Page 16 of Fool's Gold
Gemma winced, favoring her left side. "I think I bruised my ribs."
Snarling under my breath, I carefully slid an arm behind her back to support her. The warmth of her body seared my skin through the thin fabric separating us. She tensed at my touch, that intoxicating human scent surrounding me.
Reckless. Foolish. I cursed myself for acting on the sudden, overwhelming need to shield her from harm. A Vinduthi warrior letting emotions cloud his judgment was unacceptable. And yet, I couldn't seem to resist the pull towards this fascinating little human.
Gemma's gaze met mine, curiosity swirling in those expressive eyes. My breath caught as I studied the delicate curves of her face, the fullness of her lips. Before rational thought could intervene, I crushed my mouth against hers in a fiery kiss.
She stiffened, making a muffled sound of surprise. But I couldn't stop myself from savoring the silky warmth of her, the taste more addictive than the finest Orillian spirits. When she tentatively responded, parting her lips with a soft sigh, molten need lanced through me.
My tongue delved past her lips, exploring the velvet heat of her mouth in a demanding caress. A growl rumbled from my chest as my hands roamed hungrily over the curves of her body. Gemma melted against me, her fingers tangling in my hair as she kissed me back with equal fervor.
Only when the need for air became overwhelming did I finally tear my mouth from hers. We were both panting harshly, gazes locked in a heated trance.
"I still don't trust you," I rasped, my voice roughened by the maelstrom of desire raging through me. "But I want you, little human. More than I've ever wanted anything."
Gemma’s fingers trailed over the markings on my neck in a feather-light caress that made me shudder. "And if I want you too?"
A half-smile curved my lips, sharp canines glinting. "Then we keep going. But there's a vault waiting for us first."
Reluctantly, I pulled away and stood, offering her my hand. Gemma accepted, rising to her feet with a wince. I steadied her with a hand on her waist, unable to resist leaning in to nuzzle the sensitive spot below her ear. She shivered against me, her scent driving me to new levels of craving.
"Lead the way, Kaelith," she whispered breathlessly.
Forcing myself to focus, I checked the schematic overlay from my cybernetic implant. The vault's entrance lay just ahead, buried under collapsed debris from an overhead walkway. I began shifting the twisted metal and shattered plastcrete slabs aside.
Gemma joined me, working tirelessly despite her injury to clear the rubble.
Finally, we uncovered the vault door - a seamless slab of reinforced duranium at least three meters high. Running my hand along the smooth surface, I could feel the energy field pulsing with deadly security measures.
"This won't be easy," I muttered, already analyzing the best way to bypass the high-tech defenses. I removed a slender cyber-spike from my belt and jacked it into the door's access panel. "Stay back. I'll handle this."
As lines of code flickered across the display, I set to work slicing through the vault's firewalls. Gemma obeyed my warning, hanging back to keep watch over our path.
Time seemed to slow as I lost myself in the intricate dance of breaching the formidable security grid. Sweat beaded on my brow from the concentration required. Just as I began to make progress overriding the primary lockdown sequence, a shrill alarm pierced the air.
Automated turrets emerged from the walls, their lethal barrels swiveling to target us. In the same instant, a wave of airborne hunter-drones swept into the chamber like a swarm of metallic locusts.
Scorching energy bolts slammed into the debris shielding us, melting through the twisted metal. My body coiled with tension as I waited for an opening to strike back.
"Stay down!" I barked at Gemma, pinning her against the floor with my greater weight and strength. Her hazel eyes were wide with terror, breasts heaving with each ragged breath.
Shrapnel and molten slag rained down around us as the turrets continued their relentless barrage. The acrid stench of vaporized metal stung my nostrils. I knew our cover wouldn't last much longer against that punishing assault.
Gemma flinched as a large chunk of debris crashed perilously close, showering us with sparks. Without thinking, I shielded her face with my hand, my body instinctively curving around her smaller form in a protective embrace.
Her trembling fingers clutched at my arm, nails digging into my skin with bruising force. But the slight pain did nothing to dull the electric thrill igniting through me at her touch, at her closeness, at her delicious human scent overwhelming my senses.
Reckless, I berated myself again. Foolish to let this female cloud my judgment so utterly. And yet I couldn't bring myself to pull away, to break the strange spell binding me to her soft, yielding body pressed against mine.
A sudden lull in the barrage jolted me back to harsh reality. I reluctantly released Gemma, already scanning for the best avenue to engage the enemy drones.
My vision easily pierced the swirling clouds of smoke and debris. Sleek, predatory forms darted through the haze - a full swarm of at least two dozen airborne hunters. Heavily armored, bristling with plasma cannons and disruptor lances. Deadly machines, and not a single energy weapon at my disposal.
With a snarl, I unsheathed the wicked vibroknife from my belt. At least half a meter of razor-edged ultronium, perfectly balanced and keen enough to slice through solid duranium plating. Weapons like these were a Vinduthi's pride, forged for up-close, personal combat that played to our physical strengths and speed.
"Kaelith, what are you doing?" Gemma hissed, eyes going wide as she took in the lethal blade in my hand. "You can't take those things on alone!"
"Watch me, little human." I allowed a touch of arrogance to color my tone. I thrived on the thrill of battle, the challenge of pitting my skills against deadly opposition. "See what a Vinduthi warrior can do.”