Page 70 of Captured By the Scaled Outlaw

“I saved you, twice.”

“I also saved you.”

“You’re one to my two, thereforeyoushould thankme.”

At this point, I can’t help but laugh at his juvenile bickering. “You’re such an idiot. Fine. Thank you, you insufferable ass.”

Lowell matches my beaming. He uses a claw to push a stray piece of hair from my face and tuck it behind my ear.

“It’s only been a short time, but I’ll feel your absence. Don’t make me regret sparing you.”

“Same, to you,” I say, pressing my cheek into his palm.

Lowell slides his hand away, allowing me to remove myself.

But I don’t. I keep clutching his jacket, blood boiling beneath the surface of my skin. I rub my lips together.

“Goodbye, Lowell.”

Lowell’s eyes soften, turning black as his pupils dominate. “Goodbye, May.”

His tone hits my heart like an arrow, my body turning cold while my brows furrow in a frown. Maybe I didn’t want to leave as I so desperately expressed before. All I’ve ever known was a life of rigidity, so unsurprisingly, a sudden shift into anarchic freedom rattles me tothe point of nausea.

Or I would simply miss Lowell.

I mentally snort. There is no chance that that’s the reason.

Missing Lowell would be like missing the blade that hovers above my neck in a guillotine.

I bite the inside of my cheek, taking a few steps back to create much-needed space. If I linger any longer, I’ll collapse back into his arms. I know it.

Spinning on my heels, my heart constricts in my chest as if begging me to turn around.

I need to go home. Goddess willing,I reassure myself.

As my hand touches the knob, it turns without my doing. The door flings open, almost hitting me square in the face. A disheveled, terrified Ginny barrels past me.

“Lowell — oh shit — Lowell!” she yells, a stream of Gaia 4 soldiers rushing down the hall behind her.

Lowell sits up in bed, his posture freezing rigid. “Ginny, what’s wrong?”

Straightening, Ginny squeezes her eyes shut, bracing for impact. “They found us.”

Eyes wide, Lowell inhales sharply. “What?”

“They found us, sir. Nilsan found us.”

Chapter 23

The outer barrier of Gaia 4 bustles with soldiers. Their inexperience with combat and emergency situations shows in their awkward, clumsy movements. What was once a boring entry point blossoms to life as a stronghold, as camouflaged tarps are ripped from concealed turrets and massive barriers are erected.

Structures that previously seemed decorative prove strategic, inconspicuous columns now used for mounting firearms and acting as lookouts. Ladders drop to the sand as the soldiers hoist one another to the top, careful around the hastily unraveled wires lined with razors. A gentle haze from kicked-up sand highlights their panic as they trip over themselves.

Ginny is expressionless while tying my arms together. She cinches the knot so tightly it pinches my skin.

“Lowell is still in the infirmary,” she says flatly.

“For now,”Guy adds.