Benny stepped back, his eyebrows rising. “Looked like about ten of them from the heat signatures.”
Adare looked up to find that Grace had silently joined them on the front porch. She wore a blue sweater and had her hair piled on her head, even after crashing into Benny.
She nodded. “When do you have to go in, Benny?”
“First light,” Benny said grimly.
Grace took a deep breath. “Okay. We all go to the cabin, we do our, ah, thing tonight, and you guys head out in the morning.”
Adare shook his head. “You are not coming.”
Benny cleared his throat. “The security at the cabin is excellent. It’s not any of my business, but she’d be safe there. If something goes wrong, Ronan will fetch her.” He leaned in, whispering loud enough that the neighbors surely heard. “You can get laid, Bro. It’s a good way to face death.”
Faith ran out onto the porch. “Emma said you guys are leaving.”
Her mate, Ronan, filled the doorway behind her. His gaze was somber. “The timeline for the op has changed?” As a member of the Seven, he was well versed in the plan.
Benny nodded. “Yes. The rewards have increased.”
Ronan’s eyebrows rose as he deciphered Benny’s not-so-subtle code. “Confirmed rewards?”
“Yes.” Benny looked at his watch. “We need to go. Now.”
Ronan stepped toward them, close enough that eavesdroppers couldn’t hear. “If there are hostages, I’m coming, too. This just changed from a search and destroy mission to rescue…and destroy. You’ll need another soldier if there are that many confirmed captives.”
He was right. They’d only thought to find a couple of captives. The idea of more was breathtaking. Adare nodded. He, Benny, and Ronan had suffered the Seven ritual together centuries ago, along with Quade and three members who were now gone, and he trusted Ronan not only with his life but with Grace’s.
Ronan turned and looked at his mate. “I’ll be back, Faith. In a few days.”
“Oh, no.” The woman stepped forward and put an arm around her sister’s shoulders. “If Grace is going, so am I. While I don’t know exactly what’s going on, something tells me you guys might need a doctor sooner rather than later. I’ll get my supplies, and then we can leave.”
“This is turning into a caravan,” Benny muttered, looking up at the cloudy sky. “I mean, I want to be a decent wingman and get you some sugar, but this is getting ridiculous.”
* * * *
After a turbulent helicopter ride with Adare piloting the craft, Grace sat on the kitchen counter of Adare’s cabin while Faith set medical supplies out on the table. It was disconcerting, to put it mildly, that everyone knew she was about to play crazy vampire-demon bedroom rodeo that night.
Adare was down in the basement with Benny and Ronan, coming up with updated battle plans. She’d been surprised to see the helicopter hangar set into the rocks at the back of the cabin. What other surprises did this place hold?
Faith finally finished and turned around, her eyes a shade darker than Grace’s and a lot more somber at the moment. “We’ve already had the sex talk. A long time ago.”
Grace grinned. “Yes. That’s one of the memories I still have. I believe you called it ‘putting a banana in the fruit salad.’ Thank goodness for her sister. When their parents had died, Faith had stepped in and become everything to her.
“You called it ‘bone storming.” Faith laughed, the sound soothing.
Grace kicked her legs. “Immortal sex can’t be that different.”
Faith’s eyebrows rose past her hairline. “Oh, girl, do you have that wrong. It’s…” She shook her head and blew out air, obviously searching for the right words. “A box of dynamite times a thousand. The biting and marking are just part of it, as is the immortality. I totally want you to do this to stay alive with me forever, but you have to understand, hybrids aren’t, well, casual about mating.”
Grace swallowed. “I don’t think it’s casual, either.”
Faith gave a half-shrug as if lost for words. “You’ll be connected in a way I can’t explain. Mates can communicate telepathically, and you become a part of each other.”
“Can you?” Grace asked, perking up.
Faith nodded. “Yes. It’s not easy, but it’s possible.”
“Huh.” Grace hadn’t had a clue. Must be a secret mating issue. “I guess Adare and I never tried. Well, we never really mated.” She couldn’t help but be curious about the changes she’d face. “I’m looking forward to knowing him better. If we live through this.”
