Bonded by Ria Candro Read Free Book Online Page B

Valeron breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was largely intact. A few small objects littered the field, and the side of the mountain was chipped where the jet had obviously come into contact with it, but the parts looked to be repairable.
    “We can do this,” Inara sighed, a dreamy smile transforming her face. “I think it’ll only take a matter of hours!”
    Thank the heavens.
    As Valeron watched Inara’s fingers smooth over her jet, he heard a whisper of sound from deeper in the forest, back where they’d come from. A feeling of foreboding caused his body to tense. When Inara kept her gaze on her jet, Valeron realized she hadn’t heard it, but Neichon shot him a look.
    “Go check the forest,” Neichon muttered to him.
    Giving his pod leader a curt nod, he stalked back into the forest, finding the nearest tree with branches good enough for climbing and making his way up.
    He’d only gone up about ten feet when he spotted them.
    Malucons.
    His heart clenched, tightening his chest.
    The Malucon shuttle hovered several miles away, its rope ladder swinging down and disappearing into a copse of trees. Six Malucons, their burlap clothing grimy and tattered and their long hair knotted, spread out through the forest no more than a mile and a half away from him, their gazes on the forest floor. One of them squatted and touched the earth, then rose and gestured to the others. They pointed in his direction and began to trot that way.
    No!
    He didn’t bother climbing down, just dropped to the ground and raced after Neichon and Inara.
    Neichon stood at attention, waiting for him. When he saw the expression on Valeron’s face, his eyes went wide.
    “Malucons,” Valeron said when he’d gotten close enough that he didn’t have to yell. “No more than a mile and a half away.”
    “What?” Inara jumped to her feet, and the fear and horror on her face made Valeron’s chest tighten in agony. “How’d they get so close?”
    “Sheer luck,” he said grimly. “They are searching the forest and must have spotted our tracks.”
    Neichon gave him a tense nod before grasping Inara’s hand and gesturing toward the forest in the opposite direction. “We must run.”
    Inara snatched her hand away, shaking her head. “If we go that way, they’ll just chase us, and we’ll be going further away from my jet.”
    “What other option do we have, female?” Neichon bit out, his jaw tense.
    Heart racing, Valeron turned to survey the area. That was when he spotted it.
    “Look.” He pointed to the small opening at the base of the mountain. Racing toward it, he dropped to his knees and crept inside. The hole opened up into a dark cave. In what little daylight made its way inside the space, he could see another opening up ahead. He scooted out and rose, turning to Neichon. “A cave. There’s another opening, too, so it goes further back, at least somewhat.”
    Neichon shook his head. “No, it could be a death trap.”
    But Inara bit her lip and dropped to her knees, scooting inside. She appeared again just a moment later. “I think this is a good place to hide.”
    Again Neichon shook his head. “If they track us in here, there may be nowhere else to go.”
    His breath hitching, Valeron looked back toward the forest, where even now the Malucons made their way toward them. An idea formed.
    “What if you two go in and I form tracks leading to the opposite side of the forest? With any luck, they’ll think we went that way and bypass the cavern.”
    Worry lines marred Neichon’s forehead. “And what of you?”
    “I’ll backtrack, making sure to erase any evidence of it.”
    It would be risky, but perhaps there was enough time to do it.
    Neichon frowned. “I don’t—”
    “There isn’t any more time, brother,” Valeron bit out.
    It only took a moment for Neichon to recognize the veracity of his statement. He nodded. “Okay, but be careful.”
    “I will.” Valeron took one quick look at their mate, wishing there was