Page 18 of Risking Her Heart (Red Planet Fated Mates #9)

17

KATARINA

I blink, trying to break free of the shock freezing me in place. The sound of Zas’ charge is loud, louder in my head than it probably is. The whoosh of his tail dragging on the sand, his feet slapping, the rustle of his opening wings.

The other two Zmaj exchange a glance, looking as surprised as I am. They move apart but it’s not going to be fast enough. Zas is rampaging. This is bad. We came seeking refuge. Help. If these Zmaj know Common then maybe we can negotiate, but if he hurts or kills them that will destroy any chance we have of it.

I don’t see any option, so I do the one thing that I can think of. I run forward and place myself right in his path.

He roars, wings opening to their full width and blocking out the suns. He stops, or tries to, but his momentum is carrying him forward. I try not to flinch, but I can’t help myself. Every muscle tenses as I wait for him to barrel over me.

Gritty sand tears at my face as it sprays from the force of him digging his feet in. His wings flap madly, forcing more of the grit violently across. Turning to one side, I raise my arms to protect my face the best I can.

When no impact happens, I peek through one clenched eye. Zas looms over, huffing heavily. He shakes his head, tossing his hair around.

“Treasure,” he pants.

“Brother, calm,” one of the Zmaj says from behind me.

I open both eyes as I unclench my muscles. His eyes no longer have that reddish tint that gave him a slightly mad look.

“Zas?”

Tentatively I stretch my hand out until it rests on his chest. His hearts are beating so hard that they vibrate my fingertips. His gaze is fixed past me, on the two Zmaj.

“Back,” he growls.

Stepping into his arm, I turn to face them. The two Zmaj are carefully watching him and me too, but they don’t come any closer. Zas hooks one arm over my shoulder, possessive and protective.

“Peace,” one of the Zmaj says. “Brother?—”

“No,” Zas snaps, pulling me closer. “No brother. The Order is done.”

The two Zmaj glance at one another and then the speaker nods.

“Yes,” he says. “We know.”

“Know?” Zas asks, then he speaks rapid fire in his own language.

The next few moments pass as they talk in a language I cannot understand. My only gauge of it going well is that the tension in Zas’ arm over my shoulder and chest relaxes.

“What’s happening?” I ask as their conversation slows and stops.

“They know,” Zas says.

“Know?” I ask, looking from him to the other two.

“Come with us, please,” the two Zmaj say.

I turn my head to look at Zas. He rumbles deep in his chest then nods. I cradle my broken arm, and we follow the two Zmaj towards the mini-mountain range. They lead us on a zigzag across the sands instead of straight. It’s odd and I’m not sure why, but I am willing to bet that there are multiple traps that they’re navigating the way through for us.

When we reach mountains themselves, I see that they’re more of a rocky outcrop. Hidden among the crags is a crack large enough for the Zmaj to slip inside of if they turn sideways. The other two go first then Zas nods for me to go next.

Staring at the dark opening I hesitate for a moment. My heart races knowing that we could be walking into a trap. Inside there won’t be much room to maneuver and even if there was, I’m not going to be any good in a fight.

Pushing down the fears, I step into the cool dark. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust and before they do Zas is on my backside. He curls his tail around my waist, and I move ahead more or less blindly.

It’s a short tunnel that ends in a plain stone wall. One of the new guys presses his hand on the stone. A moment later what I thought was solid stone slides to one side to reveal a smooth, well-lit tunnel.

I glance at Zas, and he frowns, his eyes narrowing, which pulls his horns down. I arch an eyebrow. He grumbles but shrugs. As I step ahead, he puts his hand on my shoulder, tugging me back and to the side. He moves in front, shifting his hand to mine.

We go down the tunnel which ends in another door. When that door opens, I gasp. Five Zmaj wait inside standing in a semi-circle, but they aren’t what causes me to pull up short.

“Jackie?”