I moved closer to Lexa, my tail finding her ankle. If they were going to kill us, they'd have to go through me first.
One of the security team stepped forward. The same guard who'd tried to grab Lexa earlier, his wrist still bandaged from where my claws had punctured skin. He said something and jabbed his weapon at us.
"What the hell are you doing?" a new voice demanded, rough with smoke inhalation, Lexa offered quiet translation for me. The man pushed through the security line, put himself between us and the weapons. "They defended us and killed those birds when they could have done nothing."
"They're dangerous," the guard said. "Captain's orders are to secure them."
"Secure them?" The burned man gestured at the dead firebirds scattered around us. "They just fought off half a dozen of those things while you were busy ignoring us."
More voices joined in, Lexa translating each one for me. The humans we'd protected, stepping forward one by one. Forming a loose barrier between us and security.
"That one put himself between me and a bird. Took the hit meant for me."
"They could have escaped. They chose to help."
The security team still looked ready to fire.
Footsteps approached from behind the security line. The crowd parted, making way.
Runa appeared, her expression unreadable. She took in the scene with a single sweep of her eyes. The dead firebirds. The humans defending us. The blood covering both me and Lexa.
Her gaze settled on me. I held it, refused to look away.
She studied me for a long moment. Then her attention shifted to Lexa.
"I think," Lexa said, her voice carrying across the sudden quiet, "it's time we talked again. Without the weapons."
21
LEXA
Nyx was vibratingwith fury and exhaustion.
And losing blood fast.
The wound on his shoulder gaped open, deep enough to see muscle beneath torn scales. Blood ran down his chest in thick rivulets, dripping onto packed earth. His breathing had gone shallow, each inhale a visible effort that made his chest hitch.
"He needs a medic," I demanded. "Now." My voice came out sharp enough to cut through the murmur of the gathering crowd.
If anyone called him a monster at this moment, I wasn't going to be responsible for what I did.
Runa's jaw tightened. For a second, I thought she might refuse, might let him bleed out right here. Then her gaze shifted to the dead firebirds scattered around us, to the humans we'd just saved.
"Get Sutton out here and tell him to bring a medkit," Runa demanded of one of the guards who went sprinting down the path. "Someone get him a chair."
A chair materialized, and I had to push Nyx to sit. Worryingly, it didn't take much effort.
His wings drooped, the membranes hanging loose instead of in their usual defensive posture. That scared me more than the blood. Nyx didn't show weakness. The fact that he was sitting without argument meant he was in worse shape than he was letting on.
I knew how nasty firebird claws felt when they tore open your skin, and my flesh ached in sympathy.
The humans we'd rescued had gathered in a loose semicircle around us, keeping their distance but watching with expressions that ranged from curiosity to outright fear.
Karima pushed through the crowd with Houston at her heels, both taking in the scene with wide eyes. The guards were still there too, blasters still held at the ready.
The tension was thick enough to choke on. Nobody spoke. The only sounds were the crackle of fires still burning in the distance and Nyx's labored breathing.
"Put those damned things away," Runa commanded.
