The general shrugged and sent one of his soldiers to accompany the resistance fighters outside. Carter turned to Eogan.
“It’s you and the girl now.”
“Free her.”
The general yanked Hester toward him.
She stumbled.
“Now.” Eogan issued the command through mind connect.
He lunged for Hester and grabbed her away from Carter. He pushed her onto the ground and covered her body with his, holding her close as the world around them exploded. Gunfire and blasts of explosives filled the air.
Eogan eased away from Hester and pushed her behind the concrete divider.
“Stay here.” He grabbed his rifle. “You are safe. The other Hunters have arrived.”
Her shoulders sagged.
Eogan gave her a quick kiss and then left the protection of the divider and started shooting. One by one, he took aim and killed the soldiers who surrounded the general. The other Hunters had rushed into the hangar and were attacking also. In a few minutes, all that was left was the general standing with a pistol in his hand.
“You can’t touch me.” Carter shouted. “My men have this place surrounded.”
“Not anymore.” Partlan’s voice was low. “We have secured this area of the base. There will be no more killing tonight.”
“It is time for you to answer for your dishonor.” Eogan walked to the general. “You have used the shield of your government to cover your true activities. These are not the actions of an honorable man.”
“Everyone does it.”
“You sanctioned murders to further your personal interests.”
“It’s the way of the world.” Carter waved his gun at Eogan. “You did the killing so how guilty does that make you.”
“I had no choice.” Eogan took another step closer to the man who had caused him so many years of pain.
“Do you think I did?”
“Yes,” Eogan said. “You were in charge and made the decisions. You are the only one accountable for the consequences of your command.”
At that moment, Hank Davis returned to the hangar. He glanced around at the dead soldiers and then back at the general. “As a commander, you had the responsibility to prevent deaths. You knowingly let the aliens kidnap and kill thousands of humans. That makes you a monster in my books.”
“You have been judged.” Eogan raised his gun.
The general shook his head. “You have no right to censure me. You’re an alien.”
“As a fellow officer, I have that privilege.” Hank’s voice was devoid of emotion. “You’re guilty of gross negligence of command.”
A shot rang out, and the general fell to the ground dead.
Hank lowered his gun. “It was my duty to kill him. We allowed men like him to take control, now the H.R.F. needs to make things right.
Eogan walked to the general’s body. For ten years he had wanted to see this man dead and now he was. There was no satisfaction at seeing his nemesis dead. He had always thought that he would be the one to exact justice. In the end, the only thing that mattered was that the man was gone, and he could do no further harm.
Partlan walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “You are free now.”
Free to be a Hunter.
Eogan never dared imagine that this day would come. Words couldn’t express the relief or delight he felt at knowing that he wasn’t controlled and manipulated by a corrupt and dishonorable organization. It was a new existence for him. One that held hope and purpose.
“Your help was appreciated.”
“You were winning. We brought the battle to a speedier end.” Partlan motioned to the other Hunters with him. “This is Maloc, Gur, Ranon, and Turlo.”
Just then, a beautiful blonde woman walked into the hangar. Eogan recognized her immediately. It was Grace, the woman that had been with Partlan in Pine Gap. He had helped both of them escape.
She holstered a gun and shook her head. “How come you guys always create a mess?”
Partlan held his arm out to her. “You remember Grace, my mate and wife. She is no longer with the FBI.”
Hank Davis, who was standing beside Eogan, frowned. “Is it wise for you to fight with Hunters?”
“I go where my mate goes.” Grace leaned against Partlan. “I have no problem killing the Albireons. They have taken control of what is not theirs, and my purpose is to eradicate them from the planet.”
“We need people like you in the H.R.F.” Hank’s voice was full of approval.
“I’m happy that there is an organization of humans ready to take on this threat.” Grace turned to Eogan. “It is good to see that you escaped Pine Gap. Partlan and I are forever in your debt for helping us. I hope they didn’t treat you too badly afterwards.”
“They had their suspicions.” Eogan didn’t elaborate. It was in the past, and with Carter dead, he could get on with the things that really mattered. He turned back to Hester and motioned for her to join them.
“This is Hester.” He put his arm around her waist. “She is my mate.”
Partlan nodded to Hester. “It is good to meet you.”
Eogan felt Hester’s trembling ease. “These are fellow Hunters who have come to help.”
“Just in time.” Hester straightened her shoulders. “We have to save the others from the tunnels. The general’s men took them captive.”
“We freed them,” Partlan said. “We intercepted the convoy before it reached the base.”
“Thank you. Being hostages of this organization would be brutal. What about Franklin and Steve?” Hester’s voice rose in concern. “They’re still imprisoned down below.”
“They are on level four.” Eogan turned to Hank. “I can get them.”
“My men will go.” Hank motioned four of them to the elevators. “We need to take care of this area and then leave.”
Eogan pulled Hester close. She’d been insane to try and help him by planning to take her guard’s pistol. She could have been killed. For that brief second he had thought his own life was over. It was only the timely arrival of Partlan’s team that had stopped her from carrying out her crazy plan.
He didn’t want Hester to be in harm’s way again. The sooner they left the area, the better. He held onto her as they began to make their way out of the hangar. Hester stopped when they came to General Carter’s body.
“I’m glad he’s dead. He was an evil man.”
“There will be another to replace him.” Eogan’s voice was devoid of emotion.
Hester looked up at him. “How many replacements have you been forced to work under?”
“Too many.” Eogan wanted to forget that part of his life. “The important thing is to free the others that these men have imprisoned.”
“I agree.” Hank crossed his arms. “I saw too many lives taken so this shadow world organization could take control of the planet. We can’t let this continue.”
“Ardal, our leader, has vowed that all Hunters will fight to destroy the Albireons on this planet,” Partlan said. “If you are the leader of the human resistance then he will want to coordinate our efforts with you.”
Hank nodded. “It makes sense to join forces. The Albireons have to be eradicated. With their demise, the human shadow organization will lose their power.”
“We are working on that.” Partlan turned to Eogan. “Ardal is going to meet us in London. Will it be a problem for you and your mate to go there?”
Eogan looked down at Hester and she nodded. “We’ll go.”
“Good. We left the helicopter at the farm where the tunnels are.” Partlan turned to Hank. “Can you join us?”
Hank looked at his men and then nodded. “Yes. Barton can stay here and command the force until I return.”
The elevator door pinged open.
Hank’s men came out with Franklin and Steve. They looked the same as the last time he and Hester had seen them. It was obvious that neither of them had been subjected to the Albireons’ questioning.
Steve smiled when he saw Eogan and Hester.
Franklin scowled.
“You left us there long enough,” Franklin complained. “I thought you were supposed to be such a great warrior.”
Eogan raised an eyebrow. “I could send you back.”
Steve raised a conciliatory hand. “Forgive him. We are both grateful that you remembered to come back for us.”
Hank went to Steve. “You must be Dr. Jackson. I’m Hank Davis. The H.R.F. has defeated the Albireons at this base with the help of Eogan and his fellow Hunters. I understand that you were thinking of joining us.”
“I’m quitting.” Franklin glared at Hank. “All I see are human bodies. I think it’s a lie that there are any aliens. Your organization is no better than a group of terrorists.”
Hank opened his mouth to speak, but Eogan stopped him. “There are no aliens here.”
“I thought not.” Franklin shook himself free of the men who had brought him above ground and then walked out of the hangar. No one made an effort to stop him.
“If he wanders out of the area that we’ve secured he will be stopped by the real military that run this base.” Grace started toward the exit. “It’s time we left.”
Chapter 24
They were in London, England.
Hester’s head was spinning at how quickly her life had changed. In less than a week, she’d gone from a lonely academic, to a woman in love. She was on the run from a shadow group of humans and aliens, who were bent on controlling and destroying the Earth. Death, guns, abduction, and terror had filled the last couple of days. Eogan had stood beside her the whole time, giving her strength and protection. If she hadn’t lived through it, she wouldn’t believe it.
Now, she was in a house luxurious beyond her wildest imagination.
After leaving Turkey on the helicopter, they had landed in an airport in France and then taken a jet to Heathrow. After that, a limousine had driven them to this exclusive neighborhood in Chelsea. The house was across the street from a private park. Hester wasn’t very knowledgeable about the London real-estate market, but she guessed that the place cost millions of American dollars.
They were escorted into a large reception room that contained six other Hunters and a woman whose face was familiar. It took Hester a couple of seconds to remember that she’d seen her on the front pages of the tabloid papers not too long ago. She had thought that Grace was beautiful, but this woman was gorgeous. She was petite with shoulder-length dark hair and deep blue eyes that softened when they walked in.
“You made it back safe.”
“Eogan had done most of the work by the time we arrived.” Partlan walked further into the room. “He and the H.R.F. had killed all the Albireons. We were left with cleaning up the security detail for the restricted hangar where they were housed.”
One of the other Hunters moved to stand beside the woman. “It has begun. Good.”
Partlan turned to her, Eogan, and Hank Davis. “This is Darrogh, he is second in command of Ardal’s unit. This is his mate, Tamsin Creighton. These are the members of his team, Savis, Firbin, Jehon, Kerm, and Breanon.”
When the introductions were complete, Partlan motioned to Hank. “This is the leader of the Human Resistance Force. He has come to meet with Ardal about coordinating our attacks.”
“Ardal and Catal are expected tomorrow. Tonight you should rest. You’ve had a difficult battle,” Darrogh said.
He was right. They had slept very little in the past couple of days, and that didn’t even begin to account for the stress of being on the run and fighting for their lives. The thought of sleep and the comfort of lying in Eogan’s arms was hard to resist.
Darrogh walked up to Eogan. “I am glad to meet you. Your aid in saving one of our own will never be forgotten.”
“A Hunter helps his brothers at all times.”
Darrogh nodded. “It is good to know another member of Rioge clan lives. By Cygnus and Warrior, it will be an honor to serve with you.”
Hester could sense a lightness in Eogan at the words of welcome and acceptance from the other Hunters. She leaned closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her. Comfort and love filled her.
“We’ll defeat the Albireons on this planet.” Eogan’s voice was low with determination.
“I too have suffered at their hands. They have threatened my mate’s life and I won’t rest until they are all dead.”
“Then we are agreed.” Eogan turned to her. “This is my mate, Hester.”
“You are now one of us. We welcome you, and just as we protect each other, we protect our brothers’ mates.”
A blanket of security and warmth had been thrown over Hester. She let herself snuggle close to the haven being offered. Darrogh’s mate Tamsin came over and hugged her. She found herself being led up to a bedroom that was gorgeous enough to be featured in a home magazine.
“There’s a bathroom through there where you can wash up.” Tamsin pointed to an open door where Hester could see the sparkle of a crystal chandelier. “If you want to change into a dressing gown now, I’ll take your clothes and put them through the washing machine. They’ll be ready for you in the morning.”
Hester didn’t hesitate. She’d spent more time in her jeans and shirt than she cared to remember. She went into the bathroom and undressed. She wrapped the tie of the gown around her waist before going back into the bedroom and handing her clothes over to Tamsin.
“The men will probably be up late making plans.” Tamsin took her dirty laundry. “I’ll send Eogan up when they’re finished.”
“Thank you.”
A thrill of excitement raced through her at the thought of spending the night alone with Eogan in this room. It was private, and the bed was large enough for both of them to get lost in. When Tamsin left, she ran her hand over the soft cream-colored cotton duvet and thoughts of getting tangled in the sheets with Eogan sent a rush of blood into her cheeks.
What did she know about tangled sheets?
The closest she’d ever come to a man was between the pages of a romance novel. It didn’t matter. Tonight, she and Eogan, were going to be sleeping together, and if her body was any indication, there would be very little sleep happening. She wanted to be Eogan’s mate in every sense of the word.
An hour later, after luxuriating in a large soaker tub, she snuggled deep into the sheets of the bed. She’d discarded the robe and was lying naked beneath the covers. She was humming with anticipation. When the door opened to admit Eogan, she almost squealed her delight.
Finally, he was here.
“Did you finish your plans?”
Eogan shook his head. “We’ll make them tomorrow when Ardal arrives.”
“You must be exhausted.” Hester sat up and held the sheets close to her chest. “A shower will help.”
Eogan gave her a steady look and then nodded. “I expected you to be asleep.”
Hester shook her head. “I’ve been waiting for you. This will be the first time we have had privacy and alone time together. I want to enjoy every minute of it.”
Eogan grinned. “You have plans.”
Hester shrugged. “We’ll discuss it after you shower.”
Eogan went to the bathroom and in a couple of seconds she heard the sound of the water running. Soon, he would be with her. She was a complete novice at lovemaking, but she had waited long enough. Tonight, she was finally going to know what it felt like to make love.
Eogan came into the room several minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist. There was a smaller towel in his other hand and he was drying off his hair. His dark eyes never left her face as he tossed it to the side.
“What do you want me to do now?”
Hester threw back the sheets. “Come join me.”
Eogan obeyed.
He let the towel drop to the floor.
Hester gasped at the spectacular vision of his naked body. He was magnificent with ripped muscles on his chest, arms, and legs. Then he wa
lked to the bed. For the first time in her life she understood desire. Hot and heated, it raced through her. She wasn’t the only one who was aroused. Eogan was massive. Her heart skipped a beat for a second when she saw the size of him. How were they ever going to fit together?
“You seem concerned.”
Hester gulped and then patted the bed beside her. “We’ll have to take this slowly.”
“We don’t have to do anything.” He sat and pushed the pillows behind his back.
“I want to.”
“Then you will have to guide me.” Eogan turned to her. “I have never done this before.”
“Neither have I.” Her cheeks reddened at her admission. “No man has ever wanted me before.”
“They were fools.” Eogan lifted her chin with his finger. “You’re an intelligent woman. Together we can figure this out.”
“I know what we’re supposed to do.” Hester took a deep breath. “Reading something in a book, and actually doing it, are two different things.”
“You know more than me.” He grinned. “I’ve never read about mating in a book.”
“Surely you’ve seen a movie, or something?”
“You forget where I’ve been for the last thirty years.” Eogan’s tone was wry. “Besides, there was no need for me to know. Being with a woman was forbidden.”
“So what are we going to do?”
“How about we start with a kiss?” Eogan’s voice was husky. “I’m sure our bodies will guide us from there.”
Hester nodded. She was lost in Eogan’s dark gaze as he moved closer, guiding her head so that she rested comfortably on the pillows. He wrapped his arms around her and then his mouth was on hers, teasing and caressing until the embers of fire sparked to life. Their tongues dueled, sending shivers of delight throughout her body.
She feathered her fingers through Eogan’s short-cropped hair and felt him tremble in response. A sense of power filled her as she roamed down his back, stroking and touching him until he shuddered and deepened the kiss. Her head spun and her heart raced. Within her a growing restlessness took root.
She wanted more.
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