Ava’s heart stuttered and then kicked into painful overdrive.

There were now three.

Three ugly, terrifying humongous beasts.

Their bloodred eyes, sharp, needlelike fangs, and massive bodies making the tigos she’d come across on the surface appear child’s play in comparison.

Why, oh why, was everything scarier, bigger, and more violent down here?

She risked a quick look in Valdus’s direction.

His expression hadn’t changed. She saw no panic. No certainty of impending death. He looked as stoic, arrogant, and merciless as always.

It calmed her. Thrilled her, in fact. Maybe three was as doable for him as one?

She cut a quick glance at the big mountain of boulders right by the exit. Less than twenty paces away. So close.

And he’d told her to go. Said it would be less distracting. The last thing she wanted was to get in his way.

But, he’d said all that when there’d been only one. Now, there were three.

“Come on, beasts.” The sure, coaxing voice of the man that occupied more and more of her thoughts drew her attention once more. “A little closer. That’s right.”

Her breath hitching as the three creatures separated, stalking toward him, one from his left, two from his right.

He was massive for a human, but pitted against three giant beasts he appeared far more breakable.

“Closer, you bastards.” He waved his ax from side to side, tiny rivulets of sweat sliding down his chiseled abdomen, making every massive muscle gleam as it bunched and flexed.

Then there was a roar—this time human—and he leaped forward, stunning her and the creatures by going on the offensive.

One brutal swing cleaved the head from the body of the animal with the ax in its side, blanketing the air with a sickly-sweet smell. But there was no time even to celebrate. Shrieking, the two other creatures pounced, her ex-captor disappearing beneath a blur of black fur, flashing fangs, and striking claws.

Her gaze darted toward the rock. Then back to Valdus. He was pinned on the ground, his massive arm barely visible as he drove a curved dagger into one of the beast’s sides, barely blocking the sharp horn of the other with the flat of his ax. Grunts and growls echoed through the small cave.

It was an impressive display: his strength jaw-dropping, his power and quickness awe-inspiring. But she doubted even he could keep it up.

With a whispered curse, she ran toward the battle.

He might not want her help, but he was getting it.

Sucking down a deep breath, she skidded to a halt in front of the carcass of the creature with Valdus’ favorite pickax lodged in its side.

Even knowing it was dead, her skin prickled, its massive size and strength even more apparent up close—and the smell…

Her nose wrinkled, her stomach lurching as the feral, pungent odor of the beast mixed with the sweet scent of blood to burn her nostrils. But that was a small price to pay for her prize.

Seizing the handle of the ax, she tugged. Then tugged again. The nearby sounds of snarls and human grunts speeding her on. The force of her ex-captor’s throw had lodged his weapon deep. Desperate, she slammed her boot against the matted fur and yanked hard.

Only to tumble backward onto her ass as the weapon slid from the flesh. She missed stabbing her own thigh by inches, the sharp edge of the pickax gouging the ground instead.

The thing was a hell of a lot heavier than Valdus made it look.

Grabbing it with both hands, she scrambled to her feet and—giving herself no time to reconsider—leapt forward, driving the sharp edge into the hindquarters of the closest creature snarling atop the man.

The animal yowled, its head whipping round, its body following so fast its tipped horn sliced through her uniform, leaving a long, thin cut across the width of her stomach. She stumbled back, barely noticing the sting, her sole focus on the spike about to skewer her.

Up close, its front fangs were huge. Its three rows of needlelike teeth just beyond even more terrifying. Its breath a blast of fetid air against her cheek.

“Hit it again!” Valdus’s roared command snapped her into action, but she knew she’d never be fast enough or strong enough to take it out.

She had a different plan in mind.

“Take care of the other one.” Darting back as its claw swiped forward, she leapt onto the big rock and scrambled upward, ignoring the sharp edges that scraped her palms. The terrifying sound of scraping claws right behind.

“No, Ava! It can’t be outrun.” The urgency in his voice spurred her on.

She leapt again. Scrambled higher. Until she was near the top of the ceiling.

A shriek from below, quickly cut off, told her Valdus had taken care of his target.

Now it was up to her—and the rancid stench of shaggy animal proof the beast was closing in fast.

With a scream, she raised her ax and sliced through the hanging silken threads twinkling above.

Instantly, the lights flared, the cave glowing blood red. Her beautiful stars turning deadly as acidic secretions meant to protect the glowworm larvae poured from the hacked threads.

Right onto the advancing beast.

With a pained screech, it stopped in its tracks, threw back its head, and roared. The agonized bleat slamming through her as the bitter scent of burning flesh stung her nostrils.

It was working.

Raising her ax, she hacked again. And again. Her biceps shaking with the force of her swings. A part of her soul shriveling at the destruction of her beautiful stars.

But survival was paramount.

Hadn’t that been what Valdus had been saying all along?

The creature roared again. Skittered back. Tumbled off the rocky piling and crashed toward the ground.

An errant droplet hit her leg. Then her arm. She muffled a scream. Kept hacking. Pain was something she’d learned to endure long ago.

“Enough.” Her ex-captor’s voice snapped her from her trance. “Let me finish this.”

Her eyes blinked wide, her stare dropping to the scene below, her arms lowering to her sides.

With the drops no longer falling, Valdus leapt to where the downed creature struggled to rise and struck fast, his ax sinking into the underbelly.

It let out an agonizing bleat and sank to its knees, its insides spilling onto the ground. Her ex-captive’s arm reappeared, his ax slick with crimson blood.

Arm shaking, the ax she’d been struggling to hold slipped from her grasp, clattering down the side of the rock. It landed an arm’s length from its owner, the sharp edge imbedding itself in the stone.

Their gazes locked.

Her breath strangled in her throat. Respect. Admiration. Pride. There was no missing what was in his stare.

Pleasure surged. Before him, no one had ever looked at her like that for something she’d done.

It was more satisfying than she’d ever dared hope.

He sheathed his ax.

Opened his arms wide.

A moment’s hesitation. Then, she leapt.

The scent of ash and musk and him filling her lungs as the hard heat of his skin sizzled against hers everywhere they made contact. He drew her tighter against him.

“You did it.” Head buried in her hair, he held her to him as he carried her around the rock and away from the horrific scene.

She didn’t look back.

The creatures were dead.

But they were alive.

That was all that mattered.

They emerged into the narrow corridor.

Only to slip once more into another side cave. One with more twinkling stars that glittered as if everything was still alright in the world.

Her back landed against the wall in the next instant, his big hands closing round her forearms and hauling her up so that only her tiptoes grazed the ground.

“You did it,” he repeated.

“We did it,” she amended. “We make a good team.”

“What you did was incredible—and clever.” His words were a low growl, his nose sliding along her cheek to bury itself in her hair as he breathed deep. “I had no clue the star plants could do that. Even after two years down here, I’ve never seen them do that before.”

“They’re not plants. They’re insect larvae. And to be honest, I wasn’t sure exactly what would happen as the species I’d studied was from New Earth.”

Was she talking too much? Probably. Pride? Nerves? Likely a jumble of both.

“You weren’t sure?” He reared back, enough for her to see his scowl had returned.

She knew that look. “Don’t.” She didn’t want to argue now. “I knew enough. Especially that sometimes fragile, beautiful things can be dangerous, too.”

His gaze darkened, shadowed by a flare of emotion she couldn’t quite read. “I’m learning that lesson well, believe me.”

Without further thought, guided only by need, she reared up onto her tiptoes.

Her lips reached toward his just as he slammed his mouth over hers.

Together.

Equal in their claim. Equal in their raw need.