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Shouldn't we head straight for Prague instead and meet up with him there? Brock asked. Tegan shook his head, picking up on Lucan's tactic. Reichen may be trustworthy, but we don't know about anyone else around him. Marek's already aware that we've got an interest in Berlin. No sense tipping our hand about Prague.
Lucan nodded. We'll fill Reichen in once we arrive.
Right, Gideon said. I'll get clearance for a flight out tonight.
There was none of the usual bravado as the lab emptied out and the warriors each went to prepare for the mission ahead of them. Tegan normally would have gone off to suit up by himself and think in peace. He thought he probably should now, but then Elise linked her fingers through his as the two of them paused in the vacant corridor.
Are you all right? she asked, her gaze as sober as his must have been. If you want to be alone, or if you have something you need to do...
No. I don't.
He thought about calling the denial back and feeding her some line of bullshit that he was needed somewhere else right then, but the words wouldn't come. And he found he couldn't let go of her hand.
He'd be leaving in a few hours, and the odds were pretty damn good that he wasn't coming back.
He was going in this time with one goal: to personally take out Marek. Even if he had to take himself out in the process. Tegan was more than ready to bring the war to Marek, and, one way or another, that son of a bitch was going down.
Come on, he said to Elise, tipping her chin up to meet his kiss. There's only one place I want to be right now. Elise and Tegan spent the rest of the day in his quarters, making love, and, it seemed, avoiding talk of what the future might bring them. She knew the secrets the tapestry had revealed weighed heavily on him--on all of the Order--but Tegan seemed especially remote as dusk drew near and the group of them prepared to head out. He had withdrawn in some way, as if he were already gone, fighting the ghost of an enemy that had haunted him for too long and had to finally be exorcised.
His call to Reichen earlier that day had brought troubling news: Petrov Odolf had slipped further into Bloodlust and was not doing well. The word out of the containment facility was that the Rogue had become increasingly unstable in the hours after Tegan and Elise left him that last time. At some point overnight, he lapsed into violent seizures and attacked one of his handlers, nearly killing the attendant in a fit of rage.
As for Tegan, he seemed skeptical of Director Kuhn's report to Reichen. He didn't trust the facility director, and, as he hung up with Reichen, he left the Darkhaven male with a mission to get more answers about the Rogue's condition.
Be careful, Elise told him as they walked out of his quarters to meet the others who were gathering in the main area of the compound.
Tegan paused and kissed her passionately, but there was a distance in his eyes.
I love you, she said, stroking his strong jaw and trying to tamp down the worry that was beating like a caged bird in her chest. You'd better come back to me soon, you understand? Promise me.
The sounds of the other warriors talking in the hallway up ahead drew his attention. Weapons and gear jangled, deep male voices rumbling against the marble walls. That was his world calling him, the duty he'd been sworn into for longer than she'd been alive.
Tegan, promise me, she said, forcing him to look at her. Don't do anything heroic.
The corner of his mouth quirked into a wry grin. Me, heroic? Not a chance.
She smiled with him, but her feet felt leaden as they walked the rest of the way up the corridor to where the Order, and Tegan's role among them, waited.
Everyone else was already gathered. Elise met the serious faces of the other Breedmates, Tess and Gabrielle holding on to their mates as the departure time drew near. It had been agreed that Gideon would stay behind at the compound where he could monitor the operation from base and be a touch point for the others while they were in the field.
The biggest surprise was Rio. The recuperating warrior was dressed in combat gear and waiting with the rest of them, the look in his topaz eyes nothing short of fury. His muscled body radiated pure malice--white-hot and volatile--and Elise suddenly understood Tess's concerns about him. He was terrifying, even simply standing still.
Elise resisted the urge to hold on a little tighter to Tegan's hand when she felt his arm flex as he prepared to join his brethren.
God, but she didn't want to let him go.
Not when they'd just found each other.
All right, Lucan said, his gaze steady as it lit on each of the warriors in turn. Let's do this.
Chapter Thirty-one
Andreas Reichen was waiting with two Mercedes SUVs on the tarmac at Tegel Airport as the Order arrived in Berlin. Tegan made quick introductions while the warriors threw their gear into the vehicles and got situated for the ride out to Reichen's Darkhaven estate, which was to serve as the operation's temporary base.
I'm honored to assist, Reichen told Lucan and Tegan as the three men loaded the last of the bags and weaponry. I've often wondered what it might be like to stand among the Order as one of your own.
Be careful what you wish for, Lucan drawled. Depending how things go, there's a good chance we could end up knighting you on the field.
Try not to look so enthused, Tegan said, catching the glint of eagerness in the civilian's eyes. What's the word out of the containment facility?
