Read Online In the Devil's Nebula (Phoenix Adventures #2) by Anna Hackett - Free Book Online

Without his weight, she
had a chance to save herself. He let go of her hand.
    “No, damn you!” She followed with a string
of curses and clamped her legs around his waist, holding him
tight.
    “Ria! You can’t pull both of us in. Let me
go.”
    “No.”
    “I won’t be responsible for your death.” He
couldn’t live with it. Not again.
    “And I told you, I’m no assassin. I don’t
like to kill.” She strained, trying to pull them closer.
    Feeling helpless, Zayn kicked his feet in an
attempt to help.
    Incredibly, Ria managed to grasp the
platform with her second hand and pull them close. Zayn gripped the
rail, his chest heaving, then pulled himself up and yanked her up
after him.
    She sprawled on the ground, holding on to
her left arm and panting.
    “You are a stubborn idiot,” he shouted.
    Green eyes flashed. “Right back at you,
Phoenix.”
    He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time. His
shoulders sagged. “Are you okay?”
    “Shoulder’s tender, but I’m fine.”
    “Well, unless you want to spend a bit more
time swimming in shit, how about we get out of here?”
    She let him help her to her feet. “Sounds
like a decent plan.”
    Zayn cupped her cheeks. “Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    They stared at each other for a long moment
before he turned. They followed the platform to a set of stairs,
their self-clean suits spotless by the time they reached the hatch
at the top. Zayn twisted the lock and it opened easily.
    Zayn popped his head through. “Some sort of
storage shed.” He glanced past the stacks of boxes and crates to
the small window. “We’re on the landing pads. Let’s go.”
    Seconds later they were moving out, headed
toward the doorway, when an explosion rocked them. Close, too
close. Zayn stumbled and Ria was flung into the wall.
    “Shit.” Zayn flexed his hands. “They had
better not hurt my damn ship.”
    They exited the storage shed. They were two
pads over from where they’d parked the Infinitas . Two
figures were sprinting from the main building toward the ship,
followed by a group of armed Tekton.
    Eos had lost her sarim and was wearing the
corset top and black, body-hugging leggings she’d worn beneath it.
She was firing a laser pistol. Dathan was running behind her, a gun
in either hand, firing random shots over his shoulder.
    “Go,” Zayn yelled.
    He and Ria sprinted. Zayn’s brain whirled as
he calculated. Go help Dath or get to the ship? He took in all the
options. On the ship, he could activate the weapons systems.
Speaking of which, why the hell wasn’t Nik or BEll doing that?
    As Zayn ran, a spray of laser fire scorched
the ground near their feet. Ria pulled out her weapon and aimed at
the second group of guards moving in from behind them.
    Another round of weapon fire hit. It moved
past Zayn, closer to Ria. He acted on instinct and dived for her.
He felt a burn on his shoulder, then they hit the ground hard
enough to rattle bones.
    Ria was stunned for a second. Zayn glanced
back. The guards were advancing, their weapons raised. For a
second, he wished for a gun. As though she read his thoughts, Ria
pushed hers at him.
    “Shoot them.”
    He shook his head. Couldn’t make his hand
move.
    “By the dagger, shoot them, or we die!”
    His gaze went to the gun, then back to her
eyes. To his past. He remained frozen, unable to move.
    Cursing, Ria struggled under him. She
gripped the gun, aimed past him and pulled the trigger. It was an
awkward shot but the guards still scattered for cover.
    The action snapped Zayn out of his freeze.
He jumped up, pulling her with him and they were running again. The
shadowed hulk of the Infinitas loomed above them.
    Zayn raced to the main door and pressed his
palm to the door control. The door hissed open and he pushed Ria
through the entry ahead of him. The door closed behind them.
    Inside, it was eerily quiet.
    Ria tensed and brought her gun up. “You
really need to carry a weapon. You’re going to get yourself or one
of the