Free Unending Desire: Outlawed Realm, Book 1 by Tina Donahue Page B

enough air, the same as her. Or was it?
    Her stomach clenched. She recalled how he’d struggled to breathe when they first went through the portal. Was the same thing happening now? Lifting her hand to his cheek, she avoided the wounds Sazaar had given him, running her fingertips lightly over his beginning beard.
    “Are you all right?” she whispered. “Is the atmosphere affecting you again?”
    Nikoli sighed deeply. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “No. You are.”
    A smile tugged at her lips. His answer was what all women wanted to hear from a man, no matter his dimension. Easing back, Regina went weak at his masculine allure. Several dark locks had fallen over his brow, making him appear curiously boyish, endearing him to her even more. With relief, she noted his breathing was still close to normal, as was his rich coloring, the pastiness from before gone.
    He leaned down to her, his lips touching her ear. In delight, she trembled.
    Nikoli murmured, “I’m sorry for what Sazaar and I have brought into your life.”
    His apology, the resignation behind it, sounded like good-bye.
    “It’s not your fault,” she whispered. “I don’t blame you. I’d never blame you.”
    He didn’t respond.
    Just past the door, the men’s comments grew serene, as though they’d made a decision about something. Snatches of quiet filled the spaces between their words. Was their conversation finished? Would they now move on, giving Nikoli a chance to do whatever he’d planned?
    For the first time, Regina wondered what his plan was. Did he intend to bring her to the other side, making certain she was safe, then leave her forever?
    One of the men spoke again. The other made a sound of acknowledgement, not adding any comment. Again, they fell silent.
    “What are they talking about?” she asked Nikoli.
    “Not us.”
    “Why aren’t they continuing down the hall?”
    Nikoli didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. One of the men had just spoken. Instantly, Nikoli’s muscles stiffened beneath Regina’s fingers, telling her that at any moment he feared one of the pair would come inside.
    “Where can we go for good?” she whispered. Deliberately, she included them both, unable to bear the thought of him returning to this dimension, facing execution or sure death from the atmosphere because he’d risked his life to save her. “Where will we be safe?”
    He pulled back from her, listening as the men resumed speaking. A bit of relief flickered across his face.
    Had they decided to move on?
    “Nowhere here,” Nikoli whispered, answering her question. “On your side…” He paused, then reached inside his coat pocket, taking out his portable instrument.
    “On my side what?” she asked.
    “You’ll be in a place where Andris and the others won’t know to find you. One Sazaar won’t be able to detect for them.”
    “What about—” Regina’s words stalled before she could say you .
    Footfalls sounded from behind. Glancing over, Regina listened carefully, hearing only one man departing, not two. What had happened to the other?
    She noticed the renewed worry on Nikoli’s face. What had changed? What had the men—
    A soft buzzing sound halted the rest of her thoughts.
    Regina stared at the door—still closed.
    In obvious haste, Nikoli ran his thumb over the controls on his device. Symbols jumped and flickered on the small screen. Taking her hand, he led her to the back wall, equally shadowed as the rest of the space, though offering no real place to hide.
    She noticed a timid whoosh. The door opening?
    Yes.
    Regina gaped at the man who entered, his coloring dark like Nikoli’s, his complexion nearly as rich, his features eerily similar, his clothing shapeless—a top and pants, resembling a health-worker’s scrubs, constructed of a dull gray material. He read a document in his hand, stopping abruptly as though he sensed an intruder’s presence.
    Had he heard them or smelled her perfume?
    All the energy drained from