A swallowed scream penetrated his eardrum. He turned his head and looked toward the doctor while he repeated the process.Pop. Pop.This time he aimed for the fucker’s chest.
Carver tipped his chin when he realized she was trying to get into his go-bag again.
Straightening, he strode toward the port while adjusting the settings on his gun.
“Bad doctor,” he muttered as he stepped inside the decontamination zone.
He aimed and fired. The blast stunned her for the third time, and she dropped to the ground as the door sealed behind him. A fine mist covered his body.
Fuck, he would be glad when he was off this doomed planet.
Chapter twenty-four
With only one eye working, Iax watched the tether cabin disappear into the clouds as he lay on the hard, frozen earth. And with it, something in his chest fractured, a physical hurt worse than the ones on the outside of his body.
Hot emotions spread through him in contrast, and a burning need climbed his throat. Sawyer Knox had taken Wynn against her will. She had not wanted to go with him, but he took her anyway. Sitting in the entrance to the tether port, she had been listless, harmed. Then Knox had stunned her with his weapon before leaving.
The heat inside Iax grew. He did not know the name of this emotion, but it flamed through him, aiding in the healing process. It fueled his determination, his extremities twitching.
A dim consciousness pulled at his own. Iax could not turn his head, but knew it was an animal, its life force leaking from its body. The other had retreated, though Iax did not know where.
And the tether vehicle continued its path upward, Knox stealing Wynn away from her home. Fromhim.
That hot emotion took hold of his throat and squeezed. He searched deep inside himself, as deep as the analysis had searched Wynn’s blood. There was so much there working, healing at the cellular level, but there was also so much damage. He had not yet fully healed when Knox attacked a second time. Now, his body paid the price.
Each layer of repaired tissue stung more than the last. The radiation thrumming through his body and the snow settling on his exposed skin did not help. Beneath it all, that burning need grew brighter, demanding he heal faster.
Seconds ticked by, then extended into minutes. Progress allowed him to first move a finger, then a hand, then an arm.
At last he could shift his weight, brace his elbow against the icy ground and lean upward. A groan ripped from between his lips as his newly reconstructed muscles shifted and strained. He curved forward, sitting up fully. A large hole gaped across his chest, exposing skin, muscle, and bone. He watched as his essence repaired the damage one cell at a time.
Iax braced a hand against the ground and pushed himself up to his knees. The blast had burned away most of his clothing. What remained stuck to his skin. Another moan rippled through him as he balanced one foot beneath him, then the other.
Snow swirled around him in a gust. Determining he would stay upright, he stared toward where the animal lay dying. Its consciousness trickled out of him, his thoughts focused on where the other of its kind had gone. Iax turned his head, seeing the heat signature disappear in the snow.
Their existence… there was something happening on Earth that The Four would want to learn. The animals’ thoughts were disjointed and unclear, but the beasts wanted him to find something on this world, an important place.
Before he reached the animal, a final shudder convulsed through its body. The animal’s consciousness faded to nothing, leaving Iax alone in this world.
A hollow pain formed in his chest, different from the injury Knox had given him. The sensation pulled at Iax in places he had not known existed until he met Wynn. He tore his gaze away from the corpse to stare at the tether reaching toward space, obscured by clouds and blowing snow.
What connection did these animals have to her? Why had they been so intent on her outpost?
Determined to find out the truth, he turned his attention to the ship Knox had left behind.
Iax took a step, then another, displacing snow. Ice crunched beneath his boots. He stumbled, barely catching himself before he fell, then pushed forward, keeping the sleek ship within his focus. It bobbed and tilted on the horizon with each stride. Snow pelted against his face, abusing his healing skin.
His last few strides stumbled, and he lurched, his body slamming into the side of the ship. Fresh pain exploded through his chest and head. He waited until the stars cleared from his vision, then pressed his hand against the access panel.
It did not open.
Keeping his hand flat against the surface, Iax closed his eyes, and allowed a portion of his essence to infuse the ship’s molecular structure. He passed the outer layer of protection and breached the inner workings of the control panel inside. It released with a hiss, then slid sideways to reveal a dry interior.
Iax leaned heavily against the exterior of the ship to guide himself inside. The door sealed behind him. Protected from the elements and radiation, his body experienced immediate relief, the continued healing of his cells accelerating.
He stumbled past a bench to the front of the ship and slapped both hands against the main terminal. What essence he could spare surgedinside, investigating, reporting, fixing. The one blast he had delivered earlier had damaged more than he would have liked, but he had not wanted Knox to take Wynn off world.
Concentrating, he sent his essence to fix the damage, then turned his attention to the rear of the ship. Beyond a small kitchen space equipped with a dispensary, a door sealed off the back section. He advanced toward it with a steadier gait. It slid open on his approach.
