by Sadie Carter
They stepped into a small, empty room. A door was at the far side. They moved towards it, again taking up the same stances. No one greeted them. Pretty lax. Unless target two wasn’t down here. Zuma opened the door. Beyond the door was a passage.
Zuma held his hand up, and they stopped. He pointed forward. He was going to scout ahead. She nodded. They wouldn’t risk speaking until they knew who was down here. She waited, blaster at the ready, Darac standing next to her, a silent, deadly presence. Finally, Zuma returned.
“Found target two. Alive but unconscious. There’s no one else here.”
Weird, but she didn’t question their luck. She followed Zuma to where target two lay bound on the ground. Reaching down, she felt for his pulse. Slow and thready but alive. Like target one, it appeared that he’d been beaten to a near pulp.
“Can you carry him, Darac?” Zuma asked as he cut through his ties. Who used rope to tie people up nowadays? Only on Quashtar.
Darac nodded and picked the male up, putting him over his shoulder. She winced, knowing that position probably aggravated his wounds. But the injured male didn’t make a noise. What the hell was going on here? Why beat up two men and then throw one down here without any guards?
“Fuck! It’s a trap!” Rye’s voice screamed in her ear. “He had an F-4 detonator! Get out. Get out now.”
F-4? What they hell? An F-4 detonator could set off firebombs in multiple spaces at the same time.
Without a word, they raced down the passage towards the stairs.
“The stairs are covered in fire!” Zuma reached the stairs and took a step back. Horror filled his face and she stared over his shoulder. Huge flames covered the stairwell.
They were trapped.
“Another exit?” Darac asked.
“I saw a window, other side of the building,” Zuma told them. One-third of the basement was above ground.
The whole building shook, the noise deafening. She stumbled, slamming against the ground with a groan.
“Get up!” Darac yelled, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her up. They wouldn’t make it. This building was old. It wouldn’t take long for the fire to consume it.
“Zuma! Report!” Rye’s voice was a cold command in her ear.
“We’re alive, but trapped,” Zuma replied, studying the window above them. Darac placed the prone body on the floor.
“Get on my shoulders,” he ordered Zuma.
“We’re going to break through a window,” Zuma said. “The stairs were blocked.”
“What side of the building? The bastard must have had an invisibub timed to go off when the f-bomb detonated. Now that we’re clear, we can’t see the building, but we can feel the heat.”
“South side.”
Willa coughed, the smoke was building. Crouching on the ground, she pulled off her sweater, placing it over her mouth in an attempt to filter the smoke. Zuma smashed his elbow against the glass. If it was reinforced they were screwed.
Smash!
She threw her sweater up at him. “Here.”
Zuma wrapped it around his arm and quickly ran his arm around the window frame to remove any lingering shards of glass. Then he pulled himself through the frame.
Darac turned, picking her up. Zuma pulled her through. She turned back, still coughing, eyes streaming with tears to help Zuma tug through the unconscious male.
“Darac! Come on!”
“I will not fit!” he roared. “Get away from the building.”
What? Like hell. She stared at Zuma in horror. She hadn’t even thought about the size of the hole.
“We need something to smash a bigger hole,” Zuma said frantically.
She stood. But he grabbed her hand. “Once you go through the invisibub you can’t come back.”
“What do we do? We can’t leave him.” Stupid male. She wasn’t about to let him die. A sob escaped, panic nearly suffocated her.
Zuma lay on his back and smashed at the window frame with his feet. The building was old, rundown, the material it was built of was unknown to her. Maybe they could smash a big enough hole.
She kicked at the frame and it crumbled away.
“Move away,” Darac yelled.
She scrambled back as his hands appeared, clasping the bottom of the hole. Breathing heavily, her body covered in sweat, trembling from her adrenaline rush, she watched as he pulled himself through the hole. It wasn’t quite big enough, but he shoved himself through.
Willa winced, knowing he must be tearing his skin into pieces. But as soon as he was out, he grabbed her, picked her up, and ran.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s going to collapse.”
Behind them, Zuma carried the Looanen over his shoulder. She shivered, her breath leaving her lungs as they stepped through the invisibub. Then they were free. Darac placed her on her feet and hugged her close.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he ordered.
“What? Get trapped in a burning building? Hey, I’d like to make that promise, but you never know what’s around the corner.”
“Your brother and crew.”
“Huh?”
He nodded over as Rye and the others came racing toward them. “They are coming around the corner.”
Darac hugged her tighter, and she coughed, her chest burning. Her eyes stung as she blinked rapidly.
“I cannot lose you.” The desperation in his voice had her biting back her sarcastic comment about surviving the fire only to have him squeeze her to death.
“I know. I know.”
The truth was, she didn’t want to lose him either.
***
“Examine Willa first.”
Wow, had she actually imagined she might miss Darac’s growly voice and bossy ways? Willa watched as Nolan tried to get Darac to submit to his examination.
Oh, who was she kidding? She’d been prepared to dive back into a collapsed building to dig him out with her bare hands, so she figured she might actually love the psycho.
There it was. She loved him. Shit. Now what to do about it?
“Willa is bruised and scratched, a bit of smoke inhalation. You were in there much longer,” Nolan explained patiently. Much in the same type of voice you might use with a small child.
Darac glared at Nolan.
“Nolan, see to Willa first,” Rye ordered as he came through the door. “How are our guests?”
“Still unconscious,” Nolan told him as he moved over to Willa. She submitted to his exam with a sigh, wincing as he prodded at a bruise on her hip. “Both have a few broken ribs, one also has a broken nose. Lots of cuts and contusions, but thankfully no internal bleeding. They’ll make it.”
Rye leaned back against the wall, almost as though he were tired. But Rye never tired. He never faltered. Never hesitated. He ran his hand over his face. “That was too close.”
“You don’t need to tell us,” Zuma joked. “I actually had a come to Jesus moment.”
“Jesus is the God you worship?” Darac asked.
“Some people do,” she explained. “Zuma doesn’t.”
“I might now. We shouldn’t have survived that. Who the hell survives a building collapsing around them? We had some divine help.” He turned to Darac. “Or maybe I should start praying to you.” He leaned over, both arms straight out in front of him. “Oh holy one, I’m not worthy. I am not worthy.”
“What is he doing?” Darac watched him.
“Being an idiot. Well?” she asked Nolan.
“You’re good. Few bruises and scratches.”
“Great.” She stood and whacked Zuma over the head. “Act like a normal person for once, will ya?”
“I am acting normal. He is my new hero.”
“Who was your old hero?” she asked.
“Me.” He grinned.
“I did not do anything,” Darac said.
“Other than save the three of us?” Zuma replied. “No, you did nothing at all.”
“Just ignore him,” she told Dar
ac. “I’m pretty sure Mom dropped him on his head as a child.”
“More than once,” Rye added.
“So what happened?” Darac asked, finally allowing Nolan to check him over.
Rye sighed. “Steele lined up a shot and took it. The guy fell. But the idiot had the detonator in his pocket. It must have activated when he fell. We managed to get out a window then we raced around to the entrance to the basement not realizing there was an invisibub in place until we stepped through it.”
“Why would he have set off an f-bomb?” she asked.
“To get rid of evidence?” Darac guessed.
“Or it was all a trap,” Rye said. “Maybe they kidnapped our guests to lure someone else there. Then they would set the f-bomb off. Could explain the credits offered to us to retrieve them.”
“The only people who might shed some light on the matter are both unconscious. Let’s head towards Looanen and when one of our guests wakes up, we’ll have a few questions for them. The three of you go rest.”
Willa was exhausted. She climbed off the examination table and stumbled her way down to her room. After a quick shower—her legs weren’t going to hold her for long—she lay back on the bed naked. Staring at the ceiling, she willed herself to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, panic swamped her.
She’d nearly lost him.
Heart beating rapidly, she sat up. She couldn’t do this. She needed him, and she didn’t have it in her to deny him any longer. A knock on the door interrupted her as she searched for some clean clothes. She grabbed a sheet, wrapped it around herself, then opened the door.
It slid open to reveal Darac. He glanced at her quickly, running his gaze over her.
Nipples tightening, pressing against the sheet, she shifted from foot to foot. “Darac.”
“I am sorry. I can come back.”
“No. No, actually, I was just coming to see you.”
His eyes widened.
“Not like this,” she said with a nervous laugh. “I was going to get dressed first.”
“That is good. I would not like other males to see you dressed such.”
“Then you better come in before someone else walks past.”
He stepped in and she closed the door behind him. “Um, have a seat.” She gestured towards the one chair in the room. He sat and it creaked under his weight. “I’ll just put some clothes on.” She grabbed a t-shirt and shorts without bothering to search out underwear. Moving hastily into the bathroom, she pulled the clothing on then returned to the room and took a seat on the bed.
“You were coming to see me?” he asked.
“Uh-huh.” Now that he was here, her courage seemed to have faded. “I, ah, I thought you were going to die.”
He nodded. “I thought the same.”
She glanced down at her clenched hands. “I realized something today.”
“What is that?”
She raised her eyes to meet his. “That I would have done whatever it took to save you. That my life would be empty without you around. It sounds silly when I haven’t known you that long. How could I possibly miss you if you weren’t here? But that’s how I feel. I realized that I would regret not knowing you better, not seeing where this passion takes us, not ever experiencing being your mate. If I would have done anything to save you when I thought you could die in that building, then how can I not do whatever I need to save you now. You will die without me, won’t you?”
“Yes,” he replied simply.
“I can’t live with that. I can’t.” She suddenly realized that tears were dripping down her cheeks.
“Shh. Shh.” He moved to the bed and sat next to her. Slowly, possibly so not to startle her, he drew her onto his lap and rocked her.
“I can’t sit by while you die, Darac.” She whacked his arm. “Don’t do that again!”
He let out a low chuckle, and she watched him with surprise. She wiped her face dry. “What’s so funny?”
“I believe that ever since I met you, I have been demanding that you not risk yourself.”
“Yeah, well, now I kind of see where you’re coming from. Darac, I want to be your mate.”
He stiffened, she couldn’t even hear him breathe. “Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
“I do not wish to pressure you.”
“You’re not. In case you haven’t noticed, I have a mind of my own. I’m also as stubborn as hell. When I make my mind up about something, it can’t be budged. I’ve made my mind up about this. I want you, Darac.”
“Stars. I am not a saint who can turn you away.” He grabbed the mattress, pulling it onto the floor.
“What are you doing?”
“These beds were not made for two people.”
She nodded, kneeling on the mattress and tugging him down beside her.
She kissed along his jawline then down his neck. “You’re overdressed.” Nerves strummed through her, making her fumble. “Maybe you should, you know, strip off.” She reached for his pants, pulling at them. A sound of frustration escaped her when they wouldn’t move.
Large hands covered hers, warm and sure.
“Willa.”
“Sorry, they seem to be stuck,” she said with a nervous laugh.
“Look at me.”
She kept her gaze on their joined hands. Wow, his hands were large. That had to mean something, right? Wasn’t there some sort of correlation between hands and you know what? Or was that feet?
“What do my large hands and feet mean?” Darac asked, confused. “What is ‘you know what’?”
Shit, she’d been speaking out loud. “It, ah, doesn’t matter.”
“Willa. If you are not ready for this, then we can wait.”
“No. Why would you say that?” She laughed. Okay, that high-pitched noise coming from her mouth just sounded creepy.
“Because you appear nervous. And scared.”
She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “Guess I was hoping to bluff my way through.”
“Willa, calm down and tell me what is wrong.”
“I’ve never done this before. A bit of kissing and some playing around. But I’ve never had sex with anyone before.”
He nodded. “I had guessed as much.”
“You had?” Huh, so much for her acting skills. “My brothers tend to scare away most guys.”
“There was someone you were interested in?” His voice was low, rumbly.
He was jealous. It would be cute, except you’d never call Darac cute. Scary, crazy, sure. Cute. Nope. The wise thing would be to tell him the truth, that she’d never been attracted to anyone except him.
“You jealous, baby?” Turns out she wasn’t that sensible.
His face grew cold, sparks of red appearing in those brown eyes. “Who is he? I will tear him apart. Did he touch you?”
She patted his shoulder. “Down boy.”
“Down boy?” he half-yelled.
She rubbed at her ears. “I’m going to be as deaf as a ninety-year-old soon if you don’t start toning things down. Or maybe you could let me know before you’re about to roar.”
“Who. Was. He.”
So much for her efforts to lighten the tension.
“Nobody. Well, there was a boy, but that was years ago. We were both kids. Sixteen. It was young love, nothing more. I’m pretty sure that Rye scared him off.”
“No one else?”
“No. Although I would point out that you're a hypocrite. I bet you’ve had plenty of women, and you don’t see me getting all green-eyed.”
“But your eyes are green.”
“It’s a saying. If someone is jealous, we say they’re green-eyed. You're being unreasonable.”
“Yes. I know, but I cannot help it.” He ran his hand over his face. “For so long all I have felt is duty and anger. Now, I feel so much. I am adrift, and you are my anchor. I know that must scare you, that it is probably too much to put on your shoulders—”
“Shh.” She placed her finger
on his lips.
“It is not fair to you. To hold my sanity.”
“Isn’t it? You hold mine,” she told him.
“I do?” he asked, frowning slightly.
“Yeah, not to the same extent. But I feel more settled when you are close. Safe.”
“I will always protect you.”
“And I will always protect you,” she told him.
“My fierce Willa.”
“Better believe it. No one messes with those who belong to me.” She bared her teeth in a fake-ferocious growl.
“I believe it. What could I do to make you less nervous?”
She studied him. “You’re so large. While my brain knows you won’t harm me, my body isn’t so sure.”
“What if I lay here and let you explore.”
“You won’t move?”
“I will not.”
Wow. Big promise. But she trusted him. If there was one thing she was certain of, it was that he wouldn’t harm her.
He grasped her face between his hands, pulling her up so she was looking into his eyes. “We can wait. You are bruised, and I do not wish to hurt you.”
“So are you. Tell you what, I’ll kiss your every boo-boo and make them all better.”
“Boo-boo?”
She slid down his body then tugged up his tight t-shirt. “I think I liked it better when you wore that tiny vest thing.”
He sat, stripped off the t-shirt then lied down as she kissed her way over his wide chest. She brushed her lips over a nasty bruise. “See, boo-boo. Doesn’t that feel better?”
“Oh yes,” he sighed.
She moved over every inch of his wide, muscular chest, his shoulders, his thick arms, searching out every cut, every graze, every bruise, giving them all equal attention.
When she was finished, she sat up, noting the way he’d closed his eyes. His face was strained.
“Didn’t it work? Don’t you feel better?” she teased.
“Oh, I do. Infinitely better.”
“Hmm, but I believe I’ve missed some.”
This time, when her hands moved to his pants, they were steady. Sure.
“Would you like some help?” he asked.