Chapter Thirty-Nine
Aphrodite stared down a long and endless tunnel system, watching as the light cannon warmed up. The walls were throbbing. Like the inside of a body, shivering walls of the tunnel pulsed.
“Zhat muq brotesqu.” Aphrodite hissed under her breath as she saw the miles long intestine track of tunnels before her made up of Brexzkit bodies.
They lurched away from the building light.
A shriek, demented and straight from the depths of her nightmares, bounced off the walls.
The bodies began to foam, dripping in a quivering rain as their screams turned to a deafening blade piercing her ear drums. Her suit shut off her noise sensors moments before the cannon went off.
Her screen flipped to a dark shield, blocking out the sharp light.
The tunnels shook as the cannon filled every crevasse with vicious force. After an eternity in the dark, her visor softened its darkness, and she could see what they’d left behind.
Nothing. Not even a corpse. Nothing but thread-thin plumes of smoke lifting off of earth that was seared lightly.
The soil of this planet will heal and the Orv will supply moisture and nutrients to replenish it. The tunnels are cleansed. Pests are gone.
Buddy’s text filled her data pad as she stepped away from the staff pole they’d stabbed into the ground to hold onto.
Kiefgr peeled away from the cannon, bouncing excitedly.
Grooug and Reevar rounded the corner, giving the hand signal the way was still clear.
Aphrodite stumbled her weak legs to Xexis, collapsing against him.
“Bpetz ntez Meptl.” The words fell out of her lips without a second thought.
Xexis, who had been up until that point, leaning on his staff pole for support and staring into the abyss, snapped his visor to her. Aphrodite froze in place, eyeing him suspiciously.
“What… did you say?” His whisper ran down her spine as a hard shiver.
“Bpetz ntez Meptl? I’m pretty sure about the translation, I had Rexna help me a little with the pronunciation and Buddy gave assistance with memorizing.
The pest are dead?” Her heart skipped a beat as he faced her, boot to boot, towering over her.
He reached a hand behind her head and ripped the mask off.
Aphrodite gasped, stumbling back a step.
Another hand cupped around her back and scooped her off her boots.
Pressing the chest of her armor to his, he pulled his helmet off last.
“That was perfect, Mphronatch,” he breathed, pressing his forehead to hers.
“Really?” She tossed her arms around him. “I know there’s more of them out there, not all of them would have been on the ship, and more must have bred, but I—”
Xexis put a finger against her mouth. “My mate should save her breath.”
“For what?” she snorted, kissing the tips of his fingers.
“The hunt.”
Aphrodite squeaked, “You mean it?”
“You’ve earned it.”
Her eyes lit up in delight. Finally! He set her back down, returning her helmet to her head roughly. In a smooth flick, his helmet was clicked back into place on his head. “Run, Mphronatch, as far as you can. For when I catch my prey, I’m breeding her like she deserves.”
Aphrodite put up a finger, mouth open to counter his words, but he hunched over.
His visor went dark and she squeaked. Oh…
now I’ve done it. Grooug and Reevar jumped out of the way as she bolted through the tunnel.
She felt a smidgen bad that she wouldn’t be there to help them clean up the cannon as she was the one who added all the extra weight to the thing.
However, all that guilt was gone the second he said she earned it.
I have earned this. She wanted nothing more.
There were no tricks this time. She didn’t have the energy or muscles for games. There was no fighting back. Just run. And so, she bolted. Aphrodite pumped her arms at her size, Buddy squealing a mechanic shriek beside her as they flew down the passage.
Her boots thudded against the earth. The endless tunnel seemed even longer than it had been traveling it.
Aphrodite bound over a large rock and heard the hiss of his suit behind her.
Blood roared in her ears as her heart threatened to give out.
Her lungs were hollowed husks as she whipped around another corner seconds before he could capture her.
Maybe he had a point… Earlier he said her stamina would grow, and she was doing far better than she had before.
Aphrodite felt a hand wrap around the nape of her neck before she felt her suit turn off.
It gave the sad wind-down sound that old computers used to use when being powered down.
Buddy dropped with a thud to the ground beside her as Xexis shoved her into the dusty earth.
Face first, arms splayed out before her, feet kicking behind her.
Despite knowing it was futile, she tried to twist and fight her way out from under him as her armor plopped to the soil around her.
He tugged her pants unceremoniously over her backside and trapped her knees with the waistband.
The zipper keeping her unitard sealed tight over her cunt was opened and she felt the fabric snap up toward her stomach.
Her insides purred with delight. She knew how wet she was…
and so did Xexis. His fingers spreading her drenched lips and playing in her desire.
One hand to her helmet, the only piece of armor he kept on her, and one stroking her exposed skin.
The other two were busy stoking a fire between her thighs.
He ripped her hips up, angling her ass to the top of the tunnel.
Trapping her legs between his, Xexis burrowed himself in her and gave her no way to fight out.
Not that she wanted to… Her body ached and her muscles burned.
If she had gone much further, her core might have cramped up.
As he thrust inside, spreading her wide and warming her insides with his delicious stretch, Xexis didn’t speak.
He’d saved his breath for the hunt like she had.
Instead, the only thing she heard was the hiss of his helmet being removed once more and dropped beside her.
She stared into the glimmering, dark green metal of his helmet as he fucked her with abandon.
There was something so blissful about being shoved face down and taken lovingly.
Even though he was sharp and needy, his touch was kind and affectionate.
Well…minus the hand holding her head to the ground.
One hand was stroking her back, leaving goose bumps in its wake.
Another was wrapped around her, gently circling her clit.
His grunting behind her was soothing to her racing heart.
Aphrodite floated out of her body, letting him take care of her need and himself.
Her insides clenched and her orgasm drifted ever closer.
He croaked, “My mate.”
Her eyes rolled back in her head as she descended into the abyss. Walls fluttering around him, milking him with every muscle she had, legs shaking dangerously close to breaking, she broke. Wave after wave of delightful, cool pleasure washed over her.
Xexis slowed his thrusts, easing her down to the ground.
His armor scraped against what little exposed skin she had and the rest of her flight suit.
She fought her floppy limbs to take her helmet off.
He laid his forehead against the back of her head, tossled hair and sweaty skin, it didn’t change a thing.
Xexis inhaled deeply, directly behind her ear.
“I love you,” he whispered, “Your mind and your determination, your ferocity and anger. I love you, Aphrodite.”
Xexis nuzzled his face against her scalp as he released within her.
She floated in wonderful space, a ghost among the stars, as he filled her with his warmth.
It took a long time for him to pull back, slipping from inside her.
Xexis zipped her flight suit back closed and tugged her pants back on her hips.
She pushed up on her arms, looking at all the discarded platelets of her armor around her.
She wheezed for air. “What did you hit me with?”
“Not you,” He laughed, scooping her up by the hips. She dangled from his arms as he bent and picked up Buddy. “I hit the drone with a discharge bullet.”
“He’s gonna be pissed at you.” Aphrodite snorted as the drone chirped awake. Immediately, it zipped around, wiggling its tentacles at Xexis aggressively.
“Calm down, mighty one, you were too fast for me to catch; you should feel proud I had to discharge you.”
Buddy gargled something mechanical behind her before all her platelets were snapped into place.
They both pulled on their helmets with exhaustion.
Slowly but surely, everything returned to where it belonged.
Including Aphrodite in Xexis’ arms, Buddy on her helmet, and the pair with the pack at the ends of the tunnels.
Their ship was back where it had been before, Rexna and Kern standing by the loading bay.
Xexis tossed the container holding the Brexzkit to the technician who immediately studied it with extreme curiosity.
“Ready to go home, My Mate?” Xexis clinked his helmet with hers.
“Ready.”
Aphrodite sat in the lab with Rexna while they took swab after test of the Brexzkit.
Having it contained in the jar was good but then having that jar contained in a testing device was even better.
This way they could poke and prod without possibly letting the fucker out.
Aphrodite and Buddy watch as the technician ran test after test, the other researchers on the crew rushed back and forth.
It was too early to celebrate. They’d only eradicated the infected Brexzkit from Orvian, that didn’t mean there wasn’t more out there.
That didn’t mean there weren’t more victims out there. More corpses wearing the faces of her dead friends or coworkers. She shuddered at the thought.