Primal Heat. Crystal Jordan

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СКАЧАТЬ arm and launched her cell as far as he could.

      She flinched as her one form of communication with anyone off this mountain shattered against a boulder. “Shit.”

      Grabbing her arm, Farid began to drag her toward the flame-engulfed shell of his ship. She kept her weapon at the ready, not looking directly into the fire so that it couldn’t mess up her night vision. Getting that close to the fire would cast shadows and give even a moron a big clue about where they were. They wouldn’t even need the spotlight on them. She whispered, “What are you doing?”

      His fingers tightened around her wrist, though she’d made no attempt to escape, which just made her want to fight him. She gritted her teeth and refused to do something that would guarantee they got shot.

      “I sense no people beyond my shuttle. I’m getting us out of here before we’re killed. I hope you don’t mind.”

      “Spare me the sarcasm, Arjun.” She twisted her arm in his grip as they moved. “And let go of me. Now.”

      He did but cast her a cool glance as he moved behind her to watch her back. “My name is Farid.”

      “Whatever.” Like it mattered what she called him. They needed to get out of this situation or her defecting wouldn’t do shit to help anyone.

      Farid had seen the opportunity to have her and he’d taken it. He was nothing if not ruthless. Even though he would never bond with her, he wanted her, wanted to know what fucking a woman made just for him would be like. She’d come to him, so now she was his. And he would have her for as long as he liked, as long as his people were on Earth. If an infinitesimal part of him hoped the emperor’s One was never found and the Kith remained indefinitely, he silenced that inner voice quickly enough.

      Though none of that mattered if he let them get killed this night. He kicked himself for having lost control and given in to the need to take his One without ensuring their safety. Guilt flooded him. He knew better, knew what could happen when he allowed even a moment’s inattention.

      Clenching his jaw, he slid his slim razer pistol from the holster at the small of his back and kept his senses wide open, noting every movement, every conscious being that littered the forest around them. There were the native animals to the area, prey and predators, but aside from that there were two-legged predators. Humans. Seven of them, all large, and moving the way only experienced warriors did.

      Their aircraft continued to buzz low to the ground, a light cutting through the trees. The beast within him chafed at being hunted, wanted to return the favor, and shred them with his claws. But his One would be left alone, and he wasn’t willing to do so. He had no doubt that she could take care of herself—she moved with the same air of experience as the warriors tracking them—but he had her by his side and he intended to keep her there. For now.

      She paused, slipping behind a tree a moment before he would have warned her to take cover. He crouched beside her, one hand braced on the ground before him, his claws digging deep into the foreign soil. His heart pounded and he closed his eyes, allowed his other senses to come to the fore, and hid the sparks in his irises that made him easy prey. Using his razer would make the blue laser it emitted flash in the dark and alert others to their location. Better to handle the enemy silently. Bloodlust roared in his veins. The sound of a soldier’s footsteps intensified, making them drumbeats against the ground. His scent drew closer, and Farid’s muscles tensed, ready to spring and eliminate one of the threats.

      He jolted when Bren’s hand closed over his shoulder, not expecting his One to touch him. He froze, and the soldier passed them.

      Bren’s words were little more than breaths of air next to his ear. “Escape and evade. Do not engage.”

      A shudder passed through him as he struggled to control the conflicting urges ripping through him. His eyes opened and he glanced at her, sending words he knew he couldn’t speak steadily out loud to her mind instead. Tell me, has someone finally rebelled against your general and now they are hunting you by association, or have you finally come to your senses and now your general and his men are out to kill you?

      “How do you know they weren’t after you?” He dug his claws deeper into the forest floor when her lips brushed his ear. “Your shuttle was blown, too.”

      He closed his eyes again, knowing the green sparks would be boiling fast and bright for anyone to see. They could, I suppose, but why bomb your car if all they wanted was to keep me on the planet?

      “I-I want to depose Arthur.” Her fingers flexed convulsively on his shoulder, biting into his flesh through his tunic. “I don’t want anyone else to be hurt.”

      And you want Sueni help with that? His heart slammed against his ribs, and though his mind had already worked out that logical conclusion, everything he knew about this woman said she would never betray her beliefs. What had Arthur done to make her change her mind about him? The blood rushing so hot in his veins chilled at the possibilities, and he zeroed in his senses on his One to be certain that she was as unscathed as she’d appeared when he first approached her. He might not want to bond with her, but he would never allow anyone to harm her. For the moment, she was his, and he protected what was his.

      Removing her hand from him, she put enough distance between them so they were no longer touching. “You don’t want him in power any more than I do.”

      Less. Though he had his doubts about convincing Kyber to reverse his nonaggression policy on Earth. That was a fight for another time. Farid wasted no more time speaking, opened his eyes, and motioned her forward. They needed to get away from here if he wasn’t going to be allowed to dismantle the men who dared to hunt his One. If they became a direct threat, he wouldn’t hesitate. Any details he wanted about what Arthur had done would have to wait until they were safe.

      Farid jerked out his handheld comm. device and keyed the imager to call for help from the Vishra. A shout sounded nearby and Farid looked up to see the soldier who had passed them had circled back around. He lifted a pistol, aimed it at Bren, and Farid saw in excruciating detail how his finger squeezed the trigger. The muzzle flashed. Farid’s heart contracted, adrenaline exploding in his veins. He reacted without thought, with the lightning reflexes of his feline nature, launching his comm. into the exact path of the bullet. The imager burst into little more than metal debris. His other hand came around and he fired his razer at their attacker. The soldier screamed, dropped a small, round object to the ground, and convulsed as electricity sizzled through his body.

      Time rushed ahead at light speed, and Farid’s pulse raced to match. Bren blinked. “How the hell did you throw—”

      Run! His senses vibrated with danger, shrieking at him that six more of the enemies sprinted at them from multiple directions.

      Bren was already on her feet, her boots kicking up dirt as she obeyed. She shouted over her shoulder, “Did you kill him?”

      This is a Class Three razer. At full charge, it can only cause unconsciousness. He’ll be fine. Worry more about your own hide than his and move faster. Now! He watched her flip a rude hand gesture at him, but she obliged him by pouring on more speed. Another aircraft was coming—he could hear it whirring in the distance. More soldiers to come down ropes, more light to seek them out in the dark, and more enemies to hunt them. They dashed through the trees until they found themselves moving along a ridge that dropped into a wide, rushing river.

      While Farid’s superhuman speed could easily outdistance their pursuers, he wasn’t going to leave his One’s side. Sweat made his tunic stick to his back and dampened his hair. His muscles shook СКАЧАТЬ