Page 56 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 1

“Command, please be aware that whoever’s messing with the plant has disabled all remote access. I’ll have to hardwire into it manually to make sure the pressure doesn’t build and blow the whole place up,” Toma said, running his hand through his hair looking genuinely worried. He caught my eye and signaled for me to pack everything up.

Quick as I could, I stuffed everything we brought back into the pack, strapping things tight to keep them safe as we traveled. I tuned out whatever Toma was saying to command as I focused on my task. Searching the space, I ensured I didn’t forget anything as I slipped the pack over my shoulders and headed for the door.

“Dani.” Spinning on my heels, I faced Toma.

“Head for the barracks. The others will be there already. I need to grab a few things to fix this problem, so I’ll meet you there. Don’t stop for anything,” Toma ordered.

“Got it,” I called as I pulled the door open and bolted into the hall.

Doing just as he asked, I ran the whole way back to the dorms. Skidding to a halt, I unlocked the front door then took the stairs two at a time, making it to the top floor without falling on my face. Taking a second to catch my breath quickly, I dashed down the hall and found our door ajar. I hesitated a moment before it was yanked open and Victor almost bowled me over.

“Fuck, Little Spark, I nearly trampled you. What are you doing lurking in the hall?” he demanded.

“The door was open and I didn’t know who was inside. You all tell me time and time again not to rush into things, so I was waiting to hear who was in our place,” I answered, hands on my hips, not appreciating his snark.

Grabbing the strap to my pack, he pulled me forward and planted a fierce kiss on my lips. “Look at my Little Spark already using her training. Good thing too, because it seems a week is all you're going to get.” In a move I didn’t understand or comprehend, he pulled the pack off my back and shoved me into the apartment. “Go put the rest of the things in your go-bag we set up the other day. We’re leaving in fifteen, so let's see how fast that cute ass of yours can move.”

I spared a second to flip him off as I headed for my room. “Don’t be a jackass, Vicky.”

The bastard just grinned at me, far too pleased with my reaction. In the bedroom, I found Sorin packing the last of his things while my pack was on the foot of my bed, zipped and ready to go.

“Dani-girl, you’re gonna need to put on the full uniform for this,” Sorin instructed.

There was a small closet in the bathroom that held the two uniform jackets that I’d been given, along with Sorin’s. It was made out of a thick material, had a long sleeve, and was velcroed down the front rather than buttons. There were places for someone to put patches on their shoulders, but I didn’t have any so mine was blank. When training, I hadn’t needed to be in full uniform, but it made sense since we were going on a mission. Taking my hair out of the low pony, I pulled it up higher and wrapped it into a tight bun so it would be covered when I put the cap on. They’d stressed time and time again that if I was on a mission, I kept my gender as neutral as possible. The enemy might let women fight, but they always saw us as weaker so they were trained to target them first. This was a fact I was well aware of, yet I understood their desire to keep me safe and I appreciated it.

Tugging on the simple black cloth cap with a brim that shadowed my face, I grabbed my go-bag and headed out to the common room. Sorin caught my arm and turned me to face him, tucking a finger under my chin, urging me to look him in the eye.

“Danella, I need you to understand the second we leave this room that I am not only your commanding officer but the leader of this unit. I wish we had more time to prepare you, a week is hardly any time, but you’re smart and pick up on things faster than most. Be alert, remember what we’ve taught you, and most importantly, obey my orders. I know this is going to be the hardest part for you, regardless of how much training you have. You don’t like blind trust, and while I understand that and in any other situation would respect it, I can’t,” Sorin stated as he searched my face waiting for my reaction.

“I will do my best,” I offered.

“No,” Sorin bit out. “That’s not good enough.”

“What do you want me to say? I’m not going to lie to you,” I countered.

“Danella, do you believe I want to keep you safe? That I would do everything in my power to make sure you come back from whatever this might be so you can see your friends off?” Sorin asked.

When he put it like that, I did believe he would do those things. “Yes.”

“Then I’m begging you to allow me to make that possible. If I can’t trust you will do as I say, then I won’t be doing everything within my power to keep you safe. I’ve been leading this group of men for ten years and have been in the military for eighteen. The knowledge I have is through experience and instinct, things I can’t explain in the moment where I have two seconds to make a call that will impact us all. I’ve seen my unit through hell and come out the other side. Please, Dani-girl, don’t let me fail you or them,” Sorin pleaded.

“Okay, I’ll trust you. For this mission, you have my promise to trust what orders you give me. But know that if I find you’ve used me or betrayed me with those orders, I will never listen to you again,” I warned.

Sorin reached up and pulled the cap off my head before sweeping in to steal my breath away with a kiss. Dropping my bag, I reached for him, fisting his jacket in my hand as I opened for him. The kiss was full of so much emotion I couldn’t tell which one of us needed the assurance of it more. A faint whimper spilled from my lips when he pulled away.

“Thank you, Dani-girl,” Sorin whispered against my lips. “I will keep you safe and will never betray you. That’s a promise I plan to keep forever, no matter where you end up in life. I’ll always find you when you need me.”

With one more toe-curling kiss, he stepped back and placed the cap back on my head. Taking a deep breath, I saw the kind, patient Alpha I’d grown to know shift into the commanding leader of one of the best elite units of the Southern Military. Snatching his bag, he gave me a nod and headed into the common room. Rushing, I grabbed mine and was hot on his heels to find the other four ready and waiting for us.

“Let's move,” Sorin ordered.

Chapter thirty

When the Southern Military moves into action, they don’t skimp on anything. Where the Northern Army was lucky to have vehicles that still worked and hadn’t broken down, I was sitting pretty in a military Humvee. The space was cramped for all of us to fit in, because all the men in my unit were muscled giants, but we made do. Since I was obviously the smallest, I was put in the jump seat. When I say seat, that might give too much credit for the padded four-by-four square my ass sat on that pulled down from the wall. The seatbelt I latched on was a shoulder harness so I felt like I was going to be ejected from the car or go into space.

While maintained and in perfect condition, the Humvee left a lot to be desired in its smoothness. After a few hours, I’d become grateful for the harness. It kept me from being tossed around the vehicle like a rag doll. We’d started out on paved roads that were used often, then that changed to dirt roads that had clearly been created in a hurry. The number of rocks, potholes, and roots that littered the way told me that no one came this way unless they needed to.

What I found interesting is that no one spoke. The second Sorin gave his order to move out, it’s like a switch had been flipped and everyone turned into men I’d never met. Their expressions were determined and, in a way, blank, like they were resigning themselves to whatever might be happening. Since I was in the room when Toma said what was going on, I had an inkling of what we might be heading into but did the others know? I’m positive the base command told Sorin the situation yet since I arrived at the apartment, no one has mentioned the power plant. Could it be that they're worried about talking in front of me? That if I leave after three weeks, they don’t want me knowing things? None of it made sense to me but I kept my mouth shut until I could figure out what the fuck happened to the team of men I was getting to know.