by Anna Hackett
Claudia sniffed and slid her arm along his shoulders. “Fine. But just this once. This doesn’t mean you get to schlep me around like a fucking damsel after we get back.”
“Noted.”
“All right,” Marcus said. “Reed, you carry Selena. We’re going to head back to the river and cross to the other side. Finn’ll pick us up there, while Squad Nine provides cover fire if required. Let’s move.”
Shaw jogged out of the shed. Cruz and Gabe were ahead, checking their way was clear. As they exited the building, they entered chaos.
Raptors were running in every direction. Rexes were still rampaging. In the sky, he saw two sleek, black shadows whizz past, spraying laser fire.
Darkswifts. Squad Nine loved the small, two-seater, powered gliders.
“Move,” Marcus growled.
They followed the line of the trees, heading toward the river. Shaw and Reed stuck to the middle of the group. If any raptors got too close, the others fired and took them down.
With every jolt and jump, he heard Claudia’s stifled groans. She was in a hell of a lot of pain. He gritted his teeth. As soon as they were on the Hawk, he could give her something to help.
As Shaw skidded down the riverbank, he handed Claudia a breather. “Just in case we have to dive underwater.”
“Thanks.”
He set her down gently, still taking most of her weight. “Almost home.”
She watched as the rest of the squad waded into the river, then looked back at him. “I already am.”
Fuck. Emotion made his chest tight. He cupped her face and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. It was fast, barely a brush, but when he pulled back, she was staring at him, wide-eyed.
Suddenly, there was a huge boom.
The ground beneath them heaved, and he grabbed Claudia before she fell.
Above them, the arch of the metal bridge had been blown to smithereens.
Huge, fiery pieces of metal splashed into the river.
“Come on.” He dragged her into the water and, with his arms around her, he pushed off the bank.
A few powerful kicks had them following in the wake of the others. He felt her shiver.
“Shit. Sorry, the water’s cold and you have no protection.”
“Shaw, I haven’t bathed for a week. The water is fine.”
His lips twitched. They were a third of the way across the river when something started hitting the water around them.
He heard guttural shouts echo from the bank behind them, and heard the sound of the raptor weapons. As raptor poison splashed into the water around them, it sizzled.
Dammit. Claudia had no armor. If it touched her skin…he kicked harder.
Then he felt Claudia’s hand slide down his side, tug at his waistband. What the hell?
She yanked his laser pistol out and aimed over his shoulder. “Keep swimming, Shaw.”
He nodded. The laser pistol fired. She had that same look on her face she always did on a mission—tough, grim determination.
The raptor fire fizzled away and soon they were nearing the other bank. The rest of the squad was already out. As he got closer, Marcus waded in knee deep and pulled Claudia out.
Shaw checked his rifle was secure on his shoulder, then held his arms out. “I’ve got her.”
Marcus nodded and handed her back.
Shaw thought he heard her mumble something about a sack of potatoes.
They jogged up the bank and, as they crested the rise, he saw the quadcopter ahead, hovering a few meters off the ground.
Shaw kept his head down, covering Claudia. At the Hawk, he planted a boot on the side step and jumped inside. Claudia made another pained sound. The rest of the team leaped in, and Marcus slammed the door closed.
“Go. Go!”
Shaw swiveled, and through the side window, saw three raptor power boats racing across the river. They were low crafts, made of black metal, with sharp, pointed bows.
Shaw settled in a chair, Claudia in his lap. “Time to strap in.” He barely got the harness around them when the Hawk shot skyward. Nearby, Cruz cursed. Across from him, Reed sat with Selena beside him. She was wet, bedraggled, and her teeth were chattering. Cold and tired, she looked less alien for some reason.
“Selena? You okay?” Claudia asked.
“I’m fine.” Selena managed a wan smile. “Thank you.”
Shaw looked down and froze. A single tear was tracking down Claudia’s cheek.
Claudia Frost didn’t cry. Ever.
“Hey.” He shifted her a little. “What’s—”
“Nothing.” She swiped at her face. “Damn leg is killing me.”
Shaw knew what it was like to be injured on a mission. Sometimes you didn’t even feel your injuries until you got somewhere safe.
“Cruz, Claudia needs something for the pain.” Shaw studied her pallor. “And some fluids.”
“I can wait—”
“Shut it, Frost. We know you’re tough, you don’t have to prove it to us.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and she glared at him. “And to think I missed you.”
Her words had warmth filling him. He slid a hand into her dark hair. It was matted and dirty, and he didn’t give a shit. “I missed you.”
Her gray eyes drooped half closed, and she picked at her trousers. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
Her words were barely more than a whisper.
His hands flexed on her. “I was always coming for you.”
She pressed her face into his chest. Nearby, Cruz pulled open the first aid kit. He pressed an injector to her neck.
“That’ll take the edge off, querida. Doc Emerson has the good stuff back at camp. I think she’ll spare some for you.”
“Thanks,” Claudia mumbled. “Shaw?”
“Yeah.”
“Hold me.”
Shaw’s throat tightened. He wrapped his arms around her more securely, his gaze meeting Cruz’s. He couldn’t read the exact expression on the other man’s face. Then Cruz bent over Claudia’s arm and slid a needle in, before hooking her up to a bag of fluids.
Shaw stroked her hair.
“Don’t let go,” she murmured.
He pressed his chin to her hair. “I’ve got you.”
But Shaw knew he couldn’t hold on to her for long. He just wasn’t good at the love and caring thing. The one person he’d loved…he’d abandoned and failed. His kind of love and caring was poison.
But for now, he was holding onto this woman…until she didn’t need him anymore.
***
It was quiet in the medical bus, except for the occasional beep of some machine. Shaw sat on an uncomfortable stool, his upper armor stacked beside his boots. He watched Claudia sleep.
“How is she?” a deep voice asked.
Shaw looked up at Marcus. The man had showered and his dark hair was still damp. “She’s okay. Doc Emerson sedated her, checked her over for any raptor surprises, and did some work on her leg.”
Marcus nodded and looked to the end of the bus, where Emerson sat in her white lab coat talking with Selena. “And our guest?”
“Seems okay. Weak, dehydrated, shaken, but hanging in there. General was in to see her.”
Marcus grunted. “He’ll be a bit upset to have an unknown alien in our midst.” The leader of Hell Squad frowned, staring at the woman. “We can’t afford to take risks right now. The raptors find us, we all die.”
“You think Selena is an enemy?” She looked as though a light breeze would knock her over.
“I hope not. But we’ll keep an eye on her. The Gizzida have sent sleeper agents in before. That didn’t work out. Maybe they’re trying something new.”
Damn. Shaw hadn’t thought of it like that. “She let the doc take a few samples for testing. She’s cooperating.”
Marcus nodded. “Let’s hope it stays that way. I don’t want to further traumatize someone who’s been a prisoner of the raptors.”
Doc Emerson appeared. “Hi,
Marcus.” She shot Shaw an exasperated look. “I told you to get some rest.”
Shaw crossed his arms. “I’m resting here.”
The doc shook her head, her blonde hair brushing her jaw. “You alpha males are all hopeless. You’d think living with Gabe would have taught me a few tricks for getting around you guys.” She let out a gusty sigh. “When he gets that same stubborn look you have, Shaw, I know it’s best just to give in.”
“Sounds like he has taught you a few things.”
She shot him a mock scowl. “Careful. I have injectors filled with powerful drugs. And women are sneakier than men. We just convince you what we want was your idea in the first place.”
Shaw blinked. Really?
“How’s Selena?” Marcus asked.
Emerson nodded. “Resting. She doesn’t appear to be as strong as us, but she’s hanging in there. I think with some rest, food, and light exercise, she’ll improve.” The doctor’s eyes flashed. “I’m eager to study her biology. Did you know her blood is green? It’s fascinating…” She petered off, her gaze moving between the two of them. “Right, I’m losing you.”
“Claudia?” Marcus asked.
All the excitement leaked from the doc’s face and she sighed.
Shaw reached out and touched Claudia’s hand. It was warm and his tight chest eased.
“They repeatedly broke her leg. It appears they did some minor repair work to it, only to break it again. I’ve given her a dose of nanos, and they are working to heal it…”
“I hear a but in there,” Shaw said, dread growing.
“It’s too early to tell—”
“Doc, just tell us,” Shaw said sharply.
“She might never have full movement in that leg again.”
Shaw’s mouth went dry. “But she’ll walk.”
“Yes.” Emerson looked at Marcus, then Shaw. “But she might not be able to fight.”
Marcus’ face was scary blank. “You’re saying she won’t be fit for the squad?”
Shaw shook his head. “The squad’s her life, Doc. She needs to fight.” He studied Claudia now. Even while sleeping, she didn’t look soft or sweet. Nope, even now, she looked as intense and tough as always.
“Like I said, it’s too early to tell. I’ll know more once she can do some rehab therapy on it. All we can do is wait and see.” She patted Shaw’s shoulder, and walked to her desk at the other end of the bus.
“Damn.” Shaw raked a hand through his hair. If Claudia couldn’t fight…
“She’ll overcome this,” Marcus said. “Same way she does everything else.”
God, Shaw hoped that was true.
She was alive. It was really all that mattered. He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest under the white blanket. Whatever happened, he was here for her.
Chapter Five
Claudia hobbled around the bunk and grabbed the crutch Doc Emerson had given her. She jammed it under her left arm.
She wasn’t in agony, and she was clean, fed, and dressed—thanks to one of Emerson’s competent and bossy nurses. She shifted again and she felt a dull twinge in her left leg. The doc had done everything she could, but the situation with Claudia’s leg was complicated.
Damn raptors had done a number on her. Emerson had been upfront with the facts—there was a small chance her leg might never be strong enough for combat duty. A chorus of blinking lights appeared beneath the fabric of her cargo pants. The doc had found a regen patch that was doing some extra work on her leg. Only downside was that it was a little painful.
Still, nothing compared to what she’d survived this last week. Her hand drifted to her left hipbone, rubbing the ragged scar there. She’d often pass out and wake up with her injuries healed. The frightening thing was, some of them she didn’t remember getting. She hated not knowing exactly what the bastards had done to her.
Screw the raptors. She’d do whatever the hell she had to do in order to be back with her squad, carbine in hand.
Claudia hobbled down the line of bunks. Many were occupied—by people injured in the raptor attack on Blue Mountain Base. She still couldn’t believe the base was gone.
It had been their home, their sanctuary. These people had been living with the reality of that, and life on the run, for over a week. Claudia still needed a bit more time to accept it and adjust.
And right now, she wanted off this bus. She might still need to work on the leg, but she wasn’t staying here. She wanted to be with her squad and she knew there was a debrief scheduled.
At the med bus door, she contemplated the step down to the ground.
Suddenly two strong hands appeared and circled her waist. In one quick lift, she was off the bus and on the ground.
“I could have made it.” She scowled and got comfortable on her crutch.
Shaw raised a brow. “I know. I’m just helping.”
“I’m fine.”
He rolled his eyes. “I see you have a regen patch on. Glad the doc could find one. I know we don’t have many left.”
“Like I said, I’m fine.” Claudia took in the sight of the Swift Wind Convoy and her eyes widened.
They were in some small mountain town, abandoned since the aliens had invaded. Now, vehicles were parked in two long rows, ready to go at short notice. Defenses had been raised, including small, portable autocannons, and she saw Z6-Hunter armored vehicles strategically placed as well.
The convoy vehicles were a mishmash of SUVs, buses, cars, vans and trucks. All converted and retrofitted, so people could live in them as comfortably as possible.
But as strange as the convoy looked, Claudia felt a small sense of pride. The ingenuity and can-do spirit of the Blue Mountain survivors shone through. They never gave up, they just kept adapting, fighting back, and moving forward.
Just then, a small group of kids rushed past, almost crashing into them. They were kicking a soccer ball around, all of them laughing and running into each other.
“Command tent is this way.” Shaw pointed to what looked like a small patch of park. She spotted a canvas tent set up there.
With a nod, she hobbled off. Her crutch caught in a crack on the road, and she nearly fell. Shaw’s hand circled her elbow, holding her upright.
God, she felt like such an invalid. She’d been injured before, but with nanomeds, she’d usually bounced right back. Those little medical machines were miraculous, and could heal just about anything. But this knee, and her injury before this—courteous of a giant Gizzida snake-alien—took longer to heal. Maybe she was just getting old.
“I’m okay.” She tried to jerk her arm out of his hold.
He held fast. “Just lean a little, Frost.”
She didn’t lean. On anybody. She trusted her squad a hundred times over, but she didn’t lean if she was still standing upright. Once, a lifetime ago, she had not just leaned on someone, she’d thrown herself in his arms completely. And as a result, he’d almost destroyed her, body and soul. Lesson learned.
She huffed out a breath. “This injury is temporary.” Maybe if she said that enough, she might start to believe it. Fear was a small acid burn in her chest.
Shaw nodded. “Hell yeah. Nothing will keep you down for long. I know you, Claudia, whenever something is bothering you, you just smash it over the head and show it how badass you are.”
She fought back a smile, and glared at his hand around her arm. “That doesn’t seem to work with you.” She felt the tensile strength of him. He was far stronger than his lean frame suggested.
“I’m helping you over to the damn tent. I already know you’re badass.” He ran his tongue along his teeth, and shot her a sideways glance. “I also know your bark is far worse than your bite.”
Claudia lifted her crutch and whacked it down on his foot.
“Ouch!”
“I’ll make you feel my bite,” she growled.
The air changed. Suddenly, their gazes clashed, clung. A Technicolor image of her biting into his bare skin—his hard chest, his muscl
ed stomach, his… She stared at him, felt heat flare all over, including her damn cheeks.
In his green eyes, she saw it. He was thinking the exact same thing.
God. She took a step back, and her injured leg almost went out from under her. She grabbed at her crutch. She was far too afraid to close the inches between them. This was Shaw. He loved all women, was never without some sweet little thing chasing after him. He was her squad mate, pain in her ass, and her friend. That was it.
“Hey, you two coming or what?”
Cruz’s smooth accent broke through the tension. She turned her head and saw him standing at the open flap of a large khaki tent.
“Coming.” With a sense of determination she usually saved for a mission, she headed in that direction, her crutch making a soft plod each time it touched the ground.
Awkwardly, she ducked inside.
Shaw was there in a second, his arm circling around her elbow again. She opened her mouth to blast him—
“Claudia, great to see you up and around.” This came from Reed.
“Hey, looking good, Frost.” Roth from Squad Nine nodded at her.
Gabe just gave her a slow once-over, then a thoughtful nod.
“Claudia.” Slim arms wrapped around her waist and she smelled Elle’s sweet floral perfume.
Her throat suddenly tight, Claudia hugged Elle clumsily, gripping the crutch in one hand.
Elle pulled back, tears in her eyes. “The guys never stopped looking.” Her words caught. “I knew you’d make it.” She patted Claudia’s arm and moved back to her makeshift desk and comp.
Her own eyes prickling a bit, Claudia searched around for a place to stand. Her leg was throbbing now.
Shaw pushed a chair in behind her.
She waved it off. “I said I’m fine.”
“Sit.”
“Didn’t you hear what I said—”
“I said sit.”
She rounded on him.
He bent down, his head close to hers, and his voice lowered to a lethal tone. “You want that leg to get better, don’t you?”
She felt a muscle tick in her cheek. Damned cocky sniper was right.
He pressed his hands to her shoulders and pushed her into the chair. As she got comfortable, Shaw took her crutch and held it.
