Talla’s breaths came in pants, and heat blossomed everywhere. “
Ta eani!
” she cried out, feeling herself contract around him just as he exploded deep within her. He bent over her, clutching her back to his chest.
He regained his senses all too quickly because he pulled out and released her while she was still coming down from her orgasm. Feeling the abrupt cold on her back, she rolled over to find Jax already buttoning his cargoes. He pulled on a T-shirt and handed her a towel.
“Thanks,” she muttered, already feeling the sting of disappointment. The time to leave would come all too soon, and she suspected she’d never be in this room with Jax again, especially after her recent meeting with Roden. After a quick clean-up, she pulled up her cargoes and readjusted her shirt. She came to her feet, and Jax handed her a bottle of water before returning to his weapons.
“You said something in Draeken earlier,” he said without looking up. “I’m not familiar with that word. What does it mean?”
Ta eani,
Talla thought remorsefully to herself. “Oh, it was nothing. Just caught up in the moment.”
“Hm,” he said, not sounding convinced.
She glanced around the room, feeling the awkward silence fall over them. “Well, I should get going.”
“I hadn’t planned for that to happen,” he said, regret already lacing his words.
I know.
She walked to the door. Just before opening it, she said, “It was fun. A good stress reliever. Like before.”
She glanced over her shoulder to find him watching her intently. “But it was our last time. There is no
us
. I won’t come over here again.” She motioned between them. She opened the door. “I’m not going with you over to the
Grax
today. It’s the one thing I can give you. You don’t have to worry about me today.” She paused. “You don’t have to worry about burying another woman.”
She bolted out the door before Jax could say anything, not that he would. She’d just given him what he’d asked for — even though she knew it wasn’t what he needed — and it broke her heart. At least he wouldn’t have to be concerned about her at the
Grax
today. He could focus on the mission and nothing else.
Just in case he came after her, she took flight to hangar 022W1, where she saw the lone aggressor being prepped. Talla flared, touching down on her toes, coming to a gentle stop before Roden and Nalea.
“Does anyone suspect you’re here?” Roden asked.
“No,” Talla replied quickly. “Everyone thinks I’m staying behind to protect the
Striga
. If anyone questions it, Jax will confirm it.”
Roden looked confused. “You told Jerrick?”
She shook her head. “No. He just thinks I refused the mission.”
“May the gods be with you,” Nalea said. “I’d go if I could — ”
“But you need to be safe here,” Roden added on quickly. “For the baby.”
Talla gasped and she snapped her gaze from Roden to Nalea. “Congratulations,” she said, bursting into a wide grin. “We could all use a bit of good news.” She paused, her teeth biting her lower lip. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
Another Draeken stepped from the aggressor, and Talla looked up at Meyt. “Are we all set?” she asked.
“We’re ready to go. I’ve got full landing clearance for the
Grax
. They believe I have bribed a com-tec to get through the force barrier.”
“They bought that?” Talla asked.
“Yes,” Meyt replied. “Otas is cocky. He believes I can’t betray him.” He headed back up the steps and disappeared into the aggressor.
Roden’s features turned serious. “In and out, just like I trained you. Meyt will have the ship ready to go when you’re finished. Let Sommers’s tactical unit handle the rest of the
Grax
.”
Talla nodded, afraid her voice would crack if she spoke. Nalea hugged her and Roden patted her on the arm. Taking a breath, she headed into the aggressor and strapped herself in next to Meyt. She closed her eyes and focused. In and out. This was the only chance to save Jax. She would not fail. After all, she was the best assassin Roden had.
Jax stood in the command room with his entire team. They hadn’t even flinched when he brought up the mission. Even stodgy Hert Hesmat had volunteered on the spot, bringing with him their team’s new patch: a winged star inlaid in gold.
Despite their varied exteriors and diverse personalities, each and every member of his team was a hero at heart. It reminded Jax of his own company in the fifty-first division. They’d never backed down from a challenge, taking every order head-on, and he was thankful nearly all of them had escaped the facial
pika
scans.
Sommers was still on the phone. With the nuclear fallout, none of his battalion could get close to the
Striga
, and so they’d been arranging rendezvous points for the transporters to pick them up. With only ninety minutes until Otas eradicated the next country — if they could trust Otas to wait — they were quickly running out of time to get those troops on board.
To assault a ship the size of a mountain, numbers counted. The more experienced soldiers they had, the better their chance for success. Right now, they had maybe a hundred battle-hardened troops in the command room, with only a couple tricking in every few minutes.
Not nearly enough.
Sommers slid his phone into his pocket.
“We going to have support?” Jax asked him quietly.
“Yes, a full tactical unit has been formed,” Sommers replied, but he didn’t look pleased. Then he said louder, “All right, let’s get started.”
Jax frowned as Sommers started on logistics, and he scanned the faces in the room. No sign of Talla. He hadn’t believed her for a second when she said she wouldn’t go. She was a warrior, and even though he hated seeing her in danger, he would never have left her behind. That would be like putting a tigress in a cage. If she wasn’t here, then it meant that she was telling the truth and had given up on him. The knowledge sat like rotten meat in his stomach.
“Additional troops will be here within two hours.”
Jax’s gaze snapped to Sommers at the words. “But Zimbabwe has less than an hour and a half,” he said.
“Understood,” Sommers answered. “So we’re going in as the first wave ten minutes before the deadline, with support coming in a second wave.”
“Is that wise?” Laze asked from the side, who looked healthier than he’d been but still lacked facial color. Jax would’ve left him behind, but they needed manpower, and Laze had proven time and again that he could more than hold his own. “Once we lose the element of surprise, we’re not going to get another shot.”
“I agree,” Jax said. “We can’t go in half-cocked.”
“The main objective is to secure the
Grax
,” Roden said, entering the room. “We already have a covert team on the
Grax
, ready to take down Otas the instant you engage. With the force barrier, the
Grax
is essentially disabled. All you’ll have to do is keep the
Grax’s
guardsmen busy until Otas is eliminated and additional support can arrive.”
“We’re a diversion?” Jax asked, his eyes narrowing.
“No,” Roden quickly replied. “Your mission is to liberate the
Grax
. Anyone who allies with Otas should be eliminated with prejudice. Teams from the
Artox
and
Evo
will also hit the
Grax
at the same time. We anticipate the
Grax
to not put up much of a fight, but we can’t know that for sure until we’re on board. Every core ship has nearly the same layout. You will rendezvous in the ship’s command room once you’ve secured the ship. I’ve distributed clearance codes for landing on the
Grax
… ”
Jax’s thoughts overtook the words in the room. Roden had sent in another team for Otas already? Why had none of this been mentioned before now? Who would he have sent? It had to be Draeken, someone Roden trusted. Jax glanced over to see Laze still in the room. With his wings still healing, Laze wasn’t yet at a hundred percent, which meant …
“
Son of a bitch
.”
“What is it, Captain?” Roden asked.
“You and I need to talk.”
Roden gave him a knowing look. Yeah, he knew exactly what tripped Jax’s outburst. His nerves ground on his patience until Sommers wrapped up, and people filtered out of the room. He grabbed Laze’s arm on his way out. “Did you know Talla’s already on the
Grax
?”
Laze’s face froze and he looked over at Roden. “No,” he ground out. “I did not.” He stepped off to the side by Jax, waiting for the room to clear out.
The room emptied, leaving only Roden, Laze, Jax, and a Sephian still sitting in the corner. It was the man who’d fought alongside Talla on the ground. Pires was his name. Jax eyed him, and Pires simply crossed his arms over his chest. “I heard what you said. I’m staying.”
“Talla is the other team you sent,” Jax said to Roden.
“She’s not alone,” he answered.
“Who else went with her?” Laze asked.
“Meyt.”
“Just Meyt?” Laze countered.
Tension crawled Jax’s spine. “You trust that guy?”
“Not at all,” Roden said. “But he could get her close to Otas.”
“You should’ve sent me with her,” Laze said, sounding pissed. “Talla and I are a team.”
Roden shook his head. “Meyt could cover only one extra passenger, no more.”
Laze’s eyes narrowed. “How convenient.”
“With their history, no one will suspect Talla if anyone saw her with Meyt,” Roden said. “Besides, if we sent you after Otas, he’d be suspicious. Everyone knows you and Meyt have never seen eye to eye. Talla and Meyt can get close enough to stop Otas before he sets off any more
pika
programming.”
“And how is Meyt going to get her close to Otas?” Jax asked, fury burning the air in his lungs.
“She’s going onto the
Grax
as his consort,” Roden replied bluntly.
Jax shouldn’t have been bothered. It wasn’t like he had rights to her now or in the past. Still, jealousy flared. He clenched his fists.
“It’s her cover,” Roden tacked on, eying Jax.
He bristled. “I didn’t ask.”
“You didn’t need to.”
“Where is Otas at on the
Grax
?” Jax said, quickly changing the subject.
“I don’t know.” Roden’s eyes narrowed. “You’re not going to break from the mission directive.”
“Eliminating Otas is the number one priority of the mission, right?” Jax replied.
After a moment of stare-downs, Roden nodded tightly.
“So,” Jax continued. “If shit hits the fan, we need a backup plan. This may be our best shot at Otas.”
“Talla has never failed,” Roden cautioned before waving a hand through the air. “But, continue.”
Jax nodded. “Once we get to the
Grax
, Laze and I can divert to extract Talla and Meyt. If the target has already been neutralized, great, if not, then consider us the contingency plan.”
“I’m in,” Pires said, speaking up for the first time.
Jax eyed the Sephian for a moment and finally nodded. “We could use you.”
Roden didn’t look convinced. “And who’s going to lead your teams? We need seasoned leaders out there.” he asked, looking between Laze and Jax.
“Sana will take point,” Jax said. “She has more than enough experience to lead the team, and I trust her.”
“Bente can handle my team along with his,” Laze said.
“Bente already has Talla’s team,” Roden replied.
Laze pursed his lips. “How about Sommers, then. His other units aren’t arriving for the first wave.”
A knowing smile crept up Roden’s face. “Good choice. Laze, open file 26587898. It is a map of the
Grax
, with indicators on where Otas would likely be. You need to memorize it, because things are going to get chaotic. I’ve already set aside an aggressor for you three to take onto the
Grax
.”
Jax cracked his neck while he thought through Roden’s words. “You had this planned all along.”
Roden didn’t deny it. “If Talla and Meyt knew they’d have a backup team, then they might not take a chance if things get risky.”
“You’re a cruel bastard,” Jax said.
“I like to ensure the best probability for success,” Roden replied as he headed toward the door, pausing at the doorway. “You guys make sure to bring our girl home.”
“I’ll grab our gear,” Pires said with a dark grin before heading out of the room without another word.
The Sephian was one of those who thrived in battle, and loved bloodshed. Jax understood the type — he’d had men like Pires on his teams and he’d taken down countless Pireses in war. While Jax would rather have Pires on his side rather than against him, the man was dangerous and impossible to control, making him perfect for this particular mission. Taking down Otas could get messy. Jax needed a guy with no regard for self-protection to see the criminal killed.
Laze was already pulling up the map of the
Grax
. “I’m sending copies to you and Pires,” he said just as Jax’s wrist-com vibrated. “After I analyze the layout, I’ll also send you the best place for us to start.” He paused. “I don’t like her going after Otas.”
“I don’t like it, either,” Jax said. His muscles had been rock hard since he’d figured out the truth. Why hadn’t she said anything? Because he would’ve done everything in his power to stop her, even though she’d hate him for it. He sighed. “Talla’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. If anyone could sneak onto the
Grax
and get close to Otas, it’s Talla.”
Laze threw something at the wall, which collided with a loud
thud
. “But she’s still my little sister.”
Jax patted his shoulder. “Yeah, buddy.” He knew exactly what Laze meant. He didn’t like Talla in danger, either, but his reason was entirely
un-
sisterly. He leaned against the table and ran a hand through his hair.
Because she had grown up in war, Talla had been fearless in giving Jax a chance, and he didn’t have the balls to give her a chance. Then again, she’d always been smarter than him.
And far better.
It might be too late for them, but he was going to bring Talla home.