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RIKA

Rika could only stumble forward when, in the late morning sun, she found herself staring suddenly at a line of men with guns leveled at her and Reece, a second line of vehicles carrying more men at their back.

She blinked sweat from her eyes uncertain if this was real or if she was beginning to see things. The heat was more intense out here where the plains grass gave way to the desert. No cooling breezes, just hot air wafting to dry the sweat on her skin. No welcome shadows from the trees of the WildWood.

"Please!" she croaked, still taking halting steps forward. "We need help!"

"Stop right there!"

Reece caught her arm when she was about to take another step, and they both stopped, raising their hands.

"Please!" she let herself cry with the desperation and pain of leaving her mate, and the fear of not knowing these men, or what they might do. "Please, you have to stop. You have to prepare. They\'re coming!"

"Drop your bags, take five steps toward us with your hands in the air, then stop and place your hands behind your heads!" The command was loud and snapped in the dry air.

Reece did as they said immediately, dropping his backpack to the ground behind him, then putting his hands to his head and stepping forward in five, long paces.

Rika was panting in fear and frustration, but she did the same, until they both stood there, staring at this line of soldiers in desert camouflage, including face-paint, and weapons strapped to their chests, as well as the rifles they pointed at her and Reece.

"My name is Rika Cooper. I\'m a Team Member. I was kidnapped weeks ago, and they brought me with them when they figured out you were coming. They\'re in the forest, waiting for you to show up so they can ambush you, you have to stop!"

A part of her thrilled. If this small group had approached them under the masking, then it likely meant the larger convoy had stopped advancing and were waiting on word.

"Stay where you are!" the man at the front commanded without looking up from the sight of his gun. "Do not move or you will be shot. You\'re now under the jurisdiction of the US Army Marshall Forces."

Rika gaped and heard Reece suck in a gasp at her side.

"What?" she breathed.

What was the government doing here?

*****

GAR

It was high sun when the report came.

One of the Protectors had been stationed at the outcrop, watching for the approaching humans, to measure their progress.

When the guard was changed, the male who\'d been up there rushed straight to Gar and Tarkyn who were in the middle of a discussion of how to shape the encampment to give the impression more warriors were there than they actually had, in case the humans got eyes on them.

"The humans have stopped advancing!" he said, gulping breaths with the rush with which he\'d run to them.

Gar turned, his heart pattering to life again. "What?"

"They stopped advancing, about two hours ago," the male said. "I caught movement once, but by the time I found it with the spyglass, either they had their shield back up, or they had moved. I couldn\'t see anyone. But the flashes of the human army haven\'t moved for the past two hours. I showed the change of guard how to position the glass to find them. They\'ll know if they start moving again."

Gar looked at Tarkyn and the Captain\'s face was stern. "You\'re certain?"

"I\'m certain that they haven\'t moved for two hours—at least. I\'m not certain they won\'t begin moving again."

"How far away were they?"

"Just where the grasses blend into the sands. The last four or five flickers have shown them in the same place, but the figures with them were moving."

"Could you see Rika?" Gar asked, his voice low and flat.

The guard shook his head.

"Did you see anything happen when they stopped?"

"No. But I mean… that must be it, right? They must have reached them. The humans wouldn\'t stop there for nothing. They could have made it to the river by now if they\'d kept going. They had to know that, or at least suspect. So something\'s stopped them."

Tarkyn took a deep breath. "Thank you, Byrch. Do you have anything else?"

"We think the technology is working better now that they\'ve stopped moving," he said reluctantly. "They were flickering every twenty minutes or so. But since they stopped progressing, it was over an hour between the failures. I think when they don\'t move it works better."

Gar growled. Rika had told him as much. He looked at Tarkyn, who nodded, but turned back to the Guard.

"Thank you. You\'ve done well. Is there anything else to report?"

"No, Sir."

"Very good. Go get something to eat and some rest if you haven\'t already."

"Thank you, Sir."

Gar raked a hand through his hair. The humans had stopped two hours ago. Which mean that was likely when Rika and Reece had reached them. Or they\'d discovered them. Which meant… surely it meant they hadn\'t just killed her and kept going?

That tug in his chest happened again and he breathed a little more easily.

Yes, he would know, he thought, if she was taken from this world. And until he did, he would continue on this path. He would fight the humans, find his mate, and release her from them.

"She did it," Tarkyn said, shaking his head with a small smile. "She did it."

"We think. We hope," Gar growled.

Tarkyn just slapped his shoulder. "Don\'t be sour. Let yourself hold to hope, Gar. The simplest explanation is usually the right one. Unless the humans are utterly stupid, they knew they were within a short travel of water and better conditions. Something had to have stopped them. If they still haven\'t moved within the hour, I\'m going to guess that they won\'t until tonight. She\'s just bought us half a day."

Tarkyn said the words with pride and relief.

But Gar\'s stomach only sank lower.