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Tellis was sprawled on his stomach a few feet away. He’d slid farther than her. “Turn it off.”
“We need to see,” she whispered back.
“No, we don’t.”
She turned, taking in the small cavern. Two holes were visible. The one they’d obviously fallen from and another about five feet to her left. “We’re currently alone. What is this?”
“Probably a resting place between digging for the ugly bastards. Now they’re going to come eat us.” He sat up, checking his arms. “Are you bleeding?”
“I’m banged up but I don’t think anything is broken.”
“I asked if you were bleeding.”
She looked down, not seeing any tears in her suit. Her gloves remained on and didn’t appear wet. “I don’t think so.”
“The Cadia can smell blood.” He lowered his voice more. “Like fucking scent hounds.”
“We need to try to climb out.” There wasn’t enough room to stand fully upright but Abby got on her knees, moving to the hole they’d fallen through. The slanted dirt hole was a few feet higher than where she kneeled.
“No.”
She glanced at Tellis. “We can’t stay here. Up is the only way out. I sure don’t want to try that other hole. It looks as if it goes down, since the light showed a wall of dirt behind it.”
“The Cadia hunt at night and the shuttle was about to pick us up to avoid being here after dark. We’re dead if we manage to reach the surface. It will be even easier for the Cadia to find and kill us. You saw all those fucking holes. Above us is where they come out at night.” He straightened his legs in front of him. “Hell, we’re dead here. I’m in enough pain without adding to it. Milts and Peters killed us. Just…make your peace. And then I’ll shoot us both.”
She stared at him in horror. “No!”
“Keep your voice down,” he hissed. “Better a shot to the head than being eaten alive. We’ve got to be close to their breeding caverns. We fell and slid for a while. That means we’re deep. What if they grab us, drag us to a nest of those fucking things, and we’re torn apart by the little ones? Ever seen a vid of a mama bird tossing a worm to her babies?” He visually shuddered. “I have.”
“Thanks for that graphic and horrifying mental image I could have done without,” she whispered. “Keep your weapon holstered, Tellis. I’m not giving up. We’re going to survive this.”
“Even if we make it until tomorrow without being found by the Cadia, and manage to climb to the surface, do you think whatever team we run into is going to let us live? You know what Milts and Peters did.”
“You think the other teams might finish their work? That’s insane! It’s also cold-blooded murder. You’re wrong.”
“I’m right. We’re not getting out of this, Miss Thomas. Rogers isn’t going to let his close friends go down for murder. The other teams will do whatever Rogers orders. It’s the mentality we’re trained to have. You don’t turn against your fellow soldiers, and you always cover their asses, no matter what.”
“It sounds like they didn’t do that for you. You’re down here with me.”
“I tried to save you. They probably saw that as a betrayal.”
She felt grateful to Tellis for that but also a little guilty. He was in the same situation as her for trying to do the right thing. “Do you think Rogers ordered them to kill me?”
He shook his head. “Probably not. It’s too stupid when you’re close to the commander. That’s Milts, though. He saw an opportunity and took it. He does that shit all the time. I’ve lost count of the bar fights he’s caused. Then the rest of us cover for him by claiming it was self-defense. He’s always the one to throw the first punch. And Peters would have done what he was told. He’s like Milts’s puppet.”
“Isn’t there security camera footage from the bars to prove otherwise?”
Tellis closed his eyes. “We’re trained to look for them and stay in blind spots. It becomes second nature. Nobody wants to be written up for breaking rules.”
She stretched her upper body, trying to climb into the hole. The dirt crumbled in her fingers.
“Shush,” Tellis whispered. “Cadia have damn good hearing, remember? Do you want to bring them right to us? There’s no point in climbing anyway.”
“That’s what you said. I’m still not giving up.” Abby sat back on her haunches, staring up at the hole. It twisted out of sight about nine feet up. It would be a hell of a tough climb, especially with the loose dirt.
“At least wait until morning. If you won’t let me shoot you, one of the teams can if you actually manage to make it to the surface. It’s a better way to go than being eaten.”
She turned her head, watching him. His eyes were still closed and he looked pale. “Are you alright?”
“I think I fractured some bones on the rocks on the way down. It’s why the tunnels are so twisted. The Cadia dig until they hit one, then have to go around. I’m heavier than you are, Miss Thomas. Gravity is a bitch, and so is the pain I’m in. I also think my shoulder is dislocated. These suits are designed to take some damage but not to keep our limbs from being twisted while tumbling over and over.”
She crawled toward him. “Do you have a first-aid kit? A scanner? I took first-aid courses. It was a few years ago but I have a good memory.”
“Nope. Mathews is the team medic.”
“Let’s get your suit off.”
He opened his eyes and grabbed her gloved hands as she reached for him. “No! I told you, the Cadia hunt by smell. And it’s not just blood they pick up. Humans have become an excellent food source ever since they built that damn settlement. You crack one of these suits and you may as well be ringing a dinner bell.”
She nodded, understanding the danger.
He released her and closed his eyes. “Just be quiet and stop moving around.”
She took a seat next to him, using the rock to lean against.
“And turn off the fucking light. Cadia can see it if they come anywhere near here. Then again, I suppose it won’t matter. They see much better in the dark. Light actually blinds them.”
“You’re just a bundle of positivity, Tellis. Did anyone ever tell you that? I’m going to call you the grim reaper of hope.”
He snorted a laugh. “Grim reaper is right. We’re dead. It’s just a matter of time. I hope the Cadia find us while I’m sleeping. That way I won’t see it coming.”
Abby didn’t agree. She wanted to see danger coming for her. The weapon strapped to her thigh remained. She carefully pulled it from the strap, studying it. It was basic. There was even a safety on it. Barrel on one end, grip on the other, and it had a trigger. A child could use it.
“How many weapons do you have?”
Tellis softly sighed. “It won’t matter. One or two shots won’t kill a Cadia. Did you notice the size of the hole we were pushed into? That’s the girth of their bodies. The adults are about five feet around in diameter and maybe seven feet long like huge fat worms with a gigantic mouth. There’s a rock-hard plating on their heads with sharp ridges. It’s how they dig. You shoot one in the mouth, the only sensitive spot they have, and they thrash around from the pain but it won’t kill them.” He paused. “It’ll collapse this part of the tunnel when they hit the ceiling or sides. We’ll be crushed, and they’ll just dig out our bodies at that point to eat us. We’re fucking dead, Miss Thomas. The best thing to do with that weapon is to shoot yourself.”
“Go to sleep.” She didn’t want to hear any more. “Rest. Maybe you’ll be less grumpy after a nap.”
He said nothing. Abby stared at the hole on the other side, where it went deeper into the ground. That’s were a Cadia would probably come from. She kept a firm grip on the weapon and her light trained on that spot. Maybe if she shot the thing before it entered, she and Tellis might stand a chance. After he rested, she’d bring up climbing again. Though it probably was better to wait until morning to do that while the creatures slept.
The silence was suddenly
broken by a few thumps, and Abby tensed.
“Fuck!” Tellis straightened next to her. “They’re coming.”
Dirt rained down from the hole they’d fallen from, instead of the one she was watching. Abby turned, pointing her weapon that way and frantically scooted away from it.
Tellis also pulled his blaster but instead of training it on the falling dirt, he lifted it to his neck. With his other hand, he gripped the underside of his helmet.
She gaped at him. “What are you doing?”
“Shooting myself. I’d rather die fast than be eaten.”
“Don’t you dare!”
Her attention shifted as more dirt and debris fell from the hole. Something large appeared. She nearly pulled the trigger—until she realized it was boots.
A split-second later, a body came crashing into their small area. The person hit the ground of the small tunnel room, and another one came seconds later.
Abby was so stunned, she nearly dropped the blaster. The second suited body landed on the first. They grunted, and someone growled.
“You’re heavy, Gnaw. Get off me.”
The person on top rolled to the side. The first one sat up, and Abby stared into his face plate. “Drak!” She remembered to whisper but she wanted to yell, overjoyed to see him.
He grinned. “We found you.”
She dropped the blaster and crawled toward him. “You came after us!”
Her gaze went to the hole, wondering if the other two Veslors were about to slide in. It would be a super tight fit for all of them to share the small dug-out space. No one else joined them though. She looked back at Drak.
“It’s only two of our grouping for now. Are you injured?” He scooted closer, his gaze running up and down her suit.
“I’m okay.” Her gaze went to Tellis. He looked stunned but had lowered his blaster to his side. He also hadn’t removed his helmet. She glanced at Gnaw. “Thank you for coming after us,” she whispered before focusing her full attention back on Drak.
“No need for thanks, Abby. The others left on the shuttle but at first light, they will send us help.”
Tellis sighed. “No, they won’t. You two idiots just signed your own death certificates.”
Drak shot him a questioning look.
“Milts pushed me into the hole. Tellis grabbed my wrist to try to stop me from falling, then Peters shoved him,” she quickly explained. “Tellis thinks Rogers will leave us here to die to prevent us from telling anyone. He’ll want to protect his two teammates from being brought up on attempted murder charges if we survive.”
Gnaw chuckled. “Rogers is no match for the remainder of our grouping. They’ll come for us.”
Drak nodded. “They will.”
“Rogers and the other teams aren’t going to allow it,” Tellis protested.
Drak maneuvered his big body closer to Abby, gently gripping her helmet. She turned to stare into his beautiful eyes. There was a sincere expression on his face.
“Our grouping will do whatever it takes to come for us, Abby. Even if they must steal one of your shuttles and fight the humans if they attempt to stop them. Right now, Roth is on his way back to Defcon Red with Maith. The males will contact our king to let him know what is going on.” He shot Tellis an angry glare. “We suspected it was no accident. Rogers refused to allow me to guard Abby, she stood up for us, and then she fell into a hole she knew to avoid. Veslors are a lot of things, but never gullible.”
Drak kept checking Abby. She was moving fine, didn’t seem to be favoring any of her limbs, and there were no marks on her face. He wanted to remove her suit and helmet to check over every inch of the female’s body, but it wasn’t a smart thing to do. They were in the belly of Cadia territory. The creatures hunted by sound and smell underground.
The human male kept unusually quiet and still. It was possible he was sleeping or severely injured. Drak motioned for Gnaw to go check on him. He didn’t want to go far from Abby. She was attempting to hide her fear but he wasn’t fooled. Not once had she protested him touching her or staying close.
“He hates us,” Gnaw hissed in Veslor. The human translators didn’t know their language. “Why bother?”
“He tried to save the female.”
“Possibly. The humans above said she pulled him in. His falling could have been accidental. It would be instinctual to grab hold of whoever was within reach to avoid a fall. Your female seems strong willed but she has heart.”
Drak didn’t miss what Gnaw had said. “She’s not my female.”
Gnaw snorted a chuckle. “We’re here because you were going after her regardless of the risks. You want the female. We all smelled your oil when she was giving hell to Rogers on the flight deck. Then you kept us awake thinking about her. And look at you codling her now. I’m surprised you haven’t pulled her onto your lap to hold her. You would if those inferior suits weren’t in the way.”
Abby reached out and touched Drak’s arm. He looked at her.
“What are you guys growling about? I don’t speak Veslor…and why would you use it?” She shot a glance at Tellis before looking back at him, whispering, “Do you think he’s a danger to us? Should we take his weapons?”
“It’s a good question.”
Drak agreed with Gnaw. He didn’t look away from Abby though, switching to her language. “Apologies. We use Veslor more than English.”
“Of course you do.” She smiled. “That’s your native language. Your English is amazing, if no one has mentioned it before now. Do you have an implant in your head that taught it to you?”
He was surprised she knew. It must have shown on his face.
“My friend is mated to a Veslor, remember? Brassi and his grouping have the implants, but they’re traders. It’s important that they can speak different languages with their job. Do fighters get them, too?”
“All Veslors leaving our planet or those dealing with other aliens are imbedded with translators.”
“They auto-teach languages, correct?”
He nodded again. “They can. Direct language downloads are faster.”
“We have to use devices to speak other languages, and only the ones that are downloaded into them. An earpiece allows us to hear the translations, and a throat device with a speaker transmits it into another language when we speak. Having a permanent implant must be pretty cool.”
“It is.” He tore his gaze from hers to study Tellis. The male seemed to be unconscious, but it could be an act. “What do you think? Is he trustworthy?” he asked Abby.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “He wanted to shoot us both. He’s certain we’re not going to get out of this alive.”
Anger had him smothering a snarl. “We aren’t dying.”
“I’m glad to hear that. So what’s the plan?”
Gnaw spoke before he could. “We wait until the sun rises and the creatures sleep. Then climb out of here. We will kill anything that attempts to kill us in the meantime.”
Drak nodded. “That’s our plan.”
Abby glanced at the hole they’d all fallen through. “It’s going to be difficult. I tested climbing out already. The dirt is loose and it just kept falling on me when I tried to get a grip.”
Drak reached over and took her hand, staring at her gloves. Abby had small hands but no claws, he knew. He lifted his own, letting his claws extend. They slid from the specially manufactured tips of the gloves, easily sliding through the slits.
He watched her features closely to see if he had frightened her. She showed no sign of fear as she studied his claws.
Instead, she grinned widely, looking excited as she met his gaze. “Those look like they were made for climbing.”
He chuckled. “We’re good at it.”
“We’re good at everything,” Gnaw added. “Remember that, female. You should also know we’re here because Drak refused to leave the surface without you. He was determined to save your life.”
Drak shot him a warning look.
Gnaw ignored him. “Drak doesn’t read Vivian’s announcements to learn more about you human females. He didn’t feel there was a need, but since meeting you, his mind was changed. He is extremely interested in getting to know everything about you.”
Drak growled quietly, warning the male to be silent. Gnaw sealed his lips with a smirk, and Drak hesitantly studied Abby’s features. He hoped she didn’t withdraw from him or feel threatened.
Instead, she met his gaze and smiled again.
“When we get out of here, I’ll need some comforting,” she softly whispered. “I wouldn’t mind if you bared your chest and let me cuddle up against you.”
She’d stunned him.
Her green eyes sparkled with amusement. “Brassi did that for Vivian after a traumatic event. It looked very soothing.” Her smile widened.
He felt aroused again and was grateful for the suit he wore. Gnaw would tease him otherwise. He gave her a nod. “It would be my honor.”
Gnaw snorted. “Take him to your cabin for that, female. Our space is cramped. There’s no privacy.”
Abby turned to peer at Gnaw. “Cramped? What do you mean, you have no privacy?”
Drak didn’t like her looking at another male, now that he knew she was receptive to him. “Our shared cabin has three rooms. Bathroom, a small living space, and two stacked bunks where the four of us sleep. It is tight for our grouping to live that way.”
Abby instantly looked angry. “Did you request that?”
“Our king asked that we be kept together. It was for our protection. We just didn’t think it would be in such a small space.”
“Fucking Rogers,” she muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Drak leaned in closer to her, liking any excuse to do so.
“It sounds like he put you in a cabin designed for one person and just shoved in bunks, if I’m right. He assigns where his teams live on the ship. I’ll fix this when we get out of here. He should have found four cabins next to each other. No one on Defcon Red, including civilians, has to share a cabin unless they’re a married couple or something similar.”
Gnaw snarled. “You’re saying we should each have our own sleeping spaces?”