Hell Squad: Holmes

Anna Hackett

Holmes

Published by Anna Hackett

Copyright 2016 by Anna Hackett

Cover by Melody Simmons of eBookindiecovers

Edits by Tanya Saari

ISBN: 978-0-9945572-0-9

This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, events or places is coincidental. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form.

Contents

What readers are saying about Anna’s Science Fiction Romance

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Preview – Hell Squad: Niko

Also by Anna Hackett

About the Author

What readers are saying about Anna’s Science Fiction Romance

At Star’s End – One of Library Journal’s Best E-Original Romances for 2014

Return to Dark Earth – One of Library Journal’s Best E-Original Books for 2015 and two-time SFR Galaxy Awards winner

The Phoenix Adventures – SFR Galaxy Award Winner for Most Fun New Series and “Why Isn’t This a Movie?” Series

Beneath a Trojan Moon – SFR Galaxy Award Winner and RWAus Ella Award Winner

Hell Squad – Amazon Bestselling Science Fiction Romance Series and SFR Galaxy Award for best Post-Apocalypse for Readers who don’t like Post-Apocalypse

The Anomaly Series – #1 Amazon Action Adventure Romance Bestseller

“Like Indiana Jones meets Star Wars. A treasure hunt with a steamy romance.” – SFF Dragon, review of Among Galactic Ruins

“Strap in, enjoy the heat of romance and the daring of this group of space travellers!” – Di, Top 500 Amazon Reviewer, review of At Star’s End

“High action and adventure surrounding an impossible treasure hunt kept me reading until late in the night.” – Jen, That’s What I’m Talking About, review of Beyond Galaxy’s Edge

“Action, danger, aliens, romance – yup, it’s another great book from Anna Hackett!” – Book Gannet Reviews, review of Hell Squad: Marcus

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Chapter One

The vehicles, buses and trucks were parked around in a large circle, forming a protective wall. Adam thought it looked like a modern version of the wagon forts of the Old West or the laagers of southern Africa.

Only it wasn’t anything as easy as hostile tribes or lions from which they needed protection.

It was aliens.

He scrubbed his face, his eyes gritty from a lack of sleep, and watched his band of survivors waking and starting their day.

Another day on the run.

Their underground base, the one that had been their sanctuary since the alien invasion a year and a half ago, had been raided and blown to pieces. Now, for over a week, they’d been on the run from the dinosaur-like aliens who were intent on taking over the planet.

He remembered the first wave of attacks like it was yesterday. Hell, he still saw it in his dreams. As a general in the United Coalition Army, he’d been in those early planning meetings, as they’d fought to find the best way to defend the Earth’s population and retaliate.

It hadn’t mattered. Their military forces had been decimated by the aliens’ advanced technology, along with the sheer numbers of the raptors, and the various alien creatures they’d brought with them. Soon, Adam had found himself at Blue Mountain Base, a secret underground facility, welcoming the few who had survived… He’d been the highest ranking officer left alive.

He shook off the memories, focusing again on what was left of his survivors—the Swift Wind Convoy. He wished he’d been able to get a coffee, but he hadn’t had time to make his way over to the kitchen truck. He needed to brief the squads on the plan for the day, take a quick walk around camp and reassure any panicked people, and then check in with Doc Emerson and her medical team to see how the injured were faring.

Adam sucked in a deep breath and tugged on his plain white shirt. He really wished he was in his uniform. He wasn’t accustomed to the more informal dress, but at the moment, the only options available were clothes that were clean and hadn’t been torn to shreds or splattered with blood.

“General Holmes, the squads are assembled and ready for you.”

He turned and saw Elle Milton waiting for him. The pretty brunette was one of the squads communications officers—and not just any squad, but Hell Squad. His roughest, toughest, and most efficient group of soldiers.

“Thank you, Elle. On my way.”

The woman nodded, then hesitated. “Can I get you anything? Some breakfast?”

He managed a smile. “No, thanks. Let’s go talk to the soldiers.”

He spotted the squad leaders and a few of their team members leaning against various vehicles. Most were wearing their black, carbon fiber armor on the bottom half, while on top they wore well-worn T-shirts that clung to hard, tattooed muscles.

Adam allowed himself a wry smile. If he’d seen this group of men and women in his ranks in the Army, he’d have been horrified. But the alien invasion had changed everything, including his views on some things.

He’d had to scrape together the members of his squads from remnants of the country’s devastated military and police forces, and—his gaze fell on a few of the Squad Three men, also known as the berserkers—former mercenaries and possibly criminals, but these men formed the most courageous, toughest, and fiercest group of fighters he’d ever known.

It was because of these people that the survivors had even made it this far.

“Good morning.” He nodded and exchanged a few looks with the squad leaders as he moved to the head of the group. Elle was now tucked under the arm of Marcus Steele, the rugged, scarred leader of Hell Squad. Adam had been as shocked as the rest of the base when sweet, pretty Elle had somehow tamed Steele. But Adam was damned pleased to see the two of them so happy together.

“What’s the plan for today, General?”

Roth Masters was leader of Squad Nine. The rest of his squad stood beside him, all—apart from the tall, broad Theron—deadly, capable women.

“We’ve managed to escape the aliens and have survived our first night out of the mountains.” He glanced at the silhouette of the tree-covered peaks to the west. They’d barely survived the week-long dash out of the Blue Mountains, and they still had a significant way to go. “Now, we stay alive and get to the Enclave.” He nodded at Elle, who moved over to a portable comp set up on a folding table.

A map suddenly appeared, the image projected into the air above the table.

“We need to move slowly and cautiously.” Adam felt the tension in his already-tight shoulders grow. “The Enclave isn’t far away, but without the forests for cover, we don’t have as many hiding places. Our illusion system will keep us virtually invisible to the aliens and we have a team assigned to hide any tracks we might leave behind. But if anyone slips out from the illusion, it’ll give us away.”

He let that sink in. The Enclave was a secret human haven, originally built for the former Coalition president. After uncovering the president’s duplicitous dealings with the aliens, the Enclave was under new rule, and they were welcoming the Blue Mountain Base survivors.

“The drones are picking up increased alien activity in the area.” Adam gestured to the electronic map, worried about the patches of red that indicated the aliens’ whereabouts. “They were searching the mountains for us, now they’re moving their troops in this direction. And now they don’t have the trees to hamper them.”

They knew that the raptors didn’t like the trees for some reason, but they hadn’t yet deduced exactly why. The forests had helped keep Blue Mountain Base hidden and safe for a long time.

He glanced east, where gentle, rolling, green hills dominated the view. Things were going to be much more difficult now. They were so close…yet so far away.

“So we go slow and steady,” Roth confirmed. “We can do that.”

Adam nodded. “But we need more than that if we want to get everyone there safely.” They’d already lost people in the wild ride out of the mountains. Too many people. He frowned.

Suddenly, two people ran into the group.

“Sorry we’re late.” Claudia Frost’s tough face was flushed, and she was braiding her long, dark hair.

The tall man beside her grinned. “I’m not.”

The sun glinted off the gold in Shaw Baird’s tawny locks. Hell Squad’s sniper looked like a man who’d woken up in the most pleasurable way possible. Claudia elbowed him hard enough to have the air rush out of him.

Adam’s gut clenched. A bunch of different emotions ran through him, but two were the strongest. One was pure envy. The connection between the two Hell Squad soldiers pulsed hot enough to scorch. But anyone could see it was more than just desire or lust. These two had something far deeper between them, forged in the depths of battle, in fighting for their lives and the lives of others, knowing they could depend on each other.

The other emotion that washed over Adam was guilt.

Claudia had been taken by the aliens in the base attack. He’d allowed Hell Squad to search for her, but only when the convoy could spare them. He was well aware she’d suffered far longer than necessary because he’d had to make a tough call.

Added to that, only a day ago, she’d willingly handed herself back to the alien hunting her in order to save the convoy.

And Adam had let her.

His hands curled into fists. He’d never felt more helpless or conflicted as he’d watched her walk to her death, Shaw’s shouts echoing in the air.

Luckily, thanks to the squads, they’d fought their way out and rescued Claudia. Hell, the woman had mostly rescued herself.

The decision still weighed heavily on him. His shoulders sagged. How many more decisions like that one would he have to make?

He cleared his throat. “Glad you could both join us. We’re discussing our path to the Enclave.”

Shaw tossed his arm around Claudia’s shoulders. “We aren’t far away, right? I’m really looking forward to having a proper bed.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Claudia elbowed him again, but let his arm stay on her shoulders.

“We aren’t far,” Adam said. “But it won’t be easy, and we need to avoid the aliens…”

“You have something else up your sleeve.” Marcus’ voice always sounded like the scrape of gravel.

Adam nodded. “I want the squads to plan some diversions. We need to throw the aliens off the scent of the convoy.”

He watched the soldiers around him straighten and share looks. Most of them grinned.

Marcus nodded. “Won’t be a problem.”

Adam watched the berserkers huddle, pure glee on their tough, bearded faces. He already dreaded whatever it was they were going to come up with, but he was certain it would be effective. “Good. We’ll move out after everyone’s eaten and packed up. Submit your plans to me, and we’ll get the squads out distracting the—”

“You mean making a mess,” Shaw interrupted with a smile.

“—aliens while I lead the convoy toward the Enclave,” Adam finished, ignoring the sniper.

As everyone murmured and nodded, a short, sharp scream pierced the air.

Everyone swiveled.

On the other side of the convoy, he saw a small ball roll into view.

He frowned. It was much larger than a soccer ball and was a deep, dark brown. He stepped closer, felt the soldiers crowd behind him. There were strange striations on the ball. He narrowed his gaze. It was as though it was made of sinewy muscle.

His gut hardened. Most of the alien tech was organic-based. He opened his mouth to shout for people to get back, when the ball erupted apart.

Dozens of large spider-like creatures burst out of it.

The creatures moved fast. A few leaped onto the people nearest to them. Others skittered away, leaping onto and under vehicles.

The soldiers cursed and with Adam in the lead, they charged toward the screaming civilians. Adam pulled out the laser pistol he kept holstered at his hip.

As he ran past one spider perched on the hood of a truck, he saw it was eating through the metal. It seemed to excrete a poison that burned through the steel. Its legs were a strange mix of bone and metal.

He raised his pistol and fired. The spider flew off the truck and disappeared from view.

People were shouting, snatching up children, fleeing. A few people were smacking at the spiders with whatever they could—blankets, knives—one man was using a bat.

Adam saw a spider heading toward a terrified family. He kicked it and sent it flying into the wall of cars. It bounced back onto its legs and Adam fired at it. The first shot of laser only made it twitch. He kept firing and finally the thing collapsed on the ground.

Then he spotted a woman flat on her back, her arms and legs twitching, a spider attached to her face. He heard laser carbines firing, saw the soldiers taking out the creatures. He spotted Doc Emerson running into the mêlée, her white lab coat bright amidst the pandemonium.

“Emerson.” He pointed at the woman.

The blonde doctor nodded, her face grim. Gabe, Hell Squad’s largest and deadliest fighter—who also happened to be Emerson’s protective lover—appeared beside her. He gripped the alien spider while Emerson knelt to help the woman.

Adam turned and spotted two more of the balls bouncing into their camp. Dammit. Then he heard a cry and turned. A young boy, maybe ten, was trying to scramble away from an oncoming spider. Adam sprinted, lifting his pistol and fired. The spider leaped away, flying through the air.

“Here.” Adam grabbed the boy up, holding him tight.

The spider hit the ground on its back, flipped onto its feet and spun. It had a row of small red eyes across its head.

The boy whimpered. Adam set him down and pushed the boy behind him, just as the spider leaped at them.

Adam grabbed it. He held the nightmarish insect just inches from his face, shocked at how damn strong the thing was.

He needed all his strength to keep it off his face. Slowly, he managed to push it down. Then he dropped it to the ground and stomped on it…again and again. He heard it crunch under his boot.

The young boy was making a sobbing noise with each harsh breath.

“Get back up the hill.” Adam shoved the boy in that direction. “Climb on top of a truck.”

With a jerky nod, the boy turned and sprinted, following orders.

Adam heard more screaming. All around him, the soldiers were fighting the mass of creatures. He saw a flash of blonde glinting in the sunlight. He saw a woman slamming a stick down on a spider. Nearby, a terrified little girl screamed, tears running down her face.

Adam sprinted toward them. “Liberty.”

The woman looked up, her beautiful face strained. She slammed the stick down again and the spider skittered backward.

Adam glanced at the tiny girl. She was crawling toward the body of a prone woman lying on the ground. One look and he saw the woman’s neck had been burned by the spider poison. Her eyes were closed and he had no idea if she was dead or alive.

“Mama.” The girl gripped the woman’s shirt.

Dammit. Adam felt his blood run cold then hot.

The spider had only retreated for a second before it jumped forward again. Adam kicked it and it leaped back, but it was watching them with a predatory gaze.

“Take the girl,” he said. “Run.”

Liberty hesitated, then she handed him the stick and snatched up the crying girl. Adam turned, just as the spider leaped at him again.

He swung the stick like a bat. He’d played baseball at the Coalition Military Academy. The stick connected with a satisfying thwack, and the spider sailed through the air.

His shoulders sagged. All around him he heard screams, cries and laser fire. It seeped into him, the weight of it dragging him down like a drowning man in a river.

It looked like the squads were weeding out the last of the spiders. The medical team was working frantically to help the injured…but there would be nothing they could do for the dead.

He turned, trying to pull himself together. He had to be strong for everyone, help rally them and get them out of here.

There was a flash of movement to his left, then something slammed into his face.

As the spider wrapped its legs around his head, Adam staggered backward. It clamped on hard and he felt the sharp bite of the clawed legs digging into his skull. He tried to pry it off and it made a hissing sound. He stumbled over something and fell.

Falling flat on his back, all Adam could hear was his own frenzied breathing. The more he tried to pry the damn thing off, the more it tightened on him, until he was sure it would crush his skull.

But he was well aware that at any moment, the damn thing would spray him with that corrosive poison, and he’d be dead.

Old memories flashed behind his eyes. Of life before the invasion, of his distinguished career, of the wife he’d only had for a few years before she’d left him, telling him he was too driven, too absorbed, a workaholic who’d die alone.

Well, it looked like Diane was right. Even with the band of survivors around him, the ones he’d tried to protect and care for, he was going to die alone.

Chapter Two

“No you don’t, you ugly little fucker.”

Adam heard the fierce feminine voice, felt hands tugging at the spider. Then the creature gave a high-pitched squeal and released him. Panting, Adam sat up…to see Liberty stabbing at the spider with a pair of scissors.

Finally, she sat back, her hand covered in blood. She glanced up at him, looking like some Amazon warrior. “I hate spiders.”

Adam rubbed his face and then probed the small wounds on his head from the creature’s claws. “No disagreement from me.”

“Are you okay, General?”

He nodded. “Thanks to you. And under the circumstances, I think you should call me Adam.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome, Adam.”

He got to his feet, his body aching. Damn, he was getting too old for this. He might only be in his early forties, but since the invasion, most days he felt like a hundred and three.

Liberty grabbed his arm and steadied him. “Take a minute before you stride off to do boss-man things.”

He glanced down at her. God, he wasn’t that old that he needed the most beautiful woman in camp propping him up. “I’m fine.”

He stared at the convoy. It looked like the alien spiders had been contained. People were helping the injured and consoling the frightened. The squads were stacking the spider corpses in a pile.

“Dammit.” His neck throbbed and the sick feeling of failure rose. His gaze snagged on the handful of dead bodies lying around.

“General.” Elle ran toward him. “The squads are awaiting orders. They’ve contained the spider creatures…do we just leave them, burn them, or bury them?”

“General Holmes!” Doc Emerson was striding over. “I have more wounded than I can fit on the medical bus. We need a secondary vehicle. Thankfully, most of the wounds are minor, but I have two who are in a serious condition. A woman with neck burns and a man with burns to his legs.”

Adam drew in a deep breath and ran his hand over his hair. Damn, his hair really was getting too long—it had gone well past regulation length. He saw Liberty watching him, her blue eyes laser-sharp. He dropped his hand.

“Emerson, talk to Captain Bladon…Laura. She has no one in the prison truck at the moment, so you can put some of the wounded in there.” He turned to Elle. “Tell the squad leaders to have their teams bury the alien corpses. Hide them well. I’d prefer the raptors don’t find out we’d been here.”

Elle nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“And Elle, do you or the drone team think the aliens know our location?” He scanned the mess of their camp. “Did they send those things here on purpose?”

Elle shook her head. “No, sir. Lia said her drone operators have noted lots of these ball-like things all over the area. And pteros appear to be randomly bombing areas just south of here.”

Damn. “They’re taking pot shots, hoping they get lucky and hit us. Force us to reveal our location.”

Elle nodded. “That’s our assessment, sir.”

They had to get to the safety of the Enclave. “Tell the squads I’ll address them all shortly and please inform everyone to get ready to move out.” The sooner they got to the Enclave, the better.

“Everyone needs you, don’t they?”

Liberty’s quiet voice made him raise his head. “I’m the leader. It’s my job.” But he knew the truth—while they needed his skills and his leadership, no one actually needed him, Adam, the man.

Liberty tilted her head and damn, he felt like he was under a microscope. He knew she was an expert at keeping the civilians happy, anticipating their needs, providing a black market of sorts in beauty products and toiletries. Most people might write that off as unimportant, but he knew differently.

Just having a bar of soap, a spritz of perfume, or a bottle of shampoo that smelled like home, helped soften the harsh edges of their new lives.

He suspected Liberty was well aware of the impact.

“I think it’s far more than a job for you,” she said.

Before he could answer her, Marcus strode up.

“General.” He gave a brief nod. His armor was splattered with alien blood. “Liberty.”

“Hey, Marcus.” She stepped backward. “I’ll go and help with the injured.”

Adam watched the swing of her hips as she walked away. He’d always thought he preferred tall, slim women, like his ex-wife. But his gaze was drawn to Liberty’s rounded curves and lush femininity.

“My squad’s supervising burying the carcasses of those ugly little things.” Marcus’ voice was a growl.

“How many dead?” Adam asked.

They both knew he wasn’t talking about the alien spiders.

“Four. One missing. A teen. He either ran off to hide or…”

Adam released a long breath. Or he got dragged off. “Bury our dead. But nowhere near the damn spiders. Send a team to search for the boy. If they think he’s left the illusion, send Devlin Gray to find him.” The former spy was part of their intel team. The man could sneak in just about anywhere without being noticed. Tough choices rose again. “We can’t afford to stay here much longer. Find him, Marcus.”

The soldier nodded. “We’ll find him.”

Otherwise, Adam would be forced to save the lives of the others and leave another family broken-hearted and a kid out there to die.

Another black mark on his soul.

“Wherever we make camp tonight,” Marcus said, “I’ll buy you a homebrew. You look like you need it.”

Adam nodded, but they both knew he wouldn’t take Marcus up on the beer.

The squad leader made to leave, then hesitated. “You have friends here.”

Adam dragged in a deep breath. Coming from a soldier he respected, one he’d butted heads with numerous times, it meant a lot. “Thanks, Marcus.”

With a nod, Marcus strode away.

But Adam knew Marcus was wrong. Adam didn’t have friends here. He had subordinates, civilians and followers. He couldn’t afford friends—for his sake and theirs. He had to make the hard choices, the choices that meant lives, and he knew he’d be forced to make more before this war was over. That meant he couldn’t afford to be anyone’s friend.

Shaking off his foul mood, he walked among the people, offering words of comfort and encouragement. He saw shoulders straighten, faint smiles emerge and people nod. That had to be enough to sustain him.

He rounded a vehicle and heard two people arguing. He spotted Shaw and Claudia, both in their armor. Claudia had her hands on her hips, her face set, while Shaw looked like he was trying not to laugh. They traded a few barbs, then Shaw swept her into his arms, slamming his mouth on hers.

She fought him, for about two seconds, then her strong legs clamped onto his hips and she kissed him back.

Adam swallowed. He’d allowed her to sacrifice herself, had almost cost these two their piece of heaven in the chaos.

He turned away, unable to watch any longer. The pressure felt like it was driving him into the ground. God, he really needed a double-strength coffee. Maybe tonight, he’d allow himself a shot of the cheap Scotch Whiskey he had hidden in his truck. He’d run out of the good stuff a long time ago.

But for now, he dredged up some strength from somewhere deep inside of him and raised his voice. “Okay, everyone. Let’s get ready to move out.” He’d brief the squads, send them out to risk their lives creating diversions, and hoped to God the missing boy was found before they left.

***

Liberty climbed out of her truck and stretched her legs.

Her home on this crazy road trip for the last week or so had been a converted RV she shared with some of the schoolteachers and other single ladies. It was cramped, and by the end of each day, they were mostly all ready to kill each other.

She looked around and watched others getting out of their vehicles, dragging tents and bedding with them. They had stopped for the night at what looked like an abandoned farm. She glanced through the deepening twilight and decided the straight rows of trees in the distance were an orchard.

She spotted a slim figure heading closer to the trees. As Liberty watched, the woman stroked the trunk of one tree and half turned, a smile on her face, her pale hair like moonlight falling past her shoulders. Liberty still wasn’t sure what to make of the alien woman in their midst. A former prisoner of the raptors, she was a long way from home, and now part of their little band.

Liberty knew from her few conversations with Selena that the woman was desperately sad. Hell, she had a right to be, knowing that there was no way for her to return to her planet. Selena lifted a hand and Liberty’s breath caught. A group of colorful butterflies appeared and fluttered around Selena’s slender fingers. The alien woman laughed.

With a shake of her head, Liberty focused back on the camp. There was an old farmhouse nearby, flanked by a handful of rusted sheds. Not much, but it would do. She really hoped they reached the Enclave soon and they could get out of these vehicles. There was no privacy, no space…but at least they were alive.

And it was all because of one man.

She scanned the growing crowd and spotted him. Even without his uniform, General Adam Holmes still had a straight bearing and an air of authority about him. He was talking with a teenage boy and his family, and whatever he said made them smile. The boy had gone missing in the spider attack but had thankfully been found alive and well.

The squads helped protect them, the medical team healed them, but Adam Holmes was the one who planned and strategized, and was always working to get them to safety.

He put an arm around an elderly lady and she leaned into him. He patted her shoulder. He let everyone lean on him.

But who did he lean on when things got tough?

And she knew things were tough nearly every day.

She shook her head. She liked buff soldiers with hard bodies and delicious tattoos. Men who wanted a good time, didn’t demand too much, and didn’t delve where they weren’t welcome. Uncomplicated men she could have fun with. Long before the aliens had invaded, she’d already survived her own version of hell, and when she’d pieced herself back together, she’d vowed to herself that she would enjoy the hell out of life. That every single day, she’d suck the marrow out of it and have fun—whether it was a long, luxurious bubble bath and beautiful lotions, or sexy men and delicious orgasms.

Even in the middle of this ugly apocalypse, she’d managed to hold on to that promise.

Her gaze was drawn back to the general…Adam. Something told her he didn’t know the first thing about enjoying anything. It was all responsibility and grave choices with him. She’d seen the lines bracketing his mouth, the strain he was under.

Without thinking, she headed in his direction.

As he was walking toward another group, she stepped in front of him.

He drew up straight. “How are you, Liberty?”

“Hanging in there. You?”

A single, decisive nod. “Fine.”

“You really need a haircut.”

His hand automatically went to his hair. “It’ll wait.”

She eyed him. The muscles in his neck were strained, and he looked like he was ready to buckle. “No, I don’t think it can. Come on.” She waved her hand for him to follow.

“Ms. Lawler…”

Ooh, that cold, autocratic edge to his voice had to be second nature to him when someone refused to follow his orders.

“Come on, Adam, in the middle of an alien apocalypse, you can’t call me Ms. Lawler.”

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

She smothered a smile. “You’re getting in your truck and getting a haircut.”

He just stood there, looking conflicted.

“For once, why don’t you let someone else make the decision?” she said. “Just for a little while.”

“You’re pretty stubborn.”

“One of my finest qualities.”

“I doubt that.” After another second, he nodded. “Fine. A haircut would be good.”

She walked beside him toward his truck. He had his own modified SUV. The area in the back had been raised and converted into a living space with a place to sleep. He opened the door and she peered inside.

It wasn’t large. A single bunk, neatly made, some built-in shelves and cupboards, which included a comp, and one small stool bolted to the floor.

She stepped in, turned and sat on the bed. “You sit on the stool. I have enough room to work.”

He pulled the door closed behind him and lights clicked on automatically.

He sat on the stool, his back to her and fidgeted a bit.

Liberty pulled her scissors from her pocket and set them on a small shelf. She was used to carrying them with her everywhere she went.

He glanced over at them. “They the ones you saved my life with?”

“Yes.” She touched his hair. She’d been the base’s unofficial hairdresser. It hadn’t been her profession before, just something she’d dabbled with, but she’d had enough practice lately to get pretty good at it.

Besides, no one was too fussy about their hairstyle in the middle of an alien invasion.

“Don’t worry. I cleaned them off really well.” She ran her hands through the dark strands of his hair. It was far softer and silkier than she’d imagined. He had a dash of gray at each temple that looked smart and distinguished. It suited him outrageously.

Liberty shook her head. Smart and distinguished had never been her thing. It had always been muscles, firm butts, and brawny arms. Even her bastard ex-husband—may his soul rot in hell—had been a personal trainer, and even though she hated him, the man had still looked good.

Adam Holmes was nothing like any man she’d ever been with before.

She got to work snipping his hair. She wasn’t going to cut it back to military short. It actually suited him a little longer. She’d just tidy him up a bit.

His head leaned forward a bit. Studying the length of his dark strands, she rested her hands on his shoulders.

She felt the hard knots and the tension radiating off him. How could he function like this? He had to be in agony.

She finished the cut and set her scissors down. Then she pressed her hands to his shoulders.

He groaned before he caught himself. “What are you doing?”

“How the hell do you get through the day with muscles tensed up harder than rock?”

“I do what I have to do.” But his head fell forward again, baring his neck to her.

She dug her fingers in, working the hard knots.

“God…that is so good.”

She smiled and kept working away the tension. She moved down a little, his shirt fabric slipping under her fingers and getting in the way. She could feel that his shoulder blades were tense as well.

“Take off the shirt. It’ll make it easier.”

He paused. “I’m not sure…”

She dug her fingers in hard. “Worried I’ll take advantage of you, General?”

He made a scoffing sound. “I’m hardly your type…and I’m too old for you.”

She laughed. “I’m thirty-five, Adam, and you’re hardly ancient. Now act like an adult and take your shirt off.”

He looked back over his shoulder, studied her, then stood. His head brushed the top of the truck. He quickly worked the buttons free. Then he shrugged and the shirt fell to the floor.

Liberty stilled, her breath catching in her chest.

He was…built.

She hadn’t expected the hard, firm, and sleek muscles. He wasn’t bulky like some of the soldiers, but there was definitely strength and a delicious hardness no woman could ignore.

“You’ve been holding out on me, General.”

Chapter Three

Adam sat very still, listening to Liberty’s quiet breathing behind him. He felt like her presence filled up the entire space.

He heard the interest in her voice, and temptation swirled around him like the scent of his favorite coffee. He hadn’t had a cup of double-shot, white-chocolate mocha since the invasion, and was unlikely to ever have it again.

He clamped his hands on the edge of the stool beneath him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

A smooth hand slid over his shoulder, reaching over to stroke one side of his chest.

“Oh, I think you do.” Her nails scratched over his pec. “Who knew you were hiding all this under your starched uniforms?”

Her touch felt so good and he closed his eyes. “Like I said, I’m hardly your type.”

“Oh?” Her hand stilled. “And what’s my type?” Her voice was low, silky, and just a little dangerous.

Adam swallowed to wet his dry throat. “Anyone you want. You’re young, confident, attractive.”

She stepped in front of him and against his better judgment, his gaze moved to her cleavage. She’d left a few buttons of her blue shirt undone and he got a nice hint of what lay beneath. The scent of her reached him—warm woman, something lush and feminine.

It had been so long since he’d touched a woman. So long since he’d been touched.

And he knew it was a slippery, addictive slope.

One stolen touch would never be enough. He released a long breath and tried to piece his vaunted control back together.

She reached out and touched his bare chest again. “This is not old or unattractive.” Her fingers drifted downward. “Quite the opposite.”

He grabbed her wrist. “I’m not playing games with you, Liberty.”

“I’m not playing.” There was a deep well of patience in her gaze…but also something else that made his stomach clench.

Heat. Desire. For him.

His control snapped.

He grabbed her hips and tugged her closer, pulling her to stand between his legs.

Her red lips parted and Adam’s cock went painfully hard. It was all too easy to imagine what he could do with those pretty lips.

“I don’t have relationships.” His voice was a growl.

“I never asked you for one.” Her hands rested on his shoulders, kneading again. “But we all need someone. Even just for a little while. Especially now.”

Her scent was swamping him, leaving him feeling like a stallion scenting a mare in heat.

Her nails gently scored the skin of his neck. “It’s hard being alone,” she murmured. “Trapped, with no one to reach out to.”

Adam blinked, could hear experience in her voice, drenched in something painful. He couldn’t imagine a woman like Liberty ever being alone.

“I don’t have friends.” As her hands drifted over his skin, every last ounce of his blood went south. “I…can’t have friends.”

“Bullshit.” She leaned down and nipped his ear. “You have friends, even if you won’t acknowledge them.”

He yanked her closer until she straddled his lap. As soon as she pressed up against his hard cock, they both groaned.

“Liberty…I can’t do this.”

She wiggled her hips, rubbing against him and Adam gritted his teeth.

“Seems like you can do it just fine.”

“Fine. I shouldn’t do this.” Damn, his control had all but crumbled to dust.

“Adam…I’m not asking for more than you can give. I try to live my life by a few simple rules. Be nice to others, and do whatever the hell I want. Enjoy the hell out of life.” She moved against him, starting a rocking motion that almost made his head explode. “This feels good, and I think you like it, too, and I’ll be honest with you. I like sex. And I usually try to find men who don’t mind the fact that I like it.”

“God, Liberty, you’re driving me out of my mind.” He clamped his hands on the curves of her ass.

She smiled, and it was a wide, feminine smile that was designed to make a man think of sex. “How about you just stop thinking?”

“I can’t…ever. We are in a precarious position with the convoy, I have to be ready—”

She leaned forward and pressed her mouth against his.

***

God, she wanted him. She wanted General Adam Holmes.

She moved her lips over his. He tasted good and for a second, he sat there, letting her take the lead.

Then something in him…snapped.

He cupped her head, his tongue sliding into her mouth. He kissed her like a drowning man searching for air. Soon, Liberty was shocked to hear little choked moans coming from…her. He was like a man possessed…and she was his obsession.

His hands were clamped hard on her skin, but Liberty had plenty of experience of judging a man’s rough touch. This wasn’t anger, evil or meanness.

It was raw, primal need. Hot, molten desire.

With a moan, she broke free, panting. His newly cut hair was mussed, and color rode along his cheekbones. His bare chest was heaving as well.

She slid off his lap and stood. She watched his face shutter, going from aroused man to controlled general.

Oh no, you don’t. She undid the buttons on her shirt and dropped it on the floor. It took her a few seconds to shimmy out of her jeans and underwear. She stood before him, naked.

His hot gaze traveled over her. The look on his face…it made her insides warm. Reverent. She’d never, ever had a man look at her in quite that way before. She’d never felt more beautiful.

He pulled her closer and, with a growl, his mouth closed over her nipple.

“Yes.” She sank her hands into his hair, urging him on.

He sucked, licked and lapped. He switched to the other side, pulling hard, the sensation arrowing down her middle to between her legs, where she was already damp.

She felt his hand slide over her hip, then between their bodies, even as he kept worshipping her breast. His strong fingers brushed over her belly and then delved between her thighs.

He groaned against her skin and she felt him caress her.

He lifted his mouth off her. “God, you are so soft here, so hot.”

His fingers brushed through her folds. He explored her and she moved against his hand. Then he sank a finger inside her.

“Yes.” The word ended on a hiss. Liberty gave herself up to the glorious feeling of Adam exploring her, pleasuring her. He was focused on uncovering every inch of her.

He pulled out, then sank two fingers back inside her. “Tight.”

She was riding his hand now, desperate for more. She felt the brush of his thumb, and he found her clit. She jerked.

“There it is,” he murmured.

She looked down blindly and saw his gaze glued to her face with an intensity that was almost frightening.

She’d known he was a dedicated man with a strong work ethic. Luckily for her, he appeared to apply both those traits to sex as well.

He pressed down on her clit, rubbing her in short, slippery circles. She was rising and falling on his hand, letting the sensations build inside her.

“Yes. Please. Adam.” She couldn’t make a coherent sentence.

“Come, Liberty. Come on my hand and let me feel it.”

She leaned down and bit his shoulder. It muffled her scream as she came. Hard.

They stayed there for a minute while she caught her breath. His fingers were still lodged deep inside her and her body felt electric but relaxed at the same time. His cock was rock hard beneath her, his breathing harsh.

And Liberty knew one thing.

She wanted more.

She slid off him, groaning as his fingers slipped free of her body. His face was set in stark lines, desire riding him hard. His gaze moved down her body, slowly, deliberately, drinking her all in.

Then, Adam Holmes, a man she’d pegged as conservative and controlled, lifted his hand and licked his fingers. Sucking the taste of her into his mouth.

Her belly contracted.

Wasting no time, she fell to her knees in front of him. She unbuckled his belt and wrestled with the zipper of his trousers. He helped her slide his trousers and boxers free.

She sat back, her eyes widening. He’d been hiding a hell of lot more than a muscled bod under his uniform.

She cupped his long, large cock. Her fingers couldn’t close around him. “Well, well, General Holmes…”

He slid one hand into her hair, pulling her head back a little, making her feel a slight sting in her scalp. “You call me Adam here. Understand?”

She nodded and unable to stop herself, pumped his lovely, big cock in her hand. A little hum of pleasure escaped her.

He groaned, leaning forward. “You keep that up, I’ll spill in your hand.”

“So I can’t put you in my mouth and swallow you down?”

He groaned again. “It’s been a while.”

“Good.” She leaned forward and sucked his cock between her lips.

***

Adam felt like he’d been hit by lightning. He couldn’t quite believe what was happening.

He had Liberty—beautiful, confident, free-spirited Liberty—sucking his cock.

Sensations blasted through his body. He was so unaccustomed to being close to anyone, to touching anyone else, to having someone touch him like this.

As Liberty’s nails bit into his thighs and her throaty moans vibrated around his cock, he felt his impending release growing at the base of his spine.

It had been a hell of a long time since he’d touched a woman, but there was no way in hell he was coming before she did again.

As she moved, her full breasts bobbing, and her gorgeous face flushed, he wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anything more beautiful.

He slid a hand down and cupped her breast. As his fingers tugged on her nipple, she sucked in a breath. Those blue eyes hit his, stayed locked there. Her lips were parted around him and as he pushed his hips forward, she sucked him harder.

His cock throbbed and he tensed all his muscles, trying to stop from spilling inside her mouth like a bloody teenager.

He wasn’t done with Liberty Lawler yet.

Adam surged upward, pulling her into his arms. His cock slipped out of her hands and she made a small sound of protest, her blue gaze on him.

He spun and laid her on his small bunk. “I want to watch you come again.” He found her clit and rubbed. It still felt swollen and slick from his last caresses.

This time, he wanted her to call out his name.

He knew how she liked to be touched now. He used that knowledge ruthlessly, touching her tiny nub and thrusting his fingers inside her. She was rocking her hips up to his touch.

The sounds she made…he wondered if she knew a man would hear those husky, little cries in his dreams and instantly go hard.

“I’m coming.” Her words were barely more than a rush of air. “Oh, God, I’m coming.”

“Come.” He added more pressure.

“Yes!”

He felt her body go tight, her legs clamping onto his hips. She reared up, her arms sliding around him, her nails digging hard into the skin of his shoulders. “Say my name, Liberty.”

Her eyelids fluttered, her cheeks filled with heat.

“Say my name,” he growled.

“Adam…” She arched her back and her orgasm crashed over her.

He held her, gritting his teeth as her body clenched on him, trying to hold back his own release.

But he couldn’t.

Like a wild man, his hips thrust forward. Just watching her, her taste on his lips, had his orgasm closing in on him like an unstoppable force.

She pulled her hands free and clamped them on his ass. “Let go. It’s okay.” A hot whisper.

His cock brushed against her smooth skin. With a growl, his release hit. He felt the throb of the muscles in his neck and he emptied himself onto her soft belly. He felt the sweet sting of her nails scoring his back.

He collapsed forward, shifting to lie on the bed and pull her close beside him. She made a small, exhausted noise and burrowed into him.

He pulled her warm, lush body closer. For the moment, there was no weight of responsibility, no stress, no guilt. For the first time in over a year and a half, he felt…good.

“General…you know how to wear a girl out.” She sounded slightly bewildered and a lot satisfied. “Two orgasms…” She made a pleased humming noise.

He reached over and gripped her chin. “Adam. You call me Adam.”

She licked her lips, smiling. “Yes, sir.” Her face softened. “Adam.”

God, what had he done? He closed his eyes. He’d just ignored all his personal rules about fraternizing with the people he led.

So, they hadn’t had intercourse, but they’d certainly had something.

With a near-silent groan, he buried his face in her cloud of blonde hair. He really liked seeing it spread out on his plain white pillow. The same one he lay upon night after night, staring at the roof, worrying about the convoy.

Now he’d have another memory to think of instead.

She stroked his arm. “I owe you an orgasm.”

His cock jerked, filling. He ruthlessly tried to control it. “It’s not a contest.”

She lifted her head, her smile wide. “Oh, I know that. But I’d very much like to give you another one anyway.”

“No…no.” He climbed off the bed and grabbed a towel. He gave her his back while he cleaned up and then yanked his trousers on.

“Adam?”

When he turned back, she was sitting up, his sheet clutched to her bare chest.

Dammit. He should never, never have touched her. “This shouldn’t have happened, Liberty. I…I just can’t have personal relationships with anyone. It’ll cloud my judgement…make things more difficult.”

“You really believe that, don’t you?”

He scraped a hand through his hair, then opened his tiny cupboard and pulled out a clean shirt. “Look, thank you for the haircut, and…” He needed to be honest, he owed her that. “And thank you for trusting yourself with me. I know it may not have been exactly what you wanted, but it was the best few moments I’ve had in a really long time.”

She watched him steadily. He had trouble reading her face. She didn’t look angry or upset, just curious.

Even if he bent his rules, he would never be able to keep a woman like Liberty. He knew he’d be a temporary diversion for her. Before he knew it, she would flit onto whoever else captured her interest. Someone who could devote all his time and attention to her.

He finished buttoning his shirt. “I’ll head out and…do some work. Stay as long as you want.”

He jumped out of his truck and closed the door. Then he let out a shuddering breath.

Tomorrow, everything would be back to normal.

Chapter Four

Liberty sauntered over toward the area where Adam was addressing the squads in the morning sunshine.

She was holding two disposable cups of coffee and despite the fact that they were on the run, she felt glorious. Her body was relaxed and sated, a reminder of things she wasn’t planning to forget soon.

And she wasn’t planning to let Adam Holmes forget, either.

All around Adam, tough, muscled soldiers lounged against vehicles, drinking coffee, murmuring amongst themselves. The female soldiers mixed among them looked just as tough.

She’d enjoyed a session or two of fun with one or two of the men—no-strings sex and pleasure.

But none of those experiences had reached the intensity of what she’d done with General Adam Holmes the previous night.

He stood at the front of the group, his hands clasped behind his back. He wasn’t wearing his uniform, but his dark-blue shirt was tucked into tan trousers, and he still looked every inch a general.

He hadn’t looked like a general last night when his fingers were between her legs. She’d always admired the man’s concentration, focus, and dedication. She’d just never imagined having all that turned to her pleasure.

Her hands clenched on the cups. She felt her panties go damp.

Yes, she wanted Adam. She wanted to know everything about him. After he’d left her last night, she’d taken her sweet time cleaning up and dressing. She’d nosed around his small living space, absorbing everything she could.

“This is the most straightforward route to the Enclave.” Adam pointed to a line on the holographic map projected into the air. “But we can’t risk taking it. It uses the main roads, and there are just too many raptor patrols focused there.” He spotted Liberty, and paused.

Elle noticed her, too, and stood from where she was hunched over a comp. “I invited Liberty to the briefing.” Elle waved her closer. “I’m concerned about the convoy’s morale, and I think she’s the person who can help us.”

Liberty moved closer. “Morning.” As she passed by Adam, she pressed the second coffee cup into his hand.

He looked bemused for a second, before he cleared his throat and resumed talking. “Lia and the drone team have picked up lots of those alien balls, which we presume are all filled with the spider creatures. We definitely do not want to tangle with more of them.”

Liberty found a spot to sit and wondered if anyone else noticed how tired he looked. She didn’t regret a second of last night, and wished they’d done a hell of a lot more, but she was sorry that he looked like he hadn’t gotten much sleep.

“General.” Noah Kim, head of the tech team, stepped forward. “My team has been analyzing the spider carcass we kept for analysis.”

“Why the geeks?” This came from Roth Masters. “They’re aliens, right? Shouldn’t the medical team do the autopsy and analysis?”

“Because the things aren’t completely organic,” Noah said with exaggerated patience and a scowl. “They have organic components, but they aren’t alive. They’re machines.”

Grumbles erupted from the soldiers.

“But we can still kill them,” Marcus said.

Noah nodded. “Yeah. But the difference is these things are programmable. They aren’t thinking creatures. They won’t deviate far from their programming, even if they are getting the shit kicked out of them.”

Liberty wrinkled her nose. That didn’t sound good.

“And what exactly is their programming?” Adam asked.

“To kill us,” Noah said. “I’ve isolated some of the raptor code and, with Elle’s help, we’ve deciphered what we can.” The tech genius’ face turned grim. “They aren’t looking to capture us anymore. They want us dead.”

The grumbles were louder now. Tane Rahia—head of the berserkers—stepped forward. “They can try.”

Liberty shivered. He was one soldier she’d never tangled with. The man was attractive as hell, but scary, too.

“Regardless of the spiders, the raptor patrols, and the pteros conducting random bombings, we lead the convoy to the Enclave. This is the best route.” A twisting green line glowed on the map. “It’s longer and adds another day, but it should be safer. We’ve identified a place to spend tonight.” He pointed.

Liberty couldn’t make heads nor tails of the map. She was a people person, and much better at reading faces and body language than maps.

“It’s an old mine,” Elle said, spinning on her chair. “As you all know, the Enclave was built in an old mine, and this area is riddled with underground coal mines.”

Adam paced a little. “It won’t be comfortable. It’s old, dark and possibly dangerous—”

“But better than camping out where the raptors can find us,” Marcus grumbled.

Liberty glanced at Marcus. She’d had an eye on the rough, scarred soldier at first—for all his tough looks, he inspired a sense of safety. But the guy was completely head-over-carbine for Elle. The two of them were perfect for each other. Elle smoothed out Marcus’ roughness, and Marcus shook Elle out of her comfort zone. Liberty was happy for the two of them.

Actually, in a strange way, Adam and Marcus were a little alike. Not in looks or temperament, but they were cut from the same cloth. Leaders, men people listened to, men you felt safe with. Both were loyal and dedicated to protecting others to the exclusion of all else.

She saw Adam pause and take a sip of his coffee. He stilled, something crossing his face. Something that reminded her acutely of when he held her naked in his arms.

“So, it’ll be our single goal today to get to the mine,” Adam said. “Safely. I don’t want to lose any more people.”

There was a tense silence in the group. Most of them deep in thought about all the people, friends, and fellow survivors, they’d already lost.

Adam shifted, breaking the moment. “I’d like an update on the diversion plans. Masters?”

Roth nodded. “Steele drew the short straw, so Hell Squad and Squad One will be providing security for the convoy.” Roth grinned at Marcus. “So no blowing up aliens for you today.”

Marcus shrugged. “I think I can handle it.”

“Mac can tell you the rest. She’s taking the lead on the prep work.”

Roth’s second-in-command, Mackenna Carides, stepped forward. In the early days at Blue Mountain Base, many people had discounted the petite woman with her long, dark hair. But the soldier was all tightly-packed muscle, knew how to use her weapon, and was well-known for tossing far bigger men on the mats during training.

“My squad will take the Darkswifts up,” Mac said. “We plan to do some coordinated strikes on alien patrols. We’ve planned a scattered pattern, to throw the aliens off the scent of the convoy and our intended path.”

Adam nodded. “Good.”

“Speaking of scent,” Roth added. “Should we be worried about rexes?”

Liberty shivered. The aliens had huge Tyrannosaurus rex-like beasts, and used them like sniffer dogs. They’d had packs of them, saddled with riders, in the mountains.

“For some reason, we haven’t seen any on scans.” Adam drank more of his coffee. “For now, we’ll be grateful for small mercies and keep an eye out.”

Roth nodded. “Tane and his berserkers will be doing some guerilla warfare.”

Tane didn’t straighten or even look up. “We’ve got a few things up our sleeves.”

Liberty raised a brow. Most of the berserkers didn’t even wear upper armor, let alone sleeves. Their muscled, tattooed biceps were often on display.

A resigned look crossed Adam’s face. “I’m guessing I don’t want to know the details of those things?”

Tane raised his head, his eyes dark in his lean face. “Probably not.”

Adam sighed. “Okay, what else?”

“I’m loaning MacKinnon to Squad Seven,” Marcus said. “He’s our best explosives man. He can help them set some charges that’ll make the raptors think twice about chasing us.”

Reed MacKinnon tossed out a salute. Liberty had heard rumors that the former Navy SEAL was a maestro with explosives.

A redhead with creamy skin stepped forward. “We have all our drones up. We’re focusing on the area surrounding and ahead of the convoy. If there are any aliens to spot, or their balls of spiders in range, we’ll find them.”

“Good. Thank you, Lia.” Adam took another long drink of his coffee. “Elle? Liberty? You wanted to talk about the convoy.”

Elle nodded. “I invited Liberty because she has her finger on the pulse of the convoy.”

Adam’s intense blue gaze moved her way.

“I watch and I listen.” Liberty smiled at the soldiers around her. “I enjoy talking with people, unlike some people around here who can only manage scowls and grunts.”

There was some good-natured rumbling.

Then Liberty couldn’t keep the smile on her face any longer. “People are weary, scared, and tired.” The conversation around her stopped. “Truthfully, they’re at a breaking point.”

***

Adam shoved a hand through his hair, remembering that it was no longer a shaggy mess. Thoughts of his haircut—and the rest of that night—tried to penetrate his planning and route details, but he ruthlessly shoved them away.

Focus on the convoy. He’d known the survivors were at the edge of their limits, hell, they all were, but he’d hoped their resiliency would carry them through this last leg of the journey.

They were so close now.

As the soldiers around him erupted with comments and questions, he took another sip of his coffee. He almost groaned aloud. It was exactly how he liked it. Strong, with a lot of frothy milk. He didn’t know how she’d known what he liked, but part of him wondered if Liberty was psychic.

No. Not psychic. Just very, very good at reading people, and he was curious where she’d picked up the skill.

“How do we keep up morale?” he asked.

“Remind them why we’re doing this,” Liberty answered. She took a sip of her own coffee.

Adam found his gaze glued to her red lips as they wrapped around the rim of her cup. She was wearing some sort of gloss, and her lips were shiny. Just like they looked when he’d finished kissing them.

“They need a reminder of what’s important,” Liberty added, her gaze clinging to his.

Adam shifted, feeling a vague sense of unease. “What do you suggest?”

“Something to let off steam.” Her direct gaze never wavered from his.

He saw a reflection of their night together in the deep blue. She was thinking of how it felt when his fingers were inside her, his mouth on hers. It went straight to his cock.

“A gathering,” Liberty said, splintering Adam’s heated thoughts. “A party. Something that celebrates survival, life…love.”

Adam had to remind himself that however hot his encounter with Liberty, it was over. Done. An error in judgment on his behalf.

He forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. “We don’t have time for a party. We’re on the run. Two more days of travel and we’ll be there.”

Liberty shook her hair back, the glorious gold strands glinting in the sun. “Some don’t have that long. They won’t make it.”

Adam felt conflicted. He glanced at the hard faces of his soldiers. None of them had ever given up. They picked up their weapons and fought, risked their lives, every single day.

The people of the convoy would have to do their bit too, and keep moving.

“No. I’m sorry. We can’t.”

Liberty looked like she wanted to argue, but she gave him a slow nod.

Adam’s hand clenched on his cooling coffee. He felt like he’d disappointed her. “Okay, everyone, let’s get to work and get on the road.”

The squads scattered, heading off to help the convoy pack up, or to get started on the distractions they had planned for the aliens.

He turned to find Marcus beside him, his face its usual tough mask.

“Consider what she said,” the man said.

“Two days, Marcus. We’ll be there.”

“If we don’t remember what’s important…life isn’t worth living.”

Memories hit Adam. Liberty’s husky cries, her clever mouth, her curvy body.

Marcus shifted. “It’s far easier to fight knowing I have someone worth fighting for. Someone worth living for.” The soldier nodded and walked away.

Some of them weren’t that lucky. Pushing it all aside, Adam strode through their makeshift camp, urging people to pack up and get ready to leave. He caught glimpses of Liberty moving here and there, but forced himself not to go near her.

He needed some space from her…otherwise he was liable to grab her and drag her back to his truck.

“All right, everyone, let’s move out. We are so close to reaching the Enclave.”

“Today?” a young woman eagerly asked.

“Tomorrow,” he answered.

Her shoulders slumped a little. “It feels like it’s always tomorrow.” The woman turned toward her vehicle.

With a sigh, he turned to head toward his truck, nearly running into someone. “Sorry.”

“That’s perfectly okay, General.” Over-large green eyes stared up at him.

Selena was his wild card. An alien they’d rescued from the Gizzida, her species was also an enemy of the aliens. She didn’t look much different than humans, with her slim body and humanoid form—but her impossibly pale skin, large green eyes and green blood gave her away.

“We’ll be leaving soon,” he said.

She nodded. “I’ll be ready.”

He cleared his throat. “How are you?”

A sad smile crossed her face. “Grateful you’ve taken me in.” With a nod, she hurried off.

Adam climbed into his truck and saw that the soldier assigned to drive him today looked like he was barely out of his teens. “Private.”

The young man nodded. “Sir. A pleasure to drive you today.”

Adam nodded. “What’s your name?”

“Private Matthew Daniel Terrance Mitchell, sir.”

Adam’s lips twitched. “I think I’ll just call you Private.”

The man looked at him. “That’s fine, sir. Although no one worries so much about rank anymore, do they?”

Well, everyone called him general. Only one person called him Adam, deep in the dark of night, hotly whispered in his ear.

He shifted to dispel the erection rising in his trousers. “Let’s move out, Private.”

Private Mitchell nodded again and ground the gears, setting the vehicle moving.

“You have family in the convoy?” Adam asked.

A desolate look crossed the young man’s face. “No, sir…they lived on the west coast. In Perth. I’ve never been able to confirm if they survived or not.”

Adam closed his eyes for a moment. Perth had been bombed heavily, and the distance between the east and west coast was vast. Not easy for survivors to head this way.

“I’m sorry.”

Private Mitchell shrugged, then a small smile emerged. “I do have a girlfriend, though. I met her at Blue Mountain Base.”

Adam raised a brow, watching color fill the man’s cheeks.

“She’s pretty and smart, and for some reason she really likes me.”

“That’s great news, Private.” The excitement and love exuding from the young man made Adam feel unbearably old. “Well, looks like you have an excellent reason to get us safely to the Enclave.”

The young man straightened. “Yes, sir, I do.”

Chapter Five

The first hour of the slow drive was uneventful.

Adam kept his gaze glued ahead, alert for any movement. He knew the drone operators and comms officers would warn him well before he spotted anything, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

Still, he was the one who spotted the object first.

He squinted and leaned forward a little. It was a dark shadow against the morning sun. “Slow down, Private.”

The vehicle slowed. “What the hell is that?” Mitchell murmured.

Adam touched the comms controls on the dash. “Elle, are you there?”

“Yes, General.”

“Any alien signatures?”

“No, sir, nothing.”

“Thank you. Hell Squad?”

“Yeah.” Marcus’ gravelly voice. “We see it.”

Adam knew the squad was in the armored Z6-Hunter vehicle just ahead of him. “Approach with caution.”

As they moved slowly forward, the tall, dark silhouette gained detail.

Adam sucked in a breath. He touched the comm again. “Hunters, move forward. All other convoy vehicles stop and hold.”

“Oh, my God,” Private Mitchell breathed.

A huge structure, constructed of a bonelike substance that was definitely part of the aliens’ organic technology, rose approximately twenty feet into the air. Dangling from it, about six feet off the ground, was a large cage.

Filled with humans.

“Stop here, Private.”

The young man halted their vehicle, and Adam checked his laser pistol before opening the door.

The people were crying, arms reaching through the bars of the cage. As Adam approached, he saw they were all starving—skeletally thin, their clothes nothing more than tattered rags.

He stood there, watching them, his stomach a hard, sick knot. He sensed a presence and Marcus, and his second-in-command, Cruz, flanked him.

“It’s a trap,” Marcus said.

Adam had already deduced that. But he couldn’t damn well leave them there. Not like this, not like animals.

“Let’s take a closer look,” Adam ordered. “See what they can tell us.”

Marcus nodded and waved his squad forward to assess the cage.

With his gut burning, Adam moved closer. “I’m General Adam Holmes.” He held his hands up, unthreatening. “We’re going to try and get you out of there.”

The people sobbed and moaned, thin arms reaching out. They appeared delirious, none of them aware of what he was saying.

Then Adam noticed a man at the back had red raptor eyes. A woman at the front had patches of raptor-like scales on her neck and face. Adam’s chin fell to his chest. They’d been experimented on.

Marcus, Cruz, and Gabe walked around the perimeter, murmuring to each other. Claudia and Shaw stood nearby, weapons up.

“Can you tell me your names?” Adam looked up, trying to catch the eye of any of the prisoners. “Where are you from?”

No response.

Marcus and the others stopped. Marcus shook his head. “It’s rigged to blow. Looks like some sort of pressure sensor. You take their weight out of the cage, it’ll trigger the explosive.”

“Raptor explosive,” Gabe added. “Don’t know enough about it to determine the blast radius.”

Adam shoved his hands on his hips. Which meant they had no idea how far back to move the convoy. Options. He needed options.

“We could try to cut it open, and substitute their weight with something,” Adam suggested.

“It’ll take time,” Cruz said.

“Time we don’t have.” Marcus touched his ear, head tilted as he listened. “Fuck. Elle said we have raptors incoming. A few kilometers out, but heading this way.”

Adam swallowed a curse. “It gets worse. They’ve been experimented on.”

There were soft curses. They all knew it was irreversible.

“Please…my baby.”

The soft, stuttering voice from above made him look up. One woman, with skin stretched over her protruding cheekbones and hair that may have once been blonde but was now just a matted mess around her face was crouched, her hand—now more like a raptor claw—reaching down.

Beside her was a young boy.

He was maybe five, but he was so underweight, it was hard to tell. His dark eyes were huge in his pale face. He showed no signs of the alien experimentation.

“My baby.” The woman pushed the child forward.

A bitter taste filled Adam’s mouth. In those dark eyes he saw so much pain. And a rabid hope. “We need to get the boy out.”

“Marcus, give me a foot up,” Gabe said in a low voice. “Also need something about the same weight as the boy.”

Cruz nodded and jogged toward the convoy. Marcus crouched and cupped his hands.

Gabe set his boot in Marcus’ palms and reached out. When his gloves touched the bars they sizzled and Adam saw Gabe’s neck muscles go tight.

“Underside of the bars is coated with poison,” Gabe gritted out. “And some sort of electrical charge as well.”

Damn aliens. Adam watched, his heart thumping. The bastards really were throwing everything at them now.

As he watched, Gabe grimaced through the obvious pain and started to bend the bars. It was clearly hard work, the alien substance not moving far.

“Here.” Cruz was back with a sack. It was roughly the same size as the boy.

Gabe grunted. Above him, the delirious people reached down, clawing at him.

Suddenly, Gabe’s body jerked and he let out a pained cry. He fell backward, dead weight. His squad mates swore.

Adam was closest and caught the big man under the arms. Damn, Gabe was heavy. Adam let the momentum carry them both downward, and he stopped Gabe from hitting his head on the ground. As he laid the soldier out, he heard running footsteps behind him.

“Gabe.” Doc Emerson crouched beside them, one of her paramedics with her. Her face was stricken for a second, as she gently touched her lover’s still features. Then it morphed into the calm, focused doctor Adam knew so well. “Raptor poison. It’s chewed through his gloves and paralyzed him. Danny, he’ll need a shot of stimulant.” She stroked Gabe’s face one last time. “I’ll get you fixed up my big, brave guy.”

At the raw love on the woman’s face, Adam’s throat tightened. “Go. Get him back to the med bus. He saved that boy up there.”

Adam stood and as Hell Squad helped get Gabe to the med bus, Adam scooped up the weighted sack. He shoved it up through the small gap in the bars. “Come on.” He gestured to the boy.

The boy looked at his mother, hesitated. She was barely holding on to a semblance of consciousness, but her mother’s love had obviously been strong enough to take a chance on getting her son rescued.

She touched his face, then pushed him into the gap.

As he fell, Adam released the sack and caught the boy. He was all skin and bone, and those haunted dark eyes.

“I’ve got you.” The kid’s clothes were nothing more than a few tatters, leaving him exposed. Adam knelt and put the boy on the ground. It took Adam a second to work the buttons of his own shirt loose and strip it off. He wrapped it around the boy.

The boy snuggled into it, circling into a ball and shivering.

“Here, I’ll take care of him.”

Adam looked up and saw Liberty appear. She was carrying a blanket and wrapped it around the boy.

“Thank you,” Adam said.

“I’ll get him to the med bus.” She looked up at the cage, sympathy and horror washing over her face. “I’ll organize some food and water for them.”

Adam took a deep breath and managed a nod.

But her gaze zeroed in on his face and then her cheeks went white. “You can’t get them out.”

His fingers curled into his palms. “No. The cage is rigged to explode, the outside is covered in raptor poison and some sort of electrical charge. And the aliens are on their way. It’ll take us hours to cut it open and we only have a few minutes before we need to be far away from here.”

“Oh, no,” Liberty whispered.

“And they’ve been experimented on. Looks like they’re all turning raptor.”

He turned and looked back at the convoy. People were huddled in groups by their vehicles, or pressed against the windows. They looked horrified, stricken.

They were all waiting for him to save these people. People each and every one of them knew could have been them.

He looked back up at the cage. Dammit all to hell.

“Adam…” Liberty gripped his arm. Squeezed. Between them the boy started sobbing.

“Get him to the med bus. Take care of him.”

She looked torn for a second, but then she nodded and gathered up the boy in her arms.

Adam stood, and despite the sun on his bare skin, all he felt was a lonely coldness move through him.

Marcus and his team had returned and stood, watching, waiting.

“Elle says the aliens are getting closer,” Marcus said.

Time was up. Adam looked at the convoy, at the hundreds of people he had to protect. “Marcus, do you have any KMA-3 grenades?” he asked.

“Bioweapons?” Shaw said, incredulous.

Adam nodded.

“Yeah,” Marcus said in a calm voice.

KMA-3s let off a gas that rendered its victims unconscious. It slowed the heart until eventually it stopped.

“It’s painless,” Marcus added.

Adam managed a nod. But no one really knew if that was true, did they?

“It’s the only call,” Marcus said.

“I know.” But Adam knew it was another thing to haunt him. A decision that would torment him in the dead of night.

“Claudia, we need the KMA-3 grenades.”

The female soldier sucked in a deep breath. “On it.”

Adam turned to the convoy. “All right. Everyone back in your vehicles. The aliens are on the way. We need to get out of here as quickly and as safely as we can. Remember, stay in formation, stay under the illusion.”

A lot of people started, panic crossing their faces. They scrambled for their vehicles. Other people just looked tired and resigned. Even though they’d experienced it so many times, he could see the wear and tear. Liberty was right, they couldn’t handle much more of this.

A woman clutching a baby in her arms stepped forward. “We…we can’t leave those poor people to the aliens.” She gripped her child tighter. “They’ve clearly suffered enough.”

“We won’t let the aliens touch them,” Adam promised with a heavy heart. “Now go.”

He watched the engines start and the convoy move out.

When he turned back to the cage, Claudia had returned, holding two small metallic grenades in her hand.

Adam strode forward and took them from her. “I’ll do it.”

***

Adam slammed into his truck, his thoughts a churning mess. “Drive,” he snapped.

The engine gunned and they pulled out. He didn’t even look at the private, just stared at his hands.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He snapped his head around and looked at Liberty. She sat calmly in the driver’s seat, her gaze focused straight ahead.

“What the hell are you doing in here?”

“I traded with Matt.” She glanced at him. “I’m a very good driver.” She paused. “You did the right thing.”

Adam slammed his head back against the seat. “Spare me the psychoanalysis.”

“You need to talk about this. If you don’t, it’ll eat you through.”

“It already is.” The words rushed out of him. “Fuck.”

“Swearing helps,” she added. “It helped me.”

“And what did you need help with? What pretty clothes to wear, what perfume to spray on?” He knew it was mean and petty, but dammit, acid was chewing at his gut and he was feeling nasty. Liberty had climbed in here and made herself a target.

“No. My abusive ex-husband. The one who mentally berated me, physically beat me, raped me, and controlled my every move for two years.”

Adam sucked in a breath and turned to look at her. She looked her usual calm, beautiful self. He found it hard to imagine her trapped in an abusive relationship.

“I escaped…eventually.”

He saw her hands flex on the wheel, and realized it wasn’t as easy as she was making out. “That takes courage.”

“Oh, I had no courage left by the end. He’d turned me from a happy, confident young woman into something far less. He eroded my sense of self, my confidence, my courage. It was pure desperation that finally let me escape.” Blue eyes met his. “I knew if I stayed another day, he’d kill me.”

“Liberty—”

“It’s my past, Adam. It made me who I am today. A woman who vowed to enjoy the hell out of every day.” A small smile flirted on her face. “Alien invasion or not, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t let what he did to me ruin life for me. I vowed to enjoy sex, enjoy clothes and looking good, enjoy just being me. All the things he’d denied me. But I couldn’t start doing that until I healed. Therapy helped me with that. Talking, swearing, raging at it all, helped.”

“I can’t unload this on you…on anyone.”

She raised a brow. “What? You have to be superhero? Never lean on anyone, or be seen as less than strong?”

“I’m the leader.”

“God, Adam, you get to be human, too.” Her voice lowered. “You were human with me last night in your bunk.”

His muscles tensed, memories rising. “That shouldn’t have happened. Can never happen again. It was a mistake.”

She smiled. “Then it was the best mistake I’ve ever made.”

Chapter Six

It was quiet in the truck. Liberty felt the terrible tension throbbing off Adam. When she glanced sideways at him, she saw the muscles in his forearms were strained, and torment filled his handsome face.

She knew he was thinking of those poor people—trapped, abused, mistreated. It turned her stomach, made her feel incredibly sad, and so angry at the aliens.

But looking at Adam, knowing the hard decision he’d made in order to end those people’s suffering, it made her realize more than ever how much he shielded them all from those hard choices.

Instead, he shouldered all the anguish alone.

“You did the right thing,” she said quietly.

He made an angry noise. “I killed them.”

“You ended their suffering. Even if you’d gotten them out, they wouldn’t have survived. The aliens killed them.”

Silence.

“And you got that boy out,” she added.

Adam shifted in his seat, the muscles in his chest flexing. He seemed unaware he was still shirtless. “Did Doc Emerson say anything about the boy?”

“His name is Elijah. He’s dehydrated. Malnourished. Scared. No signs the raptors experimented on him. He’ll need time.”

“And now he has no mother.”

Liberty gripped the steering wheel. “No. But he has a group of people who want the best for him. People who understand and will protect him. And he’s no longer a prisoner.”

The silence thickened again. She knew what it was like to dwell on the horrors in silence. She’d done plenty of it after she’d escaped her abusive marriage. She’d spent a whole lot of time with her toxic thoughts, blaming herself for not getting out sooner, questioning every little thing she’d done or not done.

She fiddled with the comp on the dash until she found the music list she’d uploaded to the convoy’s systems. There were no radio stations anymore, but she’d spent the last eighteen months collecting music from every survivor and pestering the tech team for anything they could recover. She eyed Adam again and picked a song.

As the melodious female voice of a soul singer popular over a hundred years ago filled the vehicle, she sensed Adam looking at her.

“How the hell could you possibly know my favorite artist?” There was suspicion in his voice.

Liberty stared straight ahead and smiled. “She’s your favorite? Must be a coincidence.”

“I get the feeling there are no coincidences with you.”

Liberty kept smiling. Who knew confounding Adam Holmes would be so much fun?

She negotiated the narrow road, following the vehicle in front of them. They were near the front of the convoy, and the drive was incredibly slow.

They had to wait for constant feedback from the squads creating the diversions and the drone operators. Still, it was better than stumbling into an alien patrol.

There was nothing more frustrating than knowing the Enclave—safety—wasn’t that far away, but they had to practically crawl to get there.

“General, do you copy?” Elle Milton’s voice came through the comm.

“Go ahead, Elle,” he said.

“Hell Squad reports that there is a stream ahead. The convoy’s water levels are becoming dangerously low. Requesting we stop to take on water and clean up.”

Liberty saw Adam look at his hands. They were still stained with dirt and blood from the trap. He also glanced at his bare chest, and his eyes widened.

“That’s a yes, Elle. Pass the word around. But we can’t stay long.”

“You got it, General,” Elle confirmed.

Not too far ahead, Liberty saw the lead vehicles pulling over. She slowed the truck and pulled them off onto the dirt beside the road. Just down a shallow slope, a wide stream gleamed in the sunshine.

“Don’t forget a clean shirt,” she said.

Adam pushed opened his door. “I won’t.”

She lowered her voice. “I really don’t want all the single ladies discovering what you’ve been hiding.”

He glanced up fast, blue eyes hitting hers. Ah, there it was. That spark of desire he kept buried.

He stared at her for a moment, the air thickening in the cab of the truck. Then he got out.

Liberty sighed. Her general was going to take a little more convincing to loosen up and spend some more time with her.

He grabbed a blue shirt from the back of the truck and with it slung over one shoulder, they headed down to the stream. Hell Squad was supervising some of the convoy members, who were filling large water containers. The containers hovered on iono-lifts above the ground. The flat cargo lifts were used to carry heavy items and utilized electrohydrodynamics to produce the thrust to stay in the air. From there, it would be loaded into the trucks and run through purification filters.

Claudia and Shaw were knee-deep in the water, dragging the containers through, then passing them back.

As Liberty watched, Shaw glanced around, then slapped a hand in the water, sending a huge spray up at Claudia.

The female soldier whipped around and skewered him with a look. “Moron.”

The general ignored them. “Marcus, how’s Gabe?”

Amusement flickered briefly over the tough soldier’s face. “Awake. Grumpy. Doc’s keeping him in a bunk in the med bus, and he’s not happy about it.”

Some of the tension in Adam’s shoulders eased. “Good. Glad he’s okay.”

Adam moved to the water’s edge and started washing his hands and face.

Shaw whistled. “General, either you wrestled a lion, or you’ve been holding out on us.”

Liberty frowned and saw Adam straighten. She got a perfect view of his back and her mouth dropped open.

“What?” Adam said with a frown.

Liberty saw Cruz grinning, Claudia smothering a smile, and even Marcus was smiling.

Cruz rubbed the side of his nose. “Some she-cat left a whole lot of scratches down your back. Looks like she drew blood.”

God, she’d done that? Liberty stared at the scratches, couldn’t look away. She’d never left gouges in a man like that before.

Adam turned to hide his back, his cheeks filling with dull color. He quickly pulled his clean shirt on and set to work doing the buttons up.

Shaw shook his head. “General, you hound dog. Here I am, imagining you sitting at your comp at night or poring over maps, all alone. Our fearless leader who does nothing but work tirelessly—”

Claudia elbowed the sniper. “Shut it, Baird.”

Adam glared at them all. “We need to get moving.”

The soldiers nodded. Claudia splashed out of the water but paused beside Adam. “Don’t know who she is—” the female soldier smiled. “—but she’s a lucky woman. Looks like she enjoyed herself…a lot.”

A laugh burst out of Liberty and everyone looked her way. She pressed a hand over her mouth.

Adam cleared his throat, a sound almost like a growl. “Get everyone ready to move out. Now.”

***

Adam walked along the line of convoy vehicles. As he talked, consoled, and offered motivating platitudes, he wondered if any of them heard the tiredness in his voice. He wondered how much longer he could keep telling people they were almost there, and that everything would be all right.

He headed back toward his truck, wondering where Liberty was. He couldn’t believe he’d paraded around without his shirt on and let everyone see the marks she’d left on him.

He didn’t care about himself. Hell, he was honest enough to admit he liked knowing she’d left her mark on him. He’d been more worried she’d be embarrassed.

Not that she’d appeared to be. Instead, she’d looked…intrigued.

He felt a curl of desire.

Dammit, he was supposed to be staying clear of personal entanglements with her. It was bad enough being trapped in the same vehicle, smelling her perfume all around him, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

He reached the truck and heard her laughing. Curious, he rounded the back and spotted her sitting on the bumper of his truck. She was surrounded by a group of kids of varying ages.

As he watched, she flicked a finger at the chin of one teenaged girl. “How you holding up, Ava? A pretty wild road trip, huh?”

The girl nodded. “I always thought a road trip would be fun, especially after being stuck in the base.” She pulled a face. “This one, not so much.”

“Hey.” Liberty handed the girl something.

It was a stick of chewing gum. Ava snatched it up like it was gold.

“I know things are crazy,” Liberty said. “But even in the middle of that, you have to find the things that make you feel good. Enjoy the little things.”

“Like what?” a boy grumped, but his gaze was on Liberty’s hand.

“Well…like a delicious muffin for breakfast. A pretty sunrise. A smile.” She handed some gum over to the boy and he took it with a grin. “Some good candy.” Her gaze rose and caught Adam’s. “Or spending time with someone who makes you feel good.”

“Libby, Libby.” Small hands patted at Liberty’s pockets.

She bestowed a radiant smile on the trio of tiny kids tearing at her. “Hang on, munchkins, I haven’t forgotten you.” She pulled out a spill of multi-colored jelly beans. The kids pounced like unfed tiger cubs.

Two of the kids shoved handfuls of the treats into their mouths. But one little boy contemplated his, a serious look on his face. He lifted huge brown eyes. “Libby? Are the aliens gonna get us?”

It was a blow to Adam’s insides. Here was a child, maybe four, worried if he was going to be hunted down like an animal. Adam’s hands fisted by his sides. This boy should be worried about when he could have a playdate, or head to the park, or about his first day at school. Not this.

Liberty crouched down to the boy’s level. “Ian, honey, we have some special people looking out for us.” Her gaze flicked up again. “The general here works day and night to keep the aliens away. And we have the squads.”

A little girl plonked herself in Liberty’s lap and the teens crowded closer, like they needed to be closer to Liberty, soaking up her easy calm.

Liberty straightened the little boy’s crooked collar. “You leave the aliens up to the general and his soldiers. But I have an important job I need all of you to do, too.”

“What is it?”

“What?”

The chorus of eager voices made some of the tension leak from Adam. He couldn’t look away from Liberty. She radiated something that seemed to captivate—it made kids want to sit in her lap and men want to weep.

“Smile,” Liberty said. “I need you to play and smile and laugh. No matter what.”

The boy who’d asked about the aliens was now chomping noisily on his candy. “I like to play soccer.”

“I like to go on pretend adventures,” one of the girls said. “I want to discover buried treasure.”

The others chimed in with their favorite games.

“Okay.” Liberty set the little girl on her feet and stood. “Sounds like you can all help me out. Now, off you go. We’ll be leaving soon.”

When she turned to face Adam, he couldn’t manage any words. He just stared at her, trying to make sense of this woman. At first, you saw beauty, a woman with easy charm who enjoyed the pleasurable things in life.

And there was nothing wrong with that. But if you stopped for a second, you got a deeper glance at what lay beneath.

And it was fascinating.

He cleared his throat. “We’re moving out shortly.”

She nodded. “I’m ready.” She popped a piece of gum in her mouth. Eyeing him, she pulled something else out of her pocket and held it out.

Adam stared at the piece of black candy. “How could you possibly know I like licorice?”

A Mona Lisa smile played around her mouth. “A woman never, ever gives away her secrets.” She lifted her hand and pressed the licorice to his lips.

The strong taste of aniseed exploded in his mouth. Without thinking, he grabbed her wrist, keeping her fingers at his lips. He sucked one of her fingers into his mouth.

She gasped, her pupils dilating.

He dragged his tongue along the slender finger, sucking once, then let it go.

“There is so much you keep hidden,” she murmured.

“Same goes, Ms. Lawler.”

“Adam—”

“General!” a female voice interrupted.

Adam took a hasty step back from Liberty and put on his general face. He turned and saw Doc Emerson hurrying toward them. “Emerson.”

The doctor nodded her blonde head. “We have a problem.”

Chapter Seven

Liberty could see the strain in the doctor’s face.

Emerson huffed out a breath. “We have a lady refusing to get back in the vehicles.”

Adam frowned. “She doesn’t want to leave?”

“No. I’ve tried to talk to her.” A frustrated sigh. “She’s elderly and stubborn and…I think she’s given up.”

Liberty swallowed. She knew that a lot of people in the convoy were starting to feel that way. Why keep running, fighting, living on fumes when you could curl up and let all the pain go away?

She understood. She’d felt that way once, curled up on the tiles of her bathroom, bleeding and hurting.

But there was always a glimmer of light somewhere. You just had to look.

“I’ll talk to her.” Adam’s voice was firm. “Go, get the med bus ready to leave.”

As Adam walked in the direction Emerson had pointed, Liberty fell into step with him.

“You can wait for me at the truck,” he said.

“No. It’s fine. I’ll come.”

He looked surprised for a second, before he nodded.

Was Adam Holmes just that used to being alone that he was surprised when someone offered something as simple as company? Liberty sank her hands into her pockets, her thoughts churning.

The old woman was sitting on the grass under a tree. She had wrinkled skin stretched over the strong bones of her face. Not a wilting flower, this one. Her hair was white and pulled back in a bun and she wore a simple black dress that hung on her.

“Hello.” Adam crouched beside the woman. “I’m—”

“Know who you are,” the woman said, her thready voice filled with steel.

“And your name, Ms…?”

The woman looked up, her faded green eyes filled with tears. “It’s Missus. Mrs. Marinos.” Her voice trembled. “Lost my husband of forty years at Yeranderie.”

Liberty’s heart clenched and she saw Adam flinch. They’d lost a lot of people at the final battle in the mountains.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

Adam’s words came out cool, but Liberty could see him struggling with a bunch of emotions, and guilt was winning.

Liberty knelt beside the woman. “I can’t really understand how you feel. But we’re really sorry.”

“Aliens’ fault, no one else,” the woman said, matter-of-factly. “Lost my house, my children and grandchildren, and now George. I’m old. I can’t fight the aliens. I’m useless.”

Now Adam moved, his voice sharp, but he gently gripped the woman’s shoulder. “That isn’t true—”

“Not true?” Color flared in the old woman’s face. “Young man, I can see the writing on the wall. This new world is for the young, the strong, the fit. I’m tired of running.”

“No.” Adam shook his head. The vehemence in his voice had Liberty staring at him.

“I’ve been focused on the squads, the military support people who help fight and protect us every day.” The blue of his eyes shimmered with ferocity. “But I’m just starting to realize we need the people with the softer touch, too. Soldiers fight, and—” a rueful smile “—generals give orders, but kids need hugs and stories, people need warmth and tenderness, too. They need someone who hands them stolen candy just as much as someone willing to hold a carbine.”

Liberty felt a warmth move through her. There was praise in his words, and though she’d vowed a long time ago to never need a man’s approval, it made her feel good. Damn good.

It made her want Adam Holmes even more than she had a moment ago.

He looked back at the woman. “We need memories, we need stories, we need the glue that holds all this together.” He waved at the convoy.

The woman stared at Adam for a minute. “We are lucky to have a man like you leading us.”

Adam gave a half laugh. “You want the truth? Sometimes, I’m not sure I can go on either.” He rubbed a hand at the back of his neck, looking surprised the words had come out. “I’m terrified I’ll make a wrong decision, and more innocent people will die.” He sighed. “Sometimes my only options are two bad choices.”

Liberty felt a lump lodge in her throat. For the first time, he was showing some of his pain.

“It’s not easy being in charge, is it?” This time Mrs. Marinos patted Adam’s arm. “And I’m only making it more difficult.”

“You’ll only make it harder if you tell me you still want to sit here and give up.”

The woman huffed out a breath. “Not today.” She gripped his arm and waved the other hand at Liberty. “Help me up. I need to get back to my vehicle.”

They helped her to her feet, and she dusted off her dress. Then she pinned Adam with a stare.

“Reach out, young man. You don’t have to be so alone.”

After the woman had walked away, Liberty saw Adam’s mask drop. She caught a glimpse of the ugly, dark feelings welling in him.

“Adam—”

With a shake of his head, he stalked off. He rounded his truck, out of view of the convoy.

Liberty followed. She was good at reading people, and Adam was on the same edge that Mrs. Marinos had just stepped back from.

She rounded the truck and saw him standing, tall and stiff, staring off at the horizon.

“It kills me.” His words were like bullets. “Kills me that she just wanted to die.”

“You brought her back, Adam.”

He spun. The calm, patient general was nowhere to be seen. “More are going to start giving up.”

“And we’ll help them, too.”

He made a choked noise, his hands curled so tight his knuckles were white.

“Adam… I’m right here.” She held out a hand. “Hold on, just for a little while. Let me help you.”

“You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

“Yes, I do.”

He lunged at her so fast, she gasped. Strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her off her feet. He pushed her up against the side of the truck, sun-warmed metal against her back and hot, hard man pressed to the front of her body.

His mouth slammed down on hers and she moaned into his kiss. It was dark, edgy. His hands grabbed hers, slamming her wrists above her head. Liberty wrapped one leg around his lean waist.

The touch of their tongues was like a bomb going off. He kissed her with an urgent, reckless edge that made goose bumps flare on her skin. He stroked her tongue, deepened the kiss, and arousal sang through her.

When he finally pulled back, they were both panting. Liberty touched his shoulders and realized some of that vicious tension in him had eased, replaced by red-blooded desire.

“Feel better?” she asked.

“Not really.” He nudged her with his hard erection. “But if you’re asking if I’m still on the edge…no.”

He slid a hand down her leg, then pulled her thigh away from him. She watched him take a step back, shoring up his control, pulling his “man-in-charge” persona around him like armor.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “This can’t keep happening.”

She touched a hand to his cheek, and he stilled. “Did you enjoy it?”

He made a growling sound. “That isn’t the issue—”

She stroked her nail down his cheek, over lips that had given her so much pleasure. “Yes. It is.”

He sighed. “You are driving me a little bit crazy.”

She grinned now. “Good. I think that’s what you need.”

“You were right.”

“About what?”

“We need to do something to remind everyone that life is worth living.” His gaze traced her face. “I don’t know what kind of magic you wield…but I can’t breathe from wanting you. It certainly takes my mind off other things.”

Pleasure filled her. She fiddled with the buttons on his shirt. “I want you, too.” A sliver of fear snaked through her. She hadn’t wanted a man—not like this—in a very long time. An easy, fun romp was one thing. This…

Well, this was something else entirely.

“I shouldn’t want you,” he said. “Shouldn’t dream about touching you, tasting you…”

“Adam.” She arched into him, her breasts feeling full, her skin flushed.

“But for now, I have to think about the convoy.” There was frustration on his face. “We need to get out of here and think of something to help them all remember that the fight for our freedom is worth it.”

“What do you suggest?” she asked. “I don’t think a party right now is going to work.”

“I have something in mind, but I need to talk to Marcus, first.”

Liberty couldn’t imagine what tough, battle-hardened Marcus could help with, but she trusted Adam. “Okay.”

“And I’ll need your help once we get to the mine.” That groove between his brows appeared, and she wanted to kiss it away.

“You have it.” But she heard his unspoken words. If they got to the mine.

***

It was quiet.

Adam stared out the windscreen. Far too quiet.

They were nearing the mine where they’d spend the night and they hadn’t seen a single alien. Yes, Roth and Tane and their squads were doing an excellent job with their diversions…but this complete absence of problems was making Adam nervous.

He knew it wasn’t only him. He could almost feel the tension throbbing off the entire convoy—clipped voices on the comm, vehicles trying to drive too fast, and even Liberty was gripping the steering wheel tight.

Adam tried to relax. He pressed his head back against the seat, trying to find some calm in the rocking motion of the vehicle.

But even if he succeeded in forgetting the aliens for a moment, thoughts of the woman beside him made him tense. Looking at her, smelling her, remembering that damn kiss. He shifted, willing his hardening cock to settle down. Now wasn’t the time for an erection.

“We’re almost there,” Liberty said.

Her husky voice made Adam close his eyes and swallow a groan. Hell, how was he going to keep his hands off her, if just her voice made him want to drag her into his lap?

“You still aren’t going to give me details on what you have planned to boost morale?” she asked.

No, he was keeping his plans for the convoy a secret. He wanted everyone surprised and pleased, not thinking about their precarious position. “No, you just arrange the things I’ve asked you to arrange…you’ll see soon enough.”

She arched a brow, a faint smile on her lips. “I might have a few surprises for you, too, General.”

Before he could even process that thought, Elle’s voice came across the comm. “General, I’m picking up a faint, single heat signature heading toward the convoy from the side. It’s right near your vehicle!”

There was a blur of something running in front of their truck. “Watch out!”

Liberty cursed and slammed on the brakes. The truck skidded, the wheels screeching on the road. Liberty spun the wheel and Adam pressed a hand to the dash.

“Hold on,” Liberty yelled.

Chapter Eight

The truck stopped, rocking a little on its wheels.

Adam released the breath he’d been holding. “Good job.”

Liberty nodded, looking winded.

Adam looked through the windscreen.

It was a woman. She was rail-thin, huddled in the center of the road. Her clothes were tattered and dirty, and splattered with blood. Her hair was a tangled cloud of brown, and he couldn’t see her face. She stumbled onto her hands and knees.

Adam shoved open the door and reached over and touched the comm. “Squad Six, I need you. Possible survivor just ran out onto the road.”

“On our way,” Marcus replied.

“Stay in the car,” he told Liberty and got out.

He walked slowly toward the woman. Up close, he could see that the blood on her clothes wasn’t fresh. It didn’t look like she was injured. She was staring at the ground.

“Help me.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

“Adam, wait…” Liberty’s voice.

“I said to stay in the vehicle.” He scanned around, searching for any movement.

“Hell Squad is coming,” Liberty said. “Please, wait for backup. This could be a trap.”

All he saw was a terrified, traumatized woman…but the Gizzida had fooled them before. “She needs help.”

The woman lifted her head a little, and even with her eyes staring down at the road, he saw her face. “Adam…help me, please.”

He froze, his muscles locked tight. It was Diane. His ex-wife. “Diane?”

She held out a thin, shaking hand.

She wouldn’t look at him, but it was her. A gaunter, more fragile version of his former wife.

“I was at the Enclave,” she whispered.

Adam’s heart stopped and he took a step forward. “What happened?”

“Everything is…gone.” Her voice broke, and she pressed her face into her hands and started sobbing. “All gone. The aliens came.”

No. Adam had spoken to Nikolai, one of the Enclave leaders, that morning. They’d been fine. It couldn’t… This couldn’t be happening.

Diane’s sobs grew louder and she pressed a hand to her mouth. “I’m all alone.”

The words arrowed into him. He knew loneliness. “No, you aren’t. We’ll help you.”

“Adam.” Liberty’s tone was bordering on desperation.

He forced himself to ignore her concern and knelt beside Diane. He no longer loved her—hell, he wondered if he’d ever loved her—but she’d been an important part of his life once, and he couldn’t let her sit here, broken and alone. Dimly, he was aware of Hell Squad’s Hunter pulling to a stop nearby.

“Let me help.” He held out his hand.

Diane’s head whipped up. And in a fraction of a second, he took in the red raptor eyes and the fact that her face was not quite right—the nose too sharp, the cheekbones too pronounced.

“This is for you, General Holmes,” the woman—the thing—said with a hiss.

She thrust her hand forward, and now he saw claws extending from her fingers. He dodged to the side. She was holding something in her palm.

It was some sort of giant beetle, and it had four slender, dark tentacles waving madly, reaching for him.

Shit. Adam moved again, shoving backward. She aimed for his neck, trying to slap the thing against his skin. He gripped her arms, thrusting his head to the side to avoid the creature. His fingers sank into her skin like she was made of nothing more than thick foam.

What the hell? He wrestled with the raptor-Diane creature, forcing it backward.

Suddenly, something swung into view and slammed into his assailant. It growled, but redoubled its efforts to shove the strange beetle on Adam.

Liberty swung again. Adam realized she was holding a metal crowbar. Her powerful swing wouldn’t have looked out of place in the baseball leagues. She smacked the bar against the alien creature’s head.

The alien hissed again and pulled back. It gave up on reaching his neck and dived at him.

Adam felt a sharp sting on his arm, heard Liberty swear, then Liberty tackled the creature, pushing it off him.

There was the thunder of boots on the pavement, and Adam heard the Hell Squad soldiers swearing. He saw Liberty wrestling with the creature, tossing damn good punches into the alien’s face.

Then he felt pain run up his arm. He looked down.

The beetle thing was clamped around his forearm.

Ignoring the burning pain, he surged up. He had to help Liberty.

Cruz and Marcus appeared beside him. They had their carbines raised.

“Can’t risk a shot without hitting Liberty,” Marcus bit out.

Adam yanked out his laser pistol.

Marcus eyed him for a half a second before nodding. Adam had always been a decent shot, and had used Blue Mountain Base’s firing range when he could.

He strode forward, aiming the pistol. He had to get close enough so he could guarantee he didn’t hurt Liberty as well.

The woman and alien rolled, and he had a perfect view of the creature wearing his ex-wife’s stolen face. He fired.

Liberty jerked back. The raptor creature jerked too. He pulled the trigger again, unloading laser fire into its chest. It stopped moving. Then, the skin shrunk away from it, like ice cream melting in the sun. It left behind a bony, skeletal figure made of a scale-like substance.

Liberty fell backward, staring in horror at the alien.

“Some type of new raptor tech,” Cruz said. Hell Squad surrounded the alien, everyone staring. “It can mimic human forms.”

Adam ignored them and sat beside Liberty. He tugged her into his arms. “You okay?”

She nodded jerkily, but her face was pale and her usually pristine hair was in disarray.

“You’re sure?”

She nodded again.

Adam just held her, not telling her he needed the contact to settle his rattled nerves. He looked up at Hell Squad. “It had the face of my ex-wife.”

The soldiers cursed.

“This isn’t good.” Marcus scowled at the thing on the ground. “It’s some sort of doppelganger.”

“Yes. But it still had raptor eyes, and the copy wasn’t perfect.” Adam tried to calm his racing pulse. “It said it had come from the Enclave. That it had been destroyed.”

Silence fell.

Adam shook his head. “It’s a lie. Have Elle make contact with the Enclave. Check that everything is okay.”

With a nod, Cruz turned, touching his earpiece and murmuring to their comms officer.

“And the thing on your arm?” Hell Squad’s leader asked.

God, in the frenzy, Adam had forgotten. Now the full force of the pain hit, and he grimaced.

“Oh, my God.” Liberty half turned, her hands gripping his forearm. “It wanted to get this on Adam. Marcus, we need Emerson.”

Marcus touched his ear. “Elle, we need the doc.”

Adam shifted slightly. The pain was traveling out of his arm now and into his chest. He felt like his heart rate was speeding up, and his breathing was becoming constricted. But then he realized something worse.

He looked into Liberty’s eyes. “I can’t feel my legs.”

She pressed into his side. “It’s going to be okay. Doc Emerson will sort you out.”

Soon Emerson appeared. Her head nurse, Norah, was with her, carting a large medical box. The doctor knelt, her white lab coat spreading out around her on the pavement.

“Hmm, got something new for me, I see.”

Adam gritted his teeth. Perspiration broke out on his forehead. “Well, I didn’t think you were busy enough.”

Emerson snorted. “Thanks for thinking of me.” She prodded the alien thing with a scalpel, and then held up her small hand-held scanner.

“It had little tentacles, Doc,” Liberty said. “Four of them. And now he can’t move his legs.”

Grimly, Emerson nodded. “I can see the tentacles.” She raised her head. “They’re embedded in your skin, traveling up your veins.”

Adam grimaced.

“I can get it off, but it’ll hurt.” The doctor’s tone was matter-of-fact. “The longer it stays, the more embedded it’ll get. Not to mention, it’ll try to do whatever the hell it is designed to do.”

“What’s that?” Adam managed to get out. The pain was reaching unbearable levels, and his gut was heaving.

“I have no idea,” Emerson replied. “But I’m sure it isn’t nice.”

He squeezed his eyes closed. “Do it.” When he opened his eyes, he saw Emerson share a look with Liberty.

Liberty’s hands tightened on him. He turned to look at her.

And that’s when Emerson cut into the alien bug.

It was like acid pouring into his veins. He gritted his teeth and felt Emerson cutting and tugging at the creature.

The insect-thing squirmed frantically, trying to burrow harder into his arm.

“Goddammit!” he growled.

Liberty’s hands cupped his face. “You’re doing fine. Look at me.”

He couldn’t focus on anything but the pain.

“Look at me.”

There was a snap to her voice and he jerked his gaze to hers. And got trapped by blue eyes.

“That’s it.” She stroked his cheeks. “Just focus on me.”

Actually, that was pretty easy to do. “No…hardship looking at you.”

She smiled. “Charmer. Didn’t know you had it in you, General.”

“Adam.”

“Adam.”

He felt the doctor really pulling, and things sliding inside his arm. Sweat rolled down the side of his temple.

“Think of something else,” Liberty whispered quietly, just for him. “Something that feels good.”

“That’s pretty easy to do.” He kept his eyes locked on hers. He was afraid if he didn’t he’d fold under the pain. “I’ll imagine what I did last night.”

Liberty bit down on her lip. “I’ll imagine it too.” Heat flared in her eyes.

He didn’t care that others were nearby, or that he shouldn’t indulge in this attraction with her. In this moment, it was just him and Liberty, no one else.

The tip of her tongue came out and touched her upper lip, and Adam almost groaned.

“Almost there,” the doctor said, her voice breaking into his thoughts. “You’re doing great.”

The pain cascaded back in on Adam, stiffening his muscles.

“No.” Liberty palmed his cheek and forced him to look her way again. “Just me. Right here.” She pressed her cheek to his, her mouth at his ear. “Remember what we did, me going down on you, sucking that big cock of yours into my mouth.” A hot, dirty whisper.

Damn. Adam jerked.

“Sorry,” the doc said again, completely unaware that she wasn’t to blame.

Liberty kept a tight hold on him, staying in control. Her tongue licked the shell of his ear. “You liked it when you spilled all over my belly, didn’t you?”

Jesus, he was going to get a fucking hard-on while having a damn alien weapon surgically removed from his arm. His life was officially crazy.

All because of one decadent temptress.

“Yes,” he growled.

Her other hand stroked in a soothing movement on his chest. “I liked it too. Just as much as when you had those clever fingers of yours between my legs. I’d like to know what your mouth feels like there, sucking on my clit.”

“Liberty, whatever you’re distracting him with, keep it up,” Emerson said. “I don’t know how he’s enduring this, it has to hurt like hell.”

Adam gave a choked laugh.

He felt Liberty’s lush lips form a smile against his ear. “I want your cock inside me, Adam. Soon. And I don’t want gentle. I want it hard and fast. I want everything you’ve got to give me.”

The alien bug pulled free with a burst of pain, and Adam groaned. But it had nothing to do with the wound on his arm.

“Hello there, you ugly little thing.” Emerson popped the frantically wiggling creature into a hard plastic container and sealed the lid. “I think I know some tech geeks who’ll want to take a close look at you.”

Norah leaned past Emerson and started cleaning Adam’s wound. There were four round, ragged wounds from the tentacles, and in the center was what looked like a burn mark. “We’ll get you patched up good as new, General. Can you feel your legs again?”

He nodded, wiggling his toes. Then he turned to his dirty-talking angel.

When he looked at Liberty’s face, he frowned. She’d gone pale. “Liberty? You okay?”

She frowned. “I feel a bit woozy.”

Norah nodded. “Lots of people get sick at the sight of blood. And that little alien thing is enough to make anyone nauseated.”

Liberty shook her head, the move sluggish. “I really don’t feel well.”

Then she toppled to the side. Adam caught her, lowering her to the ground beside him. When he lifted his hand, he saw it was coated in bright-red blood. “Doc!”

“Goddammit.” Emerson leaned over, tearing at Liberty’s dark cargo trousers.

Adam sucked in a breath. Liberty’s trousers were soaked in blood. The dark color of the fabric had masked it.

“Claws. It’s nicked the femoral artery.” Emerson shook her head, her hands working feverishly. “She’s bleeding out.”

No. Adam leaned over her. “Liberty, you fight, dammit.” He touched her face, hated seeing her so pale, so still. All that spark in her had drained away.

“We need to get her to the med bus. She needs nanomeds.”

Adam scooped her up and stood. “Marcus, get my truck. Lead us to the mine. I’ll be in the med bus.”

“Yes, sir,” Marcus responded.

Adam’s strides chewed up the distance to the med bus, Emerson hovering nearby, putting pressure on Liberty’s wound.

Liberty had to make it. She had to.

Chapter Nine

Liberty woke, disoriented.

Where the hell was she?

She was in a bed, some machine bleeping beside her with a steady, annoying chirp. Her hands clenched on the plain, white blanket, trying to work out what had happened.

Her hand brushed something silky. She looked down and saw a dark head resting on the blanket by her hip.

Adam. He was sitting on a small stool, his head on the bed, one hand on her leg. The tiny bit she could see of his face showed he was fast asleep.

Her chest tightened and she gently stroked his hair.

She’d met some great people at Blue Mountain Base. Courageous survivors, fun girlfriends, sexy, funny guys. She’d made friends and she’d enjoyed healthy, unattached sex with some of the single men. She’d found little glimmers of humor and normality in the dark realities of their new world.

But she had no one to wait by her sickbed. She swallowed the thick lump in her throat. No one who would truly care if she lived or died.

She stroked the brown silk of Adam’s hair again.

He stirred and lifted his head. He blinked, his hair falling over his forehead, a crease from the blanket on his cheek. For a second, he looked younger, perhaps what he’d looked like before he’d taken on the responsibility for so many lives.

He ran a hand over his face and her general appeared, the lines of strain bracketing his mouth, that little groove between his eyebrows she was coming to know so well.

“You’re okay.” He patted her legs, moving up her body.

“I am.” She grabbed his hand. She actually felt the best she’d felt in ages. She suspected the doc had given her nanomeds. The tiny machines raced through the bloodstream, fixing anything they could find. She was filled with energy. “I feel really good.”

He let out a shaky breath. “Good.” He turned his hand, his fingers tangling with hers.

Then she spotted the stark white bandage on his arm. “And the doc looked at this?” She stroked the bandage. “Where that thing was?”

“It’s nothing,” he said.

She shifted into a sitting position. Adam looked out for everyone else, but brushed off any concern for himself. He didn’t appear to realize how important he was to the convoy.

“It’s not nothing. It was a trap, and it was designed for you, Adam.”

His face hardened. “We’re analyzing the alien beetle device and the…doppelganger creature that delivered it.”

Her fingers clenched on his. “It’s a bad sign, though, that they’ve researched your past. They know you make the decisions, that you lead us. They’re getting smarter. They know if they take you out, they strike at the heart of us.”

Adam made a noise. “Hardly. Others would take my place.”

“You singlehandedly created Blue Mountain Base. You curbed the utter chaos of those early days, set up everything we needed. You have good squad leaders, Adam, people who can fight and are smart. But they aren’t you.”

“Let’s talk about you.” He leaned closer, his face inches from hers. “You do not jump between me and a threat, understand?”

She lifted her chin. “I do as I please.”

His hand moved fast, his fingers gripping her chin. “You’ll stay safe, dammit.”

“I had a man try to control me once—”

Adam cursed and released her. “That’s not what I’m doing and you know it.”

She nodded. It was an unfair comparison. Adam Holmes was about as far as you could get from the bastard she’d married. “What was that thing they tried to put on you?”

Adam huffed out a breath. “Noah and his team are dissecting it with some help from Laura.”

If anyone could work it out, it was Noah Kim, the sexy chief geek of the tech team. If he could concentrate working beside Captain Laura Bladon, that was. They had a serious case of the hots for each other, and since they’d hooked up, they could barely keep their hands off each other. Another couple who’d found love in this post-apocalyptic hell.

“They think it’s some kind of mind-control device,” Adam added.

Liberty gasped. “They could have controlled you?”

“Yes.” His face was grim. “And had me send the convoy right to them.”

The possibilities of that scenario were frightening.

“But it’s not going to happen.” He grabbed her hand again, his gaze on their linked fingers. “We made it to the coal mine, so we’re safe for now. And tomorrow, we’ll be at the Enclave.”

A sick feeling filled Liberty. “She…that alien thing said the Enclave was gone.”

Adam shook his head. “I contacted them. We had a bad connection, the aliens are trying to jam all the frequencies in the area, but the Enclave is fine. They’re okay.”

Liberty let out a breath. “Well, then.” She leaned forward. “I’d better get to work on your secret plan to bolster morale.”

“No.” His stern “general” voice came back. “You need to rest.”

She snorted. “I had a dose of nanomeds. I feel better than before that alien bitch slashed me up, and I’m buzzing with energy.” She touched his face, smoothing out that line between his brows. “Besides, those people out there need it.” She touched her thumb to his lips, saw something dark and raw flare in his eyes. “We need it.”

He looked torn. She realized it must be a common situation for him—trapped between decisions.

“Fine. But if you feel lightheaded, or in any way unwell, you’ll sit down.”

“Deal.” Because she couldn’t stop herself, she leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his lips.

His hands jerked up and grabbed her shoulders. With a groan, he deepened the kiss, drinking at her lips.

He pulled back and Liberty felt like her lips were swollen. He was panting a little. “Liberty, you can’t keep teasing me like this.”

“Why not?”

His fingers flexed on her skin. “I only have so much control.”

She moved, turning and swinging her feet over the edge of the bed. “Good.” She let her gaze drift over his face. “Because I don’t want your control. Now go. I need to get ready for this gathering you have planned.”

He raked a hand through his hair, but watched her with an eagle eye as she stood. “See you in an hour.”

***

Adam finished washing up in the small sink in his truck. He’d been to see the boy they’d rescued from the cage—Elijah. The kid was so scared and lost. Luckily one of Emerson’s nurses had taken the boy under her wing. Adam splashed more water on his face, trickles running down his shirtless chest. God, he felt like his bones ached.

A part of him, one he kept deeply buried, understood what Mrs. Marinos had felt today. That part of him felt exactly as she had. That this world was only for the young, the fittest, the ones who could fight and survive.

He stared at himself in the tiny mirror above the sink.

He imagined he could see the restless, angry souls of the humans he’d been forced to kill today in the reflection. He pressed his hands to the sink, his head dropping. The people who’d died at Blue Mountain Base and during the convoy trip. All those people…dead.

There was a quick knock before the door of his truck opened and Liberty appeared.

Seeing her instantly jolted him out of his morose thoughts. The way her gaze drifted over his chest, something warming in her eyes, chased the last of those thoughts away. Desire was a fire in his blood, leaving him feeling very much alive.

“We’re ready,” she said huskily.

Reluctantly, Adam pulled on his white shirt and did up the buttons. But his gaze never left the woman in front of him.

She’d changed as well. She wore dark jeans that slicked over her generous curves, and a clingy, red top that made a hungry man’s gaze want to land in only one spot.

Jesus, get a grip, Adam. “How can you look so good in the middle of an alien invasion?”

She fluffed her hair. “Practice.”

“You make it seem effortless.”

“It isn’t. But it’s important.” She shifted a little. “I was a sales rep for a large consumer goods company…before the invasion. We sold everything—makeup, shampoo, toothpaste. I learned very well to stop listening to what people told me they wanted, and to read the other signs they gave off for what they really wanted.”

“That’s why you’re so good at reading people.”

She shrugged. “Maybe. Anyway, looking and feeling nice gives me a tiny little bit of normalcy in the chaos. I want to give that to other people as well. I used to always do my hair and dress up…before…when I was trapped in my marriage. It helped me feel like a real person, like I wasn’t invisible. It helped me fake some confidence when I had none.” She smiled. “Fake it until you make it. It’s not a bad motto.”

Adam tucked his shirt in, his gaze never leaving her, and stepped out of the truck. “You made it.”

She huffed out a breath. “Some days I wonder.” Her smile reappeared. “But right now, yeah, I feel like I made it.” She grabbed his hand. “Come on. Everything’s ready.”

“You work fast.”

Her smile was pure sex. “Honey, I could say something here but I don’t want to make you blush. And you do blush, General Holmes. It’s kind of cute.”

“I do not.”

“Not your face, but your neck gets flushed, the tendons straining…it’s sexy.”

Adam felt heat in his neck. Dammit.

They made their way out from between some trucks, and Adam took in their latest hidey hole.

It wasn’t pretty. It was a dark cave, some central area of the old mine, with wide tunnels leading off it. They’d driven the convoy vehicles down a ramp to get in here, but he knew they weren’t too far below the surface.

There was some old, dilapidated mining equipment off in one corner. And the walls were ugly. They were a textured gray color, and the tech team had informed him that there was some sort of high-tech shotcrete that had been sprayed on the walls here. It was one of the reasons this area had been chosen for them to shelter in. The special concrete covering added stability, and kept any dangerous gases from the residual coal from building up. Thankfully, this mine had been played out not long before the invasion, so there wasn’t much coal left in here.

Everyone had been warned not to wander off. The mine contained many large, open caverns, full of potential dangers.

As a result, they were all crammed into this space, with their vehicles parked along the perimeter. Everyone sat near their vehicles, looking tired and dejected. It struck at his heart.

He dragged in a deep breath. God, he hoped what he had planned helped.

He noticed a few festive banners strung up and he saw some of the people who worked in the kitchen truck fussing over food on a large, fold-out table. He’d wanted things to look pretty, but in reality, in this dark hole in the ground, the party decorations just looked sad.

“Ready?” Liberty asked.

“I need Marcus before we can start.”

“He’s coming,” she confirmed. “I don’t know what you have planned, but I’ve never seen big, bad Marcus Steele so nervous. Not before a mission, not when facing down an alien, never…but he looks nervous tonight.”

Heavy steps sounded and the man under discussion appeared.

Liberty was right. Marcus looked uncomfortable. His hair was damp, and while he wore his usual well-worn jeans, he’d swapped out his normal T-shirt for a crisp, collared shirt in a fine blue check.

“You’re dressed up.” Liberty straightened Marcus’ collar.

“Yeah.” Marcus looked around. “Thought you said you’d doll the place up before I…did this. Make it a celebration.”

“Liberty’s done what she can.” Adam wished he could offer everyone more. “We don’t have much—”

“Now, wait a second,” Liberty interrupted. She raised a hand and nodded to someone off near the food table.

Lights flicked on.

Thousands of tiny, white fairy lights covered the roof and walls. All around him, people gasped, oohing and ahhing. Off to one side was an area illuminated by round, white paper lanterns, each glowing with a warm golden light. Now he could see a group of people gathered, led by Cruz Ramos, who was holding his guitar. The man nodded, and the small band started up, the lovely strains of something vaguely Latin filling the space.

The cave was transformed.

It had gone from harsh and ugly, to beautiful.

All because of one woman. As he watched the survivors all looking around, some smiling, others laughing, something in his chest eased.

Chapter Ten

Liberty enjoyed the smiles of the survivors, the wonder on their faces. But she liked the shock on Adam and Marcus’ faces more.

Adam grabbed her shoulders and pulled her around to look at him. “You are a miracle worker.”

Damn, she liked hearing that. “We strung up some lights.”

“No, it’s more than that.”

Elle Milton appeared and snuggled into Marcus’ side. “Wow. This looks amazing. Like we’re in a fairy grotto.” She bumped her hip against Marcus. “When you told me we were having a party and to dress up, I wasn’t expecting this.”

Elle was wearing a skirt, something Liberty rarely saw the woman do. She was usually in worn fatigues, ready to support her squad at the sound of the evac siren. But now, she wore a pretty blue skirt and simple top. It had to be a far cry from what the former socialite was used to.

Yet, as she leaned into the big man beside her, the woman looked happy. Loved.

Liberty’s chest got tight. Elle had found it, that elusive thing, and she’d found it in the worst of possible circumstances. Liberty knew she wasn’t built for love, but it didn’t stop her from being envious of people who found it.

“Party hasn’t started yet.” Marcus’ voice was the grittiest Liberty had ever heard. The soldier took in a deep breath, then tugged Elle out into the center of the room, where the lanterns cordoned off the makeshift dance floor.

Uncertain what was going on, Liberty watched, conscious that Adam was still and focused beside her.

Marcus cleared his throat. People turned to look and Elle looked bemused. “I have something to say—”

When the big man fell silent, a hushed anticipation filled the air. Marcus stared at the ground and Liberty wondered if he was actually going to finish whatever the hell this was.

Then she saw Hell Squad appear, standing close to him and Elle. Gabe, Reed, Cruz, Shaw and Claudia. They stood in a solid row, their gazes on the man they trusted to lead them into battle every day.

“Come on, amigo,” Cruz called out. “This is far easier than taking on raptors.”

Marcus mumbled something at his best friend, then heaved in a breath.

“Marcus, what’s wrong?” Elle went up on her toes and touched his face. “Talk to me.”

Marcus shook his head, like a dog shaking off water, then cleared his throat.

“Elle, every day I go out and fight. I wade through the muck, I see the worst of what has happened to our world—”

People around them murmured.

Hmm. Liberty wasn’t sure this is what Adam had been after.

Marcus grabbed Elle’s hand. “But it is so easy for me to put on my armor and pick up my carbine knowing I’m fighting for you.”

Elle’s face softened.

“Even before we got together, I was fighting for you. You are my light in the darkness. I don’t know what I did to deserve your love, but it is the thing I look for every night and the thing I look for every morning when I wake up.”

There were quiet oohs and sighs from the crowd.

Liberty felt her own heart swelling. Marcus wasn’t a man prone to talking a lot or baring his feelings to the world.

Elle’s lips trembled. “Marcus—”

He shook his head, breaking off her murmur. “No, let me finish…or I might not get the words out.” He fumbled in his pocket. “I know the world has gone to hell, and I don’t have anything to offer but myself…” He went down on one knee.

Elle’s free hand flew to her mouth, and the crowd gasped. Liberty saw faces alive with curiosity, wonder, and excitement. A hushed anticipation filled the space.

“You share my bed every night. You tend my wounds. Every damn day, you are on the end of the comms line, leading me out of trouble. Whatever happens in this world, I just don’t care, as long as you’re by my side.” He held up a small box. Liberty wasn’t close enough to see the ring, but the light sparkled and glinted off something she was sure was pretty. “Elle Milton, will you marry me and be mine forever?”

Elle cupped his face. “I’m already yours, Marcus. I always have been. But yes, I would love to be your wife.”

Marcus heaved out a breath and in one swift move was back on his feet. He swept Elle into his arms. Liberty watched them kiss, a deep embrace that edged on rough. No sweet, proper kisses for Marcus Steele. But it was so easy to see it was fueled by love and an intense desire that made her heart tap against her breastbone.

All around, the convoy survivors cheered. A few people were hugging and kissing. But most importantly, on every face, she saw happiness and hope. She even spotted Mrs. Marinos sitting with some others, her face wreathed in smiles. Marcus and Elle were Hell Squad, and Hell Squad was another part of the glue holding this rag-tag group together.

After Marcus let Elle up for air, he slipped the ring onto her finger. The other members of Hell Squad moved forward, slapping Marcus on the back and tugging Elle in for kisses. Shaw took his time giving Elle a kiss, earning a growl from Marcus and a slap on the back of his head from Claudia. Then the charming sniper spun, yanked Claudia into his arms and laid a really long, deep kiss on her.

It was fascinating to see such a tough and capable woman melt under the impact.

“Well done, Adam.” Liberty glanced sideways at the man who’d orchestrated this all. “You did it.”

His gaze hit hers. “It was your idea.”

“Yes, it was. In fact, I think you owe me a dance for that.”

He frowned. “I don’t dance.”

She pressed a hand to his arm, squeezed. “You will tonight.” With that, she spun and raised her voice. “Everyone, there is food to celebrate. The culinary wizards in the kitchen truck have outdone themselves tonight.” She waved at the food tables. “Go. Enjoy.”

At that moment, the band started up again.

People drifted to the food table, others to the dance floor. Some just stayed sitting together, laughing and talking, smiling at the festivities.

It was perfect.

It didn’t matter that the walls were rock, or the floor compacted dirt, or that they were tired and on the run.

Many of them were still watching Elle and Marcus. Elle had coaxed her soldier onto the dance floor. He was barely moving, but he had his arms around her as she danced, his gaze glued to her face.

“A part of me still can’t believe we’re doing this,” Adam muttered.

She raised a brow.

“On the run, aliens hunting us down, and we’re having an engagement party.” He shook his head. “Just a bit crazy.”

She nudged him with her hip. “It makes us human. You think the Gizzida are out there enjoying themselves, laughing, loving? Nope. And it will be their downfall.” She grabbed his hand. “Come on, General Holmes, I’m claiming my dance.”

With great reluctance, he headed out with her onto the dance floor.

A few people hooted and called out.

They swung together, and Liberty got a hint of that body that had driven her wild. She wanted that deep well of focus on her again. She felt a little like an addict, with this craving. It was so different, compared to all her past encounters with men.

Adam swayed to the beat, his arms closing around her. Liberty pressed into him. It was a jaunty, fun song, made for dancing. “See. It doesn’t hurt.”

“I didn’t say I couldn’t dance,” he grumbled. “Just that I don’t. It isn’t right for a general, a leader, to be out fraternizing.”

She rolled her eyes. “I am going to break you of this habit of keeping yourself separate from everyone if it kills me.”

His hands tightened on her, his grip almost painful. “Don’t talk about dying.”

The intensity in his eyes made her breath catch. “You’re right. Tonight is all about living.”

As Liberty let herself fall into the music and the faint musk of Adam, she realized he was still tense. Like he just didn’t know how to let go and relax.

Her general might not be aware of it, but Liberty had just secretly declared war on him.

Tonight, he’d let go, relax, and feel pleasure…and she was planning to win this private war.

***

Around Adam, people bopped and jived. Shaw and Claudia were dancing with Selena. The alien woman was concentrating hard on learning the dance steps, but she was smiling. But Marcus wasn’t jiving…and neither was Gabe Jackson. Doc Emerson had dragged her man out onto the dance floor. He was barely moving, but the doc was bumping and grinding beside him. The big man’s face said he wasn’t that upset about the situation.

Adam wasn’t either. As he moved with Liberty, letting the Latin music soak into his system, he felt his muscles relaxing, one by one.

Every now and then, Liberty would look up and laugh, pure joy on her face. He resisted the urge to pull her in closer.

Liberty Lawler wasn’t for him. She was too full of life, too much fun. She’d be bored with him before too long. Hell, Diane—who’d been staid, sensible, and conservative—had gotten bored with him.

But he was going to enjoy this moment, this dance. He’d soak up all the good bits and pull them out when he needed them. On those dark nights, alone, when the whispers of the dead haunted him.

Adam swallowed. He felt the dark thoughts pressing against him even now.

He looked at his people. Laughing, eating, dancing.

It was worth it. He shouldered the darkness, so they didn’t have to. So they didn’t have more stains on their souls and extra hardship to deal with.

“Hey.” A hand on his cheek. “Where have you gone?” Liberty’s blue eyes were on him.

“Sorry.” He shook his head, picking up the music again.

“General.” Roth Masters and his partner, Avery, brushed past, and Roth pushed a glass into Adam’s hand.

An honest-to-God crystal tumbler—a rarity in these days of plastic from the kitchen truck. The glass held an amber liquid. “What’s this?”

“Liberty ordered it for you.” With a wink, Roth grabbed Avery and twirled her into the dancing crowd.

Liberty was grinning. “Try it.”

Adam took a sip and groaned. “Single malt Scotch Whiskey. Where the hell did you get this, and how did you know it was my favorite?”

She moved closer, her hands on his chest. “I told you, I have my ways. Enjoy.”

He did. He enjoyed the smooth, strong burn of the whiskey as he sipped it, and the pleasure of her curves pressed against him. As she swayed to the beat, her breasts brushed his chest, her thighs rubbing against his.

Adam took a hasty last sip of his drink. It did nothing to ease the raw desire clawing at his gut.

Liberty whisked the empty glass away, handing it off to somebody. The music changed, turned more sultry, sexier. A beat that made you think of hot, sweaty bodies and raw, primal sex.

Cruz wasn’t on the guitar any more. Instead, he had a good hold on his partner, Santha, and they were moving smoothly to the beat, dancing the salsa. Cruz was leading, clearly the more experienced dancer, but Santha was following his lead. They’d swing out, then back in, their bodies fitted together like two pieces of a puzzle. They ground against each other, Cruz leaning her back, sweeping her upper body around in a half circle.

“Damn, they look sexy,” Liberty said.

“You like the salsa?” Adam asked.

She laughed. “I like the look of it, but I don’t know how to do it.”

He didn’t let himself think. He grabbed her and pulled her close, his thigh sliding between hers.

Her eyes widened. That same look she’d had on her face that night in his truck when she’d taken his clothes off. “You know how to salsa?”

“I took dance lessons as a kid. My mother was hoping I’d learn the waltz. They threw in a few other dances I never told her about.”

He pushed her out, moving his hips to the beat. She laughed again, looking at her feet.

Adam pulled her close again. “No. Watch my face. And follow my lead.”

“I have been…for a year and a half. You’ve never steered me wrong.”

Her words seeped under his skin, along with the sexy music and the feel of this woman.

He pulled her into the dance, thigh brushing against thigh, his arms tight around her. He pushed her back, running his hand from her slim neck down the delicious center of her. Dimly, he was aware of people cheering and calling out.

The desire in his gut burned hot, twisting tighter. This need, this burn for her was driving him out of his mind.

When the music ended, he pulled her hard up against his chest. They were both breathing hard, a fine sheen of perspiration on their skin.

“Wow.” She licked her lips. “That’s all I can manage.” She lowered her voice. “Better take a bow.”

She pulled away and did a grand bow. The crowd cheered again. Adam managed a nod, hoping no one noticed the tight bulge in his pants.

The next song started. This was something slower, but still sexy, sensual.

Instantly, Liberty leaned back into him, pressing her face to his chest. She breathed deeply, like she couldn’t get enough of his scent. His cock twitched. Helpless against the pull of her, he wrapped his arms around her again.

One last dance. He’d let himself have that before he escaped to his truck.

As they gently swayed, she made a humming noise in her throat.

Around them, people returned to their small groups, chatting and eating. Others found partners, and suddenly, the dance floor was packed.

Adam pressed his face to Liberty’s hair. It smelled faintly of strawberries. He breathed it in. Memorizing it.

The song ended, and Adam dredged up his control. “I have to go.”

“What?” She lifted her head.

“I’ve had a great time. You were right, I needed this just as much as everyone else…but I have work to do—”

She frowned. “Brooding to do, you mean.”

Adam gritted his teeth and gently, but firmly, pushed her away. “I can’t do this, Liberty.”

She thrust her hands on her hips. “Adam, you need to have something to live for, too. You have to balance out the hard with some good.”

“I’m doing fine—”

“Bullshit. Everyone who knows you knows you’re balanced on a very fine edge. Just let yourself feel!”

“I do.” The words snapped out of him. He lowered his tone. “I feel the guilt, the pressure, the remorse, the grief. I fucking drown in it every day.”

Emotions flickered over her face. “That only proves my point.” The heat of anger was gone. “Those emotions will break you in time. You need hope and happiness, as well as pleasure.”

Air sawed in and out of Adam’s chest. He couldn’t form the right words to tell her that he didn’t deserve any of that.

She stared at him, her blue eyes taking him in. Then she reached out and grabbed his hand.

“Come with me,” she said quietly.

He was so torn…between what he should do, and what he wanted so desperately he could barely breathe.

When she pulled him off the dance floor, he followed.

Chapter Eleven

Adam didn’t let himself think.

He just followed Liberty as she led him down a side tunnel.

“No one is allowed to wander into the tunnels—”

She shot him a glance over her shoulder. “Well, looks like you’ll get the chance to be a little naughty, General.” She smiled. “We aren’t going far.”

She turned and Adam saw the glow of light ahead. She turned again and pulled him into a small alcove located off the side of the tunnel.

He sucked in a breath. It had obviously been used to store items when the mine was active. There was still a stack of metal pipes against the back wall, resting on a wooden pallet.

But it was what Liberty had done that took his breath away.

There were candles everywhere. They lined the base of the rock walls, and sat across the top of the pipes. The flames flickered like crazy, giving the small space a warm glow. In the center of the alcove was a nest of blankets and pillows. Off to the side sat a half-full bottle of Scotch, the amber liquid glowing in the light, and two crystal glasses beside it.

“When…how…?” His heart was pumping hard.

Liberty pulled her shirt over her head. Her skin was golden in the candlelight.

“Just stop fighting, Adam.”

His hands curled into fists. The torment was huge. He should be back in his truck, doing…something important. Something to benefit the convoy. Not indulging himself with a woman who was his every desire and sin personified.

She shucked off her jeans and stood there in two tiny scraps of emerald lace. “I want you.”

Those quiet, honest words broke him.

Adam fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around her. He pressed his face to her belly, slipping his hands up her smooth back.

Her hands tangled in his hair.

“Stop thinking,” she murmured. “Just feel.”

He was going to show her just how much he wanted her. How much he admired every part of her. Not just her curvy, gorgeous body, but her love of life, her relentless and quiet need to take care of others, and her confidence to enjoy all the things she loved.

He reached behind her for the clasp of her bra and undid it, the garment falling to the ground.

Adam cupped her breasts, enjoying the breathy sound she made. He kneaded the full curves, watching her face for what she liked best.

He pressed a kiss to her soft belly. God, her skin, the feel of her…perfect.

He dragged his hands down, stroking, caressing. She stood still, trembling a little, a flush on her face.

Then he gripped the edge of her lace panties and pushed them to the side. He could already smell her arousal, feel a tremble running through her.

It thrilled him. He knew she was a woman comfortable with finding her own pleasure, experienced with sex, but still she responded to him in a way that made it clear she was as lost in this moment as he was.

“Open for me, Liberty.” He exerted a tiny bit of pressure on her thigh.

She widened her stance.

“That’s it,” he murmured. “I want to see you.”

He skimmed one finger through her damp folds, making a humming sound. God, she was stunning.

“Adam—”

“You should see how wet you are.” He stroked her, feeling the slippery evidence of her desire. “All this, just for me.”

Adam pulled his hand back and looked up at her. She was every man’s dream, luscious curves and hidden strength. He licked his fingers.

She jerked a little, her gaze riveted as he licked her honey off his fingers.

“You taste so good.”

“And you are far too damn sexy.”

No one had ever called him sexy before. He slid his hands back between her thighs, sliding a finger deep inside her.

She moaned, lifting up on her toes.

“Do you like that?” he murmured.

Her hands gripped his shoulders, her fingernails digging in. He knew before the night was over, he’d have more scratches to join the marks she’d already left.

“You know I do. But I want—” her breath hitched “—more.”

Adam pulled out and slid two fingers back in. “That better?”

Her blue eyes were drowning in desire. “You know what I want.”

Yeah, and it undid him to know she wanted his cock lodged deep inside her. But he wasn’t going to rush this. He knew this night would have to last him a long, long time. He wanted to savor every moment, cherish every beautiful inch of her.

He pulled his fingers out and slid his thumbs in the sides of her underwear. He pushed them down and she stepped out.

He pulled her down and pushed her back onto the bed of blankets.

She raised her arms above her head, stretched out like a naked, private offering.

She knew exactly what she looked like. The smile on her lips was sultry and her gaze never wavered from him.

“Lose the shirt,” she said. “Please.”

Adam quickly unbuttoned his shirt, surprised he didn’t fumble. He pulled it out of his trousers and shrugged it off.

Now she was busy looking at his chest, soaking him in.

In that moment, Adam didn’t feel like a modern Army general. He felt like a primitive warlord of old, with his spoils of war laid out before him.

“You are so damned beautiful, Liberty.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

She’d heard it before, he realized. People had praised her beauty and it didn’t mean anything to her. He wrapped his fingers around one of her ankles, pulling her a little closer to him. He slid his hands up her leg, drinking in the feel of her skin.

“I don’t just mean the lush body, the pretty breasts and the perfect face.” He walked his fingers up her belly, enjoying when she sucked in a breath. “I also mean the things people don’t always notice about you. The way you care for others, anticipate their needs, the way you don’t just want your own pleasure but others’ as well.”

Her lips parted and she just stared at him.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her sternum, right between her breasts. He pressed his kisses upward, sucking gently on her collarbone.

Her fingers slid into his hair, tugging slightly, her body shifting restlessly under his.

Now he moved to one glorious breast, sucking the dark nipple into his mouth.

“Oh—” Her fingers tugged on his hair again.

He released her nipple with a soft pop. He moved across to the other, circling the tight nub with his tongue. “I could do this all night. Kiss, lick and suck you.”

“Tease.”

He saw the dazzled look in her eyes and he frowned, wondering where it came from. “Why do you look so surprised? That I could gorge myself on you, lick every inch of your skin, stroke my cock until I spilled all over these magnificent breasts?”

“Adam…” She shook her head, trembling again. “No one…sex is usually fast, fun…not this.”

No one took their time with her. She didn’t take her time. In a sudden explosion of thought, he realized for all her enjoyment of sex, she didn’t let a man explore her like this. Uncover all her soft places and hidden secrets.

Well, Adam was a patient man, an excellent strategist. He liked knowing every inch of the battlefield before he made his final move.

He pressed his mouth to her belly. “I promise, this won’t be fast, Liberty. In fact, it’ll be very, very slow.”

***

“Yes, Adam, yes.”

Liberty’s hands curled into the blankets beneath her. Adam’s tongue moved along the sensitive groove between her thigh and body. Then he drew back a little and blew on the damp trail he’d left.

“Oh.” Goose bumps broke out over her skin. He was driving her out of her mind with the overload of sensations. A flutter of light kisses across her belly, a hard suck on her hip bone, the firm press of his fingers on her thigh.

No one had ever touched her like this. So slow, deliberate and absorbed.

When she’d dragged him off the dance floor, she’d envisioned riding him hard, in a fast, sweaty ride they both would have loved.

But this…it left her realizing just how starved she’d been for someone to truly see her, touch her, savor her.

By the intense look on his face, the occasional brush of his hard cock against her leg, she knew he was enjoying this as much as she was.

He was nipping at her thigh, then paused. He went so still and when she looked down, she realized what he was looking at.

She jerked, but his hands held her fast.

“What happened?”

The small, silvery scars were so faded she barely noticed them anymore. She sucked in a breath.

“Liberty…” He gently kissed each mark, following the trail up. When he spotted more on her belly, his face hardened. “Tell me.”

She swallowed. “My ex. He beat me with a belt. The buckle end.”

Something scary flashed over Adam’s face. “I hope he got what he deserved.”

“I was more interested in getting away and finding what I deserved.”

He brought his lips down, over her belly. “What was that?”

She arched under him, her voice breathless. “Pleasure. Fun. A life.”

“Pleasure.” He sucked on her skin and she gasped. “Let’s see what we can do about that.”

Then he pulled back and pushed her knees wide apart, baring her completely to his fevered view. She licked her lips, knew what was coming, but she felt the strangest urge to squirm.

“I am so hard just looking at you, Liberty.” He slid both hands up her thighs, then they slid under her, cupping her ass. “Now, look at me.”

She did and watched as he lifted her. The look on his face held her spellbound. This. This was what she was quickly becoming addicted to—this intense focus of his.

His fingers tightened on her. “Look at me.”

She did, couldn’t look away, the desire in her a firestorm.

Without looking away from her, he pressed his mouth to her and sucked her clit into his mouth.

The naughty view, the sensations, they were shattering. Liberty bit down on her lip, never looking away from his focused blue eyes.

As he lapped and sucked on her, her skin grew hotter, her muscles trembling. There was no sign of the strait-laced general she’d known the last year and a half. This man was someone else altogether.

He kept working her, relentless. She felt the scrape of his five o’clock shadow on her inner thighs. Every moan and cry she made seemed to enflame him. Everything in her body was tightening, her arousal a roaring rush of sensation. She didn’t think she could take any more.

“That’s it,” he murmured against her clit. “Give it to me.”

God. With that, an orgasm like she’d never experienced before crashed over her. Her head fell back, her spine arching, and she screamed his name, the sound echoing around their private haven.

Adam held her through it all. She felt his hands on her, keeping her from simply floating away.

“I’ve got you.” A kiss to her belly. “I’m here.”

Once she caught her breath, her body one big, languid mass of laziness, she looked up. While she was nestled in the blankets, he was still kneeling above her. The veins in his neck were standing out, his muscles strained. His lips still glistened with her juices.

“You back?” he asked.

She nodded. “I think so.”

“Good.” He let her go and stood.

A knot formed in Liberty’s throat. As he loomed above her, he undid his belt and trousers with slow, deliberate movements. He kicked them off and then stood there, naked, aroused and so very male.

Her belly clenched.

In one move, he lowered himself and covered her. He shifted and the thick, mushroom-shaped head of his cock rubbed between her legs. Liberty lifted her hips, needing him.

He entered her, one inch, two inches. There was a feeling of full pressure as he stretched her.

Then he made a harsh sound, grabbed her hips, and slammed inside her.

“Oh.” She arched her back, full of him.

He cursed. “I’m sorry. I’m big. I should have been more careful.” He moved back a little and she felt his body shaking. “You just feel so damn good—”

“Adam.” She lifted her hips up but he pulled out, until just the head of his cock was lodged inside her.

“Yes.” His big body trembled above her.

“Shut up.”

Then, in one perfect thrust, he filled her with his cock.

She moaned and circled her legs around his waist. She was already swollen from coming, and he was so thick, so long.

He pulled out, thrust in, and then repeated the motions again and again. He lowered himself down onto her, nestling between her thighs. His mouth found hers, and she poured everything into the kiss.

Liberty looked into his face. His eyes glittered with heat, staring deep into hers. She wondered if he saw all of her, every little thing, whether she wanted to share it or not. But what she liked was that she felt like he was giving her a part of himself.

“So. Damn. Good.” He ground the words out.

She slid a hand down between their slick bodies. She touched tensed muscles and damp skin, and then she felt where he was driving into her. She liked being joined with him, only the two of them. She liked it a lot. The feel of her body wrapped around his hard cock, that thick part of him stretching her, was too much. She moved her finger again, brushed her over-sensitized clit and another orgasm hit her without warning.

He groaned, his thrusts gaining speed. As Liberty’s body arched and shook beneath him, he kept powering into her.

Then his mouth slid to her temple and he thrust his cock deep. He jerked, groaning her name as he came inside her.

Liberty lay panting, Adam’s heavy body lax on hers. In that moment, she didn’t care about the past or present. Or the other people back in the main cavern, not too far away from them, or even the damn aliens.

There was only her and Adam.

Chapter Twelve

Liberty woke, a little unsure where she was and not sure what had woken her. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and her gaze focused on the gutted, burned-out candles nearby. A few still flickered, giving some muted light.

A hard male body was pressed beside her.

She knew in an instant it was Adam. The feel of him, the scent of him was imprinted on her senses.

He was tossing, jerking a little. Having a nightmare.

She sat up, reaching for his shoulder. “Adam?”

He jerked awake. With a muttered curse, he sat up, giving her his back.

She watched the candlelight make his skin glow, but his muscles were strained. He pressed his head into his hands.

“Adam—”

“Those people, trapped in that cage…they’re dead. On my orders.”

She heard the pain, the grief. This was what nobody saw from the man who led them. This was the man who shouldered so many burdens so they could all sleep at night.

“The aliens killed them, not you.”

He let out a long breath. “Go back to sleep. I’m sorry I woke you.”

She plastered herself to his back. She felt him stiffen and he reached up and grabbed her arms, ready to push her away. She held on tighter. He was the king at pushing people away, or rather, never letting them close in the first place.

It made her realize she was pretty darn good at letting people close…but only so far, and only for a moment. She was friends with everyone, but close to no one.

God, they were two peas in a pod.

But now, she wasn’t letting him push her away.

“I’m not leaving. I’m not taking the easy option so I can sleep. Let me help you shoulder this.” She held him tighter. “I’m here, Adam. For you.”

He shuddered under her touch. “It isn’t just those people. At Yeranderie we lost people. I fucking let Claudia sacrifice herself to save us all. And people still died.”

“Claudia’s fine. And the rest of us got away because of you and the squads. There is nothing more you could have done. For any of the people who died.”

His hands tightened on hers. “All those people dead, and here I am enjoying myself. Feeling pleasure I don’t deserve.”

Here was the real crux of the problem, and it hurt her heart.

“Stupid man.” She pressed her face against his. “You do deserve it. You work so hard and sacrifice so much…but you know what? None of that matters. When I was in my darkest place, when my ex had driven me down to my lowest place, I didn’t even think I deserved to live, let alone feel good, or feel pleasure.”

With a growl, Adam yanked her around into his lap. He cupped her face. “That is bullshit.”

“I know that now.” She traced his handsome face with her gaze, then touched a finger to his firm lips. “I realized we deserve love and pleasure, no matter who we are, or what we’ve done. We all deserve it.”

He looked torn.

Her poor, tortured general. Suddenly, Liberty realized that sometimes, actions spoke louder than words.

She leaned forward and sank her teeth into his shoulder.

He growled and it fired the desire flickering in her belly. She felt his body go tense beneath her.

But this time it wasn’t the strain of burden and torment. It was the tension of desire and need.

She bit him again, a little harder, and she felt his cock swell beneath her. Hmm. Maybe her general liked it a little rough. Maybe he needed it a little rough. To unleash all that dark emotion he was drowning in.

She bit the side of his neck, sucking hard, pressing her nails into his back.

He made a sound in his throat and a second later, he moved, tossing her back onto their makeshift bed on her hands and knees.

Liberty gasped.

Before she could really focus on what was happening, Adam gripped her hips hard. She knew she’d have bruises shaped liked his hands in the morning.

Desire was a fierce shock to her system.

She looked back over her shoulder and studied the raw, hard look on his face. This was Adam fully unleashed. Her belly contracted.

“I’m going to take you hard, Liberty. It’ll be rough.” One of his hands moved, stroking the skin at her hip. “Tell me you aren’t afraid.”

He was stroking her scars. Her belly clenched. “I’d never be afraid of you, Adam.”

With a groan, he pulled her hips back. With one hand, he stroked between her buttocks, moving down to rub the warm, wet heat of her.

Yes. She pushed back. Ready, eager for more. A small cry exploded out of her.

He reached out and pushed her head down. Liberty bent her elbows, resting her cheek on her arms. Edgy anticipation was a hot fizz in her blood.

His body covered hers, she felt the brush of the hair on his thighs against the back of hers, the hard steel of his stomach on her back and his left arm curved around hers.

She was trembling now. No man had ever left her like this, teetering on the edge of desire, desperate for whatever came next.

He didn’t give her any warning. A second later, he used his free hand to run the head of his cock against her. Then he pushed inside her with one large thrust.

“Oh.” She moved forward under the weight of him. She was so full, so stretched.

“So damn good.” A hot, urgent murmur.

Her fingers curled around his arm, digging into his forearm.

Then he pulled out and thrust again. She rocked back and forth, adjusting to the size of him and his unstoppable rhythm.

She’d never felt so deliciously controlled, so at the sexual mercy of a man, with all his ruthless focus on her pleasure and his. The pleasure built—edgy, paralyzing—a torment she wasn’t sure she could endure much longer. She needed to come, wanted to come.

But Adam kept up his hard, rough pace, his body slapping against hers.

“Adam…please…I can’t take any more.”

He slammed into her again. “You will. You can.”

She was making small, breathy sounds now, riding the tormenting edge of arousal, but not yet finding her release. His big body moved within her, and her heart was thundering in her chest.

Then she felt his right hand slide beneath her. A second later, she felt the firm pressure of his thumb against her engorged clit.

With a throaty cry, she came. Hard. The wild force of her orgasm was like a violent storm. As she felt her body clamp down on his, she turned and sank her teeth into the straining muscles of his forearm.

He made a matching sound, his hips flexing as he filled her again. His hot mouth touched her shoulder, then she felt the brutal sting of his teeth as he bit her.

With one final, violent pump, he convulsed, emptying himself inside her.

***

Adam had never felt so wrecked.

He fell into the blankets, pulling Liberty’s lax body into his arms.

He felt empty, clear…for a second. Then the guilt flooded in.

He’d taken her so roughly. He’d let all that ugly blackness in him rise up, and instead of wrestling with it as he always did, he’d let it run him.

He stroked her hair off her face, worried that she was so quiet. He cleared his throat. “Are you okay?”

She made a small sound. “Okay cannot describe what I’m feeling right now.”

Her voice was husky, and she didn’t sound angry. Still… “I was too rough, I could have hurt you—”

She rolled, rearing up above him, her body flush to his side. “Adam, quit trying to save everybody for just one second. I feel the best I’ve felt in a long time. A super sexy general, who’s been hiding a whole lot under his starched uniforms, just fucked the hell out of me. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

He blinked, trying to take that all in.

She smiled and sat up, reaching for the bottle of Scotch beside their makeshift bed. As she poured a few fingers in each glass, he just stared at her. She looked so incredibly gorgeous, sitting there, naked in the candlelight. She was far beyond any fantasy woman he might have tried to conjure up.

And right now, she was his.

He wanted to keep her. Adam breathed deeply, shocked at the thought. Finding a woman, a partner, a lover, someone to fall in love with, had not been on his agenda at all. Before the invasion, he’d written it off completely.

Before the invasion, he’d failed in his marriage and he’d been married to his work. Since the invasion, he hadn’t had the time.

But since Liberty Lawler had burst through his defenses, now he was wanting things he’d never, ever thought he’d want.

Seeing beneath her beauty and her smile, he saw a woman who was right for him. A woman he admired, who could stand beside him in the dark and bring the light.

“Here you go.” She handed him a glass. Then she clinked hers against his. “Here’s to sexy, dedicated generals, and no more nightmares.”

He sipped the fine liquor, enjoying the flavor. Although it didn’t compare to the sweet tastes of Liberty. “Here’s to smart, resourceful, beautiful women and pleasure.”

She smiled at him over the rim of her glass. “Now that is something worth drinking to.”

“I am sorry I was rough…”

She screwed up her nose. “I liked it. Don’t want to hear any more about it.” Her smile turned from mischievous to sensual. “Unless it’s to tell me you want to do it again.”

God, he hoped she didn’t lose interest in him too soon. He knew he’d never hold her for long, but he’d gorge himself on her in the meantime. “Soon.”

“Mmm.” She sipped her drink again, and something flared in her eyes. “You’re right, my sexy general. I think it’s time for something a bit different.”

She pushed against his chest, urging him back into the blankets. He let her, watching as she took his glass and set it aside.

When she climbed astride him, Adam felt his cock thicken.

“This time it’s my turn to take you.” She tilted her glass, spilling the amber liquid on his belly.

Adam gasped, his muscles clenching. She leaned down and lapped at the fluid.

“You’ll take every bit of pleasure I have to give you.” She looked up his body. A bewitching siren. “Because you deserve it. Say it. Because I deserve it.”

“Because we both deserve it,” he managed.

She smiled and licked his skin again, moaning a little. “That’ll do. Now, General Holmes. You just lie there and enjoy what I do to you.”

“And what’s that?” His voice was low, deep and barely understandable.

“My plan is to lick all this off your fine skin, then climb up here on your cock and ride us slowly to oblivion.” She raised a brow, her nails scratching over his abs. “What do you think of my planning skills?’

“Impressive.” Then Adam gave up thinking, and just let himself enjoy her.

***

Liberty leaned into the cab of Adam’s truck, cleaning out a few stray food wrappers and empty water bottles. It was morning, or so she’d been told. Deep inside an underground mine, it was hard to tell.

While she hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep, she felt rested. She smiled to herself. And for the second half of the night, Adam had slept like a rock. No tossing, no turning no nightmares.

He’d woken her far too early, but since he’d woken her by slipping his cock inside her while they spooned in their blankets, and gently rocked them both to heaven, she wasn’t complaining. After that, he’d gotten up to go and do general things, while she’d grabbed an extra forty minutes of sleep.

Now she was dressed and ready to get to the Enclave. Her stomach hardened like a rock. God, she just wished they were there already. It wasn’t far, just a few kilometers away, but it felt like they had to cross the entire country to get there.

She forced herself to focus on the destination, not the journey. She’d think of the Enclave, and finally having Adam Holmes naked in a bed. Hmm. And maybe a bath. Avery and Roth had been there, and Avery had waxed lyrical about the bathtubs. Liberty missed bubble baths.

“Good morning.” Strong arms wrapped around her. “What are you thinking about?”

She pressed herself into Adam. “Bubble baths. And how much I miss them.” She turned to look at him.

Heat flared in his eyes. “I can picture you in nothing but bubbles.”

“I hear the Enclave has bathtubs.”

“So they do.” His eyes turned a little serious. “We’ll be there by the end of the day.”

She nodded, really wanting to believe. “Absolutely.”

He looked so good. His hair was damp. He’d no doubt used one of the temporary showers they had rigged up. His navy-blue polo shirt and chinos made him look like he’d stepped out of some gentlemen’s magazine advertising summer-casual wear.

Then his gaze narrowed and he tugged at the collar of her white shirt. “Is this my shirt?”

She’d nabbed it from his truck. “Maybe.”

Heat flared in his blue eyes. “I’ll want it back.”

She bit her bottom lip. “Later.”

He crowded her against the side of the truck. “You know I have a hickey.”

Her gaze zoomed to his neck and her eyes widened at the round bruise. She pressed her tongue to her teeth. “Oh.”

“And this.” He raised his arm and clearly visible on his forearm was a perfect red imprint of her teeth.

“I have a few marks of my own, General.” She’d caressed every patch of stubble burn, finger imprint, and bruise as she’d gotten dressed this morning.

He stared at her shirt, like he wished he could see through it. “Yes, safely hidden under your clothes.”

“But now you know they’re there.”

“Witch.” He pulled her closer by the neck of his shirt. “And everyone will know where mine are.”

“I’d say I’m sorry…” She tried not to laugh.

“You don’t sound sorry.”

“Because I’m not. People are not going to be shocked you have sex, Adam.”

He cocked his head. “Is that all we did?”

Liberty’s belly clenched. “We’re having fun. Enjoying ourselves.” She couldn’t let herself get too attached to him. Even if silly dreams of something else tickled the edges of her mind.

No. She was a realist. Her disaster of a marriage had taught her that. Her ex-husband had taught her with every slap of his belt.

If you sold yourself lies, you only got hurt. Sometimes badly.

She forced a smile and dusted off Adam’s shoulders. “You’re already too serious as it is.”

“And you hide your true feelings under taking care of everyone else.”

She blinked, her breath catching for a second. Then she made a scoffing sound. “Hello? Pot, kettle, black.”

He made a frustrated growl and kissed her.

Every cell in her body flared to life. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, opening her mouth and stroking her tongue against his.

Oh, yes, he was addictive. Every time he kissed her, she wanted more.

When they pulled back, they were both breathless.

“That is something,” he murmured.

“Lust, Adam. Desire.” She forced the words out.

He gripped her chin. “Yes. That. But it’s fueled by something else—”

“See! I told you.”

The female voice nearby made them both start.

As Adam pulled away, Liberty pressed her palms to the truck, hoping her jelly knees would hold her up.

A few meters away, Elle, Emerson, and Santha stood watching them, all three ladies grinning from ear to ear.

Chapter Thirteen

Adam tried to get his brain firing. He didn’t let go of Liberty, though…he needed her as a shield for his hard erection.

He cleared his throat. “Ladies, can I help you?”

Elle’s eyes were wide, a smile flirting around her lips. “Don’t mind us.”

Emerson snorted. “Well, I was coming to give you an update on the boy we rescued yesterday, and the other patients in the med bus…but I guess this isn’t a good time.”

Santha was smiling. “I told you they were doing it.”

Emerson nodded. “Totally.”

Elle grinned now. “I think after last night, anyone with eyes can tell they’re doing it.” Her gaze narrowed. “And is that a hickey on your neck, General?”

Adam was at a loss for words.

Then Liberty started laughing.

He nudged her. “This isn’t funny.”

“Yes, it is. Loosen up, Adam.”

Emerson took a step closer, the doctor’s intent gaze on his face. Then she nodded and looked at Liberty. “Keep up the good work. He needed to get laid.”

Adam choked.

Liberty sniffed. “I am not a prescription, Doc.”

“Maybe not,” Emerson agreed. “But for our esteemed general, I think you’re just what the doctor ordered.” Emerson gave Adam a pat on the shoulder.

He guessed she meant it to be comforting, but he didn’t feel comforted. What was the rest of the convoy going to think? Would they worry he wasn’t focused on their safety?

Liberty straightened, thankfully changing the subject. “Elle, may I see your ring?”

“Sure.” The comms officer held out her hand.

Liberty gripped her fingers. “It’s beautiful.”

It was pretty. Adam had bought a plain diamond solitaire in a gold band for Diane. The jeweler had assured him it was a popular, classic style, and a good investment.

“Marcus found it in the wreckage of a jeweler’s shop,” Elle said, her face going soft. “He found it before we even got together.”

Back when the man had been fighting his attraction to his pretty comms officer. And Marcus hadn’t picked a single shiny diamond for his woman. This ring did have a diamond in the center, but it was flanked by lovely blue stones on a platinum band. Adam wasn’t sure what the blue jewels were, but they matched the color of Elle’s eyes.

“He loves you a lot,” Liberty said.

Elle nodded. “Love’s pretty darn good, Liberty.” Her gaze flicked to Adam and back. “You should give it a try.”

Liberty laughed. But Adam was starting to read her well enough now to know it had a hollow ring to it.

“Not sure I’m built for love.”

Adam stared at her face, unable to believe Liberty—a woman so warm, caring and full of life—didn’t think she could love.

“Well, I’m sure we need to get moving,” Elle said. “General, you mentioned you wanted to talk to the convoy before we set off. I have the comms set up whenever you’re ready.”

Adam reluctantly looked away from Liberty. “Right. I’m ready. We need to be on the road soon.”

The women headed back toward their vehicles, while Liberty walked beside him.

“I’m your driver again today,” she said.

“Good.”

“You aren’t upset? That they know? That others will know about us?”

“That I spent the night with a beautiful woman? That I plan to spend more time with her?” He thought he detected the faintest flush of color in her cheeks. “I worry they think my mind isn’t fully on the job, but no, Liberty. I’m not upset.” He grabbed her hand to stop her. “Thank you for last night.” He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

She watched him, her lips parted. “Well, the pleasure wasn’t entirely all mine.”

He smiled, then turned to see Elle holding out a small microphone. “Showtime.”

He straightened his shoulders, noticing all his convoy members standing around, grouped by their vehicles.

It was time for him to lead them into hell again.

But this time, he hoped they’d have a new haven—a new home—waiting at the other end.

***

Liberty stood off to the side, watching Adam as he spoke.

“Good morning.” He paused as people responded. “Today will be a dangerous one.” Silence fell. “I have never lied to you. The aliens will try everything to stop us reaching our destination.”

It didn’t matter that he wore chinos and a simple polo shirt. He looked every inch the general, their leader. It was in the posture, the aristocratic face, the authority stamped all over him. When Adam Holmes spoke, people listened…and believed.

“But…the Enclave is close.” His voice was firm, deep, and filled with his belief. “One last push, and we can reach a safe haven where we’ll be welcomed by new friends.”

Liberty felt her chest swell. Yep, he just made you have faith. She couldn’t believe this was the man she was tangled up with right now. This smart, steadfast man. One who would never hurt a woman, but would do everything in his power to protect someone not as strong as him.

But she’d seen the darkness he carried. The cost of being the man he was.

She was glad that, at least for a little while, she could help him with that burden. Be his support when he felt the load was too heavy.

“Today, I need one last push from you.” Adam’s blue gaze moved across the crowd. “I need your strength, your courage, your teamwork.”

The way he looked at people made them feel included, like he saw each one of them, individually. Liberty gave her head a little shake. The man was born to lead.

“Last night, I think we all had a reminder that no matter how bad things get, how chaotic, messy and dark, we always have something to live for.” His gaze found Marcus and Elle, standing nearby. “Congratulations, Marcus, Elle. Thank you for the privilege of celebrating your love.” A wry smile tipped Adam’s lips. “Especially you, Marcus. I know when I asked…perhaps, more accurately bullied you…into making your announcement a public party—” there was a smattering of laughs “—that it wasn’t exactly your style. But the love you two share, the camaraderie with your friends…it really is a beacon of hope for all of us.” He drew in a breath. “My friends, today we make our final run to the Enclave. Each step of the way, I want you to remember the important lesson we all learned last night—” his gaze caught Liberty’s “—that we all have something…someone, to live for.”

As he handed back the microphone, cheers and applause erupted.

Liberty looked around, filled with such intense pride and hope, and something else she couldn’t name.

“Well?” he asked as he approached.

“I think that one might go down in the history books, General.”

He leaned in close. “Adam.”

“You didn’t mind me calling you my general last night.”

“That’s different.” His blues eyes flared. “I want to hear you say it again when I’m inside you.”

She fanned her face. “Then we’d better get to the Enclave…fast.”

The next hour or so passed in a blur. Liberty drove them out of the mine, as Adam talked to various squad leaders and comms officers over the comm line. In the rearview mirror, she watched the convoy vehicles following them up the ramp and out into the sunshine.

As they hit the road, Liberty sighed. She was almost sad to say goodbye to that mine and that cozy little candlelit alcove. Still, the sunshine was beautiful, as were the rolling hills around them. If she ignored the abandoned cars by the roadside, the empty houses they passed, she could almost imagine that she and Adam were just out for a lovely day trip.

The Enclave was close. That was all she needed to think about right now. Getting them all there safely. She’d think of bubble baths, instead.

As they drove, she felt Adam’s tension grow. He constantly scanned the landscape out the window, tapping his fingers against one knee.

“Adam?”

“It’s so damn quiet,” he muttered. “Nothing on the drone feed nearby. I don’t like it.”

“Well, I do. Imagine if we can just drive on up to the Enclave. No stress, no fighting.”

“It’s never that easy.”

“It could be. I think we deserve that.” She reached out and gripped his thigh. “But whatever happens, we’re going to get there. Tonight, I have plans…you, me, and a bath. Not sure I’ll have bubbles, but you naked in the tub with me will do.” She winked at him.

It worked. His tense shoulders loosened a little.

“This is a convoy-wide warning.” Elle’s tense voice blasted across the comm line. “We’ve detected incoming alien heat signatures. They’re in the air.”

Something slammed into the windscreen.

Liberty gasped, grabbing the wheel as the truck skidded. Ahead, she saw other cars in the convoy swerving, some plowing off the road.

“Alien bugs! We’ve hit a swarm of alien bugs,” Elle shouted.

“Ease up on the brakes.” Adam’s voice was slow and controlled. “You can do it, Liberty.”

She did, finally bringing the vehicle to a bumpy stop.

The entire windscreen was shattered, thanks to the bug that had hit them. She’d gotten the impression of weight, and black-and-gold coloring.

Suddenly, she saw movement in her side mirror—a car racing toward them. It was swerving like crazy, two huge bugs chasing it. The creatures had long bodies, with two sets of transparent wings, and heads topped with huge, multifaceted eyes, and large mouths, with serrated mandibles on either side.

A Hunter zoomed past, green laser tracing through the sky. The squads would fight back. It would be okay. The laser clipped one bug, sending it crashing to the ground.

The fleeing car got slammed by the remaining bug. The sedan swerved, changing direction.

“God, they’re going to hit us!” she screamed.

Adam managed to get his door open, but the speeding car was too fast.

It slammed into them.

There was a crunch of metal and glass. Liberty was thrown around, her seat belt digging into her chest. Her head cracked against something.

“Come on.” Hands were tugging at her.

She fought back dizziness. Adam dragged her out of the wrecked vehicle. “The other car?”

“It caught fire. I’ll help them now.” He set her down beside the truck. “Liberty? Look at me.”

She did, trying to focus.

“Those bugs are everywhere. They’re strong enough to carry a human off. I need you to stay down.”

Her fingers curled in his shirt. She didn’t want him to go. To be in danger. But he’d go to save others, it was how he was built. “I’ll be fine. Go. Stay safe.”

He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, then he was gone.

She took some deep breaths and tried to get a hold on this dizziness. She staggered to her feet, holding onto the truck. She had to help.

Three young kids rounded the truck, all of them screaming. She straightened.

An alien bug whizzed closer, its wings flapping so fast they were a blur. Its multifaceted eyes were glued to the children.

Liberty squashed her fear. “Hey! You big, ugly bug.” She waved her arms in the air. “Over here.”

The kids spotted her, their pale faces frantic.

“Under the truck.” She pointed. “Hurry.”

They ran and dived, wiggling under the truck.

When she looked back, the bug hovered two meters away, its close proximity making her gut roll. Its pincers were clicking open and closed.

And now it was looking right at her.

Chapter Fourteen

Adam dragged the last person from the burning vehicle. “Stick together.” He tried to block out the screams and the whine of laser fire.

He spotted a couple of Doc Emerson’s paramedics running past. “Rick? Molly? Can you help these guys out?”

The man and woman raced over. “We’ll take care of them, General,” Molly said.

“Thanks.” Adam turned…and found himself face-to-face with an alien bug.

It hovered at head level, its wings fluttering. Adam ripped his laser pistol from its holster. He didn’t pause or stop to think, he just aimed and fired.

It made a high-pitched, squealing sound, its wings fluttering faster. But it didn’t go down.

Adam kept firing. He had to give Rick and Molly time to get the others away.

The bug moved closer, and Adam gritted his teeth. His laser pistol was getting warm under his hands, threatening to overheat.

A hail of laser fire joined his.

The bug tilted like it was drunk, and fell to the ground. Adam turned and saw Marcus and the rest of Hell Squad bearing down on him.

Thank God. Adam lowered his weapon. “We need to hold these damn things off long enough to get out of here.”

Marcus shook his head. “Elle just told me there are raptor patrols incoming. Some vehicles slipped out of the illusion during the attack. There’s no time to get far enough away.”

Fuck. Adam felt ice slide into his veins. “These people aren’t fighters, Marcus.” He looked at the surrounding gentle hills covered in grass and pockets of trees. “We can’t make a stand here, out in the open.”

“They fight, they survive. They run scared, they die.” Marcus’ face was a hard mask. “You gave a pretty damn good speech this morning. They’re fired up, ready to defend the people who are their reason to survive.”

Adam scraped a hand through his hair, watching the rest of the squads picking off the last of the bugs. He spotted Tane and his berserkers mowing down a trio of the alien insects. Then he spotted a guy from the kitchen truck, a woman he knew was a schoolteacher, and an older man working together, smacking a low-flying bug with what looked like baseball bats.

“Okay, okay.” Adam’s mind raced, a plan forming. He considered and discarded options at a split-second pace. “Let’s get the vehicles all in the defensive position. Form a barrier. Two rows deep.”

“Circle the wagons,” Cruz said.

Adam nodded. “Anyone with a weapon needs to be ready to fight. We’re making a stand.”

Marcus nodded and touched his earpiece. “Elle, the general’s ordered laager formation. Let’s get everyone into position.” Hell Squad moved off, directing traffic.

Some kids ran up to Adam, chests heaving. “Sir…Liberty. A bug was chasing us, and she helped us.” The oldest boy’s face was white as fresh snow. Fear muddied his eyes.

Adam’s gut cramped. Lifting his laser pistol, he sprinted back to his truck.

Be okay. Be okay. She had to be okay.

He rounded the truck and his heart sank. She wasn’t where he’d left her.

Adam scanned his surroundings and spotted her. She was off in a field, knee deep in grass, an alien bug hovering above her.

“Liberty!” He ran and fired. His shot went wide, but the bug backed off a little.

Liberty bent one knee, picked up a long stick, and whacked at the bug like it was a piñata.

The bug made a screeching sound that made Adam’s ears ring. He slowed his frantic pace, slowing to a walk, and still firing. He aimed for the wings, damaging one of them.

The bug continued to hang there, now flying crookedly.

Then Liberty gave it another huge whack.

The bug flew to the side and crashed into the ground, flopping around like a fish. Adam strode over to it and fired at point-blank range. With one last squeal, the bug went still.

He wrapped an arm around Liberty. “You’re okay? It didn’t hurt you?”

She nodded. Her hair had been torn free of its ponytail and was a blonde mess around her face. She had a small trickle of blood at her temple from the crash, but otherwise looked okay.

He released a shaky breath and cupped her face. “Come on. We need to get inside the protective barrier.”

“We aren’t leaving?”

“Raptors are on the way.”

Together, they jogged back to the convoy. Everyone had quickly followed orders, and the vehicles were parked in two rings, forming protective circles. He spotted Marcus waving them over through a narrow gap in the cars.

They rushed inside and behind them, four berserkers pushed a crashed car into the gap with a heave and flex of tattooed arms.

As Adam glanced around, he saw the tight, frightened faces of the civilians huddled together in small groups in the center. In some places, the squads had strategically parked their Hunters. Several soldiers were on top of the roofs, weapons up and ready.

Some of the civilians were also in place behind parked cars, holding whatever weapons they could find. Standing by the groups of civilians were Santha—holding a combat crossbow—and her second-in-command, Devlin Gray.

They were as ready as they’d ever be.

Adam’s squad leaders approached.

Marcus lifted his chin. “Back-up plan if we’re overrun is for Santha and Dev to take the civilians out and up that hill.”

Adam turned. The hill in question was covered in trees. He nodded. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Anyone have a laser pistol I can use?” Liberty asked.

Adam turned. “No. You need to get back there with the civilians and stay in cover.”

She set her hands on her hips. “You need everyone who can shoot a weapon.”

“You can’t shoot.”

“Oh?” She cocked a hip. “I’ll have you know that my crusty farmer granddaddy taught me to shoot when I was five years old. I bet I could outshoot you.” One perfect brow arched. “Next you’ll go caveman on me and tell me I need a penis in order to shoot straight.”

Adam heard a snort and a laugh. He glanced over to see Shaw laughing and the other Hell Squad members hiding smiles behind gloved hands.

Claudia stepped forward, holding a laser pistol out to Liberty. “Think you can use this?”

“Looks fine.”

Adam watched, his heart dropping, as Liberty checked the weapon over with practiced moves. Dammit, why couldn’t she just be a simple hairdresser who stayed back with the other civilians? Safe.

But that wasn’t Liberty. He loved the hidden depths to her, and he knew she had the heart of a warrior under the goddess looks.

“Okay,” he said. “But you stay with me. Stay in cover.”

She nodded. “I’ll be careful.”

“They’re here,” Marcus said.

The group tensed, soldiers moving into position.

“Raptor soldiers, and they have canids with them,” Marcus added. “Get the cedar oil grenades ready.”

Adam didn’t pray. After the alien invasion, he’d given up praying. Instead, he looked at his people. The brave men and women who were willing to fight for humanity.

They were enough to give him faith.

“Hold the line. Let’s protect what’s ours.”

***

Liberty’s heart was hammering like thunder in her ears. She crouched down behind a car, with Adam beside her.

A hushed silence fell over the convoy. The waiting was horrible. Like listening to a ticking bomb, not knowing when it would go off.

She looked left and saw Hell Squad waiting, tense and ready. She looked right and spotted Squad Nine, the female soldiers and the two men on their team all in position, gazes focused ahead.

Behind her, she heard the berserkers. They were talking quietly, ribbing each other, like they were at the pub for a beer. For some reason, that settled her nerves a little.

All around, other convoy members were primed, holding what weapons they’d scrounged up. They were all ready and willing to fight.

She pulled in a breath, but before she could let it out, there was a clattering sound.

Claws on metal.

Canids leaped over the first line of cars and onto the roofs of the second line.

God, they were so big. Laser fire erupted. From the carbines and pistols, and from the Hunter autocannons. She saw grenades fly through the air, exploding and spraying the cedar oil the canids detested.

She heard a buzzing sound and saw more alien bugs rise up, the second wave that followed the alien hunting dogs.

All around her was chaos. She fought down her fears and focused on shooting the canids who’d made it past and into the heart of the convoy.

A quick glance to her side and she saw Adam doing the same. There was no fear on his face, just steady determination.

He wouldn’t give up. He’d protect her and the others until his last breath. It both inspired her and frightened her.

She didn’t want to lose him.

She wanted to live now, more than ever.

“Watch out!” someone shouted.

A canid landed on the roof of the car they were using for cover. Liberty and Adam sprang backward. The huge alien dog bared its teeth, its demon-red eyes glowing, and let out a roar.

Liberty fired. She aimed for the head, and Adam did the same. A Hunter autocannon swiveled around and its large green laser joined in.

The canid fell off the car, its lifeless body hitting the dirt.

Exhilaration fizzed through her. Adam grabbed her shoulder and urged her back into cover.

She lifted her weapon again…just in time to see alien raptors climbing over the first barrier of cars.

Her gut cramped with fear at the sight. It had been a long time since she’d actually laid eyes on one this close. Liberty had forgotten just how huge they were. And these weren’t wild dogs or buzzing bugs. These were thinking humanoids…the architects behind all the death and destruction.

She saw the horrible, scaly faces, the sharp teeth, the red eyes filled with the terrible hunger to kill and conquer.

Now she felt the determination she saw on the faces of the human soldiers. She aimed and fired. And kept firing.

All around her, pandemonium reigned. She tried to block it out and just focus on whatever was in her sights.

High-pitched screams broke out behind her. Both she and Adam swiveled. Raptors had reached the civilians.

Santha and Devlin were fighting hard. Santha’s crossbow sang as it fired, and Devlin moved like a whirlwind as he fought, bringing down two huge raptors.

But then she saw a giant raptor backhand Santha, and the woman fell back into the crowd of sobbing people.

Liberty knelt, drawing a breath and trying to steady her racing heart. Beside her, she heard Adam firing. Saw a raptor go down.

Liberty fired. Another raptor fell.

Then Santha was up. She ushered people away, urging them toward the back of the barrier. Devlin heaved some junk out of the way, clearing a small gap in the wall.

They were getting the people up the hill. Into the trees where, hopefully, the raptors wouldn’t follow.

Liberty gave them cover fire until they were all safely up the hill.

“You should go,” Adam yelled at her. “Get to safety.”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not leaving, I’m fighting. I have something to fight for, too.”

Something rippled over his face, then he nodded. They moved back into cover and kept fighting.

The squads were amazing. They fought with a raw precision that, while not pretty, was hard-hitting and unforgiving. Hell Squad was tough and relentless. Nine was fast and cunning. The berserkers were all wild power.

There were other groups of civilians dotted here and there, still trapped inside the barrier. They huddled in cars or behind them, keeping children pushed down to the ground.

Liberty was sure they were getting the upper hand. Sure there were fewer raptors coming over the barrier.

More screams.

She swiveled…and saw a giant canid menacing a group of civilians tucked down behind a car. Children were crying, women screaming, men yelling. The canid was pressed low to the ground, moving closer, drool dripping from its fangs.

There was a streak of movement, and Liberty watched a slim figure run in front of the alien hunting dog.

It was Selena.

The alien woman was so small and fine compared to the brutish dog. It growled at her and Selena raised her hands.

Liberty held her breath. She knew the woman had some sort of affinity with animals. At least, with Earth animals. But Liberty had no idea how the hell she was going to fight off the dog.

Liberty fired at the creature. But one laser pistol was like flinging pebbles at a tiger.

Suddenly, the grass at Selena’s feet moved. Liberty blinked, not believing what she was seeing. The blades were already long, but as Selena waved her hands in a graceful, weaving dance, intense concentration on her face, the grass grew longer, right before her eyes, and wound up around the canid’s legs, tangling around the limbs.

The canid was heaving its body, trying to break free. But the grass was now wrapped around its legs like a bright-green rope.

Another huge, scaly body reared into view. The raptor let out a guttural shout and slammed into Selena.

It was like a tree hitting a graceful, slender twig. The raptor picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.

The alien woman hammered her hands against the raptor soldier’s back, fear stark on her face.

Liberty couldn’t fire at them. She was a good shot, but not good enough to try and hit the raptor and not Selena.

The raptor was running, making toward a small gap in the barrier.

Liberty’s heart was in her throat. Selena was an enemy of the Gizzida, had already been their prisoner once before.

“Adam!”

He swiveled and spotted Selena struggling, trying to get out of the raptor’s hold.

“Dammit.” He raised his weapon, but couldn’t get a good shot either.

A flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Liberty turned, tracking a big man sprinting toward Selena and the raptor. His armored body was a dark silhouette, his dreadlocks pulled back at the base of his neck.

Tane ran up on top of a car and leaped off the other side. His boots hammered against the dirt as he closed the distance to Selena.

Liberty held her breath, almost afraid to watch.

The leader of the berserkers turned his carbine and slammed the butt into the alien’s lower back with enough force to make Liberty wince. The alien roared, almost dropping Selena.

With him distracted, Selena reached around and scratched at his face.

Tane launched a vicious set of kicks into the alien’s legs and back. Liberty realized he was trying to free Selena before he shot the alien. He was relentless with his blows, and his face was a blank, scary mask.

The alien stumbled, still clutching his victim, still stumbling toward the gap. God, he was almost there.

Selena was shouting something at Tane.

Something flickered over Tane’s face, then he whipped his weapon around, jammed it into the alien’s lower back and fired.

The alien’s head bent back, and the sound he made was horrible. Selena tumbled out of the creature’s arms into the dirt. She was clutching her own leg where the laser had grazed her.

She’d told Tane to shoot, and not to worry if it hit her.

In one swift move, Tane shot a final barrage of fire into the raptor’s chest, then bent and swept Selena into his arms.

He turned, running back toward his squad, hunched over Selena to protect her. The woman looked tiny, cradled in the brawny, tattooed arms of her rescuer.

“They’re retreating,” Marcus shouted.

Liberty whipped her head back and saw the raptors were leaping back over the cars, some dragging their wounded with them. Other injured raptor soldiers writhed in the dirt.

Adam stood. “Marcus. Clear the area.”

Hell Squad’s leader was eyeing the wounded and dying aliens. “On it.”

Liberty let out a breath. The aliens had almost overrun them. Then they’d…just given up.

Then she heard the screams.

Her heart was already clenching into a tight knot, her throat closing. She whipped around and through the gap of cars she had a perfect view of the tree-covered hill.

“No!”

The raptors were there, herding many of the fleeing, panicked humans into a cage.

Chapter Fifteen

Adam’s entire body froze.

He stared in horror as some of his people raced back down the hill in a mad rush.

“They were hiding on the other side of the hill,” someone screamed. “Help!”

But the worst was seeing the small group who’d been herded into the ugly black cage…identical to the one that had held those poor humans from before.

He sensed the squads running forward around him.

But Adam knew it was too late.

The cage was on the back of an alien truck, the engine gunning. The raptors were already throwing the last few people in and a team of raptor soldiers stood, weapons raised, facing in the direction of the convoy.

One raptor was holding a heavy electrical weapon, a second raptor beside him holding the ammunition for the weapon. Adam cursed. They had intel on this alien weapon. A large weapon carried by one raptor soldier and the ammunition carried by a second, the gun could spew out electrified poison that debilitated in seconds.

They weren’t shooting at the fleeing people, thank God. But Adam knew if any of his squad soldiers raced to help, they’d be mowed down from the higher ground.

Then he noticed something else.

The raptors were wearing some sort of masks over their faces.

The answer struck him. Hard. The trees. They were trying to minimize or negate the effects of whatever the hell the trees did to them.

“Let me go!”

Adam watched in horror as a raptor soldier lifted a kicking, struggling woman.

He watched Santha fight against the larger alien. God, no.

Behind him, he heard a strangled sound. Cruz bolted past Adam, his weapon raised.

Adam caught Marcus’ gaze and nodded.

Marcus and Gabe grabbed the distraught soldier and dragged him back.

“No!” The man cursed them all in Spanish, but his gaze never left his woman.

They were all stuck. Helpless to do anything. Adam tried to think of something, to work out a way to rescue their people, forming and discarding scenarios faster than he could count.

But there were no choices except very bad ones.

He bit off a curse, trying not to look at the desperate soldier fighting against his friends to get loose.

Adam felt a hand slip into his. Liberty stood beside him, her face pale, her eyes wide.

On top of the hill, there was a blur of movement near Santha and her captor. Adam’s heart surged. A dark shadow appeared from nowhere and with a few slices of a knife, the raptor holding Santha screamed and fell. Santha fell too, but landed on her feet.

She was free.

Devlin Gray stood there, Gladius knife in hand, waving at Santha.

Then four raptors charged them.

Devlin went down under a hail of kicks and punches. Santha was once again lifted off her feet, and this time unceremoniously tossed into the cage.

“God-fucking-dammit,” Marcus bit out.

The berserkers were also cursing and Squad Nine stood by, tense and angry.

They all watched as Devlin’s now-prone body was tossed into the cage. The alien vehicle revved and pulled away.

“No. Santha.” Cruz’s voice cracked.

“We will get her back,” Marcus said savagely. He pressed a hand down on his friend’s shoulder. “We leave no one behind, and we’ll get her back.”

Because he needed it, Adam yanked Liberty into his arms. He held her tight and her arms wrapped around him.

He’d lost more people.

The sense of failure was so huge. And the sight of Cruz, who was now sitting on the ground, head in his hands, but vibrating with the sheer need to go after his pregnant partner, was almost more than Adam could bear.

“Adam.” Liberty cupped his cheeks. “Everyone needs you. Santha, Devlin and our people need you.” Her fingers brushed his skin. “I’m right here, by your side, every step of the way.”

“I…” He heaved in a breath.

“Hey.” Her eyes were direct. “You use your best skill. That damned enviable focus of yours. We need a plan.”

God, she was right. He drew his shoulders back, leaned down, and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. Then he faced his people.

Once again, they looked like the survivors of a war. Battered, bleeding, afraid. He saw a pale Selena with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Emerson and her team tending to the wounded. He saw the soldiers bristling with the need to act.

They waited for him to speak, and in all their faces, he saw that none of them had given up.

“Everyone back inside the barrier. Shore up the gaps. Squad soldiers on patrol. Squad leaders in for a planning meeting.” He felt Liberty’s warm hand at his back, and he ensured he touched the gazes of everyone present. “We are going to get our people back.”

***

Liberty stood to the side, watching Adam run the planning meeting. She’d left for a while to help calm the frightened survivors, but now she watched, listened, and waited.

She spotted Cruz nearby. The man was standing straight and tall, focused on every word Adam said. He was practically vibrating with the need to act. Claudia was beside him, murmuring quietly, keeping him controlled, Liberty guessed.

Poor Santha. Liberty felt her own belly tighten. She prayed the woman, her growing baby, and the others with her were okay.

“We are going to get them back.” Adam’s voice was unyielding, unwavering. “We have lost too many already in this battle. No more.”

There was no bend or give or doubt. She saw that absolutely firm belief soak into the crowd around him. Even Cruz raised his head.

Adam laid a map out over the hood of a car. “Now, we devise our plan, and ensure every single one of us makes it to the Enclave.”

“Santha and Devlin have trackers implanted in them,” Cruz said, his voice harsh. “It’s part of the requirement for being on the intel team.”

Adam nodded. “Elle, bring up the tracker coordinates. And I need a drone headed in that direction, immediately.”

“On it.”

Adam pressed a hand to the back of his neck. “I’ll need one squad to take point on staying with the convoy. To keep making their way to the Enclave.”

Voices and shouts broke out. No one wanted to stay behind.

Adam held up a hand. “I know. I know you all want to go in and fight to get our people back. But, these people—” he pointed at the survivors around them “—need help too. I won’t risk them while we do this.”

Roth stood. “My team will take the lead on that.”

Adam nodded. “Thank you, Roth.”

Shouts erupted. Liberty spun and gasped. One of the alien balls bounced over the barrier and landed nearby. It rolled forward, its ugly, sinewy appearance horrible in the bright light of the day.

All the soldiers moved, carbines raised, circling the object.

But the ball slowed to a stop, not bursting open and spilling killer spiders everywhere.

Adam held his breath.

Suddenly, the ball started to move, wiggling a little, then a small pocket opened up in the front of it. Something small fell out of it and landed on the ground.

“What the fuck?” Marcus moved closer, Gabe at his side.

The ball rolled backward and, as soon as it did, the soldiers opened fire.

Seconds later, the ball was just a mass of part flesh, part bone on the ground. Marcus knelt and grabbed the object the ball had dropped. He held it up.

Elle gasped. “An alien data crystal.” She hurried forward. “Someone get Noah. I need the device he uses to interface this with our comps.”

Liberty stayed out of the way as Noah Kim appeared and hooked the crystal into Elle’s comp. Soon, Adam and the squad leaders were huddled around the screen, as Elle worked feverishly at the keyboard.

A moment later, Adam spun around, the squad leaders cursing behind him. His gaze caught hers, his face serious. “It’s a ransom demand.”

A ransom demand? Liberty pressed her hands together. She was pretty sure the aliens wouldn’t want worthless Earth currency. “What do they want?”

“Me.”

Her stomach fell away. “No.”

“They want to meet with me. Alone.”

She rushed toward him. “It’s a trap.”

“I know.”

“The prisoners are bait,” Marcus said.

“I know that, too,” Adam replied, his voice tight.

“You can’t go, Adam—” Fear was acid in Liberty’s veins.

He pressed his hand over hers. “I can’t not go.”

The damned aliens had been studying them all this time. They knew Adam would never abandon his people. They knew how to lure him out.

“Roth, you keep the convoy moving,” Adam said. “Get to the Enclave.”

“Yes, sir.”

“General Holmes.” Elle stood. “We have the signals from Santha’s and Dev’s trackers. They aren’t far. In a small town a few kilometers away. They aren’t moving.”

Adam nodded. “Get drones into that area. And get Finn back here with a Hawk. I’ll need transport.”

“Adam.” Liberty tried to keep her fear from her voice. “You can’t go alone.”

“I won’t. I need a small team who knows how to stay hidden.” He eyed the squads. “Four soldiers only, two from Six and two from Three. I don’t want to risk an entire team.”

Cruz stepped forward, his face unyielding. “I’m coming.”

Liberty wasn’t sure that was a good idea. It was clear the man was holding on by a thread. But something told her that if he was denied the chance to go, he’d find a way to get there anyway.

“You can’t go off half-cocked, Ramos.” Adam’s tone was clipped. “That won’t help her.”

Cruz gave one curt nod. “I’m ready.”

“And I’m coming, too.”

Liberty’s gaze happened to be on Elle as her fiancé volunteered. She expected to see fear, but instead she saw a fierce pride on the other woman’s face. Obviously, watching her man go out and fight every day had taught the comms officer to keep her fear hidden, and help and support him the only way she could.

Liberty needed to do the same.

“I’m coming.” Tane’s voice was low and deep. “And Hemi.”

“Yeah, baby,” Hemi Rahia rumbled. “I haven’t reached my quota of dead aliens for the day.”

“We have drone feed,” Elle announced. “Oh, God.”

They all huddled around the portable comp screen. Liberty only glanced at it, but it was enough to have her stomach turning over.

The raptors were tormenting the people in the cage. Prodding them through the bars, taunting them.

“God, our people are hysterical,” Elle said.

The humans were screaming and crying, agitated and afraid.

Doc Emerson pushed forward. “You’ll need someone to calm the survivors. If they see soldiers and weapons, they might panic more. They’ll be traumatized, upset, afraid. Some might need medical attention. I’ll go.”

Liberty saw a muscle tick in Gabe’s jaw. “She’s too valuable.”

Emerson’s gaze narrowed on her lover.

Adam held up a hand. “He’s right. We have too many injured from the previous attack. I need you here with the convoy. But I need someone for the mission who can calm the people down.”

Emerson rubbed her forehead. “Rick is steady under fire, but he’ll be the first to admit he hasn’t got the smoothest bedside manner. Molly isn’t experienced enough.”

Liberty felt her chest go tight, then lighten. “I’ll go.”

***

No. No. No.

The words pounded in Adam’s head like a jackhammer.

He saw Liberty standing there, so calm and ready. He tried to form some words, but all he could think was that he didn’t want her going in. He didn’t want her anywhere near the aliens.

“If anyone can calm the survivors, it’s Liberty,” Elle said. “They trust her. They listen to her.”

“And she damn well fires a weapon like a pro,” Marcus added. Adam’s gaze flicked over to Marcus and the soldier gave a shrug of apology.

Yeah, Marcus knew what it was like to have to take your woman onto the battlefield.

But he also knew in these times, things like this were necessary.

Liberty was watching him. There was no judgment or apprehension on her face. Whatever he decided, she would agree with his orders.

Dammit. His hands curled. “Elle, find Liberty some armor.”

He saw Liberty’s shoulders relax. For better or worse, he was now taking her on an impossible mission. One where hope was their biggest asset.

“Marcus, Cruz, Hemi, and Tane. Get ready. As soon as the Hawk lands, we leave. Let’s get our people back.”

Around them, people started chanting. “Bring them home. Bring them home.”

Adam stared at the woman who’d shaken up his world in just a few days. He hoped he could live up to that promise. To bring everyone home alive…including Liberty.

Chapter Sixteen

The afternoon sun was hot on Adam’s back. He stared through the binocs at the Gizzida outpost.

And the cage of humans out in the middle of the street.

They had no protection from the sun. He could see many were panicked, crying. From what Adam could make out, Devlin was still unconscious. Santha was sitting beside him, one hand rubbing the slight curve of her belly.

There were Gizzida everywhere. The raptors were moving in and out of abandoned houses and shops. A former gas station looked like it was the favored parking lot for the raptors’ vehicles.

He turned back to his small team. The soldiers were all armored and ready. Cruz still seemed to be holding it together. Liberty looked more at home in her armor than she should have. She’d pulled her golden hair back in a ponytail, and it was a stark contrast to the black of the carbon fiber she wore.

Finn Erickson leaned against the side of his Hawk quadcopter. He’d brought them in to this point, just outside the outpost, hidden behind a hill.

“Marcus, Tane, Cruz, and Hemi, I want you to sneak in quietly. Take up positions and wait for my signal.” He dragged in a breath. “Liberty, stay here with Finn. I’m going in alone.”

“No.” Liberty stuck her hands on her hips. “No. I’m here for the prisoners. I can’t help you get them if I’m out here.”

“The Gizzida want me to go alone—”

“You know they’ll never see me as a threat. You can explain why I’m there.”

He could see the pulse racing in her throat, beating against her soft skin. She was nervous, afraid, and yet she stood there, fighting with him to go into danger.

In that moment, Adam realized he was falling in love with Liberty Lawler.

He let the shock of that reverberate through his body. Now he was faced with taking the woman he was falling for into the worst possible situation.

“All right. Let’s go before I change my mind.” He glanced at the quadcopter pilot. “Stay if you think it’s safe. Don’t risk the Hawk.”

Finn nodded. “You got it, General. Good luck.” He smiled at Liberty, but there was a deep seriousness in his eyes. “Stay safe, Lib.”

“You, too.”

Adam started down the hill, Liberty keeping pace at his side. At the bottom, he stopped and hauled her into his arms. The kiss was far shorter and so much less than he wanted. He absorbed the feel of her for a second before he set her back on her feet.

“You stay alert. Use your smarts. If things go bad… Liberty if things go bad, you run. Get out of there.”

She touched his face. “Not sure I can do that. Too much of you seems to have rubbed off on me.”

He made a choked sound.

“Shh.” She brushed a thumb over his lips. “I promise I’ll take cover, and do what I think is best.”

His strong, brave woman. “Okay.”

They walked on in silence.

As they entered the small town, Adam wondered where its past residents had ended up. He hoped some had made it. He was glad no one was here to see the aliens fouling up the town.

They passed some houses, and he saw alien soldiers watching them steadily. They didn’t move, or say anything, but their red eyes were glowing.

Liberty and Adam neared the cage. Santha spotted them first. Her face was pale and pinched, but she nodded at them. Adam was grateful to see that Dev was sitting up, even if the man looked pretty bad. He had a black eye and blood streaked his white shirt.

When the others spotted Adam, they started crying and yelling. Arms reached out between the bars. He nodded at them, willing them to stay calm. Beside him, Liberty waved, urging them to be quiet.

Adam finally stopped in the middle of the street and held a palm out to halt Liberty.

Gizzida were walking toward them, clutching their ugly weapons.

One raptor in the middle looked the same as the others, but didn’t carry a gun. Adam assumed he was the one in charge.

“I’m here.” Adam held his arms out. He clutched a small tablet in his hand. “My device is a small translator…to ensure we don’t have any misunderstandings.”

“I speak your simple language, General Holmes,” the boss raptor growled. “You were instructed to come alone.”

“She’s a medic, not a soldier.” Adam was careful to put no inflection in his voice. “She’s here to help my people.”

The raptor leader scanned Liberty, then dismissed her with a shrug. His burning gaze came back to Adam. “Are you ready to make a deal in return for your people?”

Anger was like a buzzing in Adam’s head. He knew this bastard didn’t give a damn about the prisoners. Not for the first time, Adam wondered what made a species like this. Warlike, unwilling to communicate and work with people who were different from them. What made them so hungry to destroy?

“I’m listening.” He surreptitiously glanced at the roofs of the nearby houses, wondering where Marcus and the others were.

“The deal is you may keep your life and select twenty of your people and leave. In return, you hand us the rest of your convoy.”

“What?” All the air rushed out of Adam’s lungs.

“Your group has angered the wrong people. My leaders do not wish for you to run around killing our troops, destroying our assets. So, you may go, General Adam Holmes, and take the twenty people you…care for, or need the most.” The alien said care like it was a word that made no sense to him.

Adam almost wanted to laugh. “I am not President Gregory Howell.”

“The man was smart enough to take the deal we offered him.”

“The man was a coward.” They didn’t realize Adam didn’t consider his life any more important than the life of any single member of his convoy. “Humans can be selfish, especially when they are afraid.”

The raptor cocked his head. “You are not afraid.”

“I’m afraid of many things,” Adam answered. “But not of you.”

The alien considered him for a second, and when the creature’s gaze moved to Liberty. Adam tensed.

“And if I hurt her?” The raptor’s guttural voice had lowered. “Then you will be afraid?”

Adam felt a muscle tick in his jaw. He didn’t answer. But he knew he didn’t have to.

The raptor shook his head. “You humans are so confusing at times.” The leader lifted a clawed hand. “Take the woman.”

Two raptors stepped forward and grabbed Liberty’s arms.

She didn’t curse or spit at them, but she fought, struggling and kicking at her captors.

Adam moved without thinking. The raptor leader nodded and another soldier stepped forward and pressed the end of his weapon to Adam’s chest.

It forced Adam to stop. He watched, helpless, as they moved Liberty over by the cage. Someone brought a rope and her hands were tied, the rope tossed over a lamppost. She was jerked upward, her arms were above her head and her toes barely touching the ground.

A raptor soldier moved in front of her, then slapped her.

Liberty spat blood on the ground. “I had someone try to break me once.” She smiled, blood on her teeth. “It didn’t work.”

Adam felt his muscles straining. He wanted to attack the raptors. He burned with the need to do something to save her. He glanced around again, hoping Marcus got the message that it was time to act.

“Be quiet,” the leader growled at Liberty.

“Screw you,” she retorted. “You can kill me, it won’t break him. He’ll still fight you to the end. He’ll still find a way to beat you.”

This time it was the leader who slammed a fist into Liberty’s belly.

Adam heard the air rush out of her, saw her grimace of pain.

She was both wrong and right. Her death would break him. He’d been numb before Liberty. He’d married a woman he’d liked but hadn’t loved, because she’d been what he thought was right and perfect for him.

Instead, their marriage had been lukewarm at best and cold at worst. It had taken this lush, vibrant woman to bring him to life. To make him realize he didn’t have to hold himself apart.

So, yes, her death would break him…but she was right—he would still fight until he couldn’t fight any more.

He’d do anything for the woman he loved.

Think, Adam, think. He had to do something.

Suddenly, laser fire broke out. The aliens all dodged, lifting their weapons to return fire.

But the shots were coming from two different directions, which confused them. Adam crouched down, leaping to the side, as raptor poison splattered the ground. He sprinted toward Liberty.

***

Liberty watched, heart in her throat, as Adam sprinted through laser and raptor fire.

Come on. Come on.

When he reached her, she didn’t get a chance to catch her breath. He yanked a huge knife from a sheath on the side of his thigh and attacked the alien closest to her.

It was a short, but brutal, fight. Liberty wasn’t surprised to discover Adam could fight as well as his squad soldiers.

“Are you all right?” He reached her, slicing through the rope.

She nodded, but as she fell into his arms, her stomach ached and her face was stinging. Still, she’d been beaten enough to know none of her injuries were bad. “Let’s get the others.”

“We won’t have long.” Adam’s face was the grimmest she’d ever seen it. “They’ll soon realize they have the greater numbers…”

And once they did, the aliens would be all over them.

She nodded and turned to the cage.

“Liberty.” Adam grabbed her arm. “I need you to lead these people out. Keep them calm and keep them moving. Get them to the Hawk.”

She pressed her lips together. “And you?”

“I’ll cover you and then help Marcus.”

She wanted to argue, but there wasn’t time. More weapons fire smacked into the ground near them. Hurrying beside Adam, they made it to the cage.

It took them precious moments to get it open. Adam pulled a mini-laser cutter and cut off the ugly bone-like lock.

The door swung open.

The prisoners surged toward them.

“Stay calm,” Adam urged.

Liberty squeezed in front of him. “Everyone, if you want to live, you listen. Now.”

Everyone paused.

She saw they were all holding on by a thread. “Pair up. Take the hand of the person next to you. There are people here who need your help to get out of here.”

She watched everyone grab the person beside them, checking them over.

“You are brilliant.” Adam’s warm breath brushed her ear. “You’ve fired them all up to take care of someone else.”

She tilted her head back. “I learned from the best.”

“Lead them out that way.” He pointed up a side street. “Get to the edge of the town and then run into the fields.”

With her throat feeling like it was filled with rusty barbs, she nodded.

“General?”

Devlin Gray’s crisp, British accent caught their attention.

He was standing, Santha in his arms, resting heavily against him. She was panting and drenched in sweat.

Liberty’s gut clenched. “Oh, no.”

“Santha’s in labor,” Dev said.

The woman moaned. Liberty hurried forward and grabbed her arm. They all knew it was far too early. She was only about halfway through her pregnancy. Maybe in a high-tech hospital everything would be all right…but hospitals were long gone and they still had to escape before they could get her to Doc Emerson.

“I…can make it,” Santha pushed out between her teeth. “I will make it.”

“You can.” Liberty kept her tone positive. “And Cruz is out there, making all this distraction so we can get out of here.”

But at that moment, the laser fire stopped. The aliens were running in all directions, hunting down the squad soldiers.

Liberty glanced toward the leader, who turned and spotted them. He shouted to his men.

No! Liberty looked at Adam.

The aliens turned en masse, and started sprinting toward them.

Chapter Seventeen

God, they weren’t going to make it.

Adam herded the people out of the cage. “Run! Up that street. Get out of town.”

They took off running, some stumbling. Some were faster than others. Some of the older and injured were far slower.

A woman tripped, tumbling into the dirt. Adam held his breath, but when a young man stopped and scooped her onto her feet, Adam felt a sense of pride.

Whatever happened here, their humanity remained intact.

He turned back as Liberty and Devlin helped Santha out.

Another contraction hit, and Santha groaned, biting her lip. “You guys go, please.”

Liberty slipped Santha’s arm around her shoulders. “Good try, Santha. You have two alpha males from hell here, and you know what? I don’t have anywhere better to be.” She looked at Adam.

God, even here, in the middle of the worst circumstances, their lives on the line, she smiled at him.

“Aliens are almost here,” Dev said, his voice full of quiet urgency.

Adam raised his laser pistol, knowing it wasn’t nearly enough. The aliens would overrun them before he could take many down. But he still fired. He had to give his people enough of a head start, so they could have a better chance of getting away safely.

He kept firing and a second later, Liberty stepped up beside him, firing her own weapon.

Suddenly, there was a deafening crash, and the loud rev of an engine.

A huge fuel tanker truck burst through the old gas station building, smashing windows and collapsing the roof.

The large truck swerved, and the tanker trailer skewed out, knocking over a line of alien vehicles.

Adam spotted Cruz behind the wheel.

An explosion boomed, and a house at the end of the street went up in a ball of flames and smoke.

As he watched, more houses burst into flames, all across the small town, ignited in stealth by Marcus and his small team.

The aliens all turned, firing at the new threat.

Cruz mowed down as many aliens as he could. Then he opened the driver’s side door.

Adam frowned. What the hell was he doing?

Santha’s eyes were glued to Cruz, a faint smile flickered on her face. “My badass alpha soldier.”

Cruz leaped from the moving truck, tossing something back into the cab. The Hell Squad soldier hit the dirt, rolling over twice before coming back up on his feet in a smooth move. He instantly lifted his carbine and started taking down aliens.

The tanker truck crashed into the alien soldiers and a second later it exploded.

Adrenaline charged through Adam as he watched the flames rising. The explosion had taken out most of the aliens.

Then a roaring noise caught his attention, and he turned. More aliens were rushing at them from the far end of the town.

“Come on.” Spurred into action, Adam herded the small group of them back. “We need to get out of here.”

Santha looked torn, but as another contraction tightened her belly, she nodded.

Then, Adam heard the unmistakable sound of the raptors’ heavy electrical weapon. He froze. There was no way they could outrun the high-velocity electrified poison.

He turned, stepping in front of Liberty in a vain attempt at keeping her safe, and he blinked in shock.

The weapon was spraying poison…all over the alien soldiers.

Adam’s eyes widened.

“Oh, my God,” Liberty whispered.

Tane Rahia was moving the large alien weapon from side to side, cutting down the enemy like blades of grass. His brother stood beside him, hefting up the heavy ammunition and feeding it into the weapon.

Running footsteps sounded. Adam swiveled, bringing his pistol up.

Cruz and Marcus appeared. “Don’t shoot,” Marcus growled.

In an instant, Cruz swept Santha up into his arms, pressing his lips to her temple, murmuring.

“The baby, Cruz. The baby’s coming.” Santha’s voice was tortured.

“We’ll get you to the doc,” Cruz murmured. “Just hold on.”

Santha nodded.

Adam grabbed Liberty’s arm. “Let’s move.”

“Tane and Hemi?” she asked.

Marcus snorted. “Believe me, those guys will make it out in one piece. Don’t worry about them.”

Together, they jogged up the street and out of the town. The fields opened up, and ahead, Adam saw the hill where the Hawk was hiding.

Holding tightly to Liberty’s hand, he pushed on and they crested the hill.

All the survivors were milling by the Hawk, Finn talking to them, distributing water.

“Thank God,” the pilot said. Then he spotted Santha. “Shit.” He caught Adam’s eye. “Can’t take everyone at once. We’ll be over the Hawk’s weight limit.”

“Injured and elderly first. We’ll stay here and wait for Tane and Hemi.”

Finn nodded and got to work herding people into the quadcopter.

Cruz climbed aboard with Santha, and soon the Hawk lifted off. Its illusion system flickered on, leaving it just a hazy shimmer in the sky.

Marcus stayed alert, his carbine up. “Everyone stay down.” His gaze went back toward the direction of the town.

Liberty was moving among the remaining people, working her magic. She stroked arms, smiled, laughed. Soon, everyone was more at ease, huddled together.

A huge boom sounded.

Adam turned and watched a huge mushroom cloud of smoke and flames rise into the sky.

He and Marcus strode to the top of the hill and waited. Where the hell were Tane and Hemi?

The minutes ticked by, and Adam fought the urge to worry.

A minute later, he saw two silhouettes appear out of the smoke. Both had carbines slung over their shoulders, steadily strolling up the hill like they had nothing better to do than go for a walk. They were both covered in blood, sweat and soot. Hemi was laughing and a slight smile broke on Tane’s face for a second.

“Those two need cigars, or something.”

Adam glanced down at Liberty. He put his arm around her and pulled her in close. He soaked in the warmth and life of her.

“I know what I need,” Adam said.

She looked up, smiling. “Oh?”

“You.” He touched her face. “Just you.”

There was a sudden gust of wind and above them, he saw a second quadcopter appear, dropping its illusion.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said.

***

Nikolai

Nikolai Ivanov ran quietly through the trees. Beside him, two of his Enclave soldiers ran with him.

He crested the hill, careful to stay in the shadows of the trees. He made a hand signal and the soldiers stopped. Niko lifted his binocs, zooming in, and got a good look at the incoming vehicles.

It had been one of the Enclave drones that had picked up the huge illusion heading their way. He knew the Blue Mountain Base convoy was on its way here…but Niko had a responsibility to the people who called the Enclave home to protect them.

He’d snuck under the illusion with a small team. He needed to make sure this convoy was the Blue Mountain survivors and that they didn’t have aliens trailing them.

“Sir, it looks like the Blue Mountain Base convoy,” one of the soldiers said.

“Yeah, it does.”

But all their intel said the aliens were getting better at deception. At first, they’d used brute force, still relied on that, but Niko suspected they were starting to understand they’d need something else to beat good, old human grit and determination.

“Spread out.” He jerked his head at the man and woman. “Get a closer look. If anything seems off, and I mean anything, report back.”

“Yes, sir.”

The soldiers melded into the trees.

Quickly, stealthily, Niko made his way up the next hill. It had been a while since he’d had to use the skills of his past life. Before, stealth and sneaking had been his norm.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. He wasn’t that man anymore. Now he was a survivor, a leader, an artist, a community member. His top reason for being was to protect the Enclave and its people.

He shimmied down on his belly and crawled to the top of the hill. He lifted the binocs again.

A second later, he felt the cool brush of a gun barrel at the back of his neck. He stiffened.

“Want to tell me why you’re sneaking around here and spying on my people?’

Female voice. Tough. Cool. Meant business. Niko had no doubt that whoever was holding the weapon, she wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

“I’m making sure they are who I think they are,” he answered. “Making sure they aren’t aliens in disguise.”

A pause. “Turn around.”

Niko rolled over. Taking her in felt like a kick to his gut.

He’d thought she’d be tall. Instead, she was tiny. Dark hair was tucked under her combat helmet and he wondered if it would be a long fall of silk or short, sexy wisps around her angular face. She wore her combat armor and held her carbine in a way that said she did it every day. No newbie soldier here.

But it was the hard, steady look in her dark eyes and the tough tilt of her chin that he found most fascinating.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“I’m from the Enclave—”

“We’ve heard that before. Name?”

Yes, this one had tough running through her veins. Damn, he found it sexy. “Niko.”

The woman touched her ear. “Roth? Come in. I’ve run into someone claiming to be from the Enclave.”

Niko straightened. “Roth? Roth Masters?”

His captor studied him.

“Tell him Nikolai says hello.”

She tapped her earpiece, then cursed. “Damn. The aliens are jamming everything.”

Holding his hands up, Niko got to his feet. “I’m Nikolai Ivanov.”

Her dark gaze drifted over him. “Mackenna Carides. I’m Roth’s second in command.”

So, she worked side by side with the tough, muscled Masters. “Looks like Roth has all the luck. I’ve met his beautiful and competent Avery, and now I see he works with a beautiful second in command as well.”

Mackenna lifted her carbine up an inch. “I’m not in this job because of how I look.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

She touched her ear. “Roth? Arden? Do you copy?”

Niko shifted to grab his own comms device off his belt.

A hard shove to his gut had him grunting. Mackenna kicked his knees out from under him and a second later he found himself flat on his back, a knee pressed to his sternum.

“You’re a bit twitchy, Mackenna.”

“It’s Mac. And after two weeks on the run, aliens dogging your every move, you’d be a little twitchy too, pretty boy.”

Niko was sick of being on the back foot with this woman. He slapped her knee away, surging upward.

She swung her carbine around, but he anticipated that and knocked it away. She threw herself at him and they shared a short, sharp scuffle. Fuck. She had an exoskeleton in her armor that made her stronger than him.

They ended up facing each other, on their knees. He had an elbow at her throat and she had a tight grip on his throat. One twist and she could snap his neck.

“Mac, you there?”

So close to her, Niko heard the tinny sound of Roth’s voice.

“I’m here. I caught a guy spying on the convoy. Looks human, says he’s from the Enclave and his name is Nikolai Ivanov.”

“Six foot, long dark hair, green eyes?”

Niko felt her relax a fraction.

“Sounds about right,” she answered.

“I can vouch for him. He’s an artist, and one of the leaders of the Enclave.”

Niko heard Mac mutter under her breath. “Roger that. I’ll bring him down to you.”

She released Niko and stepped back. Niko got to his feet. “Two of my soldiers—”

“Are with my squad,” Mac answered shortly.

He cleared his throat. “Are they unharmed?”

“They aren’t conscious but they’re breathing.” She cocked her head. “You are not an artist.”

He held his hands up. As usual, he still had streaks of paint on his fingers.

“You don’t move like an artist. I recognize combat training and experience when I see it.”

Niko shoved his hands in his pockets and mentally cursed that he’d given himself away and that she was so damned observant. “We all had lives before the invasion. I was…something else before the aliens came.”

“You mean we all have secrets.”

He inclined his head. “You have an intriguing face, Mackenna. Beauty edged with toughness. I’d love to sketch you.” Or paint her, sculpt her. Anything to be able to study her more.

“I don’t think so.”

He smiled. He was a persistent man and a patient one. “We’ll see.”

She jerked her shoulder. “Come on. I’ll take you to Roth.”

Niko moved up beside her. “We’ll be seeing a lot of each other. And Mackenna?” He waited until she lifted her dark gaze to his. “You don’t have to run anymore. Welcome to the Enclave. Welcome to your new home.”

***

Liberty let Adam grip her waist and lift her off the quadcopter.

The entire convoy was stretched out in a long row, moving forward slowly. They were flanked by military vehicles she didn’t recognize.

“Sir?” Private Mitchell was waving at them from the back door of Adam’s truck.

“There’s our ride,” Adam said. “Nice to see you, Private.”

“You, too, sir. And we were certainly happy to run into the Enclave troops who came out to escort us in.”

The Enclave. Liberty’s heart clenched hard.

Adam helped her into the back and while she tried to hide her wince, he spotted it. The man was attuned to her.

“You need to see the doc,” he said with a frown.

She waved a hand. “Later. She has her hands full with Santha. Do you think they’ll be able to save the baby?”

“I don’t know.” Adam thumped on the dividing wall with the cab, and the truck started. “All we can do is hope for the best.”

Suddenly, she was engulfed in Adam’s arms. He pulled her back onto the bunk with him, holding her tight. “I thought…back there in that town…I thought I’d lost you.”

“I’m right here.” She held onto him, breathing in the sweat and toil of their fight. She didn’t mind it. It meant he was alive.

He pulled back, his blue gaze drilling into her. “I need you, Liberty. You’re my light. Your smile, your voice, just watching you sleep. You give me more than a reason to keep fighting, you give me a reason to keep breathing.”

“Adam.” Her chest swelled.

“I’m falling in love with you,” he said.

She jerked a little. For a long time, those words had been used as a weapon, a tether against her. Since she’d escaped her ex, she’d never uttered them, or wanted to hear them again.

“That wasn’t supposed to upset you.” Emotions flashed on Adam’s face. “I’m sorry that it wasn’t what you wanted to hear.”

She grabbed Adam’s hands. “I…let me explain.” She dragged in some air. “My ex-husband, he’d tell me he loved me…while he beat the shit out of me. He’d leave me broken and bleeding and stroke my hair, telling me his love for me made him do it.”

Adam’s face hardened. “That is not love.”

“I know. I know that now.” She moved closer to him. “In fact, I only just realized it fully when you said the words to me. I felt the difference.”

“Jesus, Liberty, you know how to cut my legs out from under me.”

“Now, please, tell me again.”

He cupped her cheeks. “Liberty, I’m falling in love with you.”

She breathed in, feeling only warmth inside her. “Adam, I think I started falling for you while I was cutting your hair.”

“God.” He pulled her to his chest, still careful of her wounds. “Put me out of my misery. Be my partner, my lover, my everything.”

“Yes.” She crawled into his lap. “Yes.”

He took her mouth in a hot kiss. Her neck bent back under the force of it, but she gripped him and kissed him back. Eager for more, for the taste of him, to feel he was so very much alive.

“General?”

The private’s voice made them both start. Then she realized the sound had come through the small intercom speaker on the comp.

Adam pressed a button. “Private, this had better be good. And I mean really good.”

The young man let out a nervous laugh. “Ah, yes sir. Um, first thing is that Doc Emerson got Santha stabilized. Her contractions have stopped.”

Liberty closed her eyes. Thank God.

“Excellent news. And the second thing?” Adam asked impatiently.

“How about the fact that we’ve reached the Enclave?”

Liberty’s heart gave a thump, and she saw savage satisfaction flare in Adam’s gaze.

“I won’t demote you, Private.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Soon, the vehicle stopped and they wasted no time getting out. Liberty didn’t care that she was sore and dirty.

At first, she saw the Enclave soldiers. They were standing ahead, waving vehicles in. She didn’t see the entrance, then as cars dipped out of sight, she realized the ramp was well hidden.

Around them, vehicles were honking their horns, and people were shouting and cheering.

Liberty leaned her head against Adam’s chest. “Well done, General. You did it.”

“We did it.”

She looked up at him. She could see he was happy but she sensed sadness as well. “What’s wrong?”

“Just thinking of the people who didn’t make it.”

“We won’t forget them. But look around.” She saw him take in the crowd of happy, relieved people. “See all the people you saved.”

He did and nodded. “Here, we can be safe. Kids can play, old ladies feel useful and appreciated.” He leaned down. “Couples can kiss.”

“Oh, I like that last bit.”

“Here, I can sleep through the night, wrapped in my Liberty.”

The words made her shiver.

“Here, we can regroup and make plans to rid our planet of the Gizzida once and for all.”

Her general would always be a military man. She knew he’d never give up fighting, and that made her proud as hell.

“And here—” his voice lowered “—I can make love to you whenever I want, however I want.”

She cocked a hip, desire flaring. “Is that right?”

“Yes.” He reached past her and into the truck. When he stepped back, he was holding something. It was a small, wrapped present. “This is for you.”

Delight flooded her. She hadn’t received a present in a very long time. She tore it open. It was a bottle…she turned it over and read the label. Homemade bubble bath…in her favorite jasmine scent.

“I don’t know how you knew my favorite—”

“I have my ways, too.”

“Thank you.” She leaned up and kissed him.

“You can thank me properly later, my love.” He nipped her lips. “When you’re naked, covered only in bubbles.”

“It’s a date. I look forward to it, my general.”

And she also looked forward to every single moment with Adam. She looked forward to falling one hundred percent completely in love with him and living a life that was so very worth living.

–

I hope you enjoyed Adam and Liberty’s story!

Hell Squad continues with NIKO, the story of the leader of Enclave, Nikolai Ivanov, and Squad Nine’s second-in-command, Mackenna “Mac” Carides. Read on for a preview of the first chapter.

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Preview – Hell Squad: Niko

Though some might protest about being on base patrol, she didn’t mind it. Mackenna Carides lifted her carbine and stepped carefully through the long grass, her gaze scanning ahead for anything out of the ordinary.

She had to admit, though, she still wasn’t used to the lack of trees around their new home. This place was nothing like Blue Mountain Base.

It’d been over a year and a half since aliens had invaded Earth. A year and a half since the dinosaur-like raptors had sent down their ships and troops and decimated the planet. Mac, and her fellow soldiers in the Army of the Coalition of United Countries, had been part of the military response. Her jaw hardened. She’d watched a lot of friends die in the fighting. She’d fought for days on end, pulled survivors out of raptor claws, and finally found a haven in a secret underground military base in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.

But now, even that was gone.

Mac ducked through a large gap in a sagging fence. Several weeks ago, the aliens had finally sniffed them out and attacked Blue Mountain Base. In a wild and dangerous move, the human survivors had formed a convoy and made a mad dash out of the mountains.

It had ended here. At a new haven built in an old underground coal mine. The Enclave.

“Man, I am enjoying the food here.”

Mac turned to look at her patrol partner. Camryn McNabb was tall, slim, and gorgeous. Everyone on their squad called her the glamazon. With short, dark hair, dark skin inherited from her African mother, and that long, lean body, Cam knew exactly how to work what she’d been born with. Right now, though, she was covered with black carbon fiber armor, and she carried her carbine in an easy, familiar grip.

“We had good food at Blue Mountain,” Mac said.

“Never said we didn’t,” Cam continued. “But that garden they have here…they grow all sorts of great stuff. Have you seen the raspberries?”

“Yeah.” Mac had stolen a few—big, juicy, and damned delicious. She would never admit it to a soul, but she had a secret addiction to decadent tastes and smells. She hid her vice under her tough reputation. At barely an inch over five feet, her fellow soldiers tended to underestimate her. She made sure they only ever did it once.

She looked over at Cam. In Mac’s entire military career, she’d never been a part of a team as good as this one. All the squads were made up of survivors from every branch of the military and law enforcement. Squad Nine’s leader was Roth Masters—a tough, no-nonsense soldier. Mac considered him a hell of a boss and a friend. Apart from Roth and the big, silent Theron, the rest of the squad was all women. They respected the hell out of each other, had saved each other’s backs too many times to count. They worked side-by-side with the other squads, including the infamous Hell Squad, and every day, they did their bit to protect their group of human survivors and fight back against the aliens.

She scanned the landscape—rolling hills covered with green grass and stands of trees. The Enclave had been built by the former President of the United Coalition. Instead of fighting for his people, he’d made a deal with the Gizzida aliens, and built this small, cozy Enclave. He’d then selected a small group of people he’d determined deserved to be saved.

Bastard. President Howell was dead now, and Mac couldn’t bring herself to feel very sorry about it. Now, the Enclave was filled to the brim with its original survivors, and with those who’d escaped the onslaught of the Blue Mountain Base attack. It had only been two weeks, and they were all still finding a way to live together. She figured it was going to take longer until they all trusted each other. Still, Cam was right—the food was damn good.

Mac’s earpiece crackled to life. “Mac? Cam? You two there?”

It was the smooth, calm voice of Arden, their squad’s comms officer. She was beneath their feet inside the Enclave, in the secure comms control room.

“Receiving,” Mac answered.

“I have Lia from the drone team on the line. She wants to talk to you. Seems that she’s having some issues with one of her drones.”

Mac touched her ear. “Put her through.”

A second later another voice came on the line. “Hi, Mackenna. This is Lia.”

“What can we do for you, Lia?”

“We have a drone out to the south of the Enclave on standard reconnaissance. It seems to be jammed, and its feed isn’t getting back to us. None of the other drones are picking up any alien activity. Can you check it out and see what’s going on?”

Mac scanned the sky to the south. She didn’t see anything there, but the drones—tiny quadcopters that could fit in the palm of her hand—were hard to spot. Plus, they all had small illusion systems that rendered them near-invisible to alien sensors, and blurred them on visual. The only thing Mac could see in the blue sky was a bird soaring high overhead.

“No problem. We’ll head that way and take a look.”

“Thanks,” Lia answered. “Let me know if you find anything. I’m guessing it’s just a malfunction, but I want to make sure.”

Mac nodded her head toward the south. “We need to go and check on a drone.”

The two of them headed that way, picking their way through the long grass. All around the Enclave, the landscape appeared undisturbed and overgrown. The security team worked hard to ensure there were no tracks or obvious signs of occupation. Mac knew the place also had state-of-the-art defenses, and they could completely lock down in the event of an attack.

But the key thing helping to keep them safe was the small fleet of drones. They were vitally important for providing intel for the squads. When the aliens had first attacked, they’d destroyed all the planet’s satellite systems. Luckily, Noah Kim, the tech genius at Blue Mountain Base, had repurposed drones so that an expert team could fly them and provide information on the aliens’ whereabouts. That information was fed to all the squads and without it, they were blind.

It was a brilliant, sunny day, and, for a second, Mac could almost imagine that the invasion had never happened. Right here, at this spot, all she saw were beautiful hills, blue sky, and bright sunshine. Birds were chirping, and from here there was no sign of the destruction the aliens had wreaked. She knew just to the north lay the remains of Sydney, the former capital of the Coalition. Nothing was left of the once-thriving city, other than rubble and dust.

Mac released a long breath. Damn, she was still feeling a little raw and twitchy after their wild race out of the mountains. The aliens had come close to capturing them numerous times. People had died. She closed her eyes for a second. It still hadn’t fully sunk in that they were somewhere safe.

“I do miss the old base,” Cam said, “but man, I love the swimming pool.”

Mac smiled. The Enclave’s indoor, heated swimming pool was proving very popular. Personally, Mac liked the Garden. It was accessed through a long tunnel, and sat up on top of an escarpment. It was built inside a bowl of rock and open to the sky—but with a retractable roof, in case of danger. It got lots of natural sunlight. Something she’d missed in the rabbit warren of Blue Mountain Base. And she was pretty darn happy with the fancy, well-equipped gym here, as well.

But, as she spotted an abandoned processing plant from the old mine, the metal rusting and sagging, her hands clenched on her carbine. She knew she couldn’t fully relax, couldn’t let the luxurious surrounds of the Enclave let her go soft. They were at war, in a fight for their very existence. She needed to be in peak physical condition and ready for anything.

It was one of the things her father had taught her. No tears, little girl. Toughen up and face that problem head-on. She thought of her father and her two brothers. As far as she knew, they were dead. Her brothers had been somewhere in Texas when the first wave of the invasion had hit. Her father had been on an oil rig off the north of Scotland. Her chest went tight. She’d never heard from them, and the one message she’d ever gotten through to one of the survivor outposts in Texas hadn’t received a response.

Mac’s mother had died when she was young and her father had dragged Mac and her brothers around the world as he’d worked on different oil rigs. There had been no chance to collect precious things, or get used to a certain house or place. She’d learned never to depend on anything, because it could be gone in a blink.

“I don’t see any drones,” Cam said. “No aliens, either.”

Mac didn’t see anything out of the norm, either. She looked around again, and once again watched the beautiful bird—some sort of hawk or eagle—dipping and flowing overhead. She touched her ear. “Lia? No sign of your drone, and no sign of any alien activity that might be jamming it.”

“Thanks, Mac. The intermittent signal is coming from about ten meters west of your current location.”

“On it.” Mac wandered toward a lone tree in that direction.

Then she spotted the drone snagged in the branches.

“Looks like some drone pilot is going to get a ribbing from their colleagues,” Cam murmured with a smile.

Mac smiled and touched her earpiece. “Lia, we found it. Hung up in a tree.”

Lia’s expulsion of breath came across the line. “Damn. Must be a malfunction. I’ll talk to Noah and his tech team, and see if we can work out what happened to it.”

“Roger that. We’ll bring it back in for you.” Mac looked at Cam. “Ready to go climbing?”

Cam scowled. “Why me?”

“Because I outrank you.”

“You never pull rank.”

“I do when it comes to looking like an idiot climbing a tree.”

Muttering under her breath, Cam climbed the wide trunk of the tree and pulled herself up into the branches. After a few minutes and a few more curses, she’d freed the little drone.

As Cam dropped it down, Mac caught it and watched as Cam dropped down as well, landing in a light crouch. Mac turned the drone over.

“Hell, it’s pretty battered.” One of the rotors was mangled, and the side of it was dented.

“Yep, someone is going to catch hell for crashing this little baby,” Cam said.

A second later, Arden was back on the comm line. “Mac, there’s a war meeting in the Command Center. All squad leaders and their second-in-commands have been requested to attend. Roth said he’ll meet you there. A relief team will come out shortly to take over patrol from you guys.”

War meeting. Great. “On my way.”

Cam and Mac headed back toward the entrance they’d used to exit the Enclave. It was cleverly hidden in the ground, and impossible to find if you didn’t know where it was. As they approached, she saw two other soldiers leaving the Enclave to take over patrol.

Mac couldn’t help but grin. These two were from Hell Squad—the toughest, meanest, most efficient squad around. It was headed by the battle-hardened Marcus Steele, but the two coming toward her were Hell Squad’s sole female soldier and its sniper. The two also happened to be crazy in love, and had just recently finally admitted it to each other.

Shaw Baird was tall, slightly lanky, with shaggy hair streaked with gold. When he spotted Mac and Cam, he shot them a flirtatious grin. Mac was pretty sure flirting was in the man’s DNA. In addition to being an excellent shot with his long-range laser rifle, he’d also been a notorious ladies’ man before he’d finally faced his feelings for Claudia Frost.

Beside him, Claudia stood tall and straight, her dark hair pulled back in a long braid. There was no doubting from the badass look on her face that she could quite easily take down a raptor twice her size. Mac had seen her in action, and would have the former SAS soldier on her team any day.

Mac watched as Shaw leaned in to Claudia and whispered something. The woman rolled her eyes and gave the man a smack in the arm. That just made him grin more wildly.

A relationship like this, love…it had to soften a woman. Claudia didn’t look any different—except for the light in her eyes when she looked at her lover—but surely that love would eventually seep in, and make that tough look on her face disappear. Mac knew that had to be a weakness.

“Nothing much to report,” Mac said. “I suspect you guys will just have a lovely stroll in the sun.”

“After the last few months,” Shaw said, “a stroll in the sun sounds damn nice.”

“We just rescued a drone for Lia.” Mac held up the small quadcopter. “Landed in a tree.”

“Malfunction?” Claudia asked.

Mac shrugged. “Looks that way. The geek squad is going to take a look at it. Certainly no aliens around.”

“You two stay alert.” Cam’s grin was a little cheeky. “No hanky-panky.”

Shaw waggled his eyebrows. “But I’m so good at hanky-panky.”

That earned him a whack in the back of the head from Claudia.

They waved goodbye, and Mac and Cam climbed down through the hatch and dropped into the tunnel.

“I’ll drop you at the Command Center and then take the drone to the tech lab,” Cam said. “After that, I’m off to the pool.” She rubbed her hands together with glee.

Mac handed over the drone as they headed out of the tunnel and into a wide, carpeted corridor. Ahead, people were walking in small groups, talking and laughing.

This was where the true differences to Blue Mountain Base were really noticeable. There was thick, plush carpet on the floor, and framed artwork lining the corridor walls. It didn’t quite mask the fact that they were underground, but it had a state-of-the-art lighting system that mimicked natural light. Blue Mountain Base had felt like a concrete rabbit warren of military tunnels, and while they’d all done their best to make it seem like a home, it hadn’t ever come close to the Enclave’s luxurious feel.

They made their way through the corridors—Mac was finally learning her way around. They reached the Command Center, and passed the large glass windows that looked into the high-tech hive of activity. There were walls covered in flat screens, and multiple comp stations set up with various people working at them. In the main meeting area in the center, she saw most of the squad leaders and their seconds were already there.

Then she spotted him.

Nikolai Ivanov was one of the leaders of the Enclave. He stood in front of the group in jeans and a dark T-shirt. In the two weeks she’d been here, she’d done her best to avoid him. Something about the man made her itch. He was an artist, but she’d seen him in the field once when they’d first reached the Enclave. He might paint, but he was no simple artist.

After their convoy had arrived, Roth had been assigned to Niko to trade information and bring him up to speed on all the squads’ capabilities. Roth had delegated the job to Mac.

So she’d been forced to spend a few tense hours meeting with Niko in his office. The man had this way of watching her… She brushed the thought away. She was probably just being silly. The man was an artist and clearly liked to watch people.

She looked at him now through the glass. A long, lean body, dark hair that was close to brushing his shoulders. Although she couldn’t see them from this distance, she knew his eyes were a piercing green.

Then he looked up, and his gaze hit hers unerringly.

Mac held it, not letting herself fall for the panicked need to look away. She felt the punch of heat to her belly, absorbed it with annoyance.

Then she broke contact and looked away. If she ignored this thing, it would go away.

“What was that?”

Cam’s voice made Mac jolt.  “What?”

“Oh, don’t play coy with me, Carides. What the hell was that look I just saw? That panty-melting, I-want-to-lick-you-all-over look that the man—that handsome, sexy-as-sin, artist man—just gave you.”

Mac resisted the urge to stiffen. It would just give Cam more fuel. “I didn’t see anything.”

“Mac, you see everything. Girl, the man is hot. And if you missed it, I said hot with underlined, italicized letters.”

Mac sniffed. “Aren’t you going swimming?”

Cam’s dark gaze narrowed. “You toss every man over your shoulder and slam him into the training mats. Why not have a little fun for a change? Drag this one down and ride him like a pony.”

“Cam!” Mac hated that she could picture that image of her and Niko far too clearly.

“What are two lovely ladies like you doing in a place like this?”

Cam stiffened like she’d been hit with an electric prod, and Mac barely suppressed a smile. Saved by the berserkers.

The two men striding down the corridor were the leader and second of Squad Three, better known as the berserkers. These men were wild. The berserkers had been cobbled together from men with…dubious backgrounds. Mercenaries, bikers, and…well, it was best not to ask too many questions.

Tane and Hemi were brothers, although Tane was a little taller and leaner than his brother, with a harsh, handsome face that was framed by heavy dreadlocks. He stalked closer with a stride that reminded Mac of a big jungle cat. Hemi was rougher, stockier, and had a dark beard that didn’t hide his wide smile. He sauntered like a rock star and his gaze was firmly on Cam.

“Rahia, just keep your mouth shut,” Cam bit out. “Every time you open it, you make me want to punch you.” Her smile took on an edge. “And I’m still in my armor, so that means I can really hurt you.”

“Aw, Camryn, you still angry with me about that whole pink helmet incident? Isn’t it time to forgive me?”

Mac winced. “Hemi, it’s best you don’t bring up the ‘painting the helmet pink’ thing.”

“Why not?” Something wicked danced in his eyes. “Cam looks so pretty in pink.”

Cam made a growling sound. She took a step forward, and then slammed her fist into Hemi’s stomach. To the man’s credit, he barely doubled over, but the air did rush out of him. Cam had a hell of a right hook.

“Tane.” Cam nodded at Squad Three’s leader.

Tane gave her a nod and a faint smile, then Cam sauntered down the corridor like a model on a catwalk.

Mac looked at Hemi. “Dude, I don’t know what your game is, but I really don’t think pissing Cam off all the time is a good way to sweet-talk her into your bed.”

Hemi grinned. “She’ll come around. I have a certain charm.”

Mac shook her head and pushed open the doors to the Command Center, the men moving to follow her.

She headed to where Roth was standing with Marcus Steele and Hell Squad’s second in command, Cruz Ramos and his partner, Santha Kade. Mac nodded at some of the other squad leaders, but avoided looking toward the front of the room.

It didn’t matter, dammit. She was still very conscious that Niko’s gaze was on her the entire time. She could feel it like a physical touch.

She heaved out a breath. Just ignore it. It’ll go away.

Hell Squad

Marcus

Cruz

Gabe

Reed

Roth

Noah

Shaw

Holmes

Niko

Finn

When astro-archeologist and museum curator Dr. Lexa Carter discovers a secret map to a lost old Earth treasure—a priceless Fabergé egg—she’s excited at the prospect of a treasure hunt to the dangerous desert planet of Zerzura. What she’s not so happy about is being saddled with a bodyguard—the museum’s mysterious new head of security, Damon Malik.

After many dangerous years as a galactic spy, Damon Malik just wanted a quiet job where no one tried to kill him. Instead of easy work in a museum full of artifacts, he finds himself on a backwater planet babysitting the most infuriating woman he’s ever met.

She thinks he’s arrogant. He thinks she’s a trouble-magnet. But among the desert sands and ruins, adventure led by a young, brash treasure hunter named Dathan Phoenix, takes a deadly turn. As it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want them to find the treasure, Lexa and Damon will have to trust each other just to survive.

The Phoenix Adventures

Among Galactic Ruins

At Star’s End

In the Devil’s Nebula

On a Rogue Planet

Beneath a Trojan Moon

Beyond Galaxy’s Edge

On a Cyborg Planet

Return to Dark Earth

On a Barbarian World

Lost in Barbarian Space

Through Uncharted Space

Also by Anna Hackett

Treasure Hunter Security

Undiscovered

Uncharted

Unexplored

Hell Squad

Marcus

Cruz

Gabe

Reed

Roth

Noah

Shaw

Holmes

Niko

Finn

The Anomaly Series

Time Thief

Mind Raider

Soul Stealer

Salvation

Anomaly Series Box Set

The Phoenix Adventures

Among Galactic Ruins

At Star’s End

In the Devil’s Nebula

On a Rogue Planet

Beneath a Trojan Moon

Beyond Galaxy’s Edge

On a Cyborg Planet

Return to Dark Earth

On a Barbarian World

Lost in Barbarian Space

Through Uncharted Space

Perma Series

Winter Fusion

The WindKeepers Series

Wind Kissed, Fire Bound

Taken by the South Wind

Tempting the West Wind

Defying the North Wind

Claiming the East Wind

Standalone Titles

Savage Dragon

Hunter’s Surrender

One Night with the Wolf

Anthologies

A Galactic Holiday

Moonlight (UK only)

Vampire Hunter (UK only)

Awakening the Dragon (UK Only)

For more information visit AnnaHackettBooks.com

About the Author

I’m a USA Today bestselling author and I’m passionate about action romance. I love stories that combine the thrill of falling in love with the excitement of action, danger and adventure. I’m a sucker for that moment when the team is walking in slow motion, shoulder-to-shoulder heading off into battle. I write about people overcoming unbeatable odds and achieving seemingly impossible goals. I like to believe it’s possible for all of us to do the same.

My books are mixture of action, adventure and sexy romance and they’re recommended for anyone who enjoys fast-paced stories where the boy wins the girl at the end (or sometimes the girl wins the boy!)

For release dates, action romance info, free books, and other fun stuff, sign up for the latest news here:

Website: AnnaHackettBooks.com

Table of Contents

What readers are saying about Anna’s Science Fiction Romance

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Preview – Hell Squad: Niko

Also by Anna Hackett

About the Author