Page 38

NATALIE

N ever, ever run.

Not from a predator.

Especially when you’re alone and naked in a foreign location.

Unless you love the fucking monster and promised him a chase in the jungle. And a mating mark.

Keeping a wary eye on the towering T-rex, I carefully stepped over the slippery rocks to softer moss. “I should really have shoes and clothes for this.”

:No time,: he growled. :Besides, if you’re so fucking powerful, you ought to be able to run without hurting yourself. Or are your puny, tender human feet too delicate for a little fun?:

“It’s not my feet I’m worried about,” I muttered, scanning the ground to get the lay of the land. Should I run down the volcano toward the lake? Or across the treacherous slopes leading to the even steeper, higher volcano?

:Any humans in the area?: I asked Rizan.

:Down toward Santiago Atitlán, absolutely. There are several hikers camping on the outskirts of the village and indigenous people closer to the lake.:

So treacherous, steep terrain up the other volcano. Greeeaaaaat.

:Piece of pie, right?: His bird-call laughter echoed eerily in the night. :I uploaded a fresh terrain mapping for you.:

Gingerly, I started across the open area toward the dark forest.

Swift and silent despite his huge size, Axxol suddenly breathed on my nape. Hot drool splattered down my back. The wild, musky smell of dynos filled my nose, sending my pulse skyrocketing.

:You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.: He snapped his jaws an inch away from my face, and I couldn’t help but squeak with alarm, flinching away. :I want you to fucking run, little human. Run for your life. Cry and scream and try to get away from me. At least make me work a little for my food.:

Logically, I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. Not on purpose.

But when he roared deep and loud, on and on and on…

I ran.

Slipping through the trees, leaping over sharper rocks, throwing myself over fallen logs.

Low branches and bushes snagged at my hair and scratched my bare body in fine, stinging lines.

Sweat dotted my skin, quickly cooling in the nighttime breeze.

If this was a real excursion, I’d worry about hypothermia and exposure, but somehow I didn’t think the giant T-rex was going to let me shiver in the cold for long before he had me pinned beneath him.

Lust spiked through me, heating my body even more. Adrenaline still pumped through my veins, but I knew exactly what was coming as soon as he caught me.

And I can’t fucking wait.

The earth felt good beneath my bare feet.

Rich loam, pine needles, soft leaves. Using Rizan’s mapping, I stuck to the less rocky areas.

Night birds called in the trees. Animals chittered to each other from their hiding places.

Silent wings drifted from tree to tree, not Rizan but a large owl in search of prey.

The scent of woodsy pine filled my nose with the faint, underlying scent of sulfur dioxide, reminding me of the latent danger sleeping beneath the forest.

Technically, this volcano could erupt at any moment and kill us all. Though of course Axxol could jump us anywhere before that happened.

I leaped over a deep crack in the earth without pausing.

Elation surged through me. I’d never been able to run like this.

Especially not as a graduate student burning the midnight oil in the library instead of exercising.

I felt strong and fast, running like a gazelle or a cheetah, simply because it felt good to move so easily.

Now I knew why Axxol had chosen to start our chase now rather than wait for Kroktl to come back. Though I’d never tell him he was right.

I am so incredibly strong and fast. I’m smart. Generous. Loyal. I love wide open with my whole heart. Even assholes who don’t know how to feel soft, gushy emotions and would rather snap teeth and watch the heads of his enemies roll.

:Nah,: Axxol rumbled through my mind. :I’m more of an eat their heart out kind of guy. Riz likes to saw through spines.:

I heard the heavy thuds of his footsteps behind me. Branches snapped as he pushed his massive rex through the forest. I felt badly for the trees. Too many chases like this, and it’d look like the volcano had leveled the entire forest. He made a low, deep whuff, sucking in air loudly. Scenting me.

Judging exactly how tender and juicy I’d be when he took a bite.

As a human, I wasn’t used to being prey.

It was demeaning in a way—but also hot as fuck.

His jaws gaped, his tongue sampling the air as he made a pleased rumble.

He knew exactly how turned on I was. He could smell it.

Taste the heat rising in my core. My thighs slipped together, sticky with my own desire.

Though now that he had me on the run, I refused to make it easy for him. It was too fun—for both of us.

I dodged into a canyon, carefully leaping from boulder to boulder, winding my way higher.

The last one was a bit too tall for me, so I had to dig in and climb.

Easily hauling myself up the giant rock.

A cliff rose above me into the darkness.

Maybe ten or twenty feet? On the edge, thick trees and brush would make it hard for Axxol to follow.

I started climbing. My palms and soles stung, rubbed raw from the rocks, but the small pain only fueled me. When had I ever been able to climb rock walls or cliffs before?

Never, that’s when. My handhold slipped and smaller pebbles and dirt rained down into my face.

:Don’t make me send Riz in to catch your ass,: Axxol growled.

The muscles in my arms and thighs burned with exertion by the time I crawled over the edge. Panting, I braced on my hands and knees for a moment, letting my heart rate steady. I peeked over the edge and my stomach dipped. I can’t believe I climbed that far.

Off to my right, a loud barking call rang out. The raptor had joined the hunt.

Leaping to my feet, I ran into the thicker trees. Dark gloom made it harder for me to see anything, slowing my pace. I tried to use the map on the grid, but even Riz couldn’t map out the hollows, stumps, and fallen logs in the overgrown forest.

Kroktl had no such issues. I saw the red glare of his eyes flashing in the darkness, ever closer.

I couldn’t outrun him unless I had a car or a motorcycle. Though I certainly wouldn’t be able to navigate the rough terrain in any vehicle. He wanted me to see his eyes. He wanted me to hear his raptor’s call, so I’d run in the opposite direction.

I played along—for a bit. Slowing my pace so I could catch my breath and come up with a plan. They played by Dynosauros strategies. Kroktl ran point for the squad, driving me deliberately where Axxol lay in wait. Using Kroktl’s heat sensors, Rizan kept me pinpointed on the grid for Axxol.

They knew exactly where I was.

Keeping my thoughts as shielded as possible, I decided to change up the game.

I jumped.

AXXOL

She thought she was so fucking clever. If only she really understood how alphas worked. Let alone a BGR+.

I’d already calculated all the possible strategies she’d try. Yeah, she was clever. For a human. That sounded mean and for once, I didn’t mean it to be. She didn’t know about warfare and killing. Despite the mrions improving her systems, she’d never be a predator.

Thank the fucking universe.

I liked my little human prey. The way she smiled. Her laugh. Her torturous scent. Her softness a siren call I’d cross the universe a million times to touch again.

As soon as the blue fire started to flare around her, I jumped too. Directly into her forming ring.

I tore it the fuck apart, shredding through her tenuous jump like it was fucking tissue paper.

Then I shoved my snout directly into her stomach, hard enough to knock her back a pace but carefully controlled, teeth covered.

I didn’t want her to fall on the ground and risk spraining something, or worse, slice her delicate belly open.

As I expected, she reflexively grabbed at my face for balance.

Her hands on my scales. Her skin on my thin lips. So fucking good. Tempting. I couldn’t help but swipe my tongue down her belly, even though its rough surface wasn’t a comfortable sensation for her.

She flinched away, releasing my head. Staggered and stumbled back, her eyes huge.

I threw my head back and bellowed out my loudest roar. Rumbling the earth. Terrifying humans for miles. I didn’t fucking care. :Fucking RUN!:

Whirling away, she tore through the forest, stumbling because she kept looking back over her shoulder.

Fuck yeah. I ran after her, deliberately thudding the ground with every step, breathing heavy and loud.

Licking her naked back. Her shoulder. A long swipe of my tongue up her butt crack made her squeal.

Fucking delicious.

She ran like a rabbit, dodging side to side, as if she thought she could lose me. Stumbling over hidden obstacles. Tiring.

So I sent Red in to give her an edge and extend the hunt a little longer.

Ducking through the undergrowth, he swept her up against his chest. With an explosion of speed, he quickly pulled away, disappearing through the trees. Running far more silently than our little human ever could despite his size.

Now came the psychological chase. I hunted them both, using my longer stride to cut ahead so I could suddenly crash through the undergrowth right beside him. I swung my head at him, knocking him flying, head over tail in a roll.

He sprang up with a rattling snarl and kept right on running.

He knew where I was. I knew where he was. It was still a game.

I could thump him harder than anything on this planet and know he’d still get up and keep right on running.

Because that’s what we fucking do. Especially Tri-Rs bred to run.

Though he got his hits in on me too. His tail was more prehensile and dexterous than mine.

He managed to poke me in the fucking eye and pissed me the fuck off.

I slammed into him hard enough he lost his grip on Natalie.

Screaming, she went sailing over his shoulder.

I snagged her in my front limbs, shorter than Red’s but nowhere near as ridiculously diminutive as humans portrayed rexes.

I’d rather have her in my jaws, but this was supposed to be fun and games, and not even a BGR in rut would risk giving her another infection. I’d never hear the fucking end of it.

Red leaped on my shoulder, digging in teeth and claws, screeching with fury. The scent of blood—my blood—stirred my lust even more. I smashed him through a giant pine and shook him off.

Bleeding victorious, I roared again, though this one was deeper, lower, the alpha threat all my squad would heed. Cease and desist.

Or get eaten.

The female against my chest moaned.

Time for my fucking feast.