In the Devil's Nebula (Phoenix Adventures #2) by Anna Hackett Page A

for
anything to activate it.
    Suddenly voices echoed in the outside
corridor.
    “Son of bitch.” Zayn followed it with some
more curses. They both searched the room for a hiding space. Damn
the Tekton for being so neat and tidy.
    “There!” Ria pointed at a tiny niche behind
a statue. An ornate grate was attached to the wall. She whipped out
her multi-tool and in seconds had the grate off. Zayn frowned. The
space behind it would be a tight fit for one, let alone two.
    The door to the library creaked open.
    Zayn ran and dived into the space. Ria
followed in behind him and tugged the grate back into place.
    Zayn’s breathing was rapid. One, because of
the two Tekton who’d just entered the library.
    And two, because he had a lap full of
luscious female.

Chapter Six
    Ria kept her gaze glued to the two men in the
library—at least she thought they were men. Tekton men and women
looked very similar.
    She tried to pay attention to what they were
doing, but she was distracted by the hard male body pressed up
behind her.
    She was used to hiding and being patient.
She knew how to deal with the anxiety that came from the risk of
being discovered. But she was almost always alone, and on those odd
times she wasn’t, they rarely ended up plastered together with no
room to move.
    Zayn surrounded her, overwhelmed her. She
drew in air but every part of her was aware of him. His scent
filled her senses—hot male mixed with plain soap.
    He moved, his mouth pressing to her ear. She
closed her eyes, trying to control the shiver traveling up her
spine.
    “They’re using the console. Can you see what
they’re doing?”
    Ria blinked and tried to see through the
grate. God, he was so hot. “One has their hands on the dome. And
both of them have their eyes closed.”
    “What else?”
    She focused on the one at the dome. “He’s
concentrating.” More successfully than her. Zayn moved beneath her
again and this time she thought she felt a hard bulge. She bit down
on her lip. “Maybe it’s some sort of telepathic thing?”
    “Nothing in our research showed the Tekton
are telepathic. But they are secretive.” He shifted again. “Damn
Ria, you have a body designed to drive a man wild.”
    She froze. He felt it too. This powerful
pull that was tangling them closer together. But did he see her or Viktoria? She wrestled with her emotions and tried to
focus. “Maybe the console is attuned to thoughts. You direct it
with your thoughts.”
    He made a humming sound. “Possible.” He
moved an arm and it slid around her waist. “Sorry, it’s going to
sleep where I had it.”
    She needed air. She needed some space
between her and this man or she was going to turn into him and
plant her mouth on his.
    “One of them has moved to a shelf,” Zayn
whispered.
    Ria saw one of the Tekton at a shelf but his
body blocked what he was doing. Then he moved away. “They’re
leaving.” Thank God .
    After the two Tekton had left, she pushed on
the grate and crawled out of the tight space. She stood, and
squashed the small pang of loss she felt now that she was no longer
pressed against Zayn.
    Zayn moved to the console and pressed his
hands to the dome and closed his eyes.
    Ria watched the gases inside start to swirl.
“Something’s happening.”
    His brow crinkled. “I’m focusing on the
Assassin’s Guild Headquarters. Come on, come on .”
    She saw an image through the fog. A plan
inscribed on a silver plas-sheet. A quiet chime sounded and she
spun. Discreet lights built into the base of one shelf were
glowing, about eight feet up.
    “Got it! Well done, Zayn.”
    His eyes popped open and he grinned. “Let’s
grab the plans and get out of here.” He reached the shelf but
couldn’t quite grab the map. He glanced around. “Where’s the
ladder?”
    She didn’t see one.
    He made a ‘come here’ gesture with his
hands. “Get on my shoulders.”
    Ria straightened her spine and gripped his
hands. In a smooth, powerful move, he dipped and