Operation: Marauder

Cassian cleared his throat, gently catching Zoey’s attention. She couldn’t take her eyes off the door everyone had left through, surprised by that man’s ire. He had come out of nowhere like an out-of-control tornado and swept everyone away. She had never seen someone snap Jack out of his fury like that before.

“Who was that?”

Whoever he was, he had to be a big deal.

“Mave. Our pilot. I’d rather not keep him waiting,” Cassian added a little more firmly.

She grimaced. “I don’t want to go to the base. They’re going to lock me in a room and tell me not to touch anything.” Regardless of her feelings, she headed to her room and grabbed her duffle bag from the top shelf in her closet.

No matter how hard she tried to find a way out of it, the base honestly was the safest place for her stay for the time being. It was annoying and frustrating, especially if Rowan and Jack were going to be somewhere.

She hadn’t made her mind up about Rowan; she hardly knew him and now she was dragged into this mess because of him. The logical side of her told her to stay away from him. Yet her heart wanted to explore Rowan more, understand him further. He was kind and cared about her enough to stop Jack from yelling in her face, enough to look like she’d shattered him when she said she wasn’t sure she wanted that date with him anymore. Which she regretted.

He was also dangerous and clearly held many secrets. It didn’t help that he was a soldier. Zoey had promised herself to never date a soldier.

Damn it, Rowan.

“Are you ready?” Cassian asked patiently. He stood by the door to the hallway, brilliant blue hair swept to one side as he regarded her.

She let out a puff of air. She really didn’t want to leave. Didn’t want to be targeted by vampires. Just wanted to have a drink with a hot guy. Apparently the universe had other plans for her.

Suck it up. Power through it. Move on. That’s what her dad would have said.

At least he was good for something.

She straightened her back, lugged her bag over her shoulder, and nodded to him. “Let’s go.”

She followed him out of the house, turning to lock the door out of habit, then scowled when she saw it was nearly cleaved in two. “My house. . .”

“We’ll send someone to fix it,” he assured her, not at all concerned that someone might take the cracked open door as an invitation to steal her stuff. “Come on.”

Not having much choice in the matter, she faced him--and saw the thin strip of fabric he held out to her. She set a hard glower on him. “A blindfold? Really? I know where the base is.”

He returned her look with an emotionless stare. “The vehicle we used to race halfway across the planet to help you is classified.”

She raised her eyebrows at that. First of all, he didn’t have to divulge that much information, which made her think he thought this whole thing was as stupid as she thought it was. Secondly--they had a craft that could fly halfway across the world in less than two hours. That was the kind of ride she wanted to pilot.

She opened her mouth to ask him what it was, but he held up a hand. “Classified, remember? Take this.”

He basically shoved it into her hands, so she had no choice but to take it. She frowned at the texture. It wasn’t like any cloth she had felt before. It was soft yet scaly. She had the odd thought that she wouldn’t be able to cut through this with an ordinary knife. “What material is this?”

“Classified.”

Okay, she knew what he was trying to do--give her hints into their secret world--and she appreciated it, but if he used that word one more time. . .

“When you put it on, your eyes may be blinded, but you have other senses, don’t you? If you’re as smart as I think you are, you’ll be able to figure it out.”

With no more putting it off, she tied the cloth around her head, again surprised such a thin piece of fabric could be so opaque. “I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’m kinda the disappointment in the family. Don’t hold your hopes up too high.”

“Prove them wrong. Take my hand.”

She raised her hand, blindly searching for his. Suddenly, his hand clasped around hers and tugged her gently forward. As they walked to the vehicle, she made a mental map of where she was. She balked when he was already telling her to watch her step; they barely left her lawn! There hadn’t been any vehicles anywhere near her house minutes ago.

She reached out for the door and nearly fell over when there was no door to hold onto. “Where the hell is the door?”

Chuckles echoed further down. . . from somewhere inside the. . . vehicle? It was a big ass truck if it was any vehicle she was familiar with. Unless. . . “Are we inside an airplane?” She felt stupid saying it out loud because she couldn’t think of any plane they could land on her street that sounded and felt this big.

“Stop asking questions, Zoey, and take a seat.” She honed in her brother’s voice and gave him her two favourite fingers. “Very mature. Not there, Cas,” Jack warned when he angled her to sit.

“Why not?” Rowan demanded.

Zoey instantly sat down, nearly falling into Rowan’s lap in her eagerness to defy her brother. “Sorry,” she murmured to him.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault you can’t see where you’re going.” Judging by his tone, Zoey would have to guess he was glaring at Jack.

Jack’s groan-growl confirmed her thoughts.

Cassian left her in Rowan’s custody; the latter held her hips as he directed her into the seat beside him, which sent a hot thrill through her. Man, his hands were so hot, the heat seeped through her jeans and made her melt. Once she was all strapped in, he took her hand, giving it a light, comforting squeeze.

Since she couldn’t see, she realised she hadn’t felt Rowan, hadn’t really been in contact with him at all, too busy ogling him. His hand was rough, hard, calloused beyond Zoey had ever felt in her hand. Curious, she used her free hand to explore his forearm, finding his skin was coarse along here too--and that he had no hair. Tiny bumps ran over her fingertips, reminding her weirdly of a lizard she had picked up when she was twelve; it had small granular scales along its belly.

Rowan made a noise in his chest she wasn’t sure how to decipher, so she pulled her hands to her lap and bit her lip. “Not that it’s any of my business, but I think some moisturizer would do you some good.”

“I don’t need moisturizer,” he teased, “and I think you know that.”

She did. It hadn’t felt like dry skin.

She couldn’t understand it. He didn’t look scaly, but if she was blind, she would have said he was covered in them.

“I don’t understand anything ” she exasperated, frustrated.

The plane shook. Gasping, she reached out for the closest stable thing. Rowan held her steady against him until the turbulence died down. Funnily enough, she hadn’t realised they’d taken off until they were hit by the turbulence. Mave was an excellent pilot--and this plane was incredible.

“Sorry!” Mave called on the speaker. “We got caught up in the storm. The wind’s a little rough out there. Five more minutes.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Rowan assured her as he slowly released her, soothing out her clothes. It made her wish she had changed into something nicer. Something a little less blood-stained. She had been so deep in shock, she had forgotten all about it.

She nodded, very used to the jostle of the wind. It didn’t stop her heart from pounding in her ribcage.

She heard a whoosh and somehow knew they had landed. Jack took her hand--she’d know her brother’s hand from anywhere--and pulled her to a stand. She swore she heard another animal-like growl from Rowan behind her as he guided her down the ramp.

“Somner!”

Jack swore under his breath and tried to hide Zoey from the intimidating voice. “Who gave you authorization to land in civilian streets? Who is that?”

“You have a tracker on us?” Rowan growled. She felt the heat of his body right behind her. She imagined him ready to pluck her away at a moment’s notice if the man decided to throw her in jail.

“Of course we do,” the man snapped. “Somner, you have some explaining to do. Sergeant Timber, take that woman to the brig. Keep the blindfold on. At least Somner did something right.”

“Hang on,” Zoey barked, moving around her brother and Rowan. She had no idea who she was addressing or even if she was looking directly at him, but he needed to understand that she wasn’t going to bow out and let him punish her brother. “He was trying to help me. A vampire attacked me.”

“A vampire?” The man’s tone had gone incredulous. “Somner, how much does she know?”

“Absolutely nothing, sir. A. . . vampire broke into her home and tried to kill her. You know my team is the only one capable of dealing with them. Or would you have rather let the vampire roam the streets freely?” Zoey noticed he’d left out the part of the vampire already being dead when they had arrived.

“Don’t get snappy with me, Captain. You’re this close to being reassigned. You, girl, what’s your name?”

“Zoey Adams. . . or Somner,” she reluctantly added, “depending who you ask.” She hated to use her dad’s name, but it might actually help in this case, so she sucked up her pride.

The man snorted. “So you’re the infamous washout, huh? I can see why your father disowned you.”

She stood straighter, hands on her hips. “Give me a pistol and we’ll see who the washout is.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It’s a promise I’m a better shot than you.” Up until she was eighteen and hours away from signing her life away to the military, her father had trained her and Jack how to shoot and put them through martial art classes. Her entire life had been framed for the sole purpose of joining the air force. Until she realised it wasn’t what she wanted, only what he wanted. She had never felt freer than when she turned away from the office and drove home.

“Please, sir,” Jack implored, “she’s just a little temperamental at the moment. It’s been a long day.”

“She has her father’s temper. Come with me, Captain. Explain what happened. Sergeant, find somewhere for Miss Somner to stay.”

“I prefer Adams,” she added, in case he cared. He probably didn’t.

“She can bunk in my room,” Jack offered.

There was a moment’s pause before, “Very well.”

Someone--the sergeant, probably--grabbed her arm roughly.

She fought against him. “Wait. I want to stay with Rowan’s crew.” She didn’t want to be left alone on the base.

“No,” Jack and the Colonel denied instantly.

The sergeant tugged her away, fighting every attempt she made to free herself. She knew they had moved into a corridor when the constant breeze she had felt on her neck was gone. The air around her now was stuffy. She heard people murmur in the hallways, picking up nothing specific.

They walked longer than Zoey could keep track of her surroundings before he jerked her to a stop. He ripped the blindfold off. She was blinded by light and the stark whiteness of the hallway. Once her eyes adjusted, she took one look at Timber and wished he’d kept it on her. Nothing was less attractive than his greasy hair and a sour face.

He opened a door behind her and shoved her inside. Then the lock slammed home. She knew this was Jack’s room, but it might as well be a jail cell. She shouldn’t have come.