Page 7 of Surrendering Her Heart

He spins and grabs another yelping person as they slide past him, then one more with his last free hand. He bounds down the dune, carrying four full grown humans as if we’re nothing. I spit sand, try to wipe my eyes, all while dodging his wing the best I can.

We get to the bottom of the dune and he sets us down in the middle of a huddle of people. Zmaj ring the grouping of humans. Through blurry eyes, I see Dan and Shana. Furious at everything, I wipe at my eyes, desperate to see what the hell is happening.

The Zmaj who saved me and the others are at my side. The caves. We have to reach them.

“What do we do?” I ask.

“We’re close!” The Zmaj beside me shouts. “Run!”

I don’t hesitate. We break into a full sprint, the howling wind pushing against us. The ground slopes upward and hope fills my chest. A dark maw looms ahead, barely visible through the building storm. The cave entrance.

“We’re almost there!” I gasp.

Another guster lunges, but this time the Zmaj warrior at my side moves with blinding speed. His tail whips out, striking the beast mid-pounce, sending it tumbling into the sand.

“Inside! Now!” Shana yells, standing next to the opening.

I look back at all the stragglers, struggling against the wind and the blowing sand. We’re not even seeing the full storm yet, they’re not going to make it. I take two steps, but then a hand lands on my shoulder. I glance at it. The Zmaj. Of course.

“I have to help,” I say. He stares, his gaze steady, mouth a hard line. “Wehave to help.”

It’s an admission. Not one I want to make, but one I have to. As strong as I try to be, I cannot do this alone. He nods sharply, then side-by-side, we run against the wind.

Reaching what seems to be the last of the stragglers, I get two of them to hook their arms over my shoulders. One of them is an elderly man, the Zmaj lifts him up. He holds his tail up for the others to hold on to. Leaning forward, we push back towards the caves.

When we get this group there, I give him a look and without argument, we both head back into the storm. It’s almost impossible to see, but we find a few more wandering lost. The wind is blasting the sand hard enough now that it feels like it’s scrubbing my skin off my bones.

When we get back to the cavern’s shelter, gasping, coughing, and dragging our wounded, I know this is it. Anyone we didn’t save is lost to us. The last of the Zmaj warriors enters, his wings flaring wide and blocking the entrance for a moment.

“More?” another of the Zmaj asks.

The one at the entrance grimaces and shakes his head. The wind howls outside, but in here it’s eerily quiet. We don’t even knowwho we lost. I collapse against the stone wall, sucking in a shaky breath.

Bren is gone. Others are injured. But we’re alive. The Zmaj warrior comes over and sits at my side. His chest rising and falling heavily, he meets my gaze.

“We survived,” I whisper.

“For now,” he says grimly. “The storm is far from over.”

4

AVA

Outside the storm rages, the wind howls, and the sand blasts, but in here, the space is filled with the sound of breathing. Harsh, uneven. Some gasping, some too quiet. A single moan of pain cuts through the silence before someone shushes it.

I press my head against the cool stone wall, my body is one massive ache. My lungs burn with every inhale, raw from the sand and the struggle. My fingers curl into the loose sand and dirt, grounding myself, reminding me that we made it. We survived, but not all of us.

Too many are gone. I don’t even know who. And that’s almost worse. The guilt gnaws at me, sinking sharp teeth into my soul, because I didn’t see. I didn’t witness their loss. A rustle of movement draws my attention. I lift my head just enough to see him. The Zmaj.

He’s seated at my side, his massive frame outlined by the dim glow of someone’s torch that they had the presence of mind to hang onto in our mad dash for safety. His head is tilted backagainst the cavern wall, his eyes closed. Not asleep, though. His tail twitches, his breathing deep but controlled. He’s listening.

My jaw clenches, emotions warring inside me. He saved me. More than once. He saved all of us. And yet?—

I exhale sharply and drop my head back against the wall, closing my eyes. I still don’t know his name. I could ask. If I wasn’t so damn tired. If my throat didn’t hurt so badly. There’s a shift in the air.

Not from the storm, but from him. I sense it before I see it. The quiet weight of his attention and his gaze. I open my eyes and he is staring, unblinking. I swallow hard, my throat still raw from sand and screaming.

“You should rest.”

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