by Anna Hackett
“Magnus—”
“No.” His tone was hard. “I’m not taking you into the desert. I’m not taking you back there.”
She swallowed. She didn’t want to step foot in Zaabha ever again, and she didn’t want her baby anywhere near there. But more than anything, she wanted Sam found and Zaabha destroyed.
“Without the suits, we both know the chance of following the off-worlder without being discovered is next to nothing. If they spot you, Zaabha will be gone, and so will Sam. It could take months to find it again.”
“You’re pregnant.”
“But I’m not an invalid. I’m healthy, and I’ll have protection. I’m also not stupid. Once we reach Zaabha, I won’t enter it. I’ll hide in the desert until you get Sam.”
Magnus’ hands curled into fists and a muscle ticked in his jaw.
“Earth women.” There was a dose of commiseration in Kace’s tone. “They won’t let you lock them safely away, and they don’t follow orders.”
Rory elbowed him.
“And they are more courageous than the fiercest gladiator,” Kace added.
“I don’t want you to go out there.” Magnus’ voice was a growl.
“I’m not particularly happy about it, either, but I need to help save Sam.” Ever patted her belly. “I have to be a good role model for our child.”
Magnus spun, resting his hands on the back of his neck.
“I can’t stay here, locked behind these walls, when I know I can help Sam. The risk is low, Magnus.”
He moved suddenly, swiping an arm across her bench, knocking bottles to the floor.
She winced.
He turned and shot her one furious glare, then he stalked out of the room.
With her heart hurting, she looked at the broken glass on the floor. She shot a tight smile at Kace and Rory. “Well, that went well.”
Magnus paced his office. He didn’t look up when Galen stepped inside.
“You don’t look ready for the mission,” Galen said, voice dry.
Magnus spun around. “Life was easier when I could shut off my emotions.”
Leaning against the wall, Galen crossed his arms. “And you can’t now?”
“No.” Magnus shoved a hand through his hair. “Not with Ever. She short-circuits everything.”
“Apparently women have a way of doing that.”
“They never have before.” Magnus dropped into his chair and it creaked under his weight.
“Ever updated me on the stealth suits,” Galen said.
Magnus struggled against the combination of annoyance and pride. “Her work is amazing.”
“Yes.” Galen pushed away from the wall. “And the suits would give this mission a huge chance of succeeding.”
Magnus looked up. “Did she also explain that she needs to come?”
“Yes.” Galen sighed. “We’ll protect her.”
“Things go wrong on missions, Galen, you know that.” In his head, he saw images of Ever hurt, or worse. They taunted him. “I know she wants Sam back safely.”
Galen leaned against Magnus’ desk. “It’s not just that. She wants you back safely, too.”
Magnus raised his head, an unfamiliar feeling spreading through him. She was doing this for him, too? “How do I let her go into danger?”
“If you don’t let her help, if you don’t trust her, you’ll…damage something inside her.”
Magnus groaned. “I know. And she’s drakking well aware that I can’t say no to her.”
A faint smile crossed Galen’s face. “I am so glad that I haven’t lost my mind.”
“Your turn will come, Galen.”
“I’m too old and too smart for that, my friend.” An inexplicable look crossed Galen’s face before he smoothed it away.
Magnus sighed. “I’ll talk to Ever about the mission and prepare the team.”
“She’s in her lab, working on the other suits.”
Of course she was. She wouldn’t be napping or resting. “You’ll bring two gladiators?”
Galen nodded. “Raiden and Nero. Nero is my best tracker, and we might need his tracking skills. And I’ll have my backup team join yours.”
Magnus leaned back in his chair. “The backup team will stay out of range. Once we find Zaabha, we’ll signal them to come in to help us take it down.”
“So the initial scouting party is me, you, Raiden, Nero…”
“Ever and Jaxer.” Saying her name made his heart hurt. He trusted Jaxer with his life, so he was the only one Magnus trusted enough to help keep Ever safe.
“We’ll make sure no harm comes to her,” Galen said.
They would. Because if anything happened to her or the baby… Magnus’ cybernetic hand curled.
Galen pushed away from the wall. “I’ll prep my team and see you when it’s time to depart.”
Magnus watched his friend leave. Time to update Jaxer and his other gladiators.
It was an hour later when he went in search of Ever. He silently slipped inside her lab. She was focused on her work, her dark curls falling around her face. He moved up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her.
She jolted, then her body relaxed a fraction. “Make some noise next time.”
He leaned down, pressing his face to her hair. He still felt tension in her body. “Are the stealth suits ready?”
She nodded. “I’d prefer to have another week or two to perfect them.” She tipped her head back, her green gaze meeting his. “But they’re as ready as they can be.”
“Are you ready?”
The tension drained out of her and she smiled. “Yes. Thank you for letting me come, Magnus.”
“It is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”
Her eyes flashed and she leaned into him. “I don’t want to go back to the desert, or anywhere near Zaabha, but I want to be a good example for our child. I need to do the right thing, the honorable thing.” She went up on her toes to kiss him.
His woman from Earth had a steel-hard spine, grit, and the heart of a cyborg. She terrified him.
“Then let’s get ready.”
Chapter Twelve
Ever peered through the gloom, straining for any glimpse of the off-worlders.
Nothing. Held tightly in Magnus’ arms as he jogged through the desert sand, all she could see was darkness.
They’d been following the group for hours, and night had fallen some time ago. Their team moved fast and was on high alert. She was well aware that night in the desert brought out dangerous beasts, as well. They hadn’t been able to ride the tarnids that were commonly used for travel in the desert, but she knew the off-worlders were riding the six-legged, scaly-skinned beasts.
She’d managed to jog for the first hour, surrounded by tough gladiators and her cyborg, but when her energy had flagged, strong arms had wrapped around her and lifted her up against a hard chest.
Ever hated the idea of being a burden, but she wouldn’t ever complain about being held in Magnus’ arms.
“Am I too heavy?” she whispered.
“Shh. I can carry you like this for days.”
There. She caught a glimpse of light ahead, and heard the faint sounds of talking and laughter on the warm desert breeze.
Just the thought of these bastards being excited to go to Zaabha made her feel sick. She leaned into Magnus’ warmth and tried to absorb some of his strength and calm.
Her suits were working. She glanced around them and saw no sign of Galen and the others. She sensed they were there, heard their feet shift on the sand, but they were virtually undetectable in the obscurity of the night.
Suddenly, Raiden flickered back into view.
“Stop,” she said.
They crouched and Magnus set her down. She quickly touched the side of Raiden’s suit. It was stretched seamlessly over all his hard muscles. She made the adjustment.
The camouflage flickered back to life.
“Thanks, Ever,” the rugged gladiator murmured.
They
kept moving, having to stop a few times for her to adjust for the glitches. But all in all, her stealth suits were working far better than she could ever have imagined.
“Halt,” Galen whispered.
They all hunkered down at the top of a sand dune. Ever had a good view of the off-worlder’s entourage in the depression below.
“They’re making camp,” Magnus said, in the softest of whispers.
Ever watched several men setting up what looked like a fence around the perimeter of their space. Others were opening large, circular tents.
“The fence emits a signal that keeps the night beasts away,” Magnus told her. He lifted his cybernetic arm, and a small device the size of a large marble detached from the metal, and floated silently in the air.
“I haven’t seen a scanner bot that small before,” Galen said.
“New tech my weapons makers have been working on.” Magnus nudged the bot, and it flew off into the night. “It only has a tight range. But it’ll keep an eye on the off-worlders, and we can pull back a little and set up our own camp.”
Down below, the off-worlders had started a fire. There was loud laughter, more raucous than before.
“Pull back.” Magnus gripped Ever’s arm and helped her walk down the other side of the dune.
“Nero, you take first sentry duty,” Galen ordered. “Make sure no one leaves that camp.”
“On it, G,” the big gladiator rumbled.
At the base of the dune, their team moved to make camp. Ever watched the men pull out small devices. With the press of a button, they snapped out into dome-shaped, two-man tents.
“In you go.” Magnus held one tent open for her.
Ever gladly slid inside. She was tired. Inside wasn’t spacious, but she didn’t care. From Magnus’ pack, she pulled out some light blankets. The desert was warm tonight, so they didn’t need much.
“Eat.” Magnus sat down beside her, his big body dominating the space. He dropped a packet of…something…in her lap.
Ever opened it and munched on a mouthful of the tasteless, dried food. “What is this?”
“Protein.”
She wrinkled her nose and took a sip of water from one of the water bladders. Her body felt exhausted, but her mind was wired. She couldn’t forget that they were in the desert, and the Carthagoan deserts weren’t very hospitable.
And Zaabha and the Thraxians weren’t far away.
She felt a tug on her feet and glanced down to see Magnus stripping her boots off.
“Stealth suit, next,” he said.
She nodded and pulled the suit off. It would be too uncomfortable to sleep in. She tilted her head and listened, but didn’t hear any sounds from outside. These warriors certainly knew how to be quiet.
Magnus lay down and grabbed her hand. He urged her down beside him, tucking her close to his body. He was a big, hot, comforting presence behind her.
“We’ll find it, won’t we?” She thought of Sam, and all the others trapped in the floating desert arena.
“Yes. Tomorrow, Zaabha is ours. Our backup teams are prepped, and as soon as we find it, we’ll go in, storm the arena, and find Sam. Then, we’ll destroy the abomination.”
His tone was implacable. Ever nodded, picturing everything he said. He sounded so sure.
They lay there a few minutes longer, and she kept waiting for her muscles to relax. But as Magnus shifted against her, she felt another flame ignite.
Oh, no. The last thing she needed on a dangerous mission was to be feeling turned on again. Not now, hormones. She tried to stay still, but then she rubbed against him. His big hand splayed over her belly, and she rubbed again. She felt something hard prod her ass, and she smiled in the darkness.
Her breathing grew heavy, and she heard his deepen, as well.
“Magnus.”
“Shh.” His hands slid over her clothes, shifting them. He shoved her trousers down, and a hand slid in between her thighs. He started stroking her.
Yes. She made a small, husky moan.
“You have to be quiet, Ever.” His lips were hot at her ear. “Can you do that?”
She nodded. He kept stroking her, and she knew he couldn’t miss the fact that she was embarrassingly wet for him. She bit her lip, trying to control her cries.
She heard a rustle behind her and then Magnus lifted her leg, pulling it over his hip. A second later, his big cock slid into her from behind.
She moaned, biting down on her lip.
“Quiet.” His voice was strained. He thrust inside her, over and over again. His heavy body pressed against her, that thick cock filling her up. She couldn’t stop the tiny noises coming from her throat.
He reached over, pressing his palm against her mouth. She bit down.
With every thrust, his breath was a harsh expulsion in her ear. He kept his hand over her lips, while his other hand moved between her legs and stroked her clit.
Ever came hard. Her cry was muffled by his hand, her body shaking. He shoved into her one last time, his teeth sinking into her shoulder as he poured himself inside her.
When she could think again, she felt him shift, pressing gentle kisses to her skin. They were blanketed in darkness, the desert quiet around them. His big hands slid up her body, cupping her belly, and their growing baby.
Ever closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the feelings inside her. She couldn’t keep lying to herself. She was falling in love with Magnus Rone.
And it felt perfectly right.
He nuzzled into her, and she leaned back into his strength. She was falling in love with a strong, honorable cyborg, and they were having a baby. She’d never found a connection like this with anyone on Earth.
But unease filtered through her. Magnus had never experienced love…and she wasn’t even sure he believed in it.
She turned her face against his skin. It didn’t matter. She’d show him it existed.
But as sleep slowly dragged her under, she knew all they could focus on right now was rescuing Sam and surviving this mission.
Magnus woke, his internal clock telling him that dawn wasn’t far off. It was still mostly dark outside, only the faintest murky light creeping into the tent.
He took a moment to stay where he was, holding Ever’s sleeping body against him. It felt…so good. It felt right. He blew out a breath. He was relaxed and happy, and happy had never been a goal of his before she came into his life.
He stared down at her face in the faint light. Beautiful. He gently disengaged and watched as she turned farther onto her side. With a smile, he ducked out of the tent.
Galen was already up, crouched at the top of the dune with Raiden. They were staring down at the other side.
Magnus loped up the sand, studying the gladiators’ faces. “Problem?”
“It’s all quiet at the camp,” Raiden said.
Magnus frowned. “The scanner bot detected no one leaving the camp.” He’d checked it numerous times during the night.
Raiden lifted his shoulder, and his red cloak flared in the breeze. “Everything looks fine. No one’s moved since I took over the sentry post. But something feels off. It’s too quiet.”
The three of them knelt at the top of the dune, looking down at the off-worlder camp. Magnus detected no movement. He zoomed in with his cybernetic eye. The tents were all in place, and on one, a loose piece of fabric flapped in the breeze. There were no fresh tracks leading in or out of the camp.
He switched his vision to infrared and cursed. “There are no heat signatures inside the tents.”
“We’ve kept watch all night,” Galen said. “Nobody left.”
“Unless they have some stealth suits, too,” Raiden said with an edge.
“Or they flew.” Galen shifted, shaking his head. “You’re sure the scanner bot didn’t detect anyone leaving?”
“Yes. I don’t know how they did it, but they did.” Magnus’ neck prickled. “It’s a trap.”
Galen cursed. “You think they knew we’d follow them?”
> Magnus gave a grim nod. He jogged back down the sand dune and straight to his tent. He lifted the flap. “Ever. You need to get up.”
“What?” She sat up, pushing her tangled hair out of her face. “What’s going on?”
“Somehow the off-worlders snuck out of their camp. We think it’s a trap.”
She scrambled to her feet and yanked on her boots. “Where the hell did they go?”
Suddenly, the howl of several beasts echoed off the dunes around them.
Magnus straightened, backing out of the tent. Around him, the gladiators pulled their swords, and Jaxer yanked out twin laser pistols.
“Stealth suits?” Raiden asked.
“They won’t hide our weapons,” Magnus said. “But everything helps.”
Ever rushed out of the tent, and Magnus pulled her close. Drak, no. His heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t want her in the middle of the fight.
“Ever, get your stealth suit on.”
She nodded and quickly yanked it over her clothes.
They all raced up to the top of the dune, and instantly he saw the beasts loping toward them. Predators of some kind. The desert beasts interbred often, creating new and varied monsters. There were four big, shaggy creatures running with mighty strides, riders sitting atop them.
A screech reverberated through the air and he lifted his gaze. Several giant flying creatures were also moving in, with large flaps of powerful wings. They also carried riders.
“Drak.” Galen kicked the sand.
“Ever,” Magnus said. “You need to stay down—”
“No.” She lifted a laser pistol he’d given her at the start of the mission. “I’m military trained, Magnus, and I’m a good shot.” There was steely determination in her face. “We all have a better chance of surviving if we all fight.”
“They’re getting closer,” Galen said. “They look like fighters from Zaabha.”
Magnus didn’t care who they were. He would protect Ever against anyone or anything that tried to hurt her.
“Here we go,” Raiden yelled, lifting his sword. He activated his camouflage and his body blinked out of view.
The others did the same. Magnus watched Raiden’s and Nero’s swords as the men raced down the dune, sand kicking up behind them. Scenting them, several beasts leaped in their direction.
