Page 18 of Bound

Roaring and whistling fills my ears. I close my eyes, tears streaming down my cheeks, and my last thought is of Rych, of the hope he escaped this hell and is safe and unhurt.

Then there is nothing.

A raspingcrack enters into my consciousness. The noise is loud enough to pierce the veil. It is completely dark. I struggle pathetically for a few seconds before I get out of the straps in the pod and slump to the bottom. My muscles scream at me, my legs half dead from the harness.

The pod appears completely dead, the screen which was lit up no longer there. This place is going to be my tomb.

I release a sob.

The cracking noise gets louder.

Something is crushing the pod, and it seems I’m going to die sooner rather than later. I close my eyes again as there is a rush of cold air.

“Hello, little spark.”

“Rych!” I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone I wanted to see more as his silhouette reaches for me. I practically leap into his arms, and I’m dragged clear of the ruined pod. “You survived!”

“I am a gladiator, little mate. I cannot be killed by anything so mundane as a crashing air transport,” Rych says, moons’ light flashing off his fangs. “But losing you would have killed me,” he adds quietly. “Are you injured?”

He places me on my feet, his hands running over my body. I can’t say I dislike it.

“I’m sore, but no worse than before I got in the pod,” I say. “Except I lost my stick.”

“I can carry you,” Rych replies.

“I know, but not everywhere.”

“I will not accept any argument.”

“Rych.” I put my hands on my hips. “Sometimes there are places a girl needs to go where you can’t take me.” My huge, hulking gladiator looks at me blankly. “Like if I need to urinate?”

“I do not care. You are mine to protect, little spark.” He leans closer, his lips pulled back and his fangs on display. “Mine to nest for and mine to mate.”

RYCH

When I thought I’d lost her…my entire galaxy stopped turning, the spiral arms closing in on my heart like I was at an end myself.

Until I spotted her pod, half buried in an area of soft sand, some distance from mine and a good long distance from the now smoking remains of Fenek’s craft.

I am never letting Chrissie out of my sight again. Never.

She looks up at me, eyes reflecting the moons high above, and then she shivers violently.

Vrex! She makes my cocks so hard, it’s all I can do not to mate her right here and now.

“I left all my clothes on the ship,” she says, ignoring my previous announcement. “It’s cold out here.”

“It’s also vrexing dangerous.” I look around us. “The badlands are not named for their fun nature.”

“Badlands?”

“Badlands of Korr.” I look over to the distant hills. “What separates Tatatunga and Artalen. Barren wastelands.”

“Sounds like the perfect holiday destination,” Chrissie says, her little body trembling hard. “I’m so glad we came.”

I jump down into the pod, ripping at the padding to get at the emergency supply canister beneath, and drag it out. Insideis a warm covering I immediately wrap around my mate before I check over everything else inside.

“We’ve got rations enough to last us for a few days until they find us,” I say.

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