Page 24 of Rook
"Now would be a good time for you to pull out a sonic screwdriver to get us out of this mess," she said.
"A what?"
"Never mind." She reached in to touch something and then yanked her hand back with a curse, shaking it out and then putting her finger in her mouth. "Hot!"
Rook stepped closer, his body angling toward hers instinctively. He traced his hand up her arm, fingers barely skimming over her skin, and took her hand in his to examine it. "May I?" he asked. "I know heat."
She hesitated, her eyes searching his face in the dim light. For a moment, he thought she'd pull away, refuse his touch. But then she nodded, just once, and let her injured hand rest in his palm.
There was a red welt forming on her index finger, the skin already starting to blister. He brought her hand to his mouth, his gaze never leaving hers, and gently drew her finger between his lips. The taste of her skin exploded on his tongue, salt and something uniquely Sasha. He could feel her pulse fluttering wildly at her wrist, beating in time with his own racing heart.
Sasha gasped a little, her eyes widening, pupils dilating in the darkness.
Rook felt it go straight to his cock, hardening instantly at the small, broken sound she made. Heat flooded his body, his core temperature rising dangerously. The urge to pull her against him, to taste more than just her finger, to claim every inch of her skin was overwhelming.
He wanted more. Wanted it all.
Now.
Somewhere in the distance, he heard a reverberating boom. Sasha jerked her hand away from him, and he didn't try to fight her.
"We can't stay here." They both said it and then shared a smile.
Sasha looked around. All Rook saw were trees and plants. Above them was the night sky. But they might have been anywhere. The unfamiliar terrain all looked the same to him, dark shapes blending together in the shadows. He could feel the night cooling rapidly, the earlier warmth of the day giving way to a chill that would be uncomfortable for Sasha soon.
Sasha walked up the road a little bit, her boots crunching on loose gravel. She stared intently into the darkness, then turned and retraced her steps back to him, chewing her bottom lip in thought.
"What is it?" he asked.
"There aren't many places you could drive a box truck around here," she said. "Do you think they'd make their …” she trailed off and shook her head before continuing, “my neighbors walk far on foot?"
"I'd bet my fire they wouldn't."
She nodded. "That's what I figured. Are you up for a midnight hike?"
Rook looked down at his mate, that fierce, stubborn woman who refused to let her friends be taken without a fight. Even when her mechanical beast had failed her, even when they were outgunned and outnumbered, she was still searching for a way forward. In that moment, he'd never been more certain of anything in his life.
"Lead the way," he said, already falling into step beside her, exactly where he belonged.
14
It was crazy to follow a bunch of alien slaver dragons in her beat-up van.
It was even crazier to follow the assholes on foot.
Sasha tried to convince herself that this was all fine and that Rook would keep her safe if something went horribly wrong.
When something went horribly wrong.
"Damn it," he cursed and stumbled beside her.
Of course, only one of them seemed capable of moving easily through the woods. And it wasn't the dragon warrior.
The night air hung thick around them. Even with the threat of alien slavers lurking somewhere ahead, Sasha couldn't help but drink in the familiar beauty of her forest. The scent of evergreen and damp earth filled her lungs, and the gentle rustling of leaves overhead sounded like whispered secrets.
Even in the darkness, even with danger promising to find them, she felt a twisted comfort. That was her world, her territory. The woods had always been her refuge, the place she ran to when life got too heavy, too complicated, too human.
An owl hooted in the distance, its haunting call echoing through the trees. For a moment, she almost forgot they were tracking murderous aliens.
