Page 24

CHAPTER 24 - ASTRA

“A dmit defeat!” I cackled and slapped down the shining glory in my hand of cards on the pile, an Exploding Kitten card from the similarly named card game.

“Never!” Pascal whacked me with a Diffuse card, which saved him from admitting defeat and bowing out of the game.

Damn. I was all out of bombs.

Tor grinned at me in a way that melted me all over, and I had to deploy my defense shield or else lose this round. “Nice try, Supergal, but P-man is sly.”

I liked that they didn’t go easy on me because I was their girlfriend. I demanded equal treatment. To be one of the boys, even though I was at a disadvantage in the height and strength department in comparison. My warrior heart was fierce, as Raze said.

Tor slapped down a Favor card, and flicked his finger at Knoxe, claiming one of his cards. “Excellent,” he hummed, a common strategy of his to trick us into thinking he held a formidable hand.

Knoxe laughed and confirmed the card was a dunce. The man had a killer poker face in the Fae casino, but he dropped it for us, and that smile… damn, that made my heart skip beats, even more so when he didn’t let many in this place but us see it. Vulnerability in jail was a death sentence.

Pascal won the previous round of Exploding Kittens , Knoxe, the one before that, and Tor, the first. I had to get a leg up on my men or lose face. I had a competitive streak a mile long combined with the drive to succeed, which in my vocabulary spelled never admit defeat . Sometimes I got a bit carried away and forgot the game was for fun and had to remind my winning spirit to take a hike.

Knoxe planted a See the Future card and lifted the deck to peek at the top three cards, his laugh deepening, which spelled there was another Exploding Kitten lurking in those cards. Or maybe not…

Tor squeezed my thigh from his position next to me at the table. “Uh oh! That spells trouble, Supergal.”

I scanned my hand of five remaining cards. Two Catermelons , a Beard Cat , Skip , and Tacocat . Nothing to phone home about. My play had to be strategic.

Deploying the Catermelons card, I said to Pascal, “Hand one over, White Lightning.”

He smiled as he stretched out his cards to me, allowing me to select a random card. Yes! A NOPE card blocked another’s when they hit me with it.

This was the life. Less danger, stress, and injuries.

Though, excitement to get back out in the field and make a difference in the world called my name. Life as a student at the Academy had its perks—safety, fun, and education. Life in the Guardians was a steep learning curve, and my time here taught me that I thrived better under pressure. Hunting criminal gantii scared the heck out of me at first, but then I came to enjoy it, finding the lifestyle of missions one hundred times more exciting than the job of a Gildron back at the Shadows. I didn’t think I could return there when I was released. I was a Guardian through and through. Danger, my middle name, Trouble, my first. Sucker for bad boys, my last.

The warden was true to his word and graced my team and me with three whole days off missions, allowing us time to recover fully from injury. My men and I lived it up, playing games and my men working out while I read. Doctor’s orders for light workouts only for Pascal, Tor, and me, and I didn’t feel like jumping back into the swing of things yet.

I attended my daily psychological sessions with Dr. Anders as ordered, and for adhering to the rules, the warden seemed pleased. I didn’t want to risk him taking back his kind offer for my men to sleep in my cell for the rest of the week if I broke a command.

Time flew by fast, and by the third day, our time for serenity, relaxation, and fun quickly came to an end. Tonight, the doctor would assess me for my fitness to return to active duty. Depending on his report, I might be back in the field as soon as tomorrow, so I took advantage of my unconventional time off.

Over this period, my men surprised me with their laid-back demeanors when Knoxe normally itched to get the job done. Time together was more important than reviewing evidence to wipe our records clean. The four of us went through so much over the last eighteen months and deserved a little quality time. Our enemies would still be waiting for capture, and judging by the juicy evidence Knoxe scored from the thief avatar, we’d have our hands full.

Dad and I caught up a few times at breakfast for some solid father-daughter time and made plans for our upcoming Christmas break. Boy, that was going to be a shocker for my mother and sister. Get the defibrillator and smelling salts ready. Apart from the dread of that upcoming holiday, it was good to get to know him again, when we spent so long apart.

The warden announced yesterday a scheduled a four-day leave pass for all prisoners to visit family for the holidays, though we were to return prior to the New Year. Perfect time to squeeze in a trip to see my wolf after Christmas with my family. I didn’t want him to be alone over the holidays, even though he had the sanctuary shifters for company. I’d twist my men’s arms to make the trip with me. Raze would be over the moon to see us all.

Serena and Dad didn’t waste time and let the prisoners retreat further into hiding when leads might turn cold very fast. They dove into the information Tor extracted from the thief avatar’s USB, mapping it out with intel Cole provided, and they narrowed down potential locations for the fugitives.

A card clapping down on the pile drew me back to our game of Exploding Kittens with Knoxe taking out the winning honors again. I gave him a congratulatory kiss, suppressing my competitive nature.

He scooped me onto his lap and murmured, “That all you got?” into my lips. He knew I had plenty more. I was just a little salty, and he teased me about it. “Someone doesn’t like to lose, do they?”

Luckily, he kissed away all my saltiness with long sweeps of his lips on mine, and brushes over my cheeks and ears.

“Who’s up for a game of ping pong?” Tor packed up the cards as if he sensed my interest waning.

“I’m down.” Pascal was always ready for that, and climbed to his feet, straightening his uniform of creases from sitting. “Wanna play, Songbird?” He presented his palm for me to hold.

We often played the game and recited silly lines from spaghetti western movies for fun, pretending to draw our guns and threaten the bad cowboys. You had to find simple means of entertainment in an environment like this when on a strict diet of recreational activities.

I fit my hand into his, and he lifted me from Knoxe’s lap. “How about you play Knoxe first, and I’ll sit with Tor?”

“Bring on your A-game.” Pascal bumped a closed fist with Knoxe, and my heart burst into a flutter of butterflies. I loved watching their budding friendship blossom when before Pascal always felt left out.

“Bring yours,” Knoxe shot back in a play smack talk tone.

I clasped their hands and strolled with them out of Cell Ward A to the recreational area where the ping pong tables were set up.

“Nice view.” Tor whistled, wheeling behind us, occasionally playing bongo drums on my ass, making me laugh.

When we arrived at our destination, I stuck my ass out, letting him play a little tune that got a smile from Knoxe, and Pascal bopping his head.

“That’s a new instrument for you, P-man.” Tor hooked my waist with his arm and dragged me onto his lap. He felt incredible. Warm, familiar, and comforting. My sweet Candyman.

I brushed his jaw, loving the prickle of stubble that sprouted over our time off, and I wanted him to keep. “Is this new look staying?”

He stroked his jaw and pretended to model it in custom Tor style, twisting his head from side to side and flashing some serious Zoolander. “You like it?”

“Love it!” I couldn’t stop touching him.

“I’ll keep it like this then.” Tor’s hand moved to my face, mimicking my gesture.

Knoxe and Pascal commenced their warm-up, the ball clacking on the table, the two of them hollering as they outmatched each other with tricky moves. The sound of their enjoyment spread the butterflies in my chest.

Tor squeezed me, drawing my attention back to him. Attention whore. “How are you, Supergal?”

“Good,” I replied earnestly, grateful for the reprieve, but trying not to get complacent, when come tomorrow, I’d be back into training and out on missions.

He repeated the squeeze. “I mean, how are you really doing?” He brushed my hair over my shoulder.

Oh. He meant how was I acclimatizing to being back. How was I doing without Raze and several other questions?

“I’ll be okay.” I grazed my fingertips over his fuzz, which was giving me scruffy Jensen Ackles vibes. “I appreciate you checking in with me.”

His fingers slid into the hair at the back of my head, and tingles burst in my neck. “Gotta look out for my gal when she looks out for me.”

Double oh. He referred to the time when he was depressed and not adjusting well to his new circumstances. He didn’t have to worry about that for too much longer. A few months tops, until we roped in all the fugitives… or the biker Castor’s intervention came through.

“What are you planning for your Christmas break?” Tor switched topics as if he sensed I didn’t want to say more.

“Dad and I are heading home for Christmas Day. That’ll be a hoot,” I muttered the last part.

Tor grimaced with teeth. “I don’t think I’d trust Dad with a turkey carving knife, Supergal. Maybe keep that away from him.”

I snorted into his chest. “I think I’m more afraid of what my mom will do to him with the carving knife.”

Knoxe tapped a ball our way. “No more talk of knives, you two!”

Tor and I laughed into each other’s necks, and I loved the softness of his skin and the sweet kisses he dusted me with.

When our laughter died down, I addressed the topic my men didn’t broach, probably to avoid upsetting me and that I didn’t address when my heart was still bruised and tender. “I’d love it if we could arrange to visit Raze. If you have time, that is.”

Tor’s palm shifted from my thigh to my back. “I’d love to see my brother from another mother.”

“Me too,” Knoxe grunted, returning fire to Pascal, their game having officially commenced while Tor and I chatted.

My heart stretched into a smile.

“Make that three,” Pascal added, my heart expanding wider.

“Eavesdroppers.” Tor pretended to be offended.

I laughed, relieved that they were onboard and supporting their brother. “Do you want to day trip it or make an overnight stay out of it?”

“Overnight stay, at least,” Tor threw into the mix, stroking my spine.

He knew how much I missed Raze by the quiver of my mouth.

“I’ll do Christmas with my mom and the rest of my time is yours and Raze’s, Sunset.” Knoxe batted the ball over the net.

“Same,” Pascal echoed, and my heart grew wings and flitted through my ribcage with the butterflies.

I smiled, proud of engineering our little getaway, and bouncing to give the news to Raze and hear his rumble of delight.

Tor and I discussed his plans for his family, completing last minute shopping on Christmas eve, combined with ordering gifts online and sending them to Janet’s apartment.

When Knoxe and Pascal finished their game with Pascal the first to reach eleven points, Knoxe tapped Tor on the shoulder, gesturing for him to take over, and give him time with me.

“Go easy on me P-man.” Tor collected the ball and served over the net.

They played a lighter, less competitive game than Knoxe and Pascal had because of Tor’s slower ability in his chair. I fell a little more in love with Tor for the extremes to which he went for me and keeping me out of maximum security’s grasp.

Knoxe situated me in front of his body, wrapping his arms over my shoulders, and used his back to shield me from the wind and any trouble… not that it was such an issue anymore… and I preferred the quiet and less bustle.

“Will you be okay to get back into it tomorrow?” The weight of his head took up residence on my skull. “Because if you’re not, tell Serena and the doctor, and ask for a few extra days.”

My protective man always looked out for mindset.

I kissed his arm and replied, “I’d rather get back into the swing of things.”

My mind needed to stay active and busy. Some might call that an avoidant personality, but I called it getting on with it. We had three months until the holiday period, and I was going to throw myself into it fully, apprehend as many of these assholes as possible, and celebrate the best Christmas and New Years ever. Hopefully we’d be free by then, and if not, I’d send Raze around to the Jackals for a visit.

“All right, Sunset.” Knoxe kissed the top of my head and rested his cheek on my hair. “You let me know if circumstances change.”

I ran my palms back and forth over his powerful forearms. “I will. Thanks for thinking of me.”

He held me for a few beats, rocking me from side to side.

It must have been killing him not to update me on their findings while I was gone. I gripped his arms and complimented him on the fact. “You’ve done incredibly well for not bringing up work, by the way.” Besides the brief mention of Mads’ assistance to reassure me everything leaned in our favor.

I felt his smile lift on my head. “Are you gloating?”

“No.” I tried to keep a straight face.

One of his hands shifted and started tickling my belly until I hunched over his other arm, now wrapped around my middle so I couldn’t escape.

“Okay, I gloated!” At my admission, he ended the tickling and kissed my head again.

“I keep my word for the most part, Sunset.” He brushed from my shoulder to my hand, interlocking our fingers.

“Yeah, you did an incredible job.” I broke the unspoken pact and raised the topic. “The minute I get the approval for normal duty, I want to jump into the lab and test the vampire blood samples. Did you collect me any?”

“I thought we weren’t talking about work.” Knoxe slid his fingers back and forth through mine, and I moaned at the relaxing pleasure of it.

Who was I kidding? I was rearing to get into the laboratory and investigate what I did to the vamps and my men.

I nudged him in the belly to confess. He laughed, eventually relenting. “We collected you plenty of samples, Sunset.”

“Enough to keep you busy for week,” Tor grunted as he wheeled around and backhanded Pascal’s return.

I clapped at them both for taking it easy. “A week’s worth? Hmm. Maybe I should get started today.” I jerked, pretending to leave.

Knoxe caught me with another around my waist. “No, you don’t. You’re ours today.”

“I’m yours forever, Mister.” I reached back to pinch his jaw.

“Don’t you forget it, Sunset.” He forced my body to sway with his again. “Want to do anything special to celebrate our potential last night off the hook?” He dug his cock into me twice, hinting.

“Hmmm.” I pretended to play dumb. “Braid your hair?”

He spanked my ass. “No.”

I kept up the game. “Laundry day. I need fresh socks.”

“Keep going.” Knoxe nudged me.

“Foot massage?” I teased.

“Without socks?” Knoxe feigned disgust.

“Head massage?” I got to the point.

“What kind?” He nipped at my neck.

I laughed. “Both for my Viking.”

He leaned down and licked my neck. “Right answer.”

“All right, you two.” Pascal came over and clasped my hand. “She’s mine now.”

I loved it when he asserted himself with the others. His growing dominance was sexy as hell. I loved all sides of him… gentle, sweet, yet strong when it counted. He came such a long way from the shy man barely able to meet my gaze, morphing into a beautiful butterfly, confident and standing his own ground. I was so proud of him. Proud to be his. Proud for him to be mine.

“Hi, handsome.” I maintained Knoxe’s sway with Pascal, knowing how much he enjoyed the rhythm of it.

“Hello, beautiful.” He dropped a sizzling kiss to my neck, and I tilted my head, telling him I wanted more, and he obliged me. “We have something special planned for tonight.”

“Yeah?” I wanted to spin around to face him, but he snagged hold of my hips, keeping me in place. “Is it a secret?”

“Absolutely,” he whispered in my ear, his minty breath tickling me. “And don’t try to pry it out of us. These lips are sealed.”

Pascal all bossy and sexy. Talk about H.O.T.

I stretched my neck back to take his kiss, moaning as his lips moved over mine in perfect harmony. “I think I can dazzle you all into spilling it.”

He clapped the side of my hip. “Nice try, Songbird.”

I groaned my frustration and contented myself with the fact that something special awaited me tonight. Who didn’t like surprises?