Niko: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 9) (8 page)

She made a hungry noise, her hands moving again, sliding up under his shirt. Niko felt wild, untamed. He was filled with want, need, desire. All for her. As he pushed against her harder, a book fell off the shelf and thudded onto the floor. He ignored it.

He shoved up her shirt now, and pushed the fabric of her sensible sports bra out of the way. He pulled her upward and clamped his mouth down over one of her nipples. He sucked on her and loved her small, wild cry.

“The door’s…open,” she panted.

Niko didn’t give a crap.

But he moved his lips back up, nipping at her neck before taking her mouth once again.

Then he heard a tinny noise. A voice. With a frown, he finally managed to drag his mouth from hers. Her head was tilted, and he realized the voice he heard was in her earpiece.

She licked her lips and it made him groan. He pushed his hips forward so his bulging cock pressed against her.

Something flared in her eyes, but she kept her hands on his shoulders. “That was Arden. We both need to go to a meeting in the Command Center. To discuss what we found out on the mission.”

Niko pressed his face to her hair and breathed deep. He nodded. Sometimes being in charge sucked.

Then he felt Mackenna’s hand stroke his cheek. “I really am okay, Niko.”

He dragged in a breath, smelling her scent. That faint perfume of lush flowers mixed with the sweet smell of sweat. Alive.

He stepped back. “We’d better go.”

Chapter Seven

By the time they neared the Command Center, Mac almost had her wild desire under control, but there was still a hot trickle in her veins. She hadn’t felt attraction like this for so long, and now she was wild for one man.

As she and Niko pushed through the doors, she felt her squad mates watching her. She refused to make eye contact with any of them.

“What have we got?” Niko asked.

Lia pointed at a screen. There was a blurry image on it and Mac squinted. It looked vaguely birdlike, and the same as the brief flash of what she’d seen in the sky on the mission.

It had been pretty touch-and-go—hybrids rushing at them, raptors firing, and something flying in the air overhead, taking out the drones.

“What is it?” Niko asked.

“We’re not entirely sure yet,” Holmes answered.

Lia cleared her throat. “It looks like some sort of bird of prey. Whatever this thing is, it’s a drone killer. It’s either some sort of device or alien, and it’s targeting our drones.”

“We managed to track where this drone killer has taken the last few drones it’s destroyed.” This time it was Elle Milton who spoke. “It keeps heading toward Sydney Airport.”

“The alien ship?” Marcus asked.

“Nearby. There’s an industrial area that’s made up of old fuel tanks. For some reason, the drone killer is taking the drones it destroys back there.”

Holmes stepped forward. “We need to find out what it is, and we need to know how to defeat it.”

From beside the general, Niko shoved his hands on his hips and scanned the room, his face serious. “If we’re ever going to take these aliens down and drive them off our damn planet, we need the drones. They are vital to providing our intel and to keeping everybody safe—the squads and the civilians. We need a plan.”

As Niko started discussing ideas with General Holmes, Marcus and the other squad leaders, Mac sensed her squad members flanking her.

“That man is so damn sexy,” Sienna murmured.

“Must be that hot Russian blood,” Taylor said. “I bet the man can kiss.”

“Forget that,” Cam said with a drawl. “I bet that man has a big cock.”

Mac made a choking noise and glared at her friends. “Hello? Debrief and planning a mission here.”

“Oh?” Cam said. “So, you want to tell me why you look like you’ve been kissing somebody? Your hair is all messed up.”

Mac instantly raised a hand to smooth over her hair, and immediately realized there was nothing wrong with it. She glared at Cam, but her friend was already giving her a “gotcha” look.

“Ladies? Anything you want to add to this?” Niko asked.

Mac straightened. “No.”

Cam turned with a smile, cocking one hip. “Please, go on.”

Niko tapped his fingers against the desk in front of him. “General Holmes and I are agreed. We need a team to sneak into the drone killer’s home area. We need any and all information we can get on it.” He sighed. “But we have a big problem.”

Mac crossed her arms over her chest. She knew exactly what the problem was. “Whoever goes in will have no drone support. It’ll be a blind mission right into the heart of alien territory.”

Silence fell around the room.

It was a suicide mission.

***

Niko scanned the tough, determined soldiers around him. He knew this was going to be a dangerous mission, but none of them looked concerned.

“This mission will be all about stealth,” Holmes said. “The team needs to get in and out quietly.”

“We need anyone with advanced recon and covert operations experience,” Niko added. “We cannot afford to be found anywhere this close to the alien base. They find us, we die.”

“I’ll go,” Mackenna said.

Niko pulled in a breath. He’d suspected she’d volunteer, but that didn’t mean he liked it.

Roth nodded. “She’s my best at stealth, and she’ll provide good firepower, in case you need it.”

“Let’s hope we don’t need it,” Niko replied. He saw her watching him, waiting for what he’d say. She was waiting for him to disappoint her again. He traded a look with Holmes, then nodded. “You’re in.”

Her face didn’t change, but he sensed her relief.

“Gabe,” Marcus said.

The big man gave one single nod. Niko had no doubt that Gabe would be excellent on this mission.

“Count me in.” A crisp, English-accented voice. “I’ve been in the area a few times, so I can help.”

The words came from Devlin Gray. Niko still had trouble believing the man who looked like he’d stepped out of the pages of
GQ
magazine was also good at sneaking into alien territory. But he was Santha Kade’s right-hand man on the intel team, and everyone said Devlin Gray was beyond good.

Holmes inclined his head. “I’d hoped you’d say that, Devlin.”

Niko nodded. “And I’ll be going. The general and I agreed that we should keep the team small. Four will be good.”

He saw Mackenna’s head shoot up, her eyes widening. “You?”

Hell Squad’s Shaw spoke. “Aren’t you an artist?”

Niko didn’t look at the man, he just kept his gaze on Mackenna. This wasn’t how he’d wanted to tell her about his previous life. Hell, he didn’t want to tell anybody. He’d worked so hard to put his past behind him and had hoped to leave it there.

“Before I came to Australia…I worked for Russian Intelligence.”

A hush fell over the room.

He dragged in a deep breath. “I was part of a specialized unit.”

“What unit?” Mackenna demanded.

He paused. “Zaslon.”

“Zaslon was a myth, a rumor,” Elle said quietly.

“No.” Marcus’ gravelly voice. “They weren’t. I saw some of their agents once. They were ghosts.”

“You were an assassin,” Mackenna said.

Her face was so carefully blank he suspected she was never going to look at him the same way again. “I can get in and out of this location better than any of you.” Stealth had been his skill. That…and killing.

Mackenna shook her head. “You’re out of practice. You’ve been here in the Enclave for almost two years, and before that, you were out of the field for however long. Besides, you’re a leader here, you’re important…”

Niko saw everyone turn and stare at her. “My life is no more important than anyone else’s.” A lesson he’d learned the hard way. “I can do this.”

“I think I can vouch for him.” This time it was Avery Stillman, Roth’s partner, who spoke. “When I was with Coalition Central Intelligence, we had a very thick file on a shadowy Russian agent simply called Nikolai.” Her gaze met his. “I’ve connected some dots.”

“Nikolai is a common Russian name,” Niko said.

But there were loud gasps around the room. This was the one secret he’d hoped never to reveal. He looked at Mackenna and saw a mix of emotion on her face—shock and horror were the loudest of all.

“You’re
the
Nikolai,” she said.

Shit
. He inclined his head. Yeah, he guessed it wasn’t much fun to find out the man you’d been lusting after was a deadly agent and assassin with the most confirmed number of kills in intelligence history.

Most days, he could barely live with it himself.

He cleared his throat. “We leave tonight at 03:00. I suggest those of you on the team get prepared, get some rest, and be ready to leave.”

Niko left the room without looking back.

***

Mac tried to sleep. But after two hours of tossing and turning, her sheets tangled around her legs, she gave up.

She had all her gear ready for the mission, but she felt edgy and tense. She thought about heading to the gym and beating something up, but instead, she found herself heading to the tunnel leading up to the Garden.

When she walked into the garden area, she instantly felt her muscles relax. Moonlight filtered down from above into the silent space, and the smell of grass and leaves hit her.

Mac kicked off her shoes and walked out onto the grass. It was soft and cool under her feet. It was then she realized that she didn’t have the place to herself.

Frozen, she stood there watching him. He had an easel set up and was painting wild, bold strokes. His jeans hung low on his hips, and his white shirt was undone, baring a hard, bronzed chest. His feet were bare like hers, and for some reason, she found that outrageously sexy.

She was conflicted about his past. She was a soldier, she’d killed, but always in the heat of battle. She wasn’t sure how she felt about an assassin who snuck in and took lives in the shadows. How could she reconcile the man she was getting to know, this man in front of her right now, with what she’d learned? Steady, sexy hands, the creative artist, the natural leader…and now she had to add ruthless assassin.

Mac pulled in a breath. A lot of people had been something else before the alien invasion. So much had changed, and so many people had changed with it. None of them were who they were before.

When she looked up, she saw that he was watching her. She walked over to him.

“I…should’ve told you before,” he said.

She stopped. “I knew you weren’t always an artist. I figured you had some military experience, so I can’t say I was too surprised.”

“But you’re a woman who sees in black and white, Mackenna.” He gave her a sad smile. “I like that about you. No shades of gray. I’m very gray.”

She moved around so she could see his painting. It was a splatter of bright, bold colors all melding together. “I’ve never thought you were gray, Niko.”

It took her a second to realize that the bold lines and colors were her face. He’d made her look somehow exotic, beautiful, beyond the ordinary. “I don’t look like that.”

He smiled. “You do to me.”

“I don’t want you on this mission,” she said baldly. “I don’t care if you were a super assassin before.”

“I don’t want you on the mission, either, so we’re even.”

She let out a frustrated breath. “Niko.”

“I don’t care about the mission right now. I care about knowing if you can deal with my past.”

Mac shoved a hand through her hair. “I know a lot of people aren’t who they were before. I guess we’ll just have and see.”

“Do you want me to touch you again?”

God, the depth of pain in his voice flayed her. She couldn’t be anything less than honest with him. “Yes.”

He sat on the small stool near the easel, then he reached out, and in one of those quick moves of his, pulled her into his lap. His lips brushed over hers in a featherlight caress. Almost like he was afraid to kiss her.

“I wish we weren’t heading into danger in just a few hours.” He fiddled with the buttons on her shirt. “I wish we had all the time in the world. I could get you out of your clothes.” He flicked one button open, stroking the skin at the base of her neck.

She swallowed, heat making her legs feel weak.

His tone lowered and his accent thickened. “I wonder what your skin tastes like. At that pulse point on your neck, on your belly, behind your knee. I wonder how your clit would feel against my tongue.”

Mac felt something inside her spasm. Oh, that dark, sexy voice whispering those dirty things to her…

“I wonder how my cock will stretch you, Mackenna. What noises you’ll make as I fill you.”

“You’d better fucking stay safe on this mission,” she said, “or you’ll never find out.”

He went still. “When we get back, you’ll let me have you?”

“You’ll have to come back to find out.”

He slid his hand into her hair, tugging her head back. “We’re both coming back safely.”

She heard the promise in his voice. But she’d been on enough missions to know things went wrong. She looked around the quiet, deserted garden. There was no one around. And maybe it was time she let loose some of the things she kept hidden inside her.

“Well, we’ll see when we come back. But right now, you could find out how my clit feels in your mouth.”

She felt his muscles bunch beneath her. He made a deep growling sound. Before she could think, he scooped her up and moved deeper into the trees. A second later, her back hit the grass.

Mackenna couldn’t get enough air in her lungs. He was looming over her, and then he knelt, tugging at her trousers. He stripped her with a methodical intensity that made it hard to breathe.

“I’m not tame or patient, Mackenna.” His palms slid along her legs. “Right now, I’m very hungry.”

He reached out and grabbed a flower off a nearby bush. It was a wild, pink bloom—full and lush. He undid the buttons on her shirt and flicked it open. She wasn’t wearing a bra. He made a sound, running the bloom down her cheek, down her neck, across her breasts. The petals were as soft as silk on her skin and she arched up into the sensation. She could feel the grass beneath her, smell the beautiful, lush scent of the flowers, and she could smell him—sexy, hungry man.