Liv woke, held tight against a hard, male body. A hum of pleasure ran through her.
She’d spent the entire night having hot, possessive sex. She shivered. It had left her feeling good. So very good. The only times she’d slipped out of bed had been to check on Freyja.
Alexander shifted, his muscular arm tightening across her waist. He pulled her closer, her back pressed to his chest, and hardening cock rubbing against her butt.
“Morning.” His voice was deep and gritty from sleep.
Liv blinked and suddenly realized that the sun was shining, streaming through the window. Her stomach turned over.
They weren’t trapped by the blizzard anymore.
Nor were the aliens.
Alexander’s hand slid up to cup her breast.
“I know,” he murmured, reading her mind. “But we have a few more minutes before reality needs to intrude.”
“I wish we could stay right here forever,” she murmured.
He nuzzled her hair. “Me, too.”
His fingers played with her nipples until they turned into tight buds. She turned, desperate for him. Right now, in his arms, she felt complete—like some missing piece she hadn’t known about had clicked into place. She felt happy, safe, connected.
Not alone.
She pressed her mouth to his.
Kissing her deeply, he rolled, pulling her on top of him. She moved to straddle his strong thighs, finding his stiff cock. Hunger and desire riding her hard, she lifted her hips and drove down.
Their groans mingled. Liv savored the feel of him inside her, filling her. His hands clamped on her hips and he urged her on. She started to ride him.
“Closer,” she panted. She needed him closer.
Their gazes locked and his hands clamped on her hips. She moved faster. Pleasure rocked through her and she threw her head back. One of his hands slid down her belly, reaching the juncture of her thighs. He found her clit and pinched it between his fingers.
With a sharp cry, she started coming. As pleasure stormed through her, he bumped his hips up.
“Look at me,” he growled.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the muscles in his neck straining.
“Liv.” His face contorted as he found his own release.
She collapsed on him, feeling the fast rise and fall of his chest. More shivers of pleasure vibrated through both of them. He lifted a hand and stroked her back.
But soon, their bodies cooled, and she knew they couldn’t pretend much longer.
“It’s time,” he said.
Her hands tightened on him, then she nodded.
Rising from the bed, she felt the stickiness between her legs. She turned to head for the bathroom, but he grabbed her shoulder.
“After we finish this mission, I want you to think about coming to the base.”
Her heart thumped and she opened her mouth.
“I know it would be an adjustment for you and for Freyja, but this—” he waved a hand between them “—is important to me. You’re important to me.”
He leaned down and kissed her nose, then sauntered past her into the bathroom.
She watched him go, her gaze inevitably falling to his ass. It was shades paler than the rest of him and perfectly formed.
Shaking her head to clear it, she got on with preparing for their mission. A now-healed Freyja appeared, butting her head against Liv, looking for affection and her breakfast.
After feeding her wolf, she washed and dressed. She and Alexander ate standing up while they packed their backpacks. Alexander slung his carbine over his shoulder and Liv grabbed her laser pistol.
They stepped outside, Freyja running past them. Liv closed the door, a heaviness settling over her.
Outside was like a winter wonderland, but the snow was deep. It would make the trek to where the aliens were tougher.
“Here.” She grabbed the lightweight, high-tech snowshoes she had hanging on the wall of the cabin. She handed him a set before she strapped on her own.
“Been a while since I’ve used snowshoes,” he said.
“It’ll come back to you.” She nodded her head. “We need to go that way.”
“Lead on.”
Freyja frolicked through the snow, showing no effects from her healed injuries, as they trekked out. Liv kept close to the trees in case they needed cover. The trees that had valiantly been trying to burst into green were now coated in snow.
It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining. There was barely a cloud in the sky. But Liv found she couldn’t enjoy the weather properly. Her stomach was in knots.
“It’s just over the next hill,” she said.
When she looked at Alexander, she saw that his jaw was tight. The closer they got to where the aliens were holed up, the more tense his body got. Freyja was busy sniffing around, but Liv could sense the tension in her wolf, as well.
Was the bomb here? She swallowed. Could they really destroy these bombs? And then what? Would the Gizzida just leave the Earth?
Suddenly, there was a roar of sound in the sky. Freyja tensed.
“Down,” Alexander yelled.
They dived to the snow, crawling in close to some of the thicker trees. The snowshoes made it difficult. Alexander pressed close to her. They peered upward and watched a ptero whizz overhead.
“What if they see our snowshoe trail?” she said.
“Hopefully from the air, it’ll just look like animal tracks.”
The ship moved through the sky, turning on its side—agile and fast. Liv watched it slow as it reached the top of the neighboring hill.
“Look over there.” She pointed. “You can just make out the top of the main workshop roof.”
Alexander nodded and the ptero descended to land right beside the workshop.
His eyes narrowed. “Let’s go and see what they’re up to.”
Alexander lifted his feet, moving steadily up the snow-covered hill. It was a long time since he’d snowshoed, and his muscles were feeling it. Beside him, Liv looked like she could do it all week long without stopping.
They were closing in on the workshop. The aliens were close, and his shoulders were tense as hell.
Suddenly, he heard a noise. Guttural voices getting closer.
Fuck. He waved at Liv.
They hit the snow, crawling in under the lowest branches of a tree.
“Freyja, hide,” she murmured.
The wolf vanished.
Alexander pulled Liv close, and tried to breathe quietly. Through the branches, they saw a raptor step into view.
It was several meters away, muttering something in its guttural language. A second raptor appeared beside the first.
They had to be a patrol. One kicked at the snow with obvious disgust, and Alexander smiled without much humor. The pair of raptors scanned around, then turned, and disappeared back the way they’d come.
Alexander released a breath.
“That was close,” Liv said.
They crawled out from under the branches and got back up on their snowshoes. Freyja appeared, coming over to rub against Liv. They moved over to where the raptors had stopped.
“Look,” she said.
A clear path led toward the workshop. The aliens had clearly made paths to make their patrols easier.
“Let’s ditch the snowshoes and follow it,” he said.
They hid the snowshoes under the lowest branches of a nearby tree and started up the path. They moved carefully, watching for any sign of raptors.
They rounded a corner and the workshop came into view. It was a long, large building with only some tiny, high windows. Large roller doors at the front were closed.
“It was a maintenance workshop,” Liv said. “The team maintained the park’s fences, the roads, cleared snow.”
They peered around from behind some trees. Alexander saw some overturned snowmobiles, and a large, ice-encrusted snowplow.
More raptors appeared around the side of the workshop, and he and Liv ducked down. He saw some other raptors coming from the parked ptero. The two groups stopped to talk. After a long discussion, they headed inside.
Alexander pointed to the snowplow.
Liv nodded. “Freyja, stay.”
Together, the pair of them darted over to the ruined vehicle, ducking down behind its bulk.
“There’s a door over there,” she said.
He saw the door, probably some side entrance. They stayed there, watching. A raptor exited, but then it was quiet again.
“Let’s go,” he said.
They crept closer and reached the door. He cracked the door open and peered inside.
“Clear?” she murmured.
He nodded. They slid inside and instantly, he saw long workbenches in front of them. The surfaces were covered with tools. He and Liv darted in behind the closest bench.
A part of Alexander hated that Liv was in here, so close to the enemy. But she was calm and steady, focused on the mission.
They peered over the bench.
A knot of aliens was congregated at the other end of the workshop. One was bent over a large, black comp screen. It waved a clawed hand around, speaking in the raptor language.
Then the group shifted and Alexander’s muscles locked.
“Oh, God,” Liv murmured.
The bomb.
It looked exactly as had been described to them—large, black, octagonal. The top of it was open, and a large pipe-like hose was feeding something into it.
The raptor at the screen grunted and a motor started somewhere. Alexander watched the hose pulse, as fluid pumped through it. A brown liquid poured into the bomb below.
He pulled out a recording device and got several images.
“All right, now we get out of here,” he whispered.
Liv nodded and they crawled back toward the door.
All of a sudden, shouts broke out through the warehouse.
They both froze. Shit, had they been spotted?
No one came running in their direction and Alexander risked looking over the bench.
The pipe had burst and the brown fluid was flowing everywhere.
Whipping around, the out-of-control hose doused one raptor. The alien shouted and dropped his weapon. Steam rose off him, his scales burning.
“Oh, my God.” Liv bit her lip, clutching the leg of the workbench.
They could use this as a diversion. “Go.”
They crawled to the door and he urged her out. Quickly, he slipped out behind her.
Hurrying, they jogged away from the workshop and into the trees.
“What was that stuff?” she asked.
“Concentrated Gizzida genetic material.”
She grimaced. “We have to stop them, Alexander.”
“We will. Now, let’s get out of here without them seeing us.”