Invasive Species II: Taken by Kaitlyn O'Connor

Author:Kaitlyn O'Connor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: alien invasion, strong heroine, independent woman, alpha male romance, cat like aliens, alien mating, survival on alien world adventure, caught between alpha males, strong intelligent woman
Publisher: New Concepts Publishing

Chapter Seven

It was the near deafening silence in the aftermath that broke through Winter’s frozen state and initialized brain function and awareness. It still took a few moments for her to reach a point of consciousness to consider action. Even then she wasn’t really aware of a decision. She simply began to struggle to get up and look around for a possibility of escape from her current situation.

There was a rope tied off that they used to haul materials up and she crawled toward it and stared down at the drop over the side, trying to decide if she could or should try climbing down it.

It was the wails of grief and despair that finally penetrated enough to push her into acting. She moved to the edge and carefully lowered her legs and then grasped the top of the rope with her hands and clasped her feet together as low as she could reach.

The stickiness of the rope from the sap used to preserve it was both a help and a hindrance. It wasn’t easy to let go, but that also made it easy to hold on. It seemed to take forever to make the climb and, once her feet touched ground, she could barely hold herself upright with the weakness afflicting her.

Gathering herself, she headed toward camp. Garek waylaid her, caught her shoulders and forced her to look up at him. Dragging her close after a moment, he brushed a light kiss across her lips. “We get sap, close wounds.”

Winter blinked at him when he eased away from her to look at her. Even though he’d spoken English, between his accent and her reduced mental processes it took her a few moments to figure out why he thought the sap would help. Finally, she just nodded and his face twisted in concern. “Baby ok?”

Winter felt her chin wobble. A knot the size of her fist formed in her throat. “I … don’t know.”

He stroked her cheek. “Will be,” he said, patted her cheek, and left her wishing he hadn’t.

The urge to throw herself at him and wrap up in him was so powerful for a few moments it was only an inability to call him back for the urge to burst into tears that prevented her from it.

Fighting off the impulse, struggling to gather strength and brace herself, she headed directly to the fallen.

There were people ahead of her that were moving from one to another, checking them and moving on.

She couldn’t decide if they were searching for specific people—loved ones, friends, acquaintances—or if they were checking for life—or injury.

She found four dead people before she found an injured person. She didn’t even realize at first that they were an injured rather than deceased until she touched the man, searching for a pulse, and he opened his eyes. That made her heart jerk painfully in her chest.

“Water,” he asked weakly.

Winter nodded jerkily. “I’ll get some.” She had to find something to carry it in before she could get the water and that took longer than it should have.

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