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Little lizard birds startled from a tree in front of us in a flash of wings the same bright-green as the leaves. Their cheeps made a high-pitched ruckus, and a huff of delight burst from me.
The alien growled something, his fingers tightening on my thighs.
Somebody sure was grumpy.
Then asshole guard stepped out from behind a tree trunk and aimed a gun.
My heart leaped into my throat, and time slowed to a horrified crawl as a burst of red light streaked straight toward us.
CHAPTER FOUR
Raxnor
My rulaa tingled with my mate’s presence in a continuous hum of delight. Then a bitter note cut across her sweet song. The high shrieks of a flock of winged lizards taking flight were all the extra warning I needed.
A Tula guard slid out of hiding and raised his blaster.
My foot hit the ground, and in that split second, my body jolted in a new direction. I leaped right without turning my torso, the burden on my back too precious to expose, even to a stun bolt.
The shot hit my shoulder in a flash of electricity that made my entire arm go numb.
My mate’s leg slipped as my hand failed, and a jolt of anxiety shot through me as I tried to order my left arm to work.
“I’m fine!” she called out, releasing her legs and sliding down my back. “You can’t fight while carrying me!”
Admiration washed through me. Frek, she was both smart and practical. The Goddess had truly given me a gift.
As soon as her hands slipped from me, I lunged forward, ramming my numb shoulder into the Tula’s chest. We collided with a meaty thump, followed by a choked gasp as I drove the air from his lungs. His blaster went flying.
I kept my shoulder pressed into him, driving him backward and off-balance as my free hand went for my gun.
Just in time.
A second Tula stepped out from behind another tree.
I shot. The red stun bolt hit her square on the chest. But Tula’s were tough frekkers. It would take a few stuns before she passed out.
She roared and shot back.
I shoved with my thighs, angling us so her partner took the bolt in the back. Then I shot her again, right in the face, shorting out her nervous system, so she dropped to the ground.
The first Tula rammed a fist into my ribs in a breath-stealing stab of pain. He slapped the gun from my hand and shoved away to get better fighting distance.
I snapped out a kick, catching him just above the knee, and his throat pouch swelled into a yellow balloon in instinctive anger. I jabbed at this weakness.
But this Tula was trained. He sucked his pouch in before I could puncture it.
We traded a few rounds of blows, each grunting at the impacts. If I’d been able to use both arms, this would have been over by now. But I couldn’t protect my left side, and my opponent took advantage of that weakness, hitting the same spot on my ribs over and over until each breath dug knives into my side.
No! I refused to fail my soul’s breath.
Then she darted into view, waving her arms. “Hey, asshole! Over here!”
The Tula spun, distracted, and his meaty tail landed right on top of a dravar flower. All of its large yellow petals wrapped around his tail and clung, gluing him to the spot.
It was all the opening I needed.
I stepped, pivoting to put all my momentum behind my punch. My right hip whipped forward, driving my fist up under the Tula’s jaw.
