She smiled to herself. The opportunity to snuggle up with Niklas made being trapped by zombies almost enjoyable. “Sleep,” she told him.
He nodded, his jaw brushing her hair. “Wake me for the next injections, and then I’ll take the watch.”
That was how the night progressed. Nera was used to broken sleep. She’d been trained to cope with it, and then later on hunts when she’d needed to stay awake, so she’d had practice. Luckily, she didn’t need a lot of sleep to function.
“It’ll be dawn in a few hours,” she told Niklas after they’d injected each other again. The bubble had worked andlimited the worst of the exposure. She felt the tiniest hint of lightheadedness and fatigue, but nothing too bad.
“Rest,” he murmured. “When you wake next, we should be able to get out of here.”
She fell asleep in seconds, amazed that she trusted him enough to know he’d watch over her while she slept.
When she woke, she stayed still and enjoyed the moment. She was wrapped in Niklas’ arms, and he was stroking her hair. She heard the deep, steady beat of his heart beneath her ear. She moved a little and saw murky sunlight filtering through the dome above.
“Zombies are gone,” Niklas said quietly. “They slowly shuffled out once the sun started rising.”
Nera sat up and peered down. The lobby was empty. “Where do you think they go?” She stretched her arms up, working out the kinks. Her palms brushed the dome. She’d slept in far worse places.
“No idea. Not sure I want to know.” He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it ruffled.
She hid a smile. It made him look younger, less serious. Without thinking, she reached over and touched his face. His cheeks were covered in a sexy stubble. She liked the smart doctor looking rough and just a little dangerous.
He grabbed her wrist. “Nera.”
She smiled. “We’ll be back at the ship soon. I’m looking forward to getting this grimy armor off and taking a shower. Standing naked under hot water.”
“Tease,” he growled.
But she noticed he was looking a little pale. Her smile dissolved and she stroked his cheek. “How are you feeling?”
“I’ll make it.”
“Niklas—”
“It’s not bad, Nera. Headache and a touch of nausea.”
Static came through their earpieces. “Phoenix? Darc?” More static. “…are en route to you… Stand by.”
“Here comes our rescue,” he said.
“I’m surprised Ryant didn’t abandon us.”
Niklas’ jaw tightened. “He was a decent man, once. The best man I knew.”
She stilled. “You were friends?”
“Best friends. Until I uncovered the black-market ring, and found out he was right in the middle of it.”
She could tell it still hurt him. “I’m sorry.”
“We’ll land at the back of the museum,” Ryant continued. “Take the eastern exit out.”
“Land?” She raised a brow.
Niklas shrugged. “I don’t care if he comes in riding a bicycle, as long as we can get out of here. Let’s go.”
He climbed down first, and she watched, keeping her laser pistol up and aimed.
When he reached the bottom, he turned in a slow circle, then waved her down. “Clear.”
