Levi carried Chrissy to his room. Once inside, he took her straight into the bathroom, and set her down on the closed toilet. She still looked a little shell-shocked and her face was marred with black ash.

He went to the rarely-used tub and set the water running. Methodically, he stripped her bare, and then nudged her into the water.

“Levi—”

“Just let me take care of you.” He tipped her head back, pouring water over her hair. It smelled of smoke and he wanted her clean.

He didn’t have any fancy shampoos or soaps, but he grabbed his plain shampoo and massaged it into her hair. He kind of liked the idea of her smelling of his soap. Her eyes closed, and she made a small moan.

After he’d worked the shampoo through her hair, he nudged her down into the water to rinse it off. Her hands gripped the side of the tub. He saw that they were perfectly healed, the new skin a little pink. But in his head, he kept seeing them blistered and blackened.

His jaw tightened. Images of her room peppered him. The wall blown apart, the space just an empty, black shell. And he remembered the agony of thinking she was dead.

She shifted in the bath, water sloshing against the tiles. She was alive. He stared at the rise and fall of her chest. And he was going to take care of her.

Levi cleared his tight throat. “I’m going to order you some food.”

“I’m not very hungry—”

“You’ll eat.”

Eyes still closed, a small smile tilted her lips. “Bossy biker man.”

“Don’t you forget it.”

Back in the main room, Levi took a minute to order some food from the kitchen. Then he paced, waiting for it to be delivered. He kept trying to block the horror of finding her exploded room. His hands curled into fists. Fucking Gizzida. He was laying the blame for this on those damn raptors. Next time he was on a mission, he had some extra anger to work off.

There was a knock at the door, and Levi opened it to a teen boy, who handed over a tray. Levi thanked the kid before slamming the door shut.

He’d just set the tray down on the table when he heard the sobs from the bathroom.

Jaw tight, he walked inside, and saw Chrissy hunched over in the bath, crying.

“Chrissy—”

She looked up, her eyes red. “Those alien parts are destroyed. That could mean that damn trike won’t work.” A hiccupping breath. “That could ruin the entire mission.”

“I don’t give a fuck about the trike. You’ll figure something out.”

She swiped at her eyes. “I barely had any personal things…but now they’re gone.”

The heartbreak in her face told him this was about more than losing some clothes and things. Without thinking, he toed off his boots, and without stopping to shed his clothes, he climbed into the tub behind her.

She gasped. “Levi.”

“Shh.” He leaned back against the edge and settled her between his legs. “You’re alive, Chrissy. And I’m fucking glad.”

A sob broke from her chest. “I didn’t think anyone would really care if I died. When I was with the aliens, I knew there was no one out there thinking about me.”

He wrapped his arms securely around her, pressing his lips to the side of her head. “Well, not anymore, Spitfire. I care. And there’s a young boy here at the Enclave who cares. And I know you’re friends with Taylor. She’d care.”

Chrissy started crying, turning into him.

Levi had always hated when women cried. Whenever the tears started, he usually got out fast. When his ex had cried, they’d usually been a form of manipulation.

But this time, he didn’t feel the urge to run, or fill the space with meaningless words. He held Chrissy until the tears subsided, and then he helped her out of the now-cool bath. He stripped his soaked clothes off and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then he grabbed another towel and started rubbing her down.

“I never had much,” he said. “Growing up, my dad was a lazy drunk who only cared about himself.”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

Levi ushered her into the room and straight into his bed. He climbed in beside her, wrapping his arms around her.

“My dad did his best,” Chrissy said. “But two girls left him baffled most of the time. He never got over losing my mother.” Her gaze flicked up to him. “What about your mom?”

Levi shrugged. “She ran off when I was a kid. She didn’t much like having a mean drunk as her old man. Especially when he knocked her around.”

“So she left you?” Chrissy’s voice rose, revealing a glimmer of his spitfire. “She left you with him?”

Levi nodded, amused at the fierce glint in her eye. “Not everyone is like you. I know you saved a kid who wasn’t even your own. I guess my mother didn’t want to be saddled with a kid. I grew up rough, but I had Ash. And when I was old enough, I learned to fight for what I wanted. Eventually, I took over the Iron Kings and cleaned it up. I was proud as hell of the bikes and cars we put together.” Even now, he still felt the bittersweet hit of the loss.

Sweet curves moved against him and Levi fought to remind himself she’d been injured.

“I read about some of your custom builds once. There was an online interview. It was amazing work.”

He smiled down at her, but then the pleasure faded. “I lost it all in the invasion. And I lost the men I considered brothers.”

A hand cupped his face. “Stuff doesn’t really matter, does it? People do.”

He nodded. “That’s right. And I’ve got Ash and my squad.” He tightened his hold on her. “We go out there and wade into the raptor muck every day. It’s not pretty, and there’s no beauty, but I always know that they have my back.”

They were silent for a while. An easy silence. Levi couldn’t remember ever being in bed with a woman like this. He was either fucking or sleeping…not cuddling.

“Tell me more about your dad,” he said.

“Typical macho man. He wanted boys. He was a hell of a mechanic, and I followed in his footsteps.”

“He should have been proud.”

Chrissy snorted. “He was pretty old-school, and thought that I should be married with babies, not swinging a wrench in his workshop.” She sighed. “My sister was a wild child. I think it was her way of dealing with the loss of our mom. I always guessed that Jussy felt guilty knowing that mom died from having her. I also have a niece.” Chrissy’s voice hitched. “They disappeared before the invasion, and I had no idea where they were. I have no idea if they’re even alive.”

Levi knew that not knowing was sometimes harder than dealing with death. “You’re alive, Chrissy.” He leaned down, peppering slow kisses across her face. “I really like that you’re alive. I like the way you look, the way you smell, the way you throw sass at me.”

Her eyes were on his face. “I do not throw sass.”

“Woman, you have enough attitude for three women.” He caught her hand as she swung at him. “You’re also good at your work. Cool as ice in the field, and you swing a wrench like a pro.”

She giggled. “I only aimed for your head once.”

“The way we strike sparks off each other, I doubt it will be the only time.” He kissed her now, slow and deep. He slid his tongue into her mouth, tangling with hers. She lifted a leg, wrapping it around him.

“I should let you sleep,” he growled.

“I’m fine,” she said huskily.

He was too selfish not to have her. He needed to be inside her. “I want to watch your face this time,” he murmured. “I want to watch everything on your face when I’m inside you, when you come.”

They moved together, and he pulled her towel away. Pushing her back, he cupped her breasts, tugging on her nipples.

She sighed, moving restlessly.

When he slid his hand between her legs, she was already damp and ready for him. “All mine.” He lifted his fingers and licked. “And so sweet. So much sweet hidden under the attitude.”

“Levi.” She writhed on the sheets.

He nudged her legs apart and then he was pushing inside her. “Want to take it slower this time.” Except her tight heat was already making desire churn inside him.

Her back arched, her gaze never leaving his. “I just want you.”

He started moving, thrusting inside that tight body he couldn’t get enough of. Their gazes stayed locked, and he watched every flicker of pleasure cross her face.

As he moved faster, pumping inside her, she didn’t hold anything back. And when she came, crying out his name, he’d never seen anything as beautiful.

With a groan, Levi came, pulsing inside his woman’s warmth.

Still catching his breath, he wrapped himself around her. He pressed his fingers to her throat, right over her beating pulse. Alive, sexy, and his.

He listened to the sound of her breathing even out, and not long after, he followed her off to sleep.

* * *

Chrissy sat inside the alien vehicle, staring at the console. She’d been forced to improvise and put in some Hunter parts, and a few unique printed parts she’d had Bec make for her. She fingered some of the controls, watching her scanner screen.

It wasn’t perfect, but it was operational.

She looked out of the vehicle at the small crowd of berserkers standing around the trike. One of her team had added a protective tint to the trike’s windshield. She could see out but no one could see in. They didn’t want a raptor peering in and seeing humans.

She focused on the berserkers. Damn, they were a wild, handsome bunch. There was enough testosterone right here to power a small city.

She opened her door and climbed out. “It’s ready.” She licked her lips, her gaze moving to Levi. To her very own wild berserker. “But…”

“But…?” Levi scowled.

“I’ll need to come with you on the mission.”

As she’d guessed would happen, he tensed. Since he’d run down that corridor to get to her after the explosion, he hadn’t let her out of his sight. The last two nights, they’d slept tangled with each other all night, and she’d woken with him pressed behind her, a hard cock nudging inside her. He’d shadowed her all day as she’d worked to get the trike functional.

“I’m still the best at driving it, but I could teach someone else. The problem is if something goes wrong. I had to cobble things together, splice in some of our parts…and if something goes wrong, which it likely will, you’ll need me.”

Levi was shaking his head, his hands on his hips, staring hard at the floor.

“We need to get into that dome and see what the aliens are doing.” Tane’s dark gaze flicked to Levi before landing back on Chrissy.

Damn, the man really had a handsome face, but the intensity of his eyes was enough to make a girl want to hide.

Finally, Tane nodded. “Chrissy’s coming with us. Everyone suit up. It’s time to go and see what the aliens are hiding. We leave in an hour.”

As the others headed off, Levi grabbed her, pinning her up against the trike. He stayed silent.

She watched him, concerned. She couldn’t get a read on him. “This is where you explode and tell me that it’s too dangerous.”

“Where I tell you it fucking terrifies me to take you into that dome.” His forehead dropped against hers. “But I know you’re right. I know we need you.”

Her chest swelled. “Levi—”

“And I know I’ll keep you safe. You’re mine to protect now.”

“Is that right?” She felt a flood of emotion take up residence in her chest.

“Yep. Your sexy mouth is mine, your fantastic hair is mine, your gorgeous breasts, your tight, wet—”

“I get the picture,” she said dryly.

He kissed her. “Let’s go get ready.”

“I need to go and see Max, first,” she said. “Explain where I’m going.”

He nodded. “I wish we had time to go back to our room and—”

She pressed a finger to his lips. “When we get back, biker man. I’ll meet you back here in an hour.”

Chrissy hurried down to Max’s quarters and spent a few minutes with the boy, explaining that she was going back out on a mission. Thankfully, he didn’t quite grasp the danger, and was more excited that she was going to spend time with the berserkers. She ruffled his hair and gave him a tight hug. She couldn’t tell him that there was a chance she might not make it back.

Back in her borrowed armor, her laser pistol and her tools strapped to her hips, Chrissy walked back to the Hunter hangar.

“Chrissy!” Taylor jogged up to her. “I heard about the mission.”

Chrissy nodded. “Thought a trip to the ocean might be nice.”

Taylor smiled, but her gaze was serious. “Be careful out there. I know your berserker will take care of you, but come home safely.”

Chrissy hugged her friend. “Will do.”

In the Hunter hangar, a small crowd was gathered around the alien vehicle.

The berserkers were all there, weapons slung over broad shoulders. Hemi was clearly telling a joke, and the others were smiling. But she felt the tense readiness pumping off them.

General Holmes and Niko stood nearby.

Holmes nodded to her. “Good luck, Chrissy. Thank you for doing this.”

She nodded and moved over to join Levi and the others.

“Levi, you ride up front with Chrissy,” Tane said. “The rest of us will be in the back.”

Chrissy blew out a breath and climbed into the vehicle. Levi waited until the others were in the back before he settled into the seat beside her.

Now or never. She fired up the engine, and tested the controls. Swallowing her nerves, she set them in motion and soon they were heading up the ramp to the surface.

“Slow and steady, babe,” Levi said as they headed out into the sunlight. “My favorite way to fuck you.”

“Levi!”

“Actually, I like hard and fast too, and sweet and sexy. Frankly, any time I’m inside you is my favorite.”

“I’m on the line here, Levi,” came Indy’s dust-dry voice through the comms.

Chrissy felt heat flare in her cheeks.

“Cool it,” Indy continued, “Or I’ll have to go and take a cold shower.”

“You need a man, Indy,” Levi said.

A snort. “Men are trouble.”

“She’s not wrong,” Chrissy muttered.

Levi grinned, and soon they turned off the Enclave road onto one of the main roads. The sun was setting, drenching everything in golden light. She pulled the controls, turning the trike to head north, toward Sydney. It would be dark by the time they reached the city.

Her hands flexed on the controls. “We might not make it back.”

“That’s always a risk.” Levi reached over and gripped her hand. “But Squad Three is damn good at what we do. Berserkers never give up. We keep fighting.”

She smiled. “You just like blowing things up.”

He winked at her. “That, too.”

The drive was tense. Chrissy kept expecting to be confronted by aliens—more trikes or maybe one of the giant rexes the raptors saddled and rode. She scanned the sky for any sign of raptor ptero ships. The muscles in her arms and shoulders wound tighter and tighter. Thankfully, the alien vehicle performed well, and her patch jobs held.

“Chrissy, pull to a stop near the three-story building on the right,” Indy said. “You have an alien convoy incoming. I suggest you let them pass, and then pull in behind to join them.”

Chrissy pulled the trike to a stop and waited. She tapped her foot on the floor, her pulse pounding as she stared out at the shadowed street.

“Hold it together, Spitfire.”

“What if they confront us?” she said. “Or one of these parts fail, and they come to help us?”

“And what if we drive right into that dome undetected and get what we need?”

She closed her eyes, trying to relax. “You’re right.” She opened them and saw the line of alien trikes appear, their headlights spearing into the night. They lumbered down the road in single file. She watched them pass, one by one.

“Go,” Indy said. “And good luck.”

Chrissy pushed the controls and they rolled forward. She turned the vehicle, falling in behind the last trike.

“And remember,” Indy said, “once you’re in the water and inside the dome, I won’t have contact with you.”

They’d be on their own.

Chrissy followed the convoy, waiting for one of the other vehicles to drive back and demand to know who they were. But the convoy rolled on, headed toward the Sydney Airport.

They were getting closer to the ocean. They turned a corner and ahead, Chrissy got her first look at the hulking shadow of the alien mothership parked on the old runways of the airport. She gasped.

Levi reached out again, patting her thigh. “First time you see it, it packs a punch.”

She nodded, speechless. It was lit up with lights that glowed white and red. It looked like some giant, crouching creature, poised to dive into the waters of Botany Bay.

Then the alien convoy turned again. They skirted the airport, and the submerged wreckage of the port appeared directly ahead.

The lead alien vehicle drove into the water and disappeared.

Chrissy took a deep breath. It would be their turn soon.

One by one, the other alien trikes drove down the ramp and into the water.

Hands shaking, Chrissy drove them forward, and they made their descent. Water lapped at the hood, then the windows, and then they were fully submerged.

It was darker than she’d imagined. Ahead, their lights illuminated the back of the alien trike ahead of them. She followed, gripping the controls tightly. Don’t drive off the edge. Don’t drive off the edge.

The ramp evened out, the path leading directly to the orange dome appearing ahead.

God, it was incredible and terrifying. And it was far bigger than it had appeared in the spiderbot footage.

She watched as the alien vehicles ahead of them drove inside the dome through a huge, gate-like entrance.

“Here we go,” Levi murmured.

Then it was their turn.

Body tense, Chrissy drove them through the arch. This close, she could see the orange substance of the dome was covered in small black striations, almost like veins.

They entered some sort of vestibule. A second later, there was a whoosh of sound as the water rushed out. Then, a second door ahead opened automatically.

Chrissy set the trike moving and they drove into the alien dome.