Stolen by the Zandian (Zandian Brides 7)

He grabs my arm. “On my signal, we run.”

I don’t argue because equipment overhead groans and whines, and then the lights flicker. The power is back.

“Go!” He tugs me, and suddenly we’re racing, hand in hand towards the door. He’s fast—so swift, I can barely keep up, so I focus and summon my burst powers, my surplus energy stores that allow me to push my human body harder than any being should.

“Veck, you’re unbelievable,” he mutters—I think. I can barely hear through the roar of the crowd, and my heart pounding in my ears.

I fly, faster and faster—I’ve never moved like this. Stars! It feels good. Even in the middle of this panic, there’s something so intense and soul-satisfying to race on fleet feet with someone whose speed matches mine. For a second, I feel like the two of us are alone in the universe, our bodies working at their maximum capacity.

The fatigue hits me about thirty seconds later.

“Aiii,” I gasp, my muscles locking so hard and tight that I skin my feet on the hard earth as I tumble down. The pain is so intense that I see it blazing in front of me, white hot. My lungs are molten.

“Veck!” He stops and doubles back and scoops me up. “We’re almost there.”

I’m back over his shoulder now, head bouncing as he speeds to the tarmac. Our pursuers have multiplied; I count at least twelve beings bursting through the doors of the auction house.

“They have weapons,” I croak. “laser guns. Long range. Through the pain, I narrow my eyes and estimate the trajectory. “Move to your left on my count. Three, two—NOW.”

He jumps aside, and the beam of pure light crackles and sizzles past us, singing the hair on my arm as it heats the air with the power of a thousand bolts of lightning.

“Again, to your left. Now.” I grab his waist to stabilize myself.

This time, the ray hits a nearby craft, a transpo vehicle. The smell of burning metal hits my nose as acrid smoke puffs up. Cries of rage and fear ring out.

“We’re here.” He stops in front of a sleek modern craft, and within seconds, I’m on the starship floor in a graceless naked heap, and he’s seated at a high-tech control console. “Stay there and don’t veck this up. We can die any moment,” he snaps.

I’m about to reply when the g-forces hit me, pushing me into the wall with such immense pressure that my lungs empty of air, and I’m positive my stomach is touching my backbone.

I can’t breathe—I’m going to pass out—when the craft suddenly goes weightless, and my body relaxes back into itself. I gasp out a long whistling burst and suck in oxygen, greedy for it.

My whole body is a wreck, full of cuts and bruises, but I’m alive. Safe. Away from the Kraa and the auction.

I glance up at my savior. His smooth purple brow is wrinkled in concentration, and the powerful muscles in his arms move as he taps and touches controls. I’m mesmerized by his face, stern and handsome; it evokes feelings I don’t understand.

I struggle to sit up. “Who are you?” I shake my head. “What do you want with me?”

He finishes one last maneuver, then pushes his chair back from the screens and observes me closely. His purple horns gleam in the light, and his eyes darken.

Then he smiles. “Who am I?” He raises a brow and crosses his arms. “I’m Khrys. I’m a Zandian warrior… and your new master, at least temporarily.”

Khrys

The little warrior doesn’t appear to like this answer. She pushes to a sitting position, wincing. “I belong to no one but myself.” Her voice is haughty and at odds with her subservient position. She grabs a silver foil blanket from her side where I tossed it and pulls it over her torso and lap.

My mouth twitches with a smile—an unfamiliar sensation. “What, for all of…” I pretend to count on my fingers. “One, two, three whole minutes?”

She glares at me. “I could have escaped by myself.”

“No.” I shake my head. “Not without your medicine. Without my assistance, you’d likely be back in chains. Or dead.”

“Well, without my help, you’d be nothing but a pile of purple goo on the auction floor.”

My lips tug again. “Doubtful.” I like her spunk.

She sticks up her chin. “And right about now, they’d be washing your organs out the door with a power hose for all the vermin to enjoy.”

I stifle a full smile. “Perhaps you played a minor role in my escape.”