Read Online Colliding Worlds Trilogy 03 - Explosion by Berinn Rae - Free Book Online Page B

of being seen by any human was too great. They’d have to do this the old-fashioned way. She grabbed a medium-sized branch off the ground. The wood was brittle and light and relatively straight and made a good walking stick. “I’m ready,” she said.
    He gave her the once-over and turned, heading down the embankment and up the other side. Talla kept pace as they moved deeper into the forest. They would have to keep moving to stay ahead of the humans. There would be little time for rest. She had been on the lam before. It was how they ended up on Earth. Running wasn’t fun, but she was confident they could avoid their pursuers if they stayed smart.
    Soon, however, their pursuers wouldn’t be the greatest risk to their survival. There was no way to hide her wings. They couldn’t blend into any populated area. Worse, they only had enough water to get them through one day. How long could they survive in this alien environment?

Chapter Eight
    The birds chirped and flew around as though it was just another day, as though Jax and Talla weren’t running for their lives. He’d been on the other end of the chase plenty of times. Hell, only a couple years back, he had hunted Sephians through woods much like these. Being on the flip side of the coin wasn’t much fun.
    There were few clouds to block the afternoon heat. The tall trees, with their thin needles, did little to buffer the sun’s harsh rays.
    His stomach growled. They’d finished the protein bar two hours earlier, and there were only a couple drinks of water left in the bottle. They’d have to find a house to restock before nightfall or else risk weakening. They simply didn’t have the luxury of time to hunt or purify water while on the lam. They were quickly becoming getting desperate.
    Talla muttered a curse behind him.
    He turned to find her trying to dislodge the sharp bone spur that tipped her wing from a clump of low branches. Closing the distance, he reached up and pushed the branches away from her scraped wings.
    “The trees here are so much bigger than on Sephia. I swear they’re snagging me on purpose,” she complained as she pulled a burr from a wing.
    “They’re better than the desert,” Jax said.
    “I think the open space would feel good right now.”
    “At least trees offer shade. Try wearing full gear during an Afghan summer.” He’d seen plenty of brutal terrain in his life, but he’d also always had the latest gear and equipment, courtesy of Uncle Sam. Today brought back some not-so-pleasant memories of advanced training camp to become a Ranger. He’d been ruthlessly driven to his breaking point — beyond, really — and he’d managed. This felt eerily similar. He kept waiting for his captain to shout out another command.
    “How long have you been a soldier?” Talla asked, coming up to his side.
    How long? He was a soldier before he’d even signed up. He was born to be a soldier. His father had groomed him to be a soldier since he could walk. He’d been a soldier since his eighteenth birthday. Jax bristled, thinking that of all things, he wasn’t a soldier anymore, and never would be again. “Doesn’t matter.”
    “You’re still working to protect the innocent. In the ways of my people, that makes you a soldier. The uniform never matters.”
    He stopped, turned on her. “I’m no soldier. I’m a fugitive.” While Talla watched him with those doe-eyes, he ran a hand through his hair. “In the eyes of my country, I’m a fucking traitor,” he muttered again as he stomped off.
    A second later, Talla’s footsteps crashed through the forest behind him. She grabbed his shoulder and yanked him around. “You know, if being labeled a fugitive and a traitor for defending life and freedom is all you get slapped with, then I’d say you’re getting a pretty fair deal.”
    He glared. “It’s not that simple.”
    “It is, and you’re just making excuses.” She sent a hard, hot glare right back at him. With a flick of her