Page 40 of Solar Bound
"Still in the caves," Rowan said, her voice tight. "He stayed behind to fight off Milano."
Poppy's eyes widened. "We need to go back for him. No one gets left behind."
"No time," Lunar said, pointing skyward.
A black helicopter appeared over the canyon ridge, its rotors slicing through the desert air. Below it, dust clouds rose from multiple vehicles traversing the off-road trails.
"They're preparing to flush us out," Lunar observed.
"This way," Poppy urged, leading them toward a cluster of boulders where, improbably, an ancient vehicle with a flimsy top was hidden. Solar frowned at the questionable transportation. What kind of haphazard rescue operation was this?
Solar scanned the area, searching for any sign of Dani. His energy pulsed with increasing anxiety.
"Where is Dani?" he finally asked, unable to contain the question any longer.
No one seemed to hear him as they all climbed into the vehicle. He found himself squished in the back, too close to Lunar for comfort. The jeep’s engine sputtered to life like a spaceship on its last takeoff.
"What about Dani?" Rowan asked. "She was supposed to warn you about the attack."
Solar leaned forward to hear the answer.
"We found her in the caves looking for you," Poppy explained, throwing the jeep into gear. "She escaped the retreat in an alien flash mob of all things. She's meeting us at the rendezvous point with supplies."
Relief washed through Solar, causing his light to flare momentarily before he brought it under control. She was safe. The knowledge settled in him like a stabilizing force, allowing him to focus on immediate concerns.
As the jeep bounced along the rugged canyon trail, Solar found the vibrations unpleasant and the entire machine inefficient. His gaze remained fixed on the horizon, searching for any sign of Milano's forces or the rendezvous point where Dani waited. The Earth's sun beat down on his skin, replenishing his depleted energy reserves with each passing moment. He would need his full strength for whatever came next.
The thought of Dani, with her fierce independence, her mastery of fire, and her fearlessness in the face of his alien nature, sparked something unfamiliar within his energy core. These humans had awakened sensations that the Elite Guard training had never prepared him for. Emotions that should have been tactical weaknesses instead felt like sources of power. And if Milano harmed Dani, they would discover just how dangerous a fully charged Solarus warrior could truly be.
Chapter
Eleven
The motorcycle engine roared beneath Dani as she gunned it over a ridge, momentarily airborne before slamming back to earth. Pain shot through her freshly-wrapped ankle, but she gritted her teeth against it. The makeshift splint she'd created from medical supplies at the animal clinic was holding. Barely.
She'd raided the vet clinic's emergency stores. Painkillers, antibiotics, bandages, burn treatments, everything she could imagine needing for injured aliens on the run. Though, to be honest, she wasn't sure which of the medications could work for humans or aliens. She might have had just supplied Poppy with animal meds. Her backpack full of supplies and alien tech bounced against her spine as she navigated the rough terrain, the damp weight a constant reminder of what was at stake.
A helicopter thundered overhead, black against the deepening sky. Dani immediately swerved off the dirt track, sliding the motorcycle behind a massive red rock formation. She cut the engine, heart pounding as she waited, listening to the rhythmic thump of rotors. The chopper hovered for an agonizing minute before continuing its sweep toward the east.
Too close.
The rendezvous point Poppy had indicated was still five miles across open desert, and daylight was fading. She'd need to push harder if she wanted to reach it before dark, but staying invisible to Milano's air patrols was equally crucial.
She restarted the motorcycle, wincing as her injured ankle protested when she kicked the stand up. The animal clinic stocked painkillers for dogs and cats, not humans, so she had no clue which ones would work for her. She’d been forced to grab over-the-counter pills from the receptionist’s desk. They dulled the edge, but not enough.
A glint of metal caught her eye in the distance. A roadblock had been set up on the main canyon access road. Milano had established checkpoints faster than Poppy had predicted. The direct route was now cut off.
"Guess we're going cross-country," Dani muttered to herself, calculating a new path through the rugged landscape.
She gunned the engine and set off parallel to the road but hidden from it, racing through scrubby vegetation and over rocky terrain that the motorcycle was never designed to handle. Each impact jarred her injured ankle, each jolt a fresh reminder of her recklessness in the cave. But Solar was worth it. Worth every agonizing bump and risky maneuver.
The terrain grew increasingly treacherous as she ventured deeper into the backcountry. Loose rocks scattered beneath the tires, threatening to send her skidding. Twice she nearly wiped out navigating steep inclines. The third time, the back wheel caught on a hidden rock, and the motorcycle fishtailed wildly.
Dani fought for control, leaning hard into the skid. For one heart-stopping moment, the bike tilted dangerously to one side, nearly crushing her injured leg. With a desperate wrench of the handlebars, she managed to right it, but the violent maneuver sent a fresh wave of agony through her ankle.
"Shit," she hissed through clenched teeth, momentarily stopping to catch her breath. The sun was sinking faster now, the rocks catching fire with the last golden rays. The same light that had poured from Solar's skin when he held her.
No time to rest. No time to think about what might have happened to him.
