Page 7 of Hunter’s Valentine (Xarc’n Warriors)

It was impossible to pay attention to anything Mur’k was saying with his cock pressed up against my ass like that. But he seemed to be doing his damnedest to ignore it, so I did the same.

Luckily, the ship’s blasters were easy enough to use. I had the choice of using either a device that looked an awful lot like our video game controllers or the touchscreen. While the touch screen was easier, Mur’k warned me that it was less accurate and should only be used if the flyers were close enough.

“And how do I know if the flyers are close enough?” I asked. “I mean, for either option.”

“The shuttle will not lock on if it is beyond its range.”

“Okay. That’s simple.”

Frankly, I was still shocked that Mur’k would let me control his ship’s weapons, but I wasn’t going to question it because shooting down flyers sounded like the opportunity of a lifetime. I’d always wanted to go ham on those assholes, and here was my chance. I couldn’t wait!

“We will use this flyer as a test,” Mur’k said when one of them got too close. “Press your palm to the screen. I need to capture your biosignature to give you temporary control of the weapons.”

Moments later, we were ready to rumble.

I decided to use the controller since it was familiar and I’d always been pretty good at video games. Getting the ship to lock on was a bit tricky, but when it finally did, I fired. I’d aimed for the creature’s body, but it clipped a wing instead.

Damn it!

It was hurt, but I wanted it dead, not merely injured. I aimed again, even as it fell. My second shot got it right in the throat.

“Ha! Die, you motherfucker!” I did a little happy dance before twisting around in my seat. “Did you see that? That asshole went down !”

“You did very well.” But his voice was strained, and by the hardness under my ass, I knew exactly why.

Oops! I should save the celebratory wiggles for when I wasn’t on his lap.

“Sorry.” I scrambled off him.

He got up with some difficulty and started preparing for his hunt, strapping on more weapons than one person could possibly ever use.

“Once I am in place, I will turn on the lure. Focus on the flyers. Shoot them. Do not shoot me. If they get too close to the rooftops, I will take care of them. Aim only for the ones in the sky.”

“Got it. Shoot the flyers. Don’t shoot you.”That was when I realized the amount of trust he was putting in me. If I were anti-Xarc’n, and many back at the bunker were, I could easily shoot him instead. But I wasn’t, and I wouldn’t.

“Thank you and good luck!” I yelled after him as he stepped outside.

I knew the moment he turned on the lure because every single bug in the area stopped, turned and started toward us, completely forgetting where they’d been going. Several flyers were coming in at the same time, and I held my breath as I aimed and fired. I didn’t manage to kill all of them, and the ones I missed went straight for Mur’k.

He was back on the roof near the now-destroyed garret, his body moving with lethal grace as he faced the deadly creatures. It was like he was built for this. The stories that they had been created specifically to fight the scourge had to be true. I couldn’t help but admire his speed, strength, and agility.

I didn’t have much time to ogle him, however, because more flyers were coming. Mur’k was correct—there would have been far fewer to contend with in the morning, when the bugs were first coming out of the nest. I focused on my targets, taking down as many as I could. There was no time to celebrate each victory now.

Just when I finally had time to stop for a breath, I spotted the centicreep climbing over the buildings, making a beeline toward Mur’k.

Shit! Was this the same one from before? I couldn’t tell.

I had to get rid of it before it could reach him. Mur’k was already occupied with two flyers.

I tried to aim toward the creature, but the shuttle refused to lock on. I tried a second time but got the same result.

“Argh!” I shouted into the shuttle. “Why won’t it work?”

“The blaster is in turret position. It cannot aim at that angle.”

I whipped around, but there was no one there. It took me a moment to realize it was the shuttle itself that had spoken to me.

“Can you put it in the other position?” I asked. I wasn’t sure if it would answer, but it was worth a try.

“I must lift off to do so.”

“Can you do that?” Then, to be extra safe, I clarified, “Turn on the cloak, lift off, hover stationary in the air, and put the blaster in the other position.”

“We are already cloaked.”

“Okay, then maintain cloaking and do the rest.”

There was a sudden sense of vertigo as we lifted off, and something on the screen changed, though I didn’t see what exactly.

“Actions completed.”

I tried to aim for the centicreep again, and this time, the reticle locked on it. A good thing too, because it was almost at Mur’k’s location. If it got any closer, it would be too dangerous to fire.

I double-tapped, sending two shots hurtling toward it. The shuttle shuddered from the power of the blasts but both shots hit, breaking off huge chunks of the creature.

“Ha! Take that, asshole!”

To my surprise, the centicreep kept moving like it didn’t even realize that half its body was missing. It turned and started toward the shuttle. I fired again, taking another big chunk of its body off, but it kept coming.

It either couldn’t see me because of the cloaking or couldn’t reach me up in the air, because it just circled on the roof below me. By now, more flyers were coming in, and I needed to get them off Mur’k’s back. I fired at them, but every shot shoved the shuttle back, the movement making it much harder to take my next aim.

The flyers seemed to be able to see the shuttle despite the cloaking. They all veered in my direction.

“Oh, fuck!”

It was either land and risk the centicreep pinning me down or stay in the air and possibly crash in a flyer dogpile. Mur’k was not going to be happy if I fucked up his shuttle. What was I supposed to do?

Suddenly, blaster shots hit the centicreep.

Mur’k! He’d realized my predicament. I hoped the damage was enough to give him the upper hand.

The centicreep moved away from the shuttle and toward its new target. With it gone, I quickly instructed the shuttle to return to our original location and move the blaster back into turret position, figuring it was impossible to crash if I was already on the ground.

I kept shooting until there were no more flyers and Mur’k had turned his attention to the bugs on the ground. He must have switched off the lure. As he rounded up the remaining scourge, I planned my escape.

I had to get out of there before he got back. Mur’k claimed he wasn’t interested in this mating business, but his body seemed to have its own ideas. And unfortunately, mine did too.

I wanted to straddle him, grab him by the horns and ride him all night long, and that scared me. I had to get away before I did something I’d regret. He might claim that my pheromones were messing with him, but I was beginning to wonder if there was some aphrodisiac in the air affecting us both.

Now was also a really good time to leave since the bulk of the bugs in the area were either stuck in his traps, dead, or in the process of being hacked to pieces.

Seeing the once-popular map app on Mur’k’s screen had been a surprise. I hadn’t thought I’d ever see it again. It had been updated recently, and the nests and surrounding area were now clearly marked in red, as were any other dangerous locations. Any blockages on the road were clearly noted, too. I also noticed that Mur’k’s ship was indicated with a shuttle-shaped icon. Other similar icons moved about the map, and I guessed those were other hunters’ ships.

There were both alien glyphs and English words on it, adding weight to both Jack’s insistence that they were working with friendly hunters and also Mur’k’s claim that he’d been in contact with the humans in New Franklin.

I wondered if I’d see him again the next time he visited the settlement. I’d be in a more stable situation by then, hopefully, and perhaps then we could explore whatever was blossoming between us. I was a living, breathing woman, and I had an itch to scratch. Just…not right now.

Then I remembered the date. It was February 12, not February 26. And that meant the real Valentine’s Day was in two days. Maybe—

No!

I shook my head. I couldn’t believe I was actually considering it!

I had to get out of here. Putting my jacket and trail boots back on, I made sure my rifle was properly loaded with a full mag this time, then went to the door. But I found no handle or other way of opening it. I tried ordering the shuttle to open it for me, and lo and behold, the door slid open.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

I stepped out onto the roof, ordered the shuttle to close again, and then went to look for a way down. Unlike the other roof, this one didn’t have a fire escape. I was, however, able to open the door to the stairwell. I got my bearings and found my way back to the store where my bike and other supplies were.

My things were just the way I’d left them, but the door had melted into goo, as had the floor beneath it, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to roll my wheels over that. So I did it the hard way, lifting the bike through the broken window.

Then, after a quick check of my trusty, rusty compass, I was off.