Redemption (2 page)

Mira had lived most of her life in Hell’s Highway. Unlike her older brother, she didn’t remember the internment camp. All she knew was everything her family suffered was because the NAH wanted them obliterated from existence.

The NAH discovered the existence of people like the ones in the crosshairs of her scope. Paraspecies. Shape shifters, mages, and succubae. The ones marked for her bullet were wolves—tall, dark and deadly. Three of them had sauntered into the camp as though they owned it.

Eron had told her to stay inside, they were cool. Yeah, right. Like she was trusting her brother with people who could shift into an animal. Mira studied the one she assumed was the leader.

Way taller than her brother, twice as muscular. All male. Awareness fluttered in her pulse as she slid the sight downward slowly, guiding it down his broad shoulders, down his bare torso. She’d thought her brother crazy for ordering them to remove everything but their pants to make sure they had no weapons. Each glorious, sun-kissed inch of the man in her scope proved one vital flaw in Eron’s plan—the men were the weapons.

Strong, powerful thighs encased in snug denim. Her mouth dried, her palms sweated. Life in Hell’s Highway didn’t offer men like this one. As she focused the sight on his face, he turned in her direction.

Full lips upturned into a feral grin that highlighted his cinnamon gaze. She shivered under the intensity. Thank goodness she was a hundred yards away, tucked behind an overturned vehicle on the hillside. They’d never notice her.

Unfortunately. In a different, warless time she could spend an eternity wrapped around a man like him. Strong. Virile. Commanding. She shivered under the intensity of her need. God, she was pathetic.

The lonely, dark nights of terror-filled battle had worn down her defenses. The hope offered in each sinewy inch of his golden body made her ignite. He was everything she needed. Strength. Security.

Hope.

He was also everything she feared. Her finger trembled on the trigger. Unlike most in the Highway, she’d never killed. But she would if necessary.

Eron coddled her. Sooner or later he’d have to see reason. It was time she took her rightful place within The Alliance. The movement to protect Impures from the succubae and the NAH needed fearless, fast people like her now that they’d secured assistance from the man in her crosshairs.

Redemption was a long way away from The Alliance’s primary base of operations. Supplies and munitions were impossible to come by. Fortunately, the wolf shifters running Redemption had offered their assistance. Whatever provisions they needed would be theirs, in exchange for whatever intel The Alliance gathered.

It was a good deal.

Assuming they could be trusted.

Not that the tight-lipped paranormals bothered to offer any intel in return. They never spoke to outsiders about Paraspecies business. Ever. Eron never really knew who was in charge when he spoke to a group of them, like the one that’d arrived just now.

They’d spoken with Eron before, and he’d finally gained their trust. It was the only reason they knew who in the group was their leader. Mira respected the protectiveness within their pack, the way they held things important to them close. What would it be like to live among a group so tight knit? Adrik. The name suited the man. As he shook hands with Eron, she set the rifle down and rubbed the tension from her neck. It’d taken longer to secure the deal than she’d expected. The sun’s rays blasted her skin with blistering heat, but she remained still. Eyes closed, she took a few deep breaths.

Crackling limbs behind her made her eyes snap open. She reached for the rifle but someone grasped her wrist firmly. Shock riddled her mute and she cried out under the pressure.

Adrik.

How?

She blinked away the surprise firing within her adrenaline-fueled bloodstream as the same primal grin she’d appreciated moments ago returned to his handsome face. The distance had done him no justice. The man was gorgeous.

She punched and kicked. The strong fingers wrapped around her wrist eased slightly. His other arm wrapped around her waist and drew her closer.

“Easy there, spitfire.”

“Let me go.”

Laughter tumbled from him. His muscles flexed beneath her splayed fingers. She swallowed the fearful scream in her throat and studied him a moment. Silence ticked by, moving slower than her quickening pulse. She stared at his lips. So full.

“You know how to shoot?” He held up the rifle. When had he taken it away?

“Give it back and you’ll find out.” Something crawled in her gut. She stared at the gun a moment, then at him.
Damn. He’s bigger than I thought up close.

He chuckled a moment and settled her against his side. The scent of woods and clean grass filled her nostrils. “What’s your name?”

“Mira.”

“Beautiful name. I’m Adrik.”

“I know.” She swallowed. “You aren’t as hairy as I thought you’d be.”

Crap. Did she really just say that? The wild laughter around her signaled two things. One—yes, she’d said it aloud.
Great.
Two—they weren’t alone. Damn. Heat rose in her cheeks as she wondered if tunneling through the ground would be worth the effort. Eron warned her she’d regret her fast mouth one day. She was pretty sure the day was unfolding.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry my lack of hair disappointed you.”

“I’m so not disappointed.” Crap. There she went again.

His smile softened. Amusement flared with something darker in his eyes. Whatever it was made her belly flutter and her limbs weaken. “I’m thinking we’ll get to know one another quite well, Mira.”

“We’ll see. I still find it hard to believe your kind gives a damn about Impures.”

“Your success ensures our security. The NAH and succubae have to go through the Highway to get to us. If The Alliance keeps your area safe, we’re safe.”

It made sense. Still. Mira wasn’t accustomed to someone caring about her. Awareness drifted between them. His hand moved along her back. She repeated the action on his bare chest.

“You’re so warm.”

A low rumble emanated from his chest. Shock stilled her. Had she been petting him?

“Sorry.”

“I like your touch, Mira. My kind are very tactile.”

“Oh.”
Oh.
The possibilities cast a soft haze in her brain as her fingers continued gliding along his heated skin. “That’s nice.”

“Mira, look at me.” He smiled when she looked up at him. “I’m thinking you’re gonna be the best trouble to wander into my life.”

“I’m not trouble,” she defended.

He chuckled. “Every inch of you is trouble, and I’m looking forward to every moment.”

* * *

Two years ago in Redemption…

Pleasure sparked along her skin, exploding wherever Adrik touched. Deft fingers delved beneath her bra and cupped her breast. Groaning, she deepened the kiss and clung to him, desperate to experience whatever existed beyond the precipice she traversed every time she snuck away with Adrik.

His name escaped her, an excited utterance born of desperation. His lips trailed along her neck. Cool air brushed along her skin as he drew her shirt down and exposed her bare breast. Wait. Where was her bra?

Confusion mingled with agitated arousal. She reached for him, running her hand under his shirt. Abdominal muscles honed from hours of grueling, daily practice flexed beneath her splayed palm.

“I need to fuck you, sweet Mira. I need to feel you come around my dick.” He pinched her nipple. Sensation coursed through her, pooling between her legs.

Shock stilled her. Her pulse spiked and adrenaline blasted through her veins. She couldn’t imagine denying him anything he wanted, but was she ready for him?

Yes. A thousand times yes.

Tentatively, her hand drifted downward until she cupped the prominent bulge that’d been the subject of many of her recent fantasies. Adrik growled and gently seized her neck. Desire danced along her spine in tiny tingles as he nibbled on her lips. His tongue delved, demanding her surrender as he thrust in a rhythm her entire body memorized.

Her pussy clenched and she swallowed her startled gasp when his fingers were suddenly there, where no one had touched her before. She squeezed her legs together, bracing herself against the wall behind her.

Oooh.

“Adrik, please.”

He tensed and withdrew, his obsidian gaze blackened fully by desire. Her breaths came in tiny pants beneath the intensity raging there as she clung to him, wondering why he’d stopped. Why he always stopped? Oh no. He must’ve thought she wanted him to.

“Fuck, Mira. Stopping’s getting harder.”

“So don’t.” She dug her fingers into his thick arm. “Don’t stop. This was meant to be. I can feel it. Can’t you?”

The few moments she spent with Adrik here, in Redemption, made the hellacious journey through Hell’s Highway worthwhile. NAH forces skirmished with Eron’s resistance fighters more often, making every day a battle of survival. The intel she carried to Adrik and his people ensured her brother’s safety. As long as the Paraspecies knew what happened with the NAH and Eron’s fighters, they’d send weapons and warriors to train the latest wave of Impure fighters.

Somehow, though, she managed to forget all that for the few moments she was with Adrik. But he resisted the attraction growing between them. She couldn’t lose him.

“You and me…what you’re thinking it’d mean can’t happen, Mira. Redemption and The Alliance working together is too important. My pack has to come first, so does your brother and your camp.” Regret softened his face as he distanced himself.

The cavernous expanse he set between them every time returned. Though they stood scant inches from one another, he was a universe away. The ever diligent, sacrificial Alpha wolf. Damn him and his duty to his people.

“One day you’ll realize you
can
have a personal life and still lead your pack. I’m not asking for forever, but I need to know there’s more than a stolen moment here and there.”

She needed to know she was the only one. Jealousy clawed her insides. She still remembered seeing him with a woman in the alley behind Medical a month after she’d met him. She’d yet to venture into the area behind the most heavily used building in Redemption. No matter how many injured Impures Adrik’s pack treated, there were always more of Mira’s kind desperate for their help. She used to love helping however she could—dressing minor wounds, administering antibiotics.

Seeing that woman with him ruined that for her. Her pussy clenched, wondering what it would feel like to be the woman he shoved against the alley wall and fucked so fiercely Mira swore she’d heard the slap of flesh on flesh from across the empty market square.

Adrik cupped her face and brushed a kiss along her mouth. “I know. Next time, we’ll figure some of this out, okay? Things should be a bit calmer by then.”

She nodded. “Guess that’s my cue to make tracks back to The Alliance.”

Darkness clouded his gaze before he looked away. “I hate this shit. Every time you leave here makes my wolf howl. Eron is a fool for allowing you to be a runner.”

Eron hadn’t been left much of a choice. The desperate need for runners meant she’d finally been granted her wish eleven months ago. Ever since then she’d existed sprinting the long distance between The Alliance encampment and Redemption. Each time she left Adrik got harder, though.

“When will you be back?” he asked.

She shrugged. “It all depends on how the border wars are going. The succubae have been silent lately, so it could be a while.”

A part of her hoped they’d need provisions or munitions soon, but that’d mean The Alliance battling either the succubae to the north or the NAH to the east. Neither was good for her people. She’d always maintained a glimmer of hope that one day peace would come to Hell’s Highway.

“Would you stay here in Redemption, if my pack agreed?”

“What? Permanently?” She swallowed the hope back and forced reality to the forefront.

“Yes.” Determination rose in his voice and pinged her thumping heart. “We’ve been talking about offering residence to a few Impures in exchange for their services to keep Redemption running.”

“What about us?”

His jaw twitched and he looked away. Just as she’d suspected. Over the past couple of months several in his pack had mated Impures. Though still rare, it wasn’t outlawed nor shunned from what she could tell.

Then again, none of them were Alpha. He probably operated off different rules. Not everyone in his pack embraced the couplings. She’d seen the scorn firsthand. Having their commander with an Impure would be problematic.

The fact he was even discussing possible scenarios that kept her closer offered hope. Her stubborn wolf was mulling things over, trying to figure out a way to be Mr. Perfect Alpha while also holding onto her. The implied sentiment, though unspoken, warmed her.

“Think on it. We’ll talk next time.” She brushed a kiss on his cheek and picked up the heavy backpack. Settling it on her shoulders, she headed out of the alley.

“Mira.”

Don’t turn around. Keep going. Don’t turn around.

“Mira.” His voice rose. Desperation resonated in each syllable.”

She turned.

“We’ll figure this out.”

Adrik stood sentry at the rarely used northern entrance to Redemption and stared out at the desolate highway. A soft breeze whipped hot, arid air across his skin and the punishing heat of the sun blazed overhead. Today marked the end of an era. How did he reconcile himself to a fate he wanted no part of?

As though sensing his darkening thoughts, his second in command appeared and took position beside him. Ren always appeared when needed. “Are you ready for this, man?”

“No.” How did one prepare to take away everything from a mentor? Whether Jarvis was willing or not didn’t matter. The wrongness still burned in Adrik’s blood. “Is everything ready?”

Ren grunted. “As good as it’ll get under the circumstances. We salvaged what parts we could from the barracks to get the water heater in the cottage functional. Giles diverted the necessary solar reserves. There should be plenty of energy.”