Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Rylinn made good on his offer, spending time with their new guest when not out doing his job, helping Gromm track down his quarry. The commander of the whole operation was relentless, requiring quite a lot of Rylinn's time, but whenever he had a few free moments, her new friend would do his best to come and visit the new human arrival.

Still, he was gone more often than not, and his employer was pretty much out on his mission from sunrise to sunset, and sometimes well after dark had set in. Everything they'd said about him was true. If he could earn credits, Gromm would push himself and his men even harder, ignoring complaints with both intimidation as well as his trademark fierce determination.

Fortunately, Rylinn was able to peel off from the group on many of the longer excursions once he'd narrowed down an area for the lesser minions to go and search in greater detail. It was during those down times that he would visit Margot, happily talking with her, learning about Earth while also explaining the workings of this, and other, worlds in the Dotharian realm. It was an odd dynamic, but over several days the interactions afforded the two a good opportunity to get to know a lot about their respective worlds, as well as one another on a more personal level.

It was after many days of these conversations that Margot found herself glad to discover that, despite some initial concerns given his work, Rylinn was a surprisingly calm and thoughtful man, especially for one whose career was one of stalking prey across the planets. But she quickly learned there was far more to him than met the eye.

And in this impressive alien's case, there was a lot to meet the eye.

On the flip side, and contrasting with Rylinn's charm and calmly masculine presence, as the days passed Gromm was proving to be even more of an arrogant brute than she'd first thought, and her first impressions were usually a bit too harsh, historically.

Not this time, however.

Gromm was even worse than she'd initially found him, and that was really saying something. It was why she avoided him pretty much all the time if possible. And as busy as he was on his task, she somehow slipped his notice, for the moment, at least.

"He does tend to be rather single-minded in his focus," Rylinn noted a few days later as they were enjoying a nice drink and a fun game involving alien dice as well as a form of cards, but made of thin, flexible metal sheets instead of paper. "But that allows us more time to enjoy one another's company, so I'd call that a win, wouldn't you?"

"You make a solid argument," she replied, a slowly growing warm ball of joy churning in her belly.

Judging by the increasingly lingering looks Rylinn had been sending her way, the feeling was mutual.

The two of them had been growing closer, spending a great deal of time together both within the ship and directly around it, the former in part because it was a novelty, but also to keep Margot close to her quarters if she needed to rest. The new runes, it seemed, were taking their toll as they bonded with her system, and frequent naps were required at the most inopportune of times. It made anything resembling an outing pretty much out of the question.

The other reason was equally practical.

"It's far too dangerous out there," Rylinn had told her one afternoon as they enjoyed their game. "There are dangerous creatures out there the likes of which you do not want to encounter, believe me."

"The beast that was chasing me that day? When you fought it as well as the Raxxians and saved my life?"

"The very same. A deadly, unique sort of monster the likes of which I haven't faced before. The ultimate predator. A unique, powerful, and most cunning adversary."

She couldn't help but note the gleam of excitement in his eyes as he spoke about the beast, a slight flush of excitement rising to his cheeks in a most enticing way.

"I've tried tracking it, of course, but that cursed thing moves through the woods like a ghost, evading detection despite my best efforts. And believe me, I am very good at my job."

"I believe you. But how is it that you still can't catch it?"

"It's not for lack of trying, that's for sure. I've set up all kinds of traps, ranging from high-tech to absolutely primitive, but none of them have met with success. Gromm's men have tried as well, but they're amateurs and their techniques are crude, lacking the art of a truly skilled professional. Clever thing, this beast. Damned clever."

She chuckled. "It sounds like you almost respect it."

"I do, in a hunter-prey sort of way. After so many years of simple tracking jobs, I have to say, this has been utterly invigorating."

"But who wants you to catch it?"

"Oh, that's not a regular job. It's more for the sport of the game than anything, though I'll take the payment when I succeed. But it's a funny twist of fate that led to this situation."

"How so?"

"We arrived here with but one task. Hunt down and retrieve the targets. And that was all we expected to do. If it hadn't gone and killed several of Gromm's men while they were out hunting down the escapees, we'd never have even known it existed. But now Gromm wants its hide, and that means it is as good as dead. The only question is when."

"And you? What do you want? Why are you really doing this?"

Rylinn hesitated a moment. "I suppose in some regards it's just another job, yes. Gromm's paying me well for the additional work, after all, and I won't turn him down. But I have to say, in all honesty, I would likely do this one for free just for the challenge. It's such a breath of fresh air to finally face a worthy adversary. But don't tell Gromm I said that," he added with a wink.

"So, no nature walks in my near future, then?"

"I'm afraid not. Only a fool would walk those hills alone."

Margot thought to mention Braxxos, the odd mountain man she'd met, the man who'd shown her just how safe it could be. But was it really an illusion? Was she truly in danger all that time? She'd begun to have doubts, but regardless how she may have felt about that, she decided against saying anything about Braxxos. He was a gentle spirit who had chosen to avoid other people, and she was not going to be the person to rob him of his solitude.

"Well, I'm not a fool. And you're not a fool. And you're this big, bad tracker guy. So maybe you can take me for a walk sometime. If you're not scared, of course."

He laughed, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Oh, are you trying to get a rise out of me?"

I don't think I'd mind that one bit she silently mused, noting the large bulge in his trousers for what was definitely not the first time. I don't think I'd mind that at all .

"Damn it, Rylinn!" Gromm bellowed as he burst into the room without so much as a knock. "I've been summoning you."

"My comms were off."

"Why in the name of Orvlax would you turn your comms off? You have a job to do!"

"Yes, but if you recall our discussion this morning, you said you were not going to be back until nightfall."

"That doesn't relieve you of your duties. I'm paying you, Rylinn. Don't you forget it. When I call, you come, like a good little minion. Understand?"

The man's chest was heaving, the veins in his neck standing out, as well as the massive vasculature of his borderline ridiculously large arms. Gromm was fired up about something, and this would not be the time to mouth off.

"Of course, you're right," Rylinn said. "My apologies. What do you need of me?"

"I need you to do your damn job and track! I just lost two more men to that damned thing out there. Now come on, we need you with us."

Rylinn rose, giving Margot an apologetic look before stepping toward the door. "You weren't supposed to be operating in its territory, Gromm. We talked about this. Anyone who might have escaped in that area would have been devoured by now. There's no sense sending your people down there."

"I didn't, you idiot. The cursed beast went roaming from what we can tell. Popped up in an entirely different area."

This was news to Rylinn, and his interest was very piqued by the revelation. "Are you sure it was the same one?"

"We've only ever seen the one. And the way it tore into my men, it seemed obvious it remembered us. And it held a grudge."

"To be fair, we did shoot it many times," Rylinn said with a chuckle. "But it has kept coming back, somehow surviving no matter what."

"That's the problem," Gromm grumbled.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go." He turned to the woman his boss had all but ignored. "Margot, I must go. To be continued?"

"You bet. Be safe out there. Come back in one piece."

He grinned brightly, a very direct heat in his gaze. "Believe me, I've got good reason to heed that advice. Rest up. I'll see you later. We have plenty more to talk about."

He gave her a sexy wink as he headed out, following the massive blue alien storming down the corridor toward whatever madness awaited them in the wild. He turned back once, giving her a quick once-over one last time before exiting the ship to head out on his task.

Margot stepped back into her room, closed the door, and flopped down on her bunk, her belly full of unexpected turbulence. For some reason, she was unable to get this confident, capable man out of her head. And to be fair, she really didn't want to.

Sure, he was an alien, but he was also somewhat human in enough ways to make her mind think of all sorts of things they might do together. As she mulled over those possibilities, her body began to react of its own accord.

Her nipples grew hard, straining against the material of her top, the sensitive nubs radiating electric heat through her chest down to her clit.

She cupped her breast, gently squeezing her nipple. "Fffuuuuck," she gasped in surprise as an even stronger burst of sensation erupted through her. She squeezed harder, sliding her other hand between her legs, pressing firmly through her bottoms.

"Ohh," she groaned, shocked at how strongly her body reacted. It was as if all of her senses had been turned up to eleven, the new pigment coursing through her flesh making her nerves sing like a struck tuning fork, the frequency making her clit positively sing with arousal.

Margot wasted no time, quickly unfastening her bottoms and sliding her hand inside. She was absolutely sopping wet, her fingers coated the moment she ran them over her engorged lips. She parted them, savoring the jolts of sensation shooting into her legs and belly before settling her slick fingers on her sensitive nub, rubbing firmly, the little circles making it swell even more, sending her legs into spasms as they contracted involuntarily.

Margot came hard and fast, her pussy quivering and clenching as the climax hit her with startling speed and intensity. Usually, she was pretty quick on her own, but even for her this was a new record. And what a record it was.

She lay there a long while, basking in the afterglow, her body reveling in the release it had been so desperately needing whether she knew it or not. With the whole abduction and survival thing she'd almost forgotten about this part of herself, but now? Now it had come back to life, and with a vengeance.

"Wow. Was that the new tattoos doing that to me?" she wondered in a daze. Her brain and body both decided it was time for a nap. No post-orgasm energy. Not today. Today she would recharge. But next time? It was a question her drifting mind was looking forward to answering.