Page 22 of Keeping Freya (Warriors of Arracate #3)
Freya
T he mood is tense as the ship descends towards the planet’s surface. T’Rak strapped me into the chair himself, the big softie, so there’s nothing for me to do but sit and enjoy the ride. I don’t want to enjoy any of it, but secretly, I am loving what I see.
As a captive, I have never sat front row to the wonders of space travel.
We were mainly kept in cages, locked in the ship’s Cargo Bays, if we were lucky.
My stomach feels funny when we hit the planet’s atmosphere.
It feels like the ship just dropped a few feet before a strange sensation pulls us in.
We hit the planet’s atmosphere, and within moments, we are enveloped in big white fluff — as if we’re going through the biggest cloud you can imagine.
There’s a faint green hue–like neon green.
It’s mystical and magical, and though I hate space and everything about it, I can’t deny its beauty.
I look down when we pass the gassy barrier and the sky is clear again.
All I see is green. Green everywhere. Dark greens, light greens, and everything in between.
I guess there are a couple of large spots of blue, dark blue, which would be deep seas.
The sky is cloudy, and the closer we get to the service, the more I see birds everywhere.
“A jungle planet!” Admiration sounds through my voice.
I have never seen anything like it. T’Rak grunts, but that grunt can mean anything, so I ignore him.
It takes everything in me not to remove my seatbelt and run towards the window like a child.
I don’t want to miss any detail of this beautiful place, but one side-eying glance at the captain makes me decide I should stay put.
I look at him instead. His focus on landing the ship is intense.
He has multiple screens pulled up and pushes buttons all over the place.
I feel something inside my chest. Is that…
the bond? I rub my sternum, and the feeling intensifies when I look at him.
To be the object of that determined focus.
I bet he would always make sure I would cum when we - Woooow woow wow, Freya, hold your horses!
I scold myself. Just because we’re testing the boundaries of how physical we can get, does not mean I’m having sex with this Alien.
But maybe… if it could just be a harmless flirtation?
Before I force myself to look out the window, I glance at T’Rak one last time.
His biceps are bulging as he leans his chin on his fist while he studies something.
The dark tattoos across his gray skin–and all those muscles.
I never knew I had a thing for arms, but he is the definition of arm porn right now.
Shaking my head, I look outside again. We are so close to the surface! We are flying through the tallest of the trees, and I notice we are flying lower and lower. That’s when I spot a small clearing ahead.
“Are you going to land the ship there?”
T’Rak grunts in response, and this time, I know he means yes. Fidgeting with my clothes, I take everything in—the planet is beautiful, but it’s also scary—so very scary .
“Hold on tight, I am going to put her down,” he says, and I grip the armrests of my chair. A small plunge and a shock later, and the ship is on the ground.
I applaud the captain for a safe landing, but he just looks at me funny. Sticking out my tongue, I unbuckle myself and finally walk towards the window. T’Rak is silent as he comes to stand beside me.
After a while, he nudges my shoulder and speaks. “Come, we must not waste time. We have quite the hike to make before determining if we have found the Den.”
I follow him to the Cargo Bay, where we don protective suits, and he hands me my weapons: two rolls filled with knives and one very futuristic-looking blaster.
“How does it work?” I hold the blaster out to him. He steps closer and shows me the trigger.
“You aim and then you pull this. You can stop shooting when nobody is moving, not a moment sooner.”
I give him a reassuring smile. “Yes, sir.”
The suits are different from when we entered the ship at the asteroid.
The material is thin, and though firm, it feels very breathable.
The suit's tech automatically adjusts to my body type and makes me feel empowered. We are taking an external comm unit with us. T’Rak has altered it so we can listen to conversations, but nobody can hear us.
He hands it to me, and I put it in a pocket on my thigh.
The knives go to two other pockets, and the blaster goes into my belt.
“I am ready, Freddy!”
With a glare, he opens the airlock, and I try to stop him. “No! You forgot the helmets!”
“We do not need them here, Fr’Ya. The atmosphere is safe and healthy.”
I bite my lip. “Are you sure?”
He nods. “I would never put you in any danger.”
I know that, but unease curls in my stomach, and I hold my breath when I hear the hydraulic system starting to open the doors.
T’Rak gives me a reassuring look as he jumps out before the doors are even completely open. I creep closer, the need to breathe becoming overwhelming. Since T’Rak seems to be doing just fine, I release my breath with a whoosh.
The bright sun has me squinting, and I put my hand above my eyes, still breathing hard.
We are in the middle of a clearing. It’s silent—like something spooked the jungle.
Which, I guess, we could have done by landing.
A landing dock has unfolded, and I walk down until I’m standing on the planet’s surface.
A hesitant chirping sound comes from the edge of the jungle, and before long, it turns into a cacophony of sounds.
Slowly, I turn around. I haven’t been out in nature since I got kidnapped. A tear escapes my eye. Fresh air, the ground beneath me, the open sky above me.
“Are you well?”
With a smile, I turn back to T’Rak. “I will be.” And in that moment, I know with absolute certainty that I will be alright again.
T’Rak gives me a nod and closes the ship’s doors. “We go that way.” He points a certain way and starts walking. I rush after him into the dense foliage.
“What kind of suit are we wearing anyway? It’s different from the one we wore the other day.”
“Climate control,” he answers. “We have different suits for different occasions. This one comes in handy for exploration.”
“So, does it also regulate body heat when you’re somewhere cold?”
He grunts in agreement, and I pull at the fabric.
It feels weird, but the concept is genius.
Leaves crush under my boots as we walk, and when I look down, I see the ground is covered in vegetation.
We walk past huge tree trunks that can only be matched by those Giant Sequoia trees in the national parks.
Vines hang from different branches, connecting different trees, and I marvel at all the new impressions.
The air is humid, and I'm grateful for our suits when a warm wind blows past us. T’Rak walks in front of me, clearing a path as we go, and I gladly follow in his tracks.
He’s careful not to walk too fast, and he checks in with me every few minutes.
It’s sweet, but I’m a strong independent woman, so when he checks in for the fortieth time, I roll my eyes at him.
“I was good 5 minutes ago and am still good now. I am tough, remember? I promise I will tell you if I’m tired or need water or other stuff, okay? You are the big, bulky leader, and you carry the pack. I follow and be needy when I feel needy. Happy, buttercup?”
He grunts but refrains from being overprotective for the next mile or so. I call that a win.
I follow T’Rak through a particular dense patch of bush, and suddenly we are standing on a wide path.
It’s clearly made, though I don’t think it is well-traveled, because the overgrowth has managed to sneak up on it in many places.
Still, T’Rak wordlessly pushes me back into the cover of the jungle.
“First, we rest and drink water. Then we follow the path.” I nod. That sounds like a solid plan to me.
Our break is quick and efficient. Before stepping onto the path again, T’Rak tells me to activate the communication device and turns on his wrist com scanners. I still feel tense, but he makes me feel like he has everything under control, and I decide that will have to do.
Our journey just got way easier, and after what I think are two more hours, T’Raks stops and leads me back into the bush. He pulls up an image from his scanners and shows me the map of the area.
“We are close now. We will continue through the jungle, so we will not be spotted as easily as on the road. Now is the time to decide where you want to hide: here or closer to the settlement.”
I think about that for a moment. Over here, I’m relatively safe. If I climb into one of those trees, nobody will see me and know I’m here. I won’t know what happens with T’Rak, and I have to trust that he will come back to me. Closer to the town, I am way more vulnerable, but I have more control…
“Okay, I will stay here for now. But if you are not back by nightfall, I am coming for you, so you’d better be back.” He smiles, but I’m not done yet. “And another thing. I want to be closer when the real action happens, so you have to find me a good hiding spot, close to the town.”
“I will,” he says. Then we pick a tree, and before he helps me up towards the first branches, he pulls me against him in a fierce embrace. Our kiss is short but sweet.
“Come back to me,” I whisper.
“Always,” he grunts before lifting me and walking away.