Small rivers of gravel streamed past her, flowing here and there, but their larger cousins were done with their tumultuous bombardment. Heydar’s arms released her as he slid back and slowly rose to his feet.
His hair was full of stone dust and gravel and his shirt had been torn in several places from the impacts. Darla realized that he had covered an impossible distance to protect her, tackling her and putting his own body between her and the falling rocks.
I didn’t think he was paying attention, she marveled. And how did he move so fast? She knew the basics of the pigments deep in his skin, but even with his enhancing tattoos, she was in awe of his display. And he had done it without a moment’s hesitation. Not a flicker of doubt.
He had saved her life.
“Are you okay?” she asked, gingerly reaching out and touching his bruised arm.
“I will be fine,” he said stoically, but when his eyes briefly met hers a flicker of something new was smoldering behind his gold-rimmed irises. Pain, clearly, but there seemed to be more than that.
Heydar quickly turned from her and brushed the dust from his shoulders and arms. How he wasn’t seriously hurt was beyond her. He had taken the full brunt of boulders—actual fucking boulders—and seemed hardly any worse for wear.
He took off his battered pack and dug through its contents. Several items had been crushed beyond use. Those he buried underneath a large rock, not wishing to carry them but also taking care not to leave any sign they had been there. Rock slides happened in nature, and this looked like any other.
Assessing the remaining supplies, he stood tall, rolling out his shoulders and neck before sliding the pack on once more. He glanced over at Darla, his eyes still full of something new.
“Come,” he said. “We must continue.”
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“I know,” he interjected. “There is no need to discuss it further. It is still a long way off, and given the current terrain, we need to make it to secure ground by nightfall.”
“Right. Okay, got it.”
“And please, be more careful. You are still healing, and I may not always be close enough to protect you.”
He held her gaze a moment longer, his look igniting a warm flicker in her belly, the heat settling lower, her legs feeling a tingle as her stomach did a little flip. Without another word he turned and started walking once more.
Darla was beside herself, unsure what to make of what had just happened. He had just risked his life to save her, and without provocation or her even calling for help. Sure, he had been somewhat looking out for her since they escaped the Raxxians, at least a little, but this? It was utterly unexpected.
And the look in his eyes warmed her belly and made her ache for his touch, no matter if her logical mind might try to persuade her otherwise. This was visceral, illogical, and quite possibly having something to do with the enhancing pigments now bound to her body.
What the hell was that? Darla wondered, tamping down the growing wetness between her legs as she followed his muscular form. And what does it mean?
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Heydar moved at a slower pace the rest of that day, though Darla couldn’t be sure if it was because he was more injured than he was letting on or if it was for her benefit. In any case, they didn’t cover nearly as much ground as he had planned by the time night began to fall.
They would not make it to the downed ship today after all.
With that reality now obvious, Heydar had been scanning the terrain since well before the sun started to set, searching for a more secure and comfortable location to bed down for the night. While their prior campsite had been decent, another cold, frosty slumber in the open would not do either of them any favors.
Fortunately, just as the sun began to set, Lady Luck smiled upon them.
“There,” he said, pointing to a spot across a tiny creek just below the hillside they were on.
“Where?”
He stepped close, leaning against her back, his heat radiating against her body as he extended his arm over her shoulder, his breath hot in her ear. “Midway up the opposite bank,” he said. “Do you see it?”
Darla squinted her eyes against the last rays of the dying sun, but her vision seemed to have sharpened since they’d begun their quest. A few hundred meters up the rise from the water’s edge a spot on the rocks was darker than the surrounding area.
“Is that a cave?”
“Cave, cavern, we will find out when we reach it,” he said, pressing onward, gathering up wood as he walked. “Fill your arms,” he directed. “Branches about this size. I will carry the larger ones.”
By the time they had reached the creek their arms were laden with wood for their fire. Heydar quickly lashed much of it together and slung it over his shoulder, leaving their hands free to collect even more as they made their ascent to their makeshift shelter for the night.
The sun had fully set before they reached their destination, and they were forced to trek in the dark the last half hour. Heydar moved slowly and deliberately, clearly marking his steps so Darla could follow in them, the footing secure. Finally, they reached the spot they had seen from afar. Heydar signaled for her to wait, then drew his blades and stepped inside.
He came back out, knives lowered, a moment later. There was no sign of animals living in the space. It didn’t surprise him much when he realized this wasn’t a proper cave, but rather a cavern in the rocks that ended at a stone wall barely a dozen long paces in. It curved slightly, though, and that meant their fire would go unnoted unless someone was to venture extremely close to the opening.
He dumped the wood and gathered several rocks to create a fire ring to contain the embers as the flames burned down. The curvature of the rock would reflect the heat onto them while allowing the smoke to gently waft out far above them, leaving the air clean and breathable.
“I can do that,” Darla offered, piling the smaller kindling in a little teepee within the fire ring.
Heydar thought about objecting but held his tongue. “Very well,” he said, then began digging through his pack, removing meat he had already skewered as he walked when she hadn’t been watching. It was efficient of him, and they would eat sooner for his forethought.
“Hey, you want me to set those up?” she asked as he laid out the skewers and bits of fresh vegetables scavenged during their trek.
“You are my responsibility. I will feed you. You must save your energy,” he replied, holding his hand over the kindling until his magic ignited a small flame. “You did a good job with this. We will have a proper fire tonight.”
Heydar took the pelts and laid them out for them to use as bedding. Fortunately, he had given them a thorough wash in the stream that morning and they had dried nice and clean as the pair hiked. It wasn’t high thread count cotton, but it would do for their needs.
“Rest. I will prepare our meal,” he said, motioning for her to take a seat.
Darla obliged, sitting down and shedding her boots. The fresh air on her feet felt divine after the day’s trek, and the warmth of the fire was soothing on her bare skin. The smell of cooking meat and veggies soon filled the air as Heydar rotated the skewers over the flames. One by one he removed them and lay them on the broad, clean leaves they were using as plates.