Page 6 of Rescuing Red

Armored vehicles and thick concrete barriers made a blockade so secure she felt as though she were in a war movie. The flood of people moving through it left no room for her to slip out either. With her heart in her throat, she approached the nearest person in uniform, assuming they’d be the best to help her.

“Excuse me, sir?”

With sharp scales and an even sharper gaze, the humongous alpha swung his attention to her. She wanted to shrink at the cold intensity flowing from him, but she held his stare and pointed east.

“I need to go that way.”

“No civilians may leave the city.”

Liz blinked back sudden tears and sucked in a fortifying breath.

“I’ve traveled from Numania. I need to go that way and find my nana—I mean, my grandmother. She needs my help to get to safety.”

“We have strict orders. No civilians may leave the city.”

With a heavy heart and even heavier eyelids, Liz’s shoulders slumped in defeat. She was too tired to argue with the man, so she turned to find the nearest hotel, rent a room, and sleep for a few hours before she tried again.

It had already been a long day between working her shift and making a mad dash to catch the transport. Since she’d been too nervous to sleep on the way to Jun’gale, her mind was too fuzzy to think of a solution to this unexpected problem.

She had to find a way out of the city. She couldn’t bear the thought of her nana being in the middle of a war zone.

But first she needed to sleep.

Chapter 4

Blaide

The trip back to town took longer than expected. Traveling without sleep was something he was familiar with thanks to the military, and his heightened night vision helped, but the landscape forced him to move slower than he’d have liked.

Then there was the problem of the closed gates.

Blaide sat in the clearing surrounding the town until people stirred and the gates finally opened to let out the ones going to forage. He received a few raised brows as he slipped inside, but he ignored them as he headed for the shop he frequented.

“There’s an attack coming. We need to warn everyone and get those who can’t defend themselves into the city.”

The shopkeeper’s eyes widened as the words fell from Blaide’s lips, but he didn’t move. Growling in frustration, Blaide took a step closer until the sharp stench of fear reached him. Swallowing his irritation, he forced himself to take a deep breath and stop the growl.

“The message you gave me yesterday was from a friend in the armada. Enemy warships are enroute to Jun’gale, but themilitary won’t mobilize until they receive a direct attack. We need to get people to safety before it’s too late.”

The shopkeeper’s fear lessened as confusion marred his brow.

“Why haven’t they sounded the alarm, then?”

Blaide ran a hand down his face, searching through the things he’d like to say and settling on the least offensive. Calling the commander an incompetent moron wouldn’t help.

“There’s a slight possibility that the Krantor may pass by Jun’gale, but we won’t know until they’re in the atmosphere, and by then it’ll be too late to evacuate safely.”

“But wouldn’t the city be the first place attacked? We’ll be safer out here.”

Blaide’s teeth squeaked as he clenched his jaw so hard he was sure he’d break a molar. He’d never been the diplomatic one in their unit, preferring to cut to the chase and leave Ursuli to handle anyone who needed convincing. Without his squad mates, he had to figure out how to persuade people to listen on his own.

“The city has defenses and guards, as well as being the only place on the planet with docking capabilities for some of the larger ships. They’ll send down smaller vessels to drop troops in the forest and subdue the locals before moving to surround the city. They’ve used the tactic before, and it’s not pretty for those in the way of their goals. We’re expendable.”

It took more arguing before Blaide finally convinced the man to point him toward the people in charge of the small town and spread the word to anyone he saw. By the time Blaide repeated his news and arguments, the sun was high in the sky and desperation crawled up his spine. The enemy could be on the ground in a matter of hours, yet people were moving as if his warning wasn’t serious.

Clamping down on the urge to shout orders at everyone, he held his tongue as the residents of the town gathered and listened to what was happening. A flare of hope lit in his chest until he noticed the blank stares and disbelief on their faces. He couldn’t help but groan as disappointment filled him.

The only thing that stopped the rising arguments was the shopkeeper running through the crowd. Spotting Blaide, he thrust a sheet of paper at him and panted for breath.

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