Not my problem,he thought as he turned around in his seat.And better him than me.
As much as Aric enjoyed female company, he didn’t have the time for romantic entanglements, nor the interest. He had his eye on another prize--a warrior team of his own to command one day--and nothing was going to stand in his way of earning it.
Not even the lethal brotherhood of Opus Nostrum.
Least of all, them.
Commander Rowan’s comm unit buzzed with yet another call as they arrived at the airport and made their way to a private hangar where one of the Order’s fleet jets waited, fueled and readied for the eight-and-a-half hour flight back to headquarters.
“Lucan Thorne’s calling,” Mathias said as he put the SUV in park. Instead of talking on speaker, he disengaged it and brought his comm unit to his ear. “Rowan here.”
He glanced at Aric while the Order’s leader spoke on the other end of the line. “We’re at the hangar now. They were just about to board for D.C.” Mathias listened for another moment before holding the phone out to Aric. “He wants to talk to you.”
Aric took the device from him with a mix of unease and curiosity. “Yes, sir?”
“Change of plans,” Lucan said. “I need you to make a stop in Montreal before continuing on to headquarters. I’ve already informed the pilot.”
“Montreal,” Aric considered aloud. “That’s Nikolai and Renata’s turf.”
The Russian-born warrior was one of the Order’s elder members. Niko and his Breedmate had met in that city years ago and since settled there to head up the command center in Montreal. The formidable couple was expecting the birth of their first child any day now, although based on the all-business tone from Lucan, Aric doubted this abrupt redirect had anything to do with a social call.
“Niko knows you’re coming,” Lucan said. “You’ll be briefed on the details of your mission once you arrive. Say nothing to anyone else until then.”
His mission.
Holy shit. How long had he been waiting for this moment?
Finally, the chance to prove himself the warrior he knew down to his marrow he already was.
Would Lucan test him with a seasoned Order member like Niko? Or would they send him on patrol with one of the Montreal warrior teams first, make him work his way up from the bottom?
He could hardly wait to find out.
“Yes, sir.” A smile tugged at the corners of Aric’s mouth as he answered Lucan’s command. “Hell yes, sir.”
CHAPTER 2
The vampire lurked behind her in the darkness, concealed by the dense forest parkland. With the moon obscured by heavy clouds, the only light was the distant twinkle of Montreal, which sprawled in the valley far below Summit Woods.
Kaya Laurent couldn’t see the threat that stalked her as she made her trek through the trees, but she felt it with every urgent beat of her pulse. The Breed male had her in his sights, just waiting for the opportunity to attack.
And he wasn’t alone.
Two others were with him somewhere in the woods, closing in on her like a pack of wolves.
Kaya hurried along the bramble-strewn path, adrenaline fueling every step. She had no hope of outrunning her pursuers, but she had to try. Behind her in the shadows, a twig snapped under a heavy foot. She ran faster, her heart climbing into her throat.
Dammit.
Her goal was in right in front of her, less than a quarter-mile ahead. If she could reach the large oak at the perimeter of the woods, she’d be home free.
If she pushed herself, she might actually make it before--
“Shit!”
Nearly three-hundred pounds of fast-moving Breed male hit her from behind like a freight train. Even though she was mentally braced for the attack, the sudden collision jolted a cry out of her and sent her to the ground in a punishing crash.
Kaya grunted, forcing her body into action even as her head filled with an explosion of stars. Rolling away a mere instant before her attacker would have pinned her beneath him, she scrambled to her feet. At that same moment, the second vampire materialized out of the night woods. Then the third, moving in to block her path on the other side.
