Page 29 of Surrendering Her Heart

“If they did, it was never for long,” Shukach says, shaking his head.

A cold shiver races down my spine. I glance at Zamis, at the others. Even those who doubted the Eye’s warning look shaken now.

Drogor clears his throat, his voice lower now, as if speaking too loudly would bring the threat down upon us.

“What would it take to stop them?” Drogor asks.

“More than we have,” Rhaev says without hesitation. Silence. A heavy, suffocating silence. “But, they aren’t here yet. And if wedoprepare, if we fortify, if we learn how to fight them,maybewe can hold our ground.”

It’s a fragile sliver of hope. But in the face of what we might be up against, it’s better than no hope at all.

17

AVA

“Ineed some space,” I mutter, shaking my head.

There is so much to take in I can’t wrap my head around it. Zamis grunts as he places a hand on the small of my back then leads me out of the room. The weight of revelation isn’t left behind, though. It comes right along, an unwelcome guest pressing onto my shoulders.

The base is filled beyond capacity. The halls are bustling and so thick with people, human and Zmaj, that we can’t walk side by side and sometimes I have to turn sideways to squeeze through the crowds.

It feels like everything is closing in. It’s getting hard to breathe. The walls are too close. The air too thick.

“Come,” Zamis says, stepping around and once in front he takes my hand, taking the lead.

I let him take over. My thoughts are spinning too fast to do anything else. I don’t even know where we’re going until I see the exit from the compound ahead. He nods to the Zmaj on duty andthey let us pass without a word. We emerge from the tunnel into the hot air, but the open space is exactly what I need.

Leaning my head back, the double suns warm my face, the hot breeze blows my hair back and I take my first, full and deep breath. I hold it, let it out slowly, and take another. When I open my eyes at last, Zamis is at my side and it hits me. He knew.

“You,” I exhale, a long breath out.

“Me?”

I smile and shake my head. I should answer him, but before I do, I give myself a moment more. Letting the air move around and the suns heat soak into my skin.

“Yeah,” I say at last. “How did you know?”

“I know you, Ava,” he says as if that answers the question and maybe it does. In part at least.

We stand in silence, his arm around my waist and mine around his. We stare out across the desert, holding one another in perfect comfort.

“I could have handled it, you know,” I say.

“I do.”

I laugh. “You could disagree.”

“I could,” he agrees. “But why? You are right.”

I let that sit between us enjoying the moment but it tugs at my heart in ways I don’t fully understand.

“I’m not always, you know.”

“I do,” he says, a wry grin on his face. “You are independent, though. And stubborn.”

“I’m not stubborn,” I say, sharper than I really intend. He doesn’t answer, but he meets my glare with his steady, unflinching gaze. I hold his eyes long as I can before I have to fold. “Okay. Maybe a little.”

“Yes, only a little,” he agrees smiling.

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