Page 31 of Captured

“You’re not safe down here alone. You have no supplies, you can barely see, and if they find you while you’re in heat, you won’t be able to do a thing.”

He moved his grip to her hair, pulling her against his chest again and forcing her head to tip back so he could see her face.

“I’m not leaving you, and it has nothing to do with the job. We’re going to find a safe place, ride out your heat, then we’ll figure out the rest. Now take off those pants.”

He could feel the rapid beat of her heart where her chest was mashed against him, her lips parted as she panted for breath. Her body was pushing her deeper into her cycle despite her doing her best to fight it.

“Is that it then? You plan to claim me for yourself? Right out here?”

Gra’ar’s cock gave a painful twitch at the thought. He could. Being on missions all the time meant he didn’t have time to spend most of what he earned so he had a nice sum saved up, and with how much trouble Flea had been the Director probably wouldn’t argue about price.

But Flea deserved a better life than he could give her. His missions kept him gone for long stretches of time, and she wasn’t the type to be content waiting at home for her mate to return.

“No, omega, I’m not going to claim you. And you’re going to take off those pants because they reek.”

He lowered his head to the side of her neck where her scent was stronger and blocked the other smell, sucking in another lungful and letting it out with a low rumble.

“But I do plan to fill that pussy till it can’t take anymore.”

An omega’s heat could last weeks if she wasn’t tended by an alpha. They needed to get back to the Collection Center and way from Deacon’s reach as fast as possible, so leaving her to ride it out alone wasn’t an option. He was only doing his duty.

Flea trembled in his arms, her scent almost driving him to take her right there, but they weren’t safe. He needed to find a secure place to hole up, and her instincts wouldn’t be satisfied if she wasn’t able to nest. With this being her first heat, he didn’t want to cause her any unnecessary distress.

“Then do it already.”

Her husky words almost pushed him beyond reason, and her nails digging into his sides didn’t help his struggle. Clamping his teeth and arguing with his cock, he released her hair and took a step back, though he kept hold of her arm.

“We need somewhere safe first. Somewhere hidden and defensible.”

Dragging his eyes away from Flea as she wiggled out of the offending garment, he tried to look around but all he could see were the walls of the two properties they’d landed between. He knew from the glide down there weren’t many other options close to them.

“Lots of the larger homes this deep had saferooms. Decloui still got hit by raiders back when these were the top levels, before it grew important enough as a trade planet to be protected, and omegas used them for their heats as well.”

Flea shrugged when he glanced down at her.

“It was something I noticed when I was first exploring and Herelia gave me the history.”

He raised a brow but didn’t have the time or focus to ask more questions, like who Herelia was. Trying to remember if he’d seen a gate in the wall as he came down, Gra’ar decided the quickest way was simply to go over the wall.

Stepping closer to it, he cupped his hands and leaned down, tipping his head at Flea. Her pupils were still blown but had narrowed some with the space between them and something to focus on other than their proximity. Her clarity might not last long, but he’d deal with that when the time came.

“Up and over.”

She stared at him for a moment before giving another shrug. Putting her foot in his palms, she braced her hands on his shoulders as he stood. She hardly weighed a thing and he could have tossed her over the wall if he’d wanted to, but he was careful only to lift her to the top and let her swing her legs over, sitting on the edge while she waited for him.

Stepping back to give himself room, he jumped and caught the top edge, pulling himself up to crouch beside her before making the jump back down to the other side. Before he could turn to offer Flea help she was landing beside him, shooting him a cocky smirk before striding ahead.

Chapter Twenty-One

Flea

She wanted to blame the desire coursing through her on her cycle, but Flea knew that wasn’t the only reason slick coated her folds as she strode towards the house. She’d been attracted to Gra’ar since she’d overcome the terror when she’d first seen him coming for her, and the new respect she’d found in his gaze was a heady addition. He wasn’t anything like the other alphas she’d dealt with over the past few months.

Using the pain throbbing through her wrist and hand to shake away the fuzz that kept trying to encroach on her thoughts, she eyed the home as they turned to circle it. Gra’ar moved in front of her, leading them in a full circuit around the house before heading for the rear door. The intact boards over the windows were promising, and with it seeming to be further from the more populated areas, there was a chance it had escaped looting.

Flea found herself wondering if there were any pillows inside before shoving away the useless thought. Bedding and fabrics were second only to food on the lower levels, and even if the house had escaped being raided for everything of value, it was doubtful anything had survived the ravages of time.

She stood back and watched as Gra’ar pried away the boards blocking the door. Many homes hadn’t gone to the trouble when it was easier just to lock it and leave, but some of the richer people did if they’d had plans of returning or selling the place at a later time.

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