“Slippery little thing,” Zayn said. “Probably how she’s survived so long on her own.”
Scarred boots stepped into view. “Lala might be gone, but we also have a score to settle with you.”
Ria looked up. Ray towered above them, with Clint and their cronies standing behind him. “Look?—”
Two men grabbed Zayn’s arms and hauled him up. Before Ria could say anything, Clint slammed a fist into Zayn’s gut.
He groaned and jerked in his captors’ hold. Another fist. Then another.
Ria felt a familiar calm descend. No one was going to hurt him.
She swiped out with her leg. Ray tumbled back, arms wind-milling. As he fell, she exploded upward, swinging a fist at one of the men holding Zayn. Still moving, she chopped a straight palm at the other, hitting him in the throat. He stumbled back, choking. Zayn stumbled as well, wrapping an arm around his middle.
“Zayn!” She lost her concentration.How badly was he hurt?Too late, she sensed someone behind her and spun. They were close. Too close.
Ray slammed a rifle butt against her head, smashing it into her temple.
As the world went gray, she felt herself falling. She saw Zayn struggling, yelling, his hot blue gaze on her.
Then she felt dust under her cheek before darkness descended.
Heat searedthrough Zayn’s brain and body. He tried to swallow but his mouth and throat were dust-dry.
Flame-burned son of a…Had he and Dathan been on a kila bender again?
His head was throbbing hard, a bouncing beat that sent pain zinging through his skull. He forced his eyes open. Bright light speared into them, and he squeezed them shut again. It took him a minute to slowly open them again and focus on what he was seeing.
The bouncing wasn’t in his head. He’d been tossed over the back of a horse, his wrists tied so tight that the rope dug into his skin. He swallowed back some curses. Below him, he saw the rocky terrain of the desert. He lifted his head. The sun was heading down toward the horizon, baking everything in its path.
Diablo. Memories rushed back in.Ria. Where was Ria?
Frantic, he looked around as best he could from his awkward position. He spotted Clint and Ray seated on horses ahead of him. They had two extra horses on long leads, trailing behind them. When Zayn saw the feminine body draped over the other horse, he released a long breath.
Then worry pounded into him. She wasn’t moving. Was she okay?
He tested the restraints. They were solid. For now, he wasn’t going anywhere. Besides, he really needed to assess how bad his injuries were. He remembered some rib-shattering jabs to the chest and gut before a blow to the back of the head had equaled lights out.
And Ria. She’d gotten a damn hard blow to the head.
He forced the panic down. She was a Guild assassin. She’d be fine. She had to be.
It felt like hours later when Ray and Clint stopped the horses among a stand of straggly trees surrounded by a high canyon. The rocky walls were striated in every shade of red. The setting sun hit them, turning them a bloody scarlet.
Zayn remained still and listened to the men muttering about making camp for the night. The next second, he was dragged roughly from the horse and dumped on the ground. The drop made fire tear through his ribs, and he clamped down on his lip to stop an agonized groan from escaping.
Ray dropped Ria’s dead weight down beside Zayn and stalked away. The men set about creating a fire and setting up camp with the ease of long experience. They ignored Zayn and Ria.
For now.
“Ria? Ria?” He kept his voice low
She didn’t move.
He managed to scoot over beside her. With a nudge, he rolled her over and he sucked in a breath. One side of her face was covered in dried blood. As best he could with his bound hands, he searched for the wound.There. A bloody gash on her temple. He probed it a bit, was gratified by a tiny groan. It wasn’t too bad. Might scar without a medscope, but it wasn’t life-threatening.
Even injured and covered in blood, she was beautiful. Not like Eos with her dark gorgeousness, but something fresh, healthy, and real. Looking at her now, he couldn’t see Vik in her anymore. He dragged in a deep breath, finally acknowledging what he’d known for a while. She was like Vik in some ways, but so different in others. She was more flexible, more understanding than Vik had ever been.
Now looking at the woman beside him, Zayn only saw Ria.
