Page 235 of Filthy Royal

But it was too late.

Darvish’s smirk grew as he pressed the remote.

The shuttle shook. Hard.

She toppled off balance. Damien’s hand wrapped around her upper arm, pulling her to him right before she smacked into the console. Fire licked along the shuttle walls.

Taking advantage, Darvish sprinted to the emergency hatch, draping Maxheim’s stolen cloak around his shoulders as he ran. He wrenched it open; his twisted stare landed on her one last time. “Such a fucking waste.”

Scarlett’s stomach dropped. She knew exactly what that meant.

Darvish raised the remote, pressing it again as he leaped from the escape hatch.

She swiveled, her gaze locking with Damien’s as she opened her mouth to scream at him to run. His body collided with hers, and he hurled them through the hole she’d accidentally punched in the hull.

They hit the ground hard, Damien underneath, cushioning her fall—as the ship exploded.

Damien rolled to cover her.

Shuttle fragments smashed to the ground all around them. Smoke and ash filled the air.

Five heartbeats later, the only sound was the crackling of the flames and the slamming of her heart.

She cradled Damien’s jaw in her hands. “Are you okay?”

“A few scrapes and cuts. Nothing that won’t heal. You?”

“I’m fine.” She pushed against her Alpha’s broad chest. “He jumped to the left. He can’t have gone far.”

Damien didn’t move.

“We need to hurry.” Shoving harder, she tilted her head and searched through the smoke and wreckage. “I don’t see him.” Despair sharpened her voice.

“It’s okay, beautiful.” Damien held her tighter. “Settle.”

“We have to go after him.”

“Shhh.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “He’s gone, baby. That cloak will make him impossible to track. I wish it wasn’t the case, but it is. Plus, as I’m learning, a fighter has to know when to let anger and ego go, pause, regroup, and hit back even harder. We hurt Darvish bad this rotation. The vids he used for blackmail and leverage are gone. His partner too. He’s weak. More isolated than ever. We’ll get him.”

“But—”

Damien kissed the corner of her mouth. “Right now, I’m going to hold you. Remind myself that you’re safe and in my arms and take the win.”

Scarlett’s heart swelled.

“Thank you for coming for me.” She wrapped her arms around him. “How did you know where to find me?”

“Wasn’t hard. I knew he’d take off with you as soon as he could, and the mass of Consortium guards converging on this shuttle dock helped narrow it down. I’d have been here sooner, but I had to cut through the Brotherhood soldiers and Consortium guards, and that betraying bastard doc stole Maxheim’s only working camouflage cloak.”

A giggle bubbled up inside her. Totally inappropriate, but she was alive, getting a handle on her kick-ass gift, and wildly in love with a sexy storm of an Alpha. “I’m glad you made it.”

“You were brilliant, Scarlett.” The pride in his voice made her heart skip a beat. “Wielding your gift like that. Grounding the shuttle. Creating that shield. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

She squeezed him harder and said what she needed to say: “I saw Zaya on the monitor.”

Damien stilled.

“She looks cared for. I-I have no idea what Darvish has planned for her, but she’s okay. She… she actually looked at peace.”

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