by Anna Hackett
He smiled to himself. He’d won the battle. He’d keep up his assault until he won the war.
The comm unit beside the bed chimed and he hit the button without thinking. “Yeah.”
“Need you in ops.” It was Tane’s deep voice.
“How did you know I was here?” Hemi asked.
Silence.
Right. His brother was spooky-good at finding people. Had been, even as a kid. Although, if Tane had seen him kissing Cam last night, it probably hadn’t taken much for him to work out where Hemi was.
Hemi sat up with a flex of his abdomen. “I’ll be there.”
He rolled out of bed and pulled his clothes on. He didn’t have time to head to his room to change. He cast one more glance at Cam’s bed, with its twisted sheets, then headed in the direction of the Command Center.
When he stepped inside, he found the room packed with his squad members, along with Hell Squad and Squad Nine. Something was definitely up.
His gaze zeroed in on Cam. She was wearing workout gear, and was studiously avoiding him. Damn, she looked edible. He let himself take in all the long lines of her, while imagining just what was beneath the fabric.
Need slammed into him and his fingers curled into a fist. It was so much worse now that he knew exactly what being with her was like.
“Someone’s still wearing last night’s clothes,” an amused voice drawled.
Hemi glanced over at Ash. The man was grinning at him, tattooed arms crossed over his chest.
“Got lucky?” Levi was grinning, too, his hair pulled up in a messy knot.
Hemi was feeling too good to let them bait him. He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Yeah.”
“Was it good?” Levi waggled his eyebrows.
“Best night of my life.” He wanted to look at Cam, but he avoided it. If he caused messy gossip, she’d skewer him. He might enjoy it, but he wouldn’t put something private out there until she was ready.
He felt his squad mates looking at him with keen interest. Man, they were the worst gossips sometimes.
“Thank you all for coming.” The authoritative voice of General Adam Holmes cut across the room. The general moved to the front of the crowd, wearing a neatly-pressed uniform. He was backlit by the wall of the screens. “I’m afraid your first day of the New Year will be spent planning a mission.”
“What’s up?” Marcus asked in his gravelly voice.
“The tech team has been working with the medical team to study the new creeper alien that Theron and Sienna identified on the last mission.”
An image flashed up on the screen of the new alien. It was big, with six legs and an orange belly. Not to mention the ugly sucker mouth it used to eat living things whole. It looked like a mutated spider gone horribly wrong.
“Hell Squad brought back a creeper carcass from the power station mission,” Holmes continued.
That mission had been to rescue Theron and Sienna. The Squad Nine pair had gotten themselves stuck on an alien ship that landed in an alien encampment outside a hydro-electric power station several hours south of the Enclave.
Hemi grinned and caught Tane’s gaze. They’d made a hell of a mess for the aliens to clean up during that rescue.
“It looks like these creatures swallow a living being, and store it in their stomach. That’s where it’s transformed into some sort of Gizzida hybrid. The stomach eventually detaches as a pod.” The general’s brow was furrowed. “Doc Emerson thinks that if the pod is left undisturbed to final maturation, the change to full Gizzida would be complete.”
“So, no more need for genesis tanks,” Roth muttered.
There were frustrated rumbles all around the room. All of them knew about the aliens’ tanks. Filled with alien liquid, humans were forced into them, floating there for months, until they turned into aliens.
But now it appeared these creepers were the new version.
“That’s all we know for now,” Holmes said. “We don’t know how long the transformation takes, or how to neutralize them.”
Shit. Hemi stretched his legs out in front of him. Not good.
Holmes shoved his hands in his pockets. “Noah and Emerson have informed me that they would learn more if we had a live creeper.”
What? Hemi sat up. Noah was head of the tech team, and Emerson the lead doctor who patched them all up. He glanced around and saw that no one looked happy. He traded a look with Tane, and his brother shook his head.
“You want to bring a live alien creature into the Enclave?” Marcus said in a measured tone.
“We held alien prisoners at Blue Mountain Base,” Holmes said.
“Not ones that ate people whole,” Roth countered.
A woman stepped up beside the general. Her red hair was pulled back in a neat braid, and her bearing was straight. “My team is working on containment for the creature.”
Captain Laura Bladon was head of the interrogation team, and ran the prison cells. Back at Blue Mountain Base, before it had been destroyed, she’d held and interrogated a number of raptors.
“Gaz’da has been helping and providing invaluable information,” she said. “We are building cages out on the edge of the Enclave. We’re also ensuring we have security protocols in place, so that if the alien creeper escapes, it can’t reach the main part of the base.”
Gaz’da was a raptor that had been a prisoner at Blue Mountain Base. He’d turned on the Gizzida who’d forcibly changed him and was helping Laura. Hemi wasn’t sure how he felt about a raptor being resident at the Enclave, but Gaz’da stayed in the prison area, worked with Laura and her team, and appeared to be a valuable asset.
“So.” Holmes’ blue gaze ran over them all. “I need a team to head back to the power station encampment, and capture a creeper.”
“How the hell are we supposed to do that?” Roth asked.
“And how the hell do we bring it back here?” Tane added.
“Doc Emerson has concocted some powerful sedatives. She believes they will keep the creeper knocked out for transport.”
“Believes?” Tane asked.
Holmes gave an unhappy nod. “It’s the best we can do.”
Laura clasped her hands behind her back. “We have stunner prods and nets that my team have used and modified. They’ll be helpful for catching the creature.”
“I want volunteers,” the general said. “A mix from Squad Nine, Squad Three and Hell Squad to make up a team. Four in total.” His gaze swung to Roth.
“Cam’s up next for a joint mission,” Roth said.
Cam nodded.
Hemi glanced at Tane. If Cam was going, he was sure as fuck going, too.
Tane stepped forward. “Hemi.”
Cam’s head whipped around, and their eyes met. Yeah, that’s right, baby. Not letting you head into alien territory on your own.
“Can the sedatives be administered by rifle shot?” Marcus asked.
“Yes,” Holmes answered.
“Then you’ll need Shaw.”
Shaw Baird was the best sniper in the base.
“And I want to go to round out the team,” Claudia Frost said.
Holmes nodded. “Very well. Plan your mission. See Laura and Emerson for the equipment you’ll need. And good luck.”
Chapter Five
Cam strode into the small conference room that they were using for their planning meeting. She’d timed her arrival a little late, hoping that everyone would be there. But when she entered, she only saw Hemi sprawled in a chair.
Great. She stopped in her tracks.
“Hello, Camryn,” he drawled.
She studied his face and couldn’t judge his mood. When her gaze dropped to his lips, and memories threatened, she looked away. “Hemi. Shaw and Claudia not here yet?”
“On their way.”
Searching for something to do, she walked over to the large screen on the wall, and tapped on the surface. She started pulling up the maps they’d need for planning.
“You had to race off to work out
this morning?” His voice was a deep rumble.
She sniffed, hating that she heard a hint of disappointment in his voice. “Things to do.”
“You want to pretend last night didn’t happen?”
He didn’t seem bothered by that idea. She felt a sharp sting of unfamiliar pain. That was what she wanted. Absolutely. But was it that easy for him to brush away their night together?
She spun and lifted her chin. “Sure.” She strode past him, heading for a chair.
A strong arm reached out, and the next thing she knew, she was yanked into his lap.
“Hey!”
He gripped her chin, his calluses rasping on her skin. His gaze hit her hickey, and she saw male satisfaction slide through his eyes.
“Not gonna happen,” he said.
“What?”
“I’m not going to forget I was inside you. Not going to forget you rode my mouth and beard. Not going to forget you screamed my name.” He pulled her close, until their noses brushed. “In fact, I’m going to relive every memory in great detail.”
“Hemi—” She slammed her hands against his hard chest. He was too big, too hot, too much.
“I’m going to fuck you again. And again. Until I don’t wake up alone and find you gone. Until I wake up with you in my arms.”
“One night. That was it!”
“It’s gonna happen again. I want to do you from behind. I want to watch you suck my cock. I want to put my mouth between your legs again and make you feel good.”
Cam felt that traitorous rush of heat between her thighs. Then, he leaned closer and kissed her.
She fought…for about two seconds. But he tasted so good, felt so good. She tangled her tongue with his, her hands sliding up to tangle in his hair. He’d worn it long when she’d first met him, but had recently cut it a little shorter and shaved it at the sides. She’d never admit it, but she liked it.
His fingers brushed down her neck, fingering the tender skin of her hickey. He lifted his lips from hers. “I like knowing I marked you.”
“Neanderthal,” she muttered.
“You marked me, too.” His grin was wide. “I have some pretty spectacular scratch marks down my back and on my ass.”
Cam sniffed. Dammit. She wanted to see them.
He moved and set her on her feet. “For now, we have a mission to plan, but Cam—” His dark eyes were intense and liquid. “I’m going to run you down. You’re fast, but I have stamina.”
Infuriating man. She set her hands on her hips. “Hemi, let’s just keep this fun, okay?” She could do fun. It was everything else that freaked her out.
“Oh, we’ll have fun, but that’s not all we’ll have.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but at that moment the door opened.
“You feel me up in the Command Center again, Baird, and I’ll break your arm.” Claudia’s sharp voice.
“There’s my badass girl. If you break my arm, how will I bring you your coffee in bed in the morning? Or touch you in all those secret places you love—” Shaw spotted Hemi and Cam and broke off with a wide smile. “Howdy.”
“Shaw.” Hemi didn’t bother hiding his grin.
Claudia swept in. “So, you guys ready to hunt and capture an alien creeper? And not let it eat you in the process?”
“Hell yeah,” Hemi replied.
Cam sat and nodded. “Let’s do it.
The next few hours turned into a mix of studying maps, suggesting and discarding ideas, and studying images of the creature. Laura arrived with a large bag filled with stunner prods and heavy-duty metal nets. She gave them all a lesson on using the prods and deploying the nets.
“These prods are our latest design,” the redhead said. “They’re telescoping, so you can carry them more easily, and extend them when needed.”
Cam shook the prod and the end extended. She knew it would administer a high-voltage stun to the alien. She retracted it. Nice.
Laura gave them a perfect salute. “Good luck out there.”
After Laura, Doc Emerson arrived, her white lab coat flapping behind her as she hurried in. She set a small case down on the table, and unsnapped the lid. “Hello, everyone. I’m your friendly base drug dealer.”
“Too pretty to be a drug dealer,” Hemi said.
She winked at him. “Oh, is there a rule that drug dealers can only be ugly?”
He barked out a laugh as the doctor lifted a vial out of her case.
“High grade, very powerful sedatives.” The liquid was clear. “I’ve been working on these stronger sedatives for Laura’s team, when I’m not busy trying to sort out the contraceptive implants.” Her gaze turned distant for a second, like she was running experiments in her head.
“How’s that going?” Cam asked. Her implant was nearing the end of its life. She hadn’t given it much thought, since she hadn’t had sex in a while, but now… She avoided looking at Hemi.
The doc nodded. “Getting there. I can squeeze a bit more time out of the current implants, but I don’t have a long-term solution yet.” She set the vial back in the case. “These can be put in casings you can use with a rifle.” She pushed the case toward Shaw.
“Thanks.” Shaw’s face was serious. Cam knew the man was quick to tease and laugh, but he was also one hell of a soldier.
“Be careful out there,” Emerson said, heading for the door. “If you get hurt, I’ll stick you with lots of needles and confine you to bed rest.”
Cam leaned back in her chair. “So, once we catch the creeper, how do we get back to the Enclave?” The damn things were too big to fit in a Hawk.
“I’ve been talking with Finn,” Claudia said. “That’s why Shaw and I were late. He thinks we can suspend the creature under a Hawk. They have cargo slings that we can use.”
Hemi leaned forward with a frown. “Will it be covered by the Hawk’s illusion system?”
Shaw shook his head. “Nope.” He grinned. “We’ll be out and proud.”
Cam tried to picture what a giant creeper would look like flying through the air under a camouflaged quadcopter. “It’ll make a nice target for any alien ptero ships in the vicinity.”
“We’ll need extra weapons on the Hawk to defend ourselves on the ride back,” Hemi suggested.
“My squad can provide an escort with the Darkswifts,” Cam said. The two-man, powered gliders were fast, and equipped with laser cannons. “They can shoot down anyone who gets close to us.”
“Good idea,” Hemi said.
“Okay,” Claudia said. “I’ll coordinate with Finn. We’ll leave for the power station in the morning.”
As Claudia and Shaw left, Cam tried to bolt around the table and get out quickly.
Hemi grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her toward him. No. No. No.
“I’ve got things to do, Hemi.”
“I’m teaching some of the kids to play rugby. I need an assistant, and told them you’d swing by.”
What? “I don’t know much about rugby.”
“Some of the girls were excited you’d be there.”
Tricky, underhanded man. “Like I said…things to do.”
“Oh?” He raised a brow. “I’ll tell the kids that you had more important things to do, then.”
She narrowed her gaze. “That’s blackmail.”
“Whatever it takes.”
She barely stopped herself from growling. “I hate you.”
He grinned at her. “No, you don’t.”
“I’m not good with kids, Hemi.”
“They’re kids, not raptors.”
She wavered. How could she refuse to help kids?
“It’ll be fun.” He slung an arm across her shoulders. “And I promise not to feel you up.”
“Fine. But I can’t promise not to break your arm.”
***
When they walked into the indoor arena, Hemi could still feel the anger radiating off Cam. Damn, she was gorgeous when she was angry. And when she was angry, she was too busy to be worried about stren
gthening those walls of hers. That’s why he was always messing with her.
Ahead, a group of teenagers waited. “Hey, gang.”
The kids surrounded them. The younger ones were all bright faces and eagerness. The older ones hung back, playing it cool. Hemi fist-bumped a few of them.
He spotted a younger boy. “Hey, Bastian.”
The dark-haired boy nodded. He’d survived the invasion, and had ended up living at the Enclave without his parents. After meeting up with Roth, the boy had been reunited with his parents at Blue Mountain Base before making the trip back to the Enclave. Hemi was sure as hell glad to see some families had had happy reunions. The same couldn’t be said for most.
“Can’t wait to play today.” Bastian’s gaze slid to Cam and his cheeks pinkened. “Hi, Cam.”
“Hi, B.”
Hemi hid a smile. Looked like the kid had a major crush. Couldn’t blame him. Cam looked good in her skin-hugging workout gear—strong, sleek, and beautiful.
“All right, you lazy gits.” He clapped his hands together. “Let’s play. I need you to split into two teams.”
Cam moved forward, helping some of the youngest split off into the teams, ensuring an even match of younger and older kids.
Hemi paired them off and got them passing and kicking to each other to warm up.
He grabbed a rugby ball, spinning it in his hands. He’d been playing rugby since he could walk. It was in his blood. His older brother Manu had played for the United Coalition National team for a few years, and a couple of his cousins had been on league teams before the invasion.
A hard sensation filled his chest. They were probably dead now. His thoughts turned to his sprawling family. He prayed his Ma and Pa were okay. They had a house on acreage outside of Christchurch, on New Zealand’s South Island. Pa was ex-military, and his Ma was tough as they came. They could have survived.
“Hemi?”
He turned his head and saw Cam watching him.
“You okay?” she asked.