky, like something out of a horror movie.

Just as the creature got close enough to lunge for me, a gray door slammed shut in its face. The creature, unable to stop itself in time, rammed into it, and the air molecules around me shuddered from the force. My heart was pounding hard and my brain was barely managing to stop the life-flashing-before-my-eyes sequence when I realized I wasn’t going to die after all.

Mur’k deposited me on something soft and comfortable that smelled wonderfully like him. I realized that I was inside his shuttle. This must be his bed. I looked around, curious. I’d never been inside one of these shuttles before. In any other situation, I would’ve been freaking out, but with the terrifying creature still outside…and clearly trying to get in, by the sounds of the scratching…I was grateful to be in here and not out there.

The inside of the shuttle was disappointingly barren, with dull gray, metallic-looking walls. There was a sleeping area which consisted of no more than the mat on which I sat, a pilot’s chair that Mur’k was currently occupying, a large screen, an alcove in the back that I assumed must be for bodily functions, a counter that looked like it could be for food preparation, and very little else.

Where were all the high-tech devices and cool alien gadgets? There wasn’t even anywhere to place his weapons, unless that was the purpose of the strange thing that looked like a B-movie stasis pod.

“Shuttle, show external feed.”

I expected a video of what was happening outside to play on the screen, but instead, the walls all around me appeared to turn transparent. The centipede thing was right in front of me! I shrieked but managed to muffle the tail end of it with my palm.

All the walls were screens! There must be thousands of cameras outside in order for them to be able to relay every section of the terrifying beast to us. How did that work? Wouldn’t they be easily damaged? I’d seen hunters use the tops of trees to brush flyers off their shuttles before. Surely no cameras would survive that.

The giant centipede had wrapped itself around the shuttle, treating me to a detailed view of the underside of its belly. It was lighter than the top, and each articulated section was connected by darker joints. The carapace of each section overlapped, sliding under itself as it undulated, giving mobility while still protecting the creature from attack.

I saw now that I hadn’t missed at all. There were singed spots on the carapace from my bullets, and one was still lodged in a joint, impeding the creature’s movement. Another note to self: aim for the joints next time.

Who was I kidding? It moved so fast that “aiming” was nearly impossible. Those had all been lucky shots.

“Fear not, little warrior. It cannot get inside.”

“That’s a relief.”

He pressed something on the screen, and the gray walls returned. I relaxed, glad that I didn’t have to stare at that ugly thing until it left. Who knew how long that would be? I’d heard of people being trapped for days before the bugs gave up.

“So… Now what?” I asked.

Mur’k stood, approached one of the walls , and slapped it with his palm. It opened up to reveal the inside of a closet. Oh, so that was where they kept everything.

“Now, we wait.”