“It can’t be.” She clutched the book to her chest.
“Well, looks like it can. This means someone from theNerolaunched an escape pod and crashed here.”
She stared down at the book. “There could be information in here we can use.”
“Maybe.” Justyn stood. “But it won’t do us much good if we’re stuck on this rock.” He looked at the sun, already headed toward the horizon. “Night’s gonna be here before we know it.”
And they didn’t want to be stuck out here in the dark.
“We’ll have to head back to the ship.” She looked at the thick plants surrounding them. The thought of going back in there made her stomach turn over. The memory of the vines tightening around her limbs made her mouth dry, but what was worse was remembering the heart-pounding terror of cutting into the carnivorous flower, hoping she wasn’t too late to save Justyn.
A high-pitched shriek tore through the air.
Oh, no.
More shrieks joined in until the jungle around them teemed with noise. In the distance, the vegetation began its ominous shaking once more.
“Uh, I think our vine friends have recruited reinforcements.” Justyn’s face was grim.
He moved until his shoulder bumped hers. She placed the book safely in her backpack and swung the pack back onto her shoulders. Then she hefted her machete. He had his blaster out, his steel-grey eyes turning dangerous.
Vines exploded toward them from the plant line, flowing over the ground like snakes.
So many.She felt bile rise in her throat.
As the vines neared, Justyn started firing.
The whine of the blaster clashed with the ear-piercing shrieks of the vines. Nissa swung her heavy blade, chopping and hacking at the plants closest to them.
She had no idea how long they kept at it. Her arm was so heavy it felt like steel. She switched the blade to her other hand. She always trained with her left arm as well as her right, and while she wasn’t as precise, that didn’t really matter here.
How long would the charge in Justyn’s blaster last? They were barely holding the vines off, and it didn’t matter how many they destroyed—more kept coming.
“Back it up,” he yelled. “To the top of the hill.”
She moved back steadily, kept swinging, and prayed she wouldn’t trip.
At the top, she glanced at the other side of the hill.
More vines were streaming up toward them.
Her heart sank. There were too many. There was no way they could beat them back.
“Justyn.”
She said his name quietly, but he heard. He looked over, noted the other vines, and his shoulders sagged.
He moved closer, until they were pressed together. Then he stopped firing and grabbed her.
The kiss was wild, filled with so much raw emotion Nissa was helpless against it, against him. She thrust her tongue against his and wrapped her arms around him. Here was a man who lived by his own code, was loyal to those he cared about, and who hadn’t let his past dim his love of life. Here was the man who could have made her believe in love.
She felt the first vine wrap around her ankle. The second twined around her elbow, yanking her arm away from Justyn.
No.She tugged at the intruder, trying to keep her hold on him. If she was going to die, she sure as hell couldn’t think of a better way to go out than kissing Justyn Phoenix.
Then deafening noise and a hot gust of air blasted them. The vines’ shrieking took on a desperate timbre.
A whoosh of flames engulfed the hill around them.
