Savor Me Slowly (Alien Huntress #3)(83)
Author: Gena Showalter

“Mia,” Dallas barked, “do it!”

“No!” Jaxon screamed. “No!”

“Let. Him. Go,” Mishka said. Now there was so much fury in her voice, it was like a separate entity in the hallway. “You’re hurting him.”

He didn’t care about himself. Only her. He was nothing without her. Had nothing, wanted nothing.

An eternity stretched.

“I can’t do it,” Mia finally growled, disgusted with herself. “I can’t.”

“This is what I saw.” Dallas limped forward. “This is when she aims. We have to kill her now.”

Horror filling him, Jaxon watched as his friend lifted a pyre-gun. He wanted this to be a dream, a nightmare he’d awaken from at any moment. But he knew it wasn’t. Knew time would be his enemy or his greatest friend.

He worked a leg free and brought it forward, then kicked Lucius in the head. The agent grunted as he sailed backward. Infuriated, Eden raised a fist. Jaxon rolled away, already lifting his gun to the biggest threat: Dallas.

“No!” Mia shouted, switching her aim to Jaxon.

Finally Mishka dove for the knife.

The next few seconds seemed to pass in agonizing slowness. Mishka tossed the knife at Mia, and it sank into the hand clutching the weapon. Mia gasped and dropped the gun, but not before squeezing off a single shot. Amber fire blazed past Jaxon’s head, singeing the hairs on his right side.

Never ceasing her fluid movements, Mishka grabbed the fallen gun and fired at Dallas.

Dallas and Jaxon fired, too, one right after the other. Dallas at Mishka. Jaxon at Dallas. As Jaxon dove forward and twisted, taking the beam meant for Mishka, the blue beam he’d squeezed off slammed into Dallas and froze him in place, leaving him motionless but conscious of everything happening around him.

When the amber beam slammed into his shoulder, he grunted. Mishka screamed in concern.

Just like that, it was over. Finally.

Though both of his shoulders were blistered and burning, Jaxon turned to the two agents left standing. He didn’t drop the gun. “Touch the girl and I’ll kill you.”

“We’re going to gather the Schön,” Eden said calmly. “All right?”

He backed up, keeping the gun high. The agents slowly stood, keeping their empty hands in sight. He was panting, losing focus. Dizzy. Still he kept moving. A blue stun beam erupted behind him, its light illuminating everything for a split second.

“Mishka?”

“I’m okay.” She was at his side in the next instant, arms wrapping around him. Tremors moved through her. “Took care of Mia. Now let’s take care of you.”

Finally he dropped his arm, relieved, happy and sad. The weapon clattered to the ground. He looked at his woman, saw tears streaking down her cheeks. “Don’t cry,” he said softly.

“Told you. I don’t cry. I leak.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” She buried her face in the hollow of his neck. “I was so scared. Mia almost convinced me to give you up so you wouldn’t lose your friends, but they shot at you, so now I’m forcing you to give them up! Either that or I’ll kill them.”

“Don’t ever leave me, and I’ll be a satisfied man.”

“Never.”

He chuckled, squeezed her with the last of his strength. “Sweetheart?”

“Yes?” She looked up at him, tenderness softening her dirty features.

“Catch me.” His entire world blackened.

Dallas was immobilized by stun. Stupid alien blood. Months ago, stun would not have worked on him. Now he’d have to learn to avoid it. What disturbed him most, however, was that he was responsible for shooting his friend. All along, it was me. Me. Should have known. Should have guessed.

Horror slithered through him, nearly choking him. Le’Ace hadn’t been the one he’d seen in his vision, hurting Jaxon. Dallas had been. He’d been the mysterious stranger standing in the corner. Maybe because he’d become a stranger to himself. He wanted to curse, to rail.

He’d been the one to fire the killing shot. All because he hadn’t trusted his friend.

That was what the vision had hoped to show him, he now realized, ashamed of himself. If he’d trusted Jaxon, Jaxon wouldn’t have been shot. Mia might not have tried to kill the girl, and all would have been well. Was it too late?

He watched as Le’Ace gently laid Jaxon on the floor and began ripping at his clothes, studying his body for injuries. There was love and concern on her face, as well as absolute determination.

She wasn’t Jaxon’s killer; she was his savior.

I almost destroyed that. Still might, if Jaxon failed to recover. What kind of friend am I? Dallas had managed to change pieces of the vision. How?

Kyrin had once predicted that Dallas’s life would be changed forever if he tried to save Jaxon. Dallas had thought Jaxon worth the chance. Still did. And yet, deep inside, Dallas knew this wasn’t the end for him. Knew this wasn’t what Kyrin had meant. Something more was going to happen. What, he could only wait and see. Maybe next time he’d get it right. The thought offered no comfort.

CHAPTER 28

Backup had arrived long ago and carted Jaxon to emergency surgery to repair the damage the pyre-guns had inflicted. As Mishka waited, she stitched her own wounds like she’d had to do a thousand times before. Paced. No one tried to talk to her, though the lobby filled with people. Jack, his boss. A few other agents.

She probably looked capable of murder.

Finally, through the windows in the double doors, she saw Jaxon’s bed being wheeled to a room. She was pushing past the doctors and nurses, at his side and finally calming mere seconds later.

“Hey,” Jaxon said when he saw her. His lips lifted in a slow smile. His eyes were glazed from drugs and his voice scratchy, his shoulders wrapped in gauze, but she’d never been happier to see him.

“Hey, yourself.” Her voice shook so badly the words were almost imperceptible.

People buzzed around them, checking his monitors and pretending she wasn’t there. “How you feeling?” she asked. Thankfully, her voice was smoother this time.

“Mortified. I passed out in front of my girlfriend.”

“Fiancée,” she corrected.

A pause. His eyes lit with inner fire. “Really?”

“Really. You’re not getting rid of me. Ever.”

“And the chip?”

“Like you said, we’ll find the best surgeons and have it removed. I love you too much to die on the table.”