by Olivia Ash
I smile and kiss the side of his head, releasing my legs as I try to slowly slide off of him.
He doesn’t allow me to move.
Instead, he tenses and thrusts his hips forward, his cock still semi-hard and buried deep within me. The motion keeps me frozen in place, lifted off the ground as the water continues to roll off us both.
“I didn’t say you could leave,” he growls into my ear.
Playfully, he bites my jaw and trails a string of kisses down my neck. His chest presses hard against my breasts. Inside me, his cock fully hardens once again.
Apparently, he’s ready for round two.
“Let’s see how many orgasms I can give you in a row,” he growls into my ear, his voice thick with lust. “And see if I can beat Tucker’s record.”
I grin. Gods above, I love my life.
Chapter Sixteen
The next morning, brilliant sunlight shines through the windows along the hallway as I walk back to my room. I can't help the contented smile on my face, and I know my hair is still a bit messed up from the adventures I had with Drew.
I just can't bring myself to care.
“I know that smile,” a woman says from behind me.
I pivot the moment I hear the voice, lifting my fists and settling into a fighting stance as I prepare to take down whoever managed to catch me off-guard. I hadn't even heard footsteps or a whisper of breath, and I don't appreciate being snuck up on.
It's…
Irena.
I relax the moment I recognize her. She smirks, her bright green eyes locked on me, and I let out a relieved breath as I shake my head in surprise.
“You're getting better,” I confess.
She nods and begins to walk down the hallway in the same direction I was headed. “I'm getting my mojo back, yeah. It's nice.” She looks at me as I catch up to her, matching her gait. “Which of your men gave you that grin?”
I smirk but don't say anything.
She chuckles. “Fine. Keep your secrets. We have work to do anyway.”
“Oh?”
“It's time,” she says with a nod. “The tech is clear. Chatter about us at the moment is minimal, so now is the time to strike. Are you ready?”
“Oh, I've been ready,” I say, rolling out my shoulders and loosening my neck.
I've been itching for a mission—for a hit of that addictive adrenaline—and I'm more than ready for battle.
“What are we waiting for?” I ask. “Let's go steal Zurie’s precious tech, big sister.”
It doesn't take long to get everyone together, and before I know it, we're all circled around the table in Jace's war room.
Well, the new table anyway. I’m not entirely sure when it happened, but he's already managed to find a replacement.
Part of me wonders if he keeps heaps of tables in a storage room somewhere, just in case one of the heated conversations he always seems to have in this room gets out of hand.
I have to admit, the speed with which he replaced it makes me feel a little less guilty about breaking it.
Irena leans against the table, her eyes scanning the various maps she laid out across the wood. The collection of drawings and sketches gives us a bird's eye view of not just the storage facility, but also the surrounding area.
In addition to a little green dot representing her storage unit, every possible Spectre safehouse has been marked in yellow. I have to admit I'm not altogether pleased with the amount of yellow highlighter covering the maps.
But that's what makes it fun.
The risk.
“This is the route we need to take,” Irena says, dragging her finger along the map. “Security in this place is minimal, and we can tap the camera feed rather easily to get a clear picture of what it'll be like before we go in.”
“But they have voids,” Jace points out. “Can't they just loop every camera and make the entire system moot?”
“It's possible,” Irena admits with a nod. “However, I doubt it. The chances that they know we're coming are incredibly low. To be safe, I've planted a few cameras throughout the facility as well, set to record on a motion sensor basis to preserve battery and prolong life. Those cameras will tell me the moment anyone goes in, and they're hidden to the point where no one can see them. I didn't tell my contacts about them, and no one knows they're there.”
I grin. “Clever.”
Irena feigns a little bow. “I try.”
“Have you seen anything yet?” Drew asks, leaning his elbows on the table.
“Nothing interesting,” Irena says. “People going in, people coming out—standard patrons. No Spectres, and no known Spectre allies.”
Levi leans forward. “How do you know if—”
“I know,” Irena says darkly, rolling her shoulders as she tilts her head. “I know them all.”
“She does,” I confirm.
Levi chuckles and leans back in his chair. “Continue.”
Irena taps her finger on the little green dot. “If they know we're going to recover this, they're being careful and not going anywhere near it. My guess is, if there is somebody waiting for us, they're waiting outside.” She drags her finger around the edge of the compound to drive her point home.
“Comforting,” Tucker says sarcastically.
Briefly, I steal a glance at him, only to find him studying the maps. His eyes are focused and clear, and it's nice to see him alert.
I’m sure there’s still grief stewing in that gorgeous head of his, but he’s not letting it show.
“I managed to secure the tech in four cases that are locked with a special code,” Irena continues. “I tried to compact it into fewer trunks, but with everything I needed to cover my ass, that's what it had to be. It has everything in it. Everything we could ever need.”
A soft laugh escapes Drew, and he watches Irena with an amazed expression. “Even the voids? The override devices?”
“All of it,” Irena says with a small nod. “Absolutely everything.”
I impulsively lean forward, my shoulders tensing as I zero in on the little green square that represents the storage unit full of information on Spectres. Everything we could ever need to destroy them is in there.
That's my ticket to killing Zurie. To dismantling the Spectres from within and keeping Irena alive through it all.
“What’s our way out?” I ask, nodding to the center of the storage facility. “If this all goes south, what’s the backup plan?”
“Hopefully, we just walk out,” Irena says with a shrug. “If we’re attacked while inside, we have a few options. Our best bet, and I can’t believe I’m saying this,” she adds, squeezing her eyes shut as if this pains her to say. “But our best bet is to simply shift and fly off. It’s fast, and it’s the safest way to escape with the goods intact.”
“Out of the question,” Jace says with a stiff shake of his head.
“Think about it,” Irena demands, never one to give up. “If we’re under heavy fire against humans without the ability to fly, why on Earth wouldn’t you use that advantage?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Jace says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Maybe because there are dozens of peace accords that keep this world from devolving into war? Us shifting in human territory would violate all of them.”
“So?” Drew and Irena say in unison.
I chuckle.
“It’s not an option.” Jace’s voice is firmer, now. Angrier.
“Guys, look,” I say calmly, my gaze drifting from Irena to Drew. “These are his troops, and he faces the greatest risk if we’re in any way caught. If so much as a camera feed shows any of the dojo soldiers, the world will come after him and Harper. They’ll become the poster children for dragons behaving badly, and no one will care why we were there. They’ll get all the blame, lose lucrative business deals they need to keep their family functioning, and possibly start an all-out war. Human-dragon tensions are bad enough as it is. Let’s not make this worse, okay?”
“Fine,”
Irena says, her shoulders drooping as she pouts.
“Thank you,” Jace says quietly, leaning toward me with a small smile on his face.
I nod. “Don’t make me regret sticking up for you, now.”
He grins. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Option two is the roofs,” Irena says with a heavy—and rather dramatic—sigh. “The facility is comprised of two dozen single-story buildings, each with roads between them. These two on the end funnel into a forest,” she says, pointing to the buildings at the edge of the facility. “That’s our best bet. We get on the roofs, fire down at anyone coming our way, and bolt.”
“Going in, what are the risks?” Jace weaves his fingers together as he leans his elbows on the table.
“I'd like to say the risks are minimal,” Irena confesses. “But that would be a lie. If one of my contacts betrayed me, the Spectres will not only know what is here but where it is. That was part of the danger I had to assume in getting this information in the first place. Getting it out meant trusting people.”
“I thought that's not something Spectres did,” Drew says with a wry smirk.
“I'm not fond of it, no, but I had to,” Irena admits.
“If that's the case,” Jace interjects, “what's stopping them from taking it back right now? Are we sure it's even there?”
Irena nods. “There's no doubt. I rigged it to explode if the wrong code is entered, and only I know it. Plus, if it's moved for more than five minutes, it also explodes unless a code is entered.”
“Oh, great,” Tucker says wryly. “There's a very literal chance that this could blow up in our faces.”
“Only if I don't enter the code,” Irena says again.
“The rest of us should know it, too.” Jace crosses his arms as he leans back in his chair. Irena watches him, her green eyes narrowing slightly as she frowns.
“Take baby steps, Jace,” I say quietly.
He shakes his head in irritation, turning his attention on me. “We need to know—”
“Rory and I will know it,” Irena interrupts. “If anything happens to me, she will be able to disarm the explosives.
I glare at her, hating that she would even consider the possibility of something happening to her.
“Ah.” Jace rubs his jaw. “That brings me to my next concern, actually,” he confesses.
Despite the entire room quiet and waiting for him to speak, he hesitates. His gaze shifts toward me, like there's something he wants to say, but he knows I'm not going to like it.
“Spit it out,” I say dryly.
“I don't suppose you'll stay behind?” he asks.
“No,” everyone else in the room says, all of us in unison. More than a few eyes roll.
He groans in annoyance. “Fine. Forgive me for trying to protect my woman.”
“You mean our woman,” Drew interjects, glaring at the dojo master.
For a moment, the two men simply glare at each other, and I can feel the tension crackling through the air. I need to stop this before it devolves. More importantly, however, I need to make sure this doesn't get in the way of a very important mission that could change everything for us.
“I need you two to work together,” I interject, snapping them both out of it. “There's no room for grudges here. Not on this mission. Can you two do that?”
“I'm a professional,” Jace says as he stands, the legs of his chair grating along the floor as he pushes it backward. “I can't speak for the caveman, though.”
Drew grimaces in disgust as he glares at the dojo master, and a ribbon of thin black smoke shoots out of the fire dragon’s nose even in his human form.
I rub my eyes in frustration.
This should be fun.
I lift a rifle from the armory wall and rack it, lifting the barrel toward one of the lockers as I get a feel for the weapon in my hands.
Heavy. Effective.
I like it.
With a few adjustments to the scope and grip, I flip on the safety and swing the heavy gun over my shoulder.
“You’re so damn hot,” Tucker says.
I chuckle and glance over my shoulder at him as he hides the fourteenth handgun on his body, this time down by his ankle. He covers the holster with his pant leg and adjusts the bulletproof vest strapped to his ripped torso.
“The feeling’s mutual,” I admit with a flirty wink.
He grins and slides four knives into the various pockets on his cargo pants before sliding a fifth into his boot, for good measure. Apparently satisfied with the various deadly weapons already strewn across his body, the former Knight grabs a standard rifle off the wall and adjusts the scope, frowning slightly as if it’s not good enough for him.
“What’s the matter?” I ask playfully. “Not big enough?”
“Not really,” he confesses with a sheepish grin. “I like the dragon killers, personally. More heft.”
My smile falls.
His gaze shifts back to me, and he frowns instantly as he realizes what he said. “No, not—not killing dragons, babe. Just, the guns are called dragon killers, so—”
“You’re fine.” I chuckle.
He’s so damn adorable.
Tucker returns to his rifle, and as I watch him adjust the grip and check for ammo, I lean against the lockers with my arms crossed.
“You got something on your mind, babe?” he asks, lifting his brows inquisitively.
Instead of answering, I watch him all the more intently.
Studying him. His face. His features. His square jaw. His broad shoulders, covered with weapons and Kevlar.
His eyes.
There’s still a hint of sadness in them. It’s mostly gone, but I know him.
I can still see it.
“Are you good?” I ask. “For this mission, I mean. Are you clearheaded enough to be out there? Because I can’t…” I clear my throat, not even able to say the words.
Because I can’t lose you.
I can’t let him out there if he’s distracted in any way. He will be in the line of fire, and I’ll never forgive myself if he doesn’t come back from this.
He sighs, jaw tensing a little as he swings the massive rifle over his shoulder and gently lifts my chin. “Babe, listen. If there’s one thing I will always do, no matter what, it’s show up for you. Nothing in this world will stop me from protecting you in any way I can. You hear me?”
“You can stay—”
“I swear to the gods—or whatever it is you dragons say, I don’t know—that if you tell me I can stay behind, I’ll pull a Jace and lock you in a tower just to see how you like staying behind, woman,” he says with a firm shake of his head.
I bite my lip and slowly grin.
“That was pretty hot,” I admit.
He chuckles and kisses me, his lips hot and fierce against mine. “You just like getting me fired up, don’t you?”
“A little,” I admit.
“Well, you get your way, then,” he says, grinning as he racks his rifle. “Let’s go steal from Spectres, babe.”
“Oh, Tucker,” I say, fanning my face with an exaggerated little flourish. “You say the most romantic things.”
Chapter Seventeen
In the woods outside a storage facility in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma, I lay on the ground with Jace at my side, swallowed by the shadows of the forest.
The moment we arrived, we scanned the barbed-wire fence along the outskirts of the facility but found no infiltration points or overt risks. Just the owner, locking up on his way out the door.
The people who regularly walk through this facility have no idea what it really holds—and the money they could get for what’s inside.
If they don’t die trying to steal it, of course.
A team of Jace’s soldiers fan out behind us, everyone keeping close to the ground as we wait for the signal to move.
Squad One. Jace’s best fighters, all of them ready to spring at a moment’s notice.
As he's prone to do, L
evi appears suddenly at my side. He nods once to me, and though his focus is primarily on the facility in front of us, it's comforting to know he's here. He simply refuses to be on any other team but mine, and I have to admit I kind of love it.
Drew and Tucker are leading Squad Two, which is approaching from the north while we approach from the south, and Russell is on a nearby hill waiting for the signal with Squad Three in case they're needed.
This facility isn't large enough for the sixty-seven of us to swarm in at once. It would create bottlenecks that would put us all at risk, so we need him to be backup.
Hopefully, he never has to move a muscle.
The whisper of footsteps along the dirt catches my ear. Levi and I both turn to look as Irena joins us. A few of the soldiers nearby flinch as she appears suddenly next to them, seemingly from thin air.
It's nice to see her getting her mojo back.
“The security system is uncompromised,” she says quietly, her bright green eyes scanning the facility as she speaks. “The guard is taken care of as well.”
I frown, not quite enjoying her choice of words when it comes to an innocent security guard whose only job is to keep an eye on the facility.
Irena seems to catch my irritation and rolls her eyes. “He's tied up and unconscious, Rory. I didn't kill him. I even put him a little off property in case things get… fiery.”
“Good,” I say, returning my attention to the storage area.
“It seems like no one's here,” Irena adds.
“Or they're lying in wait,” I reply.
Something feels off about this. Deep within me, my dragon wriggles, clearly uncomfortable by something I can't fully understand or put into words just yet.
It’s just an inherent knowing.
She can tell that something isn't right. In the past, I would have ignored this hit of intuition and simply pushed through, per Zurie’s orders. But now that I have the magic of dragons, I can't simply ignore it anymore.
It's too damn loud.