Page 41 of Beast in the Badlands
Ava shrugs casually, but there’s no mistaking the flicker of recognition in her eyes. “I recognize that look,” she says with a hint of amusement creeping into her tone—“the same loathing look Kairon had when he realized we were mated.”
Both men snap back instantly, their voices overlapping in fierce denial.
“It’s not loathing!” Kairon barks, and I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks at his sudden intensity.
“It’s…” I hesitate, searching for a word that doesn’t betray the chaotic jumble of feelings thrumming inside me. It’s possessiveness wrapped in fear; it’s confusion tangled with something far deeper that I don’t dare name yet.
Ava watches me closely. “Then what is it?”
I open my mouth again but find nothing more than silence there—a void where answers should lie. The reality sits heavy on my shoulders Emry is still out there, fighting for those who remain while I stand here with them.
The ground feels unsteady beneath my feet as I struggle against their insistence. All I see are images of Emry—the way she fought through chaos without hesitation and how her presence calms something wild within me.
“She needs me,” I murmur finally, barely above a whisper.
And suddenly it feels like a chain links around my heart—a tether pulling me toward her even as uncertainty churns within me.
I feel the weight of Ava's gaze like a blade pressing against my skin. “So, where’s this mate of yours?”
“She’s here,” I reply, the words coming out tighter than I intend. “In the med zone.”
Ava raises an eyebrow, crossing her arms. “And you let her stay behind while you crashed into the dirt? What kind of dumbass are you?”
“Hey, it wasn’t exactly part of the plan,” I shoot back, irritation sparking in my chest. “I tried to get her to leave with me. She wouldn’t go.”
“Right,” she says, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Because dragging her away from people who need help is definitely a winning strategy.”
I scoff, folding my arms as I pace. “I know that! That’s why I can’t just leave. She’s stubborn as hell, and she’s not going to abandon those civilians.”
“Then you better get your ass moving and help her!” Ava fires back, voice low but fierce.
“I’m not leaving without her!” My frustration flares hotter, and I glare at her.
Ava meets my gaze without flinching. “Then what do you propose? You’re not in any shape to storm the place yourself.”
“I don’t know!” I bark, hands clenching into fists at my sides. It isn’t like I can just wave a magic wand and fix everything.
Ava rolls her eyes, clearly fed up with my excuses. “If Emry wants to stay and help these people, then that’s what you need to do too.”
“I know that, damn it.” My voice drops dangerously low. “It just took a minute. I… I can't leave with you.”
“Renn.” Her tone cuts through the noise in my head like a knife. “We aren't leaving. We're going to help.”
“Help?” Nyra pipes up from somewhere behind us, arms crossed and leaning against the ship’s hull. She smirks slightly. “Who made you captain?”
“Well,” Ava retorts without missing a beat, “I’ve been fucking him for three years so I think that’s close enough.”
Nyra shakes her head in mock disbelief as I roll my eyes at their bickering. It's been this way since Kairon found out that Ava was his mate and brought her on board. I've always thought that Nyra is jealous.
But before I can respond, an explosion erupts from the direction of the med zone—a deafening roar that rattles my bones and sends plumes of smoke spiraling into the air above us.
“What the hell was that?” Ava shouts over the chaos.
The ground shakes beneath our feet as panic ripples through me. Emry.
CHAPTER 32
EMRY
