All they needed now was to stay that way.

“This way,” Heydar instructed, leading her from the wreck along a narrow strip of relatively passable soil.

Darla followed in a daze, knowing she should be freaking out but having short-circuited her panic response over the last day. One thing was for certain, she was glad she’d switched to her trainers after the party. Had she been abducted in heels, this would have been an utterly miserable experience. More so than it already was, anyway.

They walked for a minute then stopped. Darla turned back and looked at the piece of ship, seeing the alien tech from the outside for the first time where it lay amid the shattered trees and their scattered burgundy leaves.

The compartment was scorched to hell and back, with big chunks melted away. The bottom had blown out the ground where it landed, its thrusters using every last bit of power to stop their descent. As Heydar had said before things had gone utterly tits up, the ship had broken into multiple segments as intended, each designed to keep its cargo intact. That much she could tell from the relatively uniform edges of the section.

How many of the others had managed to land in one piece, and where, for that matter, was anyone’s guess. In any case, being treated as cattle had very likely resulted in their survival. The lack of windows and central location had allowed this piece to survive the attack. It sucked being an abductee, but at least this one thing had gone her way.

“Say what you will about those Raxxians, but they built a pretty solid ship,” she mused, a hint of adrenaline trickling back into her shocked system at the thought of the brutal aliens.

“A terrible race, but yes, they do possess ample skill both in design and construction. Better than most, in fact.”

“Then why did it crash? I’d think they’d be ready for attacks if that’s the case.”

Heydar shook his head. “The Grommix have been fighting the Raxxians a long, long time. They have learned their weaknesses and know how best to exploit them. In this case, they managed to disable the craft by targeting the drive systems and command center while layering focused attacks on crucial linkage systems.”

“How do you know? You were locked in with the rest of us.”

“Because it is what I would have done. That, and the flow of Grommix pulse ram energy flowed into the deeper elements of the ship. Clearly, they forced the shielding to fail and exploited the weak spot to break the connection points. Look there. Do you see the scorch marks?” he asked, pointing with his elongated digit.

Darla looked where he was pointing. “The whole thing is scorched.”

“No, look closer,” he said, leaning in and resting his forearm on her shoulder so her eyes lined up with his pointing finger. The heat of him was distracting, but he achieved his goal. She actually did see what he was talking about now.

“The dented part, where the metal looks pushed in rather than melted off.”

“Precisely.”

“But why so precise? Why not blast away?”

Heydar stood tall and surveyed the area around them once more. “Because this appears to have been a rescue attempt.”

He turned and started walking. Darla hurried to catch up to him.

“Hang on. What do you mean, a rescue attempt?”

“I mean exactly that. The Raxxians are well known for taking prisoners of war. If the Grommix learned the location of one of their officers aboard this vessel, it is quite possible they thought a rescue attempt would be worth the risk.”

Now it was Darla’s turn to look around. Another alien race could very possibly be lurking around out there, and she had no idea if they were friendly. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, and all of that, still held true, but what if you were no more than a snack to them?

“Are we safe here?”

“There is no way to tell for certain. I do not know where the other sections touched down. Regardless, I must move from this location quickly. Raxxians may make an attempt to retrieve their cargo, and I would be well served to not be here if they do.”

He began moving at a quick pace, forcing Darla to scramble after him.

“Hey, wait a minute. Where are we going?”

“We?”

“Yes, we. You just saved my life. You’re not seriously going to just leave me behind, are you?”

“You are free now, so pick a path and follow it. As for mine, you will just slow me down.”

“Oh, hell no. I can keep up.”

“You say that now, but you are small and weak. I cannot afford to be hindered by the likes of you.”

“So what? You leave me to the Raxxians?”

“The Grommix may come first. They will treat you well enough. You can hide in the wreckage and determine if it is safe to come out when they arrive. Small as you are, there are plenty of places to conceal yourself.”

“While you run away.”

“I am not running away. I am heading up onto that rise to discern where exactly we have landed. And once that is achieved, to evaluate what threats may be lurking on this world. On top of that, I must then attempt to find food and water in the process of planning a proper escape.”

“So, you are running away. Just with a few stops on the way. Well there is no way I’m staying here like a sitting duck while you put distance between yourself and the most likely place the Raxxians will show up.”

“If the Grommix do not arrive first.”

“Yeah, whatever. The point is, I’m coming with you.”

“But—”

“Don’t even start with me. I’m tired, hungry, filthy, and stuck on some God forsaken world. I am not being left behind,” she said with a fierce glare.

Heydar considered refusing her demand then thought better of it. The noise this human female had proven herself capable of making was more than enough to draw additional attention to the area, and that was the last thing he wanted.

“Very well. But remain quiet and keep up. I am not slowing my pace for you.”

“Whatever. Can we just go, already?” she grumbled.

The towering alien’s jaw flexed as he sized her up for a long moment. His eyes were distracting in this light. Almost sparkling as the rays illuminated the gold ring circling the luminous violet. He let out the slightest of chuckles at the tiny woman’s fierce resolve. Then, without another word, he shrugged, turned, and began trekking away at a healthy pace.

Darla scurried after him, covering the ground with a fast and agile step where his long legs simply strode over the debris.

Good thing I’ve been doing those kickboxing classes, Darla mused, glad her lungs, legs, and booty were up for the exercise.

They cleared the crash site a minute later, heading into the lush growth surrounding them. Looking at the verdant alien trees and shrubbery, Darla was sure they were close to a water source. All those years camping with her family in her youth had taught her that much, even if the outings had been more glamping than camping, thanks to her mother.

She followed close behind the muscular alien as he evened out his stride now that the ground was level. From this vantage point she couldn’t help but admire the rather impressive round, sculpted ass walking before her. Say what you would about the rude alien, he certainly hadn’t skipped leg day.

Mind on the task, Dar, she chided herself. And remember the pledge. No more emotionally unavailable douchebags.

Given Heydar’s pleasing physique, Darla couldn’t help but wonder if other alien races were so well put together.

I guess I might very well find out sooner than later, she thought as the distant hum of a flying craft reached their ears from afar.

Someone else was out there. The question now was who?

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER EIGHT

The climb to higher ground went relatively smoothly, all things considered. Heydar, despite his protestations, slowed his pace somewhat so the human female could keep up, and the two of them reached the top of the target hill in good time.