18. Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
-Bryce-
H e shouted something back, but I could barely hear him over the roar of the water.
“What?” I shouted, and he leaned in until his lips were practically making out with my ear. It sent a shiver right up my spine.
“I am sure I know this place. The water is not far below.” He slapped an encouraging hand on my shoulder.
“Are you sure you’re sure? Because you don’t sound sure,” I shouted back.
Kitari’s eyes glimmered. “There is only one way to know.”
The roar of the water vibrated in my bones, but instead of scaring me, it electrified me. And maybe it had something to do with Kitari’s mouth being so close to my ear. I felt vital and alive.
“That’s crazy,” I shouted. “I like it.”
His grin widened. “I will go first.”
He turned, but I stopped him with a hand on his arm. “How are you going to warn me if you get swept away or splattered on a rock? And, if you do survive, how are you going to tell me it’s ok? I won’t hear you over this.” I could barely hear myself shouting as it was. “We’ll go together.”
Kitari showed sharp canines in a flash of white teeth. “Together.”
I smiled back.
“We run and jump, we must get clear of the fall.”
I nodded, feeling giddy as we backed up to the bend in the tunnel.
“I’m not sure how fast I can go with my leg,” I shouted
“I will not leave you behind.” Kitari took my hand. It wrapped around my own, firm and warm, and my skin tingled. My heartbeat almost drowned out the noise of the water.
He made eye contact with me. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
We ran. The floor of the tunnel was smooth and slippery, but my boots held their grip. I managed to keep pace with him for a few steps before Kitari pulled ahead, his long legs taking huge strides. I was pulled along, my feet falling out of rhythm, and I almost tripped over myself, but it didn’t matter. In that giddy moment, I felt like even if I did fall, I would sail along behind Kitari like a kite.
His hand was a lifeline. Kitari opened his mouth, and I joined in, swept up in the moment, whooping a shout that made no noise over the roar of water that filled my head. Our feet left the ground, and the rock floor disappeared.
There was a split-second of thundering pressure as water pounded down on me, battering my head and shoulders. And then we were sailing through the air, the sudden light almost blinding. I caught a flash of green around us, blue and white churning far below, and Kitari at my side still holding my hand tight. For a weightless moment, we were flying.
Then gravity gripped us, and we plunged.
I snatched a breath just before I hit the water. It closed over my head, swirled around me, tugged at my limbs. Kitari’s hand wasn’t in mine anymore, and I pumped my arms and legs—once, twice—and broke through the surface. Gasping, I shook the water from my hair and eyes. Kitari was treading water next to me, making it somehow look easy and graceful as the churning water carried us down the river between tall banks of overhanging trees.
“So, is this where you thought it was?” I panted.
Kitari spat water and said with a mischievous smile, “Almost.”
I laughed and choked on a mouthful of water. The current was fast, and we were getting pushed along at an unrelenting pace.
“Come.” Kitari turned and struck out for the nearest bank, pulling himself with strong, arm-over-arm strokes that propelled him effortlessly through the water.
I followed. My stiff leg wasn’t much help, and I trailed behind him. Ahead of me, Kitari reached the mossy bank and pulled himself up in an eruption of water that streamed down his body. His hair was plastered in dripping curls to his head and neck, and the sun caught on the shifting muscles of his back. The material wrapped around his waist clung to him, showing clearly the curve of his ass as he bent over.
I lost my rhythm for a moment at the sheer illegal level of hotness. Because wow. Just, damn. Wow. The view actually made my brain malfunction for a few seconds, shorting out every fuse, and I stopped swimming.
I didn’t notice how far I’d drifted off course until the current picked up. I started swimming again, but with my stiff leg and bulky armor weighing me down, I struggled to break free.
Goddamn it, if I drowned because of horniness…
Kitari turned and looked over at me, smiling in amusement. “The land is this way.”
I gritted my teeth and tried not to pant, striking out with my arms with all my strength, but it felt like I was wrapped in a heavy blanket that was getting heavier and heavier, pulling down.
“Yeah, trying.”
Kitari’s look of amusement froze and then disappeared as I was dragged further away. The current buffeted me and my head dipped below the water. I kicked frantically, my stiff leg flailing, and managed to break the surface. But my gear was too heavy, and it was already pulling me down again.
There was a splash as Kitari took a running jump from the bank, performing a perfect swan dive, and resurfaced next to me. He grabbed me, buoying me up out of the water, and I gasped.
“My suit, it’s too heavy.”
Kitari had both arms around me, treading water. “Take it off.”
I tried to locate the fastenings on the heavy armor, but my fingers slid over them, unable to get a grip whilst trying to stay afloat. “I can’t.”
The combined weight must have been too much for Kitari, because we both dipped under the water for a moment and came up spluttering. His dark hair was plastered to his face.
Kitari let me go, and I sank beneath the water again. A moment of panic wracked me, and I fought against the current. But then, through my blurred vision, I saw him submerge. He made eye contact with me, and I calmed.
He ran his hands over the suit. I pressed mine over the fastenings, guiding him, and he worked with quick fingers, releasing them one by one. My lungs burned. He worked down the other side and I struggled to pry it off.
With one last kick and wriggle, the armor fell away. I was instantly lighter. With a kick, I shot back up to the surface and broke through into the air. I filled my lungs and made for the shore, with Kitari close behind me. I reached the bank and heaved myself up, then flopped down and gulped in wonderful, fresh air. Now, without my suit, I was only wearing my standard issue undershirt and trousers, a plain black top that clung to me, and fitted dark green pants that tucked into my black boots.
Kitari re-emerged like some Adonis water nymph and crouched next to me. He put his hands on either side of my face, cupping it with urgency.
“I’m fine,” I said automatically. Water dripped into my eyes and off my chin as I spoke.
The concern on his face eased as he inspected me. He let out a huff and pushed the dripping hair from his face.
“I told you you needed to take your suit off.”
“Shut up.”
He laughed and sat back, flopping onto the ground next to me with his eyes closed. The sun played over his wet skin. It glistened, dusky purple and smooth. Now that we were out of that dark cave, and I wasn’t being chased by anything, I could really take him in. Sure, he was hot down there in the blue glow. But now, under the full light of the sun? Not to be dramatic, but the word glorious definitely passed through my mind. Followed swiftly by muscles, legs, and fuck.
I thought about all of that omega stuff he’d told me, about our bodies wanting to mate with each other, and felt my face heat. I didn’t need to be an omega for my body to react to him. No BO needed, just looking was enough.
I cleared my throat. “So, what now?”
He cracked one eye open. The gold of his iris practically glowed in the sunlight.
“Now?”
I rubbed water from my nose. “Yeah, now we’re out of the caves. Are you going to tie me up again?”
He narrowed his eyes at me and quirked one sharp eyebrow.
“Do you want me to?”
I laughed a little too loudly. “What? No.”
He smirked. “Will you try to escape?”
The thought had crossed my mind. That maybe I could slip away and find my way back to my team. It would probably be the sensible thing to do, but I’d never get away from him. And I needed to see Clay and figure out what had happened to him, for the sake of the mission.
Both very good reasons. And neither of them had anything to do with his mischievous smile or granite jawline. Or the fact that the thought of spending more time with Kitari was appealing. Very appealing.
“With this hunk of junk?” I said and hit my stiff leg. It made a dull thunk . “Doubt I’d be able to get very far with you behind me.”
He smirked and pushed himself up on his long arms. “That is true, I am very quick.”
“And modest,” I said.
He frowned. “ Mor-dist ? Clay has not taught me that word yet.”
“It means you don’t admit to being as good as you are.”
His frown deepened. “That is not true, I do not hide my abilities. What would be the point?”
“I assume you also don’t know the word ‘sarcasm.’”
He gave me a pointed look.
“It’s when you say something, but you mean the opposite.”
That eyebrow went up again. “So, a lie.”
“No. Well, yeah, I suppose so. But it’s meant to be funny.”
“So you are trying to be humorous?” He tilted his head and looked around. “The river is dry. The sun is cold. And I am slow.” He shot me a look. “That is amusing to you?”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Not quite.”
He thought of another. “You are good at avoiding trouble.”
That did make me laugh. “Ouch.”
“Humans are strange,” he said, then shook his head and studied my face. “We must go soon, but I need some time to rest first.”
Which I took as meaning I looked like shit. If I looked anything like I felt, he was correct.
If I was going to get through this jungle, I needed to fix this damn leg. I lay back down and searched my memory for anything about the installation. A simple prosthetic would have been easy, but this was a high-tech model with different functions for different terrain and pressure sensitivity. It picked up the signals from my brain so I could control and move it independently, just like a real leg. It was a wonder of technology for sure, when it was working. Now it was just a lump of useless metal.
When the technician had installed it for the first time, I was sure he had said something about restarting it after a malfunction. Resetting it to factory settings?
I unfastened it and laid it across my lap. Apart from the crack on the outside, it didn’t look like anything else was wrong with it. Kitari watched with interest.
“Does it hurt to remove it?” he asked.
“No.”
I peered at it. There had to be an access panel somewhere. Why the hell hadn’t I paid more attention to the technician when he’d gone through everything with me? The shock and denial I’d been battling at the time probably hadn’t helped.
I turned it this way and that, looking for any panel that looked like it could open, but the whole thing was smooth and seamless.
“May I see it?” Kitari asked.
I handed it over and he inspected it closely. Then gripped it by the ankle and smashed it against a rock.
“Whoa—”
The small light on the side flashed on, blinking bright blue. Kitari handed it back to me as the lights along its edge came back on. I stared at it.
“Well, damn.”
I shuffled it back into place, fastened it, and attached the sensor strip. It connected with a familiar static shock that ran up my spine. I turned the foot experimentally and it moved like normal.
Who says you can’t solve problems with violence?
“An old Aldar trick,” Kitari said. “If you do not know, hit it.”
I stood up, my leg taking my weight and moving naturally. It felt good.
Kitari watched on with an amused expression as I did a few high kicks and a cartwheel for good measure. I landed the cartwheel in the classic gymnastic pose, arms up and legs together.
Kitari was full-on grinning now, which only made me more pumped. “You are very odd, Bryce Bryce Gunner. Are all humans like this?”
“Nope, I’m the one and only.” And then did a roundhouse kick to prove my point.
He snorted.
“It is good to see you happy.”
I grinned back. It felt good not to be a burden anymore.
“We must continue to Amalya soon. The jungle can be dangerous. You will need to stay close to my side.”
Not a problem, his side looked amazing.
“What about all that stuff you said about...” I cleared my throat. “…mating?”
He sat up, serious now. “Does it disturb you?”
“Well, I wouldn’t say disturb, but, you know.”
“Do not be worried, I will not try to mate with you. I do not believe in the old traditions some of our elders still uphold. They are outdated. I thought so before, but meeting Clay has only confirmed it to me. Omegas are not property to be claimed and competed for. You have no reason to fear me.”
I cleared my throat again and looked down. “Oh. Good.”