with the guys after her shift was over. It was so comfortable that she didn’t realize that she had walked so far until she saw a small colony shuttle at the edge of the camp. Her steps slowed and she swallowed, her voice a harsh whisper.
“Doug, this is close enough. I need to meet back with Rhyst. Why don’t you grab your things and blow this hellhole? Come with us. I can vouch for you with the Tak’sin, and we can go back to get Mia, Ben, and Jace,” she whispered.
“Wish it were that simple, kid. You shouldn’t have come.”
Doug shuffled beside her, his shoulder crowding her forward as he continued to walk, his focus down on the ground, his teeth grinding together. His shoulder rammed into the back of her shoulder, making her stumble.
“Oww! Shit, what the fuck, Doug?” she hissed, her eyes zipping around the camp, watching for anyone who might notice them. She tried to back away, put some distance between herself and the colony, but discovered that with Doug’s massive bulk hemming her in, she had nowhere to go. “Doug, we’re heading into camp. We need to get the hell out of here before someone sees us.”
His hand banded around her arm, and she was yanked against him. “What the hell are you doing?” she hissed. He tugged her hard, and her opposite hand struck out ineffectually. There was little she would be able to do against him, fully armored as he was. But she wasn’t going down without a fight. Her head jerked around, and she saw the lean silhouette of Aysh in the distance. He stilled, looking her way before he turned and let out a shout of alarm.
She attempted to scream for Rhyst when a hand clamped over her mouth, squeezing painfully as he brought up a hypospray with his other hand. Aysh was charging toward her, another male behind him as the a’sankhii raced toward her. Nearby, Rhyst leaped over a tent with a roar.
Charlie shrieked against Doug’s hand, her limbs flailing as she attempted to kick and stomp on him. Her fingernails gouged at him in a desperate attempt to break free. She scored a few good shots, but nothing critical, before he dosed her with the hypospray.
The results were instant. Her mind flooded with fog as Doug tugged her into the shuttle. He left her lying on the floor as he started up the ship. His voice was growing distant as he commanded the ship to return to the colony base. She wanted to scream ‘No!’ but her eyes were barely able to stay open, and all that left her throat was a painful croak.
The shuttle rattled as it lifted into the air, and Doug’s face materialized above her as the ship shuddered as if something struck it. He swore and braced himself as it rattled violently again. He looked down at her, lips pressed together with concern.
“I really hope that he’s all that you say he is, and that he comes after you, kid. He certainly just attempted to demolish the shuttle trying to get to you, so that’s a good sign. The doc really wants him, you know… and you. Like I said, you shouldn’t have come. I’m so sorry, Charlie, more than I can say, but I have to do this for Mia. They won’t let her go until they get what they want. Ben and Jace understood why I had to turn them in. I hope you do too. I hate myself for doing this—not sleeping a wink for weeks, and that damn cave. I would do anything for Mia… Anything.”
She understood. Gods help her, she understood. A tear rolled down her cheek as she fell into darkness.
Chapter 36
Rhyst’s outraged roar broke through the air as he blasted another tongue of fire out from his eminit at the retreating transport. It had his mate. The human male stole his mate! Fury and hate ran through his blood, boiling through him as he wanted to destroy everything around him. The humans had come awake with a shout in the midst of his fury.
He spun around on them, spines flashing, claws spread menacingly. He was so certain they would attack, but they stared at him, the scent of their fear rolling through them. Not one of them appeared to be warriors. He glared at them disdainfully, and predictably each shrank back from his regard. It was possible that it was a trick.