Then the men tripped and rolled across the ground. For a heart-stopping second, Gunn was on top. He shoved a hand at Niklas’ wound, and Niklas’ face contorted with pain. But then he heaved and the two rolled again.
Nera circled them, her heart pounding.
Suddenly, they both staggered to their feet. Niklas was holding the knife, aimed at Gunn’s gut.
“Always hated you,” Gunn spat, backing up. “And those brothers of yours. The fucking Phoenix brothers.” He dodged away from the knife. “I’ll kill you, leave you here to rot, then I’ll go and find your brothers.”
Nera took a step forward.
Niklas didn’t look at her but said, “Stay back. He’s mine.”
Gritting her teeth, she stepped back. She knew he could take care of himself, but it went against everything in her not to protect him.
Niklas made a vicious sound and swung the knife at Gunn, who leaped backward. “My brothers were threatened once before and I stayed quiet to protect them. Not this time. This time I’ll take action to protect them.”
Again, Niklas parried with the knife, and Gunn jumped backward again.
Right onto a sharpened stake that formed part of the Rumin defenses.
The stake burst through Gunn’s chest, the ugly, black poison dripping onto his skin.
Gunn’s eyes widened. He opened his mouth, blood dribbling from his lips.
Nera moved forward now. “Niklas just gave you everything you deserve, Gunn.” Maybe once, he’d been an innocent, wronged by life. But she knew now they were all the choices they made, whatever their pasts had thrown at them. Gunn had madehis choices. The wrong ones. Nera bent her head. “Alarah’s free now.”
Gunn made a gurgling sound, then slumped forward, his chin hitting his ruined chest.
Niklas stared at the man resolutely, then closed his eyes. He fell to his knees.
“Niklas.” She skidded to crouch beside him. “Are you okay?”
Lines of pain bracketed his mouth. “Fine. Bleeding like hell and hurts even worse. Can’t use my arm.”
“Hold on.” She heard footsteps and spun. She snatched up Niklas’ laser pistol and took down two agents. “We’ll get to cover and I’ll take a look at it.”
“Nera. You need to take down Avril. If she gets back to the ship…”
She’d leave them here in a heartbeat. Stranding them on a planet that would kill them before help arrived. Nera gripped his uninjured shoulder. “Cover first.” Damn, he was bleeding badly.
She heaved him up and together they stumbled toward the thick jungle. She saw an agent appear and before she could react, Nik grabbed her pistol from the holster on her hip and fired.
“Nice,” she said.
“Thanks,” he grunted. “Can’t let you do all the rescuing. You’ll lose interest in me.”
She didn’t think that would ever happen. “Well, someone once told me that we make a good team.”
He smiled.
She helped him behind a large tree.
“You two just won’t die.” Avril stepped into view. Her hair was disheveled and her face was streaked with dirt. She held a pistol on them. “You’ve been a huge annoyance to me, and I have a deadline to keep.” Her gaze drifted to Niklas. “It really is a shame it has to end like this.”
A body burst between them. Nera heard the whine of the laser.
And saw Jonas Solomon slam into the dirt clutching his stomach.
God save her from heroic men. Nera leaped.
