Page 26 of Bound

“Then the dome it is,” I say, pulling on my clothes.

RYCH

Having confirmed the bots and the mystery party which was searing the wreckage with pulsar bolts have departed, I collect my little mate and bring her back to the entrance cave.

“I liked it here,” she says wistfully, trailing her hand over the stone where there is a carving which looks familiar.

“I liked nesting for you.” I study the wall carefully. “Maybe we can come back.”

The hope which sticks in my throat is pointless. Even keeping my sweet mate is going to be a fight—bringing her back here is a dream I can only put to the back of my mind. The fight is all.

“Maybe,” she says quietly, not looking at me. “I’d like to do that.”

“Are you ready?” I ask.

Chrissie nods, and I take her into my arms, my heart swelling as she settles herself. With a short jog, I leap out of the cave mouth and into the air. Chrissie represses a shriek as I spin around and up, lifting us higher until we’re over the top of the mountain and I can get my bearings. The twin suns are not halfway in their march across the sky, and as I turn, I feel the pull of the invisible strings which bind this planet.

There is a larger settlement to the west, I can smell it. To the northwest lies Tatatunga, but it’s too far away for us to make it in a nova-day. From what I can tell, we have a distance to fly and we’re going to need to stop. Or rather, my little mate will need rest and food.

Chrissie plucks at my straps. I look down at her and find she has turned a strange pale shade, her lips rimmed with blue. Her eyes bulge.

“I can’t…” She mouths at me, any voice she might have lost in the wind of flight.

Fear grips at me, and I dive towards the ground, wanting to keep my eyes on her but also needing to see where I’m going. In as short a time as possible, we’re on the ground in the foothills of the mountain we stayed within.

“Little spark?” I brush her hair away from her face. “What ails you?”

She’s attempting to suck in air, her chest heaving hard. I lay her down. “What’s wrong? What can I do?”

Her eyes are wild, and her hand clutches at my feathers. Slowly the color returns to her cheeks, and her breathing gets better.

“Chrissie?” My heart pounds at my ribcage worse than any fight I’ve been in.

“I’m sorry, Rych. I don’t think I can fly with you,” Chrissie says hoarsely. “My lungs can’t take it. Maybe you should go on without me.”

Her words cause a feral growl to escape my lips. “Never.”

“I’ll only slow you down.”

“Never.”

I pull her onto my lap, arranging one wing over her trembling body. “Whatever we do, we do together, my mate.”

A tired smile tweaks the corners of her mouth, a mouth I drop a kiss onto, one she responds to readily.

“There is a large settlement to the northwest of here. We can make it by nightfall and hopefully find transport to Tatatunga from there.” I trace my hand down the side of her face. “If you think you can travel.”

Chrissie wriggles against my cocks, making them perk up. “I can travel,” she says, getting to her feet, much to my cocks’ disappointment.

I look her up and down.

“I can travel, and you don’t need to carry me.”

“But you don’t have your…prop,” I say, seeing the opportunity to have her in my arms disappearing over the horizon.

“No, I don’t. I’ll manage,” she replies, straightening her shoulders and smoothing down her hair, made wild by our earlier flight.

I shake out my wings. “If you get tired, I will carry you,” I intone.

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