Taking Leyna’s hand, Will kept guard over his woman and hoped he had the opportunity to do so.
~~~
Millie Ward watched as the helicopter landed in a nearby clearing. She shouted to her brother at her side, “Did the pilots see any trouble coming our way?”
Jaxton shook his head. “Not yet. But with that guard missing, it’s probable. We need to get out of here as soon as possible.”
She looked down at the tan face of the elemental magic user who was probably the Earth Talent. “What are we going to do about her? As much as I hate to drug the poor dear, if she wakes up while we’re in flight, she’ll panic and possibly kill us all.”
Kiarra leaned forward from Jaxton’s other side. “We’ll keep her sedated until we reach the UK. Once there, we’ll talk with Marco and Darius and come up with a plan.”
Darius Williams and Marco Alvarez were Elemental Masters. While they still had to keep their hands toward the east and west, respectively, to use their magic, they had far more training and knowledge about using elemental magic than most. They also had contacts and might be able to reach out to an Earth Master to help the woman learn to control her abilities.
Millie shifted her gaze to Kiarra. “Marco and Darius are great and all, but I think you’ll be the biggest help, Kiarra.”
Kiarra had once been a prisoner inside the AMT. She’d been experimented on and used as a guinea pig. At least, until Jaxton had rescued her.
Kiarra nodded. “I’m going to try my best. However, convincing Neena to keep me home for a while is going to be a chore.”
Jaxton jumped in. “I don’t know about that. If this woman is indeed the Earth Talent, Neena will do quite a bit to get her on DEFEND’s side.”
“I hope so,” Kiarra answered. “This woman has probably gone through hell. I can’t even imagine what the AMT researchers would’ve done to me if they’d known I was a Talent.”
Jaxton wrapped an arm around Kiarra’s shoulders and squeezed. “You can thank me for rescuing you later, love.”
Kiarra rolled her eyes just as the helicopter touched down. Jaxton waved toward the prisoners tied up on the ground. “I need one of the pilots to help me. Kiarra, go fetch one of them. Millie, tell Evans to bring your friend.”
Without a word, Millie raced back to Will Evans.
The man was holding Petra gently and stroking her cheek. Millie hesitated a second. Only because the pair would never have a chance to hash things out if they didn’t get Petra to a hospital ASAP did Millie jog the rest of the way up to them. “Come. The helicopter is waiting.”
Will delicately maneuvered Petra into his arms and stood up. Trusting him to follow, Millie headed back toward the helicopter.
Jaxton already had most of the prisoners inside the chopper. Millie climbed in and turned to help Will guide Petra inside. Once Will was sitting down on the ground, he leaned Petra against his chest with her legs straight in front of her. No doubt, the ride would jar her legs, but at least they would be somewhat stable, especially with Will’s long legs on either side of hers.
Kiarra sat in the corner seat with the elemental earth user leaning against her. Four prisoners were tied up and stashed toward the back. Jaxton loaded the last one and climbed in. Shutting the door, the chopper took off.
As they started moving, Millie’s gut told her it’d been too easy.
Peering out the window, she didn’t see anything. Nor did she until the helicopter lurched and Millie nearly lost her seat. “What the bloody hell was that?”
Jaxton put his finger to his ear and listened to the pilots before relaying the information. “There are two helicopters pursuing us. That was a warning shot.”
Millie frowned. “They wouldn’t shoot us down, though, because the woman is too valuable. Still, what’s the plan, brother?”
He looked to Kiarra. “I know you’re close to burnout, but do you have a few shots of fire left in you?”
Kiarra answered, “It’s not like I have a choice. Still, I need to know where before I attempt it. Once I pass out, I won’t be a help to anyone.”
Jaxton turned and made his way to the cockpit to ask for their pursuers’ positions. Millie looked to Kiarra. “Are you sure you can handle this, Kiarra? You being unconscious isn’t ideal.”
“I know, but I’m the only one with any sort of combat magic. I think in the future, I’m going to require Neena to have two or three magic users on each high-profile mission.”
Before Millie could reply, Jaxton was back. “There’s a helicopter on each side. They keep switching who is closer and who is behind. Probably to avoid both being hit.”
Kiarra smiled. “Well, the tactic isn’t going to make much difference for my fire. They clearly don’t understand how elemental magic is fueled by particles in the air.”
Jaxton re