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Hess’s shot had carved a smoldering line through the plants ahead of me, and seeing it made me wince. If I hadn’t fallen, the beam would have sliced through my head.
No wonder he’d been so quick on the draw. He’d already been aiming at me, which meant I needed a door between us, too. I scrambled through the undergrowth, trying to circle toward the rope while the mobsters and the monster fought it out.
A line of red light burned past me, slicing through the black flowers ahead and making me swear as I ducked behind a tree. Hess had recovered his pistol and yep, he was shooting at me rather than the Tyradyn monster.
It wasn’tcomforting news, but at least now I knew.
“Where d’you think you’re going?” His shout carried a mix of panic and anger. “Going to abandon us to thisthing?I’ll kill you first.”
“We’ve got to get out of here,” I said. Reasoning with Hess wasn’t much of a plan, but I didn’t have a better idea. “Come on, we’ve got plenty of samples. Let’s go.”
No answer, but no laser fire either. I took that as a sign Hess might go for it. That would have to do, because we didn’t have time to argue.
Cautiously, I popped my head up from behind my tree trunk cover. Hess was right there, laser pistol aimed between my eyes, a savage grin on his face.Yeah, that’s predictable. Disappointing, but predictable.
His finger tightened on the trigger, and everything slowed down. It was like we were both moving through treacle, and I was going to watch myself die in slow motion. There wasn’t time to throw myself back into cover, or to do anything at all.
Not for me, anyway. While everything else moved at a crawl, the Tyradyn beast moved as fast as ever, appearing from nowhere to grab Hess’s shooting arm and pull. Hess screamed as his arm came off at the shoulder with a wet ripping sound.
The screams cut off when the beast’s claw mercifully sliced open Hess’s neck. He dropped like a sack of potatoes, and time snapped back to normal.
Volkov’s fist smashed into the back of the creature’s head, taking advantage of its distraction. It staggered back and he followed, hammering brutal blows into its carapace.
I looked around for some way to help, though I wasn’t sure which of them I’d rescue from the other. Volkov was human, at least, but his boss had tried to shoot me twice. And both times, the beast had saved my life.
Before I solved that dilemma, the Tyradyn did it for me. Rearing up on its hind legs, it lifted its middle limbs as another pair of arms, catching Volkov by surprise. The big man’s genemodded reflexes were fast enough to dodge the monster’s grapple, but that left him open to a punch that sent him flying.
He tried to recover, bouncing back to his feet as soon as he hit the ground. It wasn’t enough—the Tyradyn’s claws slashed across his torso and blood sprayed everywhere as he collapsed.
I’d watched the exchange frozen in terror, only snapping out of it when Volkov collapsed. That broke my paralysis and I ran for the rope. Not that I had a hope in hell of outdistancing the monster, but I had to try.
I made it perhaps five steps before it bounded into my path. Heart pounding, I skidded to a halt and looked up at it, shuddering.
Hess’s laser hadn’t saved him. Volkov’s genemods hadn’t done him any good. Now here I stood without either, face to face with a ten-thousand-year-old alien war machine.
It was beautiful, in the same alien way as the forest was. Shiny black carapace covered it in articulated plates, each piece perfectly fitting to the next, letting the creature move with the graceful elegance of a tiger. Purple markings down its flanks and long limbs might have been writing or body art. Its rear legs were thick and powerful, middle legs slender and dexterous, and its arms precise and deadly.
But it was the eyes that caught me. Three pairs of huge purple orbs, an orange circle like fire around each pitch-black pupil, met my gaze with an intensity that made my breath catch. Those eyes were stunning, and I couldn’t look away.
They were expressive too. Or perhaps I was fooling myself into thinking that the monster lookedlonely?But I couldn’t shake the impression. This creature was all alone, and the feeling was like an ache in my soul.
My heart beat loud in my ears, reminding me I was still alive. My breathing sounded deafening in my helmet, my pulse raced, and my skin tingled all over. Death loomed over me, and all I could do was wait for the end.
But the monster didn’t attack. Cocking its head to one side quizzically, it lowered a hand to tap claws on my helmet’s visor.
It (he? Somehow, I was sure he was male) leaned in, jaws opening wide. His teeth gleamed, a row of vicious fangs ending in needle points. This was a killing machine, built or grown for war, and I suddenly had a lot more sympathy for the politicians who’d banned salvage of Ancient technology.
It was a pity, because he was also sexier than I could have imagined. Perhaps it was the fight-or-flight reaction flooding my system, but the huge, powerful body of the monster called to me.
“…hello?” I knew he wouldn’t hear me through my helmet. And even if he did, he wouldn’t understand. I had to try. “Please don’t kill me.”
Those eyes, the piercing, impenetrable gaze, pinned me in place. I wouldn’t have moved even if he’d let go of me. His sorrowful orbs held me, transfixed.
With a loud snap, frills opened up around his neck, framing his head with a glittering rainbow circle that wavered back and forth. The effect was mesmerizing, and somehow, I heard words as I watched the colors flow.
No, not heard. The words were thoughts, but not in my voice.Calm/peace/safety.
They weren’t quite words, but to my surprise, I felt safer. My breathing slowed from panicked gasps and something else formed in my mind. A question.
