Page 50 of Fated to the Hunter
Connie to the rescue! Here was her chance to shine.
One of the flyers with the Eye-Spy attached was currently chasing her drone as it wove in and out between the flyers, making them crash into each other. The flyers with short fuses attacked each other, thinking the crash had been intentional.
My phone vibrated.
Lenny: Bael’k’s almost there. You ready?
Me: Yeah. I’m still stuck in the master bedroom. But there’s a balcony. There’s also a creep out there.
Lenny: We’ll take care of it. Turn on the repellent before stepping out. On my signal.
Me: Gotcha.
I had no idea how they were going to get me into the shuttle. Was there even enough time to land? Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open and stepped outside. I immediately balked at the sight of thousands of scuttlers pouring in. The combined weight of them had knocked over part of the fence.
The nest must think there was a lot more food in here than one measly little human. They were going to be sorely disappointed that they’d wasted all this effort for nothing.
My phone buzzed again, and I looked down to see Lenny’s capitalizedNOW!
I turned on the repellent, then tucked both it and my phone into my jacket pocket and zipped them up. The repellent worked much better when the scourge wasn’t already accustomed to it. I saw a collective flinch from the scuttlers down below.
But instead of watching what they’d do next, I looked around for my ride. It would be cloaked, so I probably wouldn’t see it until it was right in front of my face.
Suddenly, something swung in front of me, making me gasp and step back. It took me a split second to realize it was a harness. I looked up. The harness was attached to a cable, which disappeared up into what I would assume was a cloaked shuttle.
Hands shaking with adrenaline, I did my best to strap myself in.
I just heard the last buckle snap shut when the centicreep turned the corner, wrapping around to the back of the house. The moment it saw me, it charged. It moved in that creepy, too-smooth-yet-jerky way that was straight out of a horror film.
I let out a scream. Bael’k was flying away now, dragging me behind him. I swung in the air, twisting and turning as I was lifted higher and higher.
But the centicreep wasn’t going to let its prize get away that easily. It launched itself into the air after me just as I twisted away, unable to defend myself. I screamed again. There was something latched onto me, weighing me down. The cable slid, and I dropped several yards before I was yanked to a stop.
I howled in pain. It felt like something was tearing my shoulders out. My hand moved before my brain could process what was happening, unbuckling the sternum strap holding my pack onto my body. My bag fell away, and with it, the centicreep.
I was still breathing hard when Bael’k pulled me up and over through the shuttle door.
“Kiera!” He hauled me into his arms. “My Kiera.” He held me at arm’s length, and a look of horror filled his face.
I followed his eyes to his arm, which was smeared with blood. Where had that come from?
Oh. I was bleeding. I knew I’d fucked up my shoulder, probably dislocated the left one, but I hadn’t actually felt any cuts.
“Bael’k!” Lenny’s concerned voice came over the shuttle’s speakers. “You need to pilot!”
“Kiera’s hurt. She’s—”
“Pilot! Now! Or you’re going to crash.”
“Go,” I said, the adrenaline still numbing all the hurt in my body. “I’ll be fine.”
“Krux.” He ran to the navigational console.
I stumbled toward the sleeping nook, tripping over something on the floor.
Shit! A wave of exhaustion washed over me, and the shuttle began to spin. I recognized it as the effects of the centicreep’s toxin. Oooowee! This was going to be a doozy.
Then, realizing my error, I turned toward the decontamination unit instead, not wanting to ruin a perfectlycomfortable bed. Decontamination first. Too dizzy to stand, I sank to the decontaminator stall floor and removed my jacket.
