The Healer's Hellion - Miranda Bridges Page 0,38
squint up at him as my face heats. “Are you making that statement as a physician or as my lover?”
He grins down at me. “Both.”
I end up mirroring his expression of amusement, and he tightens his grip before kissing me soundly. Once I’m breathless, he releases me, and I stare up at him, bewildered and aroused.
“What was that for?” I ask.
“Because you are absolutely stunning when you smile, and I wanted to taste your joy.”
I blink up at him as my heart thunders. In that moment I actually feel beautiful, and it’s such a foreign feeling that it takes me a second to soak it in. Once I do, my smile widens and my soul grows warm, not as bleak and cold like before.
He takes my hand and leads me back to the trail, which is fine because I’m at a loss for words. Our steps are quick, and soon we have the group within our sights. It doesn’t take long to reach our destination. Or maybe it does but I’m so stuck in my head that I don’t notice.
I stare up at the Yalat city and trail my gaze over the wooden huts with thatched roofs. There are so many, but that’s not what has my mouth agape. It’s the fact that they are all at least twenty feet off the ground with the only access being a ladder that has moss lining the sides. The rungs are clear, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. Each building is supported by the trunk of a huge tree and has a porch or balcony of sorts. The bridges that connect the dwellings look old and rickety. If the Yalat don’t kill us, then it looks as if we might fall to our deaths.
After leaning close to Braxton, I lower my voice and ask, “How will we find all the women? There are at least a hundred houses or whatever.”
“The reconnaissance that we did showed there are only a handful of buildings that can hold the number of women captured. It’s an educated guess, confirmed by using thermal tech to search for the humans’ body heat. Since the Yalat closely resemble reptiles, their cold blood does not show up.”
I frown up at him. “Does that mean you don’t know how many of those suckers are here? Do we even know what we’re up against?”
“We have accounted for that as well. Do not fret, Skylar.”
The caustic remark on my tongue is stifled when I press my lips together. Battle strategies are not my area of expertise, and even though some of his information doesn’t sound that reassuring, I know Braxton wouldn’t have let me come along if there was no chance of success for this mission.
I place my hand on his forearm, gaining his attention once more. “Just so we’re clear,” I say, “we are here to annihilate these assholes?”
“Most assuredly. They attacked us not too long ago with the same intentions, so we are here to rescue the women but also to ensure that does not happen again.”
My power coils within me as though preparing to spring from my body. It seems to have ignited because of the anticipation coursing through me. The time has come for my revenge, and I could not be happier. Plus, the idea of seeing Camille safe makes me want to charge ahead and blast everything to smithereens. Instead, I give Braxton a wicked smile and a thumbs-up.
“Never leave my side,” he says.
And then we are creeping past the perimeter of the city and into the heart of it. The Dravians’ swords gleam in the moonlight, instantly coated with yellow blood as the soldiers quietly and efficiently take down Yalat sentries. I’m light on the balls of my feet, itching for a fight, but I remain calm and keep my hands by my sides. My time will come, and I have no intention of giving away our element of surprise because of my overenthusiasm.
A gurgled cry hits the air, making me freeze. It’s loud and carries in the night.
“Prepare yourself,” Braxton says quietly.
I nod, but when the Yalat begin streaming from their huts, I am anything except prepared. They are like ants when their hill is disturbed, crawling and spilling from each of the dwellings. Their swords and spears are easy to discern and have me lifting my hands, my power buzzing along my skin. I remind myself that I can’t overdo it or I’ll burnout, and that will take me from the fight but