Page 22 of The Cyborg Way
“I promise you he doesn’t need a shelter,” he said, as he swung up behind her. “But if it will make you happy, we can build a shelter.”
“It would,” she assured him. Both the shelter and the fact that he would be returning.
Henry suddenly scampered down from her shoulder and up the horse’s neck, perching between his ears like a miniature lookout. Blaze’s ears twitched, but he didn’t seem to mind, responding easily when Levi urged him forward. Levi’s arms curved around her waist, and she settled happily back against him as they set off on their journey.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Levi hadn’t realized how satisfying—and arousing—it would be to have Ellie accompany him. The lush curve of her ass massaged his cock with every stride, a deliciously frustrating experience. He actually started to consider the possibility of sex on horseback before he forced himself to concentrate on his objective instead.
He did want to look for any signs of where Henry might have come from, but he’d also made the suggestion because he wanted to remain close to Ellie. He had been afraid she would object if he simply followed his heart and remained with her, but the fact that she had wanted to accompany him gave him hope. Perhaps she did want more than a temporary arrangement.
They talked very little as they rode along the base of the cliff, but it was a comfortable silence. How different from all those silent nights in the cold when he was by himself. The warmth of her presence filled the silence even when she wasn’t speaking.
I don’t want to go back to the silence.
As he scanned the rock for any openings, he considered the best way to convince her to allow him to remain with her. He could stretch out building a shelter for Blaze for a day or two. Perhaps he could even offer to begin building the greenhouse she’d mentioned…
“Is it getting darker?” she asked suddenly, and he swore under his breath as he looked out across the valley.
His eyesight had adjusted automatically to the change in the light, and he’d been so focused on the woman in front of him that he hadn’t noticed the increasing darkness, or the clouds on the horizon. Not rain clouds, but clouds of sand. A powerful sandstorm was approaching.
“We need to get back to your habitat,” he said grimly, and started to turn Blaze around.
As he did, Henry gave an excited chirp and glided away from his perch between Blaze’s ears, heading for a row of tall rocks.
“Henry!” she cried, then grabbed his hands as he lifted the reins. “We can’t leave him.”
“There’s a storm coming. You can’t survive out here without protective gear.”
“What if he can’t either? I can’t leave him out here by himself.”
He swore again as he looked down at her pleading face, then glanced back across the plain. The storm was still a long way off.
“Five minutes, no more. I don’t like taking chances with your safety.”
“I’m sure it won’t take me long to find him.” She gave him a grateful smile. “I’ll just check behind those rocks.”
“Wewill check,” he said firmly, dismounting and helping her down.
He grabbed her hand as she tried to hurry away, then led her in the direction where Henry had disappeared, Blaze trailing along after them. There was no sign of Henry behind the first group of rocks, just more scattered boulders, some twice his height.
“I don’t understand. Where can he be? Henry!”
Had he heard a distant chirp? He couldn’t be sure, but they went in that direction, weaving through more giant boulders. Henry was still nowhere to be found, and they were almost at the cliff wall.
“We’re going to have to go back, little bird. I’m sure that Henry will be fine. Remember that he managed to survive out here before you found him.”
Tears sparkled in her eyes, but she nodded.
“I suppose you’re right—” Her head suddenly tilted. “There! Did you hear that?”
She managed to tug her hand free before he could prevent her and darted around another one of the huge boulders, this one leaning directly against the rock face. The narrow space behind it wasn’t as tight as it first appeared, and both he and Blaze managed to follow her into a partially concealed slit in the cliff.
“Henry!”
“Stay where you are,” he ordered. “It’s too dark for you to see.”
His eyes adjusted enough to reveal that the opening continued deeper into the rock. He heard a distant chirp, but he couldn’t detect any sign of movement up ahead. She had stoppedobediently at his order, but she gave him an anxious glance over her shoulder as he approached.
