“Holy shit,” I whispered.
It was this… this warrior who had transported in. He wore the coalition uniform, but it fit him in a way that had my mouth falling open. He wore no helmet, his face rugged but not what I would have expected from an alien. He looked almost human, just a lot bigger. There could have been ion blasts zinging over my head, but I wouldn’t have noticed. He was definitely tall—easily pushing seven foot, dark and handsome, but the size of a lumberjack. A bloody lumberjack, for he was covered in Hive blood, from a pile of dead, decapitated bodies that lay strewn about his feet like trash. He hadn’t even pulled his blaster free from its holster at his side. His arms had to be as thick as my thighs, and I was no waif. He made my heart skip a beat and my breathing catch in a way not even a Hive fight could muster.
He stood tall and confident, perhaps too confident, for he ignored the destruction around him and searched… for something. Or someone. Even from a distance, I heard his low growling and saw his entire body strung up tight as a bow, ready to take the head of the next idiot stupid enough to gain his attention. His dark eyes had an intensity unlike any I’d ever seen. I gulped when they were turned my way. I ignored him, thinking that it was because I didn’t want to have my head torn off. In fact, I didn’t want all that intensity focused on me.
Chapter Four
Sarah
With all the ion blasts that had been crisscrossing the area during the skirmish, he should have ducked, even pulled his own ion pistol from his hip, but he hadn’t. He scanned left, then right as I heard an all too familiar buzzing sound from the side.
Three more Hive transported into the room just a few steps from me and attacked. Seeing that one of the new Hive was going to shoot m
e, the Atlan didn’t even blink. I swear he grew in size, as if he’d been inflated like a balloon. He was angry. Furious even, for the tendons in his neck stood out and his jaw clenched. His eyes narrowed and he grabbed the Hive warrior and literally ripped his head off without even drawing his ion pistol. Blood spurted everywhere as he threw the body at his comrades before charging them.
I should have tried to help, but I rolled to the side and came up on my knee, rifle at the ready.
Too late, the three were already dead. More bodies at his feet like sacrifices to a bloodthirsty god.
I stared, shocked at the carnage. Two of Seth’s men came up to flank me, staring like I was. I was quite sure none of us had ever seen anything this brutal, on Earth or anywhere else. I had no idea why the alien was even carrying a weapon. Those hands, those huge hands, were weapons themselves. I knew it was an Earth saying that when someone was mad they’d rip your head off, but this… shit, this was the real deal.
Seth chuckled in my ear and stepped out from behind a cargo container as I stayed on my knee, my rifle now pointed at the alien growling like a bear.
“Welcome to our little raiding party, Atlan. I’m Captain Mills.” Seth didn’t raise his rifle, but he didn’t put it away either. I held mine steady, pointed at the warrior’s head.
The giant grunted and stood to his full height, which made me blink. Hard. His shoulders were massive, his chest big enough for a big girl like me to curl up against. I wanted to touch, and the urge was annoying. When the giant spoke, his deep, rumbly voice traveled straight to my core, my nipples growing hard. Sex on a stick. Good God, he was the hottest man I’d ever seen. Ever.
“You are not Captain Sarah Mills.”
Seth laughed and I felt my heart skip a beat. Captain Sarah Mills? This warrior knew who I was?
Choosing to remain silent, I met my brother’s gaze for a heartbeat of time and nodded for him to continue. If this big guy was looking for me, I wasn’t sure I wanted to be found.
Seth took off his helmet and held it under his left arm, his right still holding his ion blaster. “No, I’m not. That would be my sister, who got lucky on her ASVAB and learned how to fly. What do you want with Captain Mills?”
Instead of answering, the warrior clenched his fists at his sides as if fighting for control. All around me rifles were held steady as we waited to see what the Atlan was going to do. “She is not here?”
“Who’s asking?” Seth raised his ion blaster to make sure the Atlan knew to be on his best behavior. “I don’t know you, soldier. You transported into a live op, and endangered two units. I’ve got five dead because you blew our surprise. From where I’m standing, I should shoot your ass and get on with cleaning up your mess.”
The Atlan slumped, as if bothered by what my brother said. “I apologize for your loss. We did not realize I would be transporting into an active combat zone. It was a terrible mistake.”
“Why are you here?”
I tightened by grip on my rifle waiting for his answer.
“I am looking for Captain Sarah Mills.”
“Why?”
“She’s mine.”
My head was shaking a hell, no before I had even processed his words. Eyebrows raised, I stood and lowered my rifle. “Seven, keep him in your sights.”
A chorus of acknowledgments sounded in my ears as I lowered my ion blaster and tried to decide what to do. The giant turned at the sound of my voice and I removed my helmet, dropping it to the floor. He looked as if he would move toward me, and I raised my blaster to stop him. “Don’t.”
“You are Sarah Mills.”
“How do you know me? I don’t know any Atlans.” Meeting his gaze was a huge mistake as the instant lust I’d felt watching him earlier returned full force. I was tempted to lick my lips and tease him closer, which was just stupid. As I stared with as blank an expression as I could manage, a strange buzz danced over the skin of my neck and face. I tensed, my gaze flying to Seth. His eyes widened as he felt the energy building.