Kate groaned and rolled over. God, her body hurt. Even her teeth hurt.

She lifted her head and peered blearily around the space. Close by, she could hear the grunts of raptors talking.

Dammit. Where was Manu? She turned her head and her chest went tight.

He was hanging from chains strung up over the mining equipment. His arms were wrenched above his head and his chin was resting on his chest. His armor was gone, and his shirt was torn and bloody.

Was he alive? Terror filled her. She’d never felt this desperate, pained emotion before. She got up on her knees and finally acknowledged the true depth of her feelings for this man. It had happened fast, was too soon, but it was real.

Quietly, she crawled over to him, trying not to attract any attention. They’d been gone too long now, so she was sure the squads would be on their way.

If the squads could find their way through the maze of mining tunnels.

She touched one of Manu’s legs. “Manu?”

She saw that his prosthetic leg was damaged. His trousers were torn, exposing the damaged limb. Probably from the blasts earlier. She also saw something else.

Scales had appeared on his leg, the same as had happened with Kendra. What the hell?

Suddenly, Manu’s body jerked, and relief flooded her. He was alive. Her heart shot into her throat as she rose. She reached up and cupped his jaw.

“Manu?”

“Kate.” His voice was dry and croaky.

“You okay?”

“Sure.” He lifted his head, looking around. He tested his restraints. “Can’t get free.”

Now, Kate scanned the cavern. They needed a way to get out of here. But all she could see were more crates of those damn landmines. No other weapons in sight.

“Kate.”

She turned her gaze to meet his. “I’m going to—”

“Get out of here.”

Her eyes widened. “And leave you here?” Her words were a furious whisper.

“Yes.”

Ignoring him, she spotted an empty crate. She nudged it over in front of him.

“Get out and warn the Enclave,” he continued.

“They’d already know something went wrong. We’ve been gone way longer than thirty minutes.”

“I don’t want my brothers walking into this clusterfuck.”

“We are getting out of here,” she said sternly. She stood up on the crate and checked the chains. They were face to face.

“I don’t want you here, either. Get out, Kate.”

She glanced into velvet-brown eyes, warmth in her chest. “Not. Leaving. You.” She fiddled with the chains.

He let out a sigh. “Fine. There’s a knife in my boot.”

Of course there was. Badass Manu Rahia wouldn’t go anywhere without a backup weapon. She crouched down, found the hidden slot in the side of his boot, and yanked the knife out.

When she stood, she took a second to press her lips to his. “For a second, I thought you were dead.”

His eyes flashed. “Kate.”

“Manu, I—” She tried to put some words to her emotions, but damn, she wasn’t good at this.

He smiled. “I know.”

She nodded. Now wasn’t the time to talk, but hopefully they’d get the chance later. She lifted the knife and tried to pry open the lock on the chains.

A guttural laugh sounded behind her and she quickly spun.

Several raptors fanned out, watching them. Dammit. Despair washed over her.

When she looked back, she saw Manu’s face was hard.

The lead raptor, bandolier now repaired, stepped forward. “I want to know the easiest way to get my weapons into your base.”

Kate straightened. “Screw you.”

He stepped closer and with her standing on the crate, they were almost face-to-face. “Humans are so stubborn.”

She lifted her chin. “Yep.”

His hand flashed out and he punched her in the gut. Pain exploded and she doubled over.

Behind her, she heard Manu’s chains rattle.

“Don’t fucking touch her,” Manu ground out.

Kate breathed through the pain. “Just kill us. There’s no way we’ll give up our people.”

The raptor shot her an ugly smile. “We have ways to make people talk.”

She choked out a laugh. “It’ll never happen.”

The raptor gripped the front of her shirt, jerking her to her toes. “Let’s see how much he can take.”

She glared. “He’ll never break. He’s stronger than all of us.”

An ugly smile unfurled on the raptor’s face. She stiffened, her stomach turning over.

“Let’s see how much he can take of watching what we do to you before he breaks.”

Manu made a choked, growling sound, and Kate felt ice slide through her veins.

* * *

Panic was an ugly burn in Manu’s gut.

He watched a raptor drag a chair over in front of him. It was beaten up and looked like it was left over from when the mine had been in operation.

Another raptor yanked Kate by the hair and dragged her to the chair. He shoved her into it. She was silent, defiance wafting off her, as they tied her to the chair.

So tough, his woman. So perfect.

“Come on, then,” she ground out. “Hit me.”

“Kate,” Manu warned.

Her blue eyes were blazing. “I can take it. Don’t give them anything.”

Manu gritted his teeth.

The head raptor talked to another, and a second later, a third raptor walked closer. He was carrying a small black box.

He walked up to Kate, and her gaze fell on the box.

The head raptor leaned over and opened the lid.

Manu craned his neck, and saw a small silver device nestled in the center of the box. It looked long and skinny, but he was too far away to see it clearly.

“Can you get a move on?” Kate said, voice bored.

The raptor lifted the device. “We call this a baraa.”

Kate didn’t say anything, but she swallowed. The raptor held out his scaly palm and Manu saw the thing wiggle.

“It will enter your body through your nose,” the raptor said.

Fuck. Manu tested the chains again, but they were too strong.

“It will burrow its way to your brain and into your brain tissue.”

Kate lifted her chin another inch.

“Then you’ll be very willing to share what you know. This little thing will destroy areas in your brain that regulate your self-control.”

She thrashed against her chair, and Manu wanted to be sick. Then, he wanted to slam the fucking raptor’s head into the wall.

The raptor leaned down, bringing the small creature closer to Kate’s face. He put it on her cheek and it wiggled. She thrashed again.

“Hold her,” the lead raptor ordered.

Two raptor soldiers stepped up, pinning her down to the chair.

“Leave her alone,” Manu barked.

The leader looked his way. “You’ll share all the entrances to your base? And security details?”

“Manu, no!” Kate shouted.

God, so many innocent people were in the Enclave—women, children, injured survivors. His gaze fell on Kate. The woman who matched him step for step. The woman he wanted for his own.

He roared his frustration, rattling his chains.

The raptor turned back to Kate and watched his little device wiggle into Kate’s nose.

“I’m afraid after the baraa is finished, it is impossible to extract,” the leader added.

She jerked, her eyes wide.

“It will liquefy your brain.”

Fuck, no. Manu felt a sense of fury-fueled power wash through him. No way was he going to let his woman be killed right before his eyes.

Using his strength, he lifted his legs up to his chest. The raptor nearby tensed, but Manu kicked out, knocking him into another raptor.

Fast, Manu curled and lifted his legs all the way up, smashing his prosthetic against the chains above his head.

Nothing happened. He lifted his left leg again, using all his strength to bang the high-tech titanium alloy against the chains.

One chain broke, and his body dropped. One of his hands was free.

The lead raptor shouted something, and Manu guessed it was orders to stop him. Not today, asshole.

A raptor rushed him and Manu kicked out again. The raptor staggered. Manu lifted his leg once more and bashed it into the other chain.

It broke open and he dropped to the ground in a crouch. Free.

Raptors rushed at him, but his fury was white-hot, flooding him with adrenaline. He was going to save his fucking woman.

Enraged, he snatched up one of the chains and swung out with it. A raptor went down under the vicious swing. Manu punched and kicked. He ducked and dodged blows. His prosthetic was badly damaged, and his balance was off, but he stayed on his feet and kept fighting.

He landed a punch into the chest of another raptor. The alien dropped his weapon, and quickly, Manu snatched it up.

He spun, opening fire. Poison sprayed everywhere.

He watched the lead raptor duck out of the way, some of his men covering him. Manu kept firing, charging forward to reach Kate.

He reached her chair and, with the weapon still up, he used his boot to slam down through the ropes binding her.

She bounded up and scooped another discarded weapon off the floor.

Together, they started firing and walking backward.

“Tunnel,” he yelled.

She nodded. They kept up a steady spray of poison, keeping the raptors from getting close.

Then they turned and ran for the tunnel.