Page 97 of Enthraller

Ed went deaf as pieces of the ship flew around him, some of them on fire.

When he stumbled to his feet, he could feel blood leaking from a cut on his arm, could feel the ache of his back wherehe’d been slammed into the ground, but he only had eyes for the freighter.

Which was gone.

It was nothing but a collection of pieces.

Wren.

Wren had been in there.

His knees gave way, and he crashed back to the ground. Then he turned and looked over to where Captain Darnell was helping Evette Linao to her feet.

She sent him a quick look, and while he expected a smirk, he didn’t see one.

This had been a little too close for comfort for her.

“Did you have a way to tell them you were safely out before they destroyed the freighter?” he asked, moving toward her.

She pursed her lips, not answering, but she had to have had a way to do it. They wouldn’t have risked her after everything else they’d done to keep her alive.

“Whoa. We need this one alive to answer questions.” Darnell was watching him.

Ed turned his head to look at the captain.

“Seriously, Ed. She’s our only link to these people. And you look . . . dangerous.” Darnell began to move backward, his grip on Linao tight.

“I’ll take him to get patched up by a med tech,” one of the soldiers said.

Ed turned back to what was left of the wreck, felt the shout that was inside him building up.

He’d only just found her, and now she was gone.

37

Wren staggered against a vine-covered wall,disoriented and confused.

What—?

Dissipated? Had she dissipated?

Yes.

Her nanos sounded as freaked-out as she felt, and she leaned back against the wall, realizing the scent of the flowers was familiar. Was this . . .?

The place where you and Ed kissed recently, her nanos confirmed.

What happened?All she remembered was hearing a strange sizzle, and then—The freighter was destroyed? Like the Protection Unit hover when we came back from the obs station?

We realized just in time,the nanos answered.

Gratitude swamped her. She could have—would have—been dead without them.

Their response was shy pleasure, and she slid down to sit on the ground, nestled amongst the vines in the narrow alley, still trying to get her body to feel like her own. The shadows weredeep this late in the day, and she felt safe and hidden for the moment.

Her nanos had dissipated her close to the hover port, so she could get back quickly.

Ed?she asked.

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