She huffed out a breath. “Yeah, I got that.”
“You could have killed my brothers, all their crew. Out here, you can’t be Patrol, Nissa. Your loyalty has to be to your team, to the hunt.”
Her eyes gleamed in the dappled shade. “I know. Now.”
He shook his head, angry at both of them. “Just let me work off some steam, okay?”
Suddenly her eyes widened. “Justyn, look out!”
He saw a flash of red then something engulfed him. He was lifted off the ground, something red covering his face and upper body, trying to smother him. His machete slipped from his fingers. He twisted and turned, kicking out with his boots.A high-pitched shriek sounded in his ears. Arching his neck, he looked up…
Into themouthof the neon flower.
The protuberances were waving wildly now, reaching for him. They were sticky with a clear substance that smelled sweet.
Fuck. He tried to pull his arms up but they were trapped by his sides. He thrashed more, trying to find any way to free himself. “Nissa!”
A drop of the sticky, clear fluid slowly dripped down and touched his shoulder.
It sizzled through his shirt and burned his skin.
With a curse, he renewed his struggles. His hand gripped the petals surrounding him, but they were tough and rubbery, and he couldn’t get a proper hold. Reaching down, he found his boot, his fingers searching by touch for his knife. He wasn’t ready to die, dammit, and he sure as fuck wasn’t going to die by getting eaten by a damn flower.
The mouth got nearer and he pulled his head as low as he could. He couldn’t reach the blade. “Nissa!”
“Hang on!” Her muffled voice reached him.
Suddenly, the flower screeched again. It started shaking and writhing, throwing Justyn around so hard his brain felt scrambled.
Then sunlight blinded him as the monster plant dumped him on the ground.
Heaving in air, he looked up.
Nissa stood over him, a stream of sunlight that had managed to break through the canopy highlighting her from behind. She still held the machete up, and it dripped with green fluid. She looked like an avenging angel.
One sexy, kick-ass avenging angel.
He got to his hands and knees, still feeling a bit shaky. “I was about to become lunch…for a damn flower.”
She snorted out a laugh. He shot her a narrow stare.
Her smile flatlined, even though humor still danced in her eyes. “Sorry. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He got to his feet and grabbed her, lightning fast. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, then released her. “I’m still mad at you, but thanks for the rescue.”
She licked her lips. “You would have done the same for me.”
He’d take on the whole galaxy to protect her. He took a step and something crunched under his boot, derailing his thoughts. “What the hell?’
Justyn kicked at the carpet of dead leaves that lay covering the ground. That crunching sound had been more than disintegrating foliage. Bones. Old, picked clean, and bleached white. He swiped again at the leaves. Many more bones. He took in the skeleton of what looked like a bird and another of some sort of a monkey-like creature.
“I think we discovered what happened to all the animals around here,” he said.
Nissa grimaced. “Something ate them.”
“Let’s get to the hill, set the beacon, and get off this rock.”
“Best thing I’ve heard all day.”
