Page 44 of Igid's Bounty
Her words send my heart racing, and a grin spreads across my lips. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that,” I pull her to her feet, “but right now, we need to get the hells out of here.”
Her legs are as shaky as a newborn’s, and I don’t expect it when she launches herself at me. When her arms wind around my neck, I wrap myself around her, crushing her against me. For a long moment, we just hold on to each other. Gods, I missed the feel of her in my arms. The sweet smell of her and her snappy attitude—especiallythat.
“Come on, love.” My arm circles her waist, and I don’t miss the way she leans heavily against me as we turn to make our way out of the room. The feel of her against me is a soothing balm. Muscles I hadn’t realized have been locked tight suddenly relax, knowing I’ve got her, that she’s safe now.
We’re barely to the doorway when her legs go loose, and she stumbles.
“Whoa,” I remark, catching her before she falls. Damnit, I had a feeling she was hurt worse than she was letting on. “Can you walk?”
“Of course I can walk.” She sends me a withering look, but after another unsteady step, she bites down on her bottom lip. “Maybe… I might need a little help.”
Despite her objections, I scoop her up into my arms and head through the doorway and into the hall where the guards are piled against the wall.
“Did you…shoot them?”Her eyes jump from the guards to me. “Are they dead?”
“Only stunned,” I assure her.
She huffs, sticking out her bottom lip. “Too bad.”
My blood goes cold once again. “Did they do this to you?” My fingers itch to reach for my blaster, fully prepared to shoot them again—this time with the stun functionoff.
“No,” she sighs. “Well, they didn’t do anything to help me. This is mostly Kurrahstka’s handiwork.”
I can’t help the growl that rumbles up from my chest. I vow then and there that when the opportunity arises, I will make that sorry excuse for a male pay.
We’re still standing outside the doorway we just came out of when a group of guards bursts around the corner at the far end of the hall. “Stop!” one of them bellows.
“Fucking hells,” Igid and I mutter at the same time.
Dropping her feet to the ground but keeping one arm around her waist for support, I grab for my blaster. “Igid, get back into the room and close the door,” I tell her, not taking my eyes off the group of… six guards coming at us.
“Like hell am I going to leave you here to have all the fun,” she snorts.
“You’re hurt! You’ll get yourself killed.”
“Are you listening to yourself?” She even rolls her eyes. “If you think for a moment I’m going to leave you here to fight six against one, you’re a bigger idiot than I thought.”
Her reflexes are lightning fast as she snatches one of her knives from the holster strapped to her leg. With barely a glance in their direction, she lobs it end over end down the hall, where it strikes the first guard. With the hilt protruding from his eye socket, he drops like a rock.
The guards come to a sudden halt to stare down at the dead male before slowly lifting their eyes to us.
“Fine. Now there are five. Are those acceptable enough odds to send you back to safety?” I ask her as I bring up my blaster and train it down the hall. The guard closest to the dead male snarls at me before lifting his blaster and aiming at me.
Pressing myself and Igid tight to wall, I squeeze the trigger twice as the rest of the guards start firing back at us. A guard at the back of their group drops with a sizzling hole seared through his chest.
“Do you really think you can tell me to—” Igid pulls a blade from another leg holster and lobs it, “—hide like a kit?”
There is a gurgled scream, and a third guard clutches at his neck where her blade plunged into his throat. Before his knees hit the ground, the three who are left start backing away, even as they fire on us. My arm tightens around Igid’s waist, and I push her into the doorway of the office I found her in, using my body to cover her as I return fire on the guards.
“On second thought, I kind of like it when you get pushy,” she whispers in my ear, and my shot goes wide, hitting a guard in the knee.
“You’re lucky they have worse aim than you do.” I chuckle before pressing myself and Igid farther into the doorway to avoid another volley of laser fire.
Igid narrows her eyes at me and reaches for another knife… presumably to use on me.
“Would youpleasedo what I ask, so I can get us out of here?” I hiss, taking hold of her hand before she can shank me. Meanwhile what’s left of the guards have retreated back down the hall, where they’ve taken shelter around the corner.
“What makes you think you can get us out of here any better than I can?” she snaps back.
