Chapter 10

10

Dawn was his favorite time of day. Everything was new again, and the rising sun meant he'd made it through another night. That wasn't something he took for granted. Not after the life he'd led. Waking up free was the best feeling he'd known. Until now. Waking up free and with Loris curled up beside him was even better.

Most nights he was away from home he used the mesh as a hammock instead of a sleeping platform, but that wouldn't have been comfortable with two of them sharing the space. Sex would have been more challenging, too. Though they had discovered the platform had its own issues. He'd nearly thrown Loris off when his orgasm made him buck hard while she was on top. She'd made him promise to refrain from any more platform sex until he made her a safety harness. He'd grudgingly agreed but only because they needed to get some rest.

Loris was an early riser, too. So by the time the sun was up, they were packed and ready to go. The last thing he needed to do was to check their location, and that meant another round of tree climbing.

This time he needed to go all the way to the top of the canopy, which meant leaving Loris on her own.

"Venge, I'll be fine. I'll sit on my favorite rock with my rifle in my lap. If anything moves, I'll shoot it." She winked at him. "So announce yourself before you drop out of the trees."

It still didn't feel right. He was her protector, but he didn't have another option. At least she had the rifle.

It took him a few minutes to reach a spot he could see above the canopy. He had to go farther than he wanted to from Loris's position, but he eventually found a tree that worked.

With one ear cocked to listen for Loris, he used the rest of his senses to gather information. The rising sun was his best indication of direction, but he found a few landmarks he recognized. Home was on the far side of a distant set of hills. He could see the spot where the river had carved a path on its way through. Once they reached the river, it would be an easy trek back. The challenge would be getting there.

He'd opted to take a different route back, so Havoc could return the same way they'd come. Maddison wasn't as hardy as Loris and would be challenged even by the easier route. Neither of them had mentioned their plans to anyone else, but Vengeance knew his brother. He'd want to make things easier for Maddison if he could.

He worried about Risk the most. It was only a matter of time before someone came to check out the beacon the shuttle had broadcast since landing. It might take them longer to track it down now that it was turned off, but it wouldn't stop them. The verexi had sent more than a dozen mercenaries and for-hire kill teams after the fa'rel already. Now with more potential witnesses on the planet, they'd send more.

As if his thoughts had summoned them, a small vessel appeared over the horizon. It flew low, which told him they were likely using scanners to search for something. Probably the shuttle. Shit .

He took a final look around, trying to memorize the route they needed to take. Then he dropped back under the cover of the tree canopy and hurried back to where he'd left Loris.

Halfway down, he smelled the acrid tang of a recently fired energy weapon and accelerated his descent to little more than a controlled series of falls from branch to branch.

Once he caught sight of her, he calmed slightly. She was alone and looked unhurt and relatively unconcerned. She stood on top of the same rock she'd been sitting on when he last saw her with her pulse rifle aimed at something a short distance beyond a tangle of roots.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Something moved, so I shot it." She indicated the direction she'd been aiming. "No idea what it was, but I don't know if it was alone."

She glanced his direction. "Did you find us a way home?"

"I did." He didn't mention the ship he'd seen. The only thing they could do right now was to put as much distance as possible between them and the shuttle.

He thought about Risk and felt a pang of regret that he couldn't be there to help. Good hunting, my brother.

He dropped the last few meters to the forest floor. With his blade in hand, he stalked over to where she'd indicated. A dead black fang lay on its side. Half of its head was gone, and the open wound steamed slightly in the cool morning air.

"It's dead. Come over and see what you killed. Nice shot, by the way."

"Was it dangerous? Or did I kill this planet's version of Bambi?" she asked.

He had no idea what a Bambi was, but he assumed they weren't an aggressive species. "It's a black fang, and it would have happily eaten you for breakfast."

She joined him by the body. "Ugly beasties. Aren't they? Is this as big as they get?"

It was a young adult, only about a meter and a half long. "This one isn't fully grown. They get about half again as big."

She poked the partially destroyed head with her foot. "I see why you call them that. Their teeth are as black as the rest of them."

"We keep the names simple. Easier to remember that way. Black fang. Tusk-hoppers. Blue death."

She frowned. "Blue death? What in the nine hells is that?"

"An aquatic creature." He held up one hand and balled it into a fist. "About this big. Bright blue. Squishy shape, and very poisonous. Do not touch. That is how Shatter died.

"Got it. No poking the blue squishy things. I'm sorry about your brother, Venge. I hope wherever his spirit is, there's good hunting."

He looked at her in surprise. "You think there is something for us after we die? Even though we are unnatural things?"

She didn't hesitate. "I do. I don't think you're unnatural, either. The verexi might have assembled the pieces differently, but the building blocks must be the same as everyone else's."

He'd never thought about it that way. It made a comforting sort of sense.

He smiled and touched her cheek with his fingertips. "Thank you."

To his delight, she reached up to cover his hand with hers. "You're welcome. Now, is there anything else I should know about things that might want to kill me?"

"I'll tell you more about the local wildlife while we walk. Are you ready?"

"Lead the way."

Six hours of hard walking later, they discovered a problem. Instead of a gentle descent to the river, the heavy tree cover had hidden a plateau that ended in a steep drop to the river valley.

"Well, fuck. That's inconvenient," Loris said. "Though the view is spectacular. I've never been to a planet this lush or this orange. Something about the spectrum of the sunlight, maybe?"

"Bysshe said the sunlight here is brighter than standard for life-producing planets. I wouldn't know, because this is the only world I've ever seen. The scrawnies kept us on a barren moon. No plants or animals, and not much of an atmosphere. They generated enough atmo to keep everyone on the base alive, but nowhere else."

"For the record? I was not a fan of the verexi before we met. Now? I really don't like them. If we ever get off this planet, we're going to kick their asses for what they did to you and your brothers. Not to mention what they did to the Harvest and everyone on board."

We. He liked it. She was already thinking of herself as part of his life. He moved to kiss her but froze before his mouth met hers.

A strange noise came from somewhere to their left. Two short, booming beats followed by one long one. He had no idea what had made that sound, but it couldn't be anything good.

"What was that ?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out. We need to leave."

"Excellent idea." She raised one eyebrow and swept one hand out to indicate the cliff. "Any suggestions on how we do that? And do not say you'll carry me."

"No." He patted the bag at his hip. "This time, I'm going to tie you up."

She eyed him warily. "I'm not agreeing to anything until I hear more details."

"It's more fun when you argue with me," he complained.

"And I love pushing your buttons, but now is not the time. We've already met up with one murdery monster. I'd rather not meet any more."

"Agreed." He pointed to a spot about half a kilometer to their right. "Hear that? I think that's our way down."

She went still and quiet, paling slightly. "Please tell me that's not a waterfall."

He caught her by the hand and set off toward the sound of rushing water. One way or another, he had to get Loris off this cliff and down to the river below. Something in his gut told him he was running out of time to get it done.