by Laney Kaye
As the three of us sat alongside the warmth of the flames, I scraped the first cooked egg from the stone and handed it to her on the flat blade of my knife. She rolled her eyes, then stood and leaned across me, her breasts swinging tantalizingly near my face, barely covered by the thin fabric of her shirt.
I’d stuffed her bra in my pack. Having her wear a shirt to maintain a façade of decency in Jag’s presence was enough of an obstruction to my wandering hands.
She selected an egg from the pile near my feet, cracked the green-speckled shell and dropped the blue contents direct into her mouth. Swallowed, then dashed the back of her hand across her lips, laughing at my expression.
“Disgusting. You needn’t think I’m kissing that mouth anymore.”
“Really?” She straddled my lap, arms around my neck. “Are you sure you don’t want to?”
“Oh, I’m sure,” I lied, dropping my knife as I seized her waist, sliding my hands up under her clothing, my thumbs seeking her nipples.
“Maybe you’d rather kiss me somewhere else, then?”
I nuzzled her neck, nipping at her collarbone. “What’re you offering?”
On the other side of the campfire, Jag dragged himself to his feet. “And there goes my appetite. Herc, I’m gonna climb that ridge over there, see if I can pick up any landmarks.” He gestured to an outcrop about five clicks away, barely visible, but the largest feature we’d seen for hours.
“No, Jag, I’m sorry.” Maya tried to untangle herself from my lap as she spoke, but I held her firm. “I know where we’re headed, there’s no need for you to scout.”
“Let him go,” I growled, my need rising. It’d been hours since I’d had her.
Jag shook his head. “I need to take a walk, anyway, to cool down so my legs don’t cramp. A slow walk,” he emphasized. “But not so slow the sun finds us. Reckon it’ll take me about an hour to get there and back.”
Though Khal would whip him in a race, it’d actually only take Jag ten minutes to cover the return journey. I tried not to grin too big. “I figure we’re making good time. Four hours till sun up, a half-day till we hit the headquarters, if we shift. Don’t rush, dude.”
“First time I’ve ever had that order from you, Cap.” He mock saluted with two fingers to his forehead, turned and loped off.
“Not so slow,” Maya observed.
“Nope. Think he’s trying to put a bit of distance between us. Maybe so you can get loud again.” I pulled her in against my chest, relishing the warmth from the junction of her thighs against my naked flesh. “Now, we could use this little reprieve for you to tell me some more about your Resistance.” A shadow crossed her face, so I kissed her chin, trying to banish it. Danger and duty awaited us, but surely we could grab a few damn minutes for ourselves first? “Or we could work on making sure you don’t resist me.”
She giggled. Each time she did that, sounding suddenly young and girlish, I felt like I grew ten times larger, more protective.
I wrapped my arms further around her back. Although I wanted to fuck her again, I also wanted to make love to her. And I wanted simply to hold her close, to silently bond with her through touch, our breaths mingling, our eyes locked.
Her expression serious now, she slid a palm up each side of my face, her thumbs rasping in my stubble. “Have I told you how much I adore you, Herc?”
I screwed up my face in thought. “Can’t recall. Maybe not. How about you give it a try?”
She pressed her lips to mine, the kiss sweet and loving, no tongue.
Gods, this woman slayed me.
I wound my hand into the back of her thick hair, my mouth moving gently across hers. As my lips found her jaw line, she arched back, exposing her neck. “I mean it, Herc. I adore you.”
I frowned. She was nearly with her comrades. I’d see her safe, head back to the Regime compound. Do the right thing by Spike—my gut clenched at the memory of loss—then lead the guys back to join the Resistance. Whatever happened from here in, Maya and I were a team. Bonded.
My fingers followed her hairline, brushing a strand of gold back from her suddenly sad face. “Nothing’s going to happen, Maya. We’re together forever, now.”
“I need to tell you someth—”
The hairs on the nape of my neck prickled as I caught Jag’s low warning growl. Lifting Maya from my lap, I thrust to my feet. Whirled to push her deeper under the slight overhang. “Get down. Quick!”
As I spun back to kick sand over the fire, the air around us exploded in a lightning storm of light and sparks. The deadly whine of laser fire tore the fabric of the night. I flung myself on top of Maya. Damn, I needed to shift, to provide more bulk to cover her, but in this position, I’d crush her.
A scrabble of movement to my left jerked my head around, claws extended.
Jag’s glowing blue eyes reflected the zaps of the laser pinning us down. He shook his head and shifted back.
“Goddamned drone,” I grunted. “Cover Maya, I’ll take it out.”
“Wait,” Jag snarled. “It’s not only that. There are troops camped behind the ridge. A fuckload of the Regime. We can’t go that way.”
Maya struggled beneath me, trying to make herself heard. “We head south for a day then, and double back. But we have to get rid of the drone, it’s scouting. Once it gets back to the base, they’ll download the tech and have our location.”
“It doesn’t damn well need to get back, this firestorm will have alerted them,” I said. “I need to draw it off. Jag, you take Maya south, like she said. I’ll meet you at the HQ.”
“You take her,” Jag countered.
I’d already lost one man. It wasn’t happening again. And this was my fault. I’d figured we were far enough from Regime outposts to be clear of the short-range drones. “That’s an order.”
“Well, you don’t get to order me.” Maya’s voice was terrified but furious. “In fact, no one gets to order—”
A bullet slammed into my side, knocking me from where I crouched over her.
“No, Herc!”
A second drone whined through the night, both the machine and the noise camouflaged until it was upon us. Together, the units worked a grid pattern, shooting up the ground in a tight square around us, programmed to respond to the residual heat of our fire.
“Well, that fucks up that argument doesn’t it?” Dragging myself back to a crouch, I tried to joke through the pain, not let Maya know how deep the missile had penetrated. “I can’t run with you, Maya. Not until this wound fixes itself. But I can take out one of those drones and lead the other away. The troops will follow it, and I’ll lose them easy enough.”
She glanced at the machines, making sure they weren’t approaching us. “I’m not leaving you, Herc. You damn well promised we’d be bonded forever.”
Yeah. Bonded until death, anyway.
I put my hands on her cheeks, a last caress as I willed her eyes to meet mine. “Maya, I need to know you’re safe. I can’t move fast, and that’ll give the drones time to lock in on our double heat signature the moment we leave this overhang. I have more chance alone. You have more chance with Jag. You have to get to the Resistance, as fast as you can, warn them that the Regime are this damn close. And find a way to send a message to Leo and Khal. If these troops spot us and get word back to Smithton, my guys are compromised. They need to get the hell out of that compound.”
Gods, it hurt, sending her away from me, when all I wanted to do was hold her and keep her safe.
She bit her lip for a moment, her huge eyes liquid and shining. Then she reached for her pack and nodded to Jag. He shook his head and shifted as she leaned forward, pressing her lips to mine, tears streaming down her face. “I love you, Herc. Forever. Be safe.”
Chapter Fourteen
Maya
By the time we’d doubled back south, then east, making sure we threw the Regime off our tracks, it was late in the day when we reached the perimeter of the Resistance fortress. Ahead, guards had descended fro
m the fabricated sandstone towers guarding the entrance. The towers blended in with the surroundings, but a discerning eye could tell they were there. Beyond them, craggy cliffs rose, surmounted by rolling dunes, an ocean of sand. It might look like an ordinary series of hills, but it was my home. My friends waited for me inside the caves beneath those mounds.
The guards, dressed in tan and brown fatigues, spread out as they approached us, and sunlight glinted off their raised weapons.
They wouldn’t shoot at us without verifying our identity first. I hoped not, anyway.
By the time I’d been able to make out the disguised Resistance compound in the shimmering distance, Jag had shifted back into his human form and dressed in his camos. It was enough I arrived with a stranger. If I’d bounded up to the entrance astride a jaguar, all hells would break loose.
We walked toward the gate, keeping our hands visible at our sides. No sudden movement. There’d be more guards watching us from the towers, rifles primed to fire. And while they’d know who I was almost immediately, they wouldn’t know if Jag was a friend or foe. For all they knew, he could be holding me hostage, moving forward with a weapon trained on me, ready to make demands.
“Jag?” I said, my steps slowing.
“Yeah?”
“Before we reach the troops, I should tell you I’m the queen of the Resistance.”
Coming to an abrupt standstill, he pivoted to face me, eyebrows high. “No joke?”
“No joke.”
He chuckled and started walking again. “Herc doesn’t know?”
I strode faster to pass him. “No.”
Grinning, he shook his head and a lock of ink-black hair fell into his eyes. “I have a feeling it’ll be hard for the cap to miss something like that.”
Jag was enjoying this too much.
“I plan to tell him when he gets here,” I said with an authority I wasn’t sure I felt. But I’d fake it until it became real.
Of course, this assumed Herc made it out of the desert. My heart clamped tight, as if my ribs had caved in and crushed it. Would I sense through the bond if Herc died? My twin-bond with my sister had failed me, I’d not known the second she passed. Tears welled in my eyes, like I already mourned Herc alongside Selina. Too much loss. Each step I’d taken away from him— from them—bit another chunk out of my soul. I’d only be able to breathe when Herc was back by my side. For Selina, there was no return, though, and that thought severed something deep inside me.
I swallowed down my tears.
I should’ve told Herc the truth about me when we were in the abandoned caves. But we’d been getting to know each other. Bonding. I’d wanted to savor every moment, without letting reality intrude. Plenty of time for that in our future.
“How do you think he’ll take it?” I asked.
“Two alphas in your pride? It’ll be interesting.” Jag smirked my way. “For my money, he’ll stomp around fuming for a second, then tell you it’s okay when you smile.”
I hoped life would give me a chance to smile again.
We approached the checkpoint and a cheer rang out. They’d seen me and must’ve concluded Jag was a friend.
One of the guards signaled and another raced for the gate, yelling something I couldn’t quite hear. Probably spreading the word. The large gate creaked open, and he sped inside.
“How’s this going to go down?” Jag asked, squinting toward the entrance. His scanning gaze told me he was assessing the structure, the dunes behind it.
I stood proud, knowing we’d done a great job building our fortress. It hadn’t been easy for a peaceful people to learn defense, and we’d suffered greatly at our prior cave home, because we hadn’t thought the Regime would follow us. Try to exterminate us.
Here, we’d created an impenetrable structure that would outlast us all.
“Once you’ve rested,” I said. “I’ll make sure you’re outfitted so you can head back to the Regime compound.” If he hadn’t been tasked by Herc to protect me until I reached my people, he would’ve left to warn his friends about their compromised position already.
I’d never forgive myself if something happened to the rest of his team.
“I’ll head out as soon as you fit me out, then,” Jag said. “Thanks for the offer.” He grimaced and patted his taut belly. “At least I won’t have to hunt for armatotes. Takes ten of those mangy things to fill me up.”
“We’re well stocked, now.” Not just courtesy of Regime caravan raids, but because we’d made sure we’d never starve again. Deep below, we’d discovered large caves with insects that generated light, enough to grow vegetables and grass to raise animals for meat. “We’ll share whatever we have.”
General Fen rushed through the gate. When I’d left to attempt the rescue, he’d remained in charge. He stomped through the sand, his boots kicking up tiny dust clouds.
I cringed when he bowed, something I’d only seen him do with our former queens—Selina and my mother. I rubbed the heel of my hand against my chest. So, the news of Selina’s death had already reached my people, and they’d look to me to now fill that role. The ache of missing my sister would never go away.
Selina had been the one who relished giving commands, making decisions, being our benevolent leader with all the trappings and restrictions that entailed. I’d been thrilled just pulling my shifts in the infirmary and sharing cramped quarters with other nurses.
When Selina was taken captive, I’d been forced into the role of leader. While some would’ve sent Resistance fighters in to rescue our queen, I’d volunteered. Insisted on doing it, actually. Risking others felt wrong when I could do it myself, and I found it impossible to resign myself to ordering, rather than doing.
If only my plan hadn’t failed for so many.
“We were concerned when you didn’t arrive shortly after the others,” Fen said. His gaze drifted briefly to Jag, but I had to hand it to his poise, because his face remained rock solid. “My queen.”
I gulped at the title. This was real. No going back now. It was time for me to assume command.
“This is Jag,” I said firmly. “He’s one of the mercenaries hired by the Regime.”
When Fen reached for his weapon, I held up my hand. “He’s one of us, now, so stand down. More mercenaries will arrive soon, including Herc, a liger shifter. He’s to be treated with the utmost respect, as are the other shifters once they join us.” I smiled grimly. “They’re fighting on our side, now.”
His eyes widened. “Ahh. Wonderful.”
Once—please gods, make it happen—Herc arrived, I’d introduce him as my bondmate. I owed no one an explanation, but forming a permanent relationship with a man from a distant world was not what my people expected. They’d want to vet whoever I allied myself with. To increase the strength of my rule, but also to form alliances. While we were all part of the Resistance, we were pieces of scattered clans brought together by our combined hatred of the Regime.
My people might want to pair me off with men they believed would best support my ongoing rule, but it was too late. I’d made my own choice, and it was Herc.
“I’m sorry about your sister.” Craters appeared on Fen’s face, and his voice shook. This man had been one of my parents’ best friends. He’d played ball with me and my sister. Read us stories. Told Selina she’d grow into a leader who’d make him proud. “The others told me, but I still can’t believe she’s gone.”
I shoved away the overwhelming pain of my loss. Time enough to mourn her once I was alone. Now, I needed to show strength, even if it was only a façade. Lifting my chin, I waved toward the gate. “I need to gather the company commanders together for a debriefing. In Selina’s office.” My office, now. I squinted into the desert but saw nothing. I could only pray Herc was still safe out there somewhere. But the Regime fighters were out there, too. Tracking him. And coming for us. “An army is heading this way. We need to prepare.”
Fen took in a sharp breath, his gaze scanning the desert. He gathered him
self and saluted. “Of course, Your Highness.”
I barely resisted my urge to demand Fen send a battalion out to locate Herc. But Herc didn’t know a Glian from a Median, and he was hunkered down, hiding while he healed. If Resistance fighters approached, Herc would eliminate them before they had a chance to explain who they were. He couldn’t risk them killing him first.
Going myself was the only option, but I was no longer a nurse or the younger sister of the queen, with few other duties. Leaving the Resistance to save my lover was not an option.
My people expected me to rule. Even if everything inside me shouted I needed to find my bondmate. Return him to my side.
My throat tight, I gave General Fen a brisk nod.
Turning back to the desert, I blinked fast to dispel the tears forming in my eyes. No movement out there. Nothing to tell me if he lived. I could only pray that he did. That he’d heal and come to me soon.
My first steps wavered, but they grew stronger as I strode toward the gate.
Fen and Jag followed.
After a quick bath in Selina’s quarters, I left my room. I bumped into an old friend in the hallway.
“Gaire!” I exclaimed, giving her a long hug before leaning back with my hands braced on her forearms.
“Heard you were back in the caves.” The older woman grinned, her eyes sparkling. “I hoped I’d run into my best nurse.”
A doctor, she’d trained me in nursing years ago, and I’d worked in her clinic since. This woman was like a second mother to me.
“I’m sorry…about your sister,” she said, her smile falling. When she hugged me again, her long, silver hair brushed my face. “But I’m grateful you made it back to us safely.”
“Let’s get together for a cup of cava soon.”
