by Anna Hackett
Another hand signal. Roth wanted them to split into two groups to circle around the workshop. Theron went left with Sienna and Taylor. Roth took the right with Cam and Mac.
Theron carefully picked his way through the scrap, stepping over the rusted tracks and piles of old parts. They crossed some open ground and he ran fast, reaching the workshop and pressing his back against the sheet-metal wall. Sienna and Taylor were right behind him.
They crept along the building. There was a grimy window ahead, with cracks all through the glass. He caught the faint golden glow and made for the opening, wanting to get a better look at just what the hell they were dealing with.
But as he reached the window, carbine fire and raptor fire broke out inside.
There was the sound of breaking glass, and guttural raptor shouts.
Fuck. Roth had engaged.
Beside him, Sienna and Taylor dropped the stealth. The three of them faced the large window.
He pointed, then backed up a few steps. He started running, and then lifted an arm to shield his face. He jumped through the window, glass shattering around him.
Inside, he landed with a roll and came up firing. He was aware of Sienna and Taylor leaping through the window behind him, and he gave them cover fire.
Across the workshop, he saw Roth, Cam, and Mac taking cover behind some workbenches. They were shooting at a group of raptor soldiers.
Theron kept firing, and then spotted a large shadow coming at them out of the corner of his eye. He spun. A giant raptor was charging at him from behind a piece of equipment. The fucker was close, too close. Theron fired until the last second, and as the alien leaped at him, he dropped his carbine.
As they went down, Theron was ready. Hand-to-hand was his favorite form of fighting. Borne of one-too-many schoolyard scuffles, and his boxing training.
The weight of the raptor drove the breath out of Theron. The bastards were big and goddamn heavy. But Theron jammed his hands up. He had the advantage of the exoskeleton built into his combat armor, which gave him added strength.
They rolled across the dirty floor, bumping into something. Theron finally got on top of the beast, and reached down and yanked his gladius combat knife from its sheath. Several short, powerful stabs, and the raptor fell back beneath him, blood gushing.
Theron leaped back to his feet. As he turned, Sienna was there, handing his carbine back to him. He grabbed it and started to nod his thanks, but she was already spinning away. She went down on one knee and kept firing at the last of the raptors.
Seconds later, all the laser fire stopped.
Every raptor was down. Roth moved through the downed bodies, checking they were all dead.
Then their leader’s gaze landed on the large, flat railway wagon ahead. It was loaded with a large object, the size of a car, that was covered in a rough, canvas sheet. Dim, golden light spilled from beneath it.
Squad Nine surrounded the car.
“Keep your goggles on, and try not to look directly at the light for too long,” Roth said.
“I am not fucking being caught by that alien mind control shit again,” Cam snapped.
Theron knew none of his squad had enjoyed having their brains blanked by the oura. Luckily, he and Sienna, along with Tane, Hemi, Devlin, and Taylor, had freed them.
Roth grabbed the end of the sheet and pulled.
Theron hissed out a breath. Beneath the sheet were three sets of outdoor lights—heavy-duty sets used for night-shift work on construction sites. They’d been colored yellow and plugged into an alien power cube.
He blinked. It wasn’t an oura. “It’s a damn decoy.”
“Fuck.” Roth shoved his goggles up on top of his combat helmet. “It’s just a bunch of yellow lights.”
“This was just to get us off the real trail,” Sienna said.
Mac stalked forward, grabbed the pulsing raptor cable linking the lights to the power cube and yanked it out. The lights died, leaving the workshop in shadow. Night was falling.
“All right, I’ll call in a Hawk,” Roth said, his voice tight. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“And find out where the hell they’ve really got the oura,” Mac muttered.
Suddenly, there was the sound of something metal falling and hitting the concrete. They all spun and lifted their carbines.
“There!” Sienna shouted.
Theron saw a raptor dart out from behind some equipment and sprint out of a side door.
“Dammit, stop him! Theron and Sienna, go!” Roth ordered.
Theron broke into a run, Sienna right beside him. They charged out the door. Ahead, he could just make out the raptor running down the train tracks and into the darkening night.
They gave chase. Sienna lifted her weapon, firing on the run, but most of the shots went wide. The raptor jerked once, but didn’t slow down.
Theron pulled in air and pushed for more speed. A second later, the raptor took a sharp turn to the left and darted into the trees.
Dammit.
“Follow him,” Sienna yelled.
They crashed into the trees, dodging tree trunks. A flicker of satisfaction ran through Theron. The trees would affect the alien and might slow him down.
But, he thought with a frown, if the bastard got away, he could call for reinforcements. They had to wait for the Hawk, and couldn’t risk being surrounded.
“I think he went this way.” Sienna turned right.
Theron spun to follow her, and tripped over something. He couldn’t tell what in the shadows. Cursing, he caught his balance and kept running. But in those brief seconds, he’d lost sight of Sienna.
“Sienna!”
Where the hell was she? He strained to hear anything.
Then carbine fire shattered the twilight.
The blood in his veins turned to ice. He dodged around a tree, and ran as fast as he could.
Theron broke out of the trees and then skidded to a stop. Ahead, lay a large ravine. They were all standing at the top of a steep slope covered in rocks that was a few degrees away from being a cliff.
The raptor was standing at the very edge, teetering, arms windmilling.
Sienna was just a meter away from him, carbine aimed at the alien’s chest. She fired again, and the raptor started to fall backward.
Theron released a breath. Good riddance.
But at the last second, the raptor lunged out with clawed hand. He grabbed the end of Sienna’s carbine.
She cursed and was jerked forward. The raptor held on and yanked her over the edge.
“No!” Theron raced forward.
In the growing darkness, he saw the dim shapes of both the raptor and Sienna, tumbling down the steep slope.
Without thinking, Theron jumped over the edge, and started skidding down after her.
Chapter Six
Over and over, the world whirling, Sienna fell down the slope, rocks and sticks jabbing into her.
She felt something catch on the fastening of the armor panel covering her side and then the carbon fiber was ripped away. Dammit. She rolled again and landed on something hard, a sharp pain piercing her unprotected side. But she kept rolling and the fall felt like it went on forever.
Then she came to a jarring stop.
With a grunt, she landed hard on her back. She stayed there, stunned and dazed, trying to pull air into her winded lungs. God, she hurt. Despite her armor taking the brunt of the fall, her body was an explosion of aches and pains.
Sienna took stock, moving her arms and legs. It hurt, but nothing was broken…she hoped.
She heard a crashing noise, and her pulse leaped. Damn, she’d forgotten about the raptor. She scrambled around, looking for her carbine, but didn’t see it anywhere.
Suddenly, a big body landed beside her. She spun, lifting her fists.
Theron knelt near her. His face was scratched and bleeding.
“Theron.”
He crawled over to her. “Sienna. Are you okay?” He gripped her shoulders, powerfu
l hands curling around her.
“A little battered, but I’m fine. Have you seen the raptor?”
Theron looked behind her. “I don’t think he’ll be a problem.”
She turned her head, feeling a sharp pain slice her neck as she did. Her gaze settled on the motionless raptor lying a few meters away. His body was bent at an unnatural angle, his back broken.
She looked back at Theron and groaned. “God, I hurt.”
His hands ran down her sides. “Anything broken?”
“I don’t think so.” She reached down and touched the burning pain on her side. She grimaced and pulled her hand away. “I think I’m bleeding somewhere.”
“You lost a piece of your armor.”
“Yes.” Then her gaze moved to Theron’s chest and she gasped. “Theron!”
He glanced down at the sharp stick that was poking right through a joint in his armor and into his chest.
“It’s not deep.” He grabbed the stick, and yanked it out with one pull.
She gasped. “You shouldn’t have done that.” She pressed a hand over the hole, felt the stickiness of blood.
“It’s fine. Priority is getting out of here.” He pressed a finger to his ear. “Roth? Arden? Do you copy?”
In her own earpiece, Sienna didn’t hear anything. She looked back up the slope of the ravine. To the east, she could see stars appearing in the night sky. To the west, the last of the daylight was slowly dying away.
“The ravine’s blocking our comms,” Theron said, his tone frustrated.
“They’ll find us.” Roth Masters and Squad Nine never left anyone behind.
Theron helped her to her feet. “We need to move away from here, in case any raptor scum come searching for their friend.”
“Any sign of my carbine?” she asked.
They took a few moments to scour the area, but her weapon was gone. Sienna squelched a flash of disappointment. She was used to the weapon, had broken it in, and it had saved her life too many times to count.
Together, she and Theron moved away from the raptor body. Every step was agony for Sienna, but she sucked back the complaints.
“Maybe we’ll find somewhere where we can climb up,” Theron said.
Sienna eyed the slope. She loved climbing, but the thought of it right now made every part of her ache and throb. “It’s too dark. It’s far too risky to climb that when we can’t see.”
Theron nodded. “Come on. Let’s keep moving.”
The shadows turned to dense darkness at the bottom of the ravine. She wanted to turn on her flashlight, but knew they couldn’t risk it. Soon her hip and leg started to protest. She limped, biting back the pain.
A strong arm wrapped around her, taking a lot of her weight. Whatever did or didn’t happen between her and Theron, she knew she trusted him with her life.
Their earpieces crackled to life.
“Theron? Sienna?” Roth’s deep voice, distorted by static.
“We’re here,” Theron answered.
Through the comm line, Sienna heard Roth’s heavy breathing and the sound of carbine fire. “We’re under attack. Raptor reinforcements arrived.”
Dammit. Sienna’s hands curled into fists. Her friends were fighting, and she and Theron weren’t there to help.
“We are in a ravine west of the scrapyard,” Theron said. “We can’t climb back up. We’ll need an evac.”
“Acknowledged.” A tense silence followed, and Sienna pictured their leader, and the rest of their squad, fighting. “Shit. Another raptor patrol just turned up. The Hawk is inbound. You guys sit tight.”
Sienna stared up at the stars. “I hope they’re okay.”
“They’ll be kicking raptor ass,” Theron said darkly.
But she heard the same worry in his voice. He wanted to be up there taking down raptors. “How did you end up falling down the slope, too?”
His hazel eyes were shadowed. “I didn’t fall.”
She sucked in a breath and bit her lip. He’d come after her. “You shouldn’t have done that.” Pride tilted her chin up. “You’ll be late back to Michelle now.”
His brow creased. “Michelle?”
They stared at each other, tension filling the air between them.
“Theron? Sienna?” Roth was back. “We can’t make it down to you guys in the dark. Hole up, and take shelter. Arden says there are no signs of any raptors in the ravine. We’ll be back in the morning.”
Sienna blew out a breath. She’d suspected as much. The important thing was that their friends were safe and headed home.
“Roger that,” Theron said. “See you tomorrow.” He looked down at Sienna, and gave her a grim nod. “We’re on our own. Let’s find some shelter.”
With an arm around each other, they limped through the trees. With each step, Sienna felt the flex of his muscles around her torso. But for once, she was too tired and sore to picture what those muscles would look like without his clothes on.
Soon, a familiar sound caught her ear, and she lifted her head. Running water? They came out of the trees, and ahead, Sienna saw a long, narrow waterfall tumbling from above, down into a small pool.
“There’s an overhang over there.” Theron pointed just adjacent to the spray. “And I think we can risk a flashlight for a bit.”
They moved toward the water, and Theron set Sienna down on a rock. With her gaze level with his chest, she could see his wound was still bleeding.
“We need to take a look at your injury.” She pulled out the field first aid kit on her belt.
“And I want to check your side. You’re favoring it.” He flicked on his flashlight, orienting it toward the overhang. “Then we’ll eat and get some rest.”
She wrinkled her nose. Food meant the ready-to-eat meals that they all carried in their field emergency kits. “Won’t be very tasty.”
“No, it won’t. But it’ll help us get by until they come and get us.” He moved to the pool, and she watched as he crouched by the water. He carefully peeled his upper armor off. He was wearing a sweat-soaked black T-shirt underneath, and he gripped the back of it and yanked it over his head. Even in the dim light, she had a perfect view of his bare chest.
Every inch of him was muscled. She knew he worked out a lot, and had his beloved punching bag and some weights in his room. Before the invasion, he’d been on the Army boxing team. Not her idea of recreation, but she couldn’t argue that she didn’t enjoy the results.
As he scooped up some water and splashed it on his chest, she felt her mouth water. She watched one rivulet run down his pecs, over the ripped ridges of his stomach and into the waistband of the cargo pants he’d been wearing beneath his lower armor.
Dragging in a deep breath, Sienna snatched up her first aid kit and moved over to him. The field kits only had the basics, and she took out some antiseptic wipes and knelt down beside him.
“Let’s see that injury, Big T.”
He stayed still as she dabbed at the puncture wound on the top right of his chest.
“That must hurt.” She tried to focus on the blood and ragged injury, not his sleek skin.
He grunted. “I’ll survive.”
Sienna cleaned the wound and probed it a little. He didn’t make a sound. “Thank God. It isn’t too deep.”
“Told you.”
“Yeah, well, you aren’t always right, and I know how stubborn you are.” Their gazes clashed for a humming moment, before she looked back at his chest. She pulled out a sealer bandage that would adhere to his skin, and pressed it over the wound. “There you go.”
“Now you,” he said.
She stood and, with practiced moves, took her upper armor off, stacking it by her feet. She lifted the hem of her beige tank up. Well, it had been beige once. The lower half was now soaked with blood. She winced at the sting. “I think I grazed my hip during the fall.”
“It was a hell of a fall.” Theron bent down, his face close to her bare belly. She looked up, staring at the dark trees.
&nb
sp; “Scrape goes lower. You’ll have to take off your trousers.”
Great. With methodical movements, she took her lower armor off, and then flicked open her cargo trousers. Theron had bandaged her wounds plenty of times before. This was no different.
Matter-of-factly, she shoved her trousers off, leaving herself standing there in her tank and panties. He seemed frozen for a second, before he gestured to a nearby rock. She sat down, and when Theron moved between her legs, she tried to control the vicious surge of desire that rocketed through her.
He started dabbing at the graze with antiseptic wipes. It stung, and she hissed out a breath. With long, gentle swipes, he followed the graze from her hip down to her left thigh. His touch was gentle. She’d noticed that about Theron. He had big, strong hands, and could be rough and strong when needed, and at other times, so gentle.
He dabbed some more. “Open your legs. This scratch goes down your inner thigh.” His voice was thick and raspy.
She closed her eyes and trembled. She couldn’t believe she was so turned on by him tending her injury. It was wrong.
She let her legs fall apart.
She sensed him go still. She opened her eyes, looking down at his dark head. He was staring at her black panties.
The breath rushed out of her. “Theron.”
***
They were simple black cotton panties. They weren’t sexy or provocative, and yet Theron had never seen anything so tempting in his life.
His hand curled around her thigh, and he was careful not to touch the nasty graze that marred her skin.
He lifted his head and big brown eyes looked back at him. In that second, he knew he’d give her anything.
“Sienna—”
“I’m burning up,” she murmured.
He saw the flush on her face in the low light. It would be so easy to touch her. To take care of her, to pleasure her, to ease her ache.
His fingers dug into her skin. It would be so easy to take her. And then what? Where would that leave them?
Jesus, she was hurt, and they were stuck here, just the two of them. He shouldn’t be thinking of getting Sienna Rossi naked and sliding his hard cock inside her.