Page 51 of Bound By Valor

“I’m not leaving without you,Mi Corazón,”Zarek’s voice broke.

I couldn’t let this be the end for us. “Get back to the car!” I shouted as loud as I could and made my way upstairs.

I had to find another way out. Maybe there was an attic. Running through the upper floor, I desperately searched for any sign of an attic entrance.

There it was—a square panel on the ceiling.

I pulled down the attic ladder, climbed up quickly, and let my eyes adjust to the dim light. Moonlight filtered through a dusty skylight at the back of the attic. I crawled toward it, heart pounding, and managed to open it.

I clambered out onto the roof, but just as I tried to climb down, the ground suddenly wasn’t beneath my feet anymore.

An explosion thundered behind me, hurling me into the air. I felt myself falling, a sharp pain rocketing through my head as the ground rushed up to meet me.

My vision blurred, and then, everything went dark.

TWENTY-FOUR

Zarek

No, no, NO!

She was on the roof, edging out of the attic just as the world below her erupted. The explosion—a roar in my ears, a blinding flash in my eyes. And then, nothing. She disappeared into the chaos. My squad held me back, their hands heavy on my shoulders, but I couldn’t contain the grief that tore through me, my name for her dissolving into a scream lost in the fire.

Her voice haunted me, her last words urging us to get to safety, to leave her behind.

“I’m going to check the backyard. Stay here, Zarek.”

As soon as Logan’s words registered, I bolted.

Ignoring Logan’s shouts, I ran, the adrenaline a bitter surge in my veins. I leaped over the fence into the next yard, landing amidst a scene of devastation—bricks and broken wood scattered likethe aftermath of a storm, flames greedily claiming what was left.

The squad was right behind me, but their words were distant, muffled by the drum of my heart. “We’ll search too,” someone said, but I was already moving, driven by a single, terrifying need.

Then, through the smoke and fire, a figure—her figure—emerged. Disappearing and reappearing like a ghost, she rolled on the ground, smothering the flames that licked at her clothes.

Leora.

Her face was streaked with soot, blood seeping from a cut on her forehead, but when our eyes met, she offered a weak, pained smile.

I was at her side in seconds, pulling her into an embrace that was both a relief and a reaffirmation of my deepest fears. “You’re alive,” I gasped, tears mingling with the ash on my face.

“I’m okay, Zarek,” she whispered back, her voice faint.

But then her strength failed her; her body grew heavy against mine. Her arms drooped, lifeless, her head lolled back, and I caught her just before she could hit the ground. A cold dread replaced the heat of the fire.

Cradling her in my arms, I carried her, the squad behind us as we made our way back to the safety of our car.

???

She sat up too quickly for me to react. We were still in the car, heading back to the safehouse.

“Clear,” Kabir announced, checking the area fromthe front seat.

Leora was between Logan and me in the back, her head had been resting in my lap, but now she was upright, frantically looking around.

“Leo, focus on me,” Logan said, gripping her shoulders. “It’s me, Logan. You’re safe. We’re on our way back.”

She straightened up, her voice barely above a whisper, “Did anyone from the squad get hurt?”

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