Embrace the Romance

by S. E. Smith

  ‘Bogan, bericht! Bericht!’

  No response, only a blank space where he should have keyed into the war mongrel. Fear, a forgotten foe, paid an unwanted visit but Hunter shoved it far away into the recess of his mind. No time to dwell on what was happening to send Bogan darting off into the night.

  Ice cold calm descended over Hunter, his training and years in the military coming back with all too familiar ease.

  Track. Corner. Destroy.

  Three simple mandates he’d lived by as a soldier during the Vargos War. Hunter didn’t want to be that man again, but he would be if he had to. For Narelle.

  System access. Online. Activate protocol.

  The command given was subconscious but one Hunter didn’t regret. His head only stung a little from the blip of pain as he allowed his Lomanis heritage to fully merge with the government adjustments. He’d only told Narelle part of the truth. Lomanis were far better at integrating with electronics then he’d implied. It was why he’d been selected to lead raid after raid during the war. The scientists couldn’t figure it out and Hunter never explained.

  He took to all the messing around in his brain with more ease than the other soldiers. Out of the twenty-five recruits in the WIRED program, he’d synced with his war mongrel Riktor on the first day they were introduced, suffering the least amount of discomfiture.

  Now Hunter would use his legacy to force the connection with Bogan if he had to. Blaming the animal for the small tugs of resistance and defiance was pointless. Hunter wasn’t his original handler after all. But Narelle’s safety was at stake and it meant all bets were off.

  With that thought in mind, Hunter forced the sync with the war mongrel at the same time he reissued the command. ‘Bericht!’ Report.

  Rapid fire code scrolled across Hunter’s optic screen and a blinking square representing Bogan appeared, moving faster than the average animal. But then Bogan wasn’t an average animal. He was government engineered property bred to assist during a war that no longer existed.

  The animal’s speed reminded Hunter of another war mongrel with the same instinctive drive to rescue. Riktor. Hunter’s stomach knotted. Losing the war mongrel he’d been synced with had caused Hunter unspeakable pain which took months to recover from. After that last mission, he’d made a promise to never put himself through the same striking torment again. Ever.

  Yet here he was, racing through the streets after a war mongrel and a woman who had the potential to destroy Hunter’s whole world.

  “Bogan, haltzo.” Despite the distance, his shout should reach Bogan’s enhanced auditory adjustments. To increase the odds, he sent the order via the sync as well.

  Narelle’s scream ripped through the night and the hair on Hunter’s arms stood on end.

  No mercy, he thought as he rushed forward, forcing himself to breath in and out. Whoever thought to mess with Narelle would soon learn she had a man willing to kill for her. Death would be too kind for them.

  The red square hovering on his optic screen slowed briefly then took off like a shot. Panic flared and Hunter increased his speed. The blown adjustments in his right knee protested the demand he placed on them but responded. As he hurdled toward Narelle, Hunter knew his image would appear blurred to any observers.

  “Hang on, beauty,” he murmured, not giving in to the fear gnawing at his insides. She would be fine.

  No other outcome was acceptable.

  Eight

  The area Hunter traced Bogan to was a less than desirable section of town. He couldn’t imagine why or what would have drawn Narelle this way unless she was using the credit by the hour rentals.

  Short, successive barks ahead signaled Bogan’s position. Hunter slowed to a half-jog and withdrew his laser as he neared. Then he spotted the crumpled figure on the ground and his heart stopped in his chest.

  “Narelle!” Hunter rushed to her side, sliding to his knees.

  The blow to his chest caught him off guard and Hunter flew backward, his body slamming onto the ground feet away. Instinct had him rolling to his front, the laser still clutch in his grip.

  Coming toward him from the darkened alley, a cloak figure chuckled. “I knew she’d be the means to bring you out. Always on guard, always close to the pathetic bar you run.”

  Footsteps clacked, drawing closer with each muttered word. Hunter rose, never taking his gaze off the man. Flashes of blond hair winked in the flickers of light cast from a nearby street source.

  “Who are you?” Not that the answer mattered. Hunter planned to kill him for daring to touch Narelle.

  “Don’t you recognize the man you ruined?”

  Voice harsh and grating, but not familiar. Hunter strained to place the features as the man came to a stop beside Narelle’s prone figure. Bogan approached from the opposite direction, stiff legged and snarling.

  “Haltzo. Las.”

  For once, the war mongrel obeyed his order instantly and froze in his tracks. Fur ruffled in ridges along his back in a clear indication of the animal’s agitation. His upper lips peeled back revealing deadly teeth capable of crushing bones if caught between his powerful jaws.

  The stranger glanced down at Bogan and sneered. “Another K9? You always managed to end up winning in the end while the rest of us suffered for your actions.”

  Blue eyes met his and knowledge broke through Hunter’s confusion as his muscles locked in place. The last mission—Hunter’s greatest success and failure. It wasn’t possible though. There were no survivors from his team. The government had been adamant as they disclosed the devastating news to Hunter upon waking from his surgery. “How?”

  Even as Hunter asked the question, his mind snatched him back to the fateful day which had changed the tide of the Vargos war. With his war mongrel, Riktor, by his side and his team of five, they’d gone into the communication center fast and hard. Intel hinted this location housed several of the masterminds directing the efforts of the Vargos ships and their commanders.

  If Hunter’s team could take them out, it would shift the tide of battle. Strike a much needed blow against an enemy which seemed to haunt and follow Hunter his entire life.

  Trailing behind Riktor, Hunter led his squad to what would be their doom.

  “Clear.”

  “Clear.”

  Each room they checked was empty. Disappointment cast a pall. They’d been so sure. So certain this was it. Hunter exchanged a glance with each of his men dressed from head to toe in battle gear and received a chin lift in return. They would keep going. Search the grounds next if necessary before giving up.

  The washed-out bunker hummed with abandoned computronics. But no sign of Vargos soldiers. In the last room at the back of the place, Hunter lowered his weapon and cursed. Jestin entered behind him, pushing up his protective goggles and pursed his lips, vivid green gaze glowing with frustration.

  “How’d we get it wrong?” Noah questioned in a rough voice, his usually laughing blue eyes narrowed.

  “Wait.” Lukain, Hunter’s right hand, paused next to a blinking screen on one of the tables shoved against a wall and leaned forward. “This is it. It’s running code. Sending direction to their troops.”

  The resounding cheer left Hunter with a relieved grin. “Blow that shit.”

  Before the last word left his mouth, five lasers blasted away. And then Hunter heard it. A sound that curled his last meal in his belly and threatened to send it back up in a rush. He should have known this was too easy.

  Low tones beeped from above. Everyone’s gaze jerked toward the ceiling and the digital timer counting down on a wall mounted plate.

  35

  34

  33

  No time to find the source of the bomb. No time to get Riktor to seek and deactivate.

  “Go! Go! Go!” Hunter yelled, waving them back through the door they’d entered.

  The distance from the narrow hallway to the only exit seemed miles away. Sweat trickled beneath Hunter’s blast helmet and soaked his collar. B
oots pounded around him as his friends, men he’d fought with raced to beat time.

  Riktor used his trijl to send a mirror timer over Hunter’s optic adjustment, adding the clock over his vision.

  “Riktor! Komme!”

  Ignoring his order for the first time, the stubborn war mongrel stayed in the back.

  30

  29

  28

  “Fuck!” Hunter roared as the initial blast ricocheted behind them. Too soon. A secondary incendiary device blew from the left, rocking the structure and sending plumes of dirt and dust down on their heads. Air whistled through his lips and with his heart in his throat, Hunter wondered if this was the end.

  In front of him, Lukain stumbled going to one knee. Jestin snagged him under one arm and yanked him back to his feet. Too close for Hunter’s piece of mind, but they were close. Almost out.

  “Step lively ladies!” They were all WIRED and his command pinged on everyone’s auditory adjustments.

  Laughter broke out though gazes remained steely and determined. Four Vargos appeared in front of them and rushed forward, their yellow skin visible easily in the simple loincloths they wore. Weapons fired around them. Hunter aimed for head shots. The aliens dropped one by one, clearing the way.

  Nearing the exit, the wall of the arched doorway shook. Hunter thrust a shoulder against it for support, ignoring the immediate pain that shot down his right side.

  A few feet and all of his men would be free of the building.

  13

  12

  11

  Riktor soared past the soldiers and leaped on Hunter’s chest, knocking him back and all the way out. Before he could reprimand his partner, the war mongrel turned and raced back into the crumbling building.

  “Haltzo! Las!”

  Riktor picked up speed as he crossed the threshold. Fire burst through the windows as a series of mini explosions detonated.

  3

  2

  1

  Hunter’s last sight was of Riktor at the rear, trying to herd his men through faster with nips at their heels then the biggest explosion of all.

  The past faded and the present wrenched Hunter violently forward in time to this moment. A moment in which every member of his team was dead and K9-3, Riktor had sacrificed his life in an attempt to save those very same men.

  Except.

  “How did you survive, Lukain?” Mixed emotions tore at Hunter’s psyche. He wanted to be thrilled at the knowledge one of his men had made it out after all.

  Narelle groaned, pulling his attention.

  Yet nothing about an injured Narelle and a very angry soldier lent itself to Hunter feeling the slightest bit of joy. He fought the urge to go to her. To check on how bad she’d been hurt.

  Lukain stepped forward, setting off a fresh round of rumbles from Bogan. “Would you believe Riktor? During the final explosion, everything was smoke and burned flesh around me. I knew the others were gone and yet your war mongrel had more loyalty than you, Hunter. He dragged me to a section where the wall had been decimated. His biotronics failed once he managed to get me out.”

  Pain winged its way through Hunter’s heart. He owed his life to Riktor as well. The bravery his partner exhibited in the face of death could never be matched. Knowing the war mongrel had continued to complete the mission and gave his life to save another meant a lot to Hunter though he wasn’t sure the revelation had been intended to uplift Hunter in any way.

  Lukain shook his head. His mouth twisted in a wry grin. “Crazy animal always did have an intense rescue drive. Fur burned clear away and skin shredded, he locked on my leg and didn’t stop tugging until I was clear of the debris.”

  The back of Hunter’s eyes burned. He swallowed past the thickness in his throat.

  “Reminded me of that time you were pinned and he set up a frenzy of barking that led us right to you before that squad of Vargos discovered our presence at the Enteg battle.”

  Because Riktor had been more than any scientist could have imagined. Strength, intelligence and loyalty bred in his lean muscled body.

  “Why stay hidden? It’s been years.” Hunter couldn’t fathom a reason that would have sent his friend and fellow soldier on this reckless path. If it came down to it, Hunter would take him out.

  Anger wiped away whatever pleasantness had been on Lukain’s face. Blues eyes lit with limitless rage. “I got to a medic center off world but was ruined. My adjustments were all blown and irreparable. Useless, Hunter! I was useless and all because of you.”

  “You blame me when it was my war mongrel who got you out?! You’re alive because of Riktor. Both of us are.”

  “This isn’t living, Hunter.” Lukain whipped back the side of his long leather and ripped upward the shirt he wore.

  Bile rose in Hunter’s throat. From the shoulders down, metal panels intermixed with twisted scarred flesh. The jagged pattern continued down to the band of his pants leading Hunter to believe the damage was extensive. This went beyond seamless military adjustments and synth skin. “What did you do?”

  A sneer crossed Lukain’s face. “Not pretty, right? My adjustments were shot. Blown and no good. The medics had to remove them or risk poisoning my blood from the leaks and fried wiring. I couldn’t get better because I’d been declared dead and even if I wasn’t, the military no longer had a need for me. The war was over. We’d taken out the Vargos fucking communications hub and their troops fell apart.”

  Lukain let his shirt drop and the coat closed part way to hide his mutilated body. “Only thing left was to use scrap parts. Fucking scrap parts on me, a decorated soldier who helped win the shitty war!”

  Lukain’s hoarse screaming set off Bogan and the war mongrel launched passed Hunter, snarling on the defensive. Lukain screamed as ninety pounds of genetically engineered K9 powered into him. Jaws snapped and bit until Bogan clamped a secure hold on Lukain’s upper arm, claws digging for purchase on the man’s chest. Hunter couldn’t risk firing without hitting the animal.

  “Give it up, Lukain.”

  His former friend and team mate punched at Bogan’s snout over and over until the war mongrel released on a yelp. Hunter raised his laser but hesitated. Memories of shared laughter rang in his ears.

  Lukain used the opportunity to take off, black leather swirling about him as he vanished into the night. Bogan’s hind legs scrabbled as he spun around to give chase.

  “Haltzo, Bogan!” Hunter didn’t want the animal after Lukain and the unknown.

  With Lukain gone, Hunter did what he’d wanted to do from the moment of arrival and hurried toward Narelle. He brushed a hand over her red waves, clearing his view to her face. She groaned but didn’t wake. Hunter tucked his weapon at the waist of his pants, hands going over her body to check for injuries but an aggressive shoulder shove from Bogan knocked him backward.

  Oblivious to Hunter’s glare, Bogan nosed at Narelle’s face causing a flinch. Stunned at the war mongrel’s behavior, Hunter took a minute to give the order. “Bewachen.”

  Ignoring the order, Bogan snarled, upper lip peeled back as he positioned himself over Narelle’s limp form. From his protective stance, Hunter sensed the animal wouldn’t give easily. To make matters worst, he’d also somehow shut down the sync from his side preventing Hunter from accessing him that way. If the scientist had ever hinted at such a thing even being possible, he didn’t recollect yet Bogan had done it twice.

  “Bogan, sitzen.”

  Another low growl, flashing teeth which could tear through an enemy. Hunter had witnessed such during the war and it wasn’t pretty. Getting to Narelle was priority but not if it put her at risk. Any abrupt movement would trigger Bogan to attack and Hunter didn’t want Narelle caught in the middle.

  Commands rolled through his mind as he sought the best option to regain control of the situation. Hunter needed Bogan to stand down without traumatizing the animal further. He may have synced with him but there was no bond in place. No opportunity for a rapport to develop. Tha
t came from months of working together and Hunter didn’t have months.

  Keeping his gaze on the war mongrel, Hunter straightened from the kneeling position to emphasize his height. “Gott, biet rel. Gemfach.”

  Brown eyes flickered and Bogan’s pointed ears twitched at Hunter’s soothing tone. He continued to croon, keeping his voice low which took minutes Narelle didn’t have.

  “Gemfach,” he whispered and extended his hand palm up.

  Bogan darted a look at Hunter’s hand, gaze confused. The growls shifted to a low whimper.

  “Bewachen.”

  Though his body tensed, Bogan refused to move. Hunter glared, trying to force calm. It was clear Bogan had been without a handler for a while, but he wouldn’t be able to ignore training and protocol for long. A directive was meant to be followed thanks to months of training and a firm reward system.

  Hunter repeated the command to guard, adding another layer of authority to his voice. “Bewachen.”

  At last Bogan backed off on a low growl with stiff legged motions and shifted his focus to their surroundings.

  Blowing out a breath, Hunter knew nothing would slip past the war mongrel in guard mode. Returning to Narelle’s side, he cupped her face in his hands, taking in the injuries with a quick visual assessment. Injuries which seemed limited to a green bruise darker then her own jade skin tones under her left eye and a split lip.

  Anger swirled at the thought of Lukain hitting her in the face but Hunter pushed the emotion back. Now wasn’t the time or place. Leaning forward as his heart rate settled, Hunter tapped her cheeks. She’d been still the entire time, worrying him. “Come on, beauty. Open those pretty eyes.”

  Another groan and then Narelle’s lashes fluttered. Relief sent Hunter’s breath escaping in a rush. He didn’t care what it said about him. They’d only shared one night but already she had him hooked. Hooked to the point he wasn’t going to let her get away easy.

  If Narelle thought to escape what was between them, Hunter would show her different.

  Gray eyes met his, dazed confusion tipping her mouth down in the corners. “W-w-what happened?”