THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

them.
    With a reluctant nod, he finally said, “Don’t hit a pothole, Xena.”
    The whole exchange took seconds I couldn’t afford to waste so I had no time to ask what a pothole was.
    Gabby had been paralyzed by the deadly scene unfolding until I gave her shoulder a quick squeeze of encouragement, ignored her terror and shoved to my feet. I took off running toward the child.
    “ Rayen! ” Gabby shouted behind me, delayed reaction kicking in.
    I couldn’t turn around. Had to trust Tony to do his part to hold Gabby back and keep her safe. This was now a foot race against the roaring creature that had emerged all the way out of the ground. Dull orange scales with bright blue swirling lines covered its body in dizzying patterns.
    It shook off dirt like a wet dog and swung its enormous head toward where Tony and Gabby hovered at the tree line.
    I risked a glance over my shoulder, relieved to see that Tony restrained Gabby. They were in the open, but not far from the jungle’s edge.
    Booming steps rocked the ground.
    I whipped my head back into the race.
    The strange croco-monster had dropped down on four of its limbs and ran with a side-to-side movement at a thundering speed. Bulging black eyes streaked with yellow veins flared wildly at me then dismissed me as too insignificant to get in the way of reaching its initial, and easier prey–the little girl. Two thick arms dangled from the monster’s upper body. Hands large enough to rip a human body in half or swat a grown man into next week had three thick-boned fingers each, with curled claws.
    This was not the Beast that had chased me in the desert. This was worse.
    The child let out a hair-splitting cry.
    With the ground shifting the closer the monster came, I did a quick double-step to stay on my feet.
    Forcing my legs to spin faster, I matched pace with the monster and angled my body into a headon collision course. I waved my arms and shouted wildly for the child to get up and escape.
    She didn’t move.
    “ Get away. Move. Run! ” I bellowed. Using all I had left, I sprinted the last few yards toward her.
    The little girl crawled to her knees, twisting about, staring at the monster. Wide-eyed, her panicked cry was drowned out by the thud, thud, thud of the predator bearing down on her.
    With an extra surge, I threw myself toward her, scooping her with my arms and hitting the ground hard, rolling to the right. But I had her safely cocooned.
    The ground rumbled and vibrated as the croco-monster catapulted past. So close I could smell its strange sour odor, feel the blast of its hide scrape my upper arms.
    Safe?
    Not hardly. Maybe Tony had been right to focus on the pod to get out of this place.
    Pushing back to my feet and hugging the child to me, I made a quick sprint to the jungle edge on the other side from Gabby and Tony. I careened around, facing the back of the monster. It skidded to a stop, snorting and stomping the ground.
    The little girl in my arms quivered. Too scared to make a noise. I felt her heart beating like bird wings as I stepped deeper into the jungle edge. I moved us behind the biggest, baddest palm-like frond, hoping to soothe her by being hidden.
    Where was the monster?
    Had it given up chasing me and the child. Why?
    I heard shouting. Inhaling air into my starved lungs, I shifted the child against my chest and eased back out into the open space until I could see Gabby and Tony. They waved their hands and shouted taunts at the croco-monster.
    They were the reason the monster had lost interest in us, but that appeared to be the extent of Tony and Gabby’s planning.
    How was I going to keep those two from being eaten?
    I couldn’t leave the little girl alone. Neither could I risk her life by rushing back into the monster’s path.
    Before I came up with a plan, the creature lunged forward and barreled toward Tony and Gabby who stopped yelling and turned to run back toward the jungle.   
    Chugging air as if I’d never get enough, I set the girl on the ground.
    She crumpled to her knees, clinging to my leg as a lifeline.
    “Stay here. You’ll be okay,” I gasped, trying to untangle my legs without harming her and hoping she understood my words. I patted her feather-light hair to keep her calm. Would she stay put?
    No time to think as a cry of wild noises went up from deep in the jungle on Gabby and Tony’s side of the clearing.
    But Gabby and Tony had stopped shouting. They were looking around then all of a sudden stood