Scrambling onto the shoulder of the statue, he spotted Raine jumping up to reach a prong on the crown of statue. Holding on, she wrapped her legs around it to scooch along the length until she reached the concrete crown.
Skars didn’t think Raine was aware just how high she had gone up the lopsided statue. Sliding on his ass, he maneuvered himself to the jawline. He was getting closer to her, about to climb up the ear of the statue, when he saw one of the grones try to grab the pack from Raine’s back.
“Odin’s piss!” Skars grunted out, releasing his hold on the ear. Landing with a hard bump, his body started sliding downward. He was barely managing to catch himself, but was able to heave his body in the direction of the grone.
Bracing himself for the sound the alien was about to make, he leveled his ax at the grone’s legs. His ax severed them in one swipe, sending it spiraling downward. The last one left paused to glare at him with slitted eyes.
Changing trajectory, the alien started making its way toward him.
Relieved that Raine was no longer the grone’s focus, he still worried when she continued moving upward, unaware she was no longer being chased.
Loosening his grip on the handhold, he had to stop his body’s momentum. Hoisting himself up would give the advantage to the grone, but Skars didn’t care, too concerned Raine would fall when she realized how high she was.
When Raine had still been on the ship, Bjorn had messaged him about how Milly behaved toward Raine. Activating the system, he had started listening, and as soon as Reva’s duties were completed, he had sent her to his ship until he was able to leave.
Listening to Raine describe her childhood to Reva had brought an understanding as to why she tolerated Milly. Raine believed herself a coward where Milly was concerned, yet Skars disagreed with her. He thought her self-protective instincts were sensing Milly meant to do her harm.
When he had gone to escort her and Milly to Earth, he had taken Raine to the vault where they had been living in. Milly had been taken to a location farther away, where it would take days for them to reach each other on foot. Ignoring her protests when Raine had found out Milly wouldn’t be with her, he had stridden away uncaringly.
He would kill the woman himself before he would let Milly near her again. The only reason he had let her live was because he was sure one of the numerous species on Earth would kill her, and he wouldn’t have her blood on his hands if Raine were to ask.
The grone used its tail to slap at his hands as it stood over him. Skars felt his body start to slip again. Taking his ax out of his mouth, he swung at the grone, swearing when he missed and the grone snapped its tail back to jerk the ax from his hand. Odin’s balls, he was in trouble.
The grone had the advantage, standing over him, and had his weapon.
Meeting the slitted eyes, Skars didn’t flinch when the tail curled back, preparing to deliver a killing strike.
Suddenly, the grone started squealing out in pain as it plummeted toward the ground.
Jurzed’s face appeared over the side as he leaned over to offer his hand. Skars swung his free hand up, catching it in his as Jurzed pulled him up.
“How many are there?” he asked as he searched for Raine.
“Not many. They were on a scouting mission. My men will escort them back to their ship and send a message to the others waiting for their return that they would have to fight Thorsen if they want to come back.”
Skars didn’t respond. He didn’t have enough air in his lungs when he saw the predicament Raine had put herself in.
“Skitr!” Jurzed swore.
“Quiet,” Skars snarled, raising a shaky hand to begin climbing to where Raine was standing on a deck, which was drooping crookedly as she stared down, transfixed and frozen in place.
They both started climbing. It took them heaving the other up to keep one from falling to their death.
“How did she manage to get so high?” Jurzed asked, plastered to the side of the statue.
“My woman is high strung.” Clinging to the stone of the statue with a death grip, he tried to explain his wife’s mad behavior.
“You said she was afraid of heights?” Jurzed’s lips were just as colorless in terror as Skars was sure his were.
“Já, but she must have been more afraid of the grones.”
Finally managing to reach a spot just below her, he was about to climb on the deck when Jurzed stopped him.
“Neinn, it cannot hold both of you.”
Jurzed’s calm voice had him looking at the deck. He was right; the deck wouldn’t hold both.