Something deep inside me recognized thatthiswas the turning point. Or maybe the point of no return.
Before this, I’d just been living. Now, survival was agoal. I really was a rebel.
Tess’s goon was conscious but keeping damn quiet after all the face melting. I strode over and knocked him out again with a well-placed strike to his temple. He slumped in his cuffs, unmoving.
“We need to get going.” Tess looked worriedly at Jaxon, who struggled to his knees again. “Merrick, be ready for us. We take off the instant we reach theEndeavor.”
“No.” I grabbed Tess’s elbow, craning my neck to look over the park bushes. There were no new goons in sight, but there was no way one of these hadn’t pushed a panic button. Every Dark Watch soldier had one on their belt. Even I’d had one. “They’ll be scanning the docks for heat signatures. Power down the ship.”
“It’s already hot,” Merrick said. “They’ll see it even if I turn off the engines. Better to go if we can.”
Is it?“They’ll come at us with real firepower. Crowd us so we can’t jump out of here.”
A change came over Tess’s face, and I knew an idea had sparked. She looked at me hard. “We’ll hold them off in your cruiser. You and me. We’ll distract them while theEndeavorjumps away from here.”
Great Powers, she was a genius. I nodded, vowing to never underestimate this woman. She’d just given us our trip alone to Reaginine and a viable way off Korabon for everyone.
Ifwe made it to the ship.
“We’ll rendezvous at the Mooncamp food drop-off in three days,” I said. “That way, we can all blur our trail from the Dark Watch before meeting up again.”
Tess nodded back at me, her face somber. Plan made. Now, to execute it.
Fiona helped Jax sit up straighter. She feathered her fingers just below the lump at his hairline, murmuring, “Thank you. I’ll fix you up.”
For just a second, he leaned into her, his eyes closing. Then he heaved a sigh and staggered upright. Fiona rose also. She turned, walked over to what must be the purple clawberry bush, and carefully snapped off another branch to work with.
I glanced left and right to make sure we still didn’t have unwanted company. It was a nice park. Too bad no one could use it without risking harassment, fines, and worse.
I slid a shoulder under Jax’s arm and helped him toward the gate. Tess and Fiona strode beside us, watchful and ready. Regret didn’t shadow their faces. Only determination. Fight for each other. Fight for what you believe in. One day at a time. Keep going.
That was my life now, except I had a feeling existence was going to be minute by minute until we escaped Korabon.
“Hovercrafts are already moving toward the docks in this area.” Urgency sharpened the usual low rumble of Merrick’s voice into a hard bark over the com units. “Get here fast, or we’re not getting out this time.”
Chapter 3
TESS
Both ice and fire pounded through my veins as we left the park and headed toward theEndeavor. We’d just killed people. I’d never killed anyone before, although I knew Jax and Fiona had. I didn’t know about Shade. I was certain he’d turned over people to the Dark Watch who’d never been heard from again, so wasn’t that the same?
I glanced at my hands. Dirty but not bloody. A reflection of reality, I supposed.
“Take your next left,” Merrick ordered over the coms.
We all veered left, hurrying Jaxon along.
“Now right!”
We did as Merrick instructed, trusting him and the gridgram he must have up to give us the best route back to the ship. As a group, our feet made too much noise. Koralight Crowners peeked out at us from behind partially closed blinds, their brows lowered in frowns. Conscious of my grass-stained hands, I curled my fingers into fists and kept walking, trying not to make eye contact with anyone.
“Got any more of that acid, Fi?” Jax’s mumble-slurred words matched his stumbling footsteps.
“One more.” She glanced over at him. “Why?”
He cocked an ear. “We might need it.”
I heard the faint rumble of incoming hovercrafts, too. Jax’s body might have taken an electrical trouncing, but his hearing was just fine.
