Page 19 of The Edge of Dawn

Projectile weapons the Universe over are built upon the same principle. And there’s always some sort of infernal safety mechanism.

Jade didn’t want to know how he knew that.

She glanced at the limp agent on the ground. Her arms ached like hell. She couldn’t believe she’d just done that—that her body was even capable of that.

She thought she saw his chest rise and fall, but she couldn’t be certain because she was already turning and following the faint sound of footfalls. She balanced lightly on the balls of her feet inside her thick work boots, barely making a sound.

If he was alive… it wouldn’t matter anyway because he’d be sedated for some time. If that was Dragek’s plan all along, then his level of insight and planning was chilling.

Respirator or not, it made no difference to the way she moved or the level of physical effort she exerted, but perhaps the dark presence in her mind was a little less forceful.

They merged better.

She held the gun in front of her, finger on the trigger, anticipating the other human. She was aware of everything: the layout of the mine, the distance to the exit, the shuffling footsteps of the other Public Order Agent.

She turned and started to walk in his direction.

Suddenly, the hunter became the hunted.

And the feeling that she’d suddenly become someone she wasn’t—someone capable of being completely, utterly ruthless and lethal—it was both horrifying and strangely exhilarating.

EIGHT

The human’s body was astoundingly weak and frustratingly slow. Her reflexes were atrocious, and her awareness of her surroundings was almost nonexistent.

She certainly didn’t know how to harness her ka’qui.

If she did, she wouldn’t be in this situation to begin with.

But he was one of the deadliest assassins in the Universe, and if anyone could coax the necessary movements out of her fragile human form, it was him.

How easily she broke. Her muscles ached. Ligaments were torn. Fatigue was setting in.

This body was already falling apart.

But it was unavoidable.

In order to survive, she had to endure short-term pain. If she was taken by these human males, she would probably go through much worse before he took her back. Better to sustain physical damage rather than risk having her mind broken.

Physical damage could be fixed.

Psychic damage, however, could be irreversible.

If she got into the wrong hands…

He knew very well what could happen.

What if the humans were aware of her potential? What if they wanted her for the same reasons the architects of The Program had wanted him?

Suddenly, he’d become invested in this game. He didn’t want her to be taken. He wanted her captors defeated at all costs.

The only reason he hadn’t killed that human male back there was because he wanted to conserve her limited energy for the other male… in case he proved to be a more formidable opponent.

At least, he told himself that.

The truth was, no human in this Universe could trouble him.

And yet… why did he feel the need to dwell on it?

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