Page 68 of Raw

“Grodd?”

Jagga shook his head again. “The canyon ukkur don’t know Grodd. There could be an altercation. Or maybe they wouldn’t believe what he said. No, we need you or Hruk there to confirm the truth.”

“You?”

Serenity knew it would pose the same problem. The canyon ukkur did not know Jagga, and they may not trust him at first. But the young ukkur was clever. Surely he could figure out a way to persuade them.

Jagga didn’t answer. He just cut his eyes in the direction of the tent where Hruk was still laid out unconscious.

Serenity thought she understood. Jagga was worried about what would happen when Hruk woke up and encountered Grodd. Both ukkur were big and aggressive. Without Jagga’s presence, it could be a bad scene. The two massive ukkur would probably fight each other to the death.

Overher.

Serenity sighed. She realized she just had to accept Jagga’s plan. Besides, the ukkur knew this wilderness far better than she did. She would defer to his judgement.

Plus, the invasion was not scheduled to begin for one more night. There was still plenty of time to get back.

Assuming nothing else went wrong.

Serenity’s mind went back to something her old police captain used to say.There’s an Irishman in every squad car in Chicago, and his name is Murphy.He had been referring of course to that old adage known as Murphy’s Law: If something can go wrong, it will go wrong, and at the worst possible time.

On a planet like this one, Murphy’s Law was in full effect. There were a thousand things that could go wrong at any minute.

She would just have to be vigilant and trust her three ukkur companions to do the same.

Jagga continued with his food preparation. He had carved three thick steaks from a freshly killed grelk that Grodd had managed to catch and dress while Serenity had been tending to Hruk. While Jagga seasoned the steaks with salt, Grodd dug a shallow pit in the dirt beside the fire. Then, using a log, he scraped some hot coals into the trench. Jagga laid the steaks directly onto the coals to cook caveman style, along with some vegetables that looked like bell peppers and purple corn.

The food sizzled, and the air filled with the tempting aroma of roasting meat and vegetables.

Serenity’s mouth watered, and she realized she had eaten nothing all day, with the exception of a couple ksh berries. Those had been enough to tide her over, but now her body craved real food.

Back on Earth, Serenity had never been a major carnivore. Not that she was a vegetarian by any means, but she preferred a big gooey hunk of Chicago deep-dish pizza over a steak any day.

Right now, however, Serenity wanted that steak.

She wanted it bad.

Maybe this primeval planet and its predatory inhabitants were finally rubbing off on her after all.

Something screeched nearby in the forest.

A surge of adrenaline brought Serenity to her feet. Her body tingled and pulsed with energy in preparation to either fight or flee. Her heart hammered behind her ribs.

Jagga just chuckled and motioned for her to sit.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s just abeeeeeep.”

The translator was unable to handle the last word—the name of whatever alien creature Jagga had mentioned. Serenity tried not to picture what kinds of creatures were lurking out there in the shadows. Night had fallen, and beyond the ring of light provided by the fire, the forest was a black void. But the two ukkur’s calmness reassured her.

Grodd came over and sat down on the ground behind Serenity, cradling her against his body. She almost protested. She was completely naked after all. And with nothing but a loincloth to cover himself, Grodd wasn’t far off.

But having Grodd behind her like that felt good. She could see ahead of her and to the sides. Now, with a big ukkur defending her back, Serenity felt fully protected.

She just tried not to think of their first encounter earlier that day.

The way she had shamefully climaxed on his tongue.

Luckily, the food was finished cooking, and not a moment too soon. Serenity needed something to divert her thoughts. And by now, the delicious smell of the steak and veggies was almost driving her into a feeding frenzy.

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