Chapter 20
Sweat slicked my back as we traveled along a westerly route. Who would have thought that traveling through the jungle would be so miserable? Anyone who’d ever been in the thick of a jungle, I supposed. If not for the water purifier Tatiana had, we would be in dire straits.
“I have counted seventeen different kinds of snake, so far.” Tatiana puffed out.
Jaron hissed a breath through his teeth. “There was a reason I never accepted research missions in the jungles on Earth.”
My hands itched. I'd given up trying to keep them clean, and I had nothing to wrap them with. With only the clothes I was wearing after losing our packs, I couldn’t afford to tear them apart to make bandages.
“Above.” Jaron warned.
As we had numerous times before, we all got low underneath the thickest foliage we could find and waited.
A massive shadow undulated over the ground and passed us.
We all waited a second longer and then kept going.
For most of the day we’d managed to stay off their radar.
And there were many of them. He had to have ordered most of his stewards and warriors out looking because we were always hiding and making far less progress than I would have liked.
“Maybe they’ll think we’re dead and stop hunting us soon.” Jaron said hopefully.
I hummed a response, not having the energy to say anything. We hadn’t slept well the night before, for obvious reasons, and we’d started out early today.
“Do you think we’re still on task to make it there in three to five days?” Tatiana asked.
I highly doubted that we were going to get to the village that had the tech we needed within a full week, let alone in three to five days, but I didn’t voice it.
“I’d say that’s optimistic. We’re moving much slower than I had anticipated, given that we keep hiding from the patrols.
” He made a noise as a branch slapped him in the face and pushed it away.
“They’re being more persistent than I was hoping, considering that we’re just a few weak, useless prisoners. ”
I wanted to say that we weren’t useless. That we’d put ourselves to work and helped them, but none of it mattered now, did it?
We were nearly out of the canyon and were heading in the direction we believed was west, but I worried we would get lost. Maybe it was a good thing we weren’t making that much progress.
If we went back and waited in one of the caves for several days, they would think we were dead or gone and let down their guard.
Then we could sneak back in and get what we needed.
It was a long shot and not one I wanted to try, but trying to get to the village might get us killed.
I didn’t voice my somber thoughts. They needed all the motivation they could get, and I didn’t need to drag them down with me.
We were by far the noisiest things in the jungle. And it remained that way until a deep gurgling sound rose from the foliage several yards away. I froze, and my heart kicked into gear. I shared a wide-eyed look with the other two. The gurgling came again, this time closer.
No, no, no. Fronds parted and a hideous face pushed through. With multiple eyes and even more teeth poking out of a rounded snout, it was clear that this was a predator.
“Don’t run.” Jaron breathed.
I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. He wasn’t alone.
Baring rows of needle-like teeth, they attacked.
“Run!” I don’t know who shouted it, it could have been me, but we all bolted.
I crashed through the foliage. Branches lashed at me and roots hooked my boots. I stumbled multiple times, but my terror kept me going.
A yell had me wrenching my head to the side to look over my shoulder. All I could see was the flash of fur and teeth mere feet behind me.
I stumbled out onto a bare area, allowing me to tear forward faster.
The hot, wet splatter of saliva hit me and burned.
I barely registered the acid burning the left side of my back and my left arm.
Ahead of me was another stone cliff, more porous than sheer.
My lungs were burning and cramps were threatening to seize my thighs.
I knew without a doubt if I fell, I wouldn’t have the chance to get back up.
I leapt at the wall, scrambling up, digging my fingers and the toes of my shoes into the small holes in the wall.
Scraping sounded below me as I clung to the rock.
I glanced down and squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my face against the rough rock.
I was up higher than I thought, my fear having taken over.
Below me, the animal was on its hind legs, stretching up the cliff, trying to reach me. A whimper escaped as I stared down into its completely yellow eyes. It didn’t even have pupils.
I couldn’t hear anything over the pounding of my heart, but I cast my gaze around, hoping to see my companions. My heart sank with every moment that passed that I couldn’t see them.
The predator paced below.
I focused on calming my breathing and not thinking about my trembling arms and legs as I clung to the face of the cliff.
A loud wail echoed down the canyon, and I jerked. My fingers gave way.
Scrambling, I dug my nails into the rock, kicking for footholds even as I skidded lower. Pain lit my fingers and hands on fire.
Something sharp snagged my shoe and tore me from the wall. I screamed until my back slammed into the dirt and knocked the wind out of me. Instinctively, I brought my arms over my head and curled my legs up to protect my soft stomach.
A heavy weight landed on my legs and I jerked violently as pain exploded in the arm guarding my face.
This was it. Were Jaron and Tatiana safe? I wouldn’t know. Cold tears tracked down my hot face.
A bone chilling growl shook me and the weight pinning me was torn away. Several loud gurgles sounded and then there was silence.
I couldn’t look. I didn’t want to move and draw attention to myself.
“Jacqueline.” The deep rumble and gentle hands gripping my wrists pulled me from the terror I was drowning in.
Arrazyl’s face swam into view as he brushed my tears away with his thumbs, careful of his claws. I should push away, to want to get as far from him as I could, but I found myself pressing into his chest, fisting his shirt as I cried.
He murmured in vorikaan, soft and comforting, and pulled me into his lap.
I buried my face in his chest and breathed in his scent, spicy and warm. He stroked my back and hip as I calmed within the safety of his arms, the feeling of needing to run and not stop slowly fading.
“Jaron and Tatiana.” I shifted, but didn’t pull away from him yet.
“They’re safe.” His breath tickled my neck and the pleasure of it made my clit throb in response. I didn’t stop to think about what was wrong with me, I just needed to calm down. It was the adrenaline causing irrational reactions.
The soft press of his lips on my neck made me freeze.
“Is that where you plan to take my head off at?” The words poured from me without thought.
A low growl made me jerk my head up and face him. He looked murderous, and I pulled away. His arms tightened as heat entered his gaze and he pinned me to him, easily overpowering me. “We’ll discuss that when I get you back and your wounds are cleaned and bandaged.”
I barely noticed the pain and continued to ignore it, holding his gaze. “I need to know Jaron and Tatiana are ok.”
Irritation darkened his gaze. “I told you they were.”
“I have to see them.” I said firmly, wondering if he would deny me. Hadn’t he just been caressing my back, kissing my neck? I didn’t understand it, but I didn’t have time to think about it, either.
He studied me, and I wished I knew what he was thinking.
Standing abruptly, he lifted me, holding me to his chest as he pivoted and spread his wings. That was when I caught sight of the dead predator, a clean line splitting its throat wide open. It was a crystal clear reminder of what this male was capable of.
“Don’t look, dhysa.” he murmured, eyes on me.
I rested my head on his shoulder. He leapt into the air.
As the adrenaline in my blood cooled, my muscles began to cramp and ache. Arrazyl exuded a soothing warmth that I melted into.
When we were heading back toward the vorazka, I gripped him and shifted so I could see him better. “You said that Jaron and Tatiana are ok, where are they?”
He kept his gaze ahead. “They’ve been taken back to the city.”
I was exhausted, but there’s a level of exhaustion where you don’t care what happens to you or around you, and I hadn’t yet reached that breaking point, so I forged ahead. “Did you have them put on the ledges?”
This time, he looked at me. “No, Jacqueline. I never gave an order for any of you three to be harmed. They’re likely with the physician, as you will be soon.”
I wanted to ask more questions, but we would have time to talk later. Hopefully after I had that numbing salve put on my throbbing wounds. Hot, sticky blood coated my arm and slid from my hands, and I couldn’t even bring myself to bend my fingers for the pain I knew it would bring.
It was embarrassing how quickly we made it to the city, given how long it had taken us to make it that distance away.
He swooped past his vorazka and landed softly at the entrance of the infirmary.
Relief flooded through me as he carried me through the open doorway and I saw Jaron and Tatiana.
I imagined that Jaron’s face was a mirror of my own when he looked up.
He had bandages on his hands and Tatiana had a bandage on the side of her head and one wrapped around her bare midsection.
“A kigoth bit her arm and her hands are oozing.” Arrazyl told the physician as he laid me on a bed. As much as I wanted to lie back and close my eyes, I swung my legs over the side so I was sitting and could see everyone. I still needed to know what Arrazyl planned.
“What happened?” I asked Tatiana. Her eyes were creased with pain.