13. Kira

13

Kira

The creature snorts at my statement, a sound that's half amusement, half derision. It compliments me, but its eyes gleam with a mixture of interest and malice.

I'm exhausted. I feel it in every muscle, every bone.

My earlier rush of adrenaline is wearing off, leaving me drained. "We could keep doing this all day," I lie.

I try to catch my breath as I continue. "Or we could just walk in opposite directions."

"I'm having too much fun to stop now," it replies, pouncing again with claws extended.

I dodge, barely, the effort making me more exasperated by the second.

"You're wasting your energy," I hiss out, ducking under another swipe. "We'd be better off using it against the aliens hunting us. Besides, you're making too much noise, you idiot."

Not that I've been quiet, but that was when I thought I was about to die.

My words don't deter it.

It keeps after me, relentless and unyielding. Each swipe, each lunge is a fresh challenge.

Desperation fuels my next words.

"We could join forces," I blurt out, hoping to reach whatever part of its brain is capable of reason. I've said it before and was ignored, but my strength is ebbing away.

The thing tilts its head, considering. In that brief moment, I put some space between us, my heart pounding.

It adopts a thoughtful disposition, its claws lowering slightly. "Join forces, you say?"

"Yes," I reply, trying to sound convincing and less like I'm about to collapse. "We can't keep fighting each other and expect to survive."

I might prefer to be alone, but I'm not stupid. A giant blue dino-dragon who likes to pounce on people might be good to have around. Besides, if we create an alliance and it dies, I'm not the least bit attached to the asshole.

No need to go on a month-long bender wallowing in my grief.

Perfect.

"Very well, I'll join forces with you," it says, its tone imperious. "You provided useful information when asked. But I should keep you as a pet."

"That's not what I said," I retort, my exhaustion giving way to anger. "I'm no one's pet."

The expletives flow freely now, before I'm able to make them into a useful sentence. "I'm not a fornicating toy for you to play with."

Damn. That did not come out right, especially considering I'm on this planet because of alien sex trafficking.

I don't let the translation error show on my face. Sometimes life is all about bravado.

"Are you female?" it asks suddenly, sniffing the air. "You smell too good to be male."

The absurdity of the question throws me off. "Plenty of males smell good," I respond, irritation clear in my voice. "Males should smell good."

Before I can continue my rant, a whiff of the alien's scent reaches my nose. It's unexpected and heady, and it derails my train of thought entirely. Arousal surges higher within me, unbidden and unwanted, and I clench my fists.

I was aroused from the moment I saw it, just like the other aliens, but this is even worse.

"For fornication's sake."

I stamp a foot, seriously pissed off at the slimes and my own errant body. The lizard just keeps looking at me like I'm a snack.

Or I guess, even worse. A pet.

Focus, damn it , I tell myself.

I shake my head hard to clear it. The creature is watching me closely, amusement dancing in its eyes.

"Are you distracted?" it taunts, taking a step closer.

"No," I snap back, gripping the dagger tighter. "I'm just planning our next move."

My voice is steadier than I feel. "We need to get out of here and find a safe place to regroup."

It studies me for a moment longer before making a low grumble. "Agreed," it says, the amusement fading from its expression. "Lead the way, little one."

It holds out an arm, and I can't help but stare at its odd hands. Four fingers on each hand, each set of two directly opposing each other, so when it walks, they jut out directly to the outside and inside. Each finger is thick enough it looks like two fused together. There is no difference between the ends of its four limbs, so I'm not sure to call them all hands or all feet.

At the tip of each finger are long, curving dark-blue claws that come to a relatively blunt looking tip, but have a sharp, serrated edge on the underside between the end and where it disappears into the flesh of the fingertip.

I move my gaze back up to its face, which is the most dragon-like part of it, with big nostrils that remind me of a horse, teeth that are an over-bite of large fangs in the front of its large mouth, and others that jut up from the bottom jaw as an under-bite of smaller, but just as sharp looking, teeth. It has minimal lip movement, and so I assume most of the way it forms words must be an internal structure.

Its eyes are bright amber-gold orbs with a slitted pupil. Around them is a thick, lighter blue hide that it can pull together over the eye. As it did when I tried to shoot at them before. In a v-pattern from its forehead down to its nose is darker blue hide, with multiple spikes that start small between the broad expanse between its eyes, and then gradually become bigger on its forehead and down its broad back, until transitioning back to smaller down the length of its tail.

The spines shift quite a bit as it communicates, and I wonder what that might mean. I move my gaze back to its face and could swear it looks entertained at my long assessment. Smug and arrogant, too.

I don't trust it, not entirely, but for now we have a common goal.

I take a deep breath and start moving; the creature falling into step beside me. The uneasy truce is better than nothing.

The silence between us is tense, filled with the unspoken threat of violence.

I keep my dagger ready, just in case. Lizard breath might be a temporary ally, but I'm not about to let my guard down. We move through the dense foliage, every sound amplified in the quiet.

I'd much prefer to be alone, even if it was a human here, but a beast that admits it likes playing cat to my mouse? Ugh.

"What's your name?" I ask after a while, trying to break the tension.

It glances at me, its eyes narrowing. "You didn't defeat me to earn that privilege."

I snort. I highly doubt they make their elders fight them for their name.

"Fine, be mysterious. But if we're working together, I need something to call you."

It considers this for a moment.

"My name is Drasuk," it says, voice low and resonant, reverberating through the air between us.

"Fine, Drasuk," I say, rolling the name around in my mouth. "I'm Kira."

"Kira," it repeats. "Interesting."

We keep moving, the tension between us easing slightly. I'm still wary, still on edge, but at least we're not at each other's throats. For now, that's enough.

As we walk, I keep my senses sharp, listening for any sign of the aliens, looking for flashes of silver that might lead me to other women. The forest is dense, and every shadow seems to hide a potential threat. I glance at Drasuk occasionally, watching for any signs of betrayal. But so far, it seems content to follow my lead.

"What's your story?" I ask eventually, unable to keep my curiosity at bay. "Why were you hunting me?"

Drasuk's eyes flicker with something I can't quite read. "I was brought here against my will, it's only fitting I hunted down those foolish enough to hunt me. I simply confused you to be one of them."

"No excrement," I mutter.

"You are right. I didn't smell that. You smell like a genali."

"I didn't mean that's what I smell like. I meant... Forget it. Genali?"

"Gray and covered in mucus. Three legs. Obsessed with all things wet."

I shudder. "Yes, they changed me, so it makes sense I smell like them, not to mention I killed one. But why were you hunting them in the first place?"

It hesitates, its gaze distant. "Revenge, of course," it says finally. "Dying on my side without a fight is not a lifestyle I am accustomed to."

I nod, understanding all too well. "Same here," I say quietly. "They took..."

I almost say us and I'm glad I stopped myself. If I come across another woman, then he'll get to know who I'm searching for, but for now I don't want to let him know.

"Me. Took me and experimented on me. I'm not going to let them get away with it."

Drasuk's eyes meet mine, a spark of recognition passing between us. I'm relieved when I see something other than a predator in its gaze. There's a shared pain, a mutual understanding.

It's a small thing, but it's enough to cement our uneasy alliance.

We move through the forest, our pace steady. Every now and then, I catch Drasuk glancing at me, its expression thoughtful. I wonder what it's thinking, but I don't ask. We're both carrying our own burdens and I don't want to shoulder any of those for it.

Eventually, we come to a clearing. I pause, scanning the area for any sign of danger. It seems safe enough, and I motion for Drasuk to follow me. We make our way to the center, and I take a moment to catch my breath.

Drasuk watches me, its eyes sharp. "What's the plan?" it asks.

"We rest," I say simply. "And then we figure out our next move."

It nods, settling down beside me.

The silence between us is companionable, a stark contrast to our earlier hostility. I lean back against a tree, letting my eyes drift shut for a moment. The exhaustion is overwhelming, but I can't afford to let my guard down completely.

As I rest, I think about everything that's happened. The experiments, the escape, and the constant fight for survival. It's a lot to process, and I feel a pang of homesickness. But there's no going back, not now.

All I can do is keep moving.

Beside me, Drasuk shifts, its presence a comforting weight. For all its bluster and aggression, there's a growing sense of camaraderie between us. We're both survivors, both fighting against the odds.

I open my eyes, meeting Drasuk's gaze. "Thank you," I say quietly. "For not killing me, I mean."

It snorts, a sound that's almost a laugh. "Don't thank me yet, little one. We're not out of this place."

I roll my eyes. "No excrement. Damn the thing, that isn't as satisfying in your language."

I let my head flop back again, annoyed that I can't even curse properly.

"I said my name's Kira," I grumble.

All I get is grunt in response.

It's like everything possible has been taken away and I have to push back that surging impulse to complain. Then argue with myself when I want to complain about not being able to fucking complain.

This seems like a good moment for it, if there ever was one.

A sudden draft of wind blows, wafting the creature's distinct scent into my nose and I can neither help the shiver that runs down my back, nor the liquid trail of arousal I know is trailing down my legs, hidden by the thin cloth material of the black suit.

I sneak a look over at it... him and barely have time to regain my composure as Drasuk gives me a curious stare.

There is a rumble building in his chest and the vibration sends spritzes of arousal flowing down my legs at a quicker pace.

Damnable slimes and their body tinkering.