Chapter Sixteen
Sienna grimly touched the controls, starting her exosuit toward the vehicles.
The suits didn’t have any weapons.
The nearest vehicle’s cannon opened fire. Flames exploded around her, and she tensed. Then she relaxed. She hadn’t been hit.
Then she looked over at Theron’s exosuit and her heart sank.
Through the smoke, she saw his suit was staggering backward. The bone-like chest plate was torn up and damaged.
“No,” she whispered. Then, the smoke cleared, and she saw he was okay, but his suit was failing.
It couldn’t sustain another hit.
Helplessness rushed over her. They were out of options. Her hands tightened on the controls. It looked like she wasn’t going to get her happily-ever-after, after all. God, why couldn’t she and Theron have realized what they meant to each other earlier?
She took a step forward in her exosuit and watched another cannon preparing to fire.
She straightened her spine and pressed her shoulders back. Whatever happened, she would go down fighting for herself and the man she loved.
Suddenly, there was another explosion, flames blossoming skyward, rocks, gravel, and debris spraying in all directions. As Sienna watched, a raptor vehicle was tossed into the air, flames pluming from it.
Her chest tightened and she looked up, catching three small, fast shimmers passing overhead.
Darkswifts.
Excitement and relief zinged through her. Their squad had arrived.
Green laser fire traced through the air, hitting the raptor vehicles, sending another one up in flames.
A second later, several Hawks appeared in the sky, dropping their illusions as they neared the ground. One hovered only a few meters away from her.
Sienna plowed through some raptors, positioning herself to protect the quadcopter, and saw Hell Squad and Squad Three leaping out of the Hawks.
She saw Marcus throw out an arm and shout. She didn’t need to hear his gravelly voice to know what he was saying.
Ready to go to hell?
Around him, his squad shouted and leaped into the fight. Hell, yeah! The devil needs an ass-kicking.
With adrenaline surging, Sienna moved forward, kicking and punching with her exosuit. Beside her, Theron was doing the same.
Together, they trampled through raptors and creepers. Across the space, their gazes met, and they grinned at each other.
All of a sudden, a missile flew from a raptor vehicle, and slammed directly into the chest of Theron’s suit. His suit was flung backward in a ball of flames and smoke.
Sienna’s heart stopped. She knew the suit couldn’t withstand another hit. “Theron!”
***
Hemi
Hemi Rahia fired his carbine, his focus on taking down the aliens.
Fucking Gizzida. The bastards had invaded the world, and killed and destroyed millions. He had zero issues mowing them down.
He yanked a grenade off his belt and lobbed it into a group of approaching raptors. He grinned. As flames erupted, his squad fanned out around him, firing at the aliens.
They were the toughest sons of bitches he’d ever fought with, and he was proud to stand with them.
“Think I’m going to have this year’s quota for the most kills,” Levi called out. The former biker, aimed his carbine, taking down two raptors in quick succession.
Hemi snorted and yanked his shotgun off his back. “You wish, King.” A raptor charged at Hemi with a roar, and Hemi pumped the weapon, then shot the alien in the gut.
“Incoming!” Tane yelled.
A raptor grenade bounced between them—an ugly, black device covered in spikes. Hemi and his squad mates dived out of the way.
He hit the ground and rolled, just as flames exploded behind him. He came to his feet and realized he’d been separated from the other guys.
Several raptors were moving in to surround him.
He pumped the shotgun. “Bring it on, assholes.” He shot the nearest raptor, the boom echoing around him.
A huge-ass creeper skittered closer and let out a screech. Damn thing was so ugly. He pumped the shotgun again.
Suddenly, laser fire sprayed the beast, cutting it down.
Hemi looked up and saw the Darkswift shoot past.
“Looked like you needed some help.” The smug female voice came through his earpiece.
“Baby, I was doing just fine, but I know you can’t stay away from me.”
He easily pictured Cam’s long, lean body settled in the Darkswift, and he easily pictured her nose scrunching from his comment. He waited for her snarky response.
A half snort, half laugh crossed the comm line and he realized Cam’s partner, Taylor, was on the line as well.
“Keep dreaming, Rahia.” Cam’s tone was sharp.
Ah, there it was. It was really sick, he knew, but he loved when she tossed that attitude his way.
He paused to shoot another raptor, and headed back toward his squad. “I’ve got plenty of dreams, Cam.” He lowered his voice. “And you star in all of them.” And it was about damn time she quit running and he made them more than just dreams.
A humming silence.
He grinned. Yeah, he loved poking at her and seeing her flares of passion and temper.
“Rahia, if you think—”
He cut her off. “It’s New Year’s Eve soon.” He kicked a dying raptor out of his way. “There’s a big party planned and at the stroke of twelve, I’ll find you.”
“Oh?” A slow, unconcerned drawl.
“The kiss at midnight is all mine.” You’re all mine. It was a promise.
“Keep dreaming, Rahia,” she snapped.
As more raptors converged, he swung his weapon around. Oh, he would. And he had every intention of making his dreams come true.
***
Theron tried to move. His ears were ringing, and his vision was blurry.
He was flat on his back, some of the damaged shell of the exosuit still around him. He looked down and saw the shattered pieces of the suit rammed into his chest.
Dimly, he wondered why that didn’t hurt.
He tried to move again, but he didn’t have the strength, and he was trapped by the remains of the suit.
“Theron!” Sienna’s pretty face appeared above him. She gripped the ruined suit, pulling parts of it off him.
She was out of her suit. She was putting herself at risk. “Get back in your exosuit!”
“No.” Her horrified gaze was on his torn chest and stomach. She touched it gingerly. “Oh, Theron.”
Theron could feel the blood soaking into his clothes now. A wave of tiredness washed over him. “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, Sienna. Please stay safe.”
Her lips trembled, and he saw tears in her eyes.
“You aren’t damn well saying goodbye. I’m getting you out of here, and rescuing you, Big T.”
The pain was starting now. He drew in a deep breath. This was going to suck. “Sienna—”
“Just be quiet.” She pulled more of the bone plating off. “I’m the boss right now.” Then she sucked in a sharp breath.
Theron looked down. A large shaft of bone was sticking out of his gut.
“Theron.” Her face went white. She reached up and touched his cheek.
“It’s too late for me, naughty girl. Get to safety.”
She shook her head, tears brimming.
“Get to Hell Squad.” He heard carbine fire nearby, and the shouts of his fellow soldiers.
She swiped a hand at her eyes. “You think I’m too soft and sweet to save the life of the stubborn man I love?”
“No. I know my woman is courageous and will fight to the end.” He fought back a moan at the wave of pain. “You terrify me.”
Suddenly, a dark shape reared up behind her. “Sienna! Raptor!”
She threw herself to the side and rolled away. He saw her face the raptor, ducking the alien’s swings. Without her armor, she was no match for the bastard.
Theron tried to move, but agony tore through him. He fell back, panting and helpless. There was no way he could help her.
Sienna slid into a crouch, and grabbed one of the shards of bone from his ruined exosuit. She brandished it like a sword, and when the raptor attacked again, she swung it like a bat, slamming the jagged edge into the raptor’s face.
He roared and fell to his knees. Face grim, Sienna attacked him, again and again. Her blows were relentless. The raptor toppled over like a felled tree.
She lowered the bone shard, her chest heaving. Theron had never seen anything in his entire life as sexy as his Sienna.
“Looks like you don’t need a rescue.”
Sienna lifted the bone, ready to attack again.
Theron recognized Shaw’s amused drawl. As Hell Squad’s sniper stepped into view, Theron felt the tension in him slide away. Sienna was safe.
Claudia appeared, her carbine held in one hand and a med kit in the other. She set the kit down beside Theron. “You look like you need a rescue, though, big guy.”
Theron managed a nod. “It’s been a hell of a day.”
Sienna knelt beside him, grabbing his hand. “We survived collapsing buildings, jumped from an alien ship, almost got swallowed by an alien creature, and Theron told me he loves me.”
Claudia grinned and pressed an injector against his neck. Instantly, he felt the meds kicking in.
“Well, that is eventful. You’re going to need a big shot of nanomeds.” Claudia held up a vial of the small medical machines. “I won’t lie, this is going to hurt a lot.”
He smiled goofily at Sienna. “Hold my hand?”
She was fighting back a weak laugh. “Wow, out of everything in the world, you’re bad with meds?”
The rest of Hell Squad appeared, and Marcus stepped forward, his armor splattered with blood and gore. “Aliens are retreating, but they’ll be back. We took them by surprise, but once they regroup, we’ll lose the advantage.” He glanced at Theron, his face serious. “Can we move him?”
Claudia nodded. “Give me a minute to get these nanomeds in.”
From nearby, Shaw whistled. “Did you guys hear? Theron’s taken the fall.”
When Claudia shot Shaw a narrowed look, her lover cleared his throat.
“It’s a great ride, man. Enjoy.” Shaw winked. “You sure picked a pretty one.”
“She is pretty, isn’t she?” Theron heard the slur in his voice. Pain spiked everywhere, as the nanomeds rushed into his veins, but with Sienna beside him, he didn’t care. “She’s all mine. And she looks even prettier with my pink palm marks all over her curvy ass.”
Sienna gasped. She pressed her palm over Theron’s mouth as the others laughed.
Even Marcus was fighting a smile. “Let’s get you guys home.”
***
Sienna balanced the tray with one hand, and managed to get the door to her room open with the other. She stepped inside, and found Theron sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Hey.” She set the tray down on the table and rushed forward. “You are supposed to be taking it easy.” She nudged him back against the pillows.
He scowled at her, his favorite expression nowadays, as she reached behind him to fluff the pillows.
“Sienna, I’m fine. I’m all healed.”
“Doc Emerson said you needed to rest. You were badly injured.” Her own chest hitched, remembering the Hawk ride back to the Enclave, watching as Theron had slipped into unconsciousness. The nanomeds had healed him, but she still woke sometimes in a cold sweat.
“You’ve had me chained to the bed for two days.” His scowl deepened. “And not in the fun way.”
Sienna had also banned sex until he was better. It appeared that ban was making her Big T a little grumpier than usual.
She turned back to the table. “I brought you some dinner. Pizza with salami and basil.” She moved the tray to the bedside table. She wiggled her eyebrows. “Extra spicy. And a glass of red wine. My nonna used to always say, a meal without wine is a day without sunshine.”
Theron cupped her cheek. “I couldn’t live without the sunshine.”
God, the man knew how to make her melt.
“Any update from Roth?” he asked.
Sienna fussed with the tray. “No. The drone and intel team are working overtime to try and find out more about the creepers. Hell Squad brought back some samples.” She grimaced. “They are apparently some sort of alien creature augmented with human DNA, as well as DNA from several Earth animals.”
“Shit.”
She nodded. “The general thinks that the raptors have been experimenting all this time. Using the local wildlife to find a way to fine-tune their process of turning everyone into raptors. Gaz’da has confirmed that on each planet they invade, they adapt their processes to the indigenous species.”
“So now they’ll unleash creepers on us?”
Not a pleasant thought. “It doesn’t matter what they unleash.” She grabbed his hand. “We keep fighting. For those we’ve lost, for friends and family, for ourselves.”
“Always,” he promised.
“They told Howell’s wife what happened to him.” Sienna almost felt sorry for the man.
Theron shrugged a shoulder. “He brought it on himself.”
She nodded. “I can’t stop thinking about his poor wife and kids.”
A hand cupped her jaw. “My sweet, kind-hearted Sienna.”
She smiled, banishing the unpleasant thoughts. “Oh, I forgot to tell you what else I brought you.” She whipped a napkin off the top of the second bowl. “One bowl of chocolate ice cream. No syrup, no nuts, no sprinkles.”
He reached out and grabbed her wrist. “I want sprinkles. I want sprinkles every day for the rest of my life.”
Sienna’s breath hitched. He made her so happy, and when he looked at her, she knew he saw all of her, and loved every part of her equally. “That can be arranged.”
She hurried over to her small kitchenette, and grabbed the sprinkles he’d given her. She set them down beside his ice cream. “So, I—”
Theron yanked her onto the bed and she let out a loud squeak.
He pulled her facedown across his lap. “Theron, the doc said—”
“Screw the doc. I’m fine.” He landed a stinging slap to Sienna’s butt.
She moaned, instant desire flooding her. God, he could have her ready in just seconds. He tore her shorts off and paused. He slid a finger under the black lace, fingering the elastic. “You wear this for me?”
“You gave it to me.”
He spanked her again, and she writhed. “So I did. I knew your sexy little ass would look perfect in them.” Another sharp slap, followed by the caress of his palm.
His hand slid between her thighs, and as he sank his fingers inside her, she let out a mewling cry and surrendered herself up to the pleasure. “Love me, Theron.”
“I do. Completely. With everything I am.”
Then, he flipped her over, and the next thing she felt was something cool against her belly. She gasped and looked down to see a dollop of chocolate ice cream on her skin. “Theron!”
Next, he upended the sprinkles, coating her with the colored bits of sugar. “There, now that’s perfect.”
She giggled, but as he leaned down, his mouth licking at the ice cream on her skin, her giggles turned to moans. He pulled her up on top of him, forcing her to straddle his hips.
He sank back, lounging like a king on the pillows. He had a hard, commanding look that would suit a monarch used to getting his own way. “Now take my cock out, climb on, and sink down on it. I want to watch it stretching you wide.”
The air caught in her lungs, and her hands went to pull his trousers down.
Sienna rose above him and sank down on him, taking every hard inch of him inside her. A groan ripped from his throat, and his hands clamped on her hips.
“God, I love you, Sienna,” he ground out between gritted teeth. He forced her to move faster, harder. They lost themselves in loving each other.
A while later, Sienna climbed out of the bed on wobbly legs. A few places ached and stung in the sweetest way. Theron was still lounging, with just the sheet pulled to his waist, looking well-satisfied and pleased with himself.
She let her gaze drift over his bare chest. There was no sign of the horrible injuries he’d suffered, although he still had a few odd scars, here and there. Her man was a soldier through and through.
No, he didn’t look like a king, she decided. He would be the captain of the king’s guard. Always ready to fight and protect.
She hurried into the bathroom and washed up, pulling on her blue robe. Now, she had to bully her man into eating, and not let him get her naked again.
When she reentered the bedroom, his hot hazel gaze was on her. “Come here.”
The command in his voice made her shiver. “You need to eat now.”
“I will. You.”
God. Heat flooded her. She took one step toward the bed—
There was a sharp knock, followed by the door immediately opening. Cam sauntered in, followed by the rest of their squad. Avery, Niko, and Devlin were also part of the crowd.
“We decided it was time to come and check on you,” Cam announced. She eyed Theron on the bed and then Sienna in her robe. “Apparently, you’re doing just fine.”
“My eyes,” Roth grumbled as he sat at the table. He set down a six-pack of homebrews.
“Mmm, I smell pizza.” Taylor grabbed the box from the bedside table, and flicked it open.
“Share,” Mac ordered.
Teasing laughter filled the room. With a shake of her head, Sienna headed for the bed. “Cam, call the kitchen. I left a few uncooked pizzas in the fridge. Tell them to pop them in the oven.”
“On it.”
Sienna was sure her mama would approve of the family she’d made for herself. Theron pulled her down beside him, and she snuggled into his strength. And of the man she’d fallen in love with. Somehow, she’d ended up with everything she’d ever dreamed about.
“Amare e non essere amato, quanto risponde sens esser chiamato,” she murmured.
Theron pressed his cheek against her hair. “You know it always turns me on when you speak Italian. What’s it mean?”
It was the perfect saying for how she felt. “To love and be loved as it is meant to be.”
---
I hope you enjoyed Theron and Sienna’s story!
Hell Squad continues with HEMI, starring the first of the big, wild berserkers of Squad Three. Coming in just a few weeks, May 2017.
If you’re looking for more action-packed science fiction romance, then read on for a preview of Gladiator, the first book in the Galactic Gladiators series.
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