by V T Bonds
“I love you too, Minette.”
Wrapped in his arms and safely cocooned away in our nest, I let the struggles of life fade away, if only for a little while.
I need these moments with my Alpha.
We’ve won a major battle, but everything could come crumbling down if Evie and the Alpha Elite aren’t able to kill Alpha One and his Omega.
They’re hurt.
We’ll have to help them.
Somehow.
Chapter Fourteen
Evie
Deafening silence fills the cockpit as my words settle over everyone.
I flick pretend dirt out from under my nail, giving the males a moment to absorb the information.
Jumoke’s hearty laughter bounces off the walls, but my lifemate’s sigh reverberates in my soul.
I look to my salt-and-pepper haired Alpha and hide the way my insides melt—to no avail, since he senses it anyway.
His slate gray eyes darken with arousal, but he corrals the room with a simple shift of his body.
Standing from his position of propping his ass against the control panel, he directs every eye to his impressive frame without a word.
Jumoke still chuckles as though I told the funniest joke he’s ever heard.
I like the bloke’s sense of humor, but I don’t jump to join him this time.
Vander has something to say. From the pulsing in his soul, it must be important.
“We’ve infiltrated before. We can do it again.”
Of course, the moment the words leave my Alpha’s mouth, Carrot Top speaks up, his rashness getting the better of him.
“We aren’t at full health, plus we have Omegas to protect. How the hell are we going to get into the Jaoli prison?”
“We have a few days to prepare.”
Vander’s curt words send a wave of longing down my spine. I want his entire attention focused solely on me, but we have other matters to attend to.
I flick another imagined speck of dirt out from under my nail before standing and joining my lifemate, supporting him with my next words.
“Minette and Draukir can provide back up, but the bulk of their forces need to stay stationed as a blockade, in case the officials in ISC decide to sabotage us.”
Nova glances from the incredulous look on Seeck’s face to Vander’s intense expression, studies him as he runs calculations in his head, then finally plucks up the courage to say something.
“Jaoli is that place you stole important prisoners from? You thought they were the people who attacked us, back when you first found me?”
Seeck wraps his arm around the back of Nova’s seat and pulls her toward him.
“Yes. That was our last mission, besides the one where we met you. Right before the transporter explosion,” Dirk says, training his eyes on Nova’s face while stroking Shya’s arm.
The room falls quiet again.
Anastasia speaks, breaking the somber tone.
“Tell us everything about the place. I’ve never heard about it.”
I study the room as Vander lays out our obstacles, ignoring the slight throb along the base of my skull.
Even though it’s been three days since our scuffle with Alpha One, my brain still aches. I knew he was a slimy bastard but didn’t realize he’d release his precious experiments to save his own arse.
How he hid his mate from me all these years, I’ll never know. In fact, it was probably her idea to release innocent females into a war zone.
I need more time to recover. I’ve never projected to that many people before, and the terrified women had needed clear directives and forceful prodding to get them going in the right direction.
Looking at Jumoke, I know I’m not the only one still in need of some rest. His normally tanned skin has a pale undertone, and the bandages wrapped around his head and hand lend more credence to my thoughts.
The bloke has guts, though. His eyes reveal a sharp mind to rival his fierce protective instincts. He’ll do what must be done to keep Anastasia and his offspring safe.
She hides it well, but Anastasia battles bone-deep bruises and fatigue, both of which are made more worrisome due to the child growing in her womb.
I’ve ached to meet these chaps face to face for so many years. Their acceptance of me lights a constant flame of warmth in my soul, but the tiny mite working so hard to carve space within Anastasia’s belly pierces me with a different heat. Unlike anything I’ve ever felt, it scorches my heart and fills it with regrowth, something my mind wonders over in a constant loop.
I’d do anything to help that baby live a happy, safe life.
Cripes, these blokes are making me sentimental.
Shya’s shifting pulls me back into the room, the gash on the side of her head looking much better than it did three days ago. The skin already knits together, but she’ll have a missing chunk of hair until it grows back.
She turns light gray eyes toward my lifemate, listening with the single-minded focus of an Omega prepared to do anything to save her family. She basks in the comfort of her Alpha’s lap, leaning into his hand as he caresses her arm.
Dirk’s bulk overflows the seat, especially with his leg propped up on a stool and his thigh’s wrap bulging under his pants.
Extracting the shrapnel from him had not been fun, but it promised to be more dangerous to leave it in than take it out. It could’ve severed his femoral artery if he’d fallen or run into something while we retreated to the Sky-Flyer.
“But we don’t have to overtake the prison, just Alpha One and his men, right?” Britani asks.
“In theory,” Vander responds, “but we still have to get to him without being detected and get out safely.”
“This place is a fortress. How will we get in?” Shya asks.
“Not we. You’re not going anywhere near such a dangerous place,” Dirk snarls while squeezing her closer.
I clear my throat.
All eyes swing to me.
“Alpha One isn’t down in the cells. He’s in the upper levels, in an overflow room for emergency personnel used only when extra guards need to be called in.”
Vander’s gray orbs shrink as he studies my face, his masculine features making my core throb as he absorbs my words and everything they entail.
“Which means she will need to go with us,” I toss out before the males’ scowls turn to growls.
Carrot Top and Jokester curse while the other three males go still as statues. I sweep my gaze across the room before returning my sights to my lifemate, entranced by his intense expression.
“Explain. Why does that mean Shya must go?” Anastasia says, her frigid tone hiding the fear swirling within her.
I speak before Vander can, realizing I’d rather be the bearer of bad news than wait for him to carry this burden.
“There are only two ways into the prison. The main chute and the air ducts.”
I meet Anastasia’s gaze before skimming the room, meeting my fellow Omega’s eyes as I speak.
“The main chute is exactly what it sounds like—a covered tunnel in the roof. Whenever anyone wants to enter the prison, whether it’s an inmate or the warden, they have to be dropped from a Sky-Flyer down a fifteen-foot concrete tunnel into the tiny receiving room.”
Nova’s luminescent blue irises catch my attention as her eyes widen with questions.
“Yes, there’s a latch at the top of the chute, which has its own closed-circuit lock and can only be opened remotely from the main control room inside the prison.”
Britani’s silver hair glints in the light as she glances between her lifemate and me.
“But before you can even get to the chute, the island has four mounted weapons, each one capable of destroying a fleet of Sky-Flyers before they get within a mile of the prison.”
Vander shifts as though to take over, but I elbow him in the side and keep going.
“Basically, there’s no way in from above. Even if we did get in, we wouldn’t be able to get out. They’d call in
back up and we’d be stuffed.”
My lifemate’s hand settles on my nape, but I ignore the heat coursing through me at his touch and keep jawing.
“The air ducts can be infiltrated, but it’s a grueling path. The chaps have all done it before—a swim, climb, and crawl, more or less—but getting into the air ducts wouldn’t be our problem.”
Vander’s coarse fingertips dig into my shoulders, making a shiver of delight flow down my spine. I refrain from biting my lower lip, not wanting to disrespect the ladies listening to our obstacles.
“The prison is separated into two parts: the upper levels, which hold the guards and workers, and the lower levels where the inmates live. Each one has its own duct system, which means even if we got into the accessible lower-level ducts, we’d hit a snag when trying to reach the upper levels. The only way for a normal human to pass from one system to the next is by unlocking a maintenance hatch from the top side.”
A warning tug in my chest comes from Vander, his frustration over my belligerence grating on his nerves. He wants me to stop speaking, but also understands everyone needs to know.
He’s also wishing we could be alone, with his knot locking us together and his tongue down my throat, so I’ll shut up.
Right, maybe I’m projecting there, but his anger makes me hot and bothered. I want him.
Meeting Shya’s light gray eyes, I pull my head back in the game and get to the point.
“This is where you come in. An emergency overflow vent connects the upper and lower duct systems. You’re the only one small enough to squeeze through it to unlock the maintenance hatch.”
Dirk’s arms hold her in an unrelenting grasp, his torment over the situation emanating from him and leaking into the connections stemming from him.
Shya turns and frames his face with her hands, giving me a glimpse of pink eyes before she tilts her head up to him.
“I can do it. I will do it. You will let me do this so we can kill that horrible male.”
My smirk may be deranged, but I can’t help it.
“She’s already proven she’s more than capable. She gutted two blokes and nearly blew Alpha One to smithereens.”
I leave out the other various wounds suffered, not wanting to heap more guilt onto her tiny shoulders.
Vander’s fingers clamp down so hard I’ll probably have bruises. I aim my smirk up at him, thrilled with his snarl.
“Cripes, old chap. Don’t break your old bones trying to put me in my place.”
Jumoke’s chuckle bounces off the walls, making my lifemate grind his teeth.
“I don’t doubt your will, Little One, but how will you make the trek? Can you swim along the bottom of the ocean? Climb a cliff? Flip over a razor wire wall? Crawl through concrete tunnels with racing winds pushing you backward?” Dirk’s rumble holds no scolding, only worry and reserve.
“You’ll strap me to your back. Put me in a fancy suit and carry me.” Shya’s demand shows her backbone and willingness to do whatever it takes.
“Love, I won’t fit in the tunnels with you on my back.”
The room sits in silence while emotions pour from Shya.
I sigh over the Alpha’s stubbornness and offer the best solution.
“We’ll fit. You’ll ride on my back. It’ll be some good old girl-on-girl action.”
As disgruntled rumbles and incredulous groans fill the room, I sneak my hand to my lifemate’s lower back, sliding under his shirt to flex my fingernails into his flesh, enjoying how his muscles grow taut at my touch.
Shya lets Dirk crush her to him, their silent communication whirling through the web of souls.
I drown in my lifemate’s steely gaze as he studies me, hypnotized by the strength of his body and the rapid-fire smarts in his brain.
“Won’t there be more surveillance or traps or something, since you stole prisoners from there?” Britani asks.
Kwame tugs on the rope in her braid and graces us with his melodic and rarely used voice.
“Their departure was not reported. They were not legal inmates.”
I huff in laughter at the expressions on Britani and Nova’s faces.
“I don’t understand how these things can still surprise you. Have your men fooled you so completely you forget what they are?”
Vander’s fist grabs my hair and yanks my face to his while he traps my elbows to my sides with his arm. He nips my lower lip and jaw before tightening his hold on my torso.
“No need to be rude, princess.”
Rubbing my front against his clothed cock makes up for his insult. Lust darkens his eyes as our mingled scents thicken in the air, and to truly break even, I lean forward and whisper in his ear.
“If it gets your attention, I’ll be the most impertinent and cheeky bitch in the galaxy, Papí.”
His quiet growl pulls a chuckle from me.
“What kind of force does Alpha One have within the upper levels?” Seeck asks, breaking the spell between my lifemate and I.
“He can’t have more than thirty men with him. They only have ten rooms available, but he also probably pulled some strings and increased the number of prison guards on duty,” I say.
“He has to know we used the ducts.”
Still in Vander’s arms, I smirk at Seeck’s outburst.
“Does he? What if covert reports stated missing guards and an extra Sky-Flyer visit on the same day? A run not on the books, but expected by the control room?”
My breasts graze against my lifemate’s hard chest as I laugh in glee at Seeck’s dumbfounded expression.
“Oh, Carrot Top, you aren’t the brightest crayon in the box, are you? I’ve been covering your tracks for quite a while. I’m still miffed Jokester over there thought I’d planted that shitty excuse for a hidden file about Anastasia. Dumb wanker.”
My mirth only grows when I look up and see my Alpha’s raised brow. After a minute, he shakes his head and sighs before nipping my bottom lip again and backing away from me. He moves the conversation along as though I didn’t throw all the men for a loop.
“Thirty men. How many will be ready for a fight? How quickly will they respond to a threat?”
“He’ll have no less than ten roaming the halls outside of his room. The others will be mission ready in less than five minutes.”
“Those aren’t good odds, especially since we won’t all be there,” Seeck mumbles under his breath.
“We’ll manage,” my lifemate responds, running his calloused hand through his salt-and-pepper locks.
He focuses his attention on Jumoke before propping his ass on the control panel and crossing his arms over his chest.
“What do you need to bypass the mounted weapons and open the latch to the main entrance?”
A few seconds pass as Jumoke runs through possibilities.
“I have some blockers I tinkered with. They could render the mounted weapons useless for about three minutes before manual controls take over, but the patches would have to be placed on the actual weapon.”
When he falls into contemplation again, Vander prods him to continue.
“We could drop an electronic pulser on the main entrance hatch, if we could get close enough.”
After a few seconds, my delectable Alpha shows his true colors, solving our dilemma with his sexy mind.
“You’ll pilot the Sky-Flyer and coordinate the blockers for our extraction.”
Jumoke’s expression sours and his mouth opens as though to argue, but Vander turns his attention away in a clear dismissal. His next directives calm Jumoke’s agitation.
“Anastasia, you’ll be in the cockpit with him. He’ll need extra hands.”
She nods and firms her spine, hiding her mixed emotions behind a stern expression.
“Britani and Nova, you’ll man the gear on the Sky-Flyer, including the pulser and the ropes. Without those things, none of us are leaving there alive, so Kwame will teach you the ins and outs.”
His eyes miss nothing as he continues, and I fe
el him absorb the Omegas’ trepidation at such a hefty burden, but he has complete faith in their abilities.
“Kwame will place the blockers. You’ll have to leave earlier and move with stealth. We’ll set a rendezvous point to pick you up when you’re finished.”
Kwame’s dark hand brushes up Britani’s arm as he weighs the pros and cons of his assignment. He behaves well, but his emotions ping between him and his lifemate like a chipmunk on steroids. He’ll hate being separated from her, but knows we’ll fail if he fails.
“Seeck will take point. Dirk second. Evie will carry Shya. I’ll bring up the rear.”
Unsettling silence fills the space for a moment as everyone contemplates the arrangement.
“I call dibs on the arsehole who tortured me for over three decades.”
No one argues.
Chapter Fifteen
Evie
I shoo Dirk onward, annoyed with his worried glances.
I’ve carried much more weight than this. Shya’s tiny frame stays secure to my back, her masked cheek tucked against my left shoulder blade and her knees hugging the outside of my hips, the harness Kwame made a snug yet flexible fit.
I climb the jagged rocks with ease, launching myself from one handhold to another, enjoying the slight strain of my muscles.
I’ll take an epic workout over injury any day.
My brain no longer aches, which means weaving through the invisible web of souls no longer tires me.
Sending a teasing tendril toward my lifemate, I smirk as I sense him climbing the cliff below me.
His view must be epic. If only I were wearing a skirt.
With a playful, theoretical swat to my rump, he urges me to quit fooling around and focus on the mission.
Right.
I tap my fingers together and activate my gloves, continuing upward as though the sharp rocks haven’t morphed to a flat surface.
Shya keeps her arms tucked down at her sides so they don’t impede my movements, and I indulge us both by offering her an almost inaudible purr as I slip over the wall and skim down the other side.
She hovers on the edge of flipping into her protective mode, but with my reassurance she eases back into awareness. She stops shaking with angst as my purr vibrates into her, which pleases me more than I can describe.