As she hit his chest, she realized he’d stopped running and she hadn’t even noticed. Blinded by the rain and her own tiredness and fear, she’d just been focused on pressing on.
Never mind that her belly was still hurting, the pain was almost made unimportant as the fact they were being chased loomed at the forefront of her mind.
“We rest a little,” Kyris said, as his wings made that canopy thing he did.
Breaths coming fast, she couldn’t answer so she nodded instead. She was pretty sure this rest stop was for her and not him. He didn’t seem in the least bit affected by the strain of their run.
When she glanced up at him, he was frowning at her but not in anger. She could see in those violet eyes that he was…concerned.
“Maybe we should make camp.”
Her eyes widened. “Here?” It was in the middle of the desert. She hadn’t been paying a lot of attention but she was sure they ran in the opposite direction of the caves.
“Yes. I will make camp. You must rest.”
“I—”
But he was releasing her before she could finish speaking. As his wings retracted and the rain hit her once more, she shivered.
The water was cold, not warm as she’d thought it would have been, seeing that it was scorching just before and the twin suns were high in the sky.“Stay here. I must hunt a zehmip.” Violet eyes glanced over her and even in the rain she could see the worry in his eyes.
He seemed hesitant to move as he glanced about them, his eyes scanning the sand.
The nesters. He was unsure to leave because of the nesters.
“I can listen for them.”
With a jerk of his head, he paused for a second. “I cannot take you close to the zehmip. It is not safe.”
Song nodded. She could hardly see around them. She could hardly hear, for that matter.
All around them was gray, the rain falling so hard now she couldn’t see anything more than a few feet away.
“I will be okay.” Even as she said it, she knew she felt the opposite. She was absolutely terrified.
But looking up into his violet gaze, the rain soaking them both, she knew one thing: she trusted this alien. And it was definitely easier putting your life in someone else’s hands when you trusted them.
When he hesitated and still did not move, his eyes searching hers for some sort of reassurance, she smiled up at him. “I’ll be okay.”
With another jerk of his head, he glanced at her before stepping into the wall of gray.
As he disappeared, a jolt of fear rocked through her.
It was as if she was alone. If she didn’t know that he was somewhere close by, she would have thought that she was utterly and completely alone.
It hit her straight to her core.
She’d become used to his companionship so much that when he was gone, the space he left behind weighed down on her.
She needed him.
As Song gulped, wiping the rain from her face, she narrowed her eyes so she could try and improve the visibility. It didn’t help much but at least it stopped some of the water from getting into her eyes.
As she stood there waiting, the faint sound of tree bark stretching reached her ears and made her freeze.
Please don’t let that be another animal. Please. Please let that be Kyris.
But the sound didn’t stay for long.
Soon after there was silence again.
Turning in a slow circle, she looked about her.
The longer he stayed away, the more the desolation was creeping in; even though she was confident he would return.
Looking down, she bit her bottom lip and wrapped her arms around herself.
She was in a right state.
She was soaked from head to toe and shivering.
As she waited, she took the time to scrub her face and the shirt she was wearing, using her fingers to get rid of the purple stain left from the nester’s blood.
She was almost done when something caught her ear.
Freezing, her gaze darted through the gray.
Had she been imagining it? She thought she’d heard a hiss.
Not daring to even breathe, she strained her ears, but there was nothing. She was just about to relax, as much as she could relax in the middle of the desert in the rain, when the sound reached her ears again.
It was undoubtable. She’d heard it.
A hiss.
Her hand covered her mouth automatically, as if afraid that making any sound would draw attention to herself.
Maybe if she was quiet, the thing wouldn’t find her.
Visibility is low, Song, she tried to comfort herself. Maybe they can’t see you.
As if it weren’t true, there was another hiss. And this time, it sounded really close.
She was spinning in a circle now, trying to determine which direction it was coming from when she heard another hiss, and another.
Fuck!
Both hands covering her mouth now, they trembled against her lips.
She had nothing to use to defend herself. Nothing.
No knife. No sword. Not even a stick.
What the hell was she going to do?
A loud, ear-splitting screech sounded nearby and it took all the effort within her not to take off at a mad run.
She needed to stay put. Not only because she had no idea which direction to run in but because if she moved, Kyris might not know how to find her.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit.
What should she do?
Another screech sounded close by and the terrifying thought hit her. Maybe they couldn’t see her, but they could smell her?
FUCK.
As the hisses and screeches seemed to come closer she couldn’t keep quiet anymore.
“Kyris!” hands gripping her makeshift skirt, she screamed his name. Turning in a circle as the skies rained down on her, the water mixing with her tears of fright.
“Kyris!”
She was trembling so hard she wasn’t sure if it was the cold or her fear anymore, all she knew was that she was being surrounded by monsters that belonged
