Page 12 of I Got Abducted by Aliens and Now I’m Trapped in a Rom-Com (Cosmic Chaos #1)

I awoke to a frustrated Biwban standing on my chest. “Why hasn’t your meter risen?”

Sol’s head was buried in the crook of my neck, while his arm was slung over my waist. Odd. I would have pegged Lok as the resident snuggler. Yet my large companion merely slept on his back beside me, snoring softly. Somebody’s tail was wrapped around my leg, but it was too much effort to sort out whose limbs were whose so early in the morning.

Eyes still heavy with sleep, I blinked at Intern a few times, then let my head fall back on the pillow. “Release my tit.”

He stared down at his talons, which were clamped firmly on my left boob for purchase. He shuffled back to my belly and said, “This is serious. If the meter falls below zero, the department head will want to take corrective action. What’s it going to take to raise your affection level?”

I was about to tell him to fuck off back to his space pod, but a thought wormed its way into my coffee-less brain. Intern had no idea how humans acted. I could tell him anything. Literally anything.

“Mmm. I’ll need my own sleeping space.”

“But the book—”

“The book is only half-right. The ‘only one bed’ trope can work, sure. But we also need time apart to sort out our feelings. It’s called pining.”

He repeated the word. There was a soft green flash and suddenly he was typing on his little floating screen. “Time apart needed for pining. What else?”

“Coffee and chocolate.”

“Food?” He tilted his head. “We have plenty of food on this planet. I’ll do a scan of the local fauna to see what’s edible.”

“No, no. This is specific food. Coffee helps keep our minds focused, and chocolate ”—I stressed the word, filling it with as much desire as I could. “That’s the real game changer. Some say love is impossible without it.”

“Really?” His eyes sparkled.

“Of course. Chocolate is one of our most important foods. We have an entire holiday dedicated to love, and the sacred food is chocolate. Normally, potential romantic partners give each other chocolate, and Cupid, the god of love, blesses their union.”

“And this chocolate triggers love?”

I nodded. “Oh yes. I’m no scientist, mind you, but I remember reading an article that said chocolate helps stimulate the chemicals in our brains responsible for love and bonding.”

He was practically vibrating with excitement now. His little fingers flew across the keyboard, jotting down every word of my bullshit. “I may not have the means to acquire this chocolate now. But as soon as I get to the lab at the research center, we should be able to find examples of this chocolate and re-create it.”

“Perfect. There’s still hope, then.”

“I wonder if there’s anything in my database that I could use.” The feathers on his crest flicked, mirroring his rushing thoughts. With a beep, his screen faded away. “I’ll need to look over my notes. When you finish resting, I’ll be downstairs.” He dashed out of the room with a quickness.

“I thought he’d never leave,” Sol murmured.

“Oh, you were awake.”

“Mostly.” He untangled himself from me and rose with a stretch. My tired eyes fluttered closed as he shuffled about the room, only opening again when I heard a creak on Lok’s side of the bed. Sol put a finger to his lips in a shushing motion. His free hand held the red ropes I’d seen on Lok’s clothing. Very carefully, he lifted the other man’s wrists and tied them to the bedpost.

“What are you doing?” I whispered.

A mischievous chuckle was his only answer. He fetched something from the corner of the room and placed it on the side of the bed. Hair slightly tousled from sleep, an irresistibly devastating grin on his face, he trailed his fingers along my ankle. “Good morning.”

My measly mortal brain melted in the face of such boyish charm. “Good mor— Oh!”

He dragged me by the ankle to the edge of the bed and guided my knees up with gentle authority. With a fluid yank, the sweatpants I’d been using as pj’s vanished. My heartbeat sped up as his finger tenderly traced the line of my hip bone. His grin deepened at my shudder. He hooked the hem of my panties beneath his thumb and slowly dragged them off me before kneeling at the edge of the bed. His lips played down the expanse of my inner thigh, sending tremors of anticipation to flutter in my belly. Just before I expired from want, he buried his face between my legs.

I moaned softly, then bit my finger to keep from crying out and waking Lok. The ridges of his tongue glided along my folds. Oh Mylanta, I forgot his tongue had ridges. Every tongue should, if this is the pleasure it could bring, slow, languid licks that teased my aching flesh until I quivered.

Muffled cries filled the room as he flicked his tongue against my clit. My back came off the bed when he covered the little bud and sucked. The bumps along the side of his tongue rolled against it, before he licked the expanse of my pussy. Groaning, he threw my leg over his shoulder and drove his tongue deep inside me.

“Fuck,” I cried out. My hands found his horns, holding on for dear life as I fucked myself on his tongue. His fingers dug into my ass as he held me tighter to him. That damnably long tongue rolled inside me, letting the nubbed bumps massage my sweet spot in a rapture so good it had to be sin.

My body shook; desperate whimpers fell past my lips as my orgasm climbed at a breakneck pace. Then he vanished, turning my whimpers into an indignant half snarl. “Wha? Why did you stop?”

Sol grinned up at me, licking my wetness from his lips. He nodded to the corner of the bed and said, “Give me my rating back.”

“Huh?”

He removed my hand from his horn and kissed my wrist. “You took my higher rating away. Give it back.”

Still confused, I looked to the edge of the bed to see the fucking Tamagotchi. Sol’s icon danced next to his meager one bar.

Men and their damn pride.

“Are you kidding me?”

His lips twitched; he was clearly having the time of his life. “Do you want to come or not?”

“Yes, I want to come,” I hissed, “but if your goal here is to win my affection, pissing me off is not the way to do it.”

“Oh really?” He nipped the sensitive skin at my thigh, then ran a finger lazily around my clit. “You think I can’t see the way your body tremors when I tease you?” He shoved a finger inside me, roughly stroking my sweet spot. His tail latched onto my clit; slow movements cast aside, Sol set a delirious pace. Stars danced behind my eyes as my hips bucked against him. He shrugged off my thigh, pressed his forehead to mine, and whispered, “I think you like being toyed with. Don’t you, darling?”

My breathing was quick and shallow. My pulse thudded in my ears, beating faster and faster every second this sadistic fucker didn’t let me come. “Not even a little bit.”

He chuckled. “You’re a cute little liar, you know that?”

My heart fluttered.

The Tamagotchi dinged.

We both froze, then looked over to see the proof of my lie in the form of Sol’s affection meter. Now back to three. The pixelated version of Sol danced happily to its cheery theme song as fireworks exploded around the bar. A rush of warmth flooded my cheeks, only made worse by the knowing grin on his face.

“Shut up.”

His laugh was aggravatingly rich and warm. And despite my embarrassment, pride wormed its way into my chest that I was the one to draw it from him.

Another ding.

“Oh, fuck off, Tamagotchi.”

A growl came from behind me. I heard the headboard shatter before Sol’s eyes widened. In seconds, Lok had shoved Sol away from me and took his place kneeling between my legs. He tore off the red tie around his wrists with his teeth, then shot Sol a dirty look and pointed to the door. “You, out.”

Two Tamagotchi dings and a sore coochie later…

“Are these yix eggs?” I asked. The biggest poached egg I’d ever seen sat in front of me. Slices of buttered bread lay next to it. I was half-tempted to ask where the butter came from but wasn’t sure if I’d like the answer. I gathered a spoonful of egg, sent a small prayer to the stars that dinosaurs didn’t carry salmonella, and took a bite. A bit gamey, but rich.

Lok took a moment to swallow before answering. “No, they won’t lay until early summer. I found these near Fujilly Rock.”

“?’Spose that makes sense. Any idea what they were from?”

He shrugged. “Not a clue. Why do you ask?”

Sol cut off another slice of bread from the loaf in the center of the table, then slabbed a generous portion of jam on it. “She likes to scream at every beast and leaf she sees.”

“I am not screaming at them.”

“Could have fooled me,” he said. Then yelped when I kicked him under the table.

“I’m cataloging them. And it’s not every leaf. Just enough to get a sense of the genetic diversity.”

He nodded agreeably as he chewed. Unfortunate that the man was allergic to actually being agreeable. “Of course. My mistake. She just needs to scream at every leaf she sees until the proper amount of genetic diversity is found.”

“I know you’re saying that to be catty, but you’ve stepped into a huge pile of my hyperfixation, so listen up.”

He fetched another slice of bread from the center of the table. “Oh joy.”

I studied the piece in his hand before asking, “Are you carbo-loading or do you just not like eggs? You’ve already gone through half the loaf.”

“He needs the yeast if he wants to replenish his fire,” Lok said, and slid the rest of the bread over to Sol. “Go ahead and take the rest.” His voice turned low and smug. “Unlike you, I don’t go around wasting fire. You fight like you’ll never run out.”

Sol rolled his eyes as he downed another slice. “Forgive me for not spending my days learning proper battle techniques. Setting your enemies on fire is generally looked down on in court. No matter how deeply satisfying it would have been for a few of them.”

I held up a finger. “Um…quick question: how does bread make fire?”

The two men looked at each other, confused. Lok blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair.

“You don’t know?” I asked.

“Of course we know,” Sol said. But the way his brows knit together suggested otherwise. “It’s just…been a while since health class.”

“Their bodies naturally produce ethanol as a metabolic byproduct.” Intern spoke up from the couch. His eyes were still glued to the screen as he typed away. “When their bellies are full of yeast, they can ferment the ethanol into methane and store it in the gas chambers in their tails.”

Sol drummed his fingers on the table. “Yeah, what he said.”

“AHA!” The three of us jumped at Intern’s outburst. The Biwban had forgone breakfast in favor of sitting on the couch in the living room engrossed in his notes. If it hadn’t been for the faint sound of his typing, I would have forgotten him completely.

“Find something good, Intern?” I asked.

He jumped to his feet and flapped over to our table, snatched the Tamagotchi off Sol’s belt, and flew out the window.

“I’ll…take that as a yes, then.”

“Excitable little thing, isn’t he?” Lok remarked.

Sol shrugged and nudged my arm. “Never mind the bird. Tell us why you scream at leaves. I’m waiting with bated breath over here.”

“Thank you. Enthusiasm is encouraged.” I shoveled a few more bites of food into my maw, then pulled out the pictures on my phone. “I know y’all don’t have any frame of reference for the plants and animals of my home world, but the fact that this planet has so many species from different geologic time periods is madness. Look at this stegosaur eating dandelions. Those two things existed millions of years apart from each other. Yet it’s just munching away. Don’t even get me started on the ground sloth.”

Lok rested his chin on his wrist and flipped through the pictures. “What if I wanted to get you started on the ground sloth?”

“I was so hoping you’d say that. I have a lot of feelings about this.”

Taking the phone from Lok, Sol looked at the picture of the sloth, then his eyes widened in recognition. “Are you talking about the duviff you were yelling at the day we met?”

“You screamed at a duviff?” Lok asked incredulously. “Why? They’re as peaceful as can be so long as you leave them alone.”

“I’m sure they are. But the point is, they don’t belong here either. They’re from the last ice age on my planet. I’m pretty sure I also saw a reindeer running around yesterday. None of these animals belong in a warm climate like this. Yet, Sol, you mentioned your people were dropped on this planet over ten years ago, right?”

“Give or take,” he said.

“I just don’t understand how these creatures are still alive and coexisting with each other like everything is normal.”

“Dory, what did you do before all of this?” Lok asked.

“I was training to get my degree in wildlife biology.”

He cracked a grin before covering his mouth to avoid laughing up egg all over the rest of us. “No wonder you had so many questions about the yix. Still, I had no idea most of this world’s creatures came from your world. What planet do you hail from?”

“Mine was called Earth. You know, now that I think about it, I never asked what this planet is called.”

Then men paused, then looked at each other in confusion. “Did your clan ever decide on a name?” Sol asked Lok.

He shook his head, took the time to swallow, then asked, “You?”

“No. Nobody wanted the responsibility after the last guy.”

“Really?” I asked. “Nobody came up with a name?”

“Oh, there were plenty of names thrown around when we first landed,” Sol began. “The problem was, every remaining world leader—”

“Or any sap in middle management or above,” Lok interjected.

Sol nodded and continued. “Basically any idiot with a thirst for power decided that whoever came up with the planet’s official name became the ruler of it. It was called Bulcovar for a while. Then it kept changing.”

“Why didn’t it just stay Bulcovar?” I asked.

Sol chuckled. “Bulcovar ended up with his head on a pike next to the destroyed sign.”

“Oh.”

“Do you want to name it?” Sol asked.

I swallowed thickly. “No. I don’t think I do.”

“Don’t fret. No one’s going to kill a woman on this planet. You’re too rare.”

“Comforting,” I said dryly.

Lok pounded a fist on the table. “She could probably name it after her right ass cheek and the men in my band would praise the name as scripture.”

“You know, for once I agree with you.” Sol leaned back in his chair and eyed me expectantly. “Well, Stardust, what will it be?”

The nickname threw me for a loop. “Since when do you call me Stardust?”

“What, he’s the only one with nickname privileges?” he asked, pointing his thumb at Lok. “Hardly seems fair.”

“Okay, fine. Stardust it is, I guess. Hmm. Never been asked to name a planet before.”

“The pressure’s on,” Sol teased. “Make it good, lest Bulcovar’s spirit haunt you for the rest of your days.”

Lok flicked a piece of egg at him. He pinched his fingers next to another bit of egg, ready to fire it off. “Be nice.”

“You’re no fun,” Sol grumbled. He turned to me, grabbed the end of my chair, and flipped me around to face him. “Quick, don’t think. Say whatever word pops into your mind. Now.”

Fuck, the pressure of being put on the spot. How does anyone name anything? Do I even speak English or have I been trapped in a fever dream my whole life where everyone was just pretending to understand what I was saying?

“Stop thinking. Any word. Go!”

Somewhere in the panicked recesses of my mind, a word sprang forth. “Waffles!”

Waffles?

Sol released his hold on my chair and crossed his arms over his chest. The men shared a look, then nodded. “I can get behind a name like that.”

Lok picked up his water and raised the glass high. “Long live planet Waffles!”

I scooted my chair back in place, then let my head fall into my hands. I just named a planet after a breakfast food. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and my dumb ass said “waffles.”

There was a scratch at the door. Sol got up and opened it, then nearly took a door to the face when a frantic Toto burst through. He was covered in mud, his mane half-stuck-up like he’d slept on his side.

“Dory!” His paws slammed into my chest, sending both of us to the ground, along with my breakfast.

“Good morning, Toto,” I said flatly.

“Never mind the time of day! Get out your captain’s log. I have important information.”

“I just showered, man.”

“What does that have to do with my important information?” he growled. “Wait, is that food?” He sniffed at the egg splattered all over my face, then licked it.

“Ew, gross! Get your sandpaper tongue off me!” I shoved at his face and rolled from beneath him. He ignored my complaints and gobbled up the egg on the floor.

Lok reached out a hand and helped me up. “How did it go with your new woman, Toto?”

“Incredible.” The word came out muffled around the egg in his mouth. He swallowed and continued. “I barely escaped with my life.”

“Oh shit, are you okay?” I asked, and noticed the claw marks on his back.

“No, I am not okay. I’m so in love I could cry. I just want to settle down with her and any sisters she may have and raise a whole mess of cubs. Now, open up your log!”

Sol returned to his spot at the table. “What’s this about a captain’s log?”

“I’m keeping a research log of all the things I see here, in case I get rescued or something and go back to Earth.”

“You want to leave?” Lok’s question came out in a tone that sucked the heat out of the room, but I was in no mood.

“Don’t start with the crazy mate shit. It’s too early.” I pulled out my phone and set up a new recording. “I’ll need to make one for yesterday anyway; we’ll just pretend we recorded this last night. All right, you start us off,” I said, holding the phone out for Toto.

Toto cleared his throat, and his eyes sparkled with a wistful gleam. “I fell in love today.”

“That’s not research, Toto.”

“It is to me!” he snapped. He breathed deep, then sat down to settle in for his tale. “I saw my reflection in the gleam of her fangs and knew I was nothing without her. Our daughters will expand our territory far beyond where any lion has laid claim before. When we return our bodies to the ground, the land will see my love for her reflected in the might of the sons we leave behind. Let this day mark the first step of our courtship, and let the wounds on my back bear witness to my oath. I will have her!”

Why is the lion more romantic than the last three of my exes?

Sol kneeled next to him and inspected his back. “You just love wasting my med supplies, don’t you?” He shook his head and moved to dig through a pack he’d left on the couch. “Go rinse yourself off. There’s no point cleaning a wound covered in mud.”

“What, this?” Toto asked. “It’s just a scratch. A love mark. I’ll be—”

“Dead of infection in a week if that wound is not properly sanitized,” Sol insisted impatiently. “Do you have any idea how many workplace negligence cases I’ve won because an employer didn’t insist a worker clean the wound after they got injured on the job and it got infected? Too many. Go rinse off.”

Toto’s face scrunched and he looked to me for help, but I merely shrugged. Seeing as I slept through most of my mandated first aid class, I wasn’t really in a position to argue over which wounds would result in a negligence lawsuit. “Go wash off, I guess. I can’t help you.”

“Fine,” he huffed. “How?”

Right. Lion.

“I guess…I will be the one washing you off.”

Toto took to the bath about as well as anyone would expect a lion to take to a bath. Which was very unwell and full of thrashing. The pet shampoo I’d managed to find was meant for puppies above six weeks of age, but anyone in hearing range of Toto’s caterwauling probably thought it was pure acid.

I slipped on the wet tiles of the bathroom floor and fell on my ass. Toto raised his head and prepared to shake and I held my arms up to shield myself. “Toto, no!”

My cry was ignored and the lion shook water and soap everywhere. When he tried to get out of the tub, I clambered my way up, grabbed him in a headlock, and forced him back in. “Oh, you jerk! Be happy I knew to put this shower cap on. If you messed up my hair—”

“What?” he snarled. “You’ll keep bathing me with that foul-smelling slop? Get OFF!” He jerked back, falling onto his back when I let go. Water splashed out of the tub and all over my front.

I wiped the suds from my brow, grabbed him by the front leg, and furiously scrubbed at the mud caked onto his belly. “No, I’ll shave you! I’ll shave your whole stupid mane off and then you’ll be a naked loser the next time you see your big-ass girlfriend. Hold still!”

“Get off me,” he sobbed, pushing against me. “Let me be dry, you vile witch! I’M CLEAN!”

“You’re covered in suds. Just let me rinse you off and this can be over!” He jerked away from me, and I slipped on the tub and into the water.

Somewhere in the mix of soapy water and lion slaps, I thought I heard Intern scream my name. I shoved Toto off me and pulled my head out of the water. “Did you hear that?” I asked.

Toto paused from his whining and sniffed. “The sour bird’s screams? Yes. You should leave me immediately and go check on him.”

“Nice try,” I said, grabbing the shower hose and spraying him.

“NOOOO!”

I kicked the drain loose, letting the disgusting water pour out as I hosed the last of the suds off Toto and then myself.

Intern screamed my name again, much louder, accompanied by the Tamagotchi theme. The jaunty tune grew closer, followed by loud stomping.

“Ugh, what now?” I returned the showerhead to its holder and shot Toto a warning look. “Don’t move.” Of course, as soon as I got out of the tub, he made a mad dash for the door, leaving a trail of water all over the damn floor.

“Dammit all.” I opened up the window to the bathroom and stuck my head out. Then I immediately found myself back on my ass when Intern slammed into my face.

“She’s gonna eat me! She’s gonna eat me!” The bird’s high-pitched wail echoed through the room, and he buried himself against my neck, as if I was going to be able to save him from whatever impending doom he’d just brought to my door.

I shoved him off me and got to my feet. “Slow down. Who is trying to eat you?” My gaze followed his quivering hands as it pointed toward the window. Dread crawled up my spine as I saw it. A colossal yellow eye, framed by pink scales, peered at us through the window.

The T. rex’s gaze lingered on Intern before she shifted her massive head to sniff at us.

The warmth of her breath lingered on my skin. Panic set in, but I fought to maintain composure. “What do we do?” Intern’s voice trembled, mirroring the fear we both felt.

Slowly, I crept backward toward the door. Something bumped my foot and I froze. The dog shampoo.

How sensitive is a T. rex’s nose?

No time to second-guess my theory. I picked up the bottle of shampoo and sprayed as much of it as I could at the T. rex’s nostrils. She let out a cry and withdrew from the window. She sneezed, the rolls on her neck jiggling as she frantically shook her head back and forth before attempting to rub her nose against the dirt. It was then I noticed the missing arm. “That’s the Gruulorak. Did she follow us?”

Intern swallowed thickly. “I…may have tried to milk some of her venom.”

“You tried to milk a T. rex?”

“For your chocolate!” he cried. “These animals had to be crossed with an arachnid-type species from the Sankado’s planet. They produce a numbing agent to paralyze their prey, and if my theory is correct, it could be used to make a similar taste to chocolate.”

“YOU TRIED TO MILK A T. REX?”

“For science!”

Fire cracked against her side in a sickening boom. Sol shot out from the smoke and launched a spear at her throat.

The T. rex dodged with agility that was downright terrifying. Beady eyes locked on as she swiveled around to face Sol. She paused, her head tilted slightly, before bobbing up and down as she scrutinized his presence. Her pupils dilated, then she chattered like a cat that saw a bird in the window.

Sol’s palm lit up and he slowly waved his hand in front of her in wide movements, holding her rapt attention with the allure of a snake charmer. She stepped forward. He shot a fireball directly at her snout and received nothing for his effort. The embers sparkled uselessly across her thick hide.

She crouched low.

A fist closed around my heart. “SOL, RUN!”

The Gruulorak lunged. Their forms disappeared when Lok threw me over his shoulder and took off down the stairs. I raged against him, screaming at him to go back and help Sol. “Wait, we can’t just leave him!”

The usual mirth was gone from his voice, replaced by a startling hardness. “We can, and we will. Sol is a hunter. He’ll prove his worth or he won’t.”

“That’s insane. Put me down!” I yelled. I thrashed against his hold, trying to break free. “Look, we may not have to fight it. She backed off when I squirted this shampoo in her face. If their noses are as sensitive as I think they are, we might be able to use it to chase her off.”

He ignored me and ran toward the rope fence he used as a makeshift yix stable. In quick movements, he threw me onto Blossom’s back and cut the rope. Intern flew to a pocket on her saddle and tucked himself inside. All at once, the yix panicked and took off running. I peered back toward the house to see Sol fire at the Gruulorak’s head before darting toward the house with the broken roof. He plastered himself against the wall, only diving out of the way in time for the T. rex to crash into it. The house groaned before chunks of drywall and wooden beams fell. I heard Sol cry out, but I couldn’t see him through the cloud of dust.

The Gruulorak stood and shook herself off. Her head snapped to Sol pinned under a chunk of drywall. Dread pooled in my gut and I pleaded to the man hauling me onto the saddle. “Lok, listen to me! We can save him!”

He jumped on behind me and kicked Blossom into a run, then pulled me against him when I nearly flung myself off. “No, you listen. The Gruulorak will snap you up faster than either of us can blink. Whether or not you believe you are our Zhali, you cannot die.”

“Dammit, Lok, we can’t just leave him!”

“If you die saving him, I’ll kill him myself,” he said darkly. He pulled me farther against him. “You want to help him so badly, be still and let me protect you.”

Listening to him would be the smart thing to do. The correct thing to do. I honestly couldn’t tell which one of us was more surprised when my feet hit the ground. It made no sense. If someone asked me any other day if I’d ever run headfirst at a T. rex with nothing but a bottle of dog shampoo as a weapon to save a man I’d met two days earlier, I would have laughed in their face.

I freed the cap from the bottle and flung it. Blue goop splattered across the Gruulorak’s snout. She recoiled in disgust, turning away from Sol in her sneezing fit. His arms were straining to lift the drywall off his leg, and I ran to his side and pushed at it with all my might.

Confusion flicked across Sol’s face at the sight of me, but only momentarily, and then he reverted back to the grumpy bastard I’d decided to risk my life for, for some ungodly reason. “By the sands of the shifting desert, what do you think you’re doing?” he shouted.

“Ordering a fucking latte, what’s it look like I’m doing?” I snapped. My poor excuse for muscles strained for all they were worth, barely managing to lift the drywall another inch off him. The T. rex rubbed her face on the ground. No telling how much time she’d need to remember her prey.

“We’re about to die and you want to have an attitude? Stop wasting time and get out of here!”

I gritted my teeth and shoved harder. “You have such an off-putting way of saying ‘thank you.’ Work on it.”

Because this planet was a giant wad of “fuck Dory and the ship she crashed in on,” it started to rain. Pour, actually. My feet slipped in the newly formed mud. Sol lurched with a pained gasp as the drywall slipped from my grip. Cursing, I braced myself and shoved, damn near falling forward when the hunk of debris lurched away from me.

Lok lifted it over his head with a grunt and threw it to the side. He grabbed Sol by the front of his coat and threw him onto Beast’s back. I barely had time to squeak in surprise before I, too, was slung, over Blossom. Lok whistled, and the beasts took off at a run.

The T. rex roared and shot after us. Fat bullets of rain pelted against my face, obscuring the wall of teeth that snapped far too close to my side.

Heat radiated from Lok before the world flashed with each blast he fired off. The balls of fire peppering into her side did nothing but enrage the T. rex, which forwent Sol entirely to focus on chasing us.

Lightning flashed bright enough to blind us all. Blossom tripped on something in the confusion, and Lok and I were flung off her back and into the mud. I landed hard on my side, head spinning from the fall. The duckbill let out a bloodcurdling scream as fangs sank into the base of her tail. The Intern struggled out of the saddle’s pocket and tried to fly away. The T. rex’s focus shifted immediately, releasing Blossom to snap at the Biwban. Intern shrieked as he dodged. The Gruulorak stomped on Blossom’s side in an attempt to catch the intern. Blossom wheezed out a panicked call before thrashing desperately underfoot.

A spear planted itself in the Gruulorak’s neck. Not deep enough to kill her, apparently, but just enough to cause the Gruulorak to stumble back, allowing room for Blossom to wiggle free.

Sol appeared out of the rain like a phantom to plant another blade in the T. rex’s neck. From his enraged shout, I knew it wasn’t deep enough. Her hide was too thick. He yanked the spear free and aimed to plunge it in her eye, but the Gruulorak shifted her weight and kicked Sol off. He rolled into the fall, then shot to his hooves. Instead of aiming another attack, he turned and ran toward me, scooping me up and flinging me back into Lok’s outstretched arms. “Get her out of here,” he shouted over the chaos.

With the pounding rain all but rendering my senses useless, I could do nothing but cling to the saddle for dear life until the angry snarls of the Jurassic horror faded into the distance.