Survivor

Chapter 9

Nikita leaned back in the car seat as she studied Ruby's side profile.

This was the first time she could look at the red-haired woman in peace. Although she had seen Ruby up close in the enclosure on the night of the thunderstorm, other things had been of more priority at the time. But not now.

Ruby was pretty. Really pretty. Her red, curly hair framed her face like a sea of fire. But what captivated Nikita were Ruby's eyes.

These birch green galaxies.

A color she had never seen before, a color she couldn't get out of her head. Nikita's gaze slid over the parts of Ruby's body she could see from her position. It was curvy. In contrast to her own body, which was covered in scars from the fights, Ruby's body was... soft. Pure. Beautiful.

A silent sigh came across Nikita's lips as she closed her eyes and made herself comfortable in the seat. She needed to sleep, no matter how nice the view was at the moment. She would have enough time to look at the red head later on.

The slamming of car doors made Nikita jump and open her eyes again. Confused, she watched as Ruby walked around the car and opened the door for her.

"Perfect timing, we just arrived at the airport. You slept through the whole ride ."

Smiling she stepped aside to let Nikita get out of her seat. She looked at Sam who was getting the suitcases out of the trunk, handing Ruby her own.

"Go ahead, I'll come right after."

"Okay, let's see if the flight is delayed. I hope not."

With that, Ruby headed towards the entrance of the terminal. Nikita followed her but was yanked back when Sam grabbed her wrist. Snapping her teeth at him, she hissed, ripping her arm out of his hold which sent him stumbling a few steps. He caught himself, clearing his throat before turning to her.

"Don't fuck it up. That's the only warning you get."

Sam looked at her with his eyebrows drawn together, a threating look on his face, before turning around and heading to the driver's door. Furious, Nikita looked after him.

"Nikita! Are you coming?"

Ruby's voice pulled her out of the growing aggression. She briefly met her gaze, before taking one last look at Sam, who completely ignored her and calmly stowed a water bottle in his backpack. Then she walked off to Ruby, vibrating with tension and anger. Ruby was waiting in the middle of the parking lot, her suitcase next to her. As soon as Nikita reached her, she grabbed the handle of her luggage. Ruby was damn curious about the woman. She had guessed correctly, Nikita was actually taller than her. And being 5'7 she wasn't exactly short herself.

"So, how do you know Sam?"

The question caught Nikita off guard, although she should have expected it. Her mind went blank as she feverishly searched for a somewhat believable answer.

"Sam... we... I... um, he basically offered me a job."

Ruby noticed that Nikita apparently didn't like talking about her work. Something she couldn't understand in the slightest. She loved her job, it meant everything to her. It was her baby.

"Ah."

"Yes, and travelling to LA was his idea, he really wanted to go there."

"Hmm."

"Speaking of LA, what do you want to see when we're there?"

The question made Ruby's eyes light up before she enthusiastically listed all the places, she chose the night before. She was excitedly ranting about the Griffith Observatory when Sam reached them and sat down next to her on one of the benches in the airport.