Page 64 of Akur

“We need to move,” he said. It wasn’t lost on her that his voice was carefully neutral again. “The Hedgeruds will be here soon.”

She nodded, reaching for her scattered clothes, only to remember they were in shreds. Akur made that sound again—the one that seemed caught between desire and regret. Digging in one pocket of his trousers, he took out a little circular thing and thrust it in her direction.

“What’s this?” She took the little packet, turning it over in her hand. It was wrapped in something like plastic, a little brown circle. “When I checked your pockets, I found nothing.”

“Clothing,” Akur grunted. “Shum’ai technology. Unfold it.”

She did as he instructed, biting the packet with her teeth to break the film. As soon as she did that, the disc grew; the material transforming from a thin film into a soft, pliable fabric. Within seconds, it had unfolded into a simple tunic, large enough to cover her. “It…grows?” she said, amazed.

“Nanofiber weave.” He turned away again, running a hand over his head. It was then she noticed the fin at the back of his head wasn’t that raging red it was before. It was more like a muted pink now. She’d high-five her pussy if it wouldn’t hurt. She was pretty sure she was sore down there.

“It’s adaptable. Durable.” Akur turned around again, his gaze lingering on her. “…Practical.”

It was more like a large t-shirt, but as she shrugged it on, she supposed it covered her completely, hiding away her nakedness.

“It’s thermal-regulated,” he continued. “Should help with the…” He gestured at her trembling limbs.

“The aftermath?” She supplied with a small smile, trying to ease some of the tension. It didn’t help. His only response was a grunt as he moved back to the map, but she caught the way his fin seemed to throb again, the way his hands clenched at his sides.

Damn. She hadn’t considered this when she’d made him that offer, but things felt tense now. Like things had changed. Damnit. She opened her mouth, wanting to dispel the tension, but found she couldn’t. They had a mission to complete, a world to save.Herworld. Everything else would have to wait.

“Thanks.” She hopped off the table, testing her balance. Glancing back his way, she found him watching her with those intense golden eyes, and she could see him struggling with something. Before she could ask, he turned back to the map.

“The citadel first,” he said, voice gruff. “Then we take that ship and find your friend in the wastelands.”

She moved to stand beside him, studying the glowing pathways. She couldn’t understand a thing on the map. It was in a language she couldn’t read. Worse yet, it was 3D, but with only the pathways shown. Kind of like an architectural drawing of a subway network.

“Your heat…is it better?” she whispered after a few moments.

His muscles tensed, but he nodded once, sharply. “It’s managed. For now.”

There was something in his tone that made her want to reach for him, but she held back. What was his problem? Had he really hated it so much? Had sex with her really been that bad? This couldn’t just be about his concern for her wellbeing. This was something else. But it was obvious pushing now would only make him retreat further.

“Then let’s go save the universe,” she said instead, keeping her voice light. “Or at least stop it from ending.”

His lips twitched slightly—not quite a smile, but close. “Finding the maintenance tunnels will be our best route. If we can reach the power center without being detected, I can shut the lights off, give us more cover, and then—”

A distant boom cut him off, the sound reverberating through the surrounding stone. Dust sifted down from the ceiling as tremors shook the foundation.

“What was that?” She automatically moved closer to him, scanning the ceiling for signs of collapse.

“Hedgeruds.” His expression darkened.

“Then we need to hurry.” She gathered the remaining supplies—one of those medical vials Akur needed (the other had broken), and the meal bars the Tasqal left them. There was nowhere to put them. She had no bags, but there was something else. Spotting the single bra she had in this universe, she picked up the ripped fabric. The clasp was gone, but the C cups worked great. Stuffing the items into the cups, she wrapped the strap around them to secure them before sliding it up her arm. It was tight, was hardly a bag, but it worked. “Let’s go.”

They movedthrough the narrow maintenance tunnel in silence, Akur leading with that predatory grace that made her wonder how someone so massive could move so quietly. The passageway was barely wide enough for his shoulders, forcing him to angle sideways at certain points. Despite the thermal properties of the tunic he’d given her and the new warmth from her body buzzing from all that pleasure, she could feel the temperature drop the deeper they went.

Another explosion rocked somewhere in the tunnels, closer this time. Small debris rained down from above, pattering against their shoulders like rain. She watched Akur pause briefly at the sound, jaw ticking, before he pushed on again. Apart from the sound of their breaths, everywhere else was silent.

“Think those monster mole rats are gone?” she whispered, glancing up to look around. The map Akur carried cast a dim glow, and it was the only light they were willing to risk.

“The tunnel dwellers? Negative. But there is too much noise in the tunnels. The explosions will send them into hiding.”

“Good.”

Akur grunted, shifting sideways to go through a particularly narrow section.

She squeezed through too, panting slightly as she paused to take a breath. Looking around again, she tried not to let her fear rise. Everywhere looked identical, each passageway a copy of the other. “I can’t believe we’re here. That above us is a host of the very beings we both hate…and that we have to trust one of them with this. That map could be leading us anywhere.”

---