Page 77 of Heartless

“I don’t know. I’m sorry. I didn’t think—” I didn’t finish the thought. The tightening of his arms told me what I needed to know. He knew I hadn’t planned on getting out of here alive.

“Oberon?” Zarren shouted.

“Clear.”

“Clear.” Kayn answered before Zarren could ask.

I didn’t look down as my mate cradled me to his chest and ran out of the corridor. I’d seen them all. Bodies. Mangled. Cut. Torn in pieces. These three males were responsible for all of it.

Thank god.

He ran, Oberon and Kayn easily keeping pace. There were no more Hive, at least none that tried to stop us. I caught glimpses of them along the route, more bodies. The stench of death and blood was so thick I didn’t know if I’d ever stop smelling it.

The ship we boarded was the smallest I’d seen. Not much bigger than my mother’s old minivan, if the old van had wings and ion cannons attached to the sides. Four seats. Oberon took the pilot’s seat. Zarren held me on his lap.

We all looked like we’d been put through a meat grinder and soaked in a blood brine.

No one spoke until the ship left the landing bay.

Zarren’s was stroking my hair with one hand. I leaned against him, my cheek on his chest. Bloody? Yeah. I didn’t care.

“Did you mean what you said?”

“Yes. I love you.”

An explosion sounded through the comms. Zarren’s muscles tensed.

“Fuck. That was close.” Raz’s rumble was almost a chuckle.

“Too close” Kayn agreed.

“Status?” Zarren’s tone was all business. We weren’t safe. Not yet.

Oberon checked the sensors. “We’re good.” He glanced over his shoulder to where I rested in Zarren’s lap. His golden eyes locked on mine. “Are you—”

I gave him a smile. It was weak, but it was real. “I’m okay.”

He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say more, but looked up at Zarren and chose not to.

“Get my ship on comms.”

Kayn moved as ordered. Before long Chloe’s voice filled the small space.

“Helion? Did you find her?”

“Yes. Did you get everyone out in time?”

Chloe chuckled. After the horror of the last few hours, the sound was... jarring. “Oh, yes. Your ship is packed about as tight as it gets, but everyone’s accounted for.”

I leaned back to look up at Zarren. “Nexus 5 showed me the base blowing up. And the ship. How are you not all dead?”

Chloe’s voice was a bit too chipper. “Protocol Nine. The moment Nexus 5 broke our security systems, we knew we had to get everyone out of there.”

“You knew it was a trap?”

“When he took you, I knew. Not before.” Zarren looked away from me to stare at the back of Oberon’s head. What was I missing?

“What about the base?”