Page 9 of North (Hunter Squad #2)

CHAPTER NINE

Jess

P eering into the microscope, I studied the sample of the sticky cocoon substance. I wrote some notes on my communicator, then looked at the next slide.

Around me the lab was filled with the quiet murmur of voices from the lab technicians as they went about their work. Squad Command had a really good lab. It was well-equipped and staffed with smart people.

How were the monsters making the cocoons? Could they all create this substance? And why? That was really what was bugging me.

I glanced out the windows into the courtyard below. Squad Command was a squat building built of solid concrete. The upper floors had glass, but the lower levels had no windows. It was surrounded by a large wall with several guard towers. The place was monster proof. Down below, some trainee recruits were being put through their paces.

Hunter Squad hadn’t gotten a call out today. I’d decided to come into the lab, and I knew the rest of the squad were here too, working out in the well-equipped gym. Except North. Jameson had mentioned he’d volunteered to do some extra shifts in the infirmary.

I wondered how he was doing. Had he slept?

He isn’t yours to worry about, Jess.

“Ms. Ramos?” A female technician stopped beside me. “I forwarded the toxicology report you requested to your device.”

“Thanks.” I swiped my comm unit and found the report. Hmm . I studied it and frowned. The cocoon substance had some sort of unknown chemical in it. They speculated it was possibly a sedative.

Not a toxin. So the cocoons weren’t designed to kill their prisoners.

“You look good in a lab coat.”

I looked up at Marc. He was wearing gym gear and smiling.

“What’s up?”

“The boss man sent me to get you. We have a meeting with the generals. They want an update on the freaky-ass cocoons.”

I wrinkled my nose and grabbed my communicator. “I wish I had more to share.”

“Anything is better than nothing.”

“Have you seen North today?” I asked casually.

Marc sighed. “Yeah. He looked like hell.”

I shoved my hands in my pockets. I really wished there was something I could do to help North.

“When we rescue kids, it just stirs things up for him,” Marc added. “He’ll be fine. He’s tough.”

We walked down the hall, then a moment later, a set of double doors whispered open, and we walked into the main command room.

One wall was all flat screens, showcasing maps, live feeds, and other data. A huge light table sat in the center of the space. The rest of the Hunter Squad stood around it. My gaze went straight to North and my heart squeezed hard.

He hadn’t slept. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked exhausted. His gaze flicked to mine for a fleeting second before he looked away.

“Ah, Marc and Jess, thanks for coming,” a woman said.

Dragging my attention off North, I focused on the woman and man standing on the other side of the light table.

They both wore navy-blue jackets with their rank insignia in gold on their chests. They were both generals.

I’d met them both a few times before, and would have recognized them anyway. General Roth Masters had been the leader of Squad Nine during the invasion. He was a tall, muscular man, with gray hair he kept buzzed short. He radiated authority but I got the impression that he’d happily wade into a fight if required. Before the Gizzida had come, General Avery Stillman had been a part of the United Coalition’s Central Intelligence Agency. Her dark hair was up in a twist and she had high cheekbones I’d sell my soul for.

I also knew they were married.

“We need an update on what you found at St. Albans,” General Masters said, his voice deep.

Jameson nodded. He gave the pair a quick mission recap then nodded at me. “Jess took some photos and samples of the cocoons.”

I touched my communicator and images appeared on the surface of the light table.

“Jesus,” Masters muttered.

General Stillman frowned at the images of the cave, tracing one of the cocoons with a finger. “You rescued a young boy from one of these and discovered the dead body of a woman.”

“Yes,” I replied. “Hudson had only just been partially put in the cocoon. The woman, Melanie Wakefield, had been missing from St. Albans for several weeks.”

General Stillman shared a look with her husband, then looked back at me. I saw intelligence and determination. “You’ve run tests on the cocoon material. Did you find anything pertinent?”

“I’m still analyzing but it appears the substance contains some sort of sedative.”

General Masters frowned. “To incapacitate prey.”

I nodded. “Keep them calm. It doesn’t appear to kill. I’m not sure why Melanie died.”

“I spoke with the leader at St. Albans,” North said. “Ms. Wakefield was a Type 1 diabetic. She was due to have her insulin implant renewed. My guess is her death could have been related to that. We’ll know more after an autopsy.”

General Masters scraped a hand over his short hair. “We have something else to show you.”

“I had some of my team start working on this last night,” General Stillman said. The light table filled with a large map of the region. Dawn was at the southern end, New Sydney in the center, the Blue Mountains to the west and St. Albans to the north.

Several gold dots appeared, scattered across the map.

Jameson’s brows snapped together. “What is this?”

“Reports of missing persons from all surrounding communities in the area,” General Stillman said.

My chest hitched. What the hell? “There are so many.” I counted thirty-five dots.

Masters nodded. “If the monsters are responsible, then this was well-planned. They’ve only taken one person here and there, spread around the different communities.”

“One person going missing, or believed to be attacked, wouldn’t raise many alarms,” Jameson said.

“And we don’t have the sort of central databases law enforcement used to have prior to the invasion,” Kai added. “No one noticed an uptick in disappearances.”

“All within a hundred-kilometer radius.” North pressed his hands to the table, his face grim in the glow of light.

“Jess?”

I met General Stillman’s gaze. “Yes?”

“We need to work out what the hell is going on with these cocoons. What they do. What the monsters have planned.”

I nodded.

“We’ve alerted all communities to inform us if anyone goes missing,” General Masters added. “We will not stand by while these damn abominations pick us off one by one.”

“We’ll stop this,” Jameson said darkly. “Whatever it is.”

Both the generals nodded.

“If my team find any more intel, we’ll pass it along,” General Stillman said.

We filed out of the command room. I glanced back and saw Masters press a hand to his wife’s shoulder. The connection between them, the sense of solidarity and support, was obvious.

“Stay sharp, guys,” Jameson said. “We could get called out at any time. Everyone is on high alert.”

“I’ll get back to the lab.” I needed to uncover everything I could on the cocoons.

“Catch you later, Jess,” Marc said.

As the others headed down the corridor, I caught North’s hand. He looked back and the deep grooves beside his mouth made my chest ache. “How are you?”

“Fine. I need to get back to the infirmary.”

I frowned. “I thought you finished your shift.”

“I offered to work an extra one.”

I bit my lip. “North, you need some rest. Did you get any sleep last night?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “Better to keep busy.” His gaze turned inward and he pulled in a breath. “Do you think any of those missing people are still alive?”

“I hope so.”

He pulled his arm free. “I need to go. See you later.”

I watched him disappear down the hall, worry nipping at me. He was in a dark place and I wished I knew how to help him.

North

It was raining.

I’d finished a second shift at the infirmary, until the doctor on duty had made me leave. He’d said he didn’t need a walking zombie making mistakes. I’d gone home and stared at the four walls for ages, before I’d fallen into a fitful sleep on my couch.

The nightmare had woken me. Left me drenched with sweat and my heart racing.

I couldn’t get Drew out of my head. Or the scent of blood and death.

Or the sinking feeling of helplessness.

More people were out there, in the hands of the monsters. Either dead, hurting, or trapped in a damn cocoon.

That was when I knew that I had to get out of my house. I’d walked the streets of Dawn for hours, avoiding anywhere that I might run into someone I knew. It helped that most people I knew were tucked up in bed asleep at this time of night.

Then the rain had started.

I was drenched. My clothes were soaked and water was dripping off me.

I didn’t care. I kept seeing Joe and Hudson in my head, but their faces always morphed into Drew’s. They were covered in blood.

Then, I was holding those young boys, and instead of rescuing them, I watched them die.

I shook my head. They hadn’t died. They were fine and with their families.

My fucking brain didn’t care about logic.

I turned onto the next street. Ahead, lay the center of a small square. A statue had been erected there. It was made of bronze, and showed three men wearing armor. The men were all tall and muscular, holding carbines, and staring toward the north.

It was a memorial to honor the squads that had fought and beaten the Gizzida.

It was supposed to represent all the soldiers, but one definitely looked like Marcus Steele, another like Roth Masters—he’d been the leader of Squad Nine—and the final man was Tane Rahia.

They’d fought; they’d lost people. Zeke and Marc’s uncle, also called Zeke, had been killed. There had been so much death.

But I knew my dad and the others had gone on with things. They’d found hope, they’d continued on, they’d lived their lives, and had worked hard to rebuild. They’d kept the monsters at bay until the next generation had been old enough to take over the fight.

They didn’t wallow in nightmares, or wake up choking on screams.

I scraped a hand over my face. When I looked up, I found myself walking up another residential street. When I realized where I was, I sucked in a breath.

My gaze fell on Jess’ place.

I should leave. I should walk home. I should take a hot shower and pour myself a whiskey.

But as though I was on autopilot, my feet carried me up the path to her front door.

Then I just stood there. I couldn’t bring myself to knock. Hell, I shouldn’t be here.

I didn’t leave, I didn’t knock, I just dripped on her front porch.

A second later, a light snapped on and the front door opened.

“North?” Jess stood in the doorway. She was wearing a dress—it was a cream color, with thin straps that showed off her toned shoulders, and a soft and flowing skirt that reached her bare feet. I hadn’t seen her in a dress before. Hadn’t realized her toenails were painted pink.

She took one look at me and concern creased her face. “God, you’re saturated.” She grabbed my arm. “Come in.”

She tugged me inside.

“I shouldn’t have come.” I hadn’t consciously meant to come to her.

“Quiet.” She pulled me into the middle of the living room. “Stay there.” She disappeared down the hall, but was back a moment later carrying two fluffy, white towels. She started wiping me down and drying off my hair.

“Shirt off,” she ordered.

I obeyed. I tugged it over my head, then dropped it to the floor. It landed with a wet slap. She dried off my chest and back.

“I really like your tattoo.”

“Thanks.”

She wrapped a towel around my shoulders, then ushered me to a stool at the kitchen island. Her place was a near mirror image of mine, although the colors were different. Her home was brighter, decorated in shades of white and blue.

She circled the island and walked over to the food unit. She programmed it, and then I heard it ding.

“Drink this. No arguments.” She pushed a mug across the counter.

I took it and felt the warmth on my palms. “Hot chocolate?”

She nodded. “With a whiskey addition.”

I took a long sip, and it instantly warmed my cold insides.

She leaned against the counter. “You look like hell, North.”

“Yeah.” I felt it too.

“Double shifts in the infirmary were not a good idea.”

“I tried to sleep…”

“But?”

“Nightmares.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “I don’t get them much anymore, but every now and then, one sneaks up on me.”

“I’m sorry. I guess rescuing those boys stirred things up, and news of all these missing people.”

I grunted. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come here. I just ended up on your doorstep.” I sipped again. “The last thing you need are my problems.”

“Shush.”

She moved behind me, then I felt small hands on my shoulders, and it almost made me jump.

“You’re so tense. You need to relax, or you’ll snap.” She started massaging, her fingers digging into my tight muscles. It felt good and my head fell forward. She kneaded harder.

I groaned.

“Just let it go for a little while,” she murmured.

I closed my eyes, and Jess filled my senses. The sweet, shower-fresh smell of her, the feel of her hands, the sound of her dress rustling.

She was good, smart, nice, real. Alive.

Much better than blood, grief, and old memories that never left me alone.

“There you go,” she murmured.

“I wanted to save Drew. He was just a frightened kid.” Dammit, I hadn’t meant to let the words out.

Her fingers paused for a second, then resumed massaging. “I haven’t known you long, but I have no doubt you did everything you could.”

“He looked a bit like me.” I closed my eyes tighter. “I wished he didn’t die.”

“I know. But you don’t get to decide when it’s someone’s time to go. We can only try our best, North. No one can do more than that. You need to stop beating yourself up for something that was out of your control.”

She stopped massaging and stepped in front of me. She was so damn pretty. Her dark hair was loose, and the freckles on her nose stood out. I wanted to count them all.

“I know,” I said. “Most days, I know that. But sometimes…”

“Sometimes the crap we keep hidden likes to pop up and smack us in the face.”

I nodded. “Thanks. I should get out of your way.”

“No, it seems that I like you in my way.”

I lifted my head.

She smiled, then reached up for the thin straps of her dress. She pushed them off her shoulders.

The dress slithered down her body and pooled at her feet, leaving her naked except for a tiny pair of white panties.

“I think you should stay,” she murmured.

Jess

I watched North’s hungry gaze run over my body. He was looking at me like I was his lifeline.

Why did I like that so much?

The darkness in his eyes slid away. Exactly as I’d hoped. It was replaced by hot desire.

He reached for me and yanked me onto his lap. I straddled him, gasping. His trousers were damp, his skin was damp. I pressed my hands to his broad shoulders.

“You’re so beautiful, Jess. I never get tired of looking at you.”

He lifted me up, and then his hot mouth clamped over one of my breasts.

Sensation exploded inside me. In seconds, my nipples were tight buds, and heat filled me. I’d gone from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye. I never knew it was possible to want someone this much.

I writhed, feeling the hard bulge beneath me.

“ North .” My head dropped back, and he switched to my other breast.

“You have no idea, Jess. No idea how much you affect me.” He lapped at my stiff nipple before sucking it into his mouth.

I jerked my hips again, grinding down on his cock. “I have a hint.”

He growled, then he kissed me. The taste of him flowed through me, making me gasp. Then, he pressed kisses to my cheeks, my jaw, my neck. “I miss you when we’re apart. How is that even possible?”

My heart squeezed. I leaned into him and pressed my mouth to his. As we kissed, his hands—those hands I’d admired so many times over the last few weeks—roamed over my body. Neck, shoulders, breasts, sides, belly. Every caress set off shivers down my spine.

Then his hand was between my legs, sliding inside the already soaked fabric of my panties. My body jerked. A thick finger pushed inside me.

My lips parted, my hips pushed against his hand. It felt so good.

“You’re so slick.” He made a low, masculine noise. “You know how badly I want to sink inside this hot, little body?”

My heart hammered, need filling every cell, every pore. “As much as I want you inside me.”

His fingers clenched on the side of my panties. “How much do you like these panties?”

“I have others.”

He wrenched his hand and the fabric tore.

Butterflies went crazy in my belly. That was so hot.

Then he fumbled with his cargo pants and urged me up. I felt the brush of his hard cock between my legs. Anticipation made my belly clench.

We froze there, his cock notched between my thighs. My gaze was locked with his blue one.

“Do it,” I murmured, digging my nails into his shoulders.

“Jess…” Then he pressed inside me.

My chest hitched, my pulse thudded in my ears like a drum.

He groaned, then thrust up, filling me to the hilt. I moaned. Nothing felt better than North Connors buried inside me.

We were joined. It was impossible to get any closer.

Gripping his shoulders, my fingers biting into his ink, I started to ride. I picked up the pace, and soon we were both panting, our bodies slick with perspiration. His hands clenched on my ass, working me faster up and down on his cock.

I ground my hips in a circle, needing more. “Rub my clit,” I panted.

His hand channeled between us. Unerringly, he found the right spot. He put just the right amount of pressure on my swollen clit.

I cried out. Mine .

I heard the whisper in my head.

No, he’s not mine. My belly clenched. But some part of me wanted him to be. I didn’t just want his body or his handsome face, no, I wanted his wounded soul too.

I wanted all of him, and that scared the shit out of me.

I moved faster, desperate for release. All I had to focus on right now was the red-hot desire.

He filled me so thoroughly, I felt him everywhere.

His gaze locked on my face. Intense. Intimate.

I whimpered. “I’m close.”

“Good. Give it to me, Jess. Now .”

Then he kissed me. His finger rubbed my clit, his cock moved inside me, and his mouth claimed mine.

I screamed into his mouth and a brilliant orgasm flared along my nerve endings. I clung to him, my body shaking. North continued to pound inside me.

Then he yanked my hips down, and a low, animal sound escaped him. I felt his hot release spurt inside me.

Fighting for air, I collapsed against his shoulder.

He turned his face and nuzzled my neck. He breathed me in.

Feelings erupted inside me. I couldn’t let myself fall for him. I didn’t know what this was between us, but the last thing I needed was a broken heart.

“I’m glad I turned up on your doorstep,” he said quietly.

I squeezed my eyes shut. I could deal with my own worries later. For now, this man needed me.

I ruffled his hair. “Me too.”

“I didn’t come here for this.”

“I know.” I pressed my mouth softly to his.

This time the kiss was gentle. His hand slid down to my hip, and I shivered. His lips curved. He obviously liked how much he affected me.

Then he rose from the stool, and I let out a squeak. I clamped my arms and legs around him. But he held me tightly and didn’t let me fall.

“Not done with you yet,” he said.

I licked my lips. “Okay.”

He hitched his pants up and carried me down the hall.

The lamp was on in my bedroom. My bed was covered with a pretty white coverlet that I’d picked up at a store in Dawn.

North lay me on the bed. He looked at me until I wanted to squirm.

“What?” I breathed.

“Love looking at you. Love looking at you naked on your pretty bed.” His lips curved. “I love knowing I’m going to fuck you in it.”

One big hand slid around my ankle. His hand ran up my calf, my thigh, igniting sensations everywhere. He pressed a knee to the bed, then leaned forward and dropped a kiss to my stomach.

“I love your body.”

“I’m glad,” I gasped.

Then his head lowered as he pushed my thighs apart. “Let me show you how much.”