Page 22 of Surrendering Her Heart

“This is a stupid idea,” I say, a grin forming on my face that makes me feel as crazy as the idea itself.

“Yes,” he agrees, but then he smiles. “But I follow you, my treasure.”

He hooks his arm around my middle, jerking me against his chest. His lips lay a crushing claim onto mine. The kiss is fast, hard, and almost violent but also perfect in every way.

I roll out of his arms, fire wild shots over the boulder, then give him one last smile. My heart pounds and every inch of my body is tingling in tense anticipation. I leap to my feet and run up the ridge.

The climb is brutal. Loose rock shifts beneath my boots, making every step treacherous. The enemy fire tosses the rock all around, but somehow we manage to zig and zag enough to avoid a direct hit despite the terrain. We reach the top, breathless and battered. Looking down, the Order follows. Just as I’d hoped.

“Now!” I shout.

Zamis doesn’t hesitate. He drives the butt end of his lochaber into the lower part of a boulder and uses his raw strength to pry. I put my shoulder to another one of the rocks and push with all I’ve got. The rock teeters, rocking back and forth. I work the motion, watching Zamis use his raw power to push his. Suddenly his tilts over and tumbles. Mine follows a moment behind.

A cascade of boulders crashes down the slope. Dust and debris explode into the air as the front line of the Order is buried beneath the landside of rock, sand, and debris.

Silence hangs for a moment, broken only by the distant sound of crumbling stone. Then, a single voice rises from the dust. A furious, inhuman roar.

The smaller one of the Zmaj commanders steps forward, shaking off debris. His golden scales gleam even through the dust, his eyes burning with rage. The battle isn’t over yet.

And neither is the mystery of the human who still watches, silent and unmoving. My blood runs cold. Because deep inside, I know?—

Idoknow who he is.

13

AVA

“Zamis,” I rasp. “That human?—”

“The Star person?” he asks.

“Yeah, he’s from the ship, he was one of our leaders, Gaius Gutier.”

My stomach drops. Gaius was the Undersecretary of Population. I’m not surprised he’s alive. He was a bureaucrat, making life and death decisions from behind a desk, but why is he with the enemy?

“The Eye,” Zamis growls.

I don’t know how I expected the Eye to look. Maybe a towering warlord, a beast clad in armor, a fanatic frothing with madness. But the Zmaj he indicates is… diminutive. Not frail, but small compared to the others. Yet the way Zamis stiffens, the way his tail lashes, tells me all I need to know.

The Eye is dangerous.

The two larger Zmaj standing at their sides are advancing. They’re the muscle, the enforcers, and they’re coming straight for us.

“We have to move,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. Zamis doesn’t respond. His gaze is locked on the Eye, nostrils flaring. I reach for him, gripping his arm. “Zamis. Now.”

A sudden burst of light and pain.

Zamis jerks violently, a cry ripping from his throat as his body convulses. The electrical rifle bolt sends him crashing to the ground, his limbs spasming uncontrollably.

“No!”

I lunge for him, but he’s writhing, his muscles locking, his breath coming in ragged gasps. My heart slams against my ribs.

“Zamis, stay with me,” I whisper.

He can’t respond. His jaw clenches, his body trembling as electricity arcs over and through him. I whip around in time to see the two Zmaj are more than halfway up the ridge, easily climbing over the debris with the advantage of their wings and tails.

I raise my rifle, but my hands are shaking.

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