Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
Ria kept her gaze glued to the two men in the library—at least she thought they were men. Tekton men and women looked very similar.
She tried to pay attention to what they were doing, but she was distracted by the hard male body surrounding her.
She was used to hiding and being patient. She knew how to deal with the anxiety that came from the risk of being discovered. But she was almost always alone, and on those odd times she wasn’t, they rarely ended up plastered together with no room to move.
Zayn surrounded her, overwhelmed her. She drew in air, but every part of her was aware of him. His scent filled her senses—hot male mixed with plain soap.
He moved, his mouth pressing to her ear. She closed her eyes, trying to control the shiver traveling up her spine.
“They’re using the console. Can you see what they’re doing?”
She blinked and tried to see through the grate. God, he was so hot. “One has their hands on the dome. And both of them have their eyes closed.”
“What else?”
She focused on the one at the dome. “He’s concentrating.” More successfully than her. Zayn moved beneath her again, and this time she thought she felt a hard bulge. She bit down on her lip. “Maybe it’s some sort of telepathic thing?”
“Nothing in our research showed that the Tekton are telepathic. But they are secretive.” He shifted again. “Damn Ria, you have a body designed to drive a man wild.”
She froze. He felt it too. This powerful pull that was tangling them closer together. But did he see her or Viktoria? She wrestled with her emotions and tried to focus. “Maybe the console is attuned to thoughts. You direct it with your thoughts.”
He made a humming sound. “Possible.” He moved an arm and it slid around her waist. “Sorry, it’s going to sleep where I had it.”
She needed air. She needed some space between her and this man, or she was going to turn into him and plant her mouth on his.
“One of them has moved to a shelf,” Zayn whispered.
Ria saw one of the Tekton at a shelf, but his body blocked what he was doing. Then he moved away. “They’re leaving.” Thank God.
After the two Tekton had left, she pushed on the grate and crawled out of the tight space. She stood, and squashed the small pang of loss she felt now that she was no longer pressed up against Zayn.
He strode to the console and pressed his hands to the dome, then closed his eyes.
Ria watched the gases inside start to swirl. “Something’s happening.”
His brow crinkled. “I’m focusing on the Assassin’s Guild Headquarters. Come on, come on.”
She saw an image through the fog. A plan inscribed on a silver plas-sheet. A quiet chime sounded and she spun. Discreet lights built into the base of one shelf were glowing, about eight feet up.
“Got it! Well done, Zayn.”
His eyes popped open and he grinned. “Let’s grab the plans and get out of here.” He reached the shelf but couldn’t quite grab the map. He glanced around. “Where’s the ladder?”
She didn’t see one.
He made a ‘come here’ gesture with his hands. “Get on my shoulders.”
Ria straightened her spine and gripped his hands. In a smooth, powerful move, he dipped and swung her up. She swallowed a squeak and settled on his broad shoulders.
“Can you reach it?”
She focused on the carefully rolled plas-sheet in front of her eyes, and not the fact that Zayn Phoenix’s head was between her thighs. Her fingers closed around the plas. “Got it.”
He set her down, and she carefully slid the plas-sheet into an airtight bag on her belt.
Zayn waved to the door. “Shall we go?”
“Absolutely.”
They’d taken two steps into the hall when the entire building shook. Zayn grabbed Ria’s arm to steady her. There was another dull boom in the distance.
“Ah, I think our diversion might have been discovered,” he said.
They ran toward the door to the tunnels. They turned the last corner. And saw a group of uniformed and armed Tekton running toward them.
“Shit.” Zayn skidded to a halt. Ria almost slammed into the back of him. “Back the other way. We’re going to Plan B.”
They turned and sprinted back past the library. More explosions rocked the structure. Ria prayed Eos and the others were okay. She tried to scroll through the map on her Sync. Plan B was a secondary exit to the tunnels. “We need to get to the arboretum.” She pointed. “That way.”
They ran together. She liked that he kept up easily.
They sprinted into another room, and both of them stopped, looking up in awe. A glass roof showed the incredible night sky and asteroids flying past. Inside was filled with various forms of plant life.
Focus, Ria. “The exit should be at the back of the room in the floor.”
They hustled, and Zayn lifted away a giant vine. A small octagonal cover was set in the floor. It took both of them to shift it.
He dropped in first. As she followed, she heard him curse.
She soon realized why. The tunnel was smaller than the previous one and after a few meters, the angle changed to near vertical drop. Ria slid downward. Her enviro suit was nearly frictionless, and she felt herself gather speed.
“Zayn?” Her voice echoed in the tight confines of the tunnel.
“I’m here.” His voice came from below. “Hold on.”
She felt an increase in heat. Then she heard him yell, and a second later she shot out the end of the tunnel. She caught of glimpse of him flying through the air ahead of her, arms pin-wheeling. Below them was a small, underground lake of sewage.
The air caught in her lungs like a cat with claws. The lake wasn’t the biggest problem. The problem was where the lake was flowing.
To a giant ultraviolet treatment system.
A wall of purple light that incinerated everything that passed through it.
Zayn and Ria landed with a thick splash.
“I’ve got you.” Zayn grabbed Ria’s arm and yanked her upward.
He held her tightly with one arm and wiped his other hand over his face. Thank the fuck this sewage hadn’t been treated yet. It smelled bad, but it didn’t have the chemical burn of the earlier green stuff.
She gripped him, their legs tangling. She looked to where the current was dragging them.
Straight into the bowels of hell.
Zayn saw the ultraviolet lasers arcing through the sludge. They were set in a large arch, sweeping back and forth.
“Suggestions?” She pushed her sewage-drenched hair back with a grimace.
“I was going to ask you the same thing.” He liked that she didn’t panic. She’d make a fabulous pilot. Nerves of steel.
“This isn’t on the map. It must be new.” She glanced up. “Look! There’s a platform to the right of the laser ring.”
He spotted it, and guessed it was probably used for maintenance. “Swim that way.”
Their hands still linked, they both kicked. They were making progress, but the pull of the water flow was still stronger.
Shit. They weren’t going to make it.
He wasn’t going to die, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Ria die either. He kicked harder.
They neared the platform, but Zayn was too far away to reach it. Ria lunged outward. He saw her fingertips graze it and then grip on.
She grimaced. “I don’t have a good grip.”
He had to let go. Without his weight, she had a chance to save herself. He released her hand.
“No, damn you!” She followed with a string of curses and clamped her legs around his waist, holding him tight.
“Ria! You can’t pull both of us in. Let me go.”
“No.”
“I won’t be responsible for your death.” He couldn’t live with it. Not again.
“And I told you, I’m no assassin. I don’t like to kill.” She strained, trying to pull them closer.
Feeling helpless, Zayn kicked his feet in an attempt to help.
Incredibly, Ria managed to grasp the platform with her second hand and pull them in. He reached up and gripped the rail, his chest heaving. Then he pulled himself up and yanked her up after him.
She sprawled on the platform, holding on to her left arm and panting.
“You are a stubborn idiot,” he shouted.
Green eyes flashed. “Right back at you, Phoenix.”
He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time. His shoulders sagged. “Are you okay?”
“Shoulder’s tender, but I’m fine.”
“Well, unless you want to spend a bit more time swimming in shit, how about we get out of here?”
She let him help her to her feet. “Sounds like a decent plan.”
Zayn cupped her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
They stared at each other for a long moment before he turned. They followed the platform to a set of stairs, their self-clean suits spotless by the time they reached the hatch at the top. Zayn twisted the lock and it opened easily.
He popped his head through. “Some sort of storage shed.” He glanced past the stacks of boxes and crates to a small window. “We’re on the landing pads. Let’s go.”
Seconds later, they were moving out, headed toward the doorway, when an explosion rocked them. Close, too close.
Zayn stumbled, and Ria was flung into the wall.
“Shit.” He flexed his hands. “They had better not hurt my damn ship.”
They exited the storage shed. They were two landing pads over from where they’d parked the Infinitas. Two figures were sprinting from the main building toward the ship, followed by a group of armed Tekton.
Eos had lost her sarim and was wearing the corset top and black, body-hugging leggings she’d worn beneath it. She was firing a laser pistol. Dathan was running behind her, a gun in either hand, firing random shots over his shoulder.
“Go,” Zayn yelled.
He and Ria sprinted. Zayn’s brain whirled as he calculated. Go help Dath or get to the ship? He took in all the options. On the ship, he could activate the weapons systems. Speaking of which, why the hell weren’t Nik or BEll doing that?
As Zayn ran, a spray of laser fire scorched the ground near their feet. Ria pulled out her weapon and aimed at the second group of guards moving in from behind them.
Another round of weapon fire hit. It moved past him, closer to Ria. He acted on instinct and dived for her. He felt a burn on his shoulder, then they hit the ground hard enough to rattle bones.