Green Eyes

The animal in Riddick purred at the sight of her.

Finally, no barriers between them, no chains or bit, no distractions.

Apparently unhampered by the darkness, pupils dilated so only a ring of green was visible to his eye-shine, she shifted just slightly, a teasing little smile on her face.

Removing the welding goggles, he moved subtly to block the exit, smirking when that smile shifted to something almost playful.

So, kitty wanted to play.

The slightest twitch in her shoulders, and she feinted right, triggering hunting instincts that had Riddick springing forward as she aborted and spun to the left.

She was certainly fast, faster even than a girl her size ought to be, but Riddick was not about to lose so easily.

Grabbing hold of one wrist, he yanked her back and around, forcing the girl to fall over one of the many crates scattered about.

Without missing a beat, she turned the fall into a roll, coming up in a crouch.

Staying low to the ground, like a jungle cat, she studied him a second time, clearly adjusting her old estimates to this new development.

Riddick smirked, challenging.

Nice try, kitten.

She jerked forward, coming in low, and the convict pounced.

They hit the ground in a tangle, and she hissed, twisting at an almost inhuman angle to keep from being pinned.

With a grunt, Riddick found enough leverage to hold her down despite her wild bucking and twisting, catching her wrists and pressing them hard into the floor as he growled, deep and commanding.

The sound reverberated right through her chest, and she went limp on instinct, heart still stuttering and breathing a touch labored as every muscle loosened.

“Alright, alright, you got me…” The girl admitted, a lazy smile taking shape as mischief sparked in her eyes. “What now?”

Amused by her cheek, Riddick shifted so their bodies were flush against each other, chuckling at the wonderful little mewl she let out at the contact.

“I can think of a few things.” He rumbled, growling in pleasure as her back arched, heavy breasts pressing against him.

Claws digging into the floor out of anticipation, the girl smiled, stretching out under him like a cat.

Oh, but it was a beautiful sight, all soft curves and lean muscles…

A scream echoed through the ship, and her pupils immediately contracted into slits, all playfulness gone.

“Jack.”

With surprising strength, she was free, twisting out from beneath Riddick and already at the door faster than he had ever seen her move before.

Sitting back on his haunches, Riddick slipped his goggles back on, considering the strange girl that had caught his attention so thoroughly.

Such a little thing…

The convict moved to leave, pausing only a moment to take in the sweet scent still lingering in the air.

No better way to spend your time than unraveling a puzzle.

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I don’t know what came over me.

One moment, I’m happily sprawled out underneath my favorite convict-not that I’ve met many, to be honest-, and the next…

All I could think about was Jack, and that whoever had hurt her had better kiss their damn asses goodbye once I found them.

Before I knew it, I was outside the ship, registering everything in moments.

Shazza, blood splattered on her face and shell-shocked, but injured; Paris, looking pale and ill, hugging a war pick to his chest; Zeke, cursing, gauge in hand; Jack, shaken and wide-eyed, mumbling hysterically under her breath; and the half-charred body of another man, bloody and battered, sprawled out on the sand.

Well, shit.

“Jade!”

Jack latched onto me like a frightened cub, obviously fighting back tears as she babbled, distressed and growing hysterical.

“It was just another survivor, just a survivor, and Zeke shot him, just shot him-”

With a comforting growl, I pulled the pup closer, rubbing my cheeks against her to spread my scent and warn away other predators.

“Breathe, Jack. Calm down.”

As she took a deep, shuddery breath, I looked to the free settlers, forcing my pupils not to narrow in anger.

Damn it, I’d trusted them to keep Jack safe and happy, not let her watch someone die!

“What happened?” I growled out, shoulder and back muscles tightening up in reaction to my fury.

“Jack, he was inside, helping me with the inner wiring.” Shazza managed, struggling to regain control. “Paris came down, all strung-out, asking if Jack had been trying to scare him again, and then…”

She fell silent, and Zeke repeated what he must have already said.

“Thought it was Riddick.”

Glaring down the three adults, silently chastising them for being so paranoid, I nodded towards the body.

“Get that out of here.”

Zeke practically jumped to do so, and my attention turned to Paris.

“You, stay in the ship and stop crying wolf.”

Scrambling to follow orders, the scholar rushed into the Hunter-Gratzner, and I sent Shazza a sharp smile.

“Looks like you’ve got a new little helper.”

Crouching to be more level with Jack, I shook her lightly by the shoulder, forcing her attention to focus on me.

“I need you to do something really important for me. Can you handle it?”

Taking a deep breath, she nodded, and I couldn’t help but be proud.

Strong pup.

“In the ship, there’s a staircase that leads down to a storage room. It’s dark, but there’s a panel missing on the far wall. Carefully get the bottles I left in there, close them, and bring them back up. Do you understand?”

She nodded again, more sure this time, and I smiled.

“Good.”

Patting her shoulder, I straightened up, already scanning the top of the ship for a good lookout spot-

And there was Riddick, lounging in a chair Paris must have set up there under an umbrella, happily drinking the man’s alcohol.

Pretending not to notice him, I turned away from the others to hide a smile.

So, Big Bad does has a sense of humor…

Interesting.