BONUS CHAPTER

KYRION

This takes place after Chapter 25 in Only Cold Depths .

E verything seemed to be happening in slow motion, like a bad dream that just kept getting worse and worse with each new action.

Esmina plunging the injector into my neck. The hot cascade of chemicals zipping through my veins. Pollux swatting my stormsword out of my hand. Two mercs dragging me between them as though I was a sack of potatoes they were hauling across the ground.

Then my gaze locking with Zane's, his eyes bright with worry as the mercenaries aimed their weapons. The other Arrow stepping in front of Asterin, trying to shield her from the deadly cannon fire that was coming their way.

I blinked, and the scene changed. Now the mercs were dragging me through a garden. I tried to move, dig my heels into the dirt, do something, anything , but my arms and legs simply wouldn't work, as though I was an action figure a child was playing with, with no free will or movement of my own.

In the distance, bright flares of light caught my eye. Vesper was running this way, her stormsword and mine clutched in her hands, both blades burning a dark blue with her psion power. Zane and Asterin were also sprinting in this direction.

No! Stay back! Don't come after me!

I tried to send the thought to Vesper, but I couldn't quite grip my telepathy through the hot chemicals still cascading through my body. Frustration spiked through me. I'd never felt so bloody helpless . Even when Vesper had been taken to Corios to face Holloway, I'd still had my psion power. Without it, I didn't know how to fight back.

The mercenaries reached the edge of the garden, crossed a lawn, and headed toward a waiting transport.

Vesper kept running in this direction. The stormswords in her hands whipped up and down, and peony petals swirled around her like blue snowflakes.

"Wait until she gets close enough, then break cover and grab her," Pollux growled into the comms device attached to his shoulder.

My chest squeezed with dread. Vesper being captured was my worst nightmare, but I knew she wouldn't give up, and she was going to run right into Pollux's trap.

Pollux stepped forward and fired his cannon in Vesper's direction. The blast knocked her down, and the stormswords slid out of her hands, although she quickly scrambled back up onto her feet.

"Get ready to move!" Pollux yelled.

Vesper headed toward the transport again, but Zane put on an extra burst of speed, surged forward, and wrapped his arms around her. Vesper struggled, but Zane was stronger, and he held her back.

My gaze met his across the distance separating us. Thank you. No matter what happens to me, keep her safe.

Zane blinked, as though he'd heard my telepathic thought. I didn't see how that was possible, given how weak and distant my power felt right now, but Zane tightened his grip on Vesper and kept her from coming any closer.

"Don't worry about it!" Esmina called out. "She'll come to us!"

Pollux nodded, then reached for his comms device to issue another order. "Let's go! Move, move, move!"

The two mercenaries hoisted me up and into the vehicle. They released my arms, and my body thumped to the floor. The chemicals were still pumping through my veins, and I couldn't even lift my head off the grimy metal.

Pollux and the rest of the mercenaries also retreated and hopped onto the transport. Pollux made a circular motion with his index finger, telling the pilot to take off.

"Kyrion! Kyrion!" Vesper screamed, but I couldn't so much as grunt in response.

The thrusters roared even louder. The transport surged up into the sky, making my stomach zoom up into my throat. The motion also slung me over onto my back and banged my wrist up against the metal wall. Pain spiked through my hand, and I managed to twitch my fingers. The chemicals were finally wearing off. Perhaps I still had a chance to escape—

A shadow dropped over me, and Pollux leaned down and sneered in my face. "Not so tough now, are you, Arrow?"

"Knock him out," Esmina ordered. "I don't want any problems before we get back to base."

Base? What base? Where? Thoughts tumbled through my muddled mind one after another, but I couldn't focus on any of them.

Pollux grinned. "With pleasure."

He cracked his knuckles, then slammed his fist into my face. Pain exploded in my jaw, and white stars winked on and off in my eyes like the lights on a blitzer warning of an imminent, unavoidable crash. Once again, I struggled to focus, and my thoughts turned to Vesper.

Don't come after me . . . Don't fall into Esmina and Pollux's trap . . .

I had no idea if Vesper had heard me, and she probably wouldn't listen even if she had, but that was one of the many things I loved about her.

Vesper, please . . . save yourself . . .

Pollux growled and punched me again. More pain exploded in my jaw. Those white stars in my eyes darkened to gray, then bled to black, and I knew nothing more.

W ant more adventures with Vesper Quill and Kyrion Caldaren? Check out Only Rogue Actions , book 5 in the Galactic Bonds science-fiction fantasy series.

Keep reading for a look at A Touch of Treachery , book 3 in the Section 47 urban fantasy series.