by Nina Croft
She made to move forward, but Milo grabbed her from behind. “You can’t go, the whole place is going to blow any second now.”
“But we have to save her.” She fought against his hold. But he was too strong, and tears streamed down her face.
“No, Destiny. It’s too late. You can’t save her. Besides, she doesn’t want to be saved.”
“I don’t care.”
The alarm on Milo’s comm unit beeped. He went still for a moment, though he didn’t release his grip. Then he turned her in his arms and hurled them both to the floor as a huge explosion erupted behind the closed door.
Chapter Forty
“…The friends we have lost do not repose under the ground…they are buried deep in our hearts. It has been thus ordained that they may always accompany us…”
—Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
Milo covered Destiny with his body as heat washed over them.
When he peered up, flames licked at the edge of the doors. The lights went out, replaced by a flashing red glow and the continuous buzz of the fire alarm. The sprinklers came on and cold water drenched his back.
They had to get out of there. Responders would be arriving any moment now. Destiny had gone completely still beneath him, but he wasn’t sure how cooperative she was going to be. Maybe best not to give her the choice. He jumped to his feet, getting a quick glimpse of her accusing eyes before he grabbed her by the waist and slung her over his shoulder and ran.
He pulled his pistol from its holster. As he raced into the docking bay, two men in green jumpsuits entered. He shot them both in the chest and ran on. He paused at the top of the ramp and looked out. “Shit.”
A group of guards were heading his way, too many to take. He reached for his wand as a sound behind him made him turn. Footsteps. Lots of them. A mass of people appeared in the doorway. In various stages of undress, they swarmed into the docking bay, all seemed dazed and confused.
They must be the people woken from cryo. No doubt they’d come around and immediately heard the alarms and panicked.
Destiny punched him on the back.
“What?” he asked.
“Let me down.”
“Not yet.” He turned to face the horde. “This way out!” he shouted.
They ran toward him. He waited until they were surrounded, and then he went with them, down the ramp. Through the crowd he could see the soldiers standing to the side, obviously with no clue what to do in the face of the swarming masses.
They slowed as they reached the ground, milling about, unsure what to do, where to go. Milo edged to the side of the group closest to the forest and then slipped away. He ran to the cover of the trees and kept going until the sound of voices faded. In a small clearing, lit by starlight, he placed Destiny on the ground. She blinked up at him and a tear rolled down her cheek.
She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, he lowered his head and kissed her. Dr. Yang was dead. They were alive.
She went still against him, and then she was kissing him back, fiercely, her lips hard against his, her tongue thrusting into his mouth, and his dick stiffened.
A little voice shouted in his head that they didn’t have time for this. He shut it down. They might never have time for this again. He needed it, and he was guessing she needed it more. An affirmation of life in the midst of so much death.
He cupped her face in his hands, deepened the kiss, then slid his hands down her throat, over her shoulders. He kissed her neck and she moaned. Gripping the hem of her T-shirt, he dragged it over her head. Her nipples were hard and he ran his palms over them, then down over her stomach. He flicked open the buttons on her jeans and pushed them down as she kicked off her boots. And she was naked and alive and the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. And likely they were going to die.
Love never worked out well for him, but in that moment, he realized that it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but this moment of connection, this intense feeling of belonging that gripped at his heart.
He sank to his knees and kissed the soft pale skin of her belly, the blond curls at the base, and felt her hands stroke at his hair, hold him to her. He got back to his feet because his dick was hard, and he needed to be inside of her, and they were running out of time.
He kissed her again, heat filling him as her fingers fumbled at his waist. Not fast enough, and he pushed her hands aside, unfastened his pants, and his dick sprang free. He groaned as her hands clasped him and his head went back. She squeezed and he groaned again.
He nipped her neck, then licked her skin as he cupped her ass in his hands and lifted her slightly, her legs wrapping around his waist as he backed her up against the smooth bark of a tree. Staring into her eyes, he shifted her in his arms, positioning himself at the entrance to her body. Then with one sharp thrust, he filled her and for a minute he stood, still staring into her face, holding himself still, savoring the sensation of being deep inside her.
“I love you,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
“I love you, too.”
Her eyes glowed. He moved then, and her muscles tightened around his dick, trying to hold him inside her. He tightened his grip on her ass as he pushed back in, grinding against her and her eyes widened, a shiver running through her. He pulled out, loving the drag of her tight flesh against him. Then in again, rotating his hips, and her head went back. He repeated the action, watching the pulse fluttering in her throat. He could feel the tension rising inside her, her legs gripping him as she pushed herself against him. One more time and she broke apart as shudders coursed through her body.
He released his control then. Burrowing his head in the side of her throat as he pounded into her, each thrust carrying him higher and higher, until the last one forced him over the top and he was coming, falling. He lifted his head so he could see her face as he tumbled and know that she was there to catch him.
“I love you.”
For long minutes, they stood wrapped around each other, his cock still buried deep inside her, their hearts beating in time.
He lowered her gently to the ground, then kissed her softly.
“I always wanted to fly,” she said. “That’s better than flying.”
“Much better.” He kissed her again, then eased out of her and a look of sadness flashed through her eyes. “We have to go,” he said.
“I know.”
He fastened his pants, then leaned against the tree and watched as she pulled her clothes on. “We’re already late for the rendezvous with Rico and Dylan.” As she finished dressing, he held out his hand. She slid her palm into his as he drew his wand. Her eyes widened. “Hold on,” he said.
And she did.
Chapter Forty-One
“Punctuality is the politeness of kings.”
—Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
They materialized in the tunnels.
Destiny blinked, her gaze settling on the two figures directly in front of them. Rico and Dylan.
Milo was getting better at controlling his magic.
Her body still throbbed from the aftermath of their lovemaking. It had been the most beautiful experience of her life. And she supposed her next thought should be that now she could die happy.
No way.
More than anything, she wanted to live. She wanted some sort of life with Milo. She didn’t care where. As long as Milo was with her, she would be home. Trouble was, she didn’t think it was going to be so easy.
Maybe they should forget the nukes and just run away. Hide where no one could find them. Soon Luther Kinross would die. Dr. Yang had said his heart was failing. But Kinross wasn’t dead yet and he could presumably do a lot of damage before then.
The truth was, she hadn’t been born to be a savior to humanity. Just to one man. A megalomaniac who’d carried the seeds of destruction from Earth. A man
she was tied to by bonds stronger than family. She was him. What did that even mean? She searched inside herself for some form of recognition, but she didn’t even know what he looked like.
“You’re late,” Dylan said, stepping forward and pulling her out of her introspection.
“And the pair of you look like you just got laid,” Rico added, his tone accusing. His gaze dropped to where their hands were still connected. She almost pulled away, but then tightened her grip instead and Milo squeezed in response. A smile tugged at her mouth. Rico’s eyes narrowed. “Mierda, I can’t believe I’ve traveled five hundred years, with no fucking problems, and then I finally get here just to be faced with this. And the two of you are shagging and holding hands as if the sky isn’t fucking falling.”
“What’s happened?” Milo asked.
“They blew up his shuttle,” Dylan said. “He’s a little pissed.”
“I am seriously pissed,” Rico growled. “We’re going to have to steal another. Dios, I’ll steal the fucking Trakis Four if that’s what’s needed to get off this fucking shithole.”
The vampire didn’t sound happy. His eyes glowed crimson. Was that normal? She glanced up at Milo, but he didn’t seem to be concerned. “We stick to the plan,” he said. “We get the nukes. Take them back to the ship. Destiny can disarm them while we go take one of the other shuttles—”
“We’ve been through this—they work on biometrics,” Dylan said. “We can’t fly them.”
“Then we’ll take the crew if we have to.” He glanced down into her face and smiled. “We’re getting through this and going home.”
“Mierda,” Rico muttered. “He’s in love. Brilliant timing. And do you remember how it turned out last time? I had to pick up the fucking pieces.”
“Yeah, and you did that really well.” Milo dropped her hand, stepped forward, and poked the vampire in the chest. “You sold me into fucking slavery for ten years.”
Rico grinned and the tension seemed to ooze away. “You’re still alive, aren’t you? Though not for much longer at a guess.” He exhaled loudly. “Okay. While I’m tempted to just leave now, I don’t like the idea of some dickhead with nukes and a grudge against us. So let’s go see what we can do about that.”
Dylan led the way. Milo and Destiny followed with Rico bringing up the rear. The tunnels were quiet, and they met no one.
“No guards,” Dylan said.
“Likely the explosion on the Trakis Four worked in our favor,” Milo said. “They’ve sent everyone they had to investigate and deal with a few thousand Chosen Ones we woke up.”
“Let’s get this done before they come back then.” Rico brushed past them and approached the door. He pushed, but it was locked, and he swore.
Milo stepped up, placed his hand on the lock, and whispered a word. He opened the door, then raised an eyebrow at Rico. He was so clever, her warlock. As he stepped into the room, Dylan came to stand beside her.
“So did you find out who you are and what this mysterious role you have to play is?”
Mind your own business. The words hovered on her lips because she wasn’t sure she wanted to share. In fact, she knew she didn’t. She felt a little…she wasn’t sure, embarrassed maybe. Because she had been so naive. Though in her own defense she could understand why she had been the way she was. She’d had no one to believe but Dr. Yang.
“I’m a clone of Luther Kinross,” she said.
Rico turned around at her words. She squirmed a little under the scrutiny. Then she took a deep breath and said the rest as fast as she could. Get it over with.
“Kinross has a weak heart. He needs a new one. Hence, I came into existence. It seems I’m nothing but spare parts.”
They were all staring at her now and she scowled. “What? Have none of you ever seen a clone before?”
“Nope,” Rico said, studying her closely. “Shouldn’t you be a man?”
“Apparently not. Dr. Yang made a few changes. I think she was a little bored.”
Dylan was studying her, his head cocked to one side. “Yeah, I can see the resemblance, now I know. I always did get the feeling you were familiar. Jesus. Are you going to start acting like him? Any ambitions to take over the world?”
“I’ll let you know.” She glared. “Are we doing this?”
Rico chuckled. “I like your girlfriend,” he said to Milo. “Okay, move people.”
Destiny hurried over to where the nukes were stacked. The wooden cases were around six feet in length, three feet wide and two feet high. She figured they could carry one between two of them. That would be six journeys.
“Can’t you magic them to the ship?” she asked Milo.
“I’d rather not. Just in case…”
Rico shuddered. “No way. We carry them.”
He picked up one end as though it weighed nothing, and Dylan took the other, and between them they carried it from the room.
Milo looked at her. “Are you okay to do this?”
“Of course.” She hated that she wasn’t as physically strong as they were. But she could manage one end of a nuke. She hoped. Milo picked up his side and she picked up hers. It was heavier than she’d expected. Milo frowned, then whispered a word and the weight vanished.
All she had to do was guide the thing, and they caught up with Rico and Dylan as they were carrying their bomb up the ramp.
Rico glanced back over his shoulder. “You know, maybe we should just get some explosive and blow up the tunnels, bring half the planet down on top of this thing. Might be easier than taking them with us.”
She didn’t want to blow up the alien ship, but she kept her mouth closed. She’d read about nukes. She would do anything necessary to make sure they were never used as a weapon.
“Let’s decide when Destiny has had a look at them,” Milo said as they dumped the box down and headed back out. “If she can disarm them, we go that route. If not…”
As they came down the ramp and stepped onto the sand, Destiny stroked the smooth metal of the ship. “I’ll be sad to leave her behind,” she said. “She’s the first thing I ever thought of as mine.” She sighed. “She needs a name.”
Milo whispered a word and the illegible script on the side of the ship shimmered and reformed. Destiny’s Heart.
She smiled. “Perfect.”
They did four more journeys with no problems. But their luck couldn’t last. As they were setting off on the last and final journey, lights flashed in the tunnel that led to headquarters. She heard the sound of feet on the rock floor.
“Shit,” Milo muttered, pulling his wand from his belt.
In front of them Rico and Dylan came to a halt, and both of them glanced back over their shoulders. Without any warning, something whizzed over her head. It hit the tunnel wall almost directly between her and Rico, exploding with a roar and a flash of light.
For a moment she was blinded. Then Milo shoved her to the floor, and she went down. Rocks were falling and everything was chaos, noise and dust and panic. She couldn’t move. Milo was a dead weight on top of her.
Was he dead?
He couldn’t be dead. She wouldn’t think that.
She wriggled and he rolled off her. Pushing herself onto all fours, she shook herself. Everything was dark. Groping, she found Milo, then trailed her fingers over him until she found his throat and the steady beat of his pulse. The tight band around her chest loosened. He was alive.
But for how much longer? All around her the tunnels creaked as though they were about to crumble. They had to get out of there.
Then lights flashed on. Her gaze flew to Milo where he lay on his back close by. His eyes were closed, but she could see the rise and fall of his chest. Rocks lay all around them. One must have hit him on the head while he’d been protecting her.
She rubbed the dust out of her eyes. Rico and Dylan were nowhere in sight.
Hopefully they were on the other side of the rubble and not under it. They had to get out of there. But the tunnel back to the ship was completely blocked. No getting out that way.
She shook Milo’s arm. “Wake up.” Nothing. She gritted her teeth and slapped his face. “Wake the fuck up, Milo.”
His eyes blinked open and he focused on her. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head and looking around. “My wand?”
“There.”
She pointed to where it stuck out from under a huge lump of red rock. He reached for it, tugged, but it was stuck solid. He opened his mouth, no doubt to do some clever magic thing, when a click sounded behind her and she turned slowly.
Silas stood there, a rifle in his hands, aimed at Milo. “You should have just gone,” Silas said. “Why the hell couldn’t you have just gone?” His finger tightened on the trigger.
“Hold on, baby,” Milo murmured from beside her.
Her eyes widened, then she gripped his arm.
And the world disappeared.
Chapter Forty-Two
“‘Farewell kindness, humanity, and gratitude! Farewell to all the feelings that expand the heart! I have been heaven’s substitute to recompense the good - now the god of vengeance yields to me his power to punish the wicked!’”
—Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo
They were in the cavern beside the spaceship, Destiny gripping his arm so tight he thought his bones might snap.
The nuke lay on the sand beside them. It hadn’t blown up. Thank fuck.
Unfortunately, his wand had been left behind in the rubble. Damn. He had an idea he would be needing it before this was over.
“We’re safe,” he said. For now. He wasn’t sure how long that would last. As he spoke, Rico and Dylan emerged from the tunnel, still carrying the nuke between them.
Rico halted in front of them and grinned. “Impressive. Let’s get these on board and then decide what to do next. Will your wards hold?”
“They should. We’re safe for now.”
“They’re going to keep coming,” Dylan said. “Any moment and the place will be crawling with Kinross’s men.”
