Page 26 of Naga Healer's Mate

Islae’sheartpoundedasshe and Nirrn raced through the dimly lit tunnels of the underground sanctuary city.The rough-hewn walls blurred past, their path illuminated by bioluminescent fungi casting an eerie blue glow.Her leg muscles burned from running, but adrenaline kept her moving forward.

“Left here,” Nirrn commanded, his massive form gliding ahead of her.His orange scales reflected the blue light, rippling with tension as his powerful tail propelled him forward.

The sound of heavy boots hitting stone soon echoed behind them.Too close.

“There they are!”a gruff voice shouted.

Islae glanced back.Armored Jorvlen soldiers poured into the tunnel, their weapons drawn.The human refugees around them scattered like startled birds, pushing past each other in their desperation to escape.

“Help us!”Islae called out to a group rushing past.They averted their eyes, shouldering past her without slowing down.

“Keep moving,” Nirrn growled, his tail curling protectively around her waist.His golden eyes blazed with fury as he watched the others abandon them to save themselves.

They rounded another corner into a wider chamber.Islae’s breath caught—more Jorvlen forces blocked the exit ahead.They were trapped.

The soldiers formed a circle around them, their weapons trained directly on them.Nirrn’s scales darkened to a deep burnt orange as he positioned himself between Islae and the nearest threats.His muscles coiled with lethal tension, ready to strike.

“Nowhere left to run,” the Jorvlen commander sneered, stepping forward.“The human female healer comes with us.Step aside, Niri.”

Islae pressed closer to Nirrn’s back, feeling the heat radiating from his towering form.Her fingers brushed the rough texture of his arm, drawing comfort from his solid presence.After everything they had shared, after finding someone who truly saw her, she refused to let the Jorvlens tear them apart.

Nirrn’s tail tightened protectively around her waist.“They will not touch you as long as I breathe.”His voice was low and dangerous, a promise of violence.

The Jorvlen commander raised his weapon.“Last chance.”

Nirrn’s massive form shot forward toward the Jorvlen commander, his powerful tail propelling him in a blur.His orange scales flashed in the dim light as he wrapped his long tail around the commander, crushing the breath from his lungs.

Islae’s heart seized in her chest as more Jorvlen soldiers swarmed forward toward Nirrn.Nirrn fought with raw desperation, his muscles rippling as he threw one attacker into the wall.But for every Jorvlen soldier he struck down, two more took their place.

“No!”The scream tore from her throat as a stun baton caught Nirrn in the ribs.He staggered, his golden eyes blazing with fury and pain.His tail lashed out violently, sending another Jorvlen soldier flying, but they kept coming at him.

“You’re no warrior,” the Jorvlen commander wheezed, driving his armored fist into Nirrn’s unprotected abdomen.“Just a soft-hearted healer who forgot his place here.”

Blood trickled from a gash above Nirrn’s eye, staining his orange scales crimson.Still, he fought with raw power, shielding Islae with his body even as the blows rained down on him.His protective instincts wouldn’t let him yield, wouldn’t let him abandon her.

“Stay back,” he snarled at her through gritted teeth, his voice rough with pain.But Islae couldn’t move or breathe.The scene before her blurred with another memory—her family’s screams and fighting as the Jorvlens attacked and killed them.

Suddenly, a sickening crack echoed through the underground chamber as a metal baton connected with Nirrn’s skull.He slumped to the ground, his massive frame going still.Blood started pooling beneath him, his beautiful orange scales growing duller.

The Jorvlen commander grabbed Islae’s chin, forcing her to look at Nirrn’s motionless body.“Say goodbye to your Niri protector.He’ll be dead within the hour, and you’ll never see him again.”

Her chest constricted, each breath like swallowing glass.Not again.She couldn’t lose someone else she cared about to these monsters.

“You should have stayed hidden better, little healer,” the Jorvlen commander sneered.“Now you get to live with the knowledge that he died trying to save you.”

Rough hands suddenly seized her arms, yanking her backward.The soldiers’ armored fingers dug into her flesh as they dragged her away from Nirrn’s crumpled form.His chest barely moved with each shallow breath.

“Nirrn!”The name tore from her throat, raw and desperate.“Let me help him!Please—”

A Jorvlen soldier backhanded her across the face.“Shut up.”

Tears blurred her vision as she struggled against their iron grip.Her medical training screamed at her to assess his injuries, to stop the bleeding, to do something.But she could only watch helplessly as the distance between them grew.

“You can’t leave him like this,” she begged, her voice breaking.“He’ll die!”

“That’s the point,” one Jorvlen soldier sneered, twisting her arm until she gasped in pain.

As the distance kept widening between her and Nirrn, a realization suddenly hit her.She loved him.The stubborn, protective Niri healer who had refused to let her fight alone.Who had seen past her walls and touched something in her she thought long dead.And she had never gotten a chance to tell him.

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