“I never will.” He lifted her into his arms. “Now, how about we get out of here?”
She nodded.
Then the machine gave a low, resonant beep.
Poppy frowned. Shit. Was it somehow turning itself back on?
Nearby, one panel lit up.
Scowling, Brodin moved closer.
“Self-destruct sequence initiated,” a computerized voice said. “Evacuate blast zone.”
Poppy went rock solid. Brodin’s arms convulsed on her.
“We need to go,” he said urgently. “Now!”
He ran to the edge of the machine and jumped.
They sailed through the air, and her heart lodged in her throat. They landed on a lower ledge, then he jumped again.
She clung to him, knowing he’d keep her safe. She still felt weak, and her vision was blurry at the edges. Her brain felt sluggish, and she was barely holding on to consciousness.
Brodin landed on the ground. “Hold on, Poppy.”
“I am.”
“Brodin!” Thadd’s deep voice echoed from nearby.
Poppy turned her head and saw the captain decapitate a Zhylaw cat with his sword—a stream of gold energy flowing off it.
Next to him, Annora rammed her claws into another cat. She was moving awkwardly, one leg covered in blood.
“Are you okay?” his First Claw yelled.
Brodin nodded. “We have to go. The machine is set to self-destruct.”
Both Thadd and Annora cursed.
“The young ones?” Brodin asked.
“The other cleavers got them out.”
Thank God. Hopefully, they were all out of the lake and safe.
“We need to move fast.” Thadd shoved his sword in its sheath. Then he swept Annora off her feet.
“Put me down, Naveri.”
“No.”
“I can walk.”
“That cat clawed up your leg. You’ll be too slow.”
Her face twisted, then she ran her arm along his broad shoulders. “Fine.”
“So glad you saw reason for a change, Rahl.”
“Don’t push it.”
Poppy hid her smile.
Behind them, the machine started to glow a bright white.
“Move!” Brodin roared.
He sprinted out of the dome and into the corridor. Poppy clung to him. Thadd and Annora were right behind them. They raced fast, through the twists and turns of the ship, and reached the moon pool they’d used to enter. Brodin spun so Poppy was face-to-face with him, and she clamped herself to his chest.
“Don’t let go,” he told her.
“Never.”
They stuck their re-breathers in place and then plunged into the water.
Poppy was too tired to swim. She simply held onto Brodin, and tried not to get in his way. He kicked powerfully through the water. She couldn’t see Thadd and Annora, but she knew they must be close.
Her breathing echoed in her ears, and she decided that deep-water diving really wasn’t her thing. The light grew brighter.
Finally, they broke the surface. She tore the device out of her mouth, and dragged in a breath of fresh air.
The shore wasn’t far away, and she saw the cleavers there.
Thadd and Annora’s heads appeared.
On the shore, the cleavers cheered.
Brodin held Poppy as he kicked toward the others. He carried her out of the lake, water streaming off them. Thadd did the same with Annora.
“Put me down now, Captain,” Annora muttered.
“In a minute.”
That elicited a low, feminine growl.
“Is everyone all right?” Brodin asked.
“The young ones are all alive, but Stein and Phelan are hurt,” Tolf said. “They haven’t regained consciousness.”
Oh, no. Poppy’s belly cramped.
Annora finally broke free of Thadd and hobbled across the rocky shore. “Nayla.”
A wet, bedraggled girl with dark eyes looked up. She’d be pretty when she wasn’t pale, soaked, scared, and exhausted.
“Nora.” The girl launched herself at her sister.
The force of the hug almost caused Annora’s injured leg to collapse, but moving lightning-fast, Thadd appeared behind Annora and held the pair up.
She flashed the captain a look, before she wrapped her arms more tightly around her sister.
“By the wolves,” someone called out. “What’s happening in the lake?”
Poppy swiveled in Brodin’s arms.
The water in the center of the lake was bubbling.
“Back up,” he ordered.
They did. Two cleavers lifted the unconscious teenagers and shifted them.
Then, there was a muted boom.
The water in the lake shot up into the sky in a huge plume. There were gasps and shouts.
Then, the water fell back down. The lake was choppy, and a wave washed up onto the shore, touching their feet.
“The machine’s destroyed,” she murmured.
“All thanks to you,” Brodin said.
She smiled. “It was a team effort.” Then she studied the water. “The poison could still be in there. I suggest you get your people to test the lake.”
He nodded.
“Candela’s dead?” A teenager with a pale, handsome, but very bruised face asked.
“She’s dead,” Brodin said. “My mate, our runa, killed her.”
Cheers erupted.
Thadd and Annora hobbled over.
“You beat the poison,” Annora said quietly.
“Barely.” Brodin pulled Poppy close and she leaned into him. “Poppy helped me. The mating tie kicked in.”
A faint smile crossed his First Claw’s face. “I knew you two were mates.”
“Under the influence of the poison, I hurt her.” Brodin cupped Poppy’s cheek.
“It wasn’t your fault.”
Thadd eyed her bloodstained shirt. “But you’re healed?”
Brodin released a breath. “Zavir healed her.”
Both Thadd and Annora sucked in sharp breaths.
“He was here?” Thadd spat the words.
Brodin nodded.
“He healed Poppy?” Annora asked, confused.
Brodin nodded again. “For me.” His eyes were churning.
“Do you think he was still in the ship?” Thadd asked.
“No.” Brodin looked up into the sky. “He got away.”
Poppy held her mate tighter, and then her vision started to blur. Oh, no. She gripped him harder.
“Poppy?” His brow creased.
“I think I’m going to faint.”
He cursed and lifted her.
“But don’t worry, I’ll be fine, my sexy mate,” she whispered.
“You will be,” he said. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Chapter Nineteen
Brodin carried the large bunch of wildflowers up the stairs to his bedroom.
Light poured in the window, and his gaze went straight to the woman in his bed. His body filled with so many emotions he couldn’t sort them all out.
He didn’t want to.
Poppy gave him a disgruntled look. “I’ve been ‘resting’ for three days, and you’ve been hovering over me the entire time. I’m fine. I want out of this bed, Brodin.”
He’d heard multiple variations of the speech over the last day. The side table beside the bed was filled with a multitude of small mechanica. He’d given her metal, parts, and tools to keep her busy while on bedrest, and she’d made some of the best mechanica he’d seen.