Page 54 of The Mating Games

Every second felt like an eternity as I raced to save her.

The monstrous alien male was surprisingly fast given his size, but my desperation lent me speed.

I could hear them ahead.

The male’s grunts and Aurora’s determined attempts to fight him off.

Just as I rounded a bend, I caught sight of them.

The alien male had Aurora pinned against a massive tree, his grotesque face inches from hers.

Her eyes met mine.

She believed I would save her, and I would move the stars to do so.

With a roar, I lunged at the brute.

He was big, but I had the element of surprise.

I tackled him to the ground, our combined weight causing the very earth to shake.

The fight was brutal.

Every punch I landed was met with a retaliatory blow.

But I had something he didn’t — a true reason to fight.

Aurora.

Using my superior agility, I dodged one of his swings and managed to get him in a chokehold.

His attempts to free himself were wild and desperate, but I held on, squeezing tighter and tighter.

Slowly, his struggles became weaker, his eyes rolling to the back of his head.

As he fell unconscious, I quickly turned my attention to Aurora.

She was shaken but unharmed.

Pulling her into my arms, I held her close, letting her heartbeat sync with mine.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice hoarse from the exertion.

She nodded, her fingers gripping the aching muscles of my back. “Thanks to you.”

I smiled, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. “I’ll always protect you, Aurora.”

We turned and made our way deeper into the jungle.

* * *

My head throbbed with adrenaline and my hands were slick with a mix of alien blood and sweat.

Pulling Aurora close, my eyes darted about, knowing we weren’t safe yet.

We needed to keep moving, keep hiding.

But before we could make a move, a guttural growl emanated from a dense clump of foliage to our right.

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