Hearing someone come to a stop next to her, she glanced over to find Bree giving her a raised brow and a knowing look.
“Finally put a ring on ‘em, huh? ‘Bout damn time. I thought I was going to have to lock you all in a room together.”
Victoria felt her face screw up in confusion, not because she’d picked up on her and Thegan’s obviousness, but at the implication that she’d been doing something to get them together.
Bree smirked. “I’m a bitch. I happily admit that, but I’m not a homewrecker.”
Realization was quick in coming. “Wait. You flirting with Thorn. You’re saying you did that to bait me so I’d… “put a ring on” them?”
Bree shrugged. “Everyone saw how you all looked at each other, but none of you were doing anything about it. I figured you needed the push to claim your men.” Her expression turned wry, and she rubbed her jaw. “I didn’t think you’d fight me. For as petite as you are, you throw a hell of a punch.”
Victoria couldn't decide if she was irritated or amused.
Both. Definitely both.
Seeing the expression she was making, Bree just winked.
“Worked didn't it?”
Victoria stared at her back, shaking her head, as the woman walked back to join the crowd.
Thorn came to a stop at her side. “What did she want?”
Victoria huffed a laugh. “I think I just made a friend.”
He looked taken aback and glanced between her and Bree with a confused expression.
Chuckling, she patted his arm. “It’s a woman thing.”
He shook his head and muttered something about females being confounding.
“We ready to go?” she asked, sober again as she scanned the group ahead of her.
Glancing up when Thorn made a low sound, she saw him narrow his eyes and open his mouth, but she shook her head and leaned in to press a kiss to his shirt-covered stomach, the part of him she could most easily reach.
“I’m going. No more arguing.”
He grumbled and growled but didn’t start up again, to her relief.
They’d had their first fight as a couple… or quadruple? They didn’t want her going on the take-back-the-complex-and-kick-the-horned-bitch’s-ass mission, but that was too damn bad. She’d gotten cloned, basically had superpowers, and had become proficient in a fight, even if she'd never be on Aria’s level of badassness.
What won the fight was flipping it around on them and asking if they'd be willing to stay safe in the dungeon while the people in their care went off to fight and maybe die in their place. Their answer was obviously no, and her point was made.
Everyone with the ability had practiced going invisible with Snitch’s guidance until they got the hang of it. They were all fed, semi-well rested, armed with an assortment of weapons, and dressed in easily stripped-off clothes. No one wanted to wade into battle naked and, unfortunately, they didn’t have magic suits that disappeared with them, so the compromise was to dress in loose clothes they could remove quickly if or when they needed to go invisible.
Except Skaa and Sauran. Dressed only in weapon harnesses, they wore naked like it was no problem at all.
Did she peek at Sauran’s bits? Of course, she did. She couldn’t help it. Did Skaa catch her? Also yes. But the woman didn’t look upset, instead gave Victoria a smug look. She now knew why Skaa looked a hell of a lot more relaxed than she had at the slave market.
As they had in the takeover of the market, they’d be using tranq guns, but they also had a blaster and a blade, or six, each just in case they came across someone on whom the tranqs didn’t work, though she dearly hoped it didn’t come to that. Those were still their people up there. Most of them, anyway. She didn’t want to hurt them, not any more than was unavoidable.
According to Erlain, who had the uncanny ability to track time, despite being underground, it was the middle of the night. While that didn’t guarantee their enemies would be sleeping, she hoped it meant there’d be fewer people to fight.
Turning, she gazed over those preparing for battle. So many had volunteered to fight. They had right at fifty people not including the entire lupka pack, Snitch, her men, and herself.
They were split into four teams, led by Skaa, Sindri, Sauran, and herself and her guys. Skaa’s team would start on the lab level, Sindri’s on the top, and Sauran’s in the middle. They’d clear the building one floor at a time and meet Victoria’s team on the most dangerous one: the lobby. Each team would be paired with two to three lupka and would be met by a flock of octoflies.
Through the octofly she’d kept, she’d sent out a command for the rest to gather into groups of twelve and meet each team on their assigned floors. They’d act as scouts, relaying back any enemy movements so they’d know what they were about to face instead of walking in blind.