“F’yit? She’s in there.”
“Alive?” asked Kepp.
Lira shook her head.
“I figured. I saw Speth disappear inside and return with a bloody knife.”
“I heard what she said. I know what she was, Tanner. I almost killed her, but I stopped myself.”
“She was a traitor,” said Kepp. “She betrayed you, and she betrayed her own country. Whatever you did, it was justified. Can you stand? We’ve got to get out of here, fast.” When Lira nodded, he pulled her to her feet.
“Where will we go?”
“Across the channel.” Kepp pointed. “To Zhinshu. Home.”
“Can we take that?” She pointed to the zodiac.
“If they don’t blow us the hell out of the water, yes.”
Lira stared at the far shore. “Then we’d be safer waiting until nightfall. But I don’t know if Red can hold out that long, not without medical attention. He took a pretty hard blow to the head.”
“Then it’s a damn good thing I’m so hardheaded,” said Red. He hobbled toward them wearing his trademark lopsided grin, an arm thrown around Wat’s shoulders for support. “If it wasn’t for the blurred vision, the headache, and the blood, everything would be fine. Hey, why the hell is your mouth bleeding?”
“The son of a bitch slugged her,” said Kepp, studying Lira’s face. With gentle fingers, he tugged her lower lip down to check the cut. It didn’t need suturing, but her mouth was going to be sore. As they huddled together, the wind increased. Lira began to tremble. Kepp realized that the scanty practice jersey she wore offered very little in the way of protection and warmth when it was dry, let alone when it was soaked with ice-cold seawater. Within seconds, she was shaking outright, and he wondered if she was going into shock.
Kepp swung her into his arms. He looked around for some sort of shelter that couldn’t be seen from the mouth of the cavern or the fishing boat. There was a small cavity in the rocks about twenty yards down the beach. That’s where he’d take her.
“We need to get her warmed up. Wat, get rid of these bodies and then bring Red. We have to keep out of sight. Lira’s right, we can’t risk the zodiac until after nightfall, but we’ve got to stay alive until then.” He strode across the sand, determined to protect this courageous, headstrong woman.
Red followed, his pace slow, but Kepp felt reassured when he saw his friend moving under his own power. He dragged Wat’s bag with him. Kepp carried Lira out of the wind. He laid her across his lap and searched the jersey for the fastening tabs, but the garment was so wet that although he could get the tabs open, he couldn’t remove it.
“C-c-c-cut it off,” Lira ordered through chattering teeth.
Kepp slid his knife out of the sheath. Red did the same. Together, the two men began to cut the garment from her, taking great care to slice the material and not the woman. As they stripped the fabric away from her wet skin, Wat joined them.
“Damn,” he said, “you started without me. I want some of this.” He whipped out his blade and began cutting the sticky fabric away from Lira’s thighs.
The pace of Lira’s breathing increased, and Kepp stole a quick glance at her face, worried she might be suffering from hypothermia. One look told him it wasn’t hypothermia she felt. She was aroused, just as he was. When he peeled the fabric from her breast, her rosy nipple puckered and pointed in a determined fashion, right at his mouth. It would take a strong man to resist such an invitation, and if there was one thing Tanner Kepp had come to realize, where Lira was involved, he had little resistance.
“Fuck.” Kepp gave in and lowered his mouth to her.
Lira responded with a soft keen of pleasure.
“Gimme some of that action,” said Wat as he finished stripping the soggy material from Lira’s thighs. He shoved a warming blanket beneath her hips to cushion her from the rocks, right before he spread her legs and buried his mouth in her pussy.
“Alive?” asked Kepp.
Lira shook her head.
“I figured. I saw Speth disappear inside and return with a bloody knife.”
“I heard what she said. I know what she was, Tanner. I almost killed her, but I stopped myself.”
“She was a traitor,” said Kepp. “She betrayed you, and she betrayed her own country. Whatever you did, it was justified. Can you stand? We’ve got to get out of here, fast.” When Lira nodded, he pulled her to her feet.
“Where will we go?”
“Across the channel.” Kepp pointed. “To Zhinshu. Home.”
“Can we take that?” She pointed to the zodiac.
“If they don’t blow us the hell out of the water, yes.”
Lira stared at the far shore. “Then we’d be safer waiting until nightfall. But I don’t know if Red can hold out that long, not without medical attention. He took a pretty hard blow to the head.”
“Then it’s a damn good thing I’m so hardheaded,” said Red. He hobbled toward them wearing his trademark lopsided grin, an arm thrown around Wat’s shoulders for support. “If it wasn’t for the blurred vision, the headache, and the blood, everything would be fine. Hey, why the hell is your mouth bleeding?”
“The son of a bitch slugged her,” said Kepp, studying Lira’s face. With gentle fingers, he tugged her lower lip down to check the cut. It didn’t need suturing, but her mouth was going to be sore. As they huddled together, the wind increased. Lira began to tremble. Kepp realized that the scanty practice jersey she wore offered very little in the way of protection and warmth when it was dry, let alone when it was soaked with ice-cold seawater. Within seconds, she was shaking outright, and he wondered if she was going into shock.
Kepp swung her into his arms. He looked around for some sort of shelter that couldn’t be seen from the mouth of the cavern or the fishing boat. There was a small cavity in the rocks about twenty yards down the beach. That’s where he’d take her.
“We need to get her warmed up. Wat, get rid of these bodies and then bring Red. We have to keep out of sight. Lira’s right, we can’t risk the zodiac until after nightfall, but we’ve got to stay alive until then.” He strode across the sand, determined to protect this courageous, headstrong woman.
Red followed, his pace slow, but Kepp felt reassured when he saw his friend moving under his own power. He dragged Wat’s bag with him. Kepp carried Lira out of the wind. He laid her across his lap and searched the jersey for the fastening tabs, but the garment was so wet that although he could get the tabs open, he couldn’t remove it.
“C-c-c-cut it off,” Lira ordered through chattering teeth.
Kepp slid his knife out of the sheath. Red did the same. Together, the two men began to cut the garment from her, taking great care to slice the material and not the woman. As they stripped the fabric away from her wet skin, Wat joined them.
“Damn,” he said, “you started without me. I want some of this.” He whipped out his blade and began cutting the sticky fabric away from Lira’s thighs.
The pace of Lira’s breathing increased, and Kepp stole a quick glance at her face, worried she might be suffering from hypothermia. One look told him it wasn’t hypothermia she felt. She was aroused, just as he was. When he peeled the fabric from her breast, her rosy nipple puckered and pointed in a determined fashion, right at his mouth. It would take a strong man to resist such an invitation, and if there was one thing Tanner Kepp had come to realize, where Lira was involved, he had little resistance.
“Fuck.” Kepp gave in and lowered his mouth to her.
Lira responded with a soft keen of pleasure.
“Gimme some of that action,” said Wat as he finished stripping the soggy material from Lira’s thighs. He shoved a warming blanket beneath her hips to cushion her from the rocks, right before he spread her legs and buried his mouth in her pussy.
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