Page 71 of Warrior

Mila quickly unlocked his door, and he stumbled out, managing to stay on his feet.He sported a black eye, but that was the only visible damage.His wary expression hit me.

“It’s really you?”he asked after Mila hastily made introductions again.

“Yep,” I replied, snapping my jaws.“I clean up nice.”

Landan gave me a quick, uncertain smile before following me into the room where Skylar was crouched beside her husband.He was now upright, leaning heavily against the wall.

“She’s with us,” Skylar assured him when his gaze flickered to me, and he instinctively tried to rise.

“Nice to meet you,” he groaned, slumping back against the wall after the effort.

“That’s enough pleasantries,” I said, stepping closer.“Can you walk?We need to get out of here.”

Skylar helped him to his feet, but the effort was agonizingly slow.He swayed, barely able to stand, and gasped through chipped teeth.

“I’ll be too slow,” he rasped.“Take Skylar and get her out of here.I’ll follow when I can.”

The look on Skylar’s face said there was no way she would leave without him.

I sighed.Warriors, even human ones, made the worst patients.

Without another word, I stepped forward, bent down, and scooped him into my arms, cradling him like a baby.

“The more you fight, the more danger you put us in,” I said when he instinctively struggled.That stopped him cold.

“Don’t worry,” I added with a smirk.“I won’t tell your soldier buddies.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” he muttered.

Despite his injuries, he looped his arms over my shoulders to make carrying him easier.I gave him credit for keeping his discomfort to himself.He had serious injuries that he was trying to hide.I could hear his shallow breathing and suspected more than broken ribs.

I turned to our ragtag group.“There’s a building outside the city wall where you can hide.It’ll be safe there.We’ll head to it after I find my friends.”

My gaze shifted to Harris.“Do you know where they’re keeping the Shadow Warriors?”

He nodded.“I have an idea.”Harris’s weight felt slightly heavier in my arms, and I glanced down, worried he might have passed out.His reply came groggily, his words slurred.“They set up a special holding tank for the Shadow Warriors before you arrived.”

“Did they need our help to fight the hellhounds at all?”I asked.

“No,” he groaned.“They wanted as many Shadow Warriors here as possible.They’ve been luring hellhounds for months, but I don’t know why.Yesterday, they started evacuating personnel from the tunnels.I was taken into custody early this morning and interrogated.It’s...it’s me who betrayed you.”

“Good thing you did,” I said, thinking of Kara’s fate.“They would have killed Skylar if you hadn’t.”

“There’s something bigger going on,” he murmured, before a wet cough erupted, spewing blood across my chest.

I waited for him to speak after the coughing subsided.

“My men, they’re loyal.They’ll fight with the Shadow Warriors against the Federation.”

“Thank you,” I replied, though the pieces of this twisted puzzle still didn’t add up.The Shadow Warriors had never been a threat to the Federation.

Whatever their plan was, there was no time to dwell on it now.

“We need to move,” I said, turning to lead the group.

Harris hung limp in my arms, his labored breathing punctuating the tense silence.Mila, Landan, and Skylar followed closely.

As we approached the end of the corridor, I turned to Landan.“I’m handing him off to you if I need to fight.Be ready.”

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