Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Margot was shaking.

Not from fear, not from anger, but from the exhaustion of tapping out her adrenaline after spiking it higher than she'd ever felt in her life. She had run. Hard. Fast. Far. But despite her flight, she knew in her heart that Gromm's men wouldn't just let her go. Not a chance. And that was what made her push even harder until her body finally could take no more.

Alone in the middle of some swathe of forest that looked pretty much like every other wooded area she'd seen since landing on this planet, Margot forced herself to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. Moving away from the alien hunters and deeper into the unknown wilds.

Her body ached despite the power her new runes had been feeding her as she ran. It wasn't until she stopped that she realized just how much of a boost the new markings had given her.

"Spiffy pigment, indeed. No wonder Gromm was so pissed," she mused, managing a tiny fraction of a grin, if not a chuckle. "Serves him right. He's not just a bounty hunter. That son of a bitch straight-up sells people."

She itched her thighs through her bottoms. The runes fueling her legs were noticeable now that they'd been put to such use. But she was glad for it. Glad to deny Gromm the pigment's power. She could only imagine how much stronger it would have made him had it been added to his collection of power runes. Stronger, and far more dangerous.

But Floxxia had told her that the pigment does not change who a person is. Who they choose to be is entirely up to them. The pigment was just a symbiotic blend of powerful microorganisms along for the ride.

Margot trekked for a good half hour at a slower pace, struggling across soft and muddy ground until she finally found a small trickle of a stream. She knew there had to be one somewhere near. The trick was finding it.

"Oh, thank God," she gasped, dropping to her knees and filling her hands, gulping down the crisp water, the fluid immediately refreshing her parched throat and making her feel ten times better.

Of course, feeling ten times better was still feeling like she'd been hit by a car, then backed up over and hit again. But it was better than the alternative. She splashed her face, washing off the sweat and grime. Margot looked at her side, noting the blood from where she'd cut herself during her hasty escape had completely dried now.

She was tired. Exhausted. But she knew she couldn't stay here. They would be after her. She had to keep moving.

"No rest for the weary," she grumbled, rising to her feet and continuing on.

This time, however, she altered course, following the flow of water, realizing she would need to hydrate frequently if she was to have any hope of maintaining this level of exertion. While her pursuers had water packs along with the rest of their gear, she was out here in just the clothes on her back.

On she hiked, moving slowly but steadily, trekking in the ankle-deep water along the shore when she could to hide her steps if possible. She stopped to pick berries periodically from the muddy stream banks that had been looming taller beside her as she walked, the result of the water merging with other streams. The fruit provided a small but nice boost to her blood sugar, but what she really wanted was a proper meal. But that wasn't an option. Not now. Not ever again, at least not from Gromm's cooks.

"Just great," she muttered, picking flakes of dried blood from her skin as she moved, pondering the revelations she'd just had unceremoniously dumped on her. "So, that means the others clearly weren't found by Gromm's people. Not with the way he reacted. And that means one of two things. Either the Raxxians got them, or that thing out there."

It was a harsh realization, but after what she'd seen and endured since the crash, one thing was very plain to see. With at least one of them injured, judging by the blood she'd seen in the downed compartment, that meant that her cellmates couldn't have gotten too far. And they couldn't have gone anywhere fast.

"I guess I'll never know," she muttered, resigned to the fact that some things would remain a mystery.

She felt a little shitty giving up on them so easily. But aside from her incredibly brief interaction with Alida, she really had no ties to them at all. Yes, their situation surely sucked, but they weren't friends. Hell, they were barely acquaintances, and for only a day at that.

The sound of crackling undergrowth made her ears perk up and her slowly recovering adrenaline spike up yet again. There were footsteps not far away. Several of them. And they were getting closer. She hurried ahead, taking care not to splash too loudly.

Fuck. They're close. I don't know what I can ? —

A massive hand wrapped over her mouth from behind, pulling her back hard and fast into the muddy banks. Margot elbowed hard but hit a wall of unyielding thick muscle.

"Shh. They'll hear you," a familiar voice said.

Only, she'd never understood the man's words before. Only through pantomime. She glanced over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Braxxos. He was positively radiating heat against her, his heart pounding. By the feel of it, he'd been running. Running to save her.

She didn't know what he had planned, but she knew she could trust him implicitly, and when he lay down and rolled them both in the mud until they were right against the stream's banks she didn't object. Nor did she when he used his enormous hands to shovel more mud over them both, smearing their bodies from head to toe.

"Lay still. Breathe shallow. Do not move."

She didn't even so much as nod a reply, going perfectly still as he directed.

They lay there for nearly five minutes before Gromm's men came tromping down the stream. One of them had a device in his hand. Some sort of tracking tech from what she could guess.

"Well? Where is she?" a gray-skinned man with a bloody gash in his forehead demanded.

"I don't know."

"Whaddya mean you don't know? You've got the scanner."

"Yeah, I do, but this whole area's a mess for scans. You know that."

"But what about heat signatures?"

"She walked in the water a lot. Makes it hard to follow. There's no telling how far ahead she is."

Margot fought the urge to run, forcing herself to remain motionless. But this man was literally steps away. All he had to do was move a few paces to his side, and he'd actually step on her. And then? Braxxos was with her, but he was a pacifist from what she'd seen. He'd just be taken prisoner as well. So she did what she had to. She lay still as a corpse. A very muddy corpse.

"Fine. Let's get up to higher ground. We might get a glimpse of her from an elevated vantage point."

"Beats the hell out of walking around in the mud," the other man replied, happy to climb up to dry land. "We'd better hurry. Gromm's going to have our heads for losing a ship."

The group moved off at a jog, clearing out quickly, leaving the two hidden, alone, and above all else, undiscovered. Regardless, they lay there for several minutes more until Braxxos finally took a deep breath.

"I see you have runes now."

"Yeah, I can understand you finally."

"That does make this easier. Come, we can move now. They're gone."

He unwrapped his arms from her, Margot peeling her muddy body free of his with a sticky schlurping noise.

"Who would have guessed they had it right in Predator ," she mused, looking at the mud all over her body.

"What is Predator ?"

"I'll tell you later. So, what now? They're not going to stop looking, you know."

"Then we leave this area," he said, sweeping her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"They set traps. Traps you do not know how to avoid. That, and you are exhausted, and we are in no position to dawdle. It will be faster this way. Hang on."

He took off at a run, carrying her as easily as an infant, his mountain man physique uniquely well adapted for this sort of unusual, parkour-like activity. He vaulted logs, crossed streams, ducked branches, and ran up, down, and around hill after hill until Margot had nearly lost track of time. And not once did he stop to rest. Not until they arrived at a waterfall pouring out from a mound nestled in the trees, the slick rocks towering several stories above them.

"Hey, I recognize this place."

"Yes. You have been here before. Come."

He took her hand in his and led her against the stone wall behind the waterfall until they were safely in the hidden passageway. A few moments later they emerged in the beautiful tranquility of the hidden pool.

"We will be safe here," he said, striding into the pool, shedding his clothes as he walked.

Holy shit, she gasped, marveling at his physique yet again. The first time she'd only caught a glimpse before startling him as he bathed in the stream. But now? Now she could properly appreciate his swimmer's build. Broad-shoulders and powerful arms. A chiseled ass and thick legs, muscular and hard from countless hours hiking, running, and climbing in these woods.

Then there was the not so little matter of his remarkable cock. It was thick and long, but relatively human looking once you got over the natural ribbing running around it from the base of his shaft to the head.

Braxxos submerged in the water, the cloud of muddiness flowing away quickly with the current as he scrubbed his body clean, washing his clothes with a few quick moves of his hands in the process. He stood up and turned, striding back toward his unexpected guest.

Margot tried not to stare, but it was kind of impossible not to watch the water streaming off his cock as it ran down his body. It was distracting, to say the least, despite the situation she'd just been in.

He looked at her a moment, still clothed, still on the shallow shoreline. Braxxos quickly gathered up his clothing, giving a little bow.

"My apologies. It was thoughtless of me. I will leave you to yourself."

"It's okay. I just?—"

"You desire privacy, of course. Again, my apologies. I will be waiting on the other side of the waterfall. Please, take your time. You are safe here, but if you need me, just call. I am but seconds away. And, if you are hungry, there is a small basket of food over there."

Without another word he turned and strode off, giving her a very nice view of his perfect ass as he walked into the dark passageway, leaving her completely alone. She didn't know why, exactly, but she trusted him completely. There would be no peeking. She was the only one there.

Margot waded into the water, stripping as she did, submerging to her neck, then finally dunking her head entirely, scrubbing her hair of the dried mud and muck from their hiding place and subsequent flight.

Standing tall, the water running down her body felt amazing, her new rune tattoos refreshed and invigorated. She also found her nipples strangely hard, and not from any breeze or cold water. Was it watching Braxxos in all his glory?

No way. It's just got to be my new pigment acting up for whatever reason. I mean, look at that stuff. It's almost got a little glow to it. Absolutely wild. I never wanted tattoos, and now this? Well screw you, Gromm. It's mine now, you son of a bitch, and I'm damn sure never giving it back… if that would even be possible.

Margot waded to the basket and ate her fill, her body absolutely singing with joy with every bite. Then, her clothes wet but clean and her body refreshed, she headed for the exit passageway, wondering what was happening back in Gromm's camp. What Rylinn had been told about her disappearance. Wondering what would become of her now.

"No sense dwelling on what ifs ," she told herself. "Time to get out there and live in the what now ."