His hand slid around my waist and pulled my back against him. His erection strained against my rear, and his mouth laid open kisses along my neck. His tongue traced my birthmark, a dark circle with three vertical lines in the center. Deft fingers glided up and cupped my breasts, pinching the already pert areolas.
“And what do we tell them about our first time?” he purred, nuzzling my neck and almost making me forget that Cade could return to my room at any-time since the sirens were no longer blaring.
“That we were out on a mission six months ago, and one thing led to another. That we have secretly been seeing each other for those six months,” I whispered, controlling my voice as his tender ministrations made stirrings of desire gather and throb. His touch filled me with longing, some carnal, some sweet, and I exalted in the hope of more with him.
“How do we explain that you are not with child yet?” he asked with so much optimism in his voice it almost crushed me. He wanted a child? Why had I never known that? Because my world view had consisted only of me, my sins, and my needs. Had I ever stopped to consider what my men wanted?
“We took precautions during intercourse, and you never released your seed inside me.” His hips rubbed his erection along the crease in my rear. My fingers threaded through his hair, keeping his head in place so he would continue nibbling right at that spot where my shoulder met my neck.
One of his hands traveled south and dove betwixt my thighs, tangling in my curls. He rubbed my sensitive nub. Hunger speared my body and served as a bucket of ice water over my head.
“Wait,” I panted, pulling his hands from my body and removing myself from the circle of his arms. This could not happen like this, not while I still had Cade’s stench upon me.
I glanced into his eyes, and the heated desire almost brought me to my knees. Quinten wanted me. His breathing expelled in ragged gasps, his body shuddering in need.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.” I hated myself for doing this.
He stepped forward, his hands once more claiming ownership of my body and attempting to pull me close. “But we wouldn’t have to fully lie then. We could go before them with you possibly already carrying my child.”
Fuck, he was right, but I couldn’t yet.
“I can’t. Not so soon after Cade …” I explained and glanced down, hoping I convinced him.
“Fine. I understand,” he bit out and turned from me, angrily covering his magnificent form. I did the same, not bothering with modesty as I dressed in the first pants and shirt I found. Screw Cade and his orders that I remain naked at all times. After tonight, he would never have a say in my life.
Did Quinten believe this was a dismissal entirely? Panic spiked my blood pressure. I went to him, his body partly turned away from mine. My hands gently clasped his face and brought his gaze to mine. My eyes searched his for any clue to his feelings.
“Please don’t be angry. We will … consummate the union. I just can’t when I still have that bastard’s stench on me. And I want the Council to approve it first. I don’t know what I would do if the Council ordered your expulsion to the Desert because of me.” I pleaded with him. I meant every word and I watched emotion flicker in his eyes.
His expression softened. His hand cupped my cheek, and he pressed his lips to my forehead. “I understand,” he murmured and circled his arms around me.
I allowed it. Please, gods, let the Council say yes to this union. Otherwise, I would opt for the Desert.
Sirens blared anew. What the hell? Two sirens in one night? I wished that I had Luke’s ability to sense demons farther afield. Their numbers must be massive for the sirens to go off a second time. That meant we needed every soldier out there fighting.
“We should be out there in the combat.” I disentangled myself from the comfort his arms granted.
“My orders are to keep you here. And we all know how well your last disobedience went,” he chided, hands on his hips. I had never noticed how well he wore his fatigues. It didn’t matter as the sirens continued. We were necessary in the field. One extra warrior could make all the difference in battle.
“Yes, but I can’t just sit here when our platoons, my platoon is out there fighting for their lives.” He must have seen the sense in my argument. He didn’t want to be on babysitting duty, even if it would get him laid. Then again, who knew the last time he had been with a woman, so who was I to judge?
“But …” He attempted to argue, ever the level-headed man, but I caught him glancing at the door, as though he attempted to surmise if our skills were actually necessary.
“Think. When was the last time the sirens went off twice in a row like this? That means our forces need reinforcements like you and me. We can’t let them get to the Compound, or worse, inside.”
He studied my expression. I witnessed the battle that raged inside him. Consternation settled over his features. He wouldn’t let his newest acquisition near a battlefield.
Using every ounce of skill I had, I rubbed my hands up his chest, moving my body intimately against the hard planes of his.
“Please. I couldn’t live with myself if we had a chance to save our people and didn’t take it. I know I’m not Cantati Forces any-more, but I’m still a soldier and so are you!” I begged, gazing into his eyes, pleading with him to see my point. He stared at my mouth a mere inch from his, and I noticed his eyes fill with unrequited longing. He swallowed, his lips claimed mine for a gentle mating, and I knew I had won.
“Fine. Let’s go before I change my mind.”
“Thank you.” I refrained from dancing a jig at my victory. He could change his mind before we made it out of the Compound. With the sirens continuing their shrill call to arms, I knew this was the right decision. We needed every able-bodied soldier. I had witnessed the difference one person could make on the battlefield.
“We’ll stop by my room for weapons,” he said.
It was more than I’d hoped for. I hugged him close before I raced to my chest and pulled out a jacket. In demoting me and removing me from Cantati Forces, they had also taken my weapons. More than likely because they were afraid that I would use them on Cade or the Council, not that they were very far off in their estimates. I would make Cade pay for how roughly he’d treated me once the Council reversed their decision, make no mistake.
“I’m ready.”
He nodded and gave me a once-over. “Stay close to me, dammit. And don’t do anything stupid.”
Who, me? Do something stupid? That was all I seemed capable of accomplishing here lately. He wanted assurances that I would be good and not race headlong into trouble. Quinten knew me better than that, so I lied.
“I won’t.” Although, we both knew that when push came to shove and a battle was underway, a lot of things could go wrong in the space of a heartbeat. The firm line of his mouth told me he didn’t buy it, but he accepted my word for now.
“Let’s go.” With that, we exited my room and headed into the fray.
Chapter Eight
After a brief stop by Quinten’s second-floor room, we scurried out of the Compound. He provided me with a hat in an attempt to shield my face from any guards. It worked. Cantati Forces hurried across the Tower Green, ferrying dispatches from the front, uncaring of other soldiers heading to the front lines in the massive attack.
The majority were heading toward the eastern gate. The ground shook from explosions and the distant din of gunfire. Armed to the teeth, with guards more concerned about not letting the enemy breach our defenses, Quinten and I sneaked out through the western gate unmolested.
The silence on the streets was deafening by comparison. Quinten and I moved wordlessly together. Years of training had honed our ability to work seamlessly. We ran in tandem, with Quinten on point.
We covered ground quickly, traveling in the direction of gunshots. Sounds of battle increased with every block we passed. A mile from the wall, we crossed over the threshold of hell. Cade’s platoon and at least half of mine were engaged in fero
cious combat.
I didn’t spy my majors. Ben, Nick, and Luke were not part of the melee that I could see. Relief washed through me. I prayed they had been assigned to the Compound with my absence.
Entering the battle, Quinten and I worked together, forming a shield, using the other to protect our backs. My sensors were on high alert.
Three Feronte demons bent on ripping me to shreds crashed through a broken line of defense to reach me. With heads shaped like dragons, they had retractable claws on each of their forearms, but their fireballs were the most deadly. They could shoot those suckers up to twenty-five feet and had near-perfect aim. My blade slashed, and I flayed the first two demons into pieces.
Screeching, the remaining Feronte growled.
I blocked its heavy, clawed fists. Then I danced precipitously out of arm’s reach when two more Ferontes emerged from the hoopla. How many more were there? The number of demons were staggering. My demon-detecting powers were on overdrive, flooded by their energy. I had to block it, shore up my psychic shields, otherwise this many would undermine my ability to defend myself and anyone else.
Quinten had engaged with a group of Hatha, careful of their six-inch retractable claws. Those suckers hurt like hell when they gouged flesh and carried a venom that, if left untreated, wreaked havoc on the human body.
I ducked and swiveled, arcing my blade against a Feronte’s throat.
Two Efrits joined the fight. I hated Efrits. I dropped my blade, switching to my Glock .45. Big bastards like these needed big bullets. My finger relaxed against the trigger.
The Efrits’ bodies coiled, milliseconds from action. My finger depressed the trigger. I emptied a clip into those two. Damn near cut one in half. I dodged a fire blast from another Feronte, dived and rolled, reloading my handgun with a full clip. Gravel skinned my knees. On my side, I aimed, squeezed the trigger. The Feronte crashed to the ground.
I heard a Toth’s heavy footfalls as it charged. Its three heads shaped like a velociraptor’s, and on each head they had a mouth filled with wickedly long fangs. Damn thing openly hissing as it stalked me. These suckers were massive barrel chested brutes. In seconds I had the Glock back in its holster and swiveled my focus. Back on my feet, I whipped the blade in an arc, sliced it through bone and sinew removing all three heads before they could sample my flesh. Sounds of the battle seared my ears. I couldn’t tell who was winning, us or them. Best we could do was keep demons from each other’s backs. Any demon foolish enough to charge Quinten or me was crow fodder.
A machine built for killing, I hacked and slashed at every tentacle, claw, and tusk. Body parts littered the ground. Blood ran in rivulets and stained the street. And through it all, I listened to the sounds of battle around me.
Mammoth hands snatched me from behind, slamming my body against the nearest wall and stealing my breath. My blade clanked at my feet.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Cade snarled mere inches from my face as he restrained my arms, keeping them from my firearm.
“Saving your collective asses, apparently,” I remarked, aching for my gun or blade.
“You are not Cantati Forces any longer.” His warm breath washed over my face and made me gag. We were at war, and he worried more about his prize than his men. Some leader he had become. The general needed to know about his weakness.
“Let go of her,” Quinten demanded.
Damn him, he’d promised he wouldn’t engage Cade. If I had not been seeing stars from the impact with the wall, I would have given him a piece of my mind. It would have been far easier to bash their heads together. They both had forgotten the full-scale battle happening around us.
“Or what?” Cade tossed over his shoulder. The certainty in his smug response sickened me. Like he believed himself to be the top dog, and no one would argue against him. Wouldn’t he be surprised when Quinten and I went before the Council?
“I’ll make you,” Quinten replied, all puffed-up proud, while I struggled to breathe against Cade’s tight grip around on my throat.
“Yeah, you and what army?” Cade smirked. I wanted to wipe the smugness off his face. If I could only reach my gun, I would take care of Cade. Then Quinten and I would have ourselves a little chat.
Quinten yanked Cade’s grasp on my throat. I slumped against the wall rubbing my bruised throat, as Cade rounded on Quinten with his fists.
Horror filled me when Cade rushed Quinten. But he was ready for him. The blows they landed would have made lesser men crumble. It should have made me feel girly and feminine at their chest beating over me. It didn’t. I wanted to jump between them and stop the madness. I pulled my gun and retrieved my blade.
“I’ll see you in the brig for this, Major,” Cade barked, while throwing a punch aimed at Quinten’s jaw. Quinten dodged Cade’s fist.
“She’s mine, Cade. Has been for a while. In fact, she’s likely already carrying my child. The Council will reverse their decision. Touch her again and I’ll kill you.” Quinten had a few devices up his sleeve and countered Cade’s assault with a few solid blows of his own.
Enraged, Cade unleashed the berserker within and pushed Quinten into a defensive attack. Demons swarmed, and I became engaged with the nearest Yathuri.
All around, men and demons fought. Men died. Demons died. The sounds of the battle diminished, and I glanced around after beheading a Hatha. Cade had Quinten in a dead-lock grip around his neck.
Sorrow filled Quinten’s eyes as he fought against Cade’s hold.
“Let him go, Cade,” I shouted. “Enough. You made your point.”
Cade glanced at me, and I was not certain what he saw. Maybe it was my defiance of his orders. Maybe a part of him sensed that he would never get the chance to claim me and that Quinten threatened his possession of me. Quinten’s face turned red from suffocation. He bucked and fought Cade’s unflinching, unyielding grip. The dead forces at work inside Cade shuttered his expression as he grasped Quinten’s head.
With a swiftness that stole my breath, Cade snapped Quinten’s neck, the crack of bone sounding hollow in the lifeless space, and I watched my salvation fall. His sightless eyes, the ones that had glanced at me in adoration and hunger a short while ago, stared lifelessly back at me. His strong body, full of compact muscles, collapsed to the ground.
Dead. Quinten was dead.
“NOOOOOO!” I screamed.
I went after Cade. My throat bunched up tight with unshed emotion. I may not have loved Quinten, but I had cared for him, and this monster had taken him from me. The big moments like this stole all rational thought from my body. As a woman who had been dubbed the Ice Maiden, I was all emotions and rage. I was just better at hiding them than most people. I felt things so deeply. My surface might appear to be a calm lake, but my emotions were more bottomless than any ocean, with turbulent currents that dragged the unwary into the abyss.
A vehemence I rarely unleashed took hold and filled my soul with the ice I had been accused of for so long. I lifted my Glock, sighted it, and fired my last bullet into Cade’s chest. Utter shock registered on his features as he glanced at the blood blooming upon his chest. For Quinten, and for me. He would never violate anyone again. Cade toppled backward, dead before his body impacted the ground.
I glanced around the field of battle. There was no one else. They were all dead.
Chapter Nine
I opened my shields, expanding my energy outward until I sat in the epicenter. Nothing. No life signatures except mine. The Compound was far enough away that the people there did not trigger my sensors.
I knelt next to Quinten. Gently, with as much care as possible, I closed his sightless eyes. I stared at his handsome face. My fingers trailed over his cheeks. Anguish stole my breath as I gazed at his prone form. I may not have been in love with him, but he was my friend. One I had trusted implacably. I clasped his lifeless hand, devoid of all the solid strength I had come to expect. I would miss his warm smile, calm demeanor, and the possibility of an us.
; Wetness splashed on my hands and I realized I was crying. The hope his feelings had awakened was crushed under the oppressive weight of his demise. I would carry him back. I owed him that much. He deserved a warrior’s funeral.
Hundreds of bodies lay strewn about me. Demons hugged by the human counterparts who killed them, embracing each other for all eternity in death.
I had to dispose of all the corpses. But first, I spent the next hour filching supplies from the dead. Had to, as morbid as it might seem. We needed the weapons too badly. The pile beside Quinten’s body grew. I’d have to send a detail company back for these with a cart. Once I had remanded all the available weapons into two piles next to Quinten, I began setting the bodies on fire, starting at the far end of the battleground from Quinten’s body. Humans intermixed with demons were easy. Demon bodies did not need a burning agent to ignite, partially due to their sulfuric compound, but hot enough to help incinerate the human bodies amidst them. I memorized the face of every one of my men who had perished. I should be numb to it all, but I wasn’t. How could anyone not feel the senselessness of it all?
How had this attack happened? Why had Drystan caught us so unprepared, as though we continued to forget that he wanted the extinction of the human race, to breed more of his demons and claim Earth as his dominion? This had been the largest skirmish in months. At least a hundred men were dead. Including Quinten. There had to be hundreds of demons. I’d never get an accurate count with all the body parts.
I ventured from body pile to body pile with the flame thrower I’d discovered on one of the deceased. We had been so vastly outnumbered in this fight. I reached Cade’s body, his face forever frozen with the shock of his death. It had been a nicer end than what he had deserved. I did not regret it. The Council would kill me for my actions, if they found out. I ended a man’s life, an offense punishable by death. Regardless of my reasons for doing so, in light of my recent defiance of their missives, the Council could never know. I set the flame to his clothing, watching as the flames licked his body until it engulfed him. There was nothing more I could do for any of them. My tears were empty, and sorrow burned into anger. I would hold to the promise I had made, the one to my mother, that I would rid the Earth of demons. I would. That was why I was here, to end Drystan and all his demon minions until this planet was wiped clean of their foul existence.
Ruptured: The Cantati Chronicles Page 6