Sumi’s gaze skimmed him from head to toe. “You okay, baby?”
He shot two of the women with a stun blast. “Better now.”
“Bastien?”
Not sure why she hadn’t taken him into custody, or killed him, he wiped at the blood on his wrists. “All good. At least until Hauk keeps his promise to beat my ass.”
Or Sumi decided to get a rank advancement by taking his scalp.
Sumi turned back to Pheara. “Where are our weapons?”
Pheara gestured toward Telise’s tent. “In there.”
“I’ll get them,” Bastien offered. The sooner he had a means to protect himself, the better he’d feel.
Moving so that her back was against Dancer’s, Sumi kept her gaze on the women until Bastien came back and belted his holster around his hips.
He tossed Dancer’s weapons to him, and made sure to keep his senses alert to what Sumi was doing and where she was positioned. He was not about to go down without a fight. Ever.
And given how Hauk felt about his woman, Bastien would most likely have to take them both out to save his own ass.
“Before we leave, I want to do something.” Dancer went to Pheara and jerked the keys from her hand. “Is this the biofeed bypass?”
“Yeah.”
He met Sumi’s curious gaze. “Round the women up and follow me.”
“You heard him.Haritason parade. Let’s go.” Sumi and Bastien, making sure to keep Sumi in front of him, followed Dancer to the cage where the other two men were being held.
Dancer opened the door and released them before he made the six remaining women file inside it. He locked the door and tossed the keys to one of the men. “Happy birthday.”
And with that, Dancer draped his arm over Sumi’s shoulders so that she could lead him away while Bastien stayed to the rear. While Dancer might trust an assassin at his back, Bastien wasn’t about to, now that he knew who and what she was.
That being said, though, she didn’t seem concerned about him at all. Maybe Dancer hadn’t told her he was Ravin and maybe she didn’t know.
Even so, Bastien had no intention of dropping his guard now that he knew who and what she really was. He had no desire to die. Today, at least.
“Where are the kids?” Dancer asked.
“Armed to their teeth and hiding with Illyse.”
Dancer nodded. “Good.”
Sumi smiled until she noticed Dancer wasn’t completely with them. He’d started swaying a bit and looked unsteady on his feet. “Dancer?”
He tightened his grip on her before he kissed the top of her head. “I’m all right.”
“You don’t look good.” She pressed the back of her hand against his cheek. “You’re very clammy.”
“They drugged him,” Bastien said from behind them. He figured it was just a matter of time before Dancer went down again.
“With what?”
Bastien shrugged. “Really didn’t get a chance to ask what they were using, or for any other recipe, either. But I would assume something strong enough to take down a huge-ass Andarion.”
Hauk ignored him while he tugged her forward. “Thank you, by the way.”
“For what?”
