The sound of a tortured scream jerked Jude awake. He tasted dirt and blood in his mouth. His eyes were gritty as he blinked them open.

Grimacing as a throbbing ache shot through his thigh, he eased a lump of stone off his leg.

His pants were torn. Blood seeped from a wound on his leg. He checked the injury. It was nothing he couldn’t patch up.

Easing himself onto his knees, Jude forced himself to focus on the sound that had woken him. It was a low, broken cry. It sounded as if someone was being tortured.

The place looked like a war zone. Two walls were gone, and the ceiling hung down as if it were about to collapse. Piles of blasted stone were heaped around the place. The doors were gone and the guards who’d been trying to break through were dead. A huge hole in an external wall showed the night sky.

He looked around, trying to locate Octavia. He’d tried to cover her as the first explosion hit, then had lost his hold. He couldn’t see her through the smoke.

Jude scrambled to his feet, scraping a hand across his face and stumbling forward, grimacing as pain flashed up his thigh.

He grew closer to the sound of the broken cry. Whoever it was, they needed to be put out of their misery.

His heart raced as he grew closer. He recognized that noise. He’d heard it once before, over two years ago. “Tobias?” Jude slowed when he got to a pile of rubble.

He spotted a hand poking out of the rubble, blood covering the fingers. “Holy shit.” Jude dropped to his knees and grabbed hold of the hand. “It’s okay. I’ve got you. I’m here.”

He shoved aside a chunk of rubble, followed by another. He revealed Tobias’s bloody face, his eyes wide.

“Everything will be fine. I’ll get this off you. I’ll get you free.”

“Fuck! Get me out of here.” Tobias’s throat sounded raw.

“I’m doing just that. Hold still. This might hurt.” He dropped his hold on Tobias’s hand. His muscles shook as he shoved against a large piece of stone wall that had collapsed on his brother.

“Hurry!” gasped Tobias. “I can’t feel her pulse anymore.”

Her pulse? Jude wrenched aside a piece of rock. He meant Octavia. Jude slammed his shoulder against a large chunk of jagged stone.

Tobias groaned, and his eyes rolled back in his head.

“Sorry. But I have to get you both out.” Jude spoke through gritted teeth.

“No worries.” Tobias’s voice was just a whisper. “You do what you need to do.”

It took another thirty seconds of kicking and cursing, but finally, Tobias was free enough to wriggle out.

He curled into a ball on his side and lay there panting.

Jude stared at the rubble still covering Octavia, shock freezing him to the spot. “You need to help me, Tobias. We have to get her out.”

Tobias remained where he was, his body shuddering.

Jude could see he was suffering. Having been pinned under that rubble must have kicked nasty memories into focus. He grabbed his brother’s shoulder. “This is Octavia. We have to save her.”

Tobias’s face was deathly pale, but he nodded. He scrambled forward on his hands and knees to the other side of the pile. “I was holding her hand. She’s under here.”

Between the two of them, they shifted more rock. Every second it took, Octavia’s life was slipping away. Sweat coursed down Jude’s face and his fingers were bloody, but he kept on hauling away rubble.

Jude saw a flash of bare flesh. Adrenaline surged through him. He lifted a rock and hurled it away.

He saw her hand and grabbed it. Checking the pulse, his heart clenched. He couldn’t feel anything.

“No. No. No!” He glanced at Tobias. “We need a med kit.”

Tobias sank to his knees. “We don’t have one.”

“Fuck! Tobias, I need you in the game. Stick with me for a few more minutes,” said Jude. “Go to the vehicle, get the med kit, and bring it back here. Do you understand? Can you do that?”

Tobias’s blank gaze flicked back into focus. He nodded as he stood. “Go to the vehicle. Get the med kit. I’m on it.” He staggered out of a hole in the side of the building and into the blackness of the night.

Jude continued shoving rubble aside until Octavia was almost clear. She was on her back, her eyes closed and her mouth open. Blood streaked across her face. He checked the pulse in her neck. There was nothing.

He tilted her head back, checked her airway was clear and began CPR. His hands pumped hard on her heart, willing it to restart. “Come on, beautiful, you’ve got to stay with me. You need to fight this. You can’t let the State beat us now.”

“Jude?” Mad Dog stood in the hole in the wall, Hell Cat was by his side.

“Get over here,” yelled Jude. “I need help.”

They raced toward him.

“Holy dragons.” Mad Dog stared down at Octavia’s blood-covered limbs.

“We were pinned down by guards.” Jude continued pumping Octavia’s heart even though his arm muscles burned. “We couldn’t get out in time.”

“You’re lucky to be alive. Most of the building is gone.” Hell Cat knelt beside Octavia and pressed her fingers against her neck.

“Some of us aren’t.” Jude’s jaw was clenched so tightly the muscles hurt.

“Let me take over,” said Hell Cat.

“I’m not giving up on her.”

“You’ll never do that. But you’re exhausted and injured.” Hell Cat hovered her hands over Octavia’s chest. “I won’t let you down. I won’t stop fighting for her. She’s my friend.”

Jude looked up to see the pain in Hell Cat’s eyes. He wasn’t the only one hurting.

He pulled back and watched as Hell Cat took over. She expertly laced her hands together and continued the heart massage on Octavia.

“Where the hell is Tobias?” Jude looked around. It felt like an age since Tobias left to get the medical kit.

“I’m here!” Tobias raced through the hole, throwing the med kit at Jude.

He caught it and opened it. He pulled out an adrenaline shot. It was a risk, pumping Octavia with adrenaline, but they were out of options. This was the last chance they had. It was his last chance to keep her alive.

“Stop the heart massage.”

Hell Cat pulled back, sweat beading her forehead.

Jude yanked the tip off the adrenaline shot, said a silent prayer to any god who might be listening, and sank it into Octavia’s heart.

***

THE BREATH OCTAVIA forced into her lungs felt like it was full of tiny shards of glass. Her chest felt on fire and her head pounded.

She could feel hands touching her and hear muffled voices around her. Fighting through the fog in her head, she tried to make sense of her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was reaching for Jude. Then there was pain and blackness.

“Octavia, can you hear me?” It was Jude, concern tracing through his words.

She fumbled around with her hand. She felt his warm fingers clasp hers.

“We need to move. This building is about to come down. Most of it’s already gone. What remains is about to collapse in on itself.”

“Is that Mad Dog?” Octavia forced her eyes open and looked around. Smoke was thick in the air, and along with it, the smell of burning.

“I’m right here, hot lips.” Mad Dog appeared over her. “We did it. The bombs went off.”

She coughed, wincing as her lungs burned. “So I noticed. And the guards?”

“Died in the explosion.” Jude’s fingers tightened around hers.

Hell Cat kneeled on the other side of Octavia. She pressed a warm hand to her cheek. “You gave us quite a fright.”

“I didn’t mean to.” Octavia tried to sit up, but the room spun.

“We have to get out of here,” said Mad Dog. “If we stay any longer, we’ll have the whole dragon damned roof on our heads.”

Octavia looked at Jude. “I might need help with the whole moving part.”

He didn’t hesitate and scooped her into his arms, holding her close against his chest. “I’ve got you.”

She resisted the urge to slip back into unconsciousness as pain lanced through her side.

Jude led the way, Tobias running alongside him, his own face pale and tight. Mad Dog and Hell Cat followed along behind.

The group emerged through the hole in the wall and out into the cool night air.

“My comm isn’t working,” said Jude. “Someone check on the others.”

“Mine is okay,” said Hell Cat. “Ozone and Gray Fairy have already left. They don’t like goodbyes.”

“We leave no one behind,” said Jude.

“No problem. I’ll run a check for you.” She activated her earbud. “How many heroes have we still got out there?”

“Everything worked my end,” said Colton. “I’m heading back to the Foxhound.”

“I’m five minutes from you,” said Holden. “We’re fine.”

“If anyone cares, I’m doing good lying on my back doing sod all,” said Lincoln.

Hell Cat chuckled and touched Jude’s arm. “Everyone is good.”

Octavia rested her head on Jude’s shoulder as he continued to stride through the night. Everything was a blur of fire and pain. She couldn’t get her thoughts straight. “Have we really done it?”

He looked down at her, and his stern features softened. “We have. The building is ruined. The vaccine destroyed.”

Relief shot through Octavia. It had all been worth it.

The group met by Colton’s Foxhound.

Colton’s eyes widened as he saw Octavia in Jude’s arms. “Is everything okay?”

“It will be,” said Jude. “Lincoln, move your ass over.”

Lincoln struggled off the floor and lurched onto a bench. “Don’t mind me, I’m just silently dying in here.”

“You’re fine.” Jude placed Octavia in the back of the Foxhound. He looked at Tobias. “Are you still with me?”

Tobias nodded, his face set in a grim, pale mask. “I’m still here. Let’s get the hell out of this place.”

Octavia looked at Mad Dog and Hell Cat. “You’re welcome to join us. There’s room at the bunker.”

Hell Cat tilted her head to one side and smiled. “I’m not ready for a life underground just yet. But keep in touch. I want a girls’ night out with you real soon. I want to hear all about your honey.” She winked at Octavia and then grinned at Jude.

Mad Dog shook his head and took a step back. “Thanks for the offer. My life is out here. You take care of yourself. Take care of everyone in that bunker. And don’t stop playing your music. There are nights when it’s the only thing that keeps me going. You’re a hell of a woman, Octavia. Make sure your man knows that.” He shoved Jude and raised his eyebrows. “You take care of her, or you’ll have me breaking down your door and asking some ugly questions.”

“I intend to.” Jude looked at Octavia, his expression serious.

The rest of Hive Two, Tobias, and Jude climbed into the Foxhound.

Jude’s arm wrapped around Octavia’s shoulders and he gripped them as they sped away from the burning building. He fitted a new earbud and activated it. “Heath. We’re leaving. Mission accomplished.”

“Is everyone accounted for?” asked Heath.

His gaze shifted to Octavia and then Tobias. “We’ve had a few injuries. We’re all here.”

“We monitored the explosions,” said Heath. “You did an excellent job. The vaccine won’t be going anywhere.”

“Let’s hope so. We’ll see you back at base.”

“Will do.”

Octavia felt Jude sink down next to her. He nudged her with his shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“Honestly, like death warmed up.”

“Your heart stopped,” said Jude. “I thought I’d lost you.” He looked away and swallowed.

He had. For a moment, she’d known nothing but blackness. She touched his chin with a finger and tilted his face back to her. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. Not without you.”

“You’d better believe it.” He nuzzled the side of her neck.

That one tender gesture broke her. She didn’t hide the tears sliding down her cheeks.

Jude gathered her in his arms without saying a word, sliding her onto his lap and holding her against him.

She didn’t care who watched her lose control. Everything hit her at once. Being alone for so long, fighting the perpetual loneliness, convinced she wasn’t good enough to be with anyone. Then finally meeting Jude. His complete acceptance of her, no matter what she looked like. He was always there for her. He always would be. She loved him. She wanted no one else.

Jude simply held her, letting her cry it out until the tears slowed and her limbs stopped shaking.

He stroked away the last few tears and kissed her inflamed cheeks. “The worst is over. We’ll get back to base, then you’re not going anywhere.”

She sniffed back tears and gave him a smile. “I might need to leave at some point.”

“Not for a long time.” His grip tightened around her. “You’re getting sleep and rest. I will spoil you rotten. You will forget all about this.”

“Does that mean I don’t have to eat any more protein pouches from the canteen?”

“Not if you don’t want to.” Jude kissed her forehead. “I will do everything in my power to make sure you never go through anything like this again.”

Octavia wrapped her arms around his middle. It was a big promise. They lived in a dangerous world. Facing death had become a daily reality. But she loved the thought that she had Jude watching her back, always there for her. She also knew he’d fight like the devil to keep her safe.

Exhaustion sank over Octavia. She let it take her. As sleep pushed her back into darkness, she felt Jude’s lips against her ear. “I love you.”