Chapter Eight

 

 

 

Dracen rolled her shoulders in a meager attempt to loosen them up as she sat perched on a branch overlooking the hole that The New Order assholes were guarding. Through the nocs, it didn’t appear all that impressive. Still, The New Order goons had a nice setup around it. Housing, fire pits and guards. Plenty of guards.

How did they get all those men up here without attracting some sort of attention? Why do I keep forgetting that The New Order is extremely well funded by some powerful men?

She canvassed the area, searching for anything to give her a hint as to what they were after. Nothing.

She put the binoculars back in her coat pocket and scrunched her toes inside her boots a few times. She wasn’t cold, but she would prefer to be cuddled up against Luc somewhere warm where clothing was optional. And refused.

The knowledge had her weaving on the branch and she swore in her mind while she scrambled to right herself. This isn’t good. I can’t be thinking about him. Yet she couldn’t stop herself from doing that very thing.

The click in her ear snapped her from thoughts of Luc.

“We have four more like this but they aren’t sure which is the right one.”

The man’s voice sounded familiar to her and she narrowed her eyes as she tried to place it.

“Make sure they’re all guarded. And tell them to stay alert. Those damn Guardians have been known to drop in from the sky all unannounced and shit. I have no wish to tell those men that we lost the stuff to them.” A different man spoke this time.

She waited a bit more to see if they were continuing their conversation, and when that was negative, she switched to the channel she shared with Luc. Impatient for him to come on, she reached for her nocs once more.

“Checking in,” Luc said in his unhurried way.

“Where are you?” The question slipped free before she could stop it.

“Halfway around the compound. You?”

She put the nocs up to her eyes and searched. With her vantage point, she could cover the entire area, and she worked her way visually to the halfway point from where they began. Nothing.

“Watching. Did you hear them talking about the other holes?”

“Yes. You didn’t tell me where you are. Are you watching me?”

“I can’t see you, we’re on opposite sides.”

“You sound frustrated, babe. Do you want to see me?”

Yes! “Nope.”

“Then you should take the nocs off me.”

She flushed. How had he known she was looking for him? “What are you talking about?”

His chuckle was decadent. “You may be a Guardian, babe, but I’m not a wet-behind-the-ears rookie here. I see you sitting in that tree up there. You’re good, but I’m better.”

She narrowed her eyes and stared harder, as if it would allow her to spot him. “Where are you? And how did you find me?”

“I studied you and I know what it is you like.”

That statement incurred a rush of moisture to her core. Her body stirred in desire as her nipples tightened to an almost painful state.

“That’s not an answer.”

“Sure it is, just not the one you wanted me to give you.”

She searched again, frustration mounting. Why can’t I see him? Movement had her focusing on the trees, but she scowled at the small bunny that hopped along the crust of the snow.

“I will say it’s impressive how the black you wear doesn’t stick out. I thought you would be blatant in the snow wearing that, but somehow, you manage to blend in. That’s a secret I would like to know.”

The bunny moved on and she searched out with her sign but for some reason it wasn’t helping her.

“You’re frowning. You’re still unable to find me and you won’t. May as well give it up.”

“Fuck you,” she muttered with half heat.

“Later, in the tent, I’ll definitely take you up on that. Right now, though, I think you should move to the main tent. Everyone else is occupied and if you go in through the back—”

She moved, this time her sign lending its speed to her.

“Or through the front like a fucking blur. Damn, that’s cool.”

As the flap of the tent settled behind her, she allowed a small smile. Nice to know she could impress him. “I’m in. No one is here but am checking it out now.”

“I’ve got you covered.”

“More maps,” she muttered low so only he could hear her. “Bed, and lots of papers that mean bupkis to me.”

“Bupkis?”

“Shit.”

“Bupkis shit, or shit as in oh shit? Because I don’t see anything on this side.”

“Bupkis shit.” She searched, making sure not to touch anything, unwilling to set off any traps.

“Tango approaching.”

“How far?”

“Thirty feet.”

She made a decision.

“Fifteen. Ten. Five. You’d better do something, you’re about to have company.”

Dracen had moved to the side of the flap when he’d told her thirty feet. When the person entered she waited, eyes narrowed, coiled, for the material to fall back into place, keeping everyone else out. Then she struck.

She didn’t take long, just incapacitated the person before shoving into their thoughts.

 

* * * *

 

Luc waited impatiently for her to return. She’d said she’d meet him back at the tent, but he’d been here for nearly an hour and there’d yet to be any sign of Dracen. He switched over to channel seven and clicked it once, thinking she may be on that.

Nothing.

“Woman,” he growled.

“You like to growl a lot, don’t you?”

She ducked into the tent, snow dotting her hair. Relief filled his body at the sight of her.

“Only when people frustrate me. Where the fuck have you been? What took you so long?” He narrowed his gaze, focusing on her face. Slightly ashen. “What happened?”

She sank gracefully to the floor of the tent and rubbed the back of her neck. The exhaustion wasn’t something she could hide from him. He tossed her an MRE and waited while she opened it and dug in.

“So there are six sites, all at the main points we found on the map with the symbol that they created when connected.”

He nodded. “Go on.”

“One of them has a chamber in it and they’re trying to find the artifact in there, but it’s not telling them which section of the chamber specifically it was. I guess they just saw the gold dust but now it’s stopped releasing the signal so they’re not sure which thing in that place it is.”

“Which hole?”

“Map?” She ate a few more bites while he spread out the map. Chewing her food, she tapped the surface with the end of the fork. “This one.”

“We should be able to get there in a few days.”

“I agree. I’d still like to know what that one hole is for as well.” She touched another spot that wasn’t one of the six.

“You know that isn’t a hole they’re searching for the artifact?”

“It’s something more. Not sure what yet, but more.”

“Fine.”

“I’d also like to find out who’s been supplying them with all this gear. I know The New Order is well funded, but if we could learn by who, perhaps we could cut off the funding tree and set them back a bit.”

“It’s a lot of military gear. Let me call my father and ask him.”

“There’s no signal up here. At least not with the phone I have. Maybe they’ll have a sat phone at one of the encampments.”

“So you want to skip these other ones and head up to this position?”

“Yes. The longer I’m not there to claim the artifact, the more chance They have to claim it. I refuse to be the one who turns their artifact over to Them.”

“When do you want to leave?”

“As soon as we steal some snowmobiles.”

“Not walking?”

“Time’s not on our side. Unless you’re staying behind so I can run my ass up there, we’re going this way.”

“Two snowmobiles it is then.”

She rubbed her neck again and he caught the wince. “Turn around.”

“Huh?”

He gestured with his finger and she did, putting her back to him. Luc settled his hands on her shoulders, and began massaging her.

“Oh God,” she groaned in a way that encased his cock in titanium. “That feels divine.”

“You’re so fucking tense,” he rumbled.

“A lot on my mind.”

“I’m thinking the two of us need a vacation somewhere. Warm sand, water, bikinis.”

“You’d look pretty interesting in a bikini,” she said, laughter in her tone.

“Bikini is for you, babe. I get to enjoy it on you.”

“Oh, you said bikinis, so I assumed we’d both be in one.”

He tugged her back and kissed her neck before nipping the skin. “I’m up for being nude.”

“That’s nothing new.”

“No, it’s not. But can you blame me?”

“You can be nude all you want, I have no problem with that either.”

“Let’s break camp.” He kissed her once more.

It didn’t take them long to erase all signs of them having been there. He stood beside her as they both looked through ’nocs at the encampment.

“How are you thinking we do this?” He put them back in his coat. “We take them now and the news will be along the wire about us. If they all die, they’ll figure something is up when there’s no check-in.”

“I was thinking of going straight in and just riding them out. No fuss, no muss.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “Really? And you think they’re going to just hand them over?”

“Nope. But you asked me what I was thinking.”

“I’ll set an explosive near the pit, when that goes off and they’re all distracted by it, we leave with the snowmobiles.”

“With what explosive?”

It was his turn to chuckle. “I do have my own ways, babe.”

She looked up at him. “I really want to know what you did in the service.”

“Later. Let’s go. I’ll meet you behind that blue tent in ten minutes. Make sure we have extra fuel with us so we don’t run out.”

She beckoned to him and he blinked. “What?”

“Your pack with the tent. If you don’t need it for what you’re about to go do, let me take it.”

He shrugged free of it and handed it over. “Keep your ass safe, babe.”

“You too.”

She turned to walk away and he spun her back, slanting his mouth over hers, pouring in all his emotions he wasn’t about to verbalize. Her tongue met his delving one and they danced, stroked and rubbed along each other.

“See you soon.”

He waited until she vanished from sight before he made his way around to where he would place the explosive. He didn’t have a lot but then, he never needed a lot. He had to make it look like something it wasn’t.

I wonder where he is.

Luc nearly tripped over his own feet when he heard Dracen’s voice in his head. He flattened himself against the trunk and tried to reason out why he was hearing her. It didn’t make sense, but then, neither did the warm heat he got from being close to her. Had she followed him? Was she near?

He clicked the comm and waited.

“Something wrong?” Her voice, soft and confident, reached him.

“Where are you?”

“By the snowmobiles tying on your gear. Just about to get fuel. Why? Is there a problem?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

She was gone, but he didn’t feel alone. The heat remained with him, keeping the cold at bay. He moved closer, only to stop when desire wracked him. Luc closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear it.

Hands moving up a hard chest. Nails scoring skin. A tongue flicking over a pointed nipple.

What the fuck is going on with me?

A quick rub of his eyes and he focused back on the task at hand.

Sweaty skin. Entwined limbs. Moans and pants filled his head, such that he would have sworn he was in a room with a couple making love. He could hear it, damn near feel the passion spiraling through them.

He bit the inside of his cheek and ignored the rock-hard cock inside his cargo pants. Being distracted now was unacceptable. He redoubled his efforts to remain focused and set his charge, taking a peek at the time on his wrist. Checking around him, he pushed to his feet and strolled with confidence through the encampment to the blue tent.

He slipped inside and stared at the woman who was bent over one of the snowmobiles tying something on the back. He didn’t speak, merely waited for her acknowledge him.

“Almost done,” she said softly. “Lighter load one is yours.”

She lifted her head and met his gaze.

He flexed his hold on the MP5 and flipped up his hood. Her statement made sense—she weighed less so if she carried more on her sled, the fuel would run out at the same rate, it wouldn’t have to compensate for his heavier frame.

“What about them radioing ahead?”

“Can’t do anything about that.” She straddled her ride, and as he watched, she called forth her sword and knife before storing them on her body. “Ready?”

He popped the cocking handle and nodded. “One question, though.”

She touched her lips then lifted her eyebrows. “And that would be?”

“Have you been thinking about sex with me lately?”

He chuckled at her expression, sat on his snowmobile and started it. She followed him out, aware he knew where their destination was.