Page 19 of Bound

“Do you think anyone is coming?” Chrissie asks.

“The ship should have sent out a distress call when whatever happened, happened,” I say confidently. “But even if it didn’t, Fenek is going to come looking for it, and for you.”

The words stick in my throat. I hate the idea of Fenek having any dominion over my mate. Not when I’ve claimed her…will claim her…as my own.

Once I nest for her, she will be mine.

However, Chrissie does not look reassured by my confidence. She shakes again, despite the blanket.

“But I don’t think we should stay here,” I say.

“You don’t?”

“It’s too open, and I don’t like what happened to the ship. Having Fenek’s tech malfunction in two places within a few nova-days of each other?” I tap my claws on the side of the pod. “I don’t like it at all. These things cannot be coincidences.”

“So, you think it was deliberate?” Chrissie pulls the blanket around her tighter. “To kill me?”

“You or Fenek,” I say, knowing it’s hardly reassuring. “No one else was to know he wasn’t on the ship.”

“Awesome,” Chrissie mutters. “Of all the things I thought would happen to me once I was taken from my planet, being stalked by an alien assassin was not one of them.”

“Any assassin will have to come through me, little spark.” I sling the canister containing the supplies over my back, between my wings, and fix it there. “And now we go to find somewhere safe to wait it out.”

She lets me pick her up and I open my wings.

“Rych…” Chrissie stares up at me, her bottom lip wobbling. “Are we flying?”

“It’s perfectly safe, my mate. I can carry far more than just you.”

“I’m sure you can…it’s just…I struggle to breathe in the air,” she blurts out pointing upwards.

“We will not go high then, little spark.”

“I’m honestly not sure if that’s going to be better or worse.”

“Time to find out.” I grin and beat down hard to get us both skywards.

Chrissie screws her eyes shut, and her fingers curl around the life force monitor straps across my chest. I feel my heart beating faster at her touch, at her proximity, at my need to be sure my precious parcel makes it safely to our destination.

My vision is almost as good in the dark as the light, and as we fly towards the mountains, I can make out an area which may have some caves. The closer we get, the more I can see the caves are high up on a sheer cliff. They speak strangely to my soul, making me feel more confident, more sure of myself that this is the right thing to do.

I swing past the cliff face and select the best looking entrance before diving through. In my arms, Chrissie squeals as we enter, and I land, my wings kicking up the dust from the cave floor.

“Can I open my eyes yet?” Chrissie pants.

I lower her to the ground, reluctantly, because having her close to me keeps my feathers from wanting to crawl off my wings.

She takes a few unsteady steps farther into the cave.

“We’re on solid ground, little spark. You’re perfectly safe.”

Which is when Fenek’s ship blows up.

CHRISSIE

All the air is sucked out of the cave as the explosion of Fenek’s ship takes place with a tremendous ‘crump’ and a fireball which lights up the interior.

Rych is thrown forwards by the blast and somersaults farther inside, coming to a halt in a tangle of limbs and wings.

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