“I don't trust her,” I spat.

“I don't blame you.” Valrea leaned against the smooth wall of the corridor. “It wasn’t the best introduction.”

I’d wanted to withdraw to the tunnels below, away from Val’s trigger-happy friend and her cameras while we conferred.

But Valrea had rolled her eyes. “What we can do? We don't have a lot of choices right now.”

Not having any choices sucked. I growled, then reined it in. At this point, I was getting to be worse than Xander.

I didn’t like this section of the compound. The noise and smells were too much like that warren of passages the drug lords and traffickers had taken over on Orem. It made me edgy, and I needed to pay attention.

Fine. Find something else to focus on. The low emergency lighting highlighted the reddish shades in Val’s hair, made me want to run my hands through it.

Never mind. Edgy was at least ready for a fight. And from the stricken look on Val’s face, one was coming.

“Tianna has information you need, that we both need. She can give us access to the entire compound, the labs, the dome. We need her on our side.”

She was right. I didn't like it, but that didn't make her any less right.

With the plans for the compound and the controls for the security dome, when the Pack attacked we'd be unstoppable. Without them...

I forced my thoughts away from that track. We couldn't have any more casualties. I couldn’t stand it.

“So, what’s the plan? You don’t look happy about it.”

“I’m not.” She squeezed my hand. “But I don’t think there’s another way. If we rescue Abril and her boyfriend before the execution, the Compound will be on lockdown. Tianna would be under immediate suspicion, her access revoked, and we’d never get out.”

I nodded. “We have to make them think the execution went to plan.”

Valrea didn’t say anything else, just waited for me to realize.

Void take it.

“I guess I’m going back for another swim.”

* * *

Tianna waited at the end of the hall. I’d kept an eye on her while we were talking, and she hadn't moved other than to watch, her eyes flat and hopeless.

“All right,” Valrea said. “We can do this. Here's what we need to pull it off.”

Tianna’s eyebrows rose a fraction at each item on Val’s list, but she didn’t argue.

“And a shirt,” I tossed in. “A shirt would be nice.”

Valrea laughed. “Actually, if you could sneak a couple meal packs and blankets that would be fantastic. I’m getting sick of fish.”

“Fish?” Tianna asked. “Where have you been? Never mind. Don’t tell me.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Can you really get all of that down here away from the cameras?”

Tianna scoffed. “Who do you think controls the cameras? Mechanicals. And that would be me.”

* * *

Tianna had been as good as her word. The next night found Valrea and me back in the tunnel that dead-ended, looking over the sea.

“Sure you can handle the cutter? You’ve only had one practice run.”

I heaved it back into my hands. “Looks like a blaster, and I've handled plenty of those.”

“Less blasting, more careful slicing,” she recommended then turned back to her own project.

First, three separate trios of reinforced legs were bolted down into the rock and then within each frame she mounted a drill body. Hard to believe drills were going to help us pull this off.

I shook my head and focused on my own work, carving out slice after slice of rock, widening the opening.

Valrea had told me the plan and I believed she could make it work. But watching her modify a set of high-powered drills into heavy-duty winches was something else altogether.

I trusted she could do her job. I brought the cutter down lower. If this was going to work, I needed to make sure there were no jagged edges here, just a curved lip as smooth as glass.

“Dammit,” Valrea muttered.

“What's wrong?” I turned, the ache in my shoulders reminding me hours had passed.

“Having trouble with the third winch. It keeps stalling. But I'll get it.”

I ran my hand over the shelf I'd cut leading out of the tunnel, open to the air.

Almost as smooth as the hull of The Queen. I'd bet. I thought about Mack and the others. They'd be waiting for news.

Once we got this job done and retrieved the codes from Tianna, I'd be back on Orem with them. We’d have the information we needed to make our plan of attack.

I glanced at Val. She’d finished her adjustments on the third makeshift winch and was testing the line and harnesses for the fourth time.

And Valrea would be with me. She just hadn't agreed yet.

“Come on,” I said stretching my back. “We've done everything we can. At this point, we risk messing something up.”

And it was true. I'd already sharpened my knife, we’d tested and neatly coiled the line, I’d shoved against the drill frames to see how well they were anchored to the rock. We’d gone back and gotten an extra surprise from the river.

At this point, the plan would work, or not.

“Let's go get some rest. It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”

She reached for my hand and pulled herself up. I followed Valrea through the tunnels, wondering.

Over the last day, she’d been withdrawn. Maybe she was just worried about the plan. Maybe she was thinking about her friend.

But I couldn't tell, and it bothered me.

Behind a shallow twist in the path, she disappeared into the wall.

I'd wanted us to stay at the camp by the river. She'd argued we’d waste too much time, time that we didn't have, traveling back and forth. Her plan had been to sleep where we worked, go straight through.

After enough battles, I knew that was a bad idea. This might not be exactly the same as going into a fight, but we’d need mental and physical space from the work, a break before our rescue attempt.

Our compromise was the alcove that I’d practiced using the modified stone cutter on.

I’d managed to expand it into a small room, if not a perfectly straight one. I tapped on the small lantern that hung on one of my more jagged attempts at carving a corner, unstrapped my knife and turned to see Valrea sliding her coat off and pulling out two of the ration packs from our impromptu pantry.

The pre-made meals were somewhat tastier, but pulling the tab and listening to it heat automatically was certainly less interesting or exciting than having to catch our own dinner.

I finished the last bite and glanced over at Val. She'd barely touched hers.

“Admit it, what you really want is more fish,” I joked.

She rolled her eyes and the shadow of a smile touched her lips. “Not even.”

She pushed her tray my way. “I'm just not hungry tonight. Besides, you'll need the calories tomorrow.”

I put half of it on my plate and then pushed it back to her. “Only way it's happening.”

After we finished I collected our trays and let out a groan. I was in good shape. I knew it. But damn if two days straight of using that rock cutter hadn't done something to my shoulders.

“Are you okay?” Valrea asked.

“Sure.” I circled one shoulder backward, then the other, trying to get them to loosen.

“Come here.” She led me to the bed we’d set up in the corner, a pile of springy branches with a blanket tucked over it. We've been so tired yesterday we could've collapsed on the stone floor and not noticed.

But tonight, I was glad for a little padding.

“Lay down on your stomach.”

“Why?”

She pushed me towards the bed, mischief lighting her eyes. “Why? Why do you have to argue with me about everything?”

“I'm not arguing. I never argue with you.”

“That. That's arguing. Just cooperate, okay?”

I stretched out, squirming a bit to get a particularly knotted end of a branch out from my gut. I felt her crawl onto the bed beside me.

“Put your arms up above your head.” Curious, I complied and then froze as I felt her straddle my waist.

I'd never expected that her tiny hands could work the tight muscles of my shoulders so hard.

“A little lower, and-”

“Shhh,” she shushed me.” I think I can figure it out.”

As she worked over my back I felt the knots loosen, only to be replaced by a tension of another kind. Hotter. Lower.

Since that morning by the river, I'd kept my hands to myself. But in our tiny chamber, her bewitching scent was overpowering, intoxicating.

“Sit up for a minute,” I whispered.

As soon as she was clear I rolled under her then pulled her down into my lap.

“That’s better.” I brushed her cheek with the back of my fingers. “I like to be able to see you.” The color rose in her cheeks. “I’d like to see more.”

Her eyes flashed up to meet mine and slowly she nodded.

At the sight of her hand at the top fastening of her shirt my throat tightened.

“May I?”

She dropped her hands to her waist, trembling as slowly I unfastened her shirt. Every exposed micron of her skin was a gift and exquisite torture.

When it was loose enough to slide from her shoulders and reveal her breasts I stopped, curled up to give each one a slow kiss.

Valrea gasped as I took her pebbled nipples into my mouth, twisting my tongue around the rosy buds.

I grinned up at her as she stared down, fascinated. “I’m feeling much better, how about you?”

With the shirt hanging from her arms, I shifted focus, lifting her just enough to slide the baggy pants off her legs, and then resettle her in my lap.

Her smooth curves distracted me, tempting my control, urging me to roll her onto her back, throw her ankles over my shoulders and howl at the sky as I claimed her.

Instead, I continued unwrapping the best present I’d ever received until her torso was completely bare. Rather than tossing the garment away I wrapped the fabric around her wrists, holding them behind her with one hand.

“Geir, why?” She panted.

“Just let me touch you,” I breathed as I kissed the curve of her ribs. “You don't need to do anything but just feel.”

Easing her back, she reclined on my raised knees, legs spread over my waist. So beautiful, so brave, so open.

Mine.

With long, languorous strokes I petted, teased her, up and down her thighs, brushing her stomach, the barest edge of her breasts. Touching her, learning her body was like a drug, I never wanted to stop. Every caress a breath closer to her core, then away again, until Valrea squirmed above me, eyes pressed shut.

I groaned. Surely it wasn’t possible to be harder than I was, but her moans shot straight to my cock, demanding to be sheathed inside of her.

But there were other things to come first.

Fanning my hand across her pelvis, I pressed her back, then brushed her clit against the pad of my thumb.

“Oh!” She exploded in my hands, pulling weakly at the makeshift restraints, her eyes flying open before fluttering closed again.

“No,” I commanded hoarsely. “I want to see you. Look down.”

As she watched, I dragged a finger between her slick folds, back and forth, dragging the torment out for us both. “You’re so wet. I can’t wait to taste you.”

Her ragged pants fell into rhythm with my hand as I slipped one finger in, slowly pumping.

“Geir, please,” she begged, face flushed and eyes unfocused.

“What, honey?”

“I don’t know,” she whimpered. “I don’t know what to do…”

“Just trust me,” I slipped a second finger inside her heat while rubbing her sensitive nub.

With each solid thrust I felt the tension coil through her until with a wail she shattered, and I gathered her into my arms, covered her face and neck with soft kisses until her breathing slowed.

“Why are we stopping?” she panted after a few moments.

I wrapped my arms around her to keep her nestled on my chest while we drifted off.

“Gotta give a man something to look forward to.” I breathed deeply of her hair, felt her perfect body settle on mine. “Let’s think of it as a promise.”

Another wave of shudders ran through her, and I held her tightly, dreaming of tomorrow.