Unified Omegas (Alpha Elite Series Book 7) Page 4

As terrifying as our trip to Baseon was, the worst is yet to come.

  The black cloud of premonition seethes deep in our bond, quietly gaining ground.

  Chapter Five

  Nova

  Without a backward glance, Anastasia steps from the Sky-Flyer into the darkness of night. Jumoke’s heels leave the little circle of light.

  They’ll be together, away from most of the fighting. I tell myself they’ll be okay but worry makes my hands shake.

  She’s too brave and strong for her own good.

  Seeck tucks my hair behind my ear and trails his fingertip down my throat, leaving tingling desire and comfort in its wake.

  “Close the door, Nova,” he instructs, the slight rumble in his words easing the trembling in my limbs.

  I press the button and hold onto the wall, the Sky-Flyer rising into the air before the door closes.

  Seeck gathers me in his arms. I fill my fists with his shirt and sigh into his chest.

  “I’m scared for their baby. It’s so new and fragile. Anastasia is already so…” I fumble for the right words.

  “She’s love incarnate, Nova. That baby will thrive no matter what state Anastasia’s body may be in, solely because she loves it so damn much.”

  He gives me a squeeze then kisses the top of my head.

  An embarrassing hiccup leaves me as I half-laugh in response.

  “You’re right.”

  “Of course I am. I’m always right.”

  I roll my eyes and rest my palm against his face.

  “Whatever you say, Alpha.”

  “They’ll be the furthest away from the fight. All they have to do is cause a big boom and then disappear into the night.”

  “I know. I’m still scared.”

  “Good. It means you’re smart,” Evie says from down the hall, making me jump. I didn’t know she was in the area.

  She flicks on the floor lights, illuminating our shins as she strolls closer.

  “You’ve got this, Nova. Just don’t let your guard down.”

  I blink at her, the discomfort behind my sternum making sense as I stare into her eyes.

  She knows.

  There’s a reason she and Vander assigned Seeck and I to take out the communications between the facilities, and she knows exactly what it is.

  She won’t tell me.

  I don’t want to know.

  Thinning my lips in concentration, I strengthen the mental nest around Seeck and I.

  She nods her approval before walking away.

  “What the hell? That woman is a nutcase,” Seeck murmurs.

  I pinch his earlobe and flick a warning through our bond.

  “Just because you don’t understand doesn’t make her insane.”

  His green eyes darken as he smirks down at me, the promise of retribution making my core throb in desire.

  “Oh, but you understand what happens when you test me. You’re begging for a good knotting, aren’t you, little omega?”

  I shiver, ready for him to take me against the wall and make me forget about everything.

  The lights turn off, breaking our stare down.

  “Nova?”

  I sense Britani walking toward me through our connection, but I search with my eyes, hoping for visual confirmation.

  On instinct, I reach my hand out and meet hers.

  Seeck lets go of me and moves a few paces away to speak quietly with Kwame.

  I reach for Britani’s other hand and smile as she stoops down to rest her forehead against my own.

  We don’t speak.

  There’s nothing to say.

  Kwame and Britani must turn off the power to the facility. They’ll be in enemy territory without immediate backup.

  Her terror mingles with my own for a moment, then we strengthen each other, focusing on the invisible ties between everyone.

  Though miles away already, we sense Anastasia and Jumoke moving quietly through the desert, unharmed and in a minimal amount of danger.

  Shya funnels support to Anastasia, and in return Anastasia strokes her soul with adoration.

  The remainder on board—Shya, Dirk, Evie, and Vander—have gathered in the cockpit, preparing to land and hide the Sky-Flyer.

  Kwame’s gravelly voice calls for Britani.

  We clasp each other’s elbows for a moment, breathing in each other’s encouragement, before letting go and silently wishing the other success.

  Seeck wraps a steadying arm around my waist before opening the small hatch next to the larger door.

  Wind drowns out any movement, but I feel Britani’s fright as she free falls in Kwame’s arms. He buffers their short drop, their jump perfectly timed to land on top of a dune.

  Why does everything horrible have to happen in the desert?

  Seeck closes the hatch and wraps me in his arms.

  “Once this is over, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. Big city. Little Island. Top of a mountain. On a gulf. Anywhere.”

  I smile into the darkness and rub my cheek against his chest between the weapons strapped all over him.

  “As long as we’re together with our misfit of a family, I don’t care where we are.”

  He kisses my forehead and braces his back against the wall as we stand in silence.

  The hum of the Sky-Flyer moving through the air makes me uneasy, so I press my ear against him and listen to the steady thumping of his heart.

  Minutes pass, but when the Sky-Flyer lands, I lament the shortness of our reprieve.

  A gigantic boot scuffs a few feet away, Dirk’s way of alerting us of his arrival.

  Seeck sighs but turns me to face away from him.

  Dirk’s humongous palm rests against the side of my face for a second. His silent farewell makes tears spring to my face.

  He was the first Alpha I met, even if I didn’t know what an Alpha was.

  Shya’s tiny fingers touch my shoulder, and a little sob escapes me. I swallow my emotions and take a deep breath.

  This isn’t goodbye.

  It can’t be.

  Squaring my shoulders, I step away from Seeck and gather her into a hug. She closes her arms around my waist with a vicious squeeze before pulling away and laying her hand over my heart.

  She’s right.

  We’ll be family no matter what.

  We’ll do anything for each other.

  Each one of us deserves freedom.

  I send her gratitude through our bond, tossing my doubt into the ether and focusing on the goal.

  Shya, Dirk, Evie, and Vander will make our biggest offensive maneuver—destroying the main loading bay, taking most of the dark ISC’s transportation with it.

  Dirk pulls Shya away while Seeck plasters my back to his front. I sense him stiffen then reach around me to clasp Vander’s shoulder.

  Evie closes in on my right, making me the center of their triangle.

  With tentative fingers, I touch her leather clad forearm. She sends a pulse of understanding through our unseen web, bolstering me while motivating the entire team.

  She moves her arm, and for a millisecond I fear she’s pulling away, but she rotates her wrist and weaves her fingers in mine.

  Her quiet voice makes my ears strain to hear it, since we’re supposed to be silent.

  “Hey, Carrot Top?”

  Seeck’s skepticism leaks into our bond.

  “Yeah, Nutcase?”

  “Don’t worry about your back. Nova has it. Just make sure you have hers.”

  “Of course,” Seeck snarls, offended she thinks he needs a reminder to protect me.

  “I’ll remember you said that hothead,” she quips back, her bland tone sending a chill down my spine.

  “Nova,” Vander’s deep rumble holds so much authority my head snaps toward the sound, even though I can’t see anything.

  “Thank you.”

  I don’t understand, so I send him a little nudge through the web.

  “For deciding to stay, back when we thought it was Command who o
usted us. You could’ve run off and had a decent, peaceful life with Seeck.”

  My throat tightens at the emotion in his voice.

  “Instead, you decided to stick around. Thank you.”

  Seeck lets me go as I step forward and wrap my arms around Vander.

  “It wasn’t a choice, not really. We’re family,” I manage through the ball in my trachea.

  Vander gives me a one-armed hug before guiding me back to Seeck.

  The side door of the Sky-Flyer opens as Dirk and Shya slip away, their forms covered in black. With Dirk’s bulk and Shya’s petite frame, they couldn’t be more different, even obscured by the darkness.

  Seeck tucks my hair behind my ear before pulling my hood up and securing my mask into place. Even though it doesn’t obstruct any of my senses, claustrophobia hovers on the edge of my psyche.

  I slide my fingers into my Alpha’s and follow him to the hatch.

  Stepping into the heat of the desert, I push away my fear and focus on my surroundings.

  I grew up looking at this exact type of landscape, except dunes so tall remained on the horizon instead of looming directly over me.

  Despite my will to erase all signs of my fear, I tremble as we draw nearer to our target.

  I’ve never been inside an ISC facility, but I’ve seen the people my Alpha and his teammates have rescued from them.

  If it were up to me, I’d never see such atrocities again.

  It isn’t up to me.

  Chapter Six

  Nova

  Seeck slows as we crest the third dune, even though I know my pace already holds him back. Once gravity helps usher me to the bottom, he stops and squats down.

  “Onto my back, my little omega,” he whispers.

  I almost refuse, scared I’ll be too much of a burden.

  What if I make him too tired?

  “If you don’t get up there on your own, I’ll strap you in, just like Dirk did to Shya.”

  Realizing the ridiculousness of my hesitation, I jump up and cling to the harness crisscrossed around his torso, letting my knuckle brush against the mating mark I left on his collarbone. Wrapping my legs around him, I try to hook my ankles together but can’t, so I squeeze his waist with my thighs.

  He gives a quiet, satisfied purr and starts running, making me glad for the mask which keeps sand out of my face.

  The slight glow on the horizon lets me know we’re almost there.

  At the bottom of the dune where the light seems to originate from, we turn to the left and skirt around the outcropping of sand before Seeck sends a flick of warning through our bond.

  Knowing what to expect, I tighten my hold on him before he vaults up the steep incline.

  Since it’s almost vertical, I’m glad he offered me his back.

  I’d never make it up this slope on my own.

  With the massive dune on our right and a somewhat smaller one on our left, we head up the crease between them.

  Right before we reach the top, he comes to a sudden halt, warning me beforehand so I’m ready for the shift in momentum.

  “Okay, Nova. No silhouette. You first. Over, then four steps to the left.”

  I nod against his nape, wishing we didn’t have so many layers on so I could feel his flesh.

  He pivots on the veritable cliff and waits for me to find purchase. After safely transitioning to my own hands and feet, I crawl upward until my head reaches level with his.

  After his nod, I drag myself over the tiny divot between the dunes, swallowing my nausea when the other side proves to be just as steep.

  With my head toward the ground, I shimmy down a little further so he can slide over and push my shaking body to the left.

  My triceps strain to keep me in place, the angle forcing me to use muscles I’m not accustomed to using.

  My lifemate’s smooth motions bring him upright below me, the top of his head brushing against mine.

  “Put your hands on my shoulders and swing your legs down.”

  My triceps shudder in relief as I change the direction of my feet, settling onto his back and clinging on.

  He makes his way down the dune, angling us back toward our normal path.

  When we get to the bottom, he darts forward and slides between two odd-shaped boulders.

  After he crouches down, I slide off his back and weave my fingers through his for a moment.

  He gives them a squeeze before guiding them to my belt.

  I nod and pull out the little device Jumoke gave to me earlier.

  Seeck takes it and rotates the little dial on top before handing it back to me. I turn toward the dune and wait for the signal.

  For long, fright-filled moments, we stay crouched in silence.

  Evie’s sharp tug on our unseen connections makes my heart leap into my throat.

  I throw the device at the dune and spin toward Seeck. He grabs my hand and darts toward the round metal door in the sand.

  As we pass it, he drops an identical device to the one I just threw onto the center.

  By the time we reach the building, he’s thrown three other devices.

  He grabs me around the waist and spins me so my back hits the wall. Using himself as a living shield, he wraps himself around me as explosions shake the ground.

  With my ears ringing despite the protection built into the mask, I look up into Seeck’s eyes and drown in his strength.

  His deep green irises, so full of determination and calculation, make heat pool in my womb. He smirks, making the situation worse.

  He spins me around again and picks me up by my waist. I reach up and cling to the window’s ledge, keeping as still as I can so I don’t lose my grip.

  He scrambles up the wall with such ease I marvel at the flexing of his muscles in the tight suit.

  After vaulting through the broken window, he reaches back over and pulls me through.

  I do my best to help, but I already feel the strain on my body. He pulls me to his front and rubs his covered forehead against mine, his need to comfort me obvious.

  I straighten my spine and gesture toward the door.

  “Stop coddling me. Let’s go,” I whisper.

  “I’ll coddle you whenever the hell I want,” he murmurs, setting me down with reluctance.

  I grab the back of his belt with my left hand and pull out the knife Vander gave me with my right.

  We hurry down the empty hallways with the sirens blaring and lights flashing.

  The hectic sounds of people running rings down the halls as we get closer to our destination.

  Too busy gasping in air from sprinting, I don’t notice the change in Seeck’s steps until we reach the corner before a main hall.

  Deep green eyes look back at me, sending me both an apology and worry.

  He doesn’t want me to see what’s going to happen next, but he doesn’t have a choice.

  I’ve seen his history. I know how ruthless he can be.

  He views himself as the Grim Reaper.

  I understand the sentiment.

  He’s killed thousands of people in his lifetime, in fact he’s killed in front of me, but this time is different.

  He isn’t rescuing me from being kidnapped: he’s attacking and murdering guards who are only doing their job.

  Except anyone working for this company knows what they’re protecting. They are a direct threat to my family.

  “I love you,” I mouth the words to him, sending him a firm wave of support.

  His smirk and the devilish gleam in his eyes relay how much he loves me too.

  After mouthing the words back, he drops into a fighting stance and checks my hand on his belt.

  We round the corner.

  Blood sprays and bones crunch as he clears a path.

  My fist clenches around my knife, but not once do I need to use it in the hallway.

  When we turn into a large room filled with electronics, a Beta jumps at me and grabs my shoulder.

  I swing my arm at him, burying the blad
e into his stomach and swallowing the resulting bile climbing my throat.

  Seeck finishes the man, his eyes going glassy before he even hits the ground.

  When we near the monstrosity of a computer in the center of the room, we both pull two more little box-like things from our belts. I drop onto my haunches and slap one under the console while he tosses one at the top.

  I slide one under a panel and grab back onto Seeck’s belt.

  He twists his arm and hooks the last device between a jumble of wires.

  We dart toward the door on the other side of the room, my mind trying to stay alert while the brutal movements of my lifemate sends shivers of unease down my spine.

  My thighs burn as we run down corridor after corridor, our route taking us towards the east side of the hanger containing the bulk of their transportation.

  An invisible tug from Evie makes my steps falter.

  “Seeck, turn right!”

  Without hesitation, he veers into the hallway on the right.

  His boots squeak on the floor as he comes to an abrupt halt. I slam into his back, not prepared for the sudden change.

  When I peek around him, my gut clenches.

  An Alpha rivaling Dirk’s stature stands in a white lab coat, surrounded by five Alphas and an Omega.

  The surprise in their faces flash through me, my own startled expression morphing into one of fury.

  Understanding darkens the space between Seeck and I as we both come to the same conclusion.

  We’re face to face with Alpha One and his entourage.

  He’s on his way to the same escape hatch we’re headed to.

  Because he’s a coward, running away from the mayhem and looking for the quickest, safest way out of here.

  He hasn’t found it.

  If we had kept running, they would have snuck up behind us and had the upper hand.

  Facing off as we are, I step out from behind Seeck and take stock of our options.

  Seeck tenses further, hating the way I’ve exposed myself.

  I fight to catch my breath, not used to so much physical activity.

  My inhale catches as my senses pick up the mangled ties between Alpha One and everyone surrounding him.

  Gross, warped bonds flow from each of his party towards him, but he does not return the sentiment.

  He stands alone, his soul hidden behind a creepy darkness.