by Anna Hackett
His lips lowered close to her mouth. His gaze ran over her face. “It doesn’t have to make sense. But to me, it feels damn right.”
He kissed her.
The taste of him flooded her—he’d tried one of her chocolates, and tasted of hunger, raspberries, and sin. The kiss was a tangle of tongues and teeth, and he growled into her mouth. She fisted a hand in his thick, silky hair and pulled him closer.
The sudden blare of a siren made them wrench apart. Both of them were breathing heavily.
Her short-circuited brain started firing. It was the alarm for the squads. “I have to go.”
He pushed off her, then gripped her hand and helped her to her feet. They stood there for a second, looking at each other. Then he slid a hand into her hair, pulling her face up to his, but stopped short of kissing her again. “Be careful.”
She waited for more. For the demands, the orders, the ultimatums.
When he said nothing else, she nodded. “I’ll see you when I get back.”
He leaned down and grabbed the flower he’d dropped. It had somehow survived their fight. He handed it to her. “Count on it.”
***
Niko couldn’t stop himself from heading to the Command Center. He knew Squad Nine had gone into the field to save a small band of human survivors who needed help.
As he walked in, he could hear Arden talking in her calm voice. But there was an urgency underlying it. Holmes stood with his hands behind his back, watching the screens intently.
On the screen, Niko watched the Hawk lower toward the ground. On the stretch of road below, he could see humans in three beaten-up vehicles, under attack by raptors.
“We’re going in hot, Nine. Let’s do this.” Roth sounded like he was talking about them going out to play a game of basketball.
Niko knew the squad was good, but it didn’t stop him from worrying.
He saw Mackenna and the others leap off the quadcopter. The feed was a chaotic blur of laser fire, frightened shouting, and the deep grunts of the aliens. Niko locked down his emotions. The woman he wanted was a soldier. He had to deal with that.
He saw the way the squad tore into the aliens. Mac and Cam were covering the humans where they huddled near a car. Roth led the rest of them to take down the attackers.
The squad worked together well—anticipating each other, backing each other up.
They were magic.
“Another raptor patrol incoming. They’re one klick away.” Arden tapped on her screen. “Come in, Lia. I need a drone redirected out to the north of Squad Nine’s current location. I need more details on these incoming raptors.”
“On it,” Lia’s voice came across the speaker.
Suddenly, Niko heard a high-pitched growl cut across the lines. His head snapped up. What was that?
He heard Mackenna’s curses, then her frantic voice. “Roth! The humans we’re helping…they are raptor hybrids. I repeat, raptor hybrids. It’s a trap.”
“They’re armed,” Cam shouted.
Nyet. Niko stared at the screen. Beside him, he heard Holmes mutter a sharp curse.
Lia’s new drone appeared, giving them clear images. The feed made Niko’s stomach clench. He could see now that the humans that were right near Mac and Cam were actually hybrids. Humans who’d had their DNA altered and alien DNA added. Some had scaled patches on their faces, others had red eyes, and others had claws on the ends of their hands.
Arden shot out of her chair. “Lia, I’ve lost the feed from drone one. Can you get it back?”
Niko spotted the now-black screen.
An expulsion of breath on the speaker. “I’m not sure what’s wrong with it. My people are working on it—”
Niko watched as the feed on another screen blinked out. What the hell?
“We’ve lost another one,” Holmes said.
“I need the feed to see the incoming raptor patrol,” Arden shouted. “I need it back!”
The final screen went blank.
Niko could still hear the screams and grunts. He could still hear swearing from the Squad Nine soldiers.
Then he heard Roth’s voice. “What’s that in the sky? Shoot it! Shoot it now.”
“Roth,” Arden said. “We’ve lost visuals on the drone feed. If we lose—”
Suddenly the sound cut off. Silence.
Arden sat back and pressed a hand to her mouth. “We’ve lost everything.”
His gut rolling, Niko moved forward. “What the hell do you mean?”
The door slammed open and Lia raced in. She stared at the screens with horror. “We have no feed in Squad Nine’s area.”
Niko’s heart was hammering against his chest. They were blind.
Holmes reached forward and grabbed the mic on Arden’s desk. “Roth, abort. Get back here.” There was no response. “Do you copy? Abort!”
Silence.
Niko spun to face Arden. “Hell Squad. Get them out there to help. Now!”
Holmes gave a sharp nod, and the comms officer frantically tapped at her screen.
Niko stared up at the blank screens. God, Mackenna, be okay.
***
Niko paced in the Hawk hangar.
“They’re fine,” Holmes said from nearby.
Niko knew Hell Squad had made it out and rescued Squad Nine. They were all on the way back in.
But he wasn’t going to feel any sense of relief until he saw them. Saw her.
An alarm sounded as the overhead doors retracted. A second later, he saw the shadow of the Hawk lowering.
Its skids touched down, and the side door slammed open. Marcus leaped off, followed by the rest of Hell Squad. Niko shifted impatiently. Then Squad Nine exited.
When he saw Mackenna, covered in blood and gore but unhurt, Niko finally released a breath.
He wanted to touch her, quite desperately. But he was filled with a volatile emotion he’d never felt before. Hell, in his previous work, he’d been known for having ice in his veins.
Right now, he was more volcano than ice floe.
He saw her talking with Roth, and then she pressed her hand to her leader’s arm and nodded.
She was alive. Niko turned around and stalked out of the hangar. He needed to contain this emotion before he approached her. He didn’t want to risk saying the wrong thing to her again.
He needed his paints or his clay.
He strode through the corridors and ended up in the Enclave library. He had a small corner set up like a studio.
Thankfully, no one else was in there. He only had the rows of books for company. It was a lovely spot, lots of warm wood, and deep, burgundy leather chairs. Usually, the space soothed him and let him be creative.
Right now, it did nothing to soften the jagged edges inside him.
On the wall was one of his paintings. It was a wild, chaotic picture he’d done not long after they’d moved to the Enclave. A representation of his life before, the violence of his past.
He stepped in front of his easel, uncapped his paints, and set to work. This would be no pretty, delicate painting. It would be much like the one on the wall. Maybe the violence of his past really wasn’t as gone as he would have liked.
A little while later, he sensed her.
Breathing deeply, he spun, holding up his paintbrush like a sword. She’d taken her upper armor off, but still wore it from the waist down. Her dark-green T-shirt stuck to her body, outlining the sweet shape of her breasts.
They stared at each other across the space.
“I made it back okay.” She walked closer, but he could sense she was wary.
With rigid control, Niko put his brush down.
Mackenna stopped just a few meters away. With a growl, he moved toward her and scooped her up. As his mouth crashed down on hers, he backed her up against the shelves.
Her hands clung to his shoulders, and she kissed him back.
He swept his tongue into her mouth, and she met him halfway. Her hands moved to cup his cheeks, her tongue dueling with his.
He pushed deeper, needing the taste of her, the connection.
She made a hungry noise, her hands moving again, sliding up under his shirt. Niko felt wild, untamed. He was filled with want, need, desire. All for her. As he pushed against her harder, a book fell off the shelf and thudded onto the floor. He ignored it.
He shoved up her shirt now, and pushed the fabric of her sensible sports bra out of the way. He pulled her upward and clamped his mouth down over one of her nipples. He sucked on her and loved her small, wild cry.
“The door’s…open,” she panted.
Niko didn’t give a crap.
But he moved his lips back up, nipping at her neck before taking her mouth once again.
Then he heard a tinny noise. A voice. With a frown, he finally managed to drag his mouth from hers. Her head was tilted, and he realized the voice he heard was in her earpiece.
She licked her lips and it made him groan. He pushed his hips forward so his bulging cock pressed against her.
Something flared in her eyes, but she kept her hands on his shoulders. “That was Arden. We both need to go to a meeting in the Command Center. To discuss what we found out on the mission.”
Niko pressed his face to her hair and breathed deep. He nodded. Sometimes being in charge sucked.
Then he felt Mackenna’s hand stroke his cheek. “I really am okay, Niko.”
He dragged in a breath, smelling her scent. That faint perfume of lush flowers mixed with the sweet smell of sweat. Alive.
He stepped back. “We’d better go.”
Chapter Seven
By the time they neared the Command Center, Mac almost had her wild desire under control, but there was still a hot trickle in her veins. She hadn’t felt attraction like this for so long, and now she was wild for one man.
As she and Niko pushed through the doors, she felt her squad mates watching her. She refused to make eye contact with any of them.
“What have we got?” Niko asked.
Lia pointed at a screen. There was a blurry image on it and Mac squinted. It looked vaguely birdlike, and the same as the brief flash of what she’d seen in the sky on the mission.
It had been pretty touch-and-go—hybrids rushing at them, raptors firing, and something flying in the air overhead, taking out the drones.
“What is it?” Niko asked.
“We’re not entirely sure yet,” Holmes answered.
Lia cleared her throat. “It looks like some sort of bird of prey. Whatever this thing is, it’s a drone killer. It’s either some sort of device or alien, and it’s targeting our drones.”
“We managed to track where this drone killer has taken the last few drones it’s destroyed.” This time it was Elle Milton who spoke. “It keeps heading toward Sydney Airport.”
“The alien ship?” Marcus asked.
“Nearby. There’s an industrial area that’s made up of old fuel tanks. For some reason, the drone killer is taking the drones it destroys back there.”
Holmes stepped forward. “We need to find out what it is, and we need to know how to defeat it.”
From beside the general, Niko shoved his hands on his hips and scanned the room, his face serious. “If we’re ever going to take these aliens down and drive them off our damn planet, we need the drones. They are vital to providing our intel and to keeping everybody safe—the squads and the civilians. We need a plan.”
As Niko started discussing ideas with General Holmes, Marcus and the other squad leaders, Mac sensed her squad members flanking her.
“That man is so damn sexy,” Sienna murmured.
“Must be that hot Russian blood,” Taylor said. “I bet the man can kiss.”
“Forget that,” Cam said with a drawl. “I bet that man has a big cock.”
Mac made a choking noise and glared at her friends. “Hello? Debrief and planning a mission here.”
“Oh?” Cam said. “So, you want to tell me why you look like you’ve been kissing somebody? Your hair is all messed up.”
Mac instantly raised a hand to smooth over her hair, and immediately realized there was nothing wrong with it. She glared at Cam, but her friend was already giving her a “gotcha” look.
“Ladies? Anything you want to add to this?” Niko asked.
Mac straightened. “No.”
Cam turned with a smile, cocking one hip. “Please, go on.”
Niko tapped his fingers against the desk in front of him. “General Holmes and I are agreed. We need a team to sneak into the drone killer’s home area. We need any and all information we can get on it.” He sighed. “But we have a big problem.”
Mac crossed her arms over her chest. She knew exactly what the problem was. “Whoever goes in will have no drone support. It’ll be a blind mission right into the heart of alien territory.”
Silence fell around the room.
It was a suicide mission.
***
Niko scanned the tough, determined soldiers around him. He knew this was going to be a dangerous mission, but none of them looked concerned.
“This mission will be all about stealth,” Holmes said. “The team needs to get in and out quietly.”
“We need anyone with advanced recon and covert operations experience,” Niko added. “We cannot afford to be found anywhere this close to the alien base. They find us, we die.”
“I’ll go,” Mackenna said.
Niko pulled in a breath. He’d suspected she’d volunteer, but that didn’t mean he liked it.
Roth nodded. “She’s my best at stealth, and she’ll provide good firepower, in case you need it.”
“Let’s hope we don’t need it,” Niko replied. He saw her watching him, waiting for what he’d say. She was waiting for him to disappoint her again. He traded a look with Holmes, then nodded. “You’re in.”
Her face didn’t change, but he sensed her relief.
“Gabe,” Marcus said.
The big man gave one single nod. Niko had no doubt that Gabe would be excellent on this mission.
“Count me in.” A crisp, English-accented voice. “I’ve been in the area a few times, so I can help.”
The words came from Devlin Gray. Niko still had trouble believing the man who looked like he’d stepped out of the pages of GQ magazine was also good at sneaking into alien territory. But he was Santha Kade’s right-hand man on the intel team, and everyone said Devlin Gray was beyond good.
Holmes inclined his head. “I’d hoped you’d say that, Devlin.”
Niko nodded. “And I’ll be going. The general and I agreed that we should keep the team small. Four will be good.”
He saw Mackenna’s head shoot up, her eyes widening. “You?”
Hell Squad’s Shaw spoke. “Aren’t you an artist?”
Niko didn’t look at the man, he just kept his gaze on Mackenna. This wasn’t how he’d wanted to tell her about his previous life. Hell, he didn’t want to tell anybody. He’d worked so hard to put his past behind him and had hoped to leave it there.
“Before I came to Australia…I worked for Russian Intelligence.”
A hush fell over the room.
He dragged in a deep breath. “I was part of a specialized unit.”
“What unit?” Mackenna demanded.
He paused. “Zaslon.”
“Zaslon was a myth, a rumor,” Elle said quietly.
“No.” Marcus’ gravelly voice. “They weren’t. I saw some of their agents once. They were ghosts.”
“You were an assassin,” Mackenna said.
Her face was so carefully blank he suspected she was never going to look at him the same way again. “I can get in and out of this location better than any of you.” Stealth had been his skill. That…and killing.
Mackenna shook her head. “You’re out of practice. You’ve been here in the Enclave for almost two years, and before that, you were out of the field for however long. Besides, you’re a leader here, you’re important…”
Niko saw everyone turn and stare at her. “My life
is no more important than anyone else’s.” A lesson he’d learned the hard way. “I can do this.”
“I think I can vouch for him.” This time it was Avery Stillman, Roth’s partner, who spoke. “When I was with Coalition Central Intelligence, we had a very thick file on a shadowy Russian agent simply called Nikolai.” Her gaze met his. “I’ve connected some dots.”
“Nikolai is a common Russian name,” Niko said.
But there were loud gasps around the room. This was the one secret he’d hoped never to reveal. He looked at Mackenna and saw a mix of emotion on her face—shock and horror were the loudest of all.
“You’re the Nikolai,” she said.
Shit. He inclined his head. Yeah, he guessed it wasn’t much fun to find out the man you’d been lusting after was a deadly agent and assassin with the most confirmed number of kills in intelligence history.
Most days, he could barely live with it himself.
He cleared his throat. “We leave tonight at 03:00. I suggest those of you on the team get prepared, get some rest, and be ready to leave.”
Niko left the room without looking back.
***
Mac tried to sleep. But after two hours of tossing and turning, her sheets tangled around her legs, she gave up.
She had all her gear ready for the mission, but she felt edgy and tense. She thought about heading to the gym and beating something up, but instead, she found herself heading to the tunnel leading up to the Garden.
When she walked into the garden area, she instantly felt her muscles relax. Moonlight filtered down from above into the silent space, and the smell of grass and leaves hit her.
Mac kicked off her shoes and walked out onto the grass. It was soft and cool under her feet. It was then she realized that she didn’t have the place to herself.
Frozen, she stood there watching him. He had an easel set up and was painting wild, bold strokes. His jeans hung low on his hips, and his white shirt was undone, baring a hard, bronzed chest. His feet were bare like hers, and for some reason, she found that outrageously sexy.
She was conflicted about his past. She was a soldier, she’d killed, but always in the heat of battle. She wasn’t sure how she felt about an assassin who snuck in and took lives in the shadows. How could she reconcile the man she was getting to know, this man in front of her right now, with what she’d learned? Steady, sexy hands, the creative artist, the natural leader…and now she had to add ruthless assassin.
