Page 19 of Surrendering Her Heart (Red Planet Fated Mates #10)

AVA

“ There are others,” Kri’cati says. “But they are a long ways from here.”

“And how are we supposed to reach them?” Angota asks.

No one in the room speaks for a moment. I look around, holding Zamis’ hand under the table. All around the table are people that I both know and don’t. Every Zmaj human pairing is in here. Somehow we’ve become the de facto leaders of the survivors of both our races.

“We can’t,” Ziva says. “None of us could survive that trip.”

“No,” Kri’cati agrees.

“How does that help us then?” I ask. “If there is an invasion coming, how do we warn them?”

“There are other Order outposts,” he says. “But the communication systems have been disrupted. The Eye’s decision to attack us has done something.”

“What are we supposed to do with… her?” Shana asks.

No one answers that. The captured Zmaj are a sore subject that has left the group divided on how to handle them.

“She knows more than we do,” I say. “Do we really have a choice?”

There are murmurs of agreement. Zamis squeezes my hand. I never wanted to be a leader, not in my own right, but no one else seems to be stepping up to the plate and right now, we need it.

“What do you suggest?” Angota asks.

I stand up, pushing the stool back.

“Use the advantage we have,” I say. “We know it’s coming. That’s big. We use the time to prepare. Those of you who know the tech, try to get it working. We’ll continue to interrogate the Eye and learn all we can.

We can’t do anything else, can we? I, for one, will not condone harming her. She’s mad, I get it, but she’s also cunning and smart and this isn’t war. I don’t think any of us want to do something in cold blood.”

“No,” Riley agrees and all around the room are nods and grunts in agreement.

“Right, that limits our options,” I say. The mood in the room is somber. I pace the length of the table, looking all of them over. When I reach the head of it, I stand next to Kri’cati. “I cannot overstate the advantage we have knowing it’s coming. The Eye wanted to build an army, but we can build our own army.”

“How? What are you thinking?” Leah asks.

I smile, looking at each person in turn until I end with my eyes locked onto Zamis.

“The Zmaj says that Tajss provides,” I answer. “I don’t think I believed that, but now… now I think I do.”

Zamis smiles so wide it goes from ear to ear. The other Zmaj rumble their agreement. Everyone gets to their feet. I take Kri’cati’s hand next to me and reach over to take his mate, Jax’s hand too. All around the table everyone mimics the action until we’re all holding hands.

“Tajss provides.”

The entire group says it as one. The phrase resonates in my chest and makes my heart thrum. The weight of impending doom lifts and, for the first time since we went on the run from the Order, I feel lighter. I feel hope and I know, everyone in the room does too.

We stand together for a long moment, reveling in the moment and then we break apart and into smaller groups.

“You are brilliant,” Zamis says, taking both my hands and kissing the top of my head.

“You said it first,” I say.

“Yes, but you embodied it,” he says. “And you are right. We know. Now we must prepare.”

He and I walk out of the meeting hand in hand. I lead us back outside. The suns should be setting and I want to see them. Standing on a ridge, the rolling dunes are cast over with long purple bruises as shadows chase away the final rays.

“It’s beautiful,” I sigh.

“It is,” he agrees.

We hold each other as full darkness falls, but despite the lack of the suns, I am certain that the future for us is bright. We’ll face it together. I turn into him, rise onto my toes, and we kiss.

Tajss does provide.

THE END