Page 9 of Tharn’s Hunt (Barbarians of the Dust #2)

HOW TO KEEP YOUR FRAGILE, SCREECHING FEMALE ALIVE (A HUNTER'S GUIDE)

THARN

T he sound comes first.

The clicking. High and sharp. Splitting the air like a bone spear against raw stone. My claws flex as I whip toward the entrance.

And there it is.

A shadowmaw.

Sleek and low to the ground, its body ripples with hard, black plates that catch the light as it moves. Its head is long and narrow, lined with serrated teeth. It slinks into the cave with those unnaturally smooth movements that make them terrifying in the dark.

It shouldn’t be here. Not while Ain’s light still shines. It has scented Jah-kee, but something has driven it here—hunger perhaps, or something worse. It lunges, bouncing off the wall, but it can’t get to her. Not without going through me.

Behind me, Jah-kee releases a piercing scream. The sound cuts through me, but it only heightens my determination.

She is unwell with the fire raging beneath her skin. Unwell with the wound on her leg and the one I myself inflicted on her wrist. She cannot defend herself.

I will not let her come to harm.

I bare my fangs, lowering myself into a crouch. “ You will not have her ,” I tell the shadowmaw, the thought vibrating hard in the mindspace. The shadowmaw tenses, its long, sinewy tail flicking behind it. Then it lunges.

Its weight slams into me, sending us both crashing into the cave wall. Teeth snap inches from my neck, its breath hot and foul. I snarl, twisting my body to pin it down, but it’s fast. Too fast. It slithers free, claws raking across my side, and I hiss as lifeblood slicks my skin.

Behind me, Jah-kee screams again, her voice raw and terrified. I can hear her scrambling, her back hitting the wall. She’s trapped. The cave is too small. There’s nowhere for her to go.

The shadowmaw moves toward her again. What an annoying ka’vrakt. It is relentless.

I lunge, catching its hind leg and dragging it back. My claws dig deep into its scaly hide, and it screeches in fury, whipping around to snap at me. I take the blow, its teeth sinking into my shoulder, hot pain flaring as lifeblood flows.

I don’t stop.

I drive my claws into its flank, twisting hard. The shadowmaw thrashes, trying to dislodge me, but I hold firm, snarling as I force it away from Jah-kee. My lifeblood splatters the stone, but it doesn’t matter.

I will bleed for her. This small, angry, loud little thing that I have come to care for the moment I knew of her existence.

The creature lunges again, its jaws aiming for my throat. I duck low, slashing upward with all the strength I have left. My claws rip through its neck, severing something vital.

The shadowmaw thrashes, its sounds growing frantic. Lifeblood spills over my claws.

I do not release my grip.

Not until the screeching stops. Not until the body goes limp. Not until I am certain, absolutely certain, that it poses no threat to Jah-kee.

For a moment, the cave is silent except for the ragged sound of my breathing.

I turn to Jah-kee.

She is pressed against the far wall, her strange weapon clutched in her hands. Her eyes are wide, pupils dilated with fear. And she is trembling.

Something cracks in my chest.

She is afraid. Of the shadowmaw? Of me?

I lower myself slowly, sheathing my claws as I huff softly. The movement pulls at the torn flesh of my shoulder, but I ignore it. I keep my movements slow, calm, despite the battle-blood still singing in my veins.

Alarm goes through me when her eyes lose the blue, rolling over to display pure white before she fights to steady herself again. Still fighting to remain vigilant. She is very unwell. Her breathing too rapid. The fire beneath her skin too much.

We cannot stay here. Shadowmaws are never alone. This shelter is no longer safe.

I need to take her somewhere secure. Somewhere I can protect her while her body fights the illness that has claimed her. Somewhere with water, with healing herbs.

Home.

I will take her home.

“ Jah-kee ,” I project. Her gaze flickers to my face, then to the corpse of the shadowmaw, then back to me. Her body trembles like something caught in the cold.

“ We must go now ,” I try again, the thought heavy with urgency. This place is no longer safe. The shadowmaw’s presence here—it defies the laws of Ain. It’s a warning. A sign.

I reach for her, moving slowly, cautiously, not wanting to frighten her further. She watches me, those water-blue eyes fixed on mine. For a moment, I think she understands.

Then her eyes roll back once more. Only this time, they don’t right themselves. Her weapon clatters to the stone floor, and she crumples.

I catch her before she can hit the ground, cradling her overheated body against my chest. The light in my skin roars to life where we touch, racing across my skin and sinking into hers.

There is no time to wonder at it now.

I gather her close, securing her against me with one arm while I collect the waterskin and medicinal pouch with the other. The food I must leave behind. Perhaps the shadowmaws hunting this female will sate themselves in what is left of the sandfin and cease their pursuit of her.

With Jah-kee held securely against my chest, I step over the shadowmaw's corpse and out into Ain's harsh light. Her body is limp. A small, burning weight in my arms.Her life-force feels thin, a flickering flame threatening to be extinguished by the slightest breeze.

I press my nose to her temple, inhaling her scent, and my dra-kir thunders in my chest. She is small. Fragile.

And she is mine.

I must move quickly.

I must get her home.

I must save her.

JACQUI

The sun beats down. It feels like it’s trying to crush me into the sand, turning me into nothing more than dust.

Perhaps that’s why this planet is so desolate. Maybe it’s not covered in sand…maybe it’s the remains of crushed bones from unfortunates like myself.

But I’m not on the ground.

I’m being carried.

His arms are solid around me, holding me close, his skin cool where it touches mine. My head lolls against his chest, and I can feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath my cheek.

It’s faster than I’d expect, frantic even, but the rhythm of it is…comforting.

Something to focus on as my consciousness wanes in and out.

Where his arms meet my fevered skin, his golden glow pulses softly, like trapped sunlight. It’s beautiful. If I weren’t so weak, I’d lift my hand to touch it.

But I can’t.

I’m so, so tired.

A sob slips out before I can stop it, barely a sound, but enough to shake my chest. The tears abruptly follow, spilling down my cheeks despite how I try to hold them back.

I don’t want to die.

Not here. Not like this.

Not until I’ve seen my sister again.

The alien stiffens beneath me, his muscles bunching suddenly. The movement presses me tighter against his chest.

“ No ,” he growls, not in my ears, but in my skull .The vibration of it is a shock.

So…he can talk. His hand moves awkwardly to my face, clawless now as he clumsily tries to…wait…what is he…is he trying to push the tears back into my skin? “ No, precious one. Do not do this .”

A desperate thumb tries to force a particularly large tear back into my eye.

“ You must conserve your water. Do not lose hope. You must hold on a little longer. ”

His voice scrapes something raw inside me. A place so vulnerable it aches. Because this alien, this stranger, is now the only thing standing between me and death in this wasteland.

A sob rips free before I can choke it back.

His reaction is instantaneous. Almost frantic. A calloused palm smears against my cheek, catching tears before they can vanish into the dust. Like each one is a drop of water he can’t afford to lose. Like I’m something he can’t afford to lose.

“Stop that,” I murmur. “You can’t just… push them back in.”

He speeds up. The world around us blurs as he moves faster, his breathing ragged, his heart hammering wildly beneath my jaw. I snuggle closer to it, letting its rhythm soothe me even as my body burns with fever.

It’s nice. His heartbeat.

Strong. Steady. Powerful.

Like him. This strange golden being that somehow exists.

I smile. This has been a dream, hasn't it. He’s not really here, and I’m…

“I’m dreaming of someone holding me. Someone golden,” I murmur.

The world drifts, liquid and hazy. I’m struck by the strange sense of things floating, drifting. Him. Me. The world around us. Everything soft and blurred at the same time.

“ Jah-kee ,” his voice—or something like it—cuts through the haze. So deep. So full of command but still not in my ears. In my head. Ah, fuck. I’m dreaming about him talking to me. “ You will not die. I will not allow it .”

The words hang in the space between us, vibrating through me, and I blink slowly, trying to focus on his face. It’s hard to think, to breathe.

“ You’re so dramatic,” I murmur.

It’s so easy to communicate. As if the barrier between my mind and the world has thinned.

As if I am closer to the center of the universe.

A part of me notices this, some part tucked away in the back of my fever-riddled mind, but it feels inconsequential.

Just a detail in this strange dream that I won’t question until I wake up.

Like his dark, metallic blood. Wait. He’s bleeding. It catches my eye, seeping from the wound on his shoulder and running down his arm in slow, glistening rivulets.

“ Hey ,” I slur, my head lolling against his chest. “ I don’t… I don’t want you to die either .”

His gaze snaps to mine, and he stumbles, the disbelief in his eyes crystal clear.

For a moment, I think he’s about to drop me, but his grip tightens.

“ You… ” He sounds stunned. “ Can hear me ?”

“ Of course I can hear you ,” I say, struggling to keep him in focus. The world tilts drunkenly, and his face swims in and out of my vision, golden eyes flickering like lit candles through the haze. “ I’m not deaf. Just… a little dumb .”

His steps falter. The light in his skin flares brighter. “ This is not possible ,” his voice is ragged. “ I have not… claimed you. I have not even licked you yet .”

He…what?

I’m hearing things that don’t make sense. I really am not well.

“ How did you enter the mindspace ?”

“ Mindspace ?” I repeat, frowning. “ I don’t know what that is. I’m just talking to you. With my mouth. You know, like normal people ?”

The way he’s looking at me, it’s like he’s searching for answers I don’t have. “ Your mouth is not moving .”

I blink slowly. “ Huh. Weird .”

My head swims, the fever pulling me under in waves, but I cling to the sound of that deep, steady, grounding voice.

“ Jah-kee ,” he says again. My name comes out so thick with emotion it’s almost unrecognizable. “ Do not leave me. Stay awake .”

I manage a weak laugh. “ Wouldn’t dream of it, Goldilocks.You’re kind of growing on me.”

But I don’t hear his response, if any. The world tilts, the heat and exhaustion finally dragging me down. The last thing I remember is his heartbeat, frantic but steady beneath my cheek, and the faint glow of his skin lighting the darkness behind my eyelids.