Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

J ane's heart pounded against her ribs so hard that she felt sick. The spider thing was between her and the trees on that side of the clearing, but it remained beneath the branches. Perhaps it wouldn't come all the way out into the opening. Forcing her shaking legs to obey, she tried to take a cautious step backwards. The golden moss clung to her feet as she lifted them, but she managed to retreat a short distance.

To her dismay, the spider skittered forward and she froze again. The moss was past her ankles now and she could feel it sticking to her.

I'm on a giant fly trap , she thought hysterically as she looked around frantically for a weapon on any kind. The branches and rocks that had littered her trail were completely absent now that she needed them. As she scanned the ground, a gleam of white amidst a thick patch of flowers caught her eye. If she could get that rock into her bag…

She dragged a foot free of the moss and took a half-step in that direction. The spider clicked its mandibles together threateningly, but it didn't come any closer. She looked back down to judge her distance to the rock. She could see more of it now, oddly round and white against the golden moss…

Her stomach churned as she finally realized that it wasn't a rock—it was a skull.

Mr. Tiddles trembled on her shoulder, but he gave a defiant little growl at the spider, still watching them from the edge of the trees. She had to be brave for his sake, as well as her own. Keeping a wary eye on the spider, she bent down to grab the skull. The moss clung to her fingers as she reached it, but she managed to pull them free along with the skull.

The weight of the bone gave her a small degree of comfort, but she wasn't quite sure how to use it. She doubted she could throw it hard enough, or straight enough, to damage the spider. Instead, she decided to use it to weigh down her bag. It dropped down inside with a satisfying thud, and she took a firm grip on the strap.

Now what? She could try to reach the other side of the clearing but the moss was even thicker in the center, the patches of flowers larger. The moss already clung to her feet and ankles and she was afraid that if it got much deeper, she would have a hard time freeing herself. The spider thing was still watching her, unmoving. She tried taking a few more steps away from it, staying parallel to the edge of the woods but as soon as she moved, it hissed and followed her.

Her knees shook, but she couldn't just stand here until night fell. The longer she stayed in one spot, the more it felt as if she were sticking to the ground.

"I think we're going to have to run for it," she muttered to Mr. Tiddles, giving her bag an experimental swing.

The creature's thin, spindly legs didn't look that strong. With any luck, she could swing the bag hard enough to knock out a few and give them the chance to get away. She took one step, then another towards the trees, but the spider mirrored her movements. Each step brought it a little closer to her, and her heart sank as she realized that it would reach her before she reached the jungle.

"Just go away, dammit!" she yelled, fear and frustration bubbling to the surface.

To her shock, the spider reared back. Did the noise intimidate it?

"Go away!" she yelled again, and Mr. Tiddles added his minuscule growl to her words.

Her heart pounded even faster as the spider poised on its rear set of legs, but just as she started to hope that it would retreat, it dropped down on its front legs and charged towards her.

A deafening roar echoed through the jungle as a large, green male leapt down from the trees to land between her and the charging spider. Frozen in shock, she stared as he easily dispatched the spider, metal flashing in his hand as he separated its head from its body in a gush of yellow blood. The body twitched, legs still scrabbling, and he tossed it easily into the center of the clearing. As soon as it landed, small tendrils of golden moss began to creep over the carcass.

"Oh my God," she whispered, horrified at what might have happened if she had ventured further into the open area.

A stream of harsh words distracted her and she turned back to see her savior stalking towards her. He did not look happy.

She suspected he would have been an imposing sight under any circumstances. Easily a foot taller than her, his broad frame was layered with muscle upon muscle – all of which was clearly visible because all he wore was a thin rope twisted around his waist. His body was essentially humanoid but no human man had ever possessed skin in multiple shades of green, nor the white fangs she could see all too clearly as he continued to berate her. He had short, dark hair and as he came closer, she could see dark lashes surrounding eyes that gleamed a fierce gold, accented by catlike pupils.

He came to a halt in front of her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off his body, as he continued to yell at her. Even though it was difficult not to feel intimidated looking up at the huge, angry male, her relief at her rescue was finally replaced by anger.

"Stop yelling at me! I have no idea what you're saying, and I don't think I want to know. It was a stupid mistake and I know that now—but shouting at me isn't going to change anything."

By the time she finished speaking, she was yelling almost as loudly as he had been, and he was finally quiet. He glowered down at her from his imposing height, and she did her best to withstand the heat of that angry yellow gaze, straightening her shoulders and glaring back. Then, to her utter shock, he burst into laughter.

Taraxan had no idea what the female was saying, but she clearly had run out of patience with his lecturing. He couldn't blame her. The knowledge of how close she had come to disaster had shaken him out of his usual composure. He had made the mistake of dropping behind in order to collect more fruit for her, lulled into complacency by the lack of danger during the day.

When he had caught up with her and seen her standing up to the arachnoid with nothing more than her makeshift weapon, his heart had literally skipped a beat. Although her bravery had impressed him, he intended to make absolutely sure she didn't need it in the future.

"You are a very brave female," he acknowledged, happy to see that he had not intimidated her with his anger. Or perhaps she had realized that he was not angry at her but at himself for letting her get so close to danger. He sighed and started again. "This isn't exactly how I intended to introduce myself, but I am Commander Taraxan Bellkandis."

He swept her a formal bow but to his surprise, she bit her lip and took a step back.

"Taraxan Bellkandis," he repeated slowly, patting his chest.

He repeated his name once more before she attempted to mimic him. Her accent was atrocious, and she stumbled over his name several times before she finally managed to say, "Tarax."

Close enough, he decided. He patted her chest peremptorily. "And you are?"

She jumped at his touch, her blue eyes huge in her pale face.

"I mean you no harm," he said as gently as possible. "I just want to know your name." He patted his chest again. "Taraxan. And you are…"

He extended his hand towards her again, but she caught it before he could touch her. Her small fingers weren't strong enough to prevent him, but he recognized that she was trying to stop him. The feel of her soft skin against his sent an unexpected streak of pleasure through his body. He turned his hand to enclose her fingers in his, and her eyes widened again.

"Whatareyoudoing?"

The words were unintelligible, but the meaning was clear and he gently squeezed her hand with his.

"I mean you no harm, little female. What is your name?"

She finally seemed to understand, patting her chest with her free hand. "Jane."

"Jayn?" It took him several tries before she finally shrugged and nodded. "Jayn," he said with satisfaction, enjoying the sound of her name on his lips.

Her companion had been perched on her shoulder the entire time, eyeing him curiously, and now he chittered at him.

Taraxan laughed. "I know you are Misstuh Tiduhlz."

"Howdoyouknowhisname?" Jayn asked, her eyes widening.

Once again she was looking at him suspiciously, and she attempted to withdraw her hand. He wasn't ready to let it go, but he reluctantly released her fingers. He half expected her to run, but instead, she only took a step back and looked at him.

"Idontsupposeyouknowthe way outofhere? Orcanyouhelpme find thisplace?" she asked. A few of her words made sense to him, and he realized that the translation implant was beginning to decipher her language.

She reached in her bag, grimacing as she touched the skull she had chosen as a weapon. As she started to toss it away, he put his hand over hers again and shook his head.

"Hold onto it. I don't intend to let you run into danger again but it never hurts to be prepared."

She frowned up at him, then nodded and left the skull in her bag, reaching past it to retrieve her map.

"Canyouleadmetothis place ?"

She pointed at the destination on her map, and now that he was close enough to examine it in detail, he realized that it was identical to his destination. He also realized that she seemed to assume that he was a native of the planet. Without a common language, he didn't think he could explain to her that he too had been abandoned on this planet. And really, what did it matter? Her assumption would allow him to accompany her and keep her out of danger.

He nodded. "Yes, I'll take you there." He took a quick look at the sky. "We have time to travel further before the sun sets and I will be happier if we are a long way from here. Shall we go?"

He held out his hand to her. Once again, she hesitated, but then she placed those small soft fingers back in his and satisfaction roared through him. She would accept his protection.