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He’d showed her the trail before she’d set off carefully down the twisting footpath. It might have been deadly, equipped as she was with literally nothing but a few flower garlands.
But it was perfectly safe for her because her trip down the mountainside was aided by one very important fact.
She had two sets of eyes—hers and his.
She could see it from her point of view as she carefully made her way down through the rocks and brush, and yet, also his, allowing her to know exactly where to step to avoid cutting her feet.
It was remarkable, and unsettling—and exhilarating.
She’d already deduced that he had at least some ability to read her thoughts, or perhaps simply emotions—and for all she knew, he was doing it right that second—but it was the first time she’d truly felt linked to him in some way other than physically.
Though truth be told, that need too was growing surprisingly strong with every meter further down the mountainside she walked.
She’d almost reached the base of the mountain, the air noticeably warmer and more humid, when she heard the faint sound of voices, the crackle of radio comms—and the distinctive rumble of the jump jets of powered armor.
Within seconds, she saw them, a pair of the assault trooper-powered exoskeletons arcing up, gray and deadly, over the tree line in the opposite direction—toward the pixie village.
Please don’t hurt them.
She broke into a run, loping with a surprising speed over a small rise, then starting down a very familiar grassy slope.
It seemed like so long ago that she’d cracked open that shield on that lifeboat—and begun her descent into an adventure—and an ordeal—that nothing could have prepared her for.
Strangely, her nipples were hard, her pussy hot and sticky—and not from the exertion from her run.
In her mind, the faint but growing mantra whispered over and over:
Go back. He needs you.
But she was steps from home now. At any moment, the movement trackers would pick her up, the IFR signature of a human body in an open field like a massive beacon that would be impossible to miss.
“Sergeant Loomis, we’ve got something.”
Selena whirled around toward the voice—then clapped a hand to her mouth, her heart nearly seizing in her chest.
The blonde hair and the pleasingly athletic figure were unmistakable. But Selena couldn’t see the soldier’s eyes.
“Strabo?”
The soldier, clad in black and gray battle fatigues, their blast visor covering their face, advanced from the other side of the slight rise, rifle up and trained on Selena. The soldier moved with the smooth, fluid cadence of a field veteran.
Then the soldier stopped in their tracks.
“Loomis, recall patrol. We’ve... I think I’ve found her.”
“Lieutenant Strabo? It’s... me.” She took a step toward the soldier, and they lowered their weapon. The visor was flipped up.
And the crystal blue eyes staring back were full of recognition—and disbelief.
“Marks? Selena?”
Selena smiled then, a tear tracking down her cheek. “It’s me, LT. I’m here.”
Strabo stripped off the rest of her helmet, freeing her hair, her face as fresh and beautiful as Selena had remembered it. There were a few more lines at the brow and the corners of her mouth though.
Losing one’s ship and having to bail out over an alien planet tended to do that to a soldier.
“Where the hell did you come from? We thought”—Strabo slung her weapon over her shoulder, wiping a gloved hand across her mouth—“we thought we’d lost you for good.”
“Where are they? The others?” She ran to Strabo and the two embraced. “Are they okay?”
Strabo stepped back, clearing her throat, her voice thick. “Everyone is... just fine. I... science officer had a rough entry sequence, but he’ll be okay. He’s back on the Bay.”
“W-what? You mean... the ship is okay too?”
Strabo nodded, tipping her head up toward the sky. “We managed to get the mains re-fired as soon as the Francis Drake got on station. Not a thing wrong with the equipment. As far as we’ve been able to tell, there isn’t so much as a single light that’s not working on the Gambier Bay.”
“I’m so glad.” Selena hugged herself, suddenly self-conscious about her near total lack of clothing. “I’ve been worried about you. All of you.”
Her belly curled, and a drop of her juice coursed down her inner thigh. Why was she becoming so aroused?
Then she remembered.
You will long for me. Our bond will never be broken.
“Where, uh, where have you been, Marks?” Strabo’s mouth quirked for the slightest instant. “We’ve been down here for over a day now. Why didn’t you stay near your lifeboat?”
Selena sighed. “That’s a very, very long story.”
Strabo smiled, cocking a thumb back over her shoulder. “Why don’t you follow me. I think I know a few people who want to hear every goddamned minute of that story.”