Page 59

MARA

M orning came too quickly. The alarm went off, and I listened as Wes silenced it.

Little brushstrokes of fingertips along my cheek caused my eyes to slowly flutter open.

The light from the bathroom fell across the room, casting shadows along his face.

He sat on the edge of the bed next to me and leaned in, bracing himself with an arm that pressed into the mattress on the left side of me.

His nose nuzzled mine, gently coaxing me. “Mara,” he whispered softly. “It’s time to wake up.”

I moaned. I knew it was early—middle of the damn night kind of early. “Mornin’,” I muttered, voice thick and groggy.

Wes kissed me, then tracked a delicate trail of fluttering kisses across my cheek, over my jaw, and down my neck. The sensations made me smile, a giggle floating up my throat.

“I can get used to being woken up like this,” I managed to say, sleep still clinging to every part of me.

Wes brushed my hair away from my shoulder. Cool air kissed my skin, only to be replaced by his mouth. “I can definitely make that happen. ”

The way he said it, the teasing huskiness of it, it made my toes curl and skin breakout into delicate pricks of gooseflesh.

I felt the moisture of his tongue, and a half-growl, half-moan emitted from him.

“Fuck, I love it when your body does that. I’d kill just to make you respond to me like this every single time. ”

I inhaled sharply as my heart gave a thunderous beat.

And then my mind went falling right into the gutter, to memories of all the ways Wes did make my body do just that.

“Wes,” his name came out of me, cracked and breathy.

“We’re…we’re supposed to…” His mouth was on my skin once more, trailing a path down my collarbone, over my heart, and—

He stopped short.

He literally growled, like a lion frustrated at something it desired being just out of reach. Cursing under his breath, he rested his head on my sternum. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to stop?”

I smiled, peering down at him as he lifted his head to look at me. “No,” I answered honestly. “Though I could wager a guess.”

The corner of his mouth curled into a deviant, crooked smirk. “And you’d be wrong. I think death is actually preferable.”

I laughed, my heart filled with joy while my body ached for this man. “Is it wrong that watching your sexual frustration makes me laugh?”

He narrowed his gaze, but the smirk never left his face. “No, but it’s insanely cruel.”

I laughed once more. “Come on, we better get ready or we’re never going to hear the end of it when we show up late.”

“Is it wrong that I don’t give a shit?”

“No, but I do.”

He hung his head with a frustrated sigh. “Cruel…absolutely deviant.” Then he lifted off of me. It was time to go.

** *

There was something so sad and ominous about how we departed Castle Calvernon.

Chelsea had woken up early, her hair a tousled mess of gorgeous curls, and walked Matias all the way to the limo that waited for us outside.

I tried to keep from peeking at them, but it warmed my heart to see how he looked down at her.

I may not have been able to see his eyes, but the way he held her face communicated plenty.

And it nearly broke my heart as he drew down his lips and brushed hers in the most achingly beautiful way.

I turned away, offering them privacy, only to find a similar scene on the other side of me.

Liddy was there. Javier had pulled her into the shadows, but I could still make out how his hand buried into her hair and cradled her head.

How his fingers traced the line of her jaw and then drifted down the column of her neck.

These goodbyes were gut-wrenching. Because goodbyes like these spoke silent words about the truth of war.

While politicians remained safe in their homes, declaring war, it was the young that had to fight and die at their command.

Wes was the exception, and I was suddenly filled with a mix of relief and trepidation that we were doing this together.

I couldn’t imagine saying goodbye to him, not knowing if I would ever see him again.

But I also knew that both Javier and Matias had to be feeling better going into this mission with the knowledge that their loves were safe here.

I, on the other hand, was already feeling the ugly, slick weight of fear as I worried about what would happen to them.

Because all three of these men were important to me.

All three of them were special and carried an important role in my heart.

But at least I would be there to help protect them.

And as a team, we were going to do this.

We were going to complete this mission and make it back alive.

There was no other alternative in my mind.

There were no other options.

“You’re going to be late, my darling,” Marissa said in hushed tones to Wes.

“You need to move them along.” It might have been two-freaking- thirty in the morning, but Marissa Calvernon looked like she was on her way to a dinner party.

Everything was gorgeous about her and perfectly manicured.

“If they wanted to enjoy licentious pleasures, then they should have gotten up earlier,” she chastised as she eyed both couples.

I glanced at Wes, noticing his jaw tighten with his favored scowl. “They’re risking death so that others may live, Mother.” He turned his body toward her, giving our team his back. “I think they deserve an extra few minutes.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line while giving him a look of motherly reproach. Then she tipped her head back, and the look was replaced with one of genuine concern. “Be careful, Wes. This faction needs you.”

“I will.”

Why did I not believe him in the slightest?

Marissa gave a delicate nod before looking at me. “Miss de la Puente, do you remember what I told you in the library that day?”

I startled, jaw slackening as I tried to form words. “You told me not to go gentle into the storm.”

She nodded, her golden eyes burning just like her son’s. “Yes. Do not go gentle, my dear. Fight …and bring him back to me.”

***

“You’re late,” Krous said, walking that thin line between acknowledging Wes’s authority over him while also fulfilling his role as general. “We’ve been waiting for you, sir.”

The early morning air was cool and crisp as darkness clung to every corner of Fort Warren.

Most of the base was still asleep. When we arrived, Giza met us, giving us instructions to meet at hangar 12 after changing into our mission jumpsuits—the black, skintight uniform that covered our entire body from collar to wrist to ankle.

They were designed for supreme flexibility and breathability, helping to regulate body temperature.

They also had various sensors that tracked our vitals and recorded data that was wirelessly transmitted back to base.

Although they did little to protect us from a bullet shot at close range, the material was woven with metallic fibers that helped to defend against blades and ill-aimed gunfire.

Wes stretched his neck, cracking it as he did. “We’re here now, General, so let’s cut the lecture and get going.”

The little vein in Krous’s temple throbbed, but he muscled his apparent disapproval into submission and kept his mouth shut.

He led us toward our ride—a Bell V-280 Valor.

It was a tiltrotor aircraft designed for long range assault missions and similar to a helicopter in that it had vertical lift capabilities and maneuvered much like a helicopter did.

But it was built for long distance flight and better equipped to make the journey to our destination.

The general marched us onto the tarmac, walking us to our ride. The door to the aircraft was already open, and Krous spoke as he turned to face our team. “Take a seat.” He gestured toward the open door.

I wiped the hair out of my face as I looked inside.

The plane was set up with two rows of black seats, seven chairs in each row, with their backs to one another.

Seven seats faced the left side of the plane, while the other seven faced the right.

Matias hopped on, picking a spot and strapping himself in. Javi did the same.

Wes placed a hand on the small of my back, bringing his mouth to my ear. “After you, love.”

I inhaled deeply, feeling the kick of adrenaline that so often burned in my blood right before a mission. This was it. It was time.