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Reaching a cluster of boulders, he pulled her down, pressing her body close against the rough face of the big rock. Moving closer, he sheltered her smaller frame with his own, looking around the edge of their hiding spot. She shivered, her face buried in the hollow of his throat, his powerful warrior’s body surrounding her with heat and strength.
They would get out of this. She knew they would. He would make sure of it.
She looked up at him. She could just make out his features, cast in angles and planes from the faint moonlight above. His expression was hard and focused, nothing there of the man whose arms she'd fallen asleep in. The awkward, gruff engineer who had confessed his feelings to her was gone, replaced by a ruthless, capable soldier, prepared to eliminate any threat to her safety.
She’d seen this side of him before, when he’d killed that pirate to keep her from being taken. She’d been too scared and running on adrenaline to really understand what he’d done at the time. But now, with him covering her, she saw the power and lethality in his body, held in check for the moment while he took in the situation.
Her heart raced with exhilaration and fear. She knew he would never turn that ferocity on her, only using his skills to keep her safe. Still, seeing his warrior side in action was terrifying and comforting at the same time. And also kind of sexy. No one would be able to stop him from protecting her.
The harsh voices grew louder, accompanied by footsteps crunching on the rocky shore. She tensed, pressing against Vaarn’s chest, her heart in her throat as the voices drew closer. He moved slightly, angling himself in front of her and shielding her body with his own. She peeked around him anyway, just able to make out firelight flickering through the trees near their camp. The pirates must be using torches.
"Over here! I found something."
She closed her eyes. The pirates had found their little shelter on the beach.
She bit her lip, straining to hear what they were saying. A gravelly voice rose above the others.
“The fire's still hot. They can't have gone far."
Her stomach dropped.
"Spread out!" the pirate leader barked. "Find them!"
Deep voices raised in a chorus of acknowledgment. Heavy boots trampled through the underbrush as the group began to fan out in all directions.
"And don't come back without that human female," the leader added coldly. "I have a buyer expecting delivery and he wants her unharmed. So none of you draanthic have any fun with her."
She suppressed a gasp, her fingers digging into Vaarn's arms. The pirates were here for her. To sell her, like she was nothing but property. Like back on Krantav Three...
Her blood turned to ice as her memory kicked in. She knew that voice.
She pushed at Vaarn, trying to see past his broad shoulders, but the guy was built like a barn and she couldn't. He resisted at first, looking down at her as he kept her shielded, but she just shoved harder and added a glare for good measure. He eased back a little so she could see.
Her stomach dropped as her gaze fell on the pirate leader. Tiir. He wasn't the amiable engineer he'd pretended to be. Instead, he was leading a band of pirates. Pirates who were looking for her.
Anger rose in her blood. Tiir was Latharian, like Vaarn. How could he be involved in capturing and selling humans? She thought they protected humanity, had honor as warriors. Apparently that honor didn’t extend to all of them.
One of the pirates kicked at their makeshift shelter. "What should we do if we run across the warrior she was with?"
Tiir shrugged, the firelight glinting off his teal hair. "Kill him. He's of no use to us."
Her hands curled into fists. They were ready to murder Vaarn on sight. Her protector. Her mate... Just toss his life away like garbage.
Over her dead body.
Trembling with rage, she nestled against Vaarn's heavily muscled, solid strength. If he hadn't survived the crash, she would have been easy pickings for these pirates.
Movement caught her eye. Tiir stalked around the fire to the small collection of boulders Vaarn had sat on as he worked on the beacon. Her breath caught in her throat as the pirate leader leaned down and flipped back a tattered blanket on the ground.
Tiir jerked back, confusion on his face as he looked down at the mass of wires that was their makeshift beacon. His expression twisted with rage as he stood and, with a swift kick, smashed the device to pieces.
"Enough tralling about!" he barked. "Find them! We need to get off this rock before the cavalry arrives."
Her heart stuttered. If they combed the area, it was only a matter of time before they found her and Vaarn.
She looked up at him.
"What do we do?" she whispered. They couldn't outrun the pirates… and he couldn't fight them all.
