28. Chapter 28
Chapter twenty-eight
-Bryce-
I kept pace with Kitari as he hurried from the building.
The cloak, still warm from his body and carrying the comforting smell of him, absolutely swamped me. I was a tall, well-built mercenary, and I’d never felt so small. The hood, which he’d yanked up over my head, hung low over my eyes and hid my face.
“What’s happening?”
“I should not have brought you here.”
As we walked, he was glued to my side, looking this way and that.
“Won’t someone notice my size?” I asked, lifting an arm buried deep in the sleeve.
“You are a similar size to a beta. It should be fine.”
I got the impression that now wasn’t the time to ask what a beta was.
“Try not to emit your bee-ou ,” he whispered.
“I don’t think I have any control over that.”
We walked on and he stuck close to me. I kept my head bowed. I assumed we were going back out the way we had come in, but I didn’t recognize any of the buildings that I caught a glimpse of. Once again, I would’ve been totally lost without Kitari. And he was helping me for…what reason? I was a stranger to him. He was obviously a good guy, and maybe that was why. But my mind went back to that kiss on the hill. The way his lips had felt against mine, and how my body felt like it was going to catch fire.
Kitari wrinkled his nose. “Whatever you are thinking of, stop. Your bee-ou is increasing.”
I cleared my throat. “Yep. Sorry.”
Kitari glanced down at me. “I should not have brought you here,” he said again.
“I wanted to come. I needed to know the truth.”
“I have put you in needless danger. It will not be long before you are discovered missing.”
I ducked my head as a group of Aldar passed, long, golden spears in their hands. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of one of them turning their head towards us, nose wrinkled and brow furrowed. Kitari hurried me along to a small passageway between tall, white walls, canopied with bushy greenery overhead.
“Why must you smell so enticing?” he muttered.
“It’s a gift and a curse I have always had to bear.”
He smiled. “Do you always use humor in perilous situations?”
“If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry.”
He snorted. “That is often the truth.”
He pulled the hood down and tipped my head to one side, leaning down.
“Erm, what are you doing?”
“Masking your scent.”
He rubbed his jaw along the side of my neck, like a cat marking its territory, and I stood frozen. He was so warm, and he smelled so good. He did the same on the other side, and I tried to think about grandmas and Rand’s dirty laundry.
He stepped back and pulled my hood back up.
“That should mask it a little, so long as you keep a clear mind.”
I cleared my throat. If anything, he’d probably made it worse. “Right.”
We set off again, but my mind was racing with the feeling of his skin against mine. I needed to distract myself or I would be shooting out BO like an industrial sprinkler.
“I wanted to ask, why do you guys use spears? They’re a bit basic, aren’t they? Considering you have spaceships.”
“You choose now to ask questions?”
I shrugged. “You said I needed a clear mind.”
He eyed me. “It is cowardly to kill from afar. A kill must be earned, and a true warrior will face their opponent head-on, with the respect they deserve, and use only their own power. A spear can be thrown, but it will only fly far with skill.”
I thought about that for a while. “But don’t your ships have guns on them?”
“Have you tried to throw a spear in space?”
“Good point,” I conceded.
“The ship weapons are a last resort. We find deterrence is often the easiest option. A fearsome reputation helps that.”
“You’re definitely good at that.”
We passed under a large, cream archway, passing into the outer limits of the city. The buildings were less dense here, and the number of Aldar around had noticeably thinned out.
“We will head back through the pass we entered, and head for your base camp from there.”
“You’re coming with me?”
“Yes, of course,” he said, frowning. “They will be searching for us by now. But when we reach the cover of the jungle it should be safe to—”
He stopped talking, and I glanced up at him.
“Keep your head down,” he said sharply. “An alpha has caught your scent.”
I followed his gaze to see a huge alpha with its eyes locked on me. Before I could look away, it started to march closer, intent on me, its nostrils flared.
“ Frarnk .”
Kitari grabbed my arm and ran. He pulled me into a large, hollow building of woven rock and we sprinted through to the other side. Here, the street was wider. We ran through hanging vines heavy with flowers, and over the huge roots of a tree growing from the side of another building.
A quick glance behind; the alpha was following at a full run. It was catching the attention of other Aldar, who looked up at the commotion. We needed evasive maneuvers.
On our right, a narrow passage overgrown with thick, twisting roots and vines ended in a gap too small for an Aldar. I pushed Kitari to keep going.
“Go around, I’ll meet you on the other side.”
“What? No—”
“He’s after me, not you. Go around.”
I set off running before he could stop me, weaving my way through the plants. I looked over my shoulder at the sound of pursuit, half-expecting Kitari to have followed, but it was the huge alpha hot on my tail.
Jesus, these guys were quick.
My progress slowed as I got closer to the gap, where the twisting roots pressed up close to the wall opposite, leaving what I calculated to be just big enough to fit my shoulders through. Thank god I’d ditched the bulky armor already.
Without looking back, I launched myself at the gap, got my arms through, and pushed to get the rest of my body through. For a second, I thought I was going to get stuck, the roots pressing into my back, pinning me for a few seconds. I breathed out, squeezing all the air out of my lungs, and pushed again. My shoulders slipped and I tumbled through the gap out the other side.
Only a moment later, a long arm snaked through the gap and clawed at me as the alpha tried to wedge himself through. It snarled as I backed away. I turned and ran, reaching the far end of the passageway.
As I made it to the opening, Kitari appeared in front of me and skidded to a halt, breathing heavy and covered in sweat. He saw the alpha tearing at the gap, and grinned.
“That was clever.”
I shrugged. “I try.”
“Come, Bryce Bryce Gunner, we are nearly there.”
Right, my name. I should probably correct him. Now seemed like as good a time as any. As we hurried on, leaving the snarls and what I assumed were curses behind us, I said, “My name is just Bryce Gunner by the way.”
He glanced down at me, confused.
“Just one Bryce, not two. Bryce Gunner. But people usually just call me Bryce.”
He looked aghast. “I sincerely apologize, I did not mean to cause offense to you or your culture. I misunderstood when you introduced yourself, and have been calling you the incorrect name all of this time. This is incredibly embarrassing.”
I waved my hand. “No, no, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“Bryce,” he said, trying it out. It sounded kind of weird coming from him, to be honest, and I almost regretted correcting him. “I apologize again. You must think I am very stupid.”
“No, not at all.”
Now I wanted to say sorry for correcting him and making him feel like an idiot, but we’d probably just go round in an apology cycle. So we fell back into silence.
The trees and plants grew thicker, and the Aldar even less. It looked like we had one more stretch of smooth white stone to cross, and then another low archway.
“Once we are in the forest, we should be able to—”
Kitari froze mid-step, his hand flying to my chest. Under the arch, a group of Aldar blocked our path, spears in hand. They were looking at us, and they looked hungry .
One of them said something, and Kitari replied. I got the impression they wanted to know where he was going.
The one at the front had a heavy-lidded gaze and gestured at me, snarling something. Kitari shifted, widening his stance.
The Aldar didn’t take his gaze off me. His nose twitched, and his eyes darkened. He said something and Kitari spat out a reply, sounding angry.
I took a step back, which turned out to be a bad idea. The one in front stepped forward, as if there was a tether between us. I reached instinctively for my blaster, but of course, it wasn’t there. The alpha took another step towards me. It looked like he was ready to pounce.
Kitari stepped in front of me, blocking off my view with his broad back. The muscles in his shoulders shifted and flexed as he hunched into a protective posture, like a wolf defending its meal from interlopers, arms out at his sides ready to fight.
He snarled with animal ferocity. “ Ninya .”
I didn’t know what it meant, but it sent a shiver down my spine.
A few of the Aldar glanced at each other, then backed up a few steps. But the one in front lifted his lip in a snarl, baring his sharp canines. The alpha lowered his head, raised his spear, and charged.