by V T Bonds
We speed down the hallways, darting through the stairwell door and launching up the remaining flights as quickly as possible.
My legs burn, but I use the pain as motivation and keep pouring energy into them.
A pop sounds from in front of Seeck seconds before an alarm blares through the space.
We do not pause, Seeck’s shoulder slamming the closed door open while smoke pours from the lock.
Sliding around the corner, we dart down the long, empty hall, clearing the dangerous area in a few seconds.
Dirk tosses another explosive over Seeck’s shoulder. It hits the double door’s lock and billows black smoke after letting out a deafening pop.
Seeck slams one side of the double doors open, continuing through before the acrid cloud reaches his face.
Dirk disappears as the smoke surrounds us, searing my lungs, but I force my feet to keep pounding onward.
By the time we exit the cloying cloud, Shya coughs and wheezes on my back, but I can’t help her beyond moving further away.
The tiny receiving room flashes into focus as lightning lights the sky. Rain pours in, but I grab the rope under Seeck before the end lifts out of reach.
My front slams into the chute’s wall, but I clamp my fingers around the line while wrapping it around one leg and pinching it to my instep with my opposite heel.
My shoulders brush against Dirk’s calf, our separate ropes allowing us to overlap as we ascend the chute.
Vander’s head bumps against my thigh while Shya pulls her knees up, giving him more clearance in the concrete tunnel.
The chute lightens as Seeck rises above the lip, but the wind yanks him this way and that, making our rope vibrate in my hands.
In quick succession, Dirk clears the tunnel, then myself and Shya, followed by my lifemate. The moment we’re no longer confined by the chute, the two ropes swing away from each other, but my lifemate grabs my ankle and stops us from bashing into each other.
When we’re close enough to the Sky-Flyer that he has to let go, his fingers linger for another second, leaving me with a soft caress.
Two shakes later and firm hands pull me into the cargo bay, hefting me up and setting me at least three feet away from the opening.
I grab the wall and widen my stance for balance as the Sky-Flyer shoots into motion, not waiting for the doors to even start shutting.
When the wind stops trying to burst my eardrums, I turn to Kwame and offer him thanks for pulling us into the cargo bay.
He nods and steps around me, snatching Britani away from the rope’s control panel and stalking toward the hall.
I barely catch a snippet of Seeck’s flaming hair, with Nova’s sandy locks flowing over his shoulder, before Kwame’s back blocks them.
Dirk’s broad shoulders fill my vision, but instead of reaching for Shya, he motions toward the front of the craft.
Vander grabs my arm and leads me to the cockpit with Dirk right behind me.
The second he steps through the door and checks that he’s the last one to enter, he takes Shya’s weight from me, waiting until Vander unfastens the harness before whisking her away.
While he takes care to strap her in, my lifemate hauls me to an empty seat and presses me down by my shoulders.
I plop down and tug his face to mine, demanding a victory kiss even if we aren’t safe yet.
He indulges me, promising filthy pleasure as soon as we’re done escaping immediate danger.
I brush my breasts against him, moaning when my nipple piercings catch on his chest holster.
He pulls away with reluctance, tucking my hair behind my ear before strapping me in.
“Silly bloke. I can do that myself you know.”
“I know. I do it because you deserve to be pampered. And because I want to.”
His deep rumble shakes apart every negative emotion trying to creep into my heart.
Adrenaline seeps away as quiet pervades the room. If it weren’t for the engines screaming out their misery, I’d say we could hear a mouse fart, but I understand the tension emanating from the other ladies.
Moving this fast through the sky leaves me feeling like my organs might escape my body and stay behind.
The engines ease their roaring a moment before Jumoke’s shoulders relax.
“In the clear,” he says before checking the radar and inputting coordinates to our destination. I swallow the guilt his disfigured hand brings, feeling like his missing fingers are my fault, but let pride flow through me. He’s as persistent in his quest for life as he is in being annoying.
The motivation and dedication these people show bolsters everyone around them. There’s nothing we can’t overcome.
And I’m part of the family.
A wave of gratitude and awe fills me.
Jumoke swivels in the chair and aims his hazels eyes at me before asking, “He’s dead?”
“Beyond a doubt,” I huff, broken chuckles squeezing my chest.
“Got proof?”
“Yup.”
Kwame and Jumoke’s muscles visibly relax.
“Shya?” Anastasia’s voice lacks her usual confidence.
With both arms wrapped around one of Dirk’s biceps, Shya lifts her head from his arm and meets Anastasia’s worried gaze. When she speaks, her high-pitched voice trembles with emotions.
“I stabbed her in the back.”
“Who? Georgia?” Anastasia asks with eyebrows pinched together.
When Shya nods, Anastasia’s forehead smooths and a vicious smile creases her cheeks.
“Good. I am sorry you must carry the weight of killing her, but am overjoyed you were the one to unlock our future.”
If it weren’t for the burly Alphas who would undoubtedly force them back into the safety of their restraints, Anastasia would surely gather Shya into her arms.
“But I stabbed her in the back like a coward,” Shya chokes out, her self-hatred and guilt flicking through the room and breaking my heart.
“No, you snuck up behind the bitch so quietly she never heard you coming, then stabbed her in the neck with so much force you severed her spinal column and sent the blade out her trachea. Feckin’ brilliant. I couldn’t be more impressed. Or proud.”
She stares at me as though I’ve grown two heads, blinking in surprise as though she expected us to be upset with her.
“You’re the true hero here. Our little savior.”
Tears gather on her lashes as everyone agrees with me.
Warm, rough fingers cover mine, infusing so much comfort and praise my soul tries to turn to mush. When I turn and fall into my lifemate’s gray irises, my insides melt.
He rumbles out a quiet yet decadent purr, filling me with lust and longing.
After weaving his digits through mine, he lifts our joined hands to his face and kisses my knuckles. I bite my bottom lip as he nips my flesh a few times, his silent promise of ecstasy making my core throb in excitement.
His smirk as he lowers my hand gives me heart palpitations.
Why are we still strapped to these seats instead of rolling around in our nest?
My lifemate flips to business mode, perusing the room with a calculating expression.
“Dirk and Seeck, how deep are those gashes?”
Both Alpha’s lips compress as they battle self-disgust.
I roll my eyes and sigh in exasperation.
Big bad Alphas can’t cope with the fact they got captured.
Vander ignores my antics and lifts an eyebrow at Seeck, waiting for an answer.
“Their pride hurts more than anything else, right, Carrot Top?”
I can’t help it. Poking red-haired beasts is fun, especially with how expressive their faces are.
“How did you get hurt?” Nova demands, her clipped words full of fear and fury.
“They jumped us. Somehow, they knew we were coming,” Seeck grinds out through tight vocal cords, confirming the blush on his cheeks is from anger and embarrassment.
Nova’s fear
bursts through the room.
“That’s why you pulled away from me! You’re such a jerk! What if you had died? How dare you even think about stealing my last few minutes of being with you. Don’t you ever do that to me again, you dim witted, overbearing, assho-“
I snort as he yanks her hair and stretches them both against their restraints so he can cut off her words with his tongue.
“Hey, I was enjoying that!”
I still can’t help it. Nova’s diatribe may have been the most epic thing I’ve ever heard come from an Omega’s mouth, plus the shock on Carrot Top’s face just makes me want to poke him harder.
Vander’s warning pinch on the web between my pointer finger and thumb sends heat up my arm. When I send him a scorching look and suck my bottom lip into my mouth, flames dance in his eyes as he fills his lungs with a calming breath.
I let my lip slide out from between my teeth and wink when Dirk returns to the original question.
“Superficial cuts, nothing more. The adrenaline patches pushed out whatever drug they gave us.”
Nova’s shocked gasp slides between their lips, but Seeck doesn’t give her room to yell at him again. His tongue delves further into her mouth.
I chuckle, unable to hold in my mirth over the situation.
Shya’s lack of reaction pulls my attention her way. Surprise flickers through me when her almost lavender gray eyes swing my way.
“Thank you, Evie, for saving my lifemate.”
My mouth opens to give a flippant response, but she shifts forward and meets Vander’s gaze.
“Thank you too, Vander. He wouldn’t have survived if you hadn’t murdered all those guards. I…”
She sucks in a breath, her eyes switching pink a few times before settling back to light gray.
“When Dirk shoved me into the laundry basket, I thought that was the last time I’d see him. There were so many men. Too many. It seemed so hopeless.”
A single tear tracks down her cheek, dripping off her chin and landing solo on her lap.
“The sounds… waiting was worse than anything Georgia ever did to me. Then, when I saw her pointing those guns at you?”
She pierces me with her shimmery orbs before skimming her eyes over the room, ending with her lifemate.
“I… even when I fought the j-jerks in the Sky-Flyer, I didn’t feel so much rage. But it went away.”
Her fingers trace Dirk’s masculine cheekbones, the angle making her stretch and twist to reach him while we stay buckled.
“It went away, and I felt nothing. Not fear. Not pain. It was easy.”
She crosses her other arm over her lap and grabs Dirk’s wrist.
“I love you, my Alpha.”
When tears gather in the behemoth’s eyes, my gut clenches at the depths of emotions flowing from him.
Shya glances at each Alpha in the room as she continues.
“I love your brothers.”
She shifts her eyes toward each Omega.
“I love my sisters.”
With watery eyes, she returns her gaze to Dirk and squeezes his hand.
“I love our family, and now we can be together without living under threat.”
Dirk’s purr vibrates through the room, and for once, the other Alphas join in instead of tensing.
With watery eyes and lopsided smiles, the Omegas join in, our happiness too great to keep silent.
Almost as though pulled by fate, each Alpha turns toward their Omega in unison.
Vander’s soft lips brush against mine, igniting flames of passion and love in my veins.
I tilt my chin, giving him better access, and purr in satisfaction as he takes advantage.
The thrill of the mission mingles with lust, forming a ball of need in my soul so dense my fingers running through his soft hair feels so intensely sensual my clit throbs in tandem.
I groan and flop my head back against the headrest when he pulls away.
“Jumoke, how’s our timeline?”
How he flips from pleasure to business so quickly, I’ll never know, but always admire, despite the need coursing through me.
“We’re on track. About eight hours until rendezvous, barring no complications.”
“Good. Dirk, Seeck, and Kwame, spend half an hour in the infirmary. Make sure they didn’t slip unexpected drugs into your system. Once tests finish, you’re free to spend the rest of the trip in your dens.”
Vander turns to their ladies.
“I know you need to be by your Alphas but use caution. Tend their wounds, but don’t let them skimp on the procedures.”
When Nova, Britani, and Shya nod in agreement, he gives me a glance out of the corner of his eye before turning to Jumoke.
“First or second watch?”
After studying Anastasia for a moment, Jumoke decides they’ll stay in the cockpit during the first half of the flight.
“Anyone have any questions or concerns?”
When no one responds to his question, Vander checks each face before tipping his gorgeous lips up in a devilish smile.
“We deserve this break. Good job. See you in a few hours.”
With that, he unbuckles and stands, signaling the end of the discussion.
Belts zip back into the walls as Alphas whip their restraints free and unfasten their Omegas.
Kwame snags a dark finger under the rope gauntlet on Britani’s forearm and guides her into the hall. Her vibrant green eyes settle on his back, peace and love clouding around them as light bounces off her silver hair.
Seeck snatches Nova out of her chair, wrapping her thighs around his hips and holding her in place with one arm under her ass. She weaves her fingers into his flaming locks and hooks her ankles together across his lower back, staring up at him with large, luminescent blue eyes as he carries her across the threshold.
Shya grabs Dirk’s torn collar as he stoops to scoop her up, and when he cradles her close, she rests her cheek on his blood-smeared chest and snuggles into him. Her eyes close as she fills her lungs with his pheromones, the daintiest purr rumbling from behind her sternum.
Dirk turns out of sight, his massive frame clearing the distance on silent feet.
Jumoke stands and gathers Anastasia close, rubbing his cheek on her head and pressing her against him. His hands splay across her back, the one with missing digits flexing as though he’s suffering phantom sensations from the fingers no longer attached.
Anastasia lays her cheek against his shoulder, letting a rare smile lift her lips.
Much recovered from the explosion, she still has bags under her eyes, but moves with minimal pain.
The tiny bundle of joy growing in her womb emanates such pure love, it pulses through the entire web of souls connecting our family.
I swallow the emotions it causes, turning to my lifemate with a smile of my own.
“Ready to celebrate, or do your old bones need a nap first?”
My scalp sings in delight as he tightens a fist in my hair. I let him pull me out of my seat, placing my palms on his hips when he yanks me close.
His hard shaft, trapped in his suit, mashes against my belly, and I wriggle against him, loving the flare of excitement flashing through his slate gray eyes in response to my challenge.
“Does that seem like I need a nap?”
“Nope, that bone seems like it needs some attention.”
His chuckle doesn’t end as he lowers his mouth to mine. I shiver as his breath tickles my lips before his tongue sneaks between my teeth.
The second he lifts his face away from mine, I issue the most ridiculous challenge ever.
“Last one to the den has to tend that dick all on their own.”
I dart away, but he doesn’t let go of my hair.
His hard shoulder digs into my stomach and my vision fills with his back as he tosses me over his shoulder and clamps my legs to him with one arm. I laugh in delight, reaching down and digging my fingers into his delectable derriere.
Waiting until we’re a doz
en steps away from our den, I manage a few words between giggles.
“I’ll be the first one in if you walk through the doorway like this. My legs are in front of yours. You’ll lose.”
His footsteps continue their relentless forward progress as his palm smacks my ass a few times, sending delicious pain streaking straight to my core.
Without a word, he snatches my hips off his shoulder and rolls me to the ground, spinning me and filling his fist with my hair.
I kick the smooth surface, mock fighting his hold as he drags me across the threshold behind him.
The roller coaster of emotions brought on during our mission wells up while I slide along the floor.
So many unexpected dangers popped into our path. Too many things went wrong.
Even though we survived, worse things could have happened, and they would have all been my fault.
He senses my turmoil, so after he locks the door, he presses his weight down on me.
“We made it, my little queen.”
My chin quivers, but I don’t want to cry.
I want hot and heavy. Quick and dirty. Rough and painful.
I want his domination to clear away my residual angst. His knot to steal my breath. His hands to morph the chaos from our mission into the euphoria of mating bliss.
“I need you, Vander. Now.”
“You have me, Evie. Always.”
His words melt my frigid, guarded heart, but incredulity spreads through me when he stays poised over me instead of getting down to business.
“Going deaf, old man?”
His smirk sends tendrils of sensual alarm down my spine.
“I can hear your heart thumping like a tiny rabbit trapped in a snare. Your toes curling in your boots, waiting for me to jump you. Your slick making your flesh slide against your suit every time you kick.”
He drops to one elbow and wraps his other hand around my chin.
“I’m not going deaf. I’m savoring.”
His pupils grow, languid pleasure eating up his gray irises as he studies me from head to toe.
Pressure grows behind my sternum, his perusal melting my insides yet building the swirling mess of nonsense left by nearly dying.
“Quit stalling and give me your knot, before I orgasm without your help.”