Hacked (Warriors of Light Book 5)

by April Zyon

  “Holy Christ.” She shook her head and bit her lower lip. “There are— I don’t know what those things are, but they’re attacking Demaratus.” She got up on her knees and searched the vehicle for a weapon. “Why in the ever-loving name of hell is there not something in here I can use?”

  “There are weapons in the SUV under the back seats. There are also weapons under the front passenger seat. But you can’t be sitting in it to get to them. The seat lifts up to access them. The ones under the back seat have a false panel that drops down so you never have to move. Do not get out of the vehicle. The second you do, all that focused rage will be on you, and he’ll be distracted to come to your aid. They’re twenty seconds out, Holly. Do not leave the vehicle.”

  “I’m not.” She moved so that she could stand in the driver’s seat, putting the phone on speaker so she could still talk to Mercury. “You don’t have to be out of the vehicle,” she muttered, studying the haul under her seat. “Okay. I thought when you said weapons there would be guns. These are short swords or bayonets or something.” She didn’t know the term for the blades. “I still can’t see D. Where is he?” She crawled over the seat to the back and looked around wildly.

  “Blades are in the front. Guns are in the back,” he murmured. “Five seconds. You should be able to see the effect of the rotor wash. They’ll be on the ground in no time and will clean up this mess. Stay calm. He’s out there. You’re bonded to him. If something was wrong, you’d know.”

  Like his words were a prophecy, she felt a searing pain along her side. It was over her right hip, and yet nothing was wrong with her.

  She screamed, and the dash lights flared brightly before she heard several loud pops and the interior of the SUV went dim. “Shit. Holy crap balls. What the ever-loving name of fuck is going on? That hurts.” She sobbed as she grabbed a weapon from the underside of the back seat. “I see them, but I don’t see D, and I’m hurting like hell along my side. And I just killed the truck. Something is wrong.”

  A large shape came flying out of the muck that was clouding her view and slammed into the hood of the truck. The head was twisted around unnaturally, and lifeless eyes stared at her for a moment before the body slid off the front end.

  Then she heard gunfire, lots of it. The mist, or dirt, or whatever it was outside seemed to shiver, then began to break up into sections. She saw more of the guardians, as well as Marines, for a split second before her view was obscured again. Suddenly, the driver’s side door was thrown open to admit Demaratus as he fell into the seat, slamming the door closed behind him.

  “What are you doing?” he asked in a curious tone. He was covered in dirt, blood, and things she really didn’t want to focus on. What she did focus on was the fact that he had a bloody hand pressed to his right side, over his hip. A hand that wasn’t doing a hell of a lot to stem the flow of blood gushing out.

  “Crap. Mercury, are you still there?” When she got the affirmative, she looked to Demaratus and asked, “Where’s the first aid? What the blue bloody hell are you doing?” she demanded of Demaratus. “You’re hurt, and you’re asking me what I’m doing? For real?”

  “I’ll heal,” he said, plucking the phone from her fingers. “They went for the medallion.”

  “Son of a fucking bitch,” Mercury bellowed. “We have to kill that little shit and sooner rather than later. Tell me he’s there?”

  “No, not even a whiff of him. But I’m betting he gave them pointers on how to dismember me. They smacked me around, got me away from the truck, and then tried to get at me. One of the Marines is putting the fear of fucking God into the gas station attendant, by the way. You might have to add some cash to that fear of God,” Demaratis said. When Holly again asked for the first aid kit, he pointed to her right and down by the seats. “It’s attached to the side with clips. Flip them up to pull it away.” He spoke to Mercury again. “They went for the medallion as soon as they had an opening.”

  “I’m going to personally take that little fucker apart with my bare hands when we find him.”

  “You may need to get in line, Merc.”

  “Jesus,” Holly whispered, grabbing the gauze to staunch the flow of the blood from his side. “Dem.” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry. I really am. I did this to you. I brought this into your world. I’m so sorry.” She was crying, useless tears, really, but she couldn’t have stopped them if she’d tried.

  “Shit, gotta go,” he muttered to Mercury. Hanging up the phone, he tossed it into the driver’s seat and pulled her over the console into his lap. Holding her with one arm, he rocked her gently. “Shh, little warrior. This is not your fault. I’ll be fine. I might be bleeding like a stuck pig right now, and a little woozy, but it’s already starting to mend together. I swear it, Holly. I’ll be fine in no time at all. Shh, baby,” he soothed softly against her wet face.

  “I’m so sorry.” She was holding on to him as they huddled there against the seat. “Can they take you on the helicopter? You need medical. And I fried the truck. Oh my God. I hate that you’re hurting. So much. Come on, we need to get you back to the base. Please?”

  “We can’t leave the truck until the situation is contained. Once they clear out, we’ll move over to the helicopter, and the others will take care of the truck. This still isn’t your fault. Stop apologizing to me for something out of your control.”

  “He tried to kill you,” she muttered darkly. “If I find that son of a bitch before you guys, I will make sure that he’s dead. I don’t know how, but I’ll do it. I’ll make sure they’re all wasted.”

  “If anyone can, I know you can.” Demaratus traced a finger over her cheek. “Smile for me, please. I need to see you smile so I know we’re going to all be okay. I love your smile. It’s always so warm and open. It makes me feel as if all the darkness truly can be beaten.”

  Holly gave him a watery one and nodded. “We are going to be okay.” She leaned into him, her forehead to his. “I love you, DC, but you are never allowed to bleed again.”

  “I’ll try to make that happen, for you.” Cupping her cheek, he tipped her face up so he could give her a slow, hot kiss. “I love you, Holly Smith. No matter what, I need you to know that and understand it. There’s no one else in the whole universe the goddess could have chosen for me better than you.”

  “That’s a very good thing because I couldn’t live without you or your love.” She took another deep breath. “Okay, how long until we can go?” She knew she kept asking that question, but she wanted to get him out of there.

  “Soon. They’re starting to realize they’re outnumbered, or at least outgunned. You can see through the crap they throw up every time they attack now. That’s a good sign.” Shifting slightly, he checked his wound. The blood flow had slowed to a trickle and it looked like it was already starting to scab over. “See? Told you I’d be fine. I may be a few pints low, but I’m still here.”

  “How can you heal that fast?” she asked with wide eyes. “That’s amazing.” She was feeling a little better at his assurance. “Gracious. That’s just. Wow.” She couldn’t believe that he was so calm, when he had been fighting for his life a short time earlier.

  “Externally, yes. Internally will take a lot longer. The medallion seems to know that we can’t lose too much blood volume, so it does what’s necessary to keep us on our feet and then works on the rest. I’ll be sore for a couple of weeks, but I’ll be back to normal soon enough. Though I may be stuck around our rooms for a while, since this will take me off the duty rotation.”

  “Oh, that’ll be just such a hardship on me.” She rolled her eyes. “To have you with me for a long time. I’ll hate that.” She snorted. “Do you sense the sarcasm dripping from my lips?”

  “Sorry, what? I was so focused on your sexy little mouth that I missed it. You should repeat it a few more times, I think.” The corner of his mouth tipped up slightly to give the barest of grins. His cell chose that moment to ring. “Uh, can you grab that?” he asked, pointing to t
he driver’s seat.

  “Saved by the ringer. Lucky devil, you,” she said with a smirk. “Okay.” She answered the phone with a low, “Hello?”

  “How’s he doing?” Mercury asked. “Better yet, how’s everything there going? Have they cleaned this nightmare up so you two can get your asses on that ’copter?”

  “His side is nearly healed.” She leaned forward and peered out the windshield. “And they’re dealing with the bodies now.” Looking to Demaratus, she asked, “Well, what do you think, love? Can we do it?”

  He nodded. “We’ll head for the helicopter. Let him know the truck is out of commission.” Holly relayed that information to Mercury.

  “Good enough. Move it, you two. We’ll deal with the truck and everything you’re bringing back. But you need to get to medical to ensure they didn’t do any damage that won’t repair itself. See you when you get here.”

  Holly pocketed the phone once Mercury hung up. Demaratus looked at her and said, “You’ll need to get off my lap, little warrior. As much as I’d love to throw you over my shoulder and carry you over there, I don’t think that’s in the cards for the time being.”

  “Right, yes, I don’t want you any more hurt than you are right now. Crap, here I’ve been sitting on your damn lap this whole time. For the love of God,” she muttered. “Fabulous. I’m so sorry.” She pulled away from him and nodded. “Come on. Let’s get moving, shall we?”

  After he got out of the truck, Demaratus took her hand in his and drew her close to his side. “I put you in my lap, Holly. I wanted you there, needed you close to me, so I could hold you and know that you truly were okay. So don’t go blaming yourself for yet another thing that isn’t your fault.”

  “Okay. I’ll try. I’m going to have to work on it, I think.” She took a deep breath. “I’m glad they got here when they did.” The pair raced for the helicopter. She noticed that he was favoring his right side, heavily.

  “It’s all in the timing, Holly.” At their destination, he gave her a hand up into the aircraft. Then he pulled himself up with a wince, easing slowly down into one of the seats and blowing air out through his teeth on a hiss of sound.

  “I hate that you’re hurting,” she whispered as she took the seat at his side, her words lost to the sound of the blades. “Headset?” She pointed to the headphones that would—she hoped—help the headache that was starting from the noise.

  He gave a nod and took the pair she passed him. Leaning back, Demaratus tipped his head back against the wall behind them and hooked his arm around her waist. Several others loaded in. Once the door slid shut, the helicopter lifted off.

  She glanced at the men who had joined them. Then she touched the microphone in front of her lips and asked, “Who are you guys? What are your names?”

  “They’re the Marines,” Demaratus said softly. “Quit flirting with them, Holly.”

  One of the men snickered and threw her a wink. “I’m Jared. The guy to the far right is Neil. Between us is Kyle. And over there next to the big guy is Fred.”

  “Nice to meet you guys. And I’m not flirting with them,” she grumbled at Demaratus. “I’m simply asking for their names because I’m curious. I just want to know who it is that I’m riding with and whose hands I’m putting our lives into.”

  “Well, that would be our driver today, Lance. Say hello to the lady, Lance.” A hand appeared over Jared’s shoulder with a wave. “He’s the quiet sort. Unless we’re being fired on. Then he’s got some serious creative language skills.”

  “Oh, then I need to be around him so I can learn some new and more imaginative ways to cuss. I think that it would be a lot of fun, don’t you?” She looked to Demaratus and smirked. “Or you could teach me some?”

  Demaratus said something that even had the Marines looking confused.

  “They do that a lot,” Jared said. “Revert back to their native tongue when they want to say something they don’t want the rest of us knowing. Sneaky.”

  “No kidding. I think we’ll need to get creative as well. I’m sure there are a number of linguists we could contact to get a baseline for their languages. I could build an app, install it on your phones and, viola, you would all know what they were saying.”

  Giving a snort, Demaratus opened an eye to look her way. “They mispronounce everything, so it wouldn’t work anyway. You need someone from that time who actually spoke the language to get it correct. Linguists all seem to think they’re the best at what they do, but they’re really not all that good. Though I do love messing with them.”

  “Then I’ll ask Mercury. He’s been alive longer than any of you, so I’m sure he would tell me.”

  “Not if I tell him what you’re going to be using it for. Plus, you’ll never know for sure if he’s given you the correct translation,” Demaratus said. “Which would be counterproductive, wouldn’t it?”

  “Oh, that’s bad.” She loved being able to talk to her guy like this. “Okay, so why won’t you tell me what it is that you’re saying? What are you hiding?”

  “Nothing, little warrior. But it doesn’t mean I want you learning all of those extremely nasty sayings. They also lose something in translation, which seems worse to me. I’ll teach you a couple, but no more than that. Agreed?”

  “Okay,” she said with a smile.

  He tightened his hold on her. “Here, curl up against me for the rest of the ride. We’ll be home soon enough.”

  Holly let go of the breath she had been holding and relaxed against Demaratus. The sound of the helicopter was lost because of the headphones, and the heat of him paired with the adrenaline rush she was coming down from had her eyes closing to sleep. While he healed and held her, the pain in her side lessened and went away.

  Chapter Ten

  Demaratus hadn’t wanted to go to medical, but between Holly and Mercury, they’d managed to wrangle him down there. The docs had checked him out and done several scans to proclaim that the medallion was fine and healing him well. Those words had seemed to take a giant weight off Mercury’s shoulders. Demaratus had given them both a knowing look and rolled his eyes.

  Though the doctors had wanted to keep him overnight, they knew that wasn’t going to happen with any of the guardians. So, after the token protests and a list a few pages long of what he couldn’t do for the next week, they’d let Demaratus go. The man had nearly shot out of there faster than a speeding bullet, tugging her along in his wake as he’d made his escape.

  Holly giggled all the way to their rooms. She was trying to hide it, of course, but couldn’t. “You know, you really shouldn’t have done that, running out as fast as you did. I think you had the nurse all but falling down as you raced past. She was trying to catch a glimpse of your back before you pulled your shirt on.”

  “They’ve all seen me before. They damn well shouldn’t be gaping. I thought they were professionals. Besides, the only woman I want ogling me is you, little warrior.”

  “Oh, believe me, I ogle you lots. Hell, I could spend the rest of my life doing nothing but watching you as you move, especially naked.” She hummed again and looked at him as if he were candy. “When you’re naked you are glorious to behold. You know that, right?”

  “Not sure how I feel about that assessment. Because it’s you, I’ll take it under consideration and perhaps use it in an exploitative manner at a later date. For now, all I want to do is get you to our rooms and be alone with you. Did the doctors give you a once-over as well?”

  “Why in the world would they give me a once-over? Yes, I was hurting because you were hurt, but I’m good. In fact, I’m better than good. I can’t wait to get into bed with you and get naked. I’ll race you to our rooms.”

  He shook his head, and she took off running. “Other corridor,” he called out when she went to dart down one. “Do you seriously want me chasing you down? Because if I do, and I catch you, you’ll be very sorry to have run from me.”

  She stopped, considering his words. “Will you spank me?” When he n
odded, she laughed and raced for their rooms again. “Come on, come and get me, mister man.”

  “You’ll regret that.” The sound of his boots hitting the polished floor spurred her on. The fact that they were getting closer at a fast rate made her heart leap and her body start to hum. She was almost to their door when his arm wrapped around her waist and flipped her up off her feet so that she was cradled in his arms. “Now it’s time to pay the piper, you little brat.”

  She squealed in laughter. “You shouldn’t be picking me up, you goof.”

  “I’m perfectly fine to pick you up. I told you I heal quickly,” he replied as he settled her in his arms.

  “Hmm. What do I have to pay, Sir?” Her question was asked as she rubbed her face to the side of his neck. Against his ear, she whispered, “I love it when you spanking me, Demaratus.”

  He leaned his head back so their eyes met. “Open the door and you’ll soon find out what the fine is for messing with me.” Brushing his lips to her cheek, he trailed them to her ear and bit her lobe gently before giving it a tug.

  “I can’t wait to see what you have in store for me.”

  Once inside, he let her feet drop to the floor. “Get naked, bring out your choice of blindfolds, and I’ll meet you at the sofa. You have three minutes.” She ran out of the room, laughing.

  Four minutes later, Holly was on her knees before him, blindfold in hand.

  Taking the offering from her, he instructed her to turn so her back was to him. He placed the blindfold over her eyes and tied it. “Over my lap now, little warrior.” He still had a hand on her arm, which she knew he’d use to guide her into place.

  She moved, her body naked and primed for him. She didn’t speak, just shifted until she was comfortable. She couldn’t see anything at all, but she could feel him. “Please, Sir?”