Page 65 of Synnr's Ride

"When she comes in, we'll fight," Jori said, resignation heavy in his veins. "They're not going to take me as a hostage."Not without you.

He'd do anything if it meant that Hanna would make it, even submit to whatever tortures awaited him on Kilrym. But that wasn't what Zilly's father planned.

Hanna grabbed his face and kissed him fiercely, her warmth and ferocity pouring into him like energy itself. He let the kiss imprint on him, surrendering to it completely. His arms came around to hold her close, heedless of his injuries. Hanna was in his arms, he couldn't care about pain.

If they weren't tied up in a closet and facing imminent demise, he would have begged for more. Even with the threat hanging over them, he couldn't make himself pull back for some time.

After one breath or a hundred, it was Hanna who did. She smiled at him and let her forehead rest against his own. "I love you."

Elation warred with sorrow.Yes, finally. But there was no time to enjoy it, no time to celebrate this thing between them and what it could be. He'd known his job might ruin things for them, but he'd never imagined the ruination would come so soon.

He kissed her again, saying the words back between every breath.

Then she said three words neither of them had dared to broach. "Bond with me."

Their gazes locked. Hanna was utterly serious, and Jori's expression must have matched.

"We can't take that back," he forced himself to say.

Hanna shrugged. "Do you see another choice?"

He couldn't let that stand. "It would still be you, even if we weren't under this threat. I've been trying to think of a way to convince you for days."

She nodded. "Do it, Jori."

22

Hanna grasped Jori's hand.It wasn't strictly necessary and time was of the essence, but she needed the connection. A person wasn't supposed to undertake a Match in the heat of the moment, but she didn't see other options.

And she wanted this.

Wanted him.

If they survived past the next hour, they could figure out their future. Somehow. The imminent threat of death had a way of changing her perspective. What had seemed impossible only a few hours ago was now something she couldn't resist.

Jori's skin was warm against hers, his grip tight.

She wasn't exactly sure how the bond was supposed to feel. It wasn't something that got talked about a ton. Back home, Matched units completed their bonding in privacy and rarely spoke of it. But that didn't mean there weren't rumors. And she knew the basics.

There he was.

She could feel Jori's power inside of her and gasped as her spark seemed to light her up from the inside. The hand that gripped her danced with lightning. Her spark, from his fingers.

Hanna let her eyes drift closed and sank into her center. She followed it deep inside herself until she found the place where she and Jori's power was bound together. There was a sort of protective shield keeping it blocked off. Jori had reached through from his side and taken some of her spark.

Now she reached through and grabbed for his.

The shield fell away.

Power surged through Hanna, stronger than she'd ever felt before. Her wings flared out, twice their normal size, and an uncontrolled burst of spark shot out and blasted the wall.

The wall didn't budge.

Hanna surged forward and kissed Jori as their power combined and grew. She didn't know why, but a Matched pair was somehow stronger than the sum of the bonded Zulir, power combining and growing to something nearly unstoppable.

Zilly, her father, and whoever else wanted to fight them didn't stand a chance.

They stood, hands still clasped, and faced the door. It was no match for their power and blew off its hinges with a single blast.

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