Act of Command: An Immortal Ops World Novel (PSI-Ops / Immortal Ops Book 4)

by Mandy M. Roth

  At last check Ezra had joined the Shadow Ops, a division of PSI that dealt with undercover and solo operatives. The Ops had a handler, but other than that, they had little to no interactions with PSI-Ops in order to maintain their cover.

  Ezra entered, his arms coated in scales that vanished quickly. The man shook his head and puffed out smoke. He glanced around the room. “Mae?”

  Malik stepped out of the way, allowing Ezra to see Mae being held against Corbin. Ezra exhaled slowly, looking relieved. He stepped forward, holding out his hand, a pair of glasses in it. “Here.”

  “Help!” Mae shouted as Corbin went down hard, his head bouncing off the floor.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Mae stayed behind Ezra as a bearded man with long red hair followed her, carrying Corbin’s unmoving form through the smoke-filled halls. The man had a plaid strip of cloth tied around his upper arm, and whenever he spoke she had to lean in a touch because his Scottish brogue was so thick. Leaning in didn’t actually help clear it up though. She kept looking behind her to be sure the man hadn’t decided against bringing what was obviously dead weight to him.

  Ezra grabbed her hand. “Mae, move faster or I will carry you.”

  “But Corbin is bleeding. A lot!”

  “Striker has him and he won’t let anything happen to him. Son-of-a-bitch,” exclaimed Ezra, twisting at the last minute and shoving her against the wall, his body covering hers as he shouted for everyone to take cover. Intense heat rolled over her and Ezra’s body hardened to the point she half thought the man had shifted into cement. When she realized her fingers were brushing over hardened scales, she gasped, looking up to see his face was covered in them as well. More importantly, the flames that had licked by them hadn’t harmed him at all.

  His tongue flickered out and she yelped as she realized it was now forked. He winked, and right before her eyes, the scales and the forked tongue changed back into the man who had helped her and who was still trying to help her. He grinned. “Dragon shifter.”

  She gulped. She hadn’t realized those existed. There was a lot she didn’t know about and she felt as if she’d had a crash course in opening her mind over the past two weeks. It wasn’t that long ago when she’d thought she’d cling to her virginity until she met the right man.

  You did meet him, she thought. Concern gripped her when she didn’t see the man called Striker anywhere. Corbin was gone too.

  Another man, this one missing eyebrows, appeared, holding a large weapon. It was the kind of gun military men in the movies held. “We’re good. What was that?”

  Ezra shook his head. “Malik, Felix is paranoid. He has fail-safes all over this place. The last thing he wants is his buyer’s information falling into a rival companies’ hands. My guess is, this entire place is rigged to blow.”

  A man with long, ink-black hair and eyes that screamed feline came out of a recessed area of the hall. His right arm was charred slightly and he wiped the blackened area away, the skin looking unharmed. Mae couldn’t help but stare at his odd attire. He looked more like he was about to attend a Goth rave than take part in a rescue operation. His tongue darted out and over a lip ring. “I’m Boomer. Nice to meet you, miss.”

  Mae held Ezra’s arms tight, still no sight of Corbin anywhere. Had he been hurt more in the blast? “Corbin and the loud guy? Striker or something?”

  Boomer laughed. “Yep. That would be Striker. Hold on.”

  He moved to a door near him and kicked it, knocking it open. The redhead came out, still holding Corbin like a sack of potatoes, as the man gave the Goth a hard look. “Och, you dinnae have to throw me into a closet, kitty.”

  “Didn’t have to, but it was damn fun,” returned Boomer, flashing a wide smile. He pointed to Corbin, his gaze on Mae. “Still out cold, but he’s not burnt to a crisp so it’s a win.”

  She glanced at the men. “You’re all very odd.”

  Ezra chortled. “No. Mostly they’re just assholes, but they’re assholes who love your mate like a brother.”

  She tensed at the mention of mate, before reaching a hand out in Corbin’s direction. The need to make contact with him outweighed her reservations about being called his mate. “He’s bleeding. A lot.”

  Strike’s jaw set. “Aye.”

  “It’s bad, isn’t it?”

  Malik, the man with no eyebrows, moved closer to her. “Mae, the faster we get him to help, the greater his chances of healing this damage are. Do you understand?”

  “Less talk, more walk?” she questioned.

  He offered a warm smile and she realized that even without eyebrows, he was handsome. He reminded her of a warrior from a movie she’d watched about an evil mummy coming back from the dead.

  She paused. “He said they gave him something that was slowing his healing.”

  “Dammit. She’s right. Their newest sedative has a mix of several drugs in it. A side effect to some can be decreased healing. Others it increases the ability.” Ezra took her hand in his. “We need to move now.”

  “Caesar isn’t coming, is he?” Deep down she knew something bad had happened to him. She couldn’t help but mourn him.

  “No. He’s not.”

  “Brad?”

  Ezra pulled her along, forcing her to move. “I let him out of his cell. And I tasked him with protecting someone. I don’t know if they made it out. I can only hope they did.”

  He was hiding something, she was sure of it, but Corbin needed medical attention so she didn’t push. Within minutes they were free from the building and moving in the direction of a set of SUVs. Ezra held Mae’s hand out to Malik. “Get her to safety. I’ll come after I search for signs of Brad and, well, yes, Brad.”

  Malik didn’t give Mae a choice. He lifted her and loaded her into the backseat of one of the SUVs. He tossed a set of keys at Ezra. “Here. Take the other. Meet us back at headquarters. We’re driving straight through.”

  Ezra stopped. “I have a safe house near here.”

  Malik gazed uncomfortably in at her and then went to shut the door to speak more with Ezra. Mae put her foot out, blocking the door. She leaned. “He doesn’t want me to hear what bad shape Corbin is in. He thinks we need to go straight to where Corbin can get more medical attention. I’ll do it. I’ll go wherever is best for Corbin. You’ll find Brad. Right?”

  Ezra nodded, something off in his eyes. “I will. Be well, Mae.”

  Boomer took the driver’s seat and Striker loaded Corbin into the back of the SUV and made a move to climb into the area next to him. The spot was hardly adequate for Corbin’s mass, let alone Striker’s too. Mae yanked on her dress, moved some, and flipped the release to lay her portion of the second row bench down, allowing Striker to lie Corbin out more. Mae climbed over Corbin, careful not to touch him. She motioned to the other seat. “Take it.”

  Striker moved around the vehicle and took the seat she left for him. Malik sat in the passenger seat. He looked to Striker. “How is he?”

  “Brit has lost a lot of blood and I do nae know how close to his heart he was hit. I couldnae count all the shots. They’re too many and there is too much blood.”

  Mae ripped at the bottom of her dress and used pieces of it to press to Corbin’s bloodiest spots. She didn’t cry at first as they drove. Each time they hit a bump, Corbin hissed in his sleep, and before long she found herself humming lightly next to him, trying to stop his bleeding, her heart breaking for him. He’d finally come into her life and the idea of him being ripped away was so cruel she couldn’t think more on it.

  Instead, she hummed, thinking relaxing thoughts. Trying to will peace, love and healing energy over him, despite having no real clue how to do such a thing or even if it could be done. Finally, he stopped responding to each bump of the SUV and slept soundly.

  Her attention went to the other men in the SUV. Malik was asleep and Striker was doing something to him with a permanent marker while Boomer drove. Striker’s gaze moved to her.

  “Och, lass, keep sin
gin’. He’s sleepin’ right through me giving him new eyebrows.” Striker’s tongue darted out as he concentrated on his task. Boomer hit a pot hole and the pen jerked hard in Striker’s hand. He pursed his lips. “That one will be his evil villain brow.”

  Mae giggled and realized she’d found very little funny since she’d been taken. Laughter was a welcome relief. She took Corbin’s hand in hers and held it to her chest, wanting desperately for him to heal like he had in the lab. Deep down she knew his injuries were far worse than before.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Corbin came awake, and for a moment feared he was in the lab at the holding facility once more. It took him a minute to realize he was at PSI in one of their medical rooms. It helped that James was there, holding a chart and wearing a white lab coat.

  “Mae?” Corbin asked, sitting up rapidly on the bed. Faster than he should have. The room spun and he grabbed a side rail to steady himself. An IV ran from his arm to a bag of fluid and a quick glance down showed he was wearing a pair of scrub bottoms. Nothing else. “Where is Mae? Is she okay?”

  James eyed him. “What is the last thing you remember?”

  “Is my mate okay?” he pressed. He wasn’t in the mood for games. When James crossed his arms over his chest and lifted a brow, Corbin knew the man wasn’t giving up any information until he got the answers he sought. With a sigh, Corbin responded. “There was gunfire and they hit the chemicals in the lab. Smoke filled the room. It hurt to breathe. I was worried for Mae. I wanted to get to her.” He thought harder on it all. About how he’d put her in a cell to try to keep her safe but how the men had shot at it until the glass gave way.

  And he remembered Mae’s limp body.

  He trembled as he lifted his head, his eyes searching his longtime friend’s face for any sign of hope that Mae was alive. James touched the foot of the bed and set the chart down. “She’s fine, Corbin. Not a scratch on her.”

  He let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “Where is she?”

  “You claimed her,” said James matter-of-factly.

  Corbin wasn’t proud of how he’d given into his baser side or how he’d claimed his mate. He’d wanted it to be special and wonderful. Not in some fucking lab. What was done was done. He just needed to get to her, to make sure with his own eyes that she was alive and well. “I did. And I’d do it again.”

  James snorted. “Oh, I know.”

  Corbin tried to stand, but found the room spinning once more. “What happened to me?”

  “You got shot fourteen times,” replied James, giving him a disapproving glance once more.

  “I got what?”

  James groaned. “You took fourteen hits with bullets meant to kill a shifter.”

  “How am I alive?” asked Corbin, getting his bearings somewhat. He put his feet on the floor but didn’t try to stand yet. “How long have I been out?”

  “You’re alive because you mated with Mae. She’s got Fae in her and a lot of other stuff—I’d go into it all, but to be honest, the tests were inconclusive so I sent samples off to Dr. Green with the I-Ops for his opinion. But it’s safe to say that her blood gave you some resistance to silver. Mating to her saved your life.” James touched his shoulder and gave a tempered clasp. “You’ve been in here three days. We were only just able to convince Mae to leave your side. Striker is with her now. At last check he was offering to pose naked for her to sculpt, so I’d recommend feeling better and fast.”

  Corbin groaned. “If I had more energy, I’d kill him.”

  “I know. There is a change of clothes for you in the bathroom. Shower. Clean up before you go find her.”

  Corbin nodded and then glanced at James. “What about the facility? What happened? Did we get everyone out?”

  James stiffened and shook his head. “No. We retrieved some data. Not a lot because they blew most of their files and computers. The team has been trying to contact Ezra. He’s either still undercover or his cover was blown and well, I don’t want to speculate until we know more.” James sighed, the stress of it all showing. He’d been held prisoner not that long ago and many of his wounds weren’t ones that could be seen. Many were mental. “Corbin, from what we were able to gather, they were holding a man named Brad there. His name has come up by way of the I-Ops before. He was taken the same time one of the mates of an I-Ops was taken. Brad and Mae formed a bond in holding.”

  Corbin wasn’t sure he liked where this was going. He stiffened.

  James shook his head. “Not like that. From the files I was able to look at, there was enough overlap in their DNA that I think Mae and Brad are related to some degree. I don’t know that it’s enough for siblings, but I would say cousins maybe.”

  “Did we get him out?”

  From James’s expression the answer was no.

  Corbin exhaled. “Does she know he didn’t make it?”

  “She knows what we do,” said James, standing slowly. “That Ezra was there, working undercover for PSI as a Shadow Operative and that Ezra freed Brad and we can only assume Alice.”

  “Alice?”

  “Mae’s roommate. She’d been taken at the same time from what we can tell. We recovered records on her too. They wanted to breed her as well.” James was quiet for a moment. “We’re still trying to piece it all together. We have a lead on the vampire who was running the operation there. Mae’s not been able to reach her. And before you find out from anyone else, your mother called and spoke with Mae directly. Colette asked if you ripped anyone apart, and when Striker confirmed you did, she wanted us to tell you good boy. She wanted to fly here to be by your side, but Striker convinced her you’d be fine and that you’d need time alone with your mate if she wanted grandchildren.”

  It took him a moment to wrap his mind around what he was being told. Mae’s roommate had been taken as well? Corbin closed his eyes, his heart breaking for his mate. “I need to go to her, James. The shower will have to wait.”

  They both turned at the sound of Striker’s voice filling the outer hall.

  “Lass, he’s nae gonna be doin’ anythin’ other than lyin’ on his lazy English arse healin’. You do nae have to run.”

  Mae appeared in the doorway. She was in a long skirt and a t-shirt. Her long hair was down. Her feet were bare. She had on glasses and her eyes were wide. “You’re awake!”

  Striker scrambled in behind her, looking winded. “Och, by chance did they use the DNA of a track star in your makeup? Oh, Captain, yer awake.”

  Mae beamed and then twisted, hugging Striker tight. “He’s okay.”

  Striker wrapped his arms around Mae and patted her back gently. “Lass, when you cry, I cry. We had this talk already. You cannae be weepy around me. It makes me do the same and I’ve a manly code to live up to.”

  “Why is he hugging my mate?” demanded Corbin.

  James snorted. “Your mate has taken a shine to him. We can’t figure it out. He annoys the hell out of us, but she seems to be able to tolerate him. Strangest part of this all is, he’s not said anything inappropriate to her either. Malik and I think he’s probably dying or something.”

  Corbin stood and met Striker’s gaze from across the room. He nodded to the man. “Thank you, Scot.”

  “Och, Brit, she cannae help yer English.” Striker lifted a hand. “If you see Malik, do nae comment on his eyebrows. I took artist liberties with them and it does nae seem to want to wash off.”

  Mae twisted to face Corbin, her eyes rimmed with tears. She looked to James first. “Can I hug him? I don’t want to hurt him.”

  James chuckled. “You can. Though, I told him to shower first. Just so you know, I tried.”

  She looked to Corbin and he saw it then, uncertainty in her gaze. He stiffened and Striker rubbed Mae’s arm lightly. “Lass, do nae fear him nae wantin’ you. I’ve explained to you already that he claimed you. His mark is all over you. Yer his wife, lass. He will nae change his mind on that.”

  “Change my mind?” asked Corbin,
needing to sit again. She thought he wouldn’t want her? “Mae?”

  “How about we give them the room?” James motioned for Striker to go. The two men exited and Mae inched her way into the room more and more. She bit at her lower lip, her pink tongue easing out, making him hard in an instant.

  Corbin pushed to his feet and opened his arms wide. Mae rushed to him and the next he knew, he was on his back on the bed, his mate on him, covering his face in kisses. He smiled, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to him. As he realized that Striker had indeed explained in detail that Corbin had claimed Mae, he stiffened. “Mae?”

  She stopped kissing him and stared down at him. “I’m hurting you, aren’t I?”

  He held her in place. “No. I just, well, I’m sorry I claimed you the way I did. You deserve better. More.”

  She pressed her lips to his mouth, shutting him up. He knew it was wrong to crave her the way he did, but he couldn’t help himself. Mae stole his hard-earned control. She eased off him, breaking the kiss, making him groan with frustration. A sly smile splayed over her face as she stood and began shedding her clothing, piece by painfully slow piece.

  Corbin jerked, watching the erotic scene unfold, his cock hard enough to hammer nails. Mae was the single most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in all his immortally long life.

  His gaze went to her low stomach and a fleeting thought hit him—what if he’d beget her with child. What if she was carrying his babe?

  She touched his knee and then pulled on the scrub bottoms he wore, freeing him from them. “I want you so bad I hurt,” she said. “Tell me if you can’t do this. I don’t want to harm you.”

  “Oh, I can do this,” he returned, making a motion to stand. She shook her head and pushed on him, forcing him to lie back on the bed. She climbed up and over him, inching down him. She lined her head up with his shaft and grinned once more.

  “Mae, no,” he protested. “Let me love you.”

  “Captain, you’re to lie back and enjoy this. That is an order.”