Trent…
She pulled in a deep breath, even as her antelope began fidgeting with anxiety.
Our mate! If what this man says is true, then we need to find our mate! We have to go to him at once! We cannot let him be harmed!!
I’m working on it, okay?Zina told it, as her fingers closed around a loose rock in the wall – something she could, with a bit of effort, prize free with her fingertips.
“So, what, you’re just going to shoot me and take the dragons?” Zina asked, shielding the movement of her hand with her body. “That’s it? You know it’ll take a lot more than that to keep me down.”
Sumner sniffed, a sneer crossing over his face. “If that’s what it takes, then that’s what I’ll do. But surely it’d be better to take you in alive – after all, who would help you? You have a burn notice out on you. Your agency has completely disavowed you. No one’s going to come to your rescue. And I haveso manyexperiments I need to run – and so few test subjects. Well. Not ones that are still alive, anyway.”
Zina gritted her teeth. “Well, if those are my choices, I guess I’d rather get shot,” she said. She dug her fingertips into the wall of the mine, feeling something – blood or sweat – trickle over them. But she hadalmostworked it free.
Come on, come on, just a little bit more…
“Well, Ms. Alden, I’m not sure I’m going to give you the choice,” Sumner said, his smile growing cruel. “But I’d hate to hurt the little ones. And I know you’d hate that too. How about this – I’ll give you a painless death, if you hand them over now, no more fuss. I can’t offer you a better deal than that.”
Zina swallowed. The worst thing about it was, Sumner was probably telling the truth – a painless death reallywasthe best deal she could probably hope for at this stage.
But no way am I letting him leave here with Goldie and Dusty.
Just as she thought it, shefinallymanaged to work the rock free from the wall – it wasn’t big, just large enough to fit in her palm. But it’d do.
“Well, gee,” she said, in mock thoughtfulness. “Let me think about it.”
I’ll only get one shot at this…
Nonetheless, she knew she had to take it.
“Don’t think for too long,” Sumner said, his smile widening – just as Zina, calling upon every ounce of speed and strength she had from her antelope form, twisted back and then hurled the rock directly at Sumner’s face.
Not fast enough,she realized – even as she dashed across the cavern toward the tunnel Sumner had appeared from, she heard the gun firing, and then everything went black.
Chapter 18
ZINA!! Zina, can you hear me? Somehow?? I’m coming!!
Trent held the excavator steady as he pressed its digging edge into the fallen rubble. He knew he should be wearing a face mask to protect himself from the dust it was kicking up, but right now, he couldn’t think about anything except digging through to Zina, Dusty and Goldie as quickly as possible.
I have to find them…
He’d heard thebeeps before the cave collapsed, and he knew this was no accident. This had been deliberate. It had been some kind of trap all along.
And I walked right into it. I should have been more careful.
His carelessness and urgency had put them all in danger. He could only hope Euan and Hector up above were okay – but he knew they could handle themselves.
Well, Zina can handle herself too, but she’s mymate.There’s no way I can leave here without her.
You should let me kick this barrier away,his kangaroo piped up, swishing its tail in fury.I could remove it in no time at all. I will destroy anything or anyonethat is keeping us from our mate!
I know, I know,Trent said, and the excavator bored deeper.But I’m not sure that’s going to cut it right now. I have no idea how thick this rubble is…
He’d just barely managed to throw himself clear of it when it had fallen in, sheltering Quicksilver beneath him. The little basilisk at least had seemed completely unharmed – it had simply blinked up at Trent with its large, dark eyes, made a softpeeping sound, and then clambered back into the backpack, where it apparently felt safe, just its head and two of its legs poking out the top, resting on his shoulder.
Pity you’re not a little bigger, Quicksilver,Trent thought,or I could get you to eat our way out of this.
He felt Quicksilver’s little needle claws on his shoulder through his shirt, and he took a moment to glance across at it, finding it licking its chops hungrily.
