Free Forsaken Realms (Bounty Hunters United Book 1) by Katalina Leon

as we can and tell somebody in charge what’s going on in the Kironian sector.”
    “Except for Jason Naveen and his men, I’m the only one who actually saw the damage on Sarna with my own eyes. It’s all in my head. If I’m killed or cryptoerased it will be gone. It could be months or even years until another delegation is sent to check on Sarna.”
    A prickly thorn scratched her hand as she passed. “How do you know Jason Naveen is responsible?”
    “Because his ships were there! I saw them.” With the broad sweep of his arm, he pushed the brush away so she could follow more easily.  “Naveen and his crew came to Sarna without authorization and set-up a laboratory. I approached them and asked them to leave. They showed no respect for either Sarnans or the Kironians. All I got from Jason Naveen was a self-righteous rant about preserving Sarna through cloning.”
    “Ironic, isn’t it?”
    “If I had known that Naveen was doing more than merely collecting samples, I would never have let down my guard.”
    “What happened?”
    “Something went very wrong. I suspect Jason Naveen was experimenting with gene acceleration. Sarna is the perfect place to do it. The flora and fauna are unique. Plants naturally grow at an accelerated rate, and it’s not uncommon for people to live to be four hundred years old.”
    “Whoa!”
    “How long do people live on Earth?”
    “We only recently started living to a hundred and forty.”
    A scandalized expression crossed his face. “So little?”
    “We’ll be damn lucky to survive the next couple of days.” Gemmina marched ahead. The jungle grew denser and the air became still. The insulated fabric of her shirt clung to her skin, and she wished she had a layer to take off.
    “Undress if you like.” The words were delivered with utter casualness as he bulldozed his way through a tangle of vines.
    “I can’t do that.”
    “Why not?”
    “I’m a private person. I don’t undress in front of men that I don’t….”
    “Don’t what? I would not be offended. I would love to look at you undressed.”
    “No. That’s not me.”
    He stopped and seemed to study her. “I have little experience around humanoids beyond the Kironian Federation. You are the first human woman I’ve met. I feel I must apologize for biting you. I was in a desperate state of mind and should not have done it. At the time, I was not thinking of all the complications a bite would inflict upon you. It was selfish of me. Having entered your thoughts, I now know how uncomfortable you are with forced intimacy. It goes against your true nature. You are happier alone. Gemmina, you have my word that I will not take advantage of you. Even after my bite takes full effect, I promise not to act against you.”
    “Thank you.”
    She recoiled. Syan looked completely earnest when he spoke, and so very handsome. She was sorry he said it at all.
    They walked beneath the canopy where little light reached the ground. Even the dramatic edges of Syan’s strong profile were bathed in shadow. In the thickest brush, he used the weight of his arms to push the foliage aside so she could pass, but he was badly scraped.
    “I’m not thinking,” she blurted. “There’s a retractable machete in one of those packs. Let’s get it out. It will make this hike a lot easier on you.” She moved to his side and unbuckled the first pack and dug her arm in searching for the smooth, finger grip handle of the machete. “Here it is.”
    She offered the machete to him, and pointed out a small button. “Tap the handle to make the virtual blade appear, and tap it again to select blade length.”
    He experimented with the glowing blue blade and tested its edge on a few thick vines before making a final selection.
    In the side pocket of the pack, she found several tubes of concentrated protein paste. Gemmina opened a tube by snapping off the cap and squeezed a thin line of coral paste onto her fingertip and tasted it. The flavor was a