AllFreeNovel
Share Us
There was complete silence. Which made me worry I had messed up majorly somehow, overlooked an important detail maybe. Everyone here knew I wasn’t military trained, and I wasn’t pretending to be. I was just working on my knowledge of what we had at hand and what seemed to me would work. I was determined that this would happen tonight, so I’d thought of every angle I could.
I flashed a quick glance to my mates. Dave gave me a subtle thumbs up, but Sam, Dio and Pala all had intent expressions I couldn’t read. There were too many emotions swirling in our bond to filter them, but I was picking up a lot of heat. “I think you broke your guys, Lex,” Hunter chuckled. I shot him a dirty look this time, and he just smirked.
“We’re with you, my heart, always,” Pala said quietly. Dio murmured his agreement.
“I think I’ve more than proved I’ll follow you anywhere, Lex,” Dave added.
Sam’s scent was filling the room powerfully, with whiskey accenting the leather and oak, but I could never tell if that meant he was angry or aroused. He was watching me with a consuming, possessive air, not saying a word. His dominance reached out and encircled me. It felt like light strokes all over my skin, and the pull I always felt towards him intensified, but I resisted it. I don’t think he consciously realized he was doing it.
“You’ve been busy this afternoon, it seems.” I glanced at Damon as he spoke, distracting me from Sam, but he was looking at Sirena and Isabella, not at me.
“We sure have,” Isabella answered confidently. Sirena was looking anywhere but at Damon, which was understandable, given their history. “We’re all in, too.”
“Where did you get all the personal alarms, flares and stuff?” Dio asked, a little gruffly. His hand was twitching as if he wanted to reach for me, but was holding back. Letting me stand strong and have my moment.
I shifted on my feet, sneaking a glance at my brother.
“I have a shipping container. I stock it with stuff I think escaping women might need.”
“Hot damn. I knew your container had more stuff in it than baby clothes and toiletries. You sneaky shit,” Hunter said.
“She pulled night vision goggles out of there the other night,” Leif said calmly with a small, proud smile on his face.
Dio laughed suddenly as he shook his head. “Of course you have a secret stash of cool military shit. Do you have weapons in there too?”
“No, I rarely use weapons. Oh, except for the nunchucks and throwing stars.” I bit my lip, trying not to smile. I wanted to keep them guessing about me. A woman needed to keep some mystery about her in a new relationship. Or relationships. Pala looked intrigued.
“So what’s the verdict? Are you guys with me?”
“We’re in,” Sam growled, staring down Damon. They were the first words he’d said, and they sounded like he had forced them out over rocks. I knew he had trouble communicating when his emotions were running high. Yet he’d uttered them to back me up.
I walked towards him and slid my hands from his shoulders down to his chest. He claimed one of my hands and pushed it harder into his skin, as he rested his head back against my chest. I could feel the intensity coming off him in waves, and a dark satisfaction at my touch.
“It’s a solid plan, Lex,” Damon grumbled, a little reluctant still. He looked at Maia.
“Oh, I’m in. You guys can come, if you want. Or you can stay here. It’s up to you.” Maia let out an enormous yawn as she spoke, that espresso high wearing off now that she’d gotten it all out of her system. “I just need to have a nap first.”
“We’re all in, too,” Damon growled, while he narrowed his eyes at Maia. She was so getting spanked for that later. She blushed as if she knew it, too. The little minx. “Max will do satellite recon this afternoon, though. And his drone will go in before anyone else, just to be sure. If anything unexpected shows up, we’re calling it off. Deal?”
“Deal.” I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding before Sam turned his head up to meet my eyes and I gulped. The intensity of his stare was at DEFCON 3.
A low growl started up in his chest and a powerful surge of desire hit me through the bond, cutting through everything else. I had the sudden feeling a spanking might be in my immediate future, too. My omega perked up at the idea.
I grinned wickedly at him. If Sam wanted me to submit, though, he was going to have to work for it.
He was also going to have to wait. I had a town to take back.
forty-two
Thefullmoonwasglowing over the town, washing everything in silver. It was a blessing and a curse. It helped the Honey Badgers move around, but it also exposed them to enemy eyes.
I was glad Maia was safely back on the farm, asleep in the security cabin with Max. He’d convinced her to have a quick nap on the couch earlier to sleep off the effects of the espresso. They’d tried to rouse her when it was time to bug out, but she’d been out to it like a one drink wonder after a ten drink bender. She was going to be pissed when she woke up and realized she missed all the action.
Her alpha mates had been strangely hesitant to leave her there. I would have thought they’d be relieved not to have her out here in enemy territory. Yet Max had all but kicked them out of the security office and they’d all been scowling darkly ever since. Everyone was keeping a wide berth from them.
I knew they were acting strange because Lexie was out here somewhere, alongside Ava and Cary, and I would prefer her ensconced in the relative safety of the farm. But all three omegas had flat out refused to stay behind. I don’t know who the hell decided omegas were supposed to be submissive. The four I knew definitely weren’t.
Knowing Lexie was out there slipping through the darkness kept my beast on edge. It didn’t help that the Palace alphas who had stayed behind at the farm after the attack were out here too. I knew they were helping us and I trusted that Damon and Pala had vetted them. Yet, it still had my beast simmering just under the surface of my skin.
