Soul of Eon (Eon Warriors #8) - Anna Hackett Page 0,39

away, and then the pathogen burned, turning the flames into a kaleidoscope of colors.

Next, he turned and aimed at the dying helians on the wall.

“Have your peace now,” he murmured.

Finally, the flames cut off.

She pressed against his back, sensing his distress and sadness. She wanted to comfort him.

He spun and wrapped an arm around her, squeezed gently. “We need to move. Now, we can look at finding a way out.”

“You sure that vial is safe on your belt?”

“The container appears to be made of a toughened glass. It would require heat or a significant blow to break it.”

They jogged out of the lab.

Eon, there is nowhere for you to hide.

Kaira clutched her head. The multiple elite voices felt like a giant hand squeezing her brain.

We will hunt you down. We will destroy you and your Terran. Then we will consume her world and shatter the Eon Empire.

“Such pleasant people,” Kaira said.

Thane scowled.

Noises echoed ahead of them, and they stopped. A group of bugs skittered into view. They looked like cockroaches on steroids, with sleek, brown bodies. Except they had teeth. Lots of teeth.

“Back,” Thane bit out.

They backed up.

Then she heard noises behind them. They swiveled, and saw a group of Kantos soldiers appear.

“Down here.” She ran into a side corridor.

“I sense bugs converging on all sides of us,” Thane said.

Her stomach dropped. “What do we do?”

“I don’t know, but I will get you out of here, Kaira.”

Get Kaira out.

Get Kaira out.

He would save his mate.

Thane pulled Kaira down another corridor. Flying bugs flew at them from nowhere, wings flapping so fast they were a blur.

They ducked under them. Thane spotted holes in the ceiling. That had to be where the bugs had come from.

“Up!” He gripped Kaira’s waist and tossed her upward.

She gripped the edge of the hole and pulled herself up. Thane bent his legs and leaped.

He flew up through the hole and landed in a crouch.

“Come on.” She was already climbing up the wall, and disappeared through another hole.

Thane jumped again, caught the lip of the hole, and followed. They continued making progress upward, until they ended up in a large room. A horrible smell slammed into his senses.

Kaira held her nose, her eyes watering.

“Helmet,” he said.

They both formed their helmets, his helian providing filtered air for them.

A huge, brown pile of waste sat in the middle of the room. Several small, compact beetles were crawling all over it.

“It’s the organic waste generated by the bugs in the base,” he said.

“Trying not to vomit here.”

“Look.” He nodded his head. “There’s a ramp on the far side.”

They stuck to the wall, moving slowly so they didn’t gain the attention of the beetles.

“Thane, if we keep moving up, then what? We’ll end up at the top of the base, with no way off. We’ll be sitting ducks.”

He frowned. “Sitting ducks? Ducks are a bird on your world. Is it bad when they sit?”

She waved a hand. “It’s an Earth expression. We’ll be targets, with no options.”

“The Kantos are hunting us. We have to do what they’d least expect.”

“Nisid didn’t find us,” she said quietly.

No. Thane felt a punch of sorrow. It was likely that their ally hadn’t made it.

All the alien had wanted was a chance to live—free of fear.

They reached the ramp and jogged up. On the next level, they retracted their helmets, and thankfully the stench had lessened.

“Let’s—”

A familiar, buzzing hum.

“Soldiers,” she hissed.

They both scanned for options. He spotted several, shadowed alcoves set low in the wall.

“In there.”

They crouched and squeezed in. Kaira was practically in his lap. Thane pulled them back as far as they could go, and prayed to the warriors that the Kantos wouldn’t see them.

Several scaly legs stopped in front of their hiding spot.

Kaira tensed.

A second later, the soldiers moved on.

She released a breath. “Thank God.”

Thane tipped her chin up and kissed her. When she kissed him back, he felt a bright burst of warmth in his chest. “Let’s keep moving.”

She scrambled out and he followed. Once again, he was astounded at the strength and courage in this small, Terran woman.

They moved down the hall, alert and tense.

“If I get home, the first thing I want is a giant bowl of ice cream,” Kaira murmured.

“When you get home.” He nodded, indicating a right turn. “What’s ice cream?”

Her eyes widened. “The greatest thing ever invented.” She grinned. “A sweet treat. I’ll get some for you. You’ll love it.”

“I look forward to trying it someday.” If they survived. If Kaira even wanted to see him after