Page 37 of Naga Healer's Mate

Nirrn released him, already moving toward the stairwell.His heightened senses picked up Islae’s scent, growing stronger as he descended.The healer in him recognized the metallic tang of blood in the air, and his warrior’s blood roared at the thought of her hurt.

Two more guards appeared at the bottom of the stairs.Nirrn didn’t hesitate.His tail swept their legs out from under them while his blade found its mark.Their bodies hadn’t even hit the floor before he was moving again.

“Nirrn!”Kackjin’s voice crackled through his earpiece.“We’ve got heavy resistance in sector four.They’re pushing us back!”

“Hold them as long as you can.”Nirrn’s blade sliced through another guard’s armor.“I’m almost there.”The lie didn’t even faze him.He had one sole objective—get to Islae.

The prison level stretched before him, lined with dozens of cells.Islae’s scent was fresh.She had been here recently.He noticed a young Jorvlen guard lying unconscious in a holding cell with the door open a few feet away.That must’ve been Islae’s handiwork.Pride flooded his chest but was quickly replaced by concern.A grunt of pain echoed from around the corner.

Nirrn’s tail propelled him forward, his warrior’s instincts singing with the need to fiercely protect what was his.His mate was close.And nothing would stand between them ever again.

Nirrn’s nostrils flared at the acrid stench of fear emanating from the six Jorvlen guards suddenly rushing toward him.His massive tail coiled tightly, the orange scales rippling with deadly intent.These weren’t the tentative movements of a healer anymore.This was pure predator.

“Take him down!”The lead guard raised his weapon.

Nirrn’s lips pulled back in a savage grin, exposing his sharp teeth.“You should have brought more men with you.”

His tail whipped forward with devastating force, catching the first two guards across their chests.Bones cracked as they slammed into the stone wall.The sound ignited something deeply primal in him—the thrill of the hunt, of protecting what was his.

A blade sliced toward his abdomen.Nirrn grabbed the guard’s wrist, crushing it in his grip.The guard screamed as Nirrn yanked him close, his eyes blazing.“Where is she?”

“Go to hell, snake!”

Nirrn’s tail constricted around the guard’s throat.“Wrong answer.”With a brutal twist, he threw the guard into his companions.

Two more rushed him from opposite sides.Nirrn’s upper body twisted with serpentine grace, his scaled shoulders gleaming in the red emergency lights as he caught both attacks.His healer’s knowledge coupled with his warrior’s instincts proved lethal.

Blood sprayed across his orange scales as his blade found the weak point in one guard’s armor.The metallic scent filled his nose, feeding the savage need coursing through his veins.This wasn’t about healing or helping anymore.This was about claiming what belonged to him.

The last guard backed away, terror evident in his eyes.“You’re supposed to be just a healer!”

“I am whatever my mate needs me to be.”Nirrn’s tail lashed out, wrapping around the guard’s legs and yanking him off his feet.He loomed over his prey, his muscles rippling beneath his scaled chest.“And right now, she needs a warrior.”

The guard reached for a fallen weapon.Nirrn’s tail crushed his arm, drawing a scream that echoed through the prison corridor.He leaned down, his voice lowering to a deadly whisper.“Tell your commander when you wake up—anyone who dares touch my mate dies screaming.”

With clinical precision, Nirrn struck a pressure point, rendering the guard unconscious.He surveyed the carnage around him, his chest heaving.Blood dripped from his blade onto the stone floor.The healer in him should have felt horror at such violence.

Instead, he felt only primal satisfaction.

Chapter 20

Islae

Theflickeringlightsoverheadcast eerie shadows across the cool stone walls as Islae pressed herself against the corridor’s edge of the underground prison.The stolen weapon, a standard-issue neural disruptor, felt foreign in her hand compared to the familiar weight of her medical instruments.Another explosion rocked the facility, sending more dust and debris cascading from the ceiling.

“This is my only chance,” she whispered to herself, her heart pounding against her ribs.The chaos above provided the perfect cover for her escape.Whatever was happening up there had drawn most of the Jorvlen guards away from the prison level.

She crept forward stealthily, her worn shoes silent against the cracked stone floor.The first corridor stretched empty ahead of her, the emergency lights pulsing an angry red around her.She had memorized the guard rotations during her captivity here—a habit born from years of avoiding Jorvlen patrols in the slums.

A distant scream echoed through the ventilation system, followed by the distinctive whine of plasma weapons.Islae quickened her pace, keeping low to the shadows.The main corridor hub should be two turns ahead.If she could reach it…

“Stop right there!”

The harsh command made her freeze mid-step.Two Jorvlen guards emerged from a cross-corridor, their plasma weapons trained on her chest.The larger one’s filaments twitched in amusement.

“Look what we found here.The little human healer, trying to escape.”

Islae’s fingers tightened on her weapon behind her back, but she didn’t reveal it.Not yet.The Jorvlen guards were too far apart.She couldn’t take both out before one of them shot her.Her analytical mind started kicking in, assessing their positions, and looking for weaknesses on their bodies.

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