Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 280(@200wpm)___ 224(@250wpm)___ 187(@300wpm)
“She has a point,” Allie mutters, from her undignified captive position in my arms.
“Thorn is not the only one with influence,” I remind them all.
“Oh right. Your evil guys will come and do evil things. Great,” Lettie rolls her eyes. “We’re saved.”
“Get your woman’s tongue under control, Shan,” I warn him. “She is going to face severe consequences for what she’s done. You have to know that. She fired on the city itself. What do you think Avel will do to her once he finds her?”
I don’t think he’s thought about any of this. I think he has been struggling to keep his baby alive and I think he is out of his depth with his mate.
“You should have taken her off the planet while you had a ship to do it. Now you are stuck here with a half-mad mate, a baby, and a series of consequences. You have got to start taking responsibility, Shan.”
Shan’s expression is one of guilt and regret. I gave him the chance to escape the consequences of his actions. He allowed his woman to rule him, and that is a mistake that no male of any species can ever make without suffering.
“Responsibility for what?” One of the blondes speaks up. “For the actions of Lettie? How is what she does on him?”
“Toxic masculinity,” the other says. “The old guy is rife with it. Very problematic.”
“Very, her friend agrees.
“The two of you can be beaten as well,” I growl at them.
“No,” Allie says. “You touch me and only me.”
The blondes grin. “Seems like there’s consequences for big mean saurian males too.”
I am outnumbered. That is the problem. There are four women and a baby here. I cannot stand against those odds.
I put Allie down. Maybe if I treat her as an ally rather than someone I need to control, I’ll be able to even the score somewhat.
“I’m going to give Lettie her baby back, and Cadence and I are going to go into the ship and recover what we need in order to not die,” one of the blondes announces.
“What are their names?” I murmur the question to Allie.
“That’s Casey on the left, and Cadence on the right,” Allie says. “They’re brilliant engineers, and they are the reason we are all alive. In this situation, they’re in charge.”
“That’s a good point,” Casey says. “This is giving Admirable Crichton.”
“I don’t think anybody here knows that very niche piece of ancient human artistry, but yes, it is,” Cadence agrees.
“What are you referring to?”
“It’s a play where the servant becomes the master because the people who were used to being in charge turned out to have no survival skills whatsoever once the shit hit the fan. You all need us. We’re the ones who know how to salvage the ship.”
“Just let them get on with it,” Allie says. “They’re brilliant.”
“Thank you, we are.”
9 HUNTING
Allie
We set up camp on the side of the volcano, which does not appear to currently be active. Staying close to the crash site increases our chances of being found.
Cadence and Casey have done an incredible job of not only recovering the emergency supplies and structures carried on the ship, but they’ve repurposed some of the batteries and energy supplies so we actually have heat and light.
Shan, Lettie, and their baby have their own little shelter, Wrath and I have one, and Cadence and Casey share another. There’s a ‘fire pit’ in the center of the three shelters where we can cook and use the shared tech.
“I don’t know what we’d do without you,” I say to Casey as she fixes our wall more securely so it doesn’t flap open in the wind.
“Die, probably,” she laughs.
She’s not wrong.
This situation is far from any that anybody here could have anticipated, but we’re actually all quite well-equipped to survive. Shan and Lettie are used to living rough, Casey and Cadence can make anything out of anything, and Wrath is a born leader. As for me, I still know how to clean.
Wrath
I am watching my mate clean.
Three days have passed since our fortunate escape from almost certain death, and we are waiting to be rescued. Officially, at least. Privately, I am beginning to plan as to what will happen if we are never found. It is possible we are so distant from Grave City, and so far from any civilization that we will not be found in our lifetimes. Once the horror of that realization wears off, I am able to think more logically. This is not such a bad situation. I have the love of my life with me, and the two blondes - I intermittently forget their names, engage in near constant laughter and activity, which is cheerful.
As for Allie, she finally has what she mentioned wanting in the first place — one of those human suits. The engineers recovered several from the crash, and finally my mate is dressed in a way which gives her not only status among her people, but protection from the elements. The suit is somewhat figure hugging in that it pulls tight across her rear and her chest, both of which are ample.