Page 39 of M.A.Y.A
“Do we have a deal?” Isaiah prompted. “Leave tiny warrior and my men, take me instead, and vacate the premises?”
“We do,” the scientist said. “I’ll have to check with the board when we get back, but in the meantime, we’ll proceed.”
“The board?”
“Not your concern,” her captor said.
“What board is he talking about?” Isaiah asked Maya, not bothering to hide his voice.
“He’s not really a scientist,” Maya replied, trembling now with fear. “He’s a pawn for a group of government politicians that appointed him. They’re the ones with the real power.”
The man turned towards her with fire in his eyes. “I should kill you just for that comment alone, Unit 13,” he said.
“Then you wouldn’t know the lay of the land, the political structure, and the populations and resources in this region like I do,” Isaiah replied. “Take the deal. And if you re-neg, know that you’re declaring war and there will be casualties on your end. Can you afford to lose?”
“Fair question,” the scientist said, some of his anger easing. “Fair question, leader.”
The man motioned to one of his guards, who passed over something that looked like old fashioned cuffs. He tossed the cuffs halfway across the clearing.
“Pick those up, Unit 13. Then tie them on the leader. We’ll exchange in the middle.”
“No—”
“Do it, otherwise I instruct my men to start putting bullets in all of your heads.”
The calm tone that he used to threaten her packmates had Maya ready to crawl out of her skin. She was clammy with sweat, her fingers trembling. This couldn’t be happening. She’d been trying to protect her found family from her world this whole time, and instead she’d brought danger to their door. She was the reason why this horror touched their world, and now Isaiah was going to pay.
“Come on, tiny warrior,” Isaiah whispered, his head bent towards her, his eyes filled with affection even as she felt her soul fracturing from the pressure. “Get the cuffs. It’ll be okay.”
“How can you say that?” she whispered back.
“You just have to trust me, baby. And trust yourself. You made the plan; all you have to do is execute it.”
He was right. She just had to trust him, like she’d asked him to trust her. Maya had to believe that they’d get through this. She’d get him out. She crossed the clearing in easy strides and picked up the cuffs, then walked to Isaiah and wrapped them around his wrists in front of his body.
“Stay safe for me,” she whispered and then stood on her toes to press a soft, lingering kiss against his mouth.
Before she could step back, he called her name. The one she’d chosen for herself. When her eyes met his, she found love and safety. “Just know,” he said. “That even if fate hadn’t decided for us, I would’ve still chosen you. The small part of your heart that’s left belongs to me; time, space, and science won’t keep us apart.”
Maya’s eyes filled with tears, but she straightened her shoulders and nodded. Then, taking a leap of faith, she said, “Let’s hurry this up, because when you come back, we have a claiming ceremony to complete.”
His eyes went wolf, and she watched him struggle to control his beast. The rumble in his chest was audible only to her, but she knew that his animal part was desperate to get out. Good, she thought. He was ready to fight to return to her side, which is exactly what she wanted.
Isaiah’s jaw tightened, but he stepped around her and slowly started towards the center of the glen. Drayden and the other security details were yanked to their feet and shoved forward. Both of them made a valiant effort to look like clumsy humans who didn’t have the quick reflexes of shapeshifters.
When they passed Isaiah in the center of the glen, Isaiah whispered something to Drayden, who nodded in response.
“Hurry up, leader. We’re heading right back through the portal into our dimension, where you’ll quickly become familiar with why Unit 13 was so desperate to leave.”
Isaiah looked over his shoulder directly at Maya. “As mate, take care of the pack, tiny warrior. It’s your responsibility now.”
She nodded once and watched as Isaiah was pushed through the manhole opening with her former captor. He gave her one last look before descending into the hole. Two guards followed, but the rest remained.
There was an energy that charged the air, and Maya’s senses went on high alert. The metal grate that fit over the bunker portal slid into place, and all enemy eyes trained on her.
They were going to try and capture her too, she realized. Just as their weapons pointed towards her, she shouted, “Take cover!” and dove into the grass before scrambling behind the thick trunk of a tree.
The sound of bullets hitting earth and bark echoed through the glen before a sharp cry followed. Then there was the snarl of a wolf and more erratic shots.
