AllFreeNovel
Share Us
As we got closer, I saw Astra expertly taking cover behind a boulder, leaning out only to fire at the enemies several times before taking cover again. She was wielding the rifle like an expert, the sight of her grip on the weapon immediately making me hard.
Omni probably noticed my boner, because he grunted and dropped me without landing. Jerk. But at least I was next to my mate and, in that moment, I vowed to never leave her side again.
I can’t even begin to tell her how incredibly proud of her I am. She saved all of the slaves. Every last one. Led them all to safety. When in danger, she grabbed a weapon and started shooting the spider people to protect herself and the others. Her aim is terrible, sure, but her excitement when she actually hits something? It goes straight to my cock, feeding my already half-hardened erection.
It takes everything in me not to take her right here. Regardless of the enemies, regardless of our audience. I know Omni is nearby and he’s more than capable of keeping us alive with his sniper rifle. Some of the other slaves are fighting fiercely as well.
The other human was shooting right up until I arrived. When he noticed Omni and me joining the battle, he dropped the rifle and threw himself into patching up people’s wounds. He works diligently despite the occasional spear flying overhead, determined to help everyone regardless of the danger.
I feel a twinge of pain in my heart because he reminds me of Mzr. She was like that too, ignoring her own safety to help others.
Determined not to let Nikolai suffer Mzr’s fate, I instruct Astra to stay where she is, and move to a different position. It’s elevated, which means I’m making myself more of a target for the spear slingers, but it gives me a better opportunity to cover both Astra and Nikolai.
For the next several minutes, the battle is chaotic. The enemies only have spears against our laser rifles, but there are hundreds more of them than us and they know how to use it to their advantage. Often, it is just Omni’s sharpshooting and my experience keeping them at bay.
I do not discount Astra’s help, though, nor that of the other captives. They are scared, exhausted and some of them, including my mate, are injured. Yet, they fight with all they have and those who cannot fight help Nikolai with the wounded.
Finally, I hear the distant rumble of engines. The sky grows dark, then the gargantuan shape of a spaceship passes overhead. The locals scream in terror, tossing their spears before running for their lives.
I stay behind cover even after they’ve scattered, pleased to see that Astra is also hiding, waiting for my signal to come out. She’s brave, but not stupid. Truly perfect.
Once Omni, who can see better from his perch, gives me the go ahead, I jump down, heading straight for my mate. She’s still clutching the rifle, looking around cautiously as if expecting the enemies to return at any moment.
“It’s okay, Astra,” I soothe, prying the weapon out of her stiff fingers. “They aren’t coming back. The ship will land about four clicks from here and the others will join us soon.”
“Oh, okay. Okay.” She runs her hands over her naked arms and I notice how hard she’s trembling. Part might be due to the cold, but I suspect she’s also deeply shaken by the experience. “Clicks are, um…kilometers? Did my translator get that correctly? I don’t know how far that is. I’m American,” she giggles nervously.
I pull her against my body and she immediately wraps her arms around my chest, clutching me so tightly I can scarcely breathe. “It’s all good. There are a few ATVs on board the ship. My squad mates will take them and come pick us up. All-terrain vehicles,” I explain, not sure if she’s familiar with the terminology.
“ATVs?” She frowns up at me. “Like those four-wheeled motorbikes rich people drive around in mud for no reason? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there are lots of rocks around here.”
“It’s kinda hard not to,” I tease her, sitting down on one of the said rocks and pulling her into my arms. “These ATVs are different from what you know. They can hover over terrain and glide short distances. The rocks shouldn’t be a problem.”
A gust of wind announces Omni’s arrival. “All clear,” he says. “The others are about ten minutes away.”
“Are you an angel?” Astra asks, gawking at Omni in awe.
I fail to suppress a growl. I know it’s natural for her to look at other species with curiosity, but I’m feeling extra possessive of her. She shouldn’t look at other males like that. She should only look at me. Ever. Aaand, now I sound like a creep. “He’s not an angel. He’s a jerk,” I answer before Omni can say anything.
“Whatever.” He shrugs. “You owe me. The whole box.”
Like I said. Jerk. “I know. Stop flaunting your wings and go and make yourself useful.”
Astra tries to stand up. “I should help, too. Nikolai is tending to the wounded, but he doesn’t understand the labels on the boxes and people will be hungry and thirsty and they’ll need blankets or something and—”
“Shush.” I pull her back onto my lap. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re injured yourself.” I point at the lump on her forehead, my guilt spiking. It’s all my fault. “You’ll stay here with me. We don’t have a medic,” I say, diligently keeping pain from my voice as I my mind goes to Mzr, “but D’Aakh can use some of the basic infirmary equipment. Everyone will be fine. You can rest.”
She hums contentedly, resting her head against my shoulder. “He should show Nikolai. The infirmary equipment, I mean. Nikolai would be over the moon about it.”
“I’ll let D’Aakh know.” I don’t point out that it’s pointless to show the other human anything. He’s going to get his memory wiped before returning home. But if it makes my Astra happy, I’ll have D’Aakh show Nikolai everything. Sadly, we don’t know how to operate any of the more complex machines. We were supposed to get a replacement for Mzr a few weeks ago, but Zarkan kept postponing it. The loss is still too fresh for all of us.
I chase the dark thoughts away. I’ve mourned Mzr. We all have. She was impossible not to love, and her death hit us all hard, D’Aakh most of all. But right now, I have my mate in my arms and I want to think about life, not death.
Astra dozes off as I hold her. Omni brings us a warm blanket from one of the emergency supply boxes and I wrap it around her. She smiles sleepily, mumbling something about angels and hot tigers.
I know I should be helping. Omni and Nikolai are busy taking care of the former slaves, calming them down, tending to their injuries and handing out food, water and blankets. Some of the more primitive creatures are frightened and don’t understand what is happening. They eye Omni with suspicion, but they seem to trust Nikolai.
“He reminds me of Mzr,” Omni notes when he brings water over for Astra. “Are some humans empaths like she was?”
