Knightqueen (Oronis Knights #3)

Show her just how he wanted to worship her.

She’s not yours. She’s too good for you.

He made himself walk away.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Carys stared out over the yawning abyss.

It reflected how she felt inside.

Empty.

No, that wasn’t true. Deep down, she wasn’t empty. Far within lay a hard ball of hurt.

Sten stepped up beside her, scowling as he scanned the mine.

“We could cross the chasm using the mine railway line.” She tried to keep her tone brisk and businesslike.

“It looks too dangerous. We can’t risk it failing. I suggest we go back out the way we came in.”

She nodded. “As you wish.”

She knew her tone was cool and stilted, but right now, she couldn’t make herself care. She watched his shoulders stiffen.

He shot her a frustrated glance, but she turned away. She couldn’t deal with his feelings on top of her own right now.

“Carys—”

She started walking. “We should get moving, Thorsten.” Something twisted in her chest. He might have hurt her, but she still loved the man. “How’s your injury?”

“It’s almost healed thanks to whatever you did to it.”

“Good.”

He’d restocked his pack with what he’d found in the mining gear, and swung it over his shoulder. They walked in silence back toward the entrance. The art on the wall looked duller today.

When they neared the mine entrance, a loud clang echoed through the tunnel.

They froze, and Sten grabbed her bicep.

There was another clang.

“Someone’s trying to break through the door,” he said.

The Gek’Dragar.

Of course, they did everything with brute force. She glared at the doorway, the need to fight them churning inside her.

Sten swiveled and pulled her back down the tunnel. “We have to find another way out.”

Her heart rate picked up. Right now, they were trapped between the enemy and a really deep hole.

“Armor on.” As he said the words, his armor formed, snapping into place on his body.

With a simple thought, Carys activated her own armor. It felt so good to have full control of her implants again. She watched the black flow down over her arms and legs.

Back at the chasm, Sten shoved his hands on his hips.