Die for Me by Nichole Severn

already begun to betray him. Bile coated his throat and he wretched. It happened every time he took a life, and he had only seconds before he collapsed completely. Five. Four. Three. Two . . .
    “Taigen,” Torrhent called. Her voice, clear as day, forced him to concentrate. It worked its way deep into his bones and pushed his inhibitions aside.
    His breathing evened out, clearing the fog surrounding his thoughts. His vision returned slowly and the nausea disappeared. Signs of the episode ending soon became apparent. The symptoms had never vanished so quickly, and it seemed almost as if something had changed.
    “I’m fine.” Taigen wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and straightened. When his gaze connected with hers, however, every muscle in his body tensed.
    The gun aimed at Torrhent’s head was not the one the shooter had gone in with.
    It was his.
    “Face down,” the Russian barked. “I kill her if you move.”
    “No problem.” His eyes connected with Torrhent’s. With the Russian’s eyes on him, he couldn’t mouth what he wanted to say. He scrunched his face up to convey his intention and Taigen hoped his message came across clearly, but as a civilian she knew nothing of his life.
    To his surprise, Torrhent nodded in understanding. Taigen moved slowly, following directions to ensure her safety. He dropped to his knees and kept his gaze on the hit man. “Would you like my hands behind my back or my head?”
    Passersby gathered as the shooter backed down the sidewalk, parting when he came too close. The sight of the gun pushing its way into Torrhent’s side made Taigen want to die. He wanted to offer himself as tribute but knew they hadn’t come for him. He intended to change that. Connecting his gaze with Torrhent’s, he nodded to her once.
    Without hesitation, her head slammed back into the shooter’s face. She wrenched herself from his grasp as Taigen shot upright and flew forward. He tackled the shooter and the gun went off as they crashed to the ground. The flesh around the bullet lodged in his chest throbbed from the collision, taking the breath from his lungs.
    They struggled for the upper hand, but soon the Russian slumped to the pavement as Taigen’s fist connected with the batch of nerves on the back of the attacker’s neck. Taigen exhaled in a rush, the sound of sirens too close for comfort. With a quick glance over his shoulder, he located Torrhent.
    He hefted himself to his feet and approached her slowly. He registered the shaking in her hand as he pried her fingers from around her opposite arm. Her grip left bloody half moons in her tanned skin from her fingernails and a pang of regret chased through him. “Come on. We have to get out of here.”
    Torrhent’s gaze remained glued to the Russian. “Is he dead?”
    “No. Just unconscious.” The sirens grew louder, but he needed her to decide their next move. He’d leave her if necessary, break her out of some other jail. Either way, Taigen needed her trust for his plan to work.
    Her eyes found his, the gray depths hardening in an instant. “Let’s go.”
     
    * * *
     
    Torrhent stole a glance in Taigen’s direction from behind the wheel of the pickup. The truck hadn’t been hard to hot-wire once she’d forced the tremors in her hands to calm, but while she seemed fine on the outside, the fight between Taigen and the Russian hit man made her realize she’d gotten in over her head. With a single blow, the man beside her had incapacitated his attacker. Either he’d learned the move from previous experience or studied it. Neither possibility let Torrhent’s stomach settle for long.
    She drove at the speed limit, her eyes darting toward the rearview mirror every few seconds to ensure they hadn’t been followed. Another stolen look made her break the tenuous silence between them. “You don’t look so good.”
    Taigen’s face had gone pale and there was a sheen of sweat on his brow. “I’ll be fine.” His voice sounded