spots, grabbing his groin.
Benny stumbled out of the office, bleeding. “What is up with you shooting folks in the balls?” he muttered, weaving toward them and smashing his boot into the Kurjan’s face several times. The soldier went limp, finally unconscious.
“I’ve been training,” Grace gasped.
“You okay?” Benny held out a hand to help her up.
She took it, her head spinning. “Yes.”
A Cyst soldier flew out of one of the doorways by the stairs, fracturing the wall all the way to the rebar. Adare followed him, bloody and battered.
“Adare!” Grace cried.
He turned, his eyes a deadly black rimmed with silver. “Grace.” Relief softened his face just as the Cyst jumped up and rammed him back into the office. They rolled out, kicking and punching, damaging the doorframe. The Cyst grabbed a knife from his boot and slashed, faster than Grace could see.
Adare locked his legs around the Cyst, spun them over, and landed on the soldier’s chest. In one smooth move, he took the knife, flipped it around, and drove the blade through the Cyst’s neck to the floor. The soldier grabbed the knife, kicking, and Adare stood to stomp on his nose and face until he went unconscious.
Grace swallowed. He was alive. He was okay.
Another Kurjan soldier burst around the corner, gun out and firing. Benny took one in the jaw, and Grace reacted without thinking, shoving him out of the way.
A bullet pierced her neck and she cried out, slapping a hand to the wound and going down fast.
The roar from Adare was animalistic and raw. He was a blur of speed as he raced past her and took the enemy down, his bare fists breaking bones and cartilage. Blood flew in every direction until the Kurjan soldier stopped moving.
Benny leaned down, his gaze concerned. “What the hell were you doing?” His words came out garbled with the bullet hole still in his lower jaw.
Grace gagged. Tears filled her eyes.
Adare rushed toward her, dropping to his knees. “What in the hell were you thinking?”
“I forgot,” she whispered. She’d reacted without thought when she’d seen an injured Benny in trouble.
Adare ripped open his wrist and shoved the wound toward her mouth. “Drink.”
She did so, taking in his strength and imagining the cells going to her neck. The bullet popped out and plopped onto the floor. Her skin stitched itself together, and the pain slowly ebbed. She removed her hand. “I love you. Totally. Want to let you know.” Then, even though her wound was healed, the entire bloody room spun around.
As she passed out, the last thing she saw was Adare’s eyes turning from black to silver.
* * * *
Adare hefted his unconscious mate over his shoulder and rushed for the door as Benny helped Karma up with the child in her arms. They ran outside, where Logan was setting down one of the two fighter copters, with Quade shooting out the other side.
Garrett leaned over, holding out a hand. “We have about two minutes until reinforcements arrive,” he yelled.
Adare took his hand and jumped into the helicopter, sitting in the middle as Garrett leaped into the front seat and Ivar came in hot on the other side with Ronan on his six, firing wildly behind him. Adare settled Grace on his lap, cradling her. “Grace? Wake up.”
Benny climbed in and turned to reach for the woman and child.
Karma shoved the little girl toward Benny, and he grasped the child, pivoting and handing her to Ivar. Then he turned back and grasped the woman’s arm, pulling her in.
She brought her elbow down on his wounded arm, and he released her. She fell back into the snow, rolled, and turned to run back toward the lodge, her skirt catching in the ice.
“No,” Benny growled, grasping the side of the craft and preparing to jump out.
Bullets winged the side of the helicopter, hitting him, and he fell back in. Adare bunched his body over Grace’s to protect her, while Ivar did the same with the child.
Logan lifted the stick and the copter rose high and fast, while Ronan fired out the side at the Kurjan soldiers. They skimmed over the treetops, and once they reached the other helicopter, Garrett and Ronan jumped out to take it. “See you at our headquarters,” Logan called out, lifting his craft again into the stormy sky. “They’ll pick up Faith at your cabin and bring her, so we can strategize from there.”
It’d be nice to have them all in one place. It had been too long.
Adare