Page 47 of Rescued

34

HEROD

One second, Caimbrie was running along behind Nikathy and I as we carried the last of the captives to safety. The next second, she had disappeared. I looked over my shoulder over and over, expecting her to reemerge, but she was gone. My lungs burned as I ran all out, rushing to get the women to safety so I could go back and find Caimbrie. Wherever she had gone, I didn’t want her alone in there. It wasn’t safe, and we didn’t have time. I didn’t know what I would do if she was missing or left behind.

We reached the open doors of Adreax’s ship and I ran inside, depositing my cargo without pausing to ensure her comfort. The other ladies could handle that. I had to go.

I turned on my heel and ran back out as fast as I’d come. Nikathy was hollering after me, but I couldn’t decipher his words over the fear that was carrying me forward. I was so close, and yet, I felt like I could still lose her. I couldn’t let that happen.

Tayla and another group of women went crashing past me and we were out of time. As soon as they got back to their ship, we would be leaving. But just before my panic reached a fever pitch, I spotted her. She ran toward me, arms swinging wildly as she hopped over the bodies littering the ground.

“Did you get them out? Are they safe?” Her words rushed out so fast they all ran together.

“They’re safe.” I grabbed her tightly and pressed my lips to hers, desperate to have her touching me. Her arms wrapped around my back instantly, and I felt something jabbing me hard in the shoulder. I didn’t care. I could ignore anything if it meant kissing her one more time.

But eventually she pulled back.

“We have to go,” she urged, looking all around her and noticing the quiet of the abandoned hall.

She was right. If we weren’t careful, we’d still be here when the Patrol did get their fighters in position and then we’d have a whole new problem on our hands.

I took her hand in mine and began running back down the hall toward where our ships were parked. When we arrived in the wide open bay, theTitanesswas still standing open, and Tayla stood just outside, waving us on.

“Hurry up!” she yelled to Caimbrie, but I tightened my hand around hers.

“Come with me,” I insisted.

Caimbrie hesitated. TheGreedy She-Devilsat askew in the landing bay, it’s tiny door open and waiting. It made a pitiful presentation with its scorched wing, offering little to entice her when theTitanessoffered so much promise. She didn’t know about the other ship yet.

“Caimbrie, listen. I have something to show you. But you have to come with me.”

My heartbeat pulsed, and I felt my hands growing clammy. I knew the intensity of the kiss we had just shared, but I didn’t know if it was sufficient to get her aboard my ratty old ship again. We didn’t have time to discuss the details. Tayla was still yelling for her to hurry.

To my relief, Caimbrie planted her feet and turned to Tayla.

“Go ahead without me!” she yelled back over the noise of the engines starting up. “Go!”

Tayla didn’t seem the least bit surprised by Caimbrie’s answer. Her tired expression gave way to a broad grin and she nodded approvingly. The next instant, she was pressing the button to close up the hatch, and I watched her disappear behind the walls of theTitaness, leaving Caimbrie and I standing alone.

I felt like I was floating, a thousand-thousand wings fluttered inside of me, making me jittery with nerves. She had chosen me.

“Hang on,” she said, stopping me from moving toward my ship. “I have something for you.”

“We have to go,” I urged, worried that maybe she wasn’t going to come with me after all, although I had no idea what else she might do here if not that.

“Not until I give you this.”

She extended her arm and slid a gold watch off her wrist. So that was what had jabbed me earlier. The thing was gaudy and outrageous, but it had to be worth a fortune. Each bezel of the watch’s face was ringed with tiny stones of all different colors.

“Where did you get this?” I asked, staring into its many facets in wonder.

“Does it matter? There’s more where that came from.”

She reached into her pocket and produced another glittering object. She held it out on her palm and lifted it to my eye level. It was a ship, just as ornate and absurd as the watch. I stared at it in disbelief, trying to calculate its value in my mind. She grabbed my hand and turned it over before dropping the thing into my open palm.

“I have a surprise for you, too,” I said, closing my fingers over the ship. “But we have to get out of here first.”

This time, she didn’t hesitate. She moved with me, step for step, as we made it to theGreedy She-Deviland slammed the door closed.

---