Page 44 of Stripe Theory (The Matchmaker’s Book Club #8)
FORTY-THREE
“ W e have to separate,” Alora insisted, gripping Rehan’s hand as they huddled in the conference center’s control command room. Screens covered every wall, showing camera feeds of Genesis Corp mercenaries taking up positions throughout the building. “You know I’m right.”
Rehan growled low in his throat, his tiger close to the surface.
“And you’re the only one who can coordinate all the pride defense teams.” Alora squeezed his fingers. “The others will follow Hunter, but they need their alpha.”
Maya cleared her throat from her position by the monitors. “Not to interrupt this touching moment, but we’ve got incoming. Multiple teams, heavily armed. They’re heading for both the environmental controls and the main security hub.”
“They’re trying to split our forces.” Hunter’s expression remained neutral, but his eyes tracked Maya’s movements with growing concern. “Clever.”
Alora’s tablet chimed with an incoming analysis. “The virus dispersal units are already in place. If we don’t reach those controls in the next few minutes...” She let the implications hang in the air. The data scrolling across her screen painted a grim picture – Leeta had modified the virus far beyond their original predictions.
“I’ll get her there.” Maya’s voice held steel beneath its usual humor. “You focus on keeping the ground teams from becoming cat chow.”
He pulled her into a shadowed alcove near the command center’s exit, one hand curved around her waist while the other traced her jaw. His touch sparked electricity along her nerve endings.
“The environmental controls,” she reminded him, even as her fingers curled into his shirt. “We need to?—”
“One more minute.” His voice rumbled through her body like distant thunder. “Just need to hold you.”
His lips found that sensitive spot below her ear, drawing a soft gasp.
“You know,” she murmured against his throat, “for someone who claimed humans were too fragile for shifter mates, you’re doing an awful lot of manhandling.”
His low chuckle vibrated through her. “I stand corrected. Though you’re still the most accident-prone scientist I’ve ever met.”
An explosion cut off her protest.
The blast rocked the building’s foundation. Emergency lights strobed to life, painting the corridor in pulses of red. Alora’s scientific mind automatically cataloged the blast pattern – multiple detonation points, synchronized timing. She sensed Rehan’s tactical assessment overlapping her own.
“Three charges,” he confirmed, already receiving reports through his earpiece. “They’ve cut off the main exits.”
“Time for Plan B.” Maya appeared beside them, checking her weapons with efficient movements. “You boys hold the fort. We’ve got a date with some environmental controls.”
Hunter stepped forward, his usual stoic expression cracking slightly. “Maya?—”
“Don’t you dare get mushy on me now, Carver.” But Maya’s smile softened as she met his eyes. “Save it for when I get back.”
Alora felt Rehan’s arms tighten around her waist, his tiger pushing closer to the surface.
Be safe. Come back to me. I can’t lose you.
“I can handle myself,” she reminded him, stretching up to press a swift kiss to his lips. “Trust me.”
“Always.” The intensity in that single word stole her breath. “But if you die, I’m bringing you back just to kill you myself.”
“Same goes for you.” She forced herself to step back, though every cell in her body protested the separation. “Now go be heroic somewhere else while I save the day with science.”
“Is that what we’re calling your creative interpretation of lab safety protocols now?”
“Go fight bad guys,” she laughed, shoving at his chest. “I’ll see you when this is over.”
His expression softened as he caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm that made her heart skip. Their connection pulsed with shared emotion – not just desire now, but something deeper, richer. Something that felt remarkably like forever.
The sound of gunfire snapped them back to reality. Rehan straightened, shifting seamlessly into his role as alpha. “Hunter, coordinate with the eastern teams. I’ll take the west entrance. No one gets past us.”
They split up – Rehan and Hunter heading out to organize the defense while Alora and Maya raced for the roof access. The mate bond stretched between them like a golden thread, carrying his presence even as the distance grew.
Maya’s voice crackled through her earpiece as they climbed stairs. “Did you finish making out with your mate, or should I hold off the bad guys for another five minutes?”