His Human Surrogate (Monsters Love Curvy Girls #2) - Michele Mills Page 0,29

bare chests. “Whoo hah!” they shout, and the other seven members of team Molten Lava immediately pull out their deadly gear and ready for war. It’s fucking impressive.

Hannibal frowns. “But we were ordered to wait until—”

I cut my friend off with another Touchstone growl. I often forget Hannibal is reasonable too. And ethical. But right now? Fuck that shit. We’ve confirmed the intelligence was incorrect and the Mafia do not have an extinction level weapon in their compound. But those assholes are in there, continuing to interfere with Hyrrokin elections. Hell, no.

The team knows our mission to the nearest nanco and are ready to attack; this waiting around is ridiculous, and we all know it will probably continue indefinitely. I’m not remaining on this remote desert planet for the next couple of moon cycles while politicians dither. My Chloe needs me. “We’re going in… Ready?” I shout to the team.

“Ready,” they snarl back.

I pound across the field with the best killers in the four sectors at my back and we litter the ground with the bodies of our enemies and scorch that damn compound to the ground. Then, just to be sure we’ve terminated their leader, I toss a few bombs as I walk out. The ground quakes beneath me as the place blows up and burns in a fiery tornado of fire and brimstone.

I have no patience. I have to get back to my bound.

I’m on my way home when I find out a few of those Mafia fuckers escaped our trap. This is extremely annoying, mainly because it means more paperwork.

“Who are they?” I sigh.

“Enforcers.”

“They’ve sent a message,” Hannibal cuts in.

I crook an eyebrow. “Play it.”

We all listen as these low-level Xylan Enforcers, the worst their species has to offer, try to sound tough. I’m ready to laugh them off, but then they say something that causes me to still.

“…and we know who your leader is. Bergelmir Touchstone, we’ve planted assassins on Tarvos. We’re going to kill everyone you love.”

I jerk upright, my heart beating like I’m again racing across that field. They’re trying to kill Chloe and my offspring? I bare my fangs and dig my claws into my chair. My hubris and nonchalance about exposure during that raid are coming back to bite me in the ass. They know who I am, and they’re retaliating? This has always been my worst nightmare and now it’s coming true, at the worst possible moment. Right when I have two tender beings at home to protect. “Oh hell no,” I shout.

“Go home,” Hannibal says to me with a hard voice. “Go home right now. We’ll stay here and take care of the rest.”

Then my second-in-command grabs my arm and drags me over to the single-use emergency transporter and shoves me onto the disk. My equilibrium returns and I take a moment to pull a black mask out of my pocket and cover my face. I take a deep breath, meet Hannibal’s resolute gaze and give him a curt nod.

He initiates the sequence and in seconds I’m back on Tarvos.

It’s the middle of the night here. Perfect. I sheathe my blaster because I won’t have to shoot my way out. I walk out of the transporter station and into a quiet city.

I use an alias to order an auto ride and in twenty minutes I’m being let off at the weak point in the wall around my gated community. There’s a vulnerable spot that I’ve always kept my eye on, but this time I’m using it to gain entrance. I climb over without being detected because their surveillance has a blind spot here and I use it to my advantage.

The government doesn’t yet know I raided the Mafia compound without permission. The assassins don’t know I’m here to kick their asses. I have to remain hidden for any of this to work. I can’t let anyone know I’m back. I can’t let the guards see me; I can’t go check in with my family. I’m still supposed to be on that mission on the desert planet.

I sneak through the dark streets of my neighborhood and make my way to my new domicile. The extensive perimeter is silent and secure with no signs of intruders or surveillance, yet.

I dig my claws into the pointed dragon flames that roll down the sides of the Heimdall design and use them to climb up the back of the house. I open a window to the attic. This window, shaped like the eye of the