Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 140965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 705(@200wpm)___ 564(@250wpm)___ 470(@300wpm)
“I must be getting the same vibe you are,” he said. “It isn’t strong, which leads me to believe the threat is some distance from us, but it’s there.”
“There’s a ring of soldiers around us, supposedly guarding us,” she said, catching up a small pouch and pulling the drawstring over her head. “Maybe they decided they were too scared to allow us to live.”
She didn’t care about the reason—she only knew that her heart was pounding, letting her know they were in trouble. She hurried toward the back of the cabin, thankful Draden wasn’t the kind of man who wanted to tell a woman she was crazy or full of nerves. He hadn’t even asked questions, and he was right behind her. She felt his breath on the nape of her neck.
She listened for a moment first, and then she pushed the window up cautiously. The rain hit her upturned face, droplets gathering on her lashes.
“I’ll cover you.”
She didn’t turn to look at him, but she wanted to. She took a breath and let it soothe the adrenaline rushing through her veins. She dove out, headfirst, her hands in front of her to cushion the dive. As she hit the soft ground, she somersaulted and came to her feet, stepping to the side to give Draden room. The moment she was in position by the side of the building, she let her eyes adjust and then gave the forest a long scan for danger.
I’ve got you covered.
Her concentration was mainly on the eastern side. Her radar went off in that direction. To the east. Something’s coming at us via that route. Your friends didn’t warn you about company, did they? A purge? Was that the reality? They had the virus, and everyone wanted them dead. Whitney might even decide he had to kill them for the sake of the world.
She should have heard Draden come through the window, or at least land when he hit the ground. He was a big man and it didn’t occur to her that anyone, even a GhostWalker, could get through that window without a great deal of noise, but he’d managed. One minute she was covering the forest and waiting for him to launch himself through and the next he was right beside her.
He signaled to go up into the trees. She nodded in understanding. The closest avenue of escape was a good twenty feet away, a tree whose strong branches reached out toward neighboring trees, providing access to the arboreal highway. She was tempted to sprint for it, but she held herself in check, mainly because Draden was holding his closed fist in the air, the universal military sign for freeze. She waited, inhaling, the storm crashing around them.
Hit the ground, baby. Lie flat and don’t move. The next flash of lightning is going to rip across the sky. Stay focused on the trees just to the left of that little dip where the vines are thick.
She eased her body all the way flat, feeling the water saturating the shirt she wore and her jeans. She hadn’t put on underwear and the water soaked right through the material to her skin. It wasn’t cold and with the heat, it made her feel sweaty and dirty instead of clean.
She didn’t take her gaze from the cluster of trees just to the left of the dip, but she did ease a dart out of the bag that hung around her neck. Very slowly she placed the blowgun between her teeth and loaded it. Already she could see the shadows fanning out from those trees, at least six of them. They didn’t look like soldiers to her. She had excellent night vision, at least six times better than most humans’. She knew Draden had just as good or better. She was equally certain the approaching enemy couldn’t see them.
Be ready. Draden sounded as if he were counting down.
The hair on her body stood up and then lightning forked across the sky, spear after jagged spear spreading through the heat and clouds. It registered that they were members of the Milisi Separatis Sumatra as the one in charge turned his head to look up, exposing his carotid artery. She blew the dart and reloaded to blow the second one before the lightning faded, the sky going dark as thunder boomed, shaking the ground. She had to wait for the perfect time when the wind was between gusts before she took the shot.
Two men dropped simultaneously. She’d shot her target twice, something she often did just in case she missed the first time. She glanced over at Draden. He wasn’t there. He’d silently taken out the second man, but she wasn’t certain how and she had no idea where he was.
Chaos erupted and two of the MSS soldiers fired their weapons at the cabin. One knelt beside the commander and felt for his pulse. He remained kneeling, looking carefully around. She stayed very still, certain that none of them could spot her lying in the rotting vegetation. The scent of wild orchids mixed with spice and fruit. It wasn’t altogether unpleasant, but it impaired one of her main senses. Still, she tried to use everything available to her.