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  “If the planet wasn’t at risk of destruction I’d tell them to get back to us in an hour,” she muttered.

  Dryce chuckled and kissed the back of her neck. “An hour? I’d tell them to wait until morning.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sandon eyed Dryce curiously when he walked into the room trailing behind Peyton. He wasn’t one of the few members of the Detyen Legion who knew that Peyton was his mate, but that would be clear soon enough. Not now, though. Dryce would have gladly announced that Peyton wanted him to anyone who passed them by, but his mate was a private woman and wouldn’t like it if he told the world what had just passed between them.

  Of course his body was screaming at him to punch Sandon for interrupting them. Punch Sandon and then sling Peyton over his shoulder and take her back to their room and stay there until they were both satisfied.

  “Is something wrong?” Sandon asked once they were seated. He looked at Dryce like he expected him to do something stupid. Did they really think he was reckless? Or was it the keyed up sexual tension he had to be exuding?

  Peyton made a choked off sound, but Dryce spoke, hopefully before Sandon noticed it. “No problems here. I didn’t expect to get called back tonight. I had plans.”

  “I’m sure whoever you left behind will get over the disappointment,” Sandon replied dryly.

  Dryce would have lunged forward if Peyton hadn’t settled her hand on his thigh under the table, grounding him and keeping him in place. Her lips thinned at the reminder of Dryce’s past, but she didn’t pull away from him. “We’re not here to talk about our personal lives, sir. What did you find?” Her voice came out cold, almost as flat as one of the soulless. She’d never spoken to him in that tone and Dryce hoped she never did.

  Sandon pulled up several items on the holo player and let them play. A dozen Oscavians and Wreetans stood in the woods of the location Dryce and Peyton hadn’t dared approach. In front of them was a massive piece of technology that reached almost to the treetops and was as wide around as a house. To the side of that was a teleporter landing port where a piece of equipment sat for a moment before the crew dragged it towards the machine. A moment later the landing port shimmered and another Wreetan appeared.

  Dryce jolted in his seat. He’d seen that face before, though never in person. “That’s Yormas of Wreet, isn’t it?”

  “We believe so,” Sandon confirmed. “We can’t be certain why he’s chosen to come down to the planet, but we’ve put our forces on high alert, though it’s likely he’s already returned to his ship via the teleport. The analysts have raised the concern that he was doing a final inspection on his weapon and it could be armed at any moment. We’ve tasked a surveillance satellite to monitor the location, but the feeds we’re getting back are unsatisfactory. They’ve done something to mask their activities from machine surveillance. The SDA wants to change strategy. They believe that Earth’s defenses are more than a match for the fleet. Our only real concern has been the weapon. Sending a small team in to disarm it with all of those men there will guarantee they try to trigger it. Even if it only has a tenth of the power of the weapon that destroyed Detya, Earth might not survive.”

  “But if they’re distracted, they might not realize that the weapon’s location is compromised until it’s too late,” Dryce surmised.

  “Correct.” Sandon nodded. “We’re making your team active and sending them in to cover Dr. Cho while she works on the mechanics. The SDA is prepping for an attack in the morning. We will need you in position to move in and do your part before dawn. If you’re successful, this whole mess could be a memory by sundown. We’ll be calling in your team shortly. Prepare to leave as soon as things are ready.” He disabled the holo player and left the two of them sitting there alone.

  Peyton squeezed his thigh before pulling away. She crossed her arms on the table and slumped forward. Dryce placed a hand on the small of her back and rubbed in gentle circles. “Are you alright?”

  She huffed out a disbelieving laugh. “Alright? Alright? If I can’t figure out how to disable a piece of alien tech that I’ve never seen before in the next few hours my entire planet, billions of people, are going to die. And everyone keeps looking at me like that’s something I should just be able to deal with.” She hid her head in her hands and Dryce thought he heard a sob.

  His heart ached. He put his arms around her and when she leaned into him he gathered her close, pulling at her until she shifted out of her seat and sat in his lap, her arms going around his shoulders and her face fitting into the crook of his neck like it had been made to rest there. He could have sat like that for the rest of his life, if only his mate weren’t crying, the pressure of the last few weeks finally catching up to her as she realized just how high the stakes of this mission actually were.

  “This isn’t something anyone is prepared for,” he tried to reassure her. “No one should ever be asked to do what they need you to do.” He kissed her cheek and tightened his hold. “But there’s no one I trust more. You’re the smartest person I’ve ever met. And if I can tell that after just a few weeks, the people who have worked with you for years have to be certain of it. They wouldn’t have nominated you for the job if they didn’t think you could do it.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” Peyton insisted, though her voice was more even now, more in control of her emotions. “If I had time to study it, to actually get my hands on the tech and know it inside and out, then yeah, sure, I could disarm a planet killing bomb. But with only, what, an hour? While we’re under attack from a dozen hostile forces? That’s not exactly an ideal working condition.”

  He smiled at her wry tone, and though some might assume that she needed calming words, he’d gotten to know his mate well enough that he wasn’t about to give them. “Think of it this way. If you screw up, you won’t have to worry about it for long.”

  She stilled and hiccupped before pulling back and giving his shoulder a light slap. “That’s terrible!” But she was almost smiling. And she didn’t seem to be falling apart anymore.

  The door behind them opened and closed just as quickly.

  Peyton looked up and her cheeks took on a deliciously red tone. She gave his lips a quick peck before sliding off of his lap and back into her own chair. Dryce immediately missed the connection and reached out, linking their hands together.

  “We can do this,” he assured her. And he hoped with all that lived within him that he was right.

  QUINN STRETCHED OUT against Kayde, her body almost sated enough to knock her into oblivion. Who would have thought having a massive alien warrior share her bed every night would be such a good thing? Everyone who’d tried it, that was who. And the last few nights without him while he was out on his mission had screwed her up. She’d gotten used to sleeping the whole night through in their bed with him beside her. With him gone it had been like her life before they realized they were mates and she’d barely snatched more than an hour or two.

  She curled up against him and rested her hand on his naked chest. Kayde’s hand covered hers and he kissed her cheek. “I do not like sleeping without you, denya,” he murmured, clearly holding onto consciousness by sheer force of will. They got like this sometimes, neither one of them wanting to surrender their moments together to the darkness of sleep. Eventually one of them would fall into unconsciousness and the other would follow soon behind. But not quite yet.

  “I hate it,” Quinn replied. She moved her leg over his, tracing her toe over his calf and watching Kayde shiver at the sensation. If she kept doing it, giving these playful touches, she knew he’d rise to the occasion and they’d put off sleep for a little longer, and there was no harm in that. She loved touching him, loved the simple intimacy that came from being near him. She’d never known a relationship could be like this and wouldn’t have believed someone if they told her. Now she didn’t want to let go of her mate, not even for a minute. “I’m meeting with the survivors tomorrow,” she informed him. They hadn’t spent much time ta
lking when he’d come through the door. She’d kind of jumped him and torn his clothes off. The mating bond was still new and strong between them, and looking at Kayde, no one could blame her. He was the sexiest being on the planet.

  “That’s good,” Kayde replied. “Has there been any progress on integrating Laurel into the group?”

  Quinn groaned and hid her head against his chest. “Laurel is reluctant, not that I blame her, and a few of the women are outright hostile. Even after knowing for certain that she had a chip in her head controlling her actions. Maybe it’s guilt for what some of them did.” Leaving a woman to die in the midst of battle might do that to some people. Quinn wasn’t certain who among her fellow survivors had abandoned Laurel, and she doubted it was a mystery that would ever be solved. “We’ll talk about it some more, but they’re more worried about the rumors that the planet is under attack.” Rumors she knew were closer to being true than false.

  “And what do you plan to tell them?” Kayde played with her hair, running his fingers over it and letting it wrap around his fingers.

  “Some version of the truth. They won’t go to the press. Besides, Muir is likely to know more than the average person if her uncle is feeding her info. No specifics though.” Not that Quinn had many specifics of her own to give, but she wouldn’t tell her friends any information that could get her mate hurt. She trusted those women... mostly. But she’d also seen how they acted under pressure, and she wasn’t about to put the fate of the planet in their hands.

  “When this is over we should go away someplace, just the two of us,” Kayde suggested. “I want you to show me the wonders of our home.”

  Hearing Kayde’s certainty that they’d make it through the coming weeks and the violence that was certain to come did a lot to help settled Quinn’s nerves. She was doing her damnedest not to show them. She was mated to an alien warrior and with that came a cost. He had to fight for his people, had to fight to defend his new home. She couldn’t ask him to sit the battle out, to hide away in safety. Especially not this battle. Safety was only an illusion when the army at their doorstep might have a weapon that could destroy the planet with the press of a button.

  “I’d like that. How does the beach sound?” She’d never traveled before, not except for the accidental adventure that had landed her a mate. And while there’d been a certain beauty to the icy outpost the Detyens had once called home, she much preferred a place where she could relax in a bathing suit with plenty of tasty drinks available whenever she wanted.

  “I—” The shrill ring of Kayde’s communicator cut him off and he was out of bed like a shot, all traces of drowsiness gone between one blink and the next. He reached for the device and answered the call, his voice clipped with whoever he was talking to. After a moment he disconnected and set his comm back down, shooting a regretful look back at Quinn.

  “You have to go back in,” she surmised. They’d known that this reprieve wouldn’t last long, though she’d expected to at least have until morning.

  “There’s been a development,” Kayde confirmed.

  She could argue. She could rant about their stolen hours and complain that life wasn’t fair. But that wouldn’t stop Kayde from going in, it would only make them both feel worse about it. So she sat up and kissed him slowly, pouring every milliliter of her love into it. When she pulled back, her mate’s eyes had gone red and she knew it wouldn’t take much to have him back inside her. So she kept enough distance to make sure that didn’t happen, not when he had a duty. “Come back to me,” she commanded.

  “Always, denya.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  They were in a heli-jet this time, much bigger than the helicopter that Peyton and Dryce had used to travel between locations before. With a team of seven and a pilot who’d been introduced as Jo, they needed the extra space. Peyton’s nerves were on edge. After the meeting, she’d managed to snatch a few hours of sleep, but it had been fitful, full of nightmares where she couldn’t save the planet and everyone died.

  Maybe it would have been better if she could have slept beside Dryce, but they’d both known that if they went back into an on call room together they wouldn’t do anything approaching rest. Though maybe she’d be a little less stressed out.

  She was sitting next to him now, her mind reeling at how much things could change in a day. He was her mate? He was hers? How had that happened? It had all seemed so marvelous when they were making out, it had all made sense, but when she snatched glances of the beautiful alien beside her she almost couldn’t reconcile the fact that he wanted her, that he said they were made for one another.

  Ella was going to freak out.

  That was the first thought that made her smile all morning. Her sister was such an alien groupie that she’d see it as one of the great injustices of the universe that Peyton had managed to fall in love with the sexiest alien of them all.

  In love? Oh, um. She tried to keep her expression neutral as the thought ricocheted around her mind. Was she really in love with him? So soon? Was that even possible? Sure, he’d said they were mates or whatever, but that was physical, biological. Emotions grew from it, but she barely knew the guy.

  Except that wasn’t exactly true. She’d spent the last weeks getting to know him over the comms, and the last few days by his side night and day. She’d seen the dedicated warrior that lived behind the playboy façade, knew that he was so much more than anyone thought of him. Knew he cared for her deeply and wanted her even more.

  “It’s going to be alright,” Dryce murmured against her ear, his hand landing gently on her thigh. None of the Detyens or the human, Sierra, spared them a glance.

  Peyton didn’t know if it was because they knew about her connection to Dryce or if they just expected him to act that way. She kind of hoped it was the first. She was getting used to the fact that he was hers, and she didn’t want anyone to think that Dryce was going out there and flirting with anything that moved. Well, he could flirt, he had a naturally flirtatious air and she wasn’t about to change his good humor, but it ended at that and when it came to the touching and the kissing and everything else, he belonged to her.

  She swallowed against the huge lump of strong emotions and took a moment to make sure her tone came out even. “I’m fine,” she said. The relationship anxiety was almost a blessing. She’d much rather worry about that then the fact that if she failed in the next few hours she was dooming Earth to destruction.

  Fuck. There was that other anxiety. Her hands shook, but she curled them into fists and kept them in her lap, fiercely denying any urge to fidget.

  Toran, the gold alien who seemed to be the team leader, sat forward in his seat after they’d been in the air for about fifteen minutes. The seven seats they were sitting in all faced the central corridor of the jet, so none of them had to turn around or shift to see him. He pulled out a mini-holo player and brought up the surveillance footage they’d captured earlier.

  “When we receive the signal, Team One will advance to engage with the hostiles on the ground while Team Two will wait for the second signal. Once they’ve got that, they’ll advance to the device and Dr. Cho will do what she’s here to do. Everyone stay on high alert. There are no second chances on this mission.” His face was a mask of surety. He’d worked with these people before and knew how they functioned as a team. He was a pure warrior, had fought many times before and survived victorious. Peyton wished she had a little of his confidence, but she’d have to take the heat of Dryce beside her and all his faith and use that to fool herself into believing that she wasn’t afraid.

  Toran went over a few more things, and at the end invited any questions, but the team had none. They traveled the rest of the way with everyone making companionable conversation as if they might not die in the next hour. Peyton didn’t know how they did it. She was made for the lab, not battle.

  The jet set down several kilometers away from their destination and the team prepped their gear before taking off on their hike, lea
ving Jo to guard the jet and wait as backup in case she was called. While an aerial attack could end the coming fight before it began, they couldn’t risk damaging the waiting bomb and accidentally triggering it.

  The weight of the improvised kill switch seemed to drag down Peyton’s entire pack. She wouldn’t be happy until she could tear the guts out of the planet killing machine and assure herself that it would never see the light of day again. Even knowing just how much powerful tech could be contained in a small device, she wasn’t comfortable. Not when the stakes were this high. Not when the planet was at stake.

  By now the SDA had to be preparing for takeoff. The sun was just creeping up over the horizon and it would be daylight before long. That didn’t mean much for a battle destined to happen at the end of the solar system, but it was their cue to begin their journey towards their destination where they’d wait under cover for the next signal.

  They walked in near silence and Peyton was incredibly aware that she was the person making the most noise. Dryce and his people must have trained to move through rough terrain on stealthy feet, and Sierra as well. Peyton wished that she could just say it was some special Detyen trait, but the human woman proved her wrong.

  Damnit, she was a doctor, not a soldier.

  Time shifted around them, one minute blending into the next until Peyton was shocked to see it was full light, the bright beams of sun breaking through the canopy overhead. It would be sweltering if they weren’t in the shade, especially given all of the gear they were carrying, so she was happy for the protections. She just wanted this to be done.

  Toran gave a hand signal and they all came to a halt. A sense of anticipation lit the air around them. They had to be close, just out of range of any standard surveillance protocols that the Oscavians or Wreetans may have been using. And now they waited.