“What is it?” His eyes darted around, immediately at attention and ready to fight. He took my hand, hurrying us behind the cart where nobody could see us, and corn surrounded us on all sides.
I panted. “The guards are gone!” I told him everything I’d heard.
“A small cell?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I nodded, panicking, waiting to hear his plan. Would he want to try to escape, like Linette?
“It’s probably the same people they took the kids from,” he said, his jaw locking.
“What should we do?”
“It’s not enough time to plan an escape.” He raked a hand through his hair. “You said the guards are gone?”
“Yes.”
“Then all we can do is make the most of the break.”
What? His eyes burned into me as understanding hit and I flushed.
I held a palm out. “That is not a good idea. W-we don’t have time.”
He prowled one step closer. “I don’t need much time.”
“Tater,” I said, shaking with anticipation. “We’re not supposed to touch.” I sounded lame, even to my own ears.
“You don’t want me to touch you, Remy?”
I let my palm fall.
Tater’s hand came around the back of my head and he kissed me, shocking me with the force of it. My entire body reacted, as if I’d been touched by a live wire. He pressed me back against the side of the cart, the wheel cover digging into my back. I surprised my own self by grasping him around the shoulders with all of my strength and lifting up onto the step, wrapping my legs around his waist.
We didn’t waste any time. Tater panted now, too, as he yanked his pants open, and pushed my panties aside. We were so hungry, so desperate. I pulled him into me, pressing his backside with my heels and moaning into his mouth.
He murmured a stream of curses against my lips as we moved together, fast, then faster. I wished there were no clothes between us, but feeling the power of his hands on my hips, his tender mouth working mine, the entire length of him deep inside of me, was overload on my senses.
I came in tiny, powerful blasts, trying desperately to stay quiet. My arms and legs gripped him, and his face came down to my shoulder as he throbbed inside of me, gasping for breath. And when we were finished, we didn’t stop. He continued to move his hips, slower now, never pulling out, until he was fully hard again and I grinded my hips to his, desperate for every single sensation.
“Don’t stop, Tater.” I moaned and chanted his name as my body shuddered around him again. He nipped my neck and earlobe, pressing me hard against the cart as he pumped into me hard all over again, driving us both over the edge.
We remained like that, trembling against the cart until we caught our breath, and our senses returned.
“Tater, oh, my God.” So much for not needing much time. I pushed away and straightened my dress, still feeling breathless.
Tater redid his pants, his usual frown returning.
I looked up at him with the sudden urge to cry. “That can never happen again!”
“Rem.” He reached for my face, but I pulled away, running, angry at myself for putting us in danger and making our already-messed-up relationship even more complex.
I ran through the corn fields with Tater close behind. It wasn’t until we neared the barns that I sensed something was off. It felt too quiet. I saw a mass of people standing there, staring toward the gates. When Tater and I jogged out to join them, my heart stuttered and nearly failed.
The Senator stood at the gate with all of our guards. His eyes flickered over to me at the back, then to Tater. Every drop of blood drained from my face. My hands prickled as an ominous feeling invaded. I caught Linette’s panicked eyes for one second before she turned back to the Senator.
“As I was saying,” he continued. “There is nothing to fear. You are all safe. The skirmish was short-lived. You may resume work for the remainder of the day.”
I didn’t dare look at Tater again as he turned and disappeared back into the fields, but I took the time to quickly smooth down my hair and dress as I was temporarily lost in the crowd. I heard Linette hiss as she passed me, “Go see him, you fucking idiot!”
Yeah, thanks for that.
I walked toward the gate, shaking inside.
The Senator was not smiling, but I forced myself to keep walking. I stopped even further from him than usual. Could he sense what had happened? Was I wearing the glow of a woman who’d just been blissed out twice by a man? I would have given anything not to be standing before him right now.
“Senator. I’m glad everything’s okay. Were the children scared?”
“They are fine. We’ve cancelled their last hour of lessons, though, so you may remain here for the evening.”
I gave a small bow of my head. “Whatever you want, sir. I’ll make myself useful in the kitchen.”
He glanced past me to the fields, making my heart pound erratically again, but he said nothing. When he looked back at me, I swear, his eyes held the same heat I’d just seen in Tater’s. He knew something was up. And he didn’t like it. What kind of person did it make me to feel a tiny thrill at that fact? I swallowed hard and took a step back. I was beginning to hate myself more than ever before.
“I hope you have a good evening, sir.”
“And you,” he said.
When the Senator turned to leave, I headed straight for the showers, feeling every single feeling a girl possibly could.
Amber
Something was up, because they called Rylen in before sunrise, and the atmosphere at breakfast was quiet and tense. I slid into a seat next to J.D. Sean was gone, too.
“What’s going on?” he asked me.
“I have no idea.” I sipped my coffee and peered around at the soldiers, downing their food and rushing to put their trays away. Devon came in and grabbed a muffin to go.
“D!” I called. He turned and came over to us. “What’s going on?”
“They received contact from headquarters during the night.”
“As in alien headquarters? In Nevada?”
“Yep.”
“Oh, my God,” J.D. whispered, setting down his spoon with a clatter.
“We’re all meeting this morning.”
I wiped my mouth and stood. “Well, then, we’re going too.”
J.D. looked up at me with a nod, and we followed Devon to the main building for the briefing. Rylen saw me and jogged over.
“I just checked for you in the room. I thought you’d sleep in.”
“I was restless after you left early.”
“I’m sorry.” He gave me a quick kiss. “Glad you’re here.”
Rylen went back to the front, and I took a seat with J.D. in the far back of the small auditorium.
From across the room, Officer Sean looked over with his stylish red hair and gave J.D. a nod.
“His hair’s looking awesome,” I said.
“He has amazing hair. Thank God they don’t make him buzz it off.”
“One benefit of the apocalypse, I guess.” Less stringent rules about appearance.
J.D. gave a dry snort. “So wrong.”
I lowered my voice. “How are things with you guys?”
A mischievous grin crossed his lips. “Let’s just say, your impromptu wedding caused some squishy feelings in me, which led to forgiveness on my part for when he so rudely manhandled me into leaving the cabin, and, well . . .”
My eyes widened. “You finally kissed?”
He sipped his coffee. “And stuff.”
I turned to the front, smiling, as Colonel Latham took the podium. He looked like he hadn’t slept all night, disheveled salt and pepper hair, collar slightly crumpled. I scooted forward in my seat.
“We have two major points of discussion. As most of you know, the Baelese believe that this base is still under their control, and they have been communicating with us. Up until last evening, all comm was fairly straight forward, yes or no type answers. Last night th
ey confirmed that the breeding time for their people is in two weeks. Because their numbers were so small here, they’ve ordered that only forty percent of their Alaska crew mate. And they’ll need a list of who is fucking who by the end of the day.”
My heart thumped hard as a loud hum of whispers rose up.
“We believe we have found a list of the Baelese who were stationed here. At least, we hope like hell that’s what the list is. And we hope like hell that we are making correct guesses about which names are male and which are female. Because if we get this wrong, folks, they will know this base has been compromised. One simple suspicion could be all it takes for the shit to hit the fan. Comprende?”
Everyone nodded. J.D. whispered a curse beside me.
“On the plus side,” the Colonel went on. “This base is fully stocked with weapons, ammunition, and most importantly . . . planes. F16 fighters. A pristine AC130 Gunship that can shoot pinpoint rounds at painted targets. And a handful of pilots with balls of steel who are ready to fly them.”
A round of “Hooahs” rose loud into the room, and my arms prickled with goosebumps. I was both proud and terrified to hear Rylen’s balls spoken of that way.
“Now,” Colonel Latham shouted over the din. “For our other issue. As if the first was not pressing enough. We’ve received word that the three final ships from Bael will be arriving this summer. They referred to them as the Master Vessels. We are led to believe that these three ships carry their remaining population. Think massive. Upwards of ten thousand.”
Ew. My stomach could hardly handle the thought of so many of them crawling the Earth.
“They could be arriving during mating week, or weeks after. It is our goal to stop those ships before they can touch a single blade of grass. If they are allowed to set down and release their people and whatever stockpile of weapons they’ve got, it could be over for us. It could be over for humanity.”
Complete silence. We had less than two hundred people here. Versus ten thousand? And that wasn’t counting the Baelese spread across the world in small, powerful cells. I sat back heavily in my chair, feeling ill. J.D. reached over and took my hand. We held tight.
“We’ve been in contact with others like us. Rebels. Military personnel who found one another and banded together. To keep you, and them, safe, I will not say how many, or their whereabouts. Just know we are not alone in our efforts. If all goes well, when those bastards mate, we will attack. There will be a power shift throughout the nations, and we will be stronger and more able to take on whatever these master vessels throw at us.”
Hope mingled with fear of the unknown, a dreaded anticipation swirling around the room. Mine and J.D.’s palms were sweating now.
It was happening. Come what may, the battle for our world was just around the corner, and there would be no escaping it.
Remy
After hardly sleeping, I sat up at dawn with the tiny snuggle bug, Kelsey, curled in my arms. As quietly as possible, I carried her to her own bed and smoothed back the curls from her face. She’d climbed up into my bed during the night after a disturbance—shouting and a scuffle—from the direction of the men’s dormitory, followed by some awful moaning sounds. It was over with quickly, but left me feeling edgy. Several of us women had sat straight up and listened. Nights were so quiet. It was bizarre to hear any sort of commotion.
I’d been unable to sleep even before that, caught between wondering what I’d been thinking to lose my mind with Tater like that yesterday, and then marveling at every single touch we’d shared. The way he’d looked at me, like I was all that mattered, the only person in the world. My heart ached remembering that look, and I shoved every single feeling away. Men muddled the mind. I had to keep a clear head.
Linette was going to ask Tater at breakfast what had happened over at the men’s block, since I needed to keep my distance in front of the guards. They’d all seen us come out of the field. Thankfully, I found out from Linette that the meeting had just started, but she told me last night in the bathroom that we’d both looked “freshly fucked” when we came running out of the cornfield. Nice.
“It’ll either drive him to jealousy, or make him be done with you,” she’d said. “On one hand you might have helped our operation, and on the other . . . you screwed your chance to win him over. Therefore you screwed me—” She’d come forward like she was contemplating choking me, but two guards unknowingly saved me by checking the room, and giving me a chance to leave.
What’s done was done.
I stealthily searched for Tater as I came in, and saw him in the far corner, sitting alone with his plate of food, staring off but looking oddly relaxed. Okay.
Little Ronaldo came in behind Kelsey and me, and I cocked my head at the boy.
“Hey, I thought you’d be with Jacob,” I said.
He looked up at me with glistening brown eyes. “He had a bloody nose and he didn’t want to talk to me.”
Acid slid up my throat and I swallowed it down. Was that the commotion from last night? It was too coincidental that he’d be in an altercation. Paranoia rose up. It had something to do with us.
“I’m sorry. You can get in line with me and sit with us if you want.”
He nodded and followed me, walking quietly beside Kelsey. My hands trembled as I took the tray. I ushered the kids in front of me and Linette slid into line behind us. I whispered under my breath what Ronaldo told me.
“There’s your answer,” she said stiffly. “Congratulations. He’s under suspicion.”
The acid was back, and harder to swallow now. The watery grits on my plate nearly made me vomit right there. How could I have been so reckless? For once, why couldn’t I have controlled myself?
The kids and I went one way, and Linette headed for Tater’s table. We sat quietly, and it drove me crazy that I couldn’t see from where I was. I knew I needed to eat; we were given very little, so nobody’s body could afford to skip a meal, but my stomach was not having it. I waited for the guards to look the other direction, and I scooped mine into Ronaldo and Kelsey’s bowls. They stared at me, surprised, and I forced a small smile.
“Go ahead. Eat up.”
They gladly dug in, and I concentrated on my breathing. What would happen to Tater? Would he be able to control his emotions enough to fly under the radar until the suspicion waned? I needed to see the Senator. I could reassure him. Even flirt with him. I would do whatever it took.
Oh, shit, shit, shit. I couldn’t stop shaking.
When we got up to put our trays away, Linette walked past me and bumped my arm.
“Room. Now,” she whispered.
I handed off the children to one of the women working in the kitchen, and kept my head down as I walked the dusty footpath to the women’s building. The guard who usually escorted me to the vehicle was waiting there.
“One moment, please,” I told him. “I forgot something.”
He gave me a silent glare, and I rushed past, closing the door behind me.
Linette came straight up, inches from my face, looking like a wild animal.
“They gave him the fucking worm,” she hissed.
The world rocked beneath my feet. I covered my mouth and tried to stay balanced. Then I was shaking my head, shaking it, shaking it, because no. No.
“Yes, little dark angel,” Linette whispered vehemently. “You did this.”
“Shut up!” Pure, crazed anger rushed into every blood vessel, every pore of my body, and I grabbed her shirt in my fists, shoving her until we ran into a trunk and fell into a heap of limbs on the floor. A scream wrenched from my throat as she yanked my hair.
“Get off me, you crazy bitch!” she said. I couldn’t let go of her shirt. It was like my fists were rusted into that position, and my face was snarling. A scream tore from my throat as I completely lost control of myself.
I felt arms come around me as a female voice reverberated through the room, “Enough! On your feet!”
In a quick whoosh, the blood beneat
h my skin cooled, and my hands loosened. I got to my feet, swaying, breathing hard, wondering what I’d been so upset about a few seconds before. Linette stood beside me, also having calmed.
“Ms. Haines,” said the woman. “We leave now.” She looked at the other guard and jutted her chin toward Linette with menace. “You deal with that one.”
It wasn’t until I was exiting the gates and climbing into the vehicle that it hit me what I’d just done. What the actual hell had come over me? Pure, crazed fear for Tater, was what, but fighting? It’s the worst thing I could’ve done. What would happen to Linette? Guilt soured my stomach all over again, and I closed my eyes.
“Are you going to be ill?” the driver asked me.
I pried my eyes open and shook my head. “No.”
Then I forced myself to think about Tater. I wanted to deny it and tell myself that Linette had been mistaken, but I knew she was right. I thought about how strangely calm he’d been at breakfast. How he’d left Ronaldo behind that morning. The skirmish in the night that ended in a bloody nose and yelling.
Dear God . . . Tater’s mind was no longer his own, and Linette was right. It was my fault. I turned my head as far to the side as I could manage so that the driver wouldn’t catch sight of my wet eyes. And then I fought the urge to cry, swallowing and taking deep breaths, blinking rapidly.
I had to see Senator Navis. I had to assure him that Tater wasn’t a threat, and that there was nothing between us. My dress was damp with sweat by the time we arrived at the Palace. To my surprise, the Senator was waiting at the entrance, hands in the pockets of his slacks, backed by an entourage of guards.
When I approached, he pushed his sleeves up to his elbows and examined me.
“I understand you were in a physical altercation with another female this morning?” He’d already heard? Stupid walkie-talkies. I dropped my eyes and clasped my hands in front of me. Lack of breakfast was making me shake harder.
“I’m sorry, sir. It was a misunderstanding.”
“Hm.” Long pause, then, “Come with me, Ms. Haines.”
I wasn’t sure how my feet moved, but I followed. He held out a hand toward an office, and I entered, surprised when he closed us up in the room together, alone. Once again. This time, the tension immediately zinged between us, and the combined emotions of fear, distrust, and lust was like a live wire in the room. My chest heaved with nervousness as I watched him, standing there looking as calm as ever.
Undone (Unknown Trilogy Book 3) Page 15