Page 32 of Before the Bond Breaks
I lay there, letting the silence settle.
No dreams chased me. No memories stung. Only the slow, inevitable shift from panic back to the possibility that maybe we could still win. No. Wewillwin.
Talon’s heartbeat slowed. Mine followed. I focused on the simple, grounding pleasure of his arms around me as he ran a hand up and down my spine.
After another few minutes, Talon said, “We should get up and meet the team.”
“I need a shower and food first.”
He laughed. “That can be arranged. Then he got out of bed and lifted me in his arms with one arm under my knees and the other supporting my back.
After setting me on the bathroom counter, he turned the shower on full blast. Steam filled the air, curling around the edges of the glass until the world outside the two of us vanished. Talon nudged me under the spray first, water pelting my skin hot enough to sting. He followed, crowding me with the length of his body, while he found the bottle of body wash.
He worked soap into my shoulder blades, thumbs digging in deep. Then he dragged suds down my back, lingering over every old scar and new bruise. I arched into the heat, loving the feel of his hands on me. When he reached my hips, he pulled me flush and bracketed my body, chest to spine. His cock pressed hard against the small of my back as he rinsed me, water cascading down my thighs.
He spun me around and pressed his lips to my forehead, then my mouth. “Let me take care of you.”
I did. I let him wash my hair. But I insisted on returning the favor because having Talon naked in front of me and not touching him was impossible.
When we finally stepped out of the shower, he wrapped me in a towel, then caught my chin and kissed me again. The taste of him lingered as we got dressed.
Breakfast was simple. He cooked eggs and toast while I made coffee. We ate while sitting at the island that separated his kitchen from his living room. I caught him watching me, eyes roaming over my body with open hunger.
I cocked an eyebrow. “You keep looking at me like that, I’m never getting any work done.”
He grinned. “Can’t help it. You’re addictive.”
It made something warm uncoil inside me, so I pushed further, lips curving into a smirk. “Addictive? I’ll remember that. Wait until I call Winter and tell her you’re the reason I’m late. ‘Sorry, got sidetracked by my mate and all the orgasms he gives me.’”
Talon choked once on his toast. I laughed, a real sound, and he shot me a warning look that only made me want to do it again.
That mood—light and reckless—carried us as we left his place and drove to VPA headquarters.
We made our way to Winter’s office. The doors slid open into her domain when we reached them. Winter was at her desk, typing at a rate most humans would call impossible. Her hair was freshly washed, still damp at the ends. Quil stood in the corner, scanning readouts on a holographic display with a frown.
As we entered, Winter spun her chair to face us, expression clipped. “Drone sweeps finished. No sign of Balder or eitrborn at the target. If he’s there, he’s hiding deep.”
I let my gaze roam across her screens, studying every angle of the old train station. The place was dead quiet. No movement except for a few rats and birds.
Candra, Nicky, and Jenson waited by the small conference table, already in full tactical gear. Larc watched from the shadows at the window, silent as always.
Talon moved to my side and nodded for me to brief the team. When I glanced around the room, I noticed everyone else had locked their focus on me.
I slipped back into a role I knew all too well. “We’ll go in pairs to search for the Severing Stone. Keep your eyes and ears open for an ambush because I don’t trust Balder. Plus…” I paused and glanced at Talon. He nodded, showing me his support. “I had a dream or vision or message from beyond—whatever you want to call it—from the Prime. She said my blood activates the stone. Talon and I theorized it might not be just my blood, but a direct descendant of the Prime.”
The shifters in the room growled while my sisters started talking at once. I held a hand up to quiet the room. Then Winter spoke softly. “Balder has Jessica’s blood and her magic.”
“Fuck,” Candra said.
Nicky said, “Bastard.”
Winter flicked her fingers across her keyboard, bringing up a schematic of the station’s lower levels. “I’ll keep an eye on every floor via drone. I’ve been tinkering with one of mine and givingit some magical upgrades. The second I spot movement, I’ll ping you through comms. Quil will lock the portal from this side until I say otherwise.”
Nicky grinned, teeth a flash of challenge. “Guess it’s game time.”
We grabbed weapons off the racks. I strapped an extra blade to my right thigh. Each person in the team did their own final prep. Candra zipped her jacket with laser focus. Larc spun his knives, then slid them out of sight. Nicky twirled a baton, gaze restless and eager.
In the center of Winter’s office, the portal shimmered to life. Blue light twisted and bent, forming a doorway wide enough for all six of us.
