Krastin opened his mouth and coughed. Blood poured out.
Together, Rhain and Mal pulled their swords free.
The warlord staggered back, blood oozing from his wounds. His tentacles sagged.
Then Mal leaped up and sliced with her sword.
She cut through Krastin’s neck, and his head rolled along the stony ground.
Then she looked up at Rhain. He’d never seen anything or anyone more beautiful. He yanked her to him and kissed her.
She kissed him back, filled with power and life.
They broke apart.
“Thadd needs help,” she said.
He nodded and hurried with her over to where Thadd waited. His captain was in bad shape, leaning against a bench. Blood stained the bandages on his chest.
“Thadd.” Rhain slid an arm around his best friend.
“I…missed the good part,” Thadd rasped.
“Don’t worry, Krastin is very dead. And Mal annihilated the hexids.”
“Poppy,” Mal cried.
Herris and Zand had the cage open. The small blonde woman lay on the ground, Herris kneeling beside her.
Gorr. Rhain hobbled over with Thadd. Mal dropped to her knees beside her friend and ran a hand over Poppy’s dirty hair.
“Poppy, it’s Mal. I’m here.”
Poppy moaned, then her body shook, caught in a seizure. Her back arched and she gave a horrible cry. Then her skin rippled.
Mal gasped and yanked her hand back.
Patches of gray fur flickered on Poppy’s skin.
Auroras above. A second later, the fur disappeared and the woman slumped.
“What’s wrong with her? What did they do to her?” Mal’s eyes were panicked.
Rhain passed Thadd to Herris. He crouched and touched Mal’s shoulder. “I don’t know. We’ll do what we can to help her.”
“Look at her hands,” Zand said.
Rhain saw that Poppy’s fingers were tipped with sharp claws. A second later, the claws retracted.
“What the hell?” Mal whispered.
She leaped to her feet and spun. She spied a surviving Zhylaw scientist crouched behind some crates.
“You!” She strode over.
The man scrambled backward.
Mal grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him up. He was a little shorter than she was.
“What did you do to her?”
“Nothing.” The man shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Mal shook him.
“She wasn’t one of my experiments!”
“She’s not an experiment, you asshole. She’s a living, breathing, sentient person.”
The scientist whimpered.
“Who hurt her?” Mal demanded.
“Bexa. Um, you killed her.”
“What did she do to my friend?”
“I don’t know, but her other test subject is over there.” He pointed to a cage at the end of the long row.
Mal dropped him and stalked forward. Rhain followed her.
The final cell held a huge form covered in gray fur. It was a nightmarish mix of man and beast, and he lay slumped on the floor. He had a long snout, huge, clawed hands, and dense fur.
“It’s dead,” Mal said. “What is it?”
Rhain stared, then met her gaze. “It’s a Damari. A shapeshifter from the neighboring planet of Damar.”
“Your brother’s planet?”
“Yes. Poppy’s been infected by a Damar.”
Mal scraped a hand over her face.
Rhain pulled her close.
“Can we stop it?” she asked. “There must be something we can do.” There was so much pain in her voice.
“There’s nothing. The infection must run its course.” He didn’t tell her that many didn’t survive the change.
Mal gripped him. “She’ll be different?”
“A shapeshifter, yes.”
He remembered the vision from the energy witch. She’d warned them that Poppy would be changed.
“God.” Mal clung to him.
Poppy arched and screamed in agony.
Mal hurried back to her friend, dropping down and holding her hand. “I’m here, Poppy. You aren’t alone.”
Poppy’s eyes opened. They were blue, and drowning in pain.
“Mal?” A faint whisper.
“Yes. I’m here. I’m here.”
“We need to get her to Tavith.” Rhain hoped the medica could ease her pain.
Thadd needed healing as well.
There was a sound, and he turned, lifting his swords. He saw his fighters appear, led by Carvia.
“Overlord, the Zhylaw are all defeated.”
Thank the auroras. Rhain nodded. “Well done.”
“We destroyed the comm jammer. Flyers are inbound from Citadel.”
“Thank you, Carvia.”
Rhain stood behind Mal, a hand on his woman’s shoulder as they kept a vigil on her friend and waited for help.
Mal watched the flyers descend in front of the ruins. The eastern horizon was just starting to light with dawn.
Around them lay dead Zhylaw and hexids, but she was too numb to feel anything. Rhain’s fighters stood, watching the flyers land. Carvia waved them in.
Thadd and Poppy were resting on stretchers.
Thadd was awake, and clearly in pain, but he was alert and talking.
Poppy had suffered another seizure, and more fur had appeared on her body, but she was unconscious now.
Mal felt frozen inside. She felt so much guilt. She should’ve done more, something different, gotten to Poppy sooner.
“Mal?” Rhain appeared and pulled her close.
She leaned into him. “I don’t want Poppy to die.”
“Whatever she needs, we’ll get help for her. I’ll call Brodin. He’ll help her.”
The flyers touched down, and she saw Tavith and his team hurry off one.
The medica eyed Thadd. “Aracelle, help the captain and get him loaded on the flyer.” Tavith moved to Poppy. He scanned her, his brow creased as he studied his wristband, a projection spearing up from it.
Poppy shifted restlessly and moaned.
“There, child. Easy.” He pressed his palm to her forehead, then pulled out his kit. He applied a patch to Poppy’s collarbone, and Mal watched it dissolve.
A second later, Poppy relaxed and went still.
“We need to get her back to Citadel,” Tavith said. “How badly are you two hurt?”
“I’m fine,” Mal said. “Poppy and Thadd need you more.”
Tavith held his arm up and his band scanned her.
She blew out a breath.
“You have several minor injuries, and some recently healed internal ones.”
Mal opened her mouth—
“In the flyer, Mallory. I’ll have one of my team heal you.” He grabbed her arm. “And I will do everything I can for your friend.”
She sagged against Rhain. “Thank you, Tavith.”
Tavith nodded, and followed Poppy’s stretcher onto the flyer.
“Come on.” Rhain helped Mal aboard.
On the flight back, a young female medica worked on Mal, and then Rhain. Mal felt a lot better physically by the time Citadel and its gleaming walls and spires came into view.
But every time she looked at Poppy’s still form, she felt hollow, carved out.
They finally landed, and she watched the medicas whisk Thadd and Poppy away. She took one step to follow, but Rhain grabbed her arm.
“There’s nothing you can do to help them right now.”
“But—”
“Let Tavith heal her. Let’s go and get cleaned up.”
Mal hesitated, then curled her fingers around his.
He led her to his suite. He strode past the big bed and straight into the bathroom. He slowly and methodically stripped her clothes off, and then his own.
It was finally sinking in that they’d survived.