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"Two friends," Zoe corrects me with a blinding smile.
"Come on," I say, completely taken with the little human. I hold out my hand for her to take and lead her through the forest while she cuddles Tris against her cheek. "Be careful and step where I step. The area around my hideaway is littered with traps."
"Okay, Mordox." My female holds tightly to my hand, so innocent and trusting, my protective instincts are like shockwaves zipping across every nerve ending, rippling my scales.
The trees around us loom tall and menacing in the sultry heat, casting a greenish glow over everything despite the orange rays of the relentless sun. The air is thick with the scent of moss and damp ground, and the rumble of the rushing waters from the Zune River can be heard nearby.
I listen intently to my surroundings, fearful of any sign of the lab creatures roaming the forest. The three I have yet to kill have taken to the dark side of Zune, but they are known to wander into the light, hunting the native creatures for their next meal.
The ground isn't safe enough for my mate. Not until those things are dead. I prefer her high up in the trees where they can't climb and safe behind my traps. She won't stand a chance against the abominations created by my government.
It's likely her friends are in danger, and I know there is no talking her out of going to warn them. I salute her loyalty even though I would prefer she let me shelter her high up in my treetop abode and keep her safe.
We've only just met, but I can't fathom losing her. I'm drawn to her in a way that defies explanation.
As we clear my traps, I can feel her tension mounting. She's scared, and I can't blame her. The lab creatures are vicious and unpredictable.
I pick up the pace, but she soon falls behind. She can't keep up with my lengthy strides, and we have a long journey ahead of us. I don't want to be on the ground and vulnerable any longer than necessary. If I were solo, I could run nonstop and reach the underground lab in two cycles, but my mate needs to rest, and she can't run as fast as me.
I stop and turn to her. "It would be faster if I carry you."
"Oh." Zoe's cast her eyes downward then peers up at me through the tangle of her lashes. "Sorry I'm so slow."
"You're not slow, lula. My legs are just longer than yours." I try and ease the hurt I see clouding her gaze. "Besides, I need eyes in the back of my head with those lab creatures on the loose."
I adjust the pack on my shoulders and bend my knees for her to wrap her arms and legs around my front. "You'll be doing me a huge favor by keeping an eye out for something coming at us from behind."
Zoe brightens. "Okay, Mordox. Tris and I will watch your six."
I don't know what she means, but as soon as slim arms wrap around my neck and shapely legs around my waist, I can think of nothing else except her hot core pressing against me through the thin layer of material separating us. My knees nearly buckle at the feel of her pert breasts and soft curves plastered to my front.
My hands grip her thighs as I take off at a sprint, the length of my erection pressing and pinching with every stride. I ignore it. Now is not the time for such things. I must focus on the journey ahead, on keeping Zoe safe.
Trees whip past at a blinding rate as I dodge and weave through the heavy vegetation. I run parallel to the Zune River, where the forest isn't as thick. Once we're halfway to the lab, I turn toward the immense clava tree marking the entrance to the sunken steps. Our path of travel changes to the interior of the forest. I pull my sword from where it's attached to my belt and begin to hack through the thick flora, clearing us a path.
"What are rotations?" Zoe's sweet voice floats into my ear. Her breath a hot wash across my throat where her head peers over my shoulder. "You said it took you twenty of them to perfect the camouflage of your treehouse."
"The time it takes Ziaria to rotate around the sun."
"We call that a year on Earth," she quietly comments, and I want so badly to close my eyes and savor the warmth of her breath bathing my throat. "Is the rainbow planet hanging in the sky Ziaria?"
"Yes. My home world."
"You've been here for twenty years?"
"A little longer than that. I've been free of my confinement collar for twenty."
"You said that before. How does the collar work exactly? Is that the thing Drax used to blow up Godz... I mean Grutz?"
"Yes. Every prisoner was fitted with a collar and assigned a cell pod when we first arrived. The cell pods are equipped with sensors that correspond with the assigned prisoner's collar. If they aren't inside their pods before lockdown at the end of each cycle, the sensors will initiate a short countdown to their demise," I explain as I run. "There's no escape from the prison compound. You have to be inside your cell pod."
"Lockdown?"
"All the prisoners except for ones like me who were put into solitary, are allowed outside of their cell pods for a short duration. At the end of the cycle, everyone must return to their assigned pods to keep their collars from initializing a countdown to detonation."
"Jesus. That's not scary or anything," she snorts. "To think, I was terrified of the metal collar the alien who bought me on the red planet snapped around my neck. It only had a lock, no explosive devices involved."
"You were brave enough to have escaped."
