Not that it would be a hardship. She was a beautiful woman with pale skin long reddish hair and deep brown eyes. She spoke quietly, but there was an air of authority about her that made others listen. Her scientific research was considered groundbreaking and offered hope to millions of humans with defective gene alignments. Was that why the government really wanted to keep her alive—to benefit their own kind? He wouldn’t put it past them.
And she would soon need sex…
Mac shut down the files and detached his mind from his tablet. Whatever the situation, he had the ability to keep her safe. After all, that was what he’d been trained for, not to run a research station in the freezing cold asscrack of the universe.
Neeve focused on packing the essentials for the trip to the outpost and tried to ignore her growing sense of unease. She felt
threatened
. She had a sense that if she approached Captain McNeill with her nebulous sense of dread, he wouldn’t be impressed. He struck her as a hard man with little imagination. She also had no idea if the threat was mental or physical. If she was about to be attacked, she had the ability to defend herself. If it were a telepathic issue, she’d get no help from anyone at Nimbus anyway.
With a sigh, she straightened her back, picked up her bag and headed down to the vehicle bay. To her surprise, Captain McNeill was in there talking to one of the mechanics. He looked up as she approached.
“I’m coming with you. I haven’t visited all the outposts yet. This seemed as good an opportunity as any.”
“Yes, sir.”
She busied herself loading her gear onto the All-Terrain Vehicle and checked her weapons. It wasn’t her place to question command decisions, but she was grateful he was coming along. She sensed that he would be a very good man to have beside her in a fight.
“What’s the purpose of this trip?”
“I’ve been drilling down and taking samples of the ice pack to compare the atmosphere, pollution and indicators of life over the last few centuries.”
“And what good does that do?”
“It gives me a baseline to compare how your species reacts to different climactic environments and how it has affected the current structure of your genes. If I can detect where the anomalies originated, I might be able to go back and find the correct gene sequences that preceded them and replicate them.”
“Makes sense.” He walked back over to his ATV and pulled up the hood of his thermal coat. “Are you ready to go?”
He was a man of few words. She nodded and mounted her vehicle, adding gloves and covering her head to counteract the below freezing temperatures outside. Despite the advance in lightweight fabrics to keep out the intense cold, it was still a dangerous environment for warm-blooded species. And with her telepathic senses all riled up, she sensed it could become even more dangerous than she could possibly imagine.
They reached the small outpost before it got too dark and put the ATV’s in the heated garage area. Neeve led the way, snapping on the lights to reveal the sparse interior which consisted of two bedrooms, a central living area with a tiny kitchen and a large well-heated shower room.
“Nice.” Captain McNeill commented as he dumped both their bags on the kitchen table.
“It’s functional, sir. The lab is attached by a covered walkway through that door at the back.” She pointed at the refrigerator and freezer. “There are enough rations in there to see us through any inclement weather patterns.”
“Have you ever been stuck up here?”
“Only once, sir, but Malke was with me then, so we managed to keep each other amused until we were able to leave.”
He gave her a sideways glance before picking up his bag and heading into the smaller of the two bedrooms. “How long do you imagine it will take to get your samples?”
“Less than twenty-four hours, sir. If I start this afternoon we’ll be able to depart tomorrow night.”
“Good. Let me know when you intend to set out.”
She hesitated. “You don’t have to come with me.”
He looked at her over his shoulder. “What else do you expect me to do? Sit here and twiddle my thumbs?”
She had no answer to that, so she continued to her own room. When she emerged a few minutes later, he was in the kitchen stirring two mugs.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks.” She took the mug and studied the contents dubiously. “What is it supposed to be?”
“Vegetable and protein soup.”
Neeve sipped at the thick liquid and repressed a shudder. Earth military rations were even worse than Pavlovan ones, and that was saying something.
“We can get suited up and go out after this. The sample sites are quite close.”
“Good, because it’s fucking freezing out there.”
She found herself smiling. “You sound like Malke. He always hated the cold.”
“You miss him, don’t you?”
“He was my mate, physically, mentally and telepathically.”
“That’s a tough thing to lose.” He finished his soup.
“Are you mated, sir?”
He stood up and shoved in his chair. “Not anymore.”
“Your mate died?”
“Five years ago. Now shall we get on? I’d prefer to be back inside before it gets too dark.”
Neeve stood too. “Yes, sir.” She washed out her mug and headed back into her bedroom to get her snow gear, which took some wiggling into. It was made of a thin white fabric that covered her from head to toe like a second skin. The fabric responded to her body temperature, heating and cooling at will to provide her the best working environment possible. She’d often wondered how scientists functioned in the old days when they’d been bundled up in twenty layers of clothing.
As she pulled the hood over her braided hair she paused thinking about Captain McNeill’s reaction to her questions, or,
more
importantly, his lack of reaction. He’d given away nothing, not a hint of emotion, or pain, or grief for his mate, which for a human was quite extraordinary. Either he was a very cold man, or he had the ability to shield his emotions like a Pavlovan.
Neeve finished dressing and walked across to the lab to pick up her prepared pack. Captain McNeill was waiting for her in the well-lit garage. He wore a matching white snowsuit that only emphasized his well-toned torso and muscular arms and legs. He looked like a man who should be scaling mountains or saving the world, not babysitting her at a research center.
“Do we need to drive?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s only a couple of kilometers, but the weather can change very quickly. I don’t want to risk being stranded and disoriented.”
“Then shall we take one vehicle?”
“Sure. The coordinates are already set. Just turn the navigation system on and it should be the first destination listed.”
He started up the ATV and she stowed her pack and then hopped on behind him wrapping her arms around his waist. He was surprisingly warm and she rubbed her cheek against his back like a
feerkit
.
“Ready?”
“Yes, sir.”
She should sit back, but after almost two years on her own, she found she didn’t want to relinquish a centimeter of his warmth. He didn’t seem to mind her embrace so she inched even closer and felt a corresponding heat build low in her stomach. The growl of the ATV engine echoed her purr of satisfaction as the engine vibrated through her, making the ride rather more stimulating than she had anticipated.
When they reached their destination, she hopped off as fast as she could and set about unloading her gear. She could only hope her physical reaction to him was an aberration because of her approaching mating heat. Thank the Gods; she’d not felt any direct response from Captain McNeill. Luckily, he wasn’t paying her much attention, his gaze on the white blur of the horizon, his weapon already out. She concentrated on extracting the ice probe from its icy sheath and soon forgot everything, but what she was doing.
Mac circled around the small site with a growing sense of unease. Something was out there, and it wasn’t showing up on any scans. He just knew it was there and that it was a threat. He glanced back at Dr. Neeve and found her watching him, her expression wary.
“What is it?” She slowly rose to her feet and scanned the horizon. “What’s wrong?”
“You sense it too?” Mac walked over to her. “Can you pick up anything telepathically?”
“Only—“
“Get down.” Something caught the edge of his vision and he looped an arm around her and lunged toward the cover of the nearest snowdrift, his body covering hers completely. He lowered his head as a ball of fire burst over them and the ATV exploded, raining bits of hot metal and fuel down over him. Another roar and they were completely covered in snow.
He heard the crackle and pop of advancing gunfire and lay as still as he could using the limited oxygen around their heads as sparingly as possible. He didn’t recognize the language the attackers were using. It didn’t make any difference. They were here to kill. His job was to make sure they didn’t succeed.
Beneath him Dr. Neeve wiggled and he increased the pressure of his body over hers holding her in place. She moved again and he set his teeth on her earlobe.
“No. Keep still
.”
At his direct telepathic command she went quiet and he eased some of his weight off her. Thank God for the white snowsuits that made them blend so effortlessly into their surroundings. Gunfire raked over the research site and then all went silent. He used all his senses to scan the area and slowly counted off the minutes. There were very few options open to them. They stayed where they were and froze to death. They moved and were shot dead by one of the remaining ambushers. Personally he preferred the second worst-case scenario. At least he’d have a chance at getting to the attacker and give Dr. Neeve an opportunity to escape.
He slowly inhaled and picked up the buttery scent of the doctor’s soap and a hint of warmth that made him want to burrow his face against her neck and bite her again. At the moment, neither of them were cold thanks to their suits, but that would change. She slowly rolled her hips and her ass slid over his cock making him want to groan. It was definitely not the time to be thinking about how good it felt to have a female underneath him. One who was warm and pliant and
rubbing herself against him like a cat…
Very slowly he planted one of his hands down beside her shoulder and tried to ease away from her, but she simply followed, filling the space, making his stupid cock far too aware of the sweetness of her flesh. His other arm was wrapped around her chest and now he could distinctly feel the hard thrust of her nipples against his covered skin.
“
We’re going to have to move in a second. Be ready to run when I give you the word.”
She didn’t say anything but her body tensed for action.
“
Go.”
He rolled off her in a blur of motion and came to his feet, his weapon at the ready. A faint shadow to his left had him firing off several rounds one handed. He registered a squawk of pain and the thud of something dropping to the ground. He hauled the doctor up and, keeping a hand wrapped around her arm, ran away from the still burning ATV and toward the nearest solid object they could hide behind.
With the wall at his back, he pulled her down beside him and pressed his mouth to her ear.
“Did you recognize the language?”
“Etruscan.” She barely made a sound either.
“They’ll probably wait for us back at the base, so let’s go.”
“Back
there
?”
“There’s nowhere else
for
us to go. We’ll die out here if we don’t find shelter.” He tapped the transmitter on his shoulder. “No signal either. Is there an emergency beacon at the post?”
“Yes, two. One in the lab, one in the living quarters.”
He nodded and stared out into the rapidly darkening landscape using his enhanced senses array to plot the quickest course back to the base.
“Come on.”
“Wait.” She grabbed his sleeve. “Why didn’t you tell me that you’re telepathic?”
“It’s a long story.” He patted her arm. “Let’s move it out.”
Neeve wasn’t sure which was more frustrating, Captain McNeill insisting they head right back into danger, or him refusing to discuss the fact that he’d spoken to her telepathically at least twice. She supposed the possibility of being killed outweighed everything else, but it was infuriating. And just to add to the stupidity of the situation, he’d stretched himself over her like a blanket and now all she could think about was how he’d felt, his smell, his weight on her, and the press of his cock against her ass.
She stumbled and he instantly stepped in and set her upright. His grip was like iron, just like the press of his cock… Gods this was ridiculous. She kept moving, aware that time was against them and that even the miraculous fabric of their clothing couldn’t keep them warm forever. It seemed to take ten times longer to cover the short distance than she’d estimated. Ahead of her, Captain McNeil stopped and touched her shoulder.
“We’re almost there. Are you okay?”
She narrowed her gaze. In the distance, she could see the faint lights of the research post. He obviously had excellent night vision.
“I’ll find you a safe place to hide and I’ll take these bastards out and come back.”
She wrapped a hand around his bicep. “Hang on. You have no idea how many of them there are, and I’m not going to be stashed away like a parcel while you get yourself out-numbered and killed. I can fight. I’ve received military training.”
His smile was lethal, his blue eyes like lasers against the whiteness of the snow. “Not like mine. I’m trained for exactly these types of situations.”
She raised her chin and repeated. “I’m not going to be left behind.”
“Dammit.” He sighed. “Where’s your weapon?”
She produced it and he nodded. “Okay, you can take the back entrance of the lab. If anyone comes out of there, or at you from any side, you shoot them.”
“Dead?”
“I’d highly recommend it.”
He started walking again in a more circuitous pattern. Before he shut her out again, a sense of his complex and murderous thought processes suddenly slammed into her. Gods, his thought waves were like nothing she’d ever encountered before. It was like eavesdropping on a telepathic machine.