by Nina Croft
“Get behind cover,” she yelled.
Devlin glanced behind him, his eyes widening in horror as he grabbed her by the arms and hurled her to the floor, landing on top of her and rolling as the flames filled the air above them. Heat singed her skin as he rolled again, into the tunnel beyond the chamber and out of the path of the flames.
They lay for a moment, until the hiss of breath from behind pushed Saffira to her feet.
“Shit, that hurts,” Devlin muttered, then half dragged her, half ran down the tunnel that led to the outside. The walls were closing in, the space narrowing. She stopped thinking and just concentrated on the opening ahead. Pulling free, she pushed him in front of her. He dived for the narrow gap and was out. She followed, her arm scraping against the rock as she tore through the narrow entrance and fell to her knees on the sand.
“I think we’ll take a rain check on the making love,” Devlin said, his breath coming in harsh pants.
“Good idea. Time to get out of here.” She turned around. The gap had closed. At least there was no way for that thing to escape its hideaway. They must have built the chamber around it. “Let’s take the shuttle and go finish the work inside the Keep—we should be shielded in there in case they try any mind tricks on us.”
He nodded and they headed across the open space toward the shuttle. They’d only gone a few feet when a huge crack rent the silence. She halted instinctively and slowly turned around. The mountain behind them was shifting. In an explosion of noise, the top erupted. She couldn’t look away as a cold, hard lump settled in her stomach. Another crack, and the mountain to the left ruptured, spewing rock and debris into the sky.
Devlin grabbed her hand and dragged her back into the lee of the mountain, pushing her into the rock face and protecting her with his body as rubble fell all around them. A hot sulfur smell filled the air.
“You know,” Devlin said. “I’m getting a really bad feeling about this.”
So was she. As the world settled around them and the crashing rocks were replaced by drifting ash, she stared toward the mountain.
A huge winged creature broke free and spiraled into the air. Her breath caught and her heart tripped a beat. High above, the great wings spread, blocking out the light.
All around them, the mountains opened, releasing their charges.
But all Saffira’s attention focused on the creature. He was inside her head. Calling her back. They’d let Devlin go once she was dead. They had no interest in him.
Sacrifice for the greater good. They were a gestalt, the whole was more important than the individuals.
They were wrong.
Saffira had come to realize it was individuals who mattered. As a whole, there was nothing worth redeeming.
But at least they couldn’t coerce her or control her, their minds were too different. That wouldn’t stop them from destroying her. And Devlin, if he remained at her side.
“I won’t let you go,” he said.
“I thought you couldn’t read my mind.”
“I can’t, but I can read your fucking face, and don’t even think about it. We either both get out of this or neither of us do.”
She nodded.
“It doesn’t seem right, though,” he said. “There I was doing my best to accept that we were immortal and…”
“And life sucks.”
He pulled her to him and hugged her close. “I thought so once. But not all of it. Come on, we’re going to make a dash for the shuttle. I’m sure it can outrun those things. Ready?”
“Not really.” She sniffed and nearly puked. The burned smell wasn’t coming from the falling ash but from her skin. Ugh. Her right shoulder was singed, her shirt melted, the skin raw, and now that she stopped to think, it hurt like hell—a precursor of things to come? Devlin didn’t look much better. He wasn’t burned, but he was holding his left arm across his chest. He must have been hit by at least one of those falling rocks. But he was still on his feet.
There were three of the dragons circling high above them now. Could they make it in time? She doubted it, but there was no alternative. She waited until they were high over the opposite mountain.
“Let’s go.”
They raced across the open space. She sensed the moment the dragons noticed them, felt their ancient concentration focusing on her. Ignoring the internal commands, their attempts at compulsion, she concentrated on running, not wanting to slow Devlin down, but her lungs were burning, her muscles screaming, her legs dead weights.
As the seconds passed, and nothing stopped them, hope seeped in. Maybe…
Up ahead a tiny figure appeared in the doorway to the shuttle. Devil. The little dog raced out, hurling himself into her arms just as a swathe of fire leaped down from above. She waited for the burn of her skin. Instead, up ahead the two shuttles exploded in a flare of purple heat, so intense it hurled her off her feet and through the air to crash onto her back with Devil still in her arms. She released the dog and rolled over onto all fours.
A second later, the fuel reactors fractured and ignited. The air filled with a huge cloud of dense black smoke, which settled all around them, engulfing her in darkness. She choked, trying to fill her starved lungs. Close by she heard Devlin coughing, and she crawled on hands and knees toward him.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“No. I hate fucking dragons.”
A tiny laugh escaped her. “We have to move. While the smoke hides us. Head for the valley we came in through. We need to get to the Keep. It’s the only place I can think of we might be safe. Where they won’t detect me.”
She stayed crouched close to the ground. The air lower down was a little clearer and she gulped in what she could. If they could make it to the valley, they would have a little cover. She suspected they could sense her, though she wasn’t sure how accurate they could pinpoint her position. Anyway, it couldn’t be helped. They didn’t have a lot of options here.
The smoke was thinning and somewhere up ahead she heard the beat of huge wings. Panic clawed at her insides, but she pushed herself on. Finally, she sensed a change in the air up ahead. They had reached the rock face. Devlin was right behind her, Devil at his heels. She followed the edge of the rock until she found a gap and dived into it. The air was immediately clearer, and they were sheltered from view by the mountains on either side. She kept moving, staying close to the walls, weaving between the debris that had fallen from the exploding mountains.
Devlin strode silently beside her.
Up ahead, the valley entrance beckoned. After that was a huge expanse of open land. Darkness was falling. Maybe they could make it under cover of night.
But when they reached the head of the valley, she came to a halt, staring up at the twilight sky, and despair swamped her. Directly ahead, two of the dragons swooped down, crisscrossing the open land, blocking the route to the Keep. Hell, they blocked the route everywhere. She peered up at the sky overhead as another dragon glided by, flickers of flame shooting from its nostrils.
“It’s official. We’re fucked.” She sank down onto her haunches, her back against the rock face, and tried to hold back the bitter tears of defeat. They’d come so close to everything she had dreamed of. But in the end the price was too high to pay. All those early years of believing it was her destiny to save the world had sunk in too deep.
Devlin hunkered down beside her, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her close. “Hey, don’t cry. Who else goes out knowing they fulfilled their destiny?”
His words echoed her thoughts so completely that a smile tugged her lips. She dashed her hands across her face. “I’m not crying. I never cry. Well, not often. It’s just the smoke.”
“Of course it is.”
She cast him a sideways glance. “You look a mess.”
He laughed. “So do you. A totally gorgeous, mind-blowingly sexy mess.” He turned slightly so he could take her face between his hands. He rubbed at something with his thumb.
“Mind-blowingly
sexy?”
He lowered his head and kissed her, his mouth nibbling at her lips. “You know, it doesn’t look as if we’re going anywhere any time soon, we might as well get comfortable.
“Why not?” Her heart ached at the thought they would never again make love, but at least they could hold each other while they waited for the end. She had no doubt this was the end. She glanced around. Just to her left was a slight overhang of rock, and she edged sideways, pulling him with her. It was hardly likely to shelter them from dragon fire, but it might give them a few precious extra minutes.
“We’re going to die,” she said.
“Yeah. I always thought this immortality thing was overrated anyway. Well, until recently. Now I wouldn’t mind a bit longer. Like a few lifetimes with you.”
“I know. It’s crappy, isn’t it?”
“It is. But let’s make the most of the time we have left.”
He twisted so he was facing her, cupped her cheeks in his palms, and kissed her again. His hands slid up, tangling in her hair, his tongue pushing into her mouth. She closed her mind to everything but the taste and feel of him. Ignoring the pain in her shoulder, the constant buzz in her head, she wrapped her arms around him, crawled into his lap, and twisted so she straddled his hips. He buried his face in the space between her throat and her shoulder. “Hmmm,” he murmured. “You smell of smoke, and maybe…charred flesh? You hurt?”
“It’s nothing.” She pressed herself down into him so her sex rubbed against his groin and he hardened against her. “I like a man who can still get an erection in the face of certain death.”
He lifted his hips from the ground to press against her. “I’ve always found it very useful.” He gave her a rueful smile. “But perhaps now isn’t the right time.”
“No, probably not.” She kissed him again, then drew back a little so she could stare into his violet eyes. “I love you.”
He stroked her hair from her face, wiped a smudge of black ash from her cheek. “I know.”
…
It was weird.
They were going to die.
There was no way out of it.
Devlin hadn’t given in so much as stopped worrying and accepted the inevitable. But he hated the fact that he couldn’t save her. Why had her visions never shown her this?
Flames licked over the edge of the protecting rock, and she trembled in his arms.
“I’ve always been terrified of fire,” she said. “Maybe I’ve dreamed of this. Forgotten dreams.”
The flames came again, so the heat seared his skin. He stroked a hand down her back, soothing the tremors. There was one thing he could do for her. She didn’t have to burn. Slowly, he eased the laser pistol from the holster at his waist.
Saffira must have felt the movement. She went still, understanding dawning in her eyes. After an endless moment, she smiled, though her lips trembled. Then she gave the slightest of nods.
Devlin’s heart shattered as his finger tightened on the trigger.
Then he beeped.
He loosened his grip, his shoulders slumping, his mind blank.
The beep came again. So close.
“What…?” Saffira’s voice broke through the fog.
Devlin glanced down at his wrist where a green light was flashing. “My comm unit.”
His mind started working furiously. There should be no one within range of his unit. Unless…
Sitting up, he lifted his hand, swallowed, hardly daring to hope. He pressed the button on his wrist. “Yes?”
“Are you aware that there are fucking dragons up here?” Rico said. “I mean real, honest-to-fucking-God dragons?”
In that moment, he truly thought he was in love…with the vampire. “Yes.”
“Like fire-breathing dragons?”
“Yes.”
“What’s with this shit?”
Devlin shook his head again, trying to clear his mind of the last dregs of despair. “Rico, where the hell are you?”
“Right above your heads at a guess. And these things are circling. Friends of yours?”
Devlin laughed. “Not exactly. How…why are you here?”
“Well, we got to the black hole, were just about to dive in after the Trakis One, and the captain said no.”
“She did?”
“Apparently, you’re crew now and that means you don’t get left behind.”
“I don’t?” Devlin could not believe how warm and fuzzy that made him feel. Despite their still-dire circumstances, a grin tugged at his lips.
“Of course,” Rico continued, “it might be something to do with the fact that the stealth mode isn’t working, and you’re the only one who can fix it. But my take is—the captain’s gone soft. And Callum and Skylar agreed with her.”
“Are they okay?”
“Yeah, so far. They are all laying low—literally—just in case they fall down again.”
Devlin gave Saffira a quick kiss then placed her on the ground. He crept toward the edge of their hiding place, peered up into the sky, and caught a glimpse of the Blood Hunter between the dragons. So far, they seemed unaware of the ship.
“I suggest we get out of here,” Rico said. “And now would be good.”
“Then you’d better come and get us.”
“Right. Shit, just a minute—incoming dragons.” A second later, a laser blast shot out across the sky, and the closest dragon was hurled backward, rolling, wings flailing, as it disappeared into space.
Devlin got to his feet, crossed to where Saffira sat, a dazed expression on her face, and held out a hand. Like him, she’d accepted death. Now she had to come back from that strange place.
She slid her palm into his, and he pulled her to her feet.
The Blood Hunter was through the cordon now, sending out a continuous blast of laser fire. The dragons appeared to have backed off slightly and were soaring high above.
“They won’t let me go,” Saffira said, her hand tightening on his. “They can’t let me live—I’m too dangerous.”
That sounded scary, but he’d worry about the love of his life being scary later. He squeezed her fingers. “I like dangerous. And maybe they won’t have a choice.”
The ship glided down to a smooth landing at the entrance to the valley, and they hurried across the open ground. His skin tingled in anticipation, every second expecting something to zap his mind, but they reached the ship safely.
At the top of the ramp, Saffira turned. “Devil, come!”
The little dog had been hiding in the lee of the rock face, now he scampered after them and up the ramp. As soon as they were inside the docking bay the doors closed and the ship lifted off.
Devlin braced for a fast getaway, but the ship continued to hover.
Saffira seemed to peer inside herself. She blinked. “They waited until we’re all together. Now they can take out the whole lot of us in one go. Come on, we need to go see what’s happening.”
Rico and Daisy were alone on the bridge. Rico glanced up as they entered, then did a double take as he no doubt took in their violet eyes. “Welcome back. But I think we may have a problem.”
Devlin stood beside Saffira in the center of the room and studied the screens—things didn’t look good. High above the planet’s surface, the great winged creatures crowded the sky, forming a solid barrier between the Blood Hunter and open space. One darted closer and flame shot out of its jaws, filling the screen with flickering white and orange light.
“I’d push straight through,” Rico said. “But I don’t know what we’re up against. Those things look pretty solid and, according to the sensors, that fire is hot enough to burn right through us given time.”
There was movement at the edge of the room. Devlin turned as Tannis, Callum, and Skylar entered.
“I thought you were lying down?” Rico said.
“And miss this?” Tannis stared at the screen. “Well, we always knew it was a bad idea.”
“All the same,” Devlin said. “Thanks for comin
g back.”
“I’d say my pleasure, but right now…” She shook her head. “Fucking dragons. Who would have thought it? But I suppose if you have to go…”
Devlin had always thought he’d die alone. Now he was amongst friends. He wasn’t sure which was better. Then he looked at Saffira and knew that wasn’t true. She caught his gaze and held out her hand. He took it, wrapped his other hand around her waist, and pulled her close as another wave of fire hit the ship. The heat radiated through the walls and shields, warming his skin.
“Shit.”
This time it really was the end. It looked like they weren’t going to get to kill Hatcher after all. Damn. “I say go for it. Let’s just blast through the fuckers. It’s better than waiting for them to roast us.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Rico swiveled his chair back to face the front. “I’m not sure it’s worth strapping yourselves in, so here goes—”
“Wait,” Saffira said.
“Wait?”
She tugged free and went to stand in front of them all. “I know you have no reason to trust me, but I think I can get us out.” She bit her lip. “I’ve just never done it before.”
“Honey, I’m not sure what ‘it’ involves, but who cares. Right now, anything but this”—Rico waved a hand at the fire-filled screens—“gets my vote.”
“And mine,” Tannis said. “Though I have no clue what you think you can do.”
“But whatever it is, fast would be good,” Callum added.
She turned to Devlin, but already her gaze had shifted inward, and he got an inkling of what she meant to try. Oh hell, no.
“Devlin?” she asked.
He swallowed. “Go for it.”
She gave a quick nod. “Everyone concentrate on the other side of the black hole, where we want to be.” She glared at Rico. “And this time don’t get sidetracked.”
“I won’t. But what—” He broke off and stared at something on the screen in front of him.
Devlin followed his gaze. Through the flames that filled the sky, a ribbon of darkness rippled and twisted. At first, its movements were random. Then, as if it had sniffed something interesting, it turned its attention to the Blood Hunter.
