Page 50 of Primal Vow

Somehow, despite the tension, despite the danger, they were both grinning like fools.

They set off into the night, their strides synchronized, their pace urgent. The city lay in the distance, its lights a beacon that called out to them. They had a job to do, and nothing in the world could stand in their way.

They were going to save the city.

And they were going to do it together.

Chapter twenty-one

Just like Rhys predicted, the bunker outside of the city was now empty — of humans as well as the cursed containers they'd lugged half-way across the lands.

"They could have gone anywhere," Taryn said. "Zarrack's men are on high alert. The humans won't be able to get through the gates. It would be smarter for them to pick another target."

"They wont." Rhys's voice was steady. "Not with victory so close. Taryn, they're focused on pulling this off… They're going to bomb that city if it's the last thing they do. Our imprisonment just gave them more time to find a different way in."

On Taryn and Rhys's warnings, Zarrack had increased security. The older warrior hadn't just got his appointment on his brawn alone, Taryn knew. Zarrack was a tactician. The humans could be anywhere, but Zarrack was now expecting them, ready to catch them when they tried to strike.

So if the humans couldn't get into the city the obvious ways…

Then how were they planning to get inside?

When they stepped outside the old bunker, Taryn looked back at the city. In the moonlight, it was a sight to behold. It was a massive thing, its towers scraping the sky. Taryn was a man of the wilds, but even he had to admit that there was something about the scale of Borraq architecture that was awe-inspiring.

But right now, Taryn didn't have time to admire the view. He was focused on the city's walls…

And far from them, the dark tunnel mouths set into the ground.

Vasz had wild, unpredictable storms. Any city needed ways to deal with water. The city's drainage system was an engineering marvel, the city resting on huge tunnels, big enough to swallow a whole river.

But it had been days since the last downpour, and those tunnel mouths were now dry…

But not empty.

And on the edge of one lip was a smear of mud — leading inwards, not out.

Rhys followed Taryn's intent gaze. "What are you looking at? Drains?" Something clicked, and his eyes widened. "Oh, god damn it—! Are they going to blow up the whole city from underneath?!"

There was no time to gather assistance. There was no time to warn anyone. If Taryn and Rhys didn't stop the humans, countless innocent Borraq were going to die.

Taryn's hand clenched around the hilt of his blade. "I'm going to stop them."

"Then I'm coming with you."

Taryn turned to him. "No. This will be a fight. With all due respect, Rhys, you're not a fighter."

Rhys's jaw set stubbornly. "I'm not going to sit on the sidelines and watch you go into danger alone. I'm coming with you."

Taryn's heart clenched. He'd spent his whole life facing moments like this. He was born to fight, to face down any danger that Vasz could throw at him. He was confident in his ability to protect others. But the idea of something happening to Rhys...

He'd already thought he'd lost Rhys once. He couldn't bear the thought of going through that pain again.

"You don't understand," he said, his voice pained. "I can't... I can't bear the thought of losing you again."

Rhys looked up at him, his eyes wide in the glow of Vasz's twin moons. Despite the imminent danger, there was a moment of stillness between them, charged with something that Taryn couldn't quite define.

Then Rhys grinned at him. "Well, I hate to break it to you, big guy, but you're going to have to get used to it. Your mate is a human. You're just going to have to keep saving me."

Taryn shook his head, a fond smile tugging at his lips. "You're infuriating."

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