An instant later, the elevator doors behind Malik and Vic slid open. The men stepped inside, just as Jenna and Obsidian’s elevator arrived.
Turning from her bodyguard—her lover—Jenna followed the droid inside. Obsidian reached out a clawed hand and punched Level 12. It was almost a relief when the doors closed. The anticipation of being on her own was worse than the reality.
The elevator shot upward, making Jenna reach out to steady herself against the wall.
“It’s just you and me now, Obsidian,” she murmured.
The droid inclined its head, those disquieting crimson eyes fixing upon her. “I suggest you stay close to me, Jenna … and let me take the lead.”
She nodded. “Don’t worry, I will.”
The elevator jerked to a halt, and the doors opened. Hanging back, her hand upon the grip of her laser-pistol, Jenna allowed Obsidian to exit first. She then cautiously ventured out.
However, the service passage beyond was clear.
Leaving the elevator behind, which would be their escape route back down to the landing bay, the pair traveled along the passage, halting at the end of it.
Jenna’s pulse started to race, her breathing quickening.
Here we go.
As soon as they stepped out into the gilded corridor beyond, they’d be in the open. Speed was what mattered now.
Drawing her pistol, Jenna turned its energy output up to ‘lethal’. Fortunately, her hands were steady. Her heart slammed against her ribcage with each frenzied beat, yet her mind was oddly clear and calm—each nerve on edge and ready to act.
Obsidian strode out into the corridor first, laser-rifle unslung, domed head tilting left and right, while Jenna darted out behind him.
This hallway—painted soft gold and lined with desert succulents on pedestals—was empty, and as they passed guest suites, Jenna silently counted the numbers on the doors.Eighteen F … Nineteen F.They were in the right place—and their destination was just around the corner.
And so would Mir-Ferrin guards be.
Obsidian quickened its pace, the creak and squeak of the droid’s robotic joints echoing high into the spider-vaulted ceiling. Along the way, they passed a statue of Raul the Destroyer, the God of War. The hulking figure, carved from Idralian sandstone, carried a sword in his left hand, and an axe in the other.
Jenna’s mouth thinned as her gaze slid over the god’s grim face and blood-red eyes—twin rubies the sculptor had set into the stone.
She had her own reaper with her today, one that would show no mercy.
They rounded the corner, and Jenna spied two guards stationed outside a door halfway down the corridor.
There was no time for stealth or laser-blades.
Blinding-white bolts detonated, the sound ricocheting down the corridor—and the guards, who’d just raised their own rifles and were about to fire upon the battle-droid, crumpled.
Jenna’s jaw clenched hard.
They’d just shouted their presence.
Reaching the door, Obsidian stuck a metal finger into the socket beneath the keypad, overriding the lock.
The door whispered open, and Jenna lurched past the droid and dove inside.
Isla Mir-Brennan, who’d been seated on the recliner in the living area, jumped to her feet, while her daughter scrambled off her lap. “Jenna!”
Clad in flowing white, both Isla and Bea’s faces were pale and strained. Of course, Cathal’s execution was looming—noon was barely more than three hours away—and soon they’d likely be escorted out to the terrace to witness the event.
Isla’s lips parted once more, yet Jenna held up a hand to silence her. No doubt her sister-in-law had an avalanche of questions, as she would have too, in the same situation, but they had to wait.
“There’s no time to explain anything right now,” she said, once again surprised at how calm her voice sounded. “We have to leave.”
