Roth(Hell Squad 5)

by Anna Hackett

  The Darkswift shot forward, shaking unsteadily as it went, as though it were drunk.

  Avery looked to the left and saw one of the alien insects clamped onto the wing…eating it.

  “Roth, they’re eating the metal on the wing!”

  “Arden, we’re under attack—” A metallic screech came across the line.

  Avery and Roth both winced and wrenched the earpieces out of their ears.

  “What happened?” Avery said.

  “No idea. But we’ve lost comms.” He was focused on the controls. “Man the laser cannon, we need to get these bastards off us.” Icy eyes looked her way. “Or we’re going down.”

  Avery activated the touchscreen, and after Roth gave her authorization, the laser cannon controls flared to life on the heads-up display. She studied it for a second, and was relieved to see it was similar to other weapons’ systems she’d used before. “All right, let’s go bug hunting.”

  Roth kept the Darkswift moving. Avery aimed the cannon, ready for the second when an insect got in range. Come on, you ugly things. She waited. A flash of golden wings caught her eye, and she fired.

  She heard the inhuman screech from outside the cockpit. One giant bug fell back, plummeting to the ground.

  “Shit, there’s another one on the other wing,” Roth said. “Damn things are chomping through the steel like its sugar.”

  Two on the wings, one down. Where was the other one? Avery waited, her muscles tense, forcing herself to stay alert.

  A hard thump on the cockpit. She looked up and saw the fourth insect. It was hammering its head against the synth glass.

  Avery banged against the glass. The bug reared back, but didn’t fly off.

  “Can you shake them off?” she asked.

  “I can try. But we’re unstable as it is. It’s risky.”

  Above them was a loud crunching noise. She gasped. The glass was cracked like a sheet of ice. “Don’t think we have another choice.”

  Grim-faced, Roth nodded. “Hold on.”

  The Darkswift pulled hard to the left, its left wing pointing almost vertically to the ground. Avery’s stomach dropped.

  Roth pulled the craft around hard. One insect slipped off the wing, and Avery lost sight of the creature that had been attacking the cockpit.

  “Come on,” she cried out. “Get in target range.”

  “Hang on.”

  Roth turned the Darkswift hard in the opposite direction. One giant bug pulled into the laser sights.

  Avery pulled the trigger.

  The insect shuddered, then fell in a death spiral.

  “Yeah!” she yelled, smiling. “Two down, two to go.”

  “And we’re almost back to the rendezvous point. We should be in visual range of the others soon.”

  Backup would be very welcomed. Avery stayed ready.

  Suddenly, one of the bugs rushed at them, clamping onto the cockpit. Glass shattered and rained over them in a wild sprinkle of shards. The top of the cockpit was gone.

  Avery thought Roth was cursing, but the rush of the wind, combined with the erratic clicking noise the bug was making, drowned it out. The bug reached its head into the cockpit, snapping at her with its sharp mandibles. It didn’t have teeth, but she guessed the edges on those things were worse than knives.

  Roth was fighting to keep the Darkswift steady.

  If they didn’t get this bug off, they were going to crash, or get chomped on.

  Grimly, Avery unclipped her harness and grabbed the carbine Mac had given her. She sat up, and jabbed the barrel at the alien.

  “Avery!” Roth roared. “Strap in, dammit.”

  She jammed her knees against the middle console to keep her balance and opened fire.

  The green laser cut into the insect’s fat belly. Its wings fluttered like crazy, and blood spewed over the craft’s wing. The bug slid off, and fell behind them.

  “You’re crazy.” Roth grabbed at her. “Get down here.

  She grinned at him, and started to get back in her seat.

  The final alien insect slammed into the left wing. The wing, weakened where the other bug had chewed on it, snapped.

  The Darkswift tipped down, and Avery fell with the sharp move.

  No! Her hands scrabbled for purchase on something—anything. They weren’t really that high off the ground, but if she went over, it was still high enough to kill.

  She heard Roth roar her name. Her legs fell over the edge of the craft and into open air. She managed to snag something with her hands and held on.

  The Darkswift began a nasty spiral toward the ground. She couldn’t see Roth, but she figured he was fighting for control. In the dizzying spin and the mad rush of air, she couldn’t see much at all.

  There was a loud crunch of metal, and a jarring thud.

  Then, Avery was flying through the air. Her body crashed into something hard, and pain burst through her in an avalanche.

  Everything went black.

  Chapter Eleven

  Roth woke to a world of pain. He stayed still for a moment, cataloguing the situation. He was slumped over the controls of the Darkswift, his upper body hanging out of the broken cockpit.

  He swallowed a groan, trying to remember what had happened. His head throbbed and he felt the wet slide of blood down his face and neck. His body was a mass of aches and pains.

  Darkswift. Alien bugs. Crashing. Avery.

  Avery. He lifted his head, his heart hammering. The other side of the Darkswift was empty.

  God, no. He scrambled up to his knees, heedless of his training warning him to search for the enemy first, find a weapon and take cover.

  He had to find Avery.

  Roth struggled out of the remains of his harness. He saw his carbine in the holder where he’d stowed it during flight, and snatched it up. Wincing, he stood and jumped out of the broken craft.

  They were in a field. There were some trees nearby, but thankfully they hadn’t hit them during the crash.

  He found his earpiece hanging from its wire and set it back in his ear. He tapped it. While he couldn’t contact the base, he prayed he still had short-range contact with Avery. “Avery, you there?” He scanned his surroundings, searching for any sign of her.

  Silence.

  “Mac? Arden? Anybody receiving.” His earpiece was completely dead. Damaged in the crash. He yanked it out and tossed it in the wreckage of the cockpit.

  Had Avery climbed out of the Darkswift? Was she hurt? Then more memories cleared in his throbbing head. She’d been unharnessed. His chest constricted until every breath hurt.

  God. He moved faster, circling the Darkswift, then moving outwards in some semblance of an organized search perimeter. The little idiot had unclipped her harness to fight off the bug. She’d risked her life to save his.

  His gut hardened to a tight knot. An image of Avery, broken and lifeless, left him with a cold sweat spreading over his skin.

  He kept moving.

  He came to a body. But it wasn’t slim limbs and dark hair. It was one of the bugs.

  Roth nudged it with his carbine. Damn thing was as big as him. It looked like a giant dragonfly with brown-and-gold coloring. This one was definitely dead, its wings a shredded mess.

  Then he heard a groan.

  Roth whipped his weapon up, eye pressed to the sight.

  He saw the creature’s body move…then a slim hand—a very human hand—slid out from under the creature’s dead bulk.

  “Avery!” Roth dropped to his knees, relief driving into him so hard he could barely breathe. He touched her hand and then gave the bug’s carcass a hard shove to get it off her.

  Avery looked up at him, her dark hair a mad tangle around her face. “Roth.” His name came out a croak.

  He yanked her into his arms. “Are you okay?”

  “Can’t…breathe. Holding me too tight.”

  He loosened his grip but couldn’t let her go. He pushed her hair off her face. “God, baby, I thought I’d lost you.”
<
br />   “Same.” She cupped his cheeks. “You’re bleeding all over the place.”

  “Nothing major.”

  “Good.” She rose on her knees and pressed her lips to his.

  And Roth forgot all about the crash and his injuries. He pulled her closer and took control of the kiss.

  She tasted so good it muddled his mind. He thrust his tongue inside, his cock pushing insistently against his armor. She was alive. He was alive. He’d never felt so good.

  When they pulled back, they were both panting.

  “When we get somewhere safe, I’m stripping you naked and fucking you hard,” he growled.

  Avery’s tongue came out and touched her bottom lip. “Oh, yeah?”

  “Yes. And I’m going to spread those strong, lean thighs of yours and lick you until you come.”

  Her breath hitched. “What else?”

  “Every damn thing I can come up with. I want to take you from behind and watch my cock sliding into you. I want you laid out under me, legs on my shoulders, so I can watch your face when you come on my cock. And I want to watch you suck my cock again.”

  With a shaky hand, she pushed at her tangled hair. “Then we’d better get out of this field and find somewhere safe.”

  Roth took a second to lock his desire down. His body was hungry for her, this woman he wanted beyond reasoning. But another urge was kicking in. He had to get her safe.

  He grabbed her hand and together, they stood. “Comms are down and we are a long way from Blue Mountain Base.”

  She studied the surrounding area, her gaze lingering on the destroyed Darkswift. “Options?”

  “I’m going to leave a coded message with the craft. It’s likely my squad will find it. I think we need to start moving back toward Blue Mountain.”

  She gasped. “We’re hundreds of kilometers away from base, Roth. It’ll take us weeks.”

  “First things first. I’ll leave the message, let them know which direction we’re heading. Then we’ll take what we can that’s useful from the craft.”

  “Why not stay here?”

  “Because every alien in range will know we went down. And if anyone comes looking for these bugs, we’ll be sitting ducks. Besides, we need shelter, and I want to take a look at those ribs you’re babying.”

  She straightened. “Only bruised. I’m fine. I’m damn lucky to be alive. I’m just glad I didn’t get tossed out of the Darkswift until we were close to the ground.”

  Roth felt his muscles harden. “You should never have taken off your harness.”

  “We’d both be bug chow if I hadn’t. Don’t go all macho alpha man on me. Come on, we need to strip the craft of anything useful to us.”

  As she strode over to the Darkswift, Roth scowled at her back. The competent CCIA agent was back.

  He followed her, and watched as she knelt on the undamaged wing of the craft, reaching in to pull out equipment. Her position gave him a perfect view of her ass. He closed his eyes. He had to get this under control. They were in hostile territory, and far from base. He needed to focus…and not on Avery’s attractive assets.

  “Here.” A dark-green backpack slapped against his chest. She spun around, holding a small, red first aid kit in her hands. “Let me clean the blood off your face and take a look at that cut.”

  With a reluctant nod, he sat on the wing. The Darkswift moved a few inches, but settled. Avery pulled out some wipes, knelt, and started wiping his temple and forehead.

  She made a humming noise. “A nasty little cut. It’ll need some med glue.” She kept swiping.

  Roth was staring at her chest. She was wearing armor, and he couldn’t see anything tantalizing, but he was well aware of what was under the carbon fiber.

  She dabbed a little too hard at his cut. “Ow.”

  She pulled back. “Ow? You’re a badass soldier who takes on invading aliens, and this makes you go ‘ow’?”

  “It stings, smartass.”

  She went back to cleaning, moving down the side of his neck. “Well, it’s clean now. I’ll put a bit of med glue on it, and you’re done.” She leaned over him, gently squeezing the glue into the scrape. It stung for a second, but eased instantly. “There.” Then she bent down and pressed a kiss just beside the cut. “All better.”

  He grabbed her wrist, met her gaze. “Who are you, and where’s my ferocious little special agent gone?”

  Her smile was crooked. “Guess getting attacked by alien bugs and being tossed out of a crashing aircraft mellows a girl.”

  “Most people would be freaked out and curled in a ball.”

  That crooked smile again. “I’m not most people.”

  He cupped her chin. “No, you’re not.” He drank in her face, her strong features, and that always-fierce glint in her eyes. “Come on. Sun will set in a few hours and we need to find shelter. Let me leave the coded message and we’ll get moving.”

  ***

  Avery had enjoyed the walk at first. The fresh air and the scent of lush grass and green trees had made her feel…fresh, and free.

  But now, her backpack straps were digging into her shoulders, and her hip and ribs were aching. No, throbbing—like a sore tooth.

  “There’s a town a couple of kilometers ahead. We’ll be there soon,” Roth said.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re not fine.” He grabbed her backpack and pulled her to a halt. “I’ve asked you three times to give me the pack.”

  “I can hold my weight, Masters.”

  “Never said you couldn’t.” His voice lowered. “I’m not some jerk you need to prove yourself to, Avery.” He opened her pack and yanked out the first aid kit, stuffing it into his own.

  The lightened pack instantly felt better. “Thanks,” she muttered.

  He looked like he was fighting a smile. “Gee, that was heartfelt.”

  She trudged on. “I don’t do heartfelt, Masters.”

  They came to the end of the field and climbed over a sagging fence. A cracked, two-lane highway with a faded white line down the middle stretched out before them.

  “All right.” She hitched the backpack higher. “Just a couple more kilometers…piece of cake.”

  Suddenly, green raptor poison sprayed across the road. Avery gasped, just as Roth tackled her. They rolled onto the verge and into the grass. When she sat up, Roth was already on one knee, returning fire with his carbine.

  Avery shook her head and snatched up her weapon. Looking down the sights, she saw the raptors, four of them, firing their ugly, scaled weapons that spewed paralyzing poison.

  She returned fire. Her focus zoomed in, blocking out the whine of the laser and the buck of the carbine in her hands. The raptors were huge, over six and a half feet, and all muscle. Gray, scaly skin covered their bodies, and their faces were dominated by large jaws and burning-red eyes.

  Something inside her trembled, and flashbacks peppered her like shrapnel. Small micro-memories of the lab, of huge raptors dragging her, trapping her in a cage, of pain.

  Avery’s jaw tightened and she pulled the trigger. Anger was a hot bubble in her chest as she fired at the aliens.

  One went down. The others were crouched behind an abandoned car.

  “Cover me!” Roth yelled.

  What? Avery felt a spike of fear and watched him leap up and sprint toward the raptors. He kept firing, his powerful body moving in a way that was almost graceful.

  Almost. There was too much pure power in him to be graceful.

  Avery focused back on the raptors. She needed to make sure they didn’t hit Roth.

  She kept the laser fire focused on them. One ducked back down, another was returning fire, and the third, a really big one, stepped forward to meet Roth.

  Roth kept firing, aiming at the alien’s relatively unprotected chest. They wore armor-like trousers and boots, but their upper bodies were just tough, scaly skin.

  The big one swung out to hit Roth, but he ducked and jammed his carbine under the alien’s chin. One shot and
the creature fell backward.

  Roth planted a boot on the abandoned car, jumped into the air and aimed his carbine down. Avery watched one alien sprint out from cover, trying to escape. Roth kept firing on the other side of the car.

  Avery fired at the escaping alien, and he let out some grunts, dodging and slowing down.

  Roth landed on the road in a slight crouch, and chased the final retreating alien. As he ran, he swung his carbine onto his back.

  Avery swiveled, keeping her weapon aimed. What was he doing?

  Another few long strides, and he pulled a large gladius combat knife from his belt. He leapt onto the back of the retreating raptor and took him down.

  It was a short, bloody struggle. Sunlight glinted off the long, sturdy blade of the combat knife. She saw no pleasure in Roth’s tough face. Just determination. He stood, cleaned his blade on the grass, and strode back toward Avery. She got to her feet.

  “You are a badass.”

  That earned a slight grin from him. “Thanks for the backup.”

  “Pretty sure you didn’t need it.”

  He shook his head. “Backup is important. Working together is the way we’ll beat these guys. They’re bigger, they have advanced tech, but we stick together, we look out for each other.”

  She stared at him for a second. She’d thought he was arrogant, a driven man out to prove how big and bad he was. But he wasn’t. From what she could tell, his squad loved him, and he took care of them right back.

  He was really just one of the good guys. A man who wanted to protect those who weren’t as strong, a man fighting for what was right.

  “Come on,” Roth said. “These guys won’t be alone.”

  She nodded, and after Roth hitched his backpack on his shoulders, they headed off.

  “I think we’ll walk through the trees. Raptors don’t like them.”

  They left the road, walking among the trees lining it. “Why?” she asked.

  He raised a brow.

  “Why don’t they like the trees?”

  “We aren’t sure, but we think there’s something the trees give off they don’t like. You know Santha Kade, right?”

  Avery nodded. “Head of spies.”

  Roth barked out a short laugh. “She’d love hearing her recon team called spies.”