Dom held up one finger.
“Is that Hunter?” she asked, peering out. “Is Jen here?”
Ignoring her, Dom repeated his question to me.
“Alpha Diaz of the Calaveras faction executed her at the urging of Dr. Hurran.”
Dom clenched his fists, anger and pain seeping through our bond.
Maybe he’d cared for Jen after all.
“Why didn’t you protect her?” Dom’s tone wasn’t accusatory, but it still stung.
“She didn’t allow me to. She ordered me straight to you.”
The rattling moans of the infected grew louder.
Dom straightened his shoulders. “I want a full report when we get back to base. Now make yourself invisible and clear our path to the school.” Without waiting for a response, he jumped into the driver’s seat and pulled the transport vehicle out into the street.
Bitterness filled me as I cloaked myself and followed his orders. I’d come so fucking close to having my freedom and everything I’d ever wanted, only to lose it all.
By the time Dom parked the transport vehicle inside the gates of a private school several miles away, I was drenched in blood. I’d taken out my rage on any infected who had the misfortune of stumbling close to the vehicle, and it showed.
As I tried to wipe my face clean with my hand, Dom jumped out. “Wait next to the truck and don’t interact with anyone, Hunter.”
“Woof,” I said automatically.
His lips twitched at my inside joke, but I felt hollow. Back when we were a team, I’d acted like a dog when I felt he was treating me like one. It normally resulted in him taking his commands down a notch. Not today.
Turning away from me, he stalked across the courtyard to speak with soldiers who were helping civilians off a bus.
Their conversation was lost on me the moment my mate climbed out of the transport vehicle.
Even wearing a shell-shocked expression and covered in blood she was stunning.
I physically ached with the need to touch her, but I settled for watching her shout at Darcy. “What are you doing? Don’t you dare drop him.”
My mate was such a bossy thing. I loved it.
“Shut your pie hole,” Darcy replied, unceremoniously dumping Reed on the ground.
Lee cursed out Darcy while her sister jumped out of the truck and checked on Reed.
The cocksucker didn’t look any worse for wear. In fact, between the two of us, he’d made out with the better deal.
My envy for the unconscious human grew as I watched Lee and Eden drag him toward the long line of men, women, and children waiting to enter the school. It took twenty minutes for them to make it inside, where I finally lost sight of them.
Dom seemed to have forgotten me. His attention bounced between his radio and the incoming and outgoing transport vehicles. Occasionally, he barked orders at the soldiers, most of which seemed to be Titans like himself. All of them seemed to be in a race against time.
To make space for the growing crowd of civilians, Darcy moved the transport vehicle around to the side of the school. I had no choice but to walk next to the vehicle and wait while she parked it. She seemed unaware of my presence as she stalked back toward the front gates.
I wearily slumped against one of the back tires and faced my next dilemma. Dom had ordered me to cloak myself, however, it wasn’t physically possible for me to hold that state for much longer. Once I became visible, my chip would automatically punish me for not following orders. In the old days, I would have brought this to Dom’s attention, but now I’d rather let the pain kill me than ask for his mercy.
As I braced myself for the oncoming agony, my mind turned to my mate. I needed to see that she was okay. Throwing caution to the wind, I closed my eyes and pushed my consciousness out of my body.
Rising as an incorporeal mist, I flew around the school building where Dom stood with a radio pressed to his ear. “What do you mean evac isn’t coming?” he shouted.
Although I couldn’t feel his emotions in this disembodied state, seeing his mounting frustration filled me with grim satisfaction. It seemed we’d be at the school longer than he’d expected. Maybe much longer.
Mulling over the possible implications, I flew through the brick walls of the school. Then I traveled down a crowded hallway, past classrooms, and through a set of double doors that led to a gymnasium teeming with humans. Some huddled together on bleachers in the back, some sat on whatever belongings they’d brought with them, and some argued with the unfortunate soldiers trying to keep order.
Adding to the chaos were the half a dozen children racing from one end of the basketball court to the other, their joy a dark mirror to their parents’ anxiety and fear.
Not finding my mate there, I searched adjacent rooms. The boys’ locker room was empty, but a faint echo of voices drew me deeper inside the girls’ locker room. I flew through the restroom stalls and lockers before finally finding Lee and her family in the shower area.
Reed lay on the white-tiled floor, a shirt bunched under his neck.
Eden, who was free of handcuffs and shackles, cleaned dried blood from his forehead. “Stop worrying, sissy. It’s a mild concussion.”
Lee, who was pacing back and forth under the showerheads, whirled around. “I’m sorry, did I miss you getting your medical degree?”
Eden ignored my mate’s sarcasm. “His pupils aren’t dilated and his breathing and color look good. There’s some bruising and swelling, but he’ll be fine.”
“You were a vet assistant, Edie. He needs to see a nurse or a doctor. There has to be someone in the gym that can help him.” Lee started to walk out.
“Let me go,” Eden said as she stood. “You'll scare the kids.”
Lee frowned. “It’s just a little blood.”
“You’re stanky, sissy.”
“You’re stankier,” my mate shot back.
“Not possible. I’m going to grab some food from the vending machine before I start my doctor search, so you have time for a quick shower,” Eden called out as she left the locker room.
Lee looked down at her bloody clothing and made a face. Then, giving Reed a quick glance, she walked to the open shower in the corner of the room and undressed.
Her bare skin drew me like a beacon. Transfixed, I floated next to her and watched her turn the water on.
She let out a muffled shriek when the icy spray hit her, and her nipples went stiff as berries. Berries, I longed to taste.
As the water turned steaming hot, tension seemed to leave her shoulders. She found an abandoned bottle on the floor and began lathering herself down with its contents.
Seeing her hands move over her lush curves filled me with the need to reclaim every inch of her body.
Without even a flicker of indecision, I dove into Reed. I sensed the cocksucker attempting to regain consciousness, but it was easy enough to shove him aside and take control. A split-second later, I opened my new eyes and sat up. My head throbbed, but the dull pain was easy enough to ignore when my female was standing naked just a few feet away.
Lee faced the wall, her head under the streaming water. She didn’t seem to hear me tear off the clothes I was wearing and pad barefoot over to her.
When I reached out to touch her back, she whirled around. Blinking furiously through the water running down her face, she said, “Thank God,” and threw herself into my arms.