I made myself take deep breaths, to focus on Dana now. She was being fed, looked after, even though it was by the enemy. Yet the moment the Caterri left, apparently summoned by another, I made my move. There was no way in hell I wasn’t going to at least talk to her. If I could get the chains off, I would, and steal away with her like I should have many moons ago.
It took much time to sneak my way towards the hovercraft, staying in the tall grass when I could and waiting for the minimal guard to pass on the occasion they did have one do rounds. It was pathetically easy, really. If that was how the Caterri regarded their security, I wasn’t certain how they had defeated the N’Akron in the first place.
Ignoring the unease at the thought, I scooted closer, wondering how to get her attention. Then I hesitated, because she was clearly lying in the bedroll, her eyes closed. If she was sleeping, did I dare risk disturbing her, even if it was to rescue her?
Mentally, I hissed at myself. That was a dumb question. Of course I did. This was my moment, my time to get her away from the others and get back to N’Akkar as quickly as we could.
The slow slide over to her took forever, but for all their watch was inept, there was a watch, so I had to be careful. The last thing I wanted was to be spotted by the Caterri and my plans ruined. The Caterri were cruel, and it would be easy for them to take their frustration out on Dana. It was also why I had to be careful when I took any of them out.
To my surprise, I heard rustling and then saw Dana turn over on her sack, peering suspiciously in my direction. I was being smart, keeping the strange metal cart between me and the Caterri so their watch couldn’t see me. However, it meant I was in the shadows, and I knew with my natural coloring I couldn’t be easy to catch sight of. The fact Dana seemed to sense something was surprising and pleasing at the same time.
I shifted just enough that she could see my face, and it was mere moments before she narrowed in on me. The relief that flooded her face made my cock threaten to make a mess of my pants, and it took all my control to keep it withdrawn. I couldn’t get sidetracked by my cock. Not now, not when rescuing her was much more important.
My tongue flickered out, my sense of smell acute, and I stiffened when I caught the scent of blood. Was she hurt? Had the Caterri done something to her? I inched closer, gesturing for her to remain silent. That earned me a roll of her eyes, a human gesture I was getting used to. It seemed to signal displeasure, not that her displeasure bothered me. My mate was spirited, and if something did not meet her standards, she was quick to tell. I couldn’t imagine a Caterri camp, especially one hastily set up, could come anywhere close to what she enjoyed for herself.
While we waited for the gradual silence to settle in the camp, we watched each other, gazes locked. Her [COLOR] eyes were clinging to mine, and there was a mix of emotions in there. Relief, worry, fierceness, tiredness. My mate was strong, but she was also only human, and I knew they were weaker than the N’Akron were. She was definitely at the mercy of the Caterri.
I took another taste of the air, pleased to not scent any Caterri nearby. I could still hear the faint buzz of voices, but it was gradually getting quieter. However, I could still smell the blood, and that made me inch closer to Dana and the strange metal cart she was attached to. It was making noise, a low thrumming hum that felt like it pierced my scales. I did not like it, and if Dana had not been near it, I would have never gotten that close. But it was where Dana was, and I wanted to see her more than I wanted to avoid whatever it was.
“Finally,” Dana murmured as I got closer.
I blinked my third eyelid at her, amusement warring with impatience. “I did not assist you as quickly as you wanted?”
Dana snorted, her voice as low as mine. “I would’ve rather not been kidnapped in the first place, but we both know how that went.” She rolled her eyes again.
“Let me see your wrists.” I moved slowly, making sure not to draw anyone’s attention as I shifted out of the grass and into the shadows of the loud metal beast.
“I have to stay lying down,” Dana warned. “I don’t want them to see that I’ve moved.”
“Of course.” I didn’t have much experience with the strange metal the Caterri favored, just that it was often immovable by normal means and required something extra. To my dismay, the circles around her wrist were of the same make. There was a chain connecting them, the chain wrapped around the purring metal beast securely enough even a sharp push of my hand against the bit it was attached to didn’t move it.
I swore under my breath, staring blankly at the problem. How the hell was I supposed to save her now?
“Didn’t think this through, did you?” Dana drawled, amusement in her eyes.
“I thought of nothing but your freedom,” I admitted. I hadn’t thought about how the Caterri would be holding her, how they could use the metal they kept often in Kohta to imprison people. I had never been caught by them, nor had any of my closest friends, so I didn’t know for sure. All I knew were
