Page 47 of The Edge of Dawn

“Oh… all right.” There was nothing else she could say or do right now.

Because what he’d told her made perfect sense.

And for the first time in a very long time, the noise inside her head was gone.

FIFTEEN

“We’ve arrived,” he whispered in her ear just as she was getting used to the feeling of being held by him.

She’d never been held by anyone before.

She wouldn’t have let anyone hold her like this.

The thought of Cameron putting his arms around her like this—right now, it only made her feel revulsion.

And he could never lift her, anyway.

Stop it. You shouldn’t be thinking about all of that.

In her heart of hearts, she knew her old life was over. Something inside her had cracked, and she would never go back to being the person she once was.

“That was fast,” Jade replied, trying to sound unflustered, even though she was anything but. It had only been a matter of seconds—not even a minute. “Where are we?”

“Not too far from where I found you. Still in the arid lands.” A frown of irritation crossed his lips. “They decided to make their primary base here.”

“They?”

“My current masters. The ones that will be responsible for your entire existence from now on.”

Funny, it hadn’t occurred to her that Dragek might be answerable to some higher power. He was too…

Overwhelming.

But then again, he had mentioned that he was part of the group led by Tarak Al Akkadian. If there was anyone who could keep a being like Dragek in line, it would be someone like him—the notorious Kordolian general, all-powerful and terribly formidable.

She didn’t own a Link anymore—out of fear of being tracked—but Jade caught the Network Feeds from time to time. The news was on holo-billboards and screens in public places, in snippets of conversation, in datastreams all over the city.

The media on Earth were increasingly depicting the Kordolian general as the bad guy—a ruthless strongman who ruled the Nine Galaxies with an iron fist.

Up until now, Jade had believed them…

Until she’d been found by one of the very aliens that everyone seemed so afraid of.

And now she was in his arms, and she wasn’t fighting it because she was sore and exhausted, and she probably had a broken bone or two, and he’d given her his word that she would get treatment.

Actually, it felt so good to be able to depend on someone like this after being on her own for so long.

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d leaned against someone like this, completely spent and utterly lost.

Probably never.

But she didn’t have time to dwell on this ridiculous situation because, at that moment, the wall fell apart.

Or, to be more accurate, it unraveled, black fibers coming apart like living basketweave, revealing another dark chamber.

And another Kordolian.

Instantly, Jade froze.

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