To our right sat the compound and sheds, while on the far left, the mountain sat where Ella had run up.
I commenced our descent in a small clearing not far from hers. The surrounding trees would cover us hopefully from detection. At least until we rescued her stubborn ass and ran.
Derrial cleared his throat, while my gut clenched with dread. Was she okay?
With a small lurch, we landed. Unbuckling myself, I shot to my feet and raced into the main cabin. I dragged open the weapon compartment latch and my mouth dropped. “Why the fuck is this container empty?”
“We haven’t really had the chance to load weapons,” Corran growled.
“Fine. We do this the old-fashioned way. Corran, you check the other ship for any weapons.”
I shook my head and did a double check of our surroundings through the heat sensor monitor. Once I saw that it revealed no one in near proximity, I hit the door button and it slid open.
We rushed outside, my muscles tense, my senses alert.
I ran through the woods toward her ship. Please don’t be dead. Derrial and I surveyed the perimeter, keeping watch while Corran entered the cruiser.
Moments later, he emerged. “She’s not here. No sign of struggle.”
Good. That meant she may not have been found yet.
Stalking the grounds, we pressed on, targeting the shed where Ella had found her dad, knowing it was exactly where she would have gone.
“You know the protocol,” Derrial muttered. “Get Ella out of here the moment you see her. Leave without the rest of us if needed, just evacuate her. Understood.”
Corran and I nodded.
I’d never leave without her.
A high-pitched scream came, violently ripping through the air.
Moving faster, we burst out from the treeline, emerging into an open field. Up ahead lay those three sheds.
Ella emerged from around the corner of a shed with a man I recognized from the cell, the man we’d torn her from...her father, and together they ran in our direction, their faces fear-stricken. Behind her, four Khonsu guards charged after her. Big sons of bitches, pounding the ground with long strides, moving with greater speed than I expected for someone their size.
My heart slammed into my throat.
She glanced toward us, her eyes widening with hope, silent words falling from her lips.
That’s right, keep running, kitten.
We ran toward them.
The monsters were almost upon Ella and her father. They were moving too fast.
I darted forward, a war cry bursting from my lungs. My fists curled, feeling nothing but raw adrenaline. A Khonsu with a shaved head and the reddest eyes I’d ever seen was within arms' reach of Ella.
I propelled myself forward and launched past Ella and up at him. My fist connected with the side of his head so hard, the crack shuttered up my arm. But he fell.
Stumbling to my feet, I ducked a swinging punch from another Khonsu and rolled out of reach. I shot to my feet and attacked the brute, my fist connecting perfectly with the roaring Khonsu’s face. He stumbled backward from my strike, and I threw a curved kick into his gut to help him along. His feet caught on a patch of grass, and he fell head over heels. Fuck yeah, that was what I liked seeing.
I spun around as the guards started to climb to their feet. Up ahead, Derrial lunged onto the back of another guard who had Corran pinned to the ground.
Ella and her dad kept running past them, and all I could think was that I had to get her out of here.
Priority.
A roar sounded behind me, and I jerked around to see a horde of savages pouring out of the main building. They were coming in our direction like a fetid wave of sewage. Some kept their humanoid form, others morphed into four-legged monsters with black leather hides. They were damn fast. Bastards.