“I don’t know. I feel like something is wrong, but I don’t know what.” I turned and placed a kiss in the center of his palm. “It’s just nerves.”
Or missing Zarren?
No. It’s not that.
You sure?
Shut up.
Oberon pulled me into his arms and wrapped me up tight. “I will not allow anything to happen to you.”
“What about you? Down there in that stupid Hive base?”
“Do not worry about me. I have seen many battles. I do not fear the Hive.” He pulled back and looked down into my face. “I will come back to you.”
“I’m going to be really angry if you don’t.”
He chuckled and lowered his lips to mine. One touch and I was gone. His.
* * *
Zarren Helion
Weapon drawn, but at my side, I grimaced and forced my mind to focus on my surroundings before the final, glacial vestiges of transport faded from my limbs.
“What the fuck?”
The outburst was followed by the sounds of weapons being readied, warriors moving into position to surround me and the two I’d brought with me. Elite Hunter Kayn and Warlord Razmus stood on either side of my position.
A quick glance at my surroundings assured me I was exactly where I needed to be. We faced off with a full ReCon team, in uniform and armed, ready to fight. Small ship, stealth variety, black metal similar to the one I’d just left behind—upon which the remainder of my crew remained, ready and waiting for my command.
I was here for one reason. One. My mate.
Willow was mine. She was on this ship. And if Oberon, or anyone else, had hurt one hair on her head, I would fucking kill them first and ask questions later.
I’d told Willow I was a monster. That was, in fact, the truth. She simply had not seen that side of me. Yet.
I put my blaster away and lifted my hands over my head to wait out the startled shouts and deadly movements of the Coalition forces Prime Nial and Thomar Arcas had assigned to this mission.
They should have fucking asked me first. Seemed to be a theme, of late, assuming I didn’t know exactly what I was doing.
Not the safest approach, perhaps, appearing unannounced on a ship no one was supposed to be able to find. But I had Kayn. The only beings he could not track? Dead ones.
Like Amalia Arcas, and the dozen other females who had disappeared around the same time. Kayn looked for weeks, forall of them.He found nothing, not the smallest trace.
Oberon had refused to listen to reason. Sentimental. I admired his dedication to his family, but not when it placed my mate in danger. He had taken my female off my ship and brought her here, to a forward operating combat vessel on the verge of launching a certifiable suicide mission. Inside Hive controlled space.
Fucking idiots. The lot of them.
“Don’t move. Don’t fucking move.”
I knew that voice…
A human male moved from my peripheral vision to stand several paces in front of me, rifle pointed directly at my chest. He made sure to stay far enough away that I would need to think twice before rushing him. He was cautious, and deadly.
No wonder I liked him.
“Captain Mills. I assume my commander is here with you.” It wasn’t a question. I knew Chloe was on this ship. And she was mine, a top officer in the Intelligence Core. Whyshehad not contacted me before accepting this mission was a topic I fully intended to bring up the moment I had her alone.
