Predator: Survivor

Chapter 25

With every pull of the water, her strength faded until the now half-empty thermos felt like a lead weight in her hand. She felt so damn tired she just wanted to cry.

Laying limp in his hold, Izara couldn't do anything but watch as Bor's clawed hand wrapped around her thermos and took it from her, setting it on the small shelf next to the bed. Beneath her, she could feel his muscles harden as he began to move.

"Please don't put me back in," she whispered, pressing her face into his chest.

Bor did not respond. Shifting her in his arms, he leaned back into the mattress bringing her with him. Draped alongside him with one leg over his thigh and her breasts pressed against his flank, Izara was tucked neatly into the space between his arm and side.

Izara looked up. From this position, all she could see was the strong line of his mandibles and jaw. Hidden in this odd but comforting position, she could feel his hand settle at the small of her back, pressing her securely against him.

She released a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

Around them the lights faded as the skylights opened, making her eyes feel even heavier. That damn AI. Where the hell was its intuitive thinking system when she was getting drugged in the bathroom?

Blue moonlight streamed in above them covering them like a blanket. Izara shifted against him and froze at the ripping sound. Panicked she looked down and squinted in the darkness. The thin gauze material around her breasts looked askew. Hesitantly she shifted again against the hunter and froze at the hot feeling of his flesh against her nipples. Izara didn't have time to berate herself when she felt the gentle pressure of his claws press against the flesh of her back combined with his series of rolling clicks.

She instantly stilled.

Could he feel her bare breasts press against him?

Just kill me now, God.

Embarrassment so hot and so visceral shot up her body heating her from the inside out. Pressing her face against his side she prayed it would smother her.

Eventually, the clicking stopped and silence surrounded them. Only the occasional sound of leaves and debris hitting the windows of the pod disturbed the air.

Sleep beckoned from the edges of her mind even as a thought emerged. With her head half lying on his bicep and against his side, Izara looked up and watched the heavy rise and fall of his chest. Beneath her hand where it lay on his stomach she could feel his abs flex with each movement. She knew he was awake. His breathing was too noticeable for him not to be. On the one occasion she did catch the yautja asleep she had thought him dead. The seconds had felt like hours as she watched closely with bated breath at his barely moving chest for signs of life.

Unconsciously, she moved her hand against his stomach enjoying the feel of his warm rough flesh against her fingers. "Did...did you kill Kang?" she whispered into the night.

His answer was immediate and resolute. "Yes."

Her chest tightened as she thought about Kang and subsequently about Deon and Sean. It hurt to think about how they treated her, especially knowing how hard she tried to make it all work. She had really and truly tried her best to get along with them. Feeling another wave of self-pity overtaking her, Izara buried her face deeper into the yautja and mumbled, "...thank you for everything."

Izara could hear the thrum of his heart through his chest and heard the beginnings of the low, tiny clicks deep inside.

"Sleep," he commanded tersely.

Izara smiled and obeyed the command.

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Izara wasn't surprised when she woke up alone that morning but she was surprised to find the hunter still at their campsite.