She froze. “Others? Who do you think will be there?”
“More than likely all of the angels who aren’t on other missions.”
A soft, arousing flush colored her cheeks and décolletage. “But…won’t they know…I mean…what we did?”
Ah, she meant their lovemaking. He stifled the urge to laugh. No doubt his mate would think he made fun of her, when that was certainly not the case.
“Darling,” he said gently, running a finger along her sheet-clad side, “I’m afraid they are already aware of it. Your essence changed the moment we came together down by the stream.”
“Oh. God.” Her eyes scrunched together in mortification, but then she took a deep breath and composed herself. Opening her eyes, she gave him a level glance. “Okay, let’s go.”
This time he gave into the chuckle bubbling his throat. Just like his Ruby to never back down from a situation just because it made her uncomfortable. It was one of the reasons why he loved her.
She’d given him so many, in fact, in just the short time he’d known her. And if he had his way, she would figure out soon enough what his soul already told him.
That she loved him too.
Chapter Twelve
The next few weeks passed by with blinding speed. Much to Ruby’s hidden delight, she was able to enjoy several blissful days with Jason before Adam and the rest of the rebel gang arrived at the designated location. It was probably the closest to a honeymoon she’d ever get, and she couldn’t deny the destination was one of the most beautiful she’d ever seen.
Scary though, how many times she’d found herself thinking, I could stay here forever.
She’d had to start reminding herself that, once they left for Alaska, the end of her forever might come way too soon.
Now, a week after the arrival of the rebels, Ruby found herself once again at their makeshift base, where she’d practically been living since they’d arrived. Except the nights, of course. Those were hers and Jason’s.
Michael had found a good-sized clearing of land in a remote valley about a fifteen minute flight from the Fallen compound, and proving that they really were superhuman, the Fallen had within the span of a week managed to build a primitive but serviceable log cabin big enough for all of her gang to squeeze in to. Of course that meant they were sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags, but they’d been through worse before. At least the cabin was surprisingly warm.
Hell, it might be a bit more rustic than their underground lair, but the view was a thousand-fold improvement, and the backyard was large enough to provide more than enough training ground to keep them in shape. All in all, the move had been a positive one.
Not to say that it hadn’t been without hitch. Case in point, fallen angel Seth, who stood beside her and Jason. Fresh from a round of sparring with five of her men—in which they’d mostly gotten their asses kicked, though they had managed to land a blow or two—his chest rose up and down with the force of his heavy breaths. His gorgeous tanned, naked chest, Ruby noted with more than a little appreciation. She might be with Jason, but that didn’t mean she was blind, especially not when he wore those poured-on leather pants he seemed to favor.
But delicious as his body might look, his facial expression was scary as hell.
“Does he need to get so close?” Seth growled, his eyes locked on two figures halfway across the clearing.
Ruby followed his gaze and took in the sight of her second-in-command, Adam, locked in a wrestling move with one of the two female angels, Lily.
Yikes.
After a pregnant pause, Jason gave Seth a good-natured clap on the back. “They’re just sparring, brother.”
Technically Jason was right. But even though Lily and Adam seemed professional enough, there was an underlying tension there, and anybody with half a brain—or a little bit of angel blood—could sense it.
Seth and Lily were mates…or they had been at one point in time. But something had happened between them, something no one cared to elaborate on, and their relationship was strained. Though they occasionally came together in order to preserve their immortality, Ruby had learned from Jason that after so much time Lily’s essence would begin to morph into that of an unmated female. Apparently the other unmated males had learned to ignore it out of respect for Seth, and vice versa as far as Lily went, but Adam’s arrival had put a whole new spin on things.
Adam was nephilim…which meant he was all too compatible with Lily. And it was clear both Adam and Lily sensed it.
“He doesn’t need to be that close to spar,” Seth countered, his gruff voice promising a slow and painful retribution.
Ruby swallowed hard. A ribbon of fear for her friend ran through her. Adam was tough, as tough as they came, but he’d be no match against Seth in a one-on-one battle. Reaching a hand out, she placed it on Jason’s bare shoulder, even now noting just how warm it was despite the fact that he was bare-chested in this frigid weather. When he gave her a questioning glance, she furrowed her brows and gave an almost imperceptible nod in Adam’s direction.
Catching her drift, he slung an arm over Seth’s shoulders.
“Come, let’s show the rebels what they’ll face in a battle against two angels.”
He gave her a wink as he gently propelled Seth in the opposite direction where a group of seven or so of her rebels were gathered training.
Seth’s gaze stayed on Lily and Adam for a moment, but he finally turned away.
“Thank God,” she muttered. Crisis averted for now, but she didn’t kid herself. The whole situation with Lily, Seth, and Adam—it was trouble waiting to happen.
Her shoulders relaxed and she let her gaze wander over the backyard. Michael had chosen this spot well. Nestled into a copse of thick, evergreen trees, the rustic cabin was hidden from above. Two levels had been built onto the house, which faced a wide, cold stream that provided fresh water.
Since the land sloped upward, the backside of the lower level was half underground, with just a few high windows to provide light. The stairs from the second floor balcony led down to this large yard, which was clear of all but a few tall trees that provided thick coverage from above. And a short walk through the trees in the back of the clearing led to a brook shooting off the larger stream. Though it was rocky, the water flowed slowly there, which would make for a good bathing spot in the summer when the water was warmer.
All in all, this place was a little bit of paradise. Not quite on par with the Fallen compound, but nothing to complain about.
How long will my crew live to enjoy it?
That desolate thought led her to the two figures striding out to the clearing from along the side of the house—one a cute, trim blonde, and the other a luscious specimen of male perfection.
Ah, just who she’d been waiting for.
Ruby turned on her heel and strode toward Samantha and Aaron. Though Aaron’s bare chest glimmered in the dim light of day, practically taunting her to look his way, she kept her gaze firmly on the woman she’d come to know and like these past weeks. Even though Samantha would understand her gawking at her mate Aaron, she wouldn’t like it one bit. Ruby felt the same about Jason, so yeah, she fully understood.
“You made it,” she said once she’d met the pair halfway.
“Yup.” Samantha shot her a grin.
“Michael will be here shortly too,” Aaron said. “He’s on his way back with the items we discussed a few days ago.”
From the serious expression on his face, there was no doubt what he referred to. When she’d first mentioned it in passing to Samantha and Michael, they’d been quick to jump on the idea, but none of them really knew how or even if it would work. For that reason, and because she knew mentioning it would make Jason worry, she’d kept it from him They’d have to face their uncertain future soon enough. For now she just wanted to enjoy him.
And if that sounded dangerously close to falling for him, well it wasn’t. She could enjoy a man’s company without hopelessly tumbling into lov
e the way her mother had.
She wouldn’t fall for him. Not when their continued existence was already so tenuous.
“In the meantime,” Samantha said as she held up a rolled parchment of paper. The diagram outlining the angels’ Alaskan prison, along with the surrounding countryside.
Ruby had come to know it all too well these past few weeks.
Aaron leaned over to press a quick kiss to Samantha’s head. “I’m going to train with the others for a bit. I’ll come to you soon.”
With a quick smile to Ruby, he continued on toward the others, leaving Ruby and Samantha alone.
“Come on,” Samantha said with forced cheer. “Let’s go continue our plan to save the world.”
Ruby snorted. More than likely they’d just end up getting themselves killed, but if so, it was for a good reason. All she knew was, she was going to fight for their freedom to the bitter end.
Besides, concentrating on the task at hand would get her mind off other matters—like the thought of how delicious Jason looked in bed with absolutely no clothes to hinder her view of his luscious, masculine frame.
Snap out of it, girl.
She couldn’t think about sex constantly, not when the lives of all mankind were on the line.
Nodding toward the house, Ruby said, “Let’s get to work.”
Chapter Thirteen
Later in the afternoon, Jason left Gabriel, Lucas, and Nate in the clearing, where they trained with another exhausted-looking group of rebels, including the sassy human Susan, who seemed to have taken a special liking to poor Nate. While she was certainly cute, she wasn’t a nephilim, so Jason feared she was in for a bit of heartache.
He started toward the cabin his brethren had built, intent on checking on his mate, when Aaron’s voice sounded out behind him.
“Wait, brother!”
Turning, he waited for Aaron to catch up. They fell into line together, both striding toward the cabin…and their mates.
“It happens soon,” Aaron murmured, his voice grave. “Very soon.”
“I know.” Though he’d tried to avoid the thought, Ruby had been planning and plotting with the others for days now. Time was growing short.
Who knew what tomorrow would bring?
“If anyone can do it, they can,” Aaron swore, but his words held a note of desperation in them.
“True, brother. True.” At least, Jason wanted to believe it. Because he couldn’t face the alternative—that his time with Ruby was almost over.
No, never that.
They stepped up to the second level of the house and walked inside the rear door, which led to the large family room with fireplace. Due to layout of the house on the side of this mountain, the shared quarters had been built on the second floor, with the bedrooms downstairs.
Striding past the room, where a cozy fire blazed, they made their way to the large kitchen. His brethren had built several wooden tables and benches, and it was at one of those tables where Ruby, Samantha, Michael, Eva, and Lucas currently sat. Their voices were low as they looked over the diagram Lucas had drawn based on the smaller rough sketch he’d created when he first spotted the prison.
His heart gave a thump as he took in Ruby, who was seated at the table directly across from his line of sight. Samantha was at her side, and Michael, Eva, and Lucas sat across from them with their backs to the door.
His gaze scanned the other occupants of the room before returning to Ruby. She wore a flannel shirt and her red hair had been tied back at the nape, though as usual, several strands had fallen loose and now curled down her chest, highlighting the ruby gem of her angel-wing necklace.
Mine. All mine.
If only she would acknowledge it.
“Here, and here,” she murmured, her fingers sliding over the parchment. But then, as if she sensed his presence or maybe heard the rapid pitter-patter of his heart, Ruby lifted her gaze from the diagram and rested her eyes right on him. A slow smile transformed her face, utterly seductive in its uninhibited innocence. Gods, but he couldn’t wait to get her alone.
“Glad you’re here,” she said, and the others glanced over at him and Aaron. “We’ve come up with a plan.”
“You have?” Just like that, his heart dropped. A plan meant their invasion of the prison was about to become real.
He didn’t want to lose her.
“Yeah.” She stood and leaned over the parchment.
Jason did his best to mask his fear and anxiety as he strode across the room in sync with Aaron. For his part, his friend appeared similarly stricken. They came to a stop at one of the ends of the table, their mates to their left and the others to their right.
Following Ruby’s gaze down toward the diagram, he took a fortifying breath.
“We’ve decided that if we strategically place cameras around the perimeter”—she pointed to several spots on the diagram—“we’ll be sure to catch some angel action no matter which direction they come from.”
And she would know, wouldn’t she, considering she’d somehow managed to rig up the greater New York City area? No small feat there.
“We’ll need ten cameras to properly cover the area,” Michael contributed, his voice soft.
“Ten?” Jason echoed in disbelief. The enormity of such an endeavor didn’t escape him. This would require some time and doing, and it wasn’t a job Samantha, with her natural ability to mask her essence, could carry off alone.
“I know,” Ruby said, drawing his gaze back to her. “It won’t be easy, but we came up with a plan to make the task get done that much quicker.”
“What is it?” he asked, reaching out to grab hold of her hand across the table. The quicker the better, and they all knew it. The task was beyond dangerous.
A smile crinkled the corners of her eyes. Shooting him a grin, she slid her hand out of his. “Hold on a sec. I’ll be right back.”
She disappeared into the water closet his brethren had installed just off the dining room. He followed her with his gaze until the door shut then turned back to the others in the room. They didn’t seem curious about what she was doing, not even Aaron.
“You all know what’s going on?” he asked.
Almost in unison, they nodded grimly.
“I felt it earlier,” Aaron said. “And I knew what to expect so there was no surprise there.”
Samantha gave Aaron a gentle, comforting smile.
“What do you mea—?”
Jason cut off when the low hum and sweet signature scent of Ruby’s essence, as familiar to him now as breathing, suddenly disappeared. His pulse skyrocketed, his body tensing with alarm. “Ruby?”
Panicking, he started toward the restroom…when the door opened and she emerged. At least he thought it was her.
Shocked, he came to a standstill and looked the figure up and down. “Ruby?”
“Hey, baby,” replied the slightly muffled voice.
Stark realization hit him, and he couldn’t resist letting out a chuckle.
Ruby’s slight form was fully encased in chain mail: a full-face hood with holes for the eyes, nose, and mouth, a chain mail shirt, gloves, and leggings. Hell, even chain mail booties that appeared to slide on over one’s regular shoes.
“Let me guess,” he said dryly. “The chain mail is made of iron?”
“You got it,” Ruby said smugly.
“And this was your brilliant idea?”
She placed her gloved hands on her mail-covered hips. “Yup.”
“It certainly does the trick.” Now that she was less than ten feet away, he could sense a strange sort of energy emanating from her, no doubt to due to the tiny holes in the chain mail and the slits in the hood. But when she had been in the water closet, the feeling was gone entirely. “Unless one of the white-wings were to get within several feet of you, they would be unable to sense you.”
“And it’s so fashionable too,” Ruby quipped. “Thirty pounds of pure fun.”
He’d bet. While the mail looked to be constructe
d in a light fashion, it’s combined weight was no doubt nothing to scoff at.
“I tried it on earlier,” Samantha noted, her voice ripe with excitement. “We couldn’t believe it works as well as it does.”
Ah, that would explain how Aaron wasn’t surprised by this revelation. He must have sensed the momentary disappearance of his love’s essence when she donned the suit, which meant he’d probably known what was coming.
Turning, he shot Aaron a withering glance. “Thanks for warning me, brother.”
Aaron merely shrugged.
“Don’t be mad.” Ruby placed a gloved hand on his arm. “I didn’t want to mention it in case it didn’t work.”
He turned to his mate, drinking in the warmth of her comforting gaze. Ah, so she hadn’t wanted to worry him over a detail that might not even come to fruition. He could understand that, and the fact that she cared so much to spare him the concern said a lot about her feelings toward him.
Whether she cared to admit them or not.
Which led him to another conclusion. Hope lit within his chest. He turned to face Michael. “Have you considered trying a modified version of the mail on us?”
Michael’s grin told Jason he was one step ahead. He nodded toward the water closet. “Already done. The wings fit comfortably through the slots I fashioned, and it worked when I tested it, though not to as great a degree as it did with Ruby and Samantha. Our wings transmit some of our essence, but much of it is muted by the mail.”
Aaron frowned. “What does that mean for our plan?”
Lifting one brow, Michael said, “As long as we remain far enough back from the angels, we should be able to accomplish our mission. We factored this dilemma into our decision-making on where we would place the cameras.”
“This is wonderful.” Jason elbowed Aaron and grinned as he turned back toward the diagram, eyeing the little black Xs the group had marked to indicate where cameras should be left. “We can complete this mission without endangering Ruby or Samantha. We only need to—”
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