aHunter4Ever (15 page)

“I love you.” She whispered.

Never had he imagined such bliss. Loving a mate was a delight that he had
been denied as a Hunter, but he had no regrets. All the years of fighting and
training, had made the wait meaningful. His skills as a warrior would guarantee
that Grace was kept safe.

His arms tightened about her.

She loved him.

His heart swelled at the wonder of it. He had never dreamed it possible
to have a woman’s love or know the delights of a mate. Both had been granted to
him, and he was thankful. He brushed a soft kiss across Grace’s head. She was
fast asleep. They’d walked far last night, but there was still a few more miles
of hiking before they reached the airport. His instructions were to wait there
for Ardal.

Partlan put Grace’s blouse on her shoulders and rested her head under her
rolled up pants. He shifted her so that she lay beside him and pulled the
blanket over her before getting dressed. He had to be ready in case they were
found. It was unlikely that they would be detected in the cave, but he needed
to be certain. He wouldn’t let anything hurt Grace.

Any pain she felt was his.

He would die defending her.

It had been a close call with the Albireons and he couldn’t risk it
happening again. It would require all of his abilities as a warrior to see them
to safety. Ardal was aware of the danger of this place. They might not be able
to help the humans who had already made a pact with the Albireons, but as
Hunters, they would make certain that no others were harmed by the greedy and
deceitful extraterrestrials.

The hours passed as if in slow motion. The cave was cool, but outside the
beating heat of the sun, would have had them dehydrated within an hour. Cicadas
could be heard, along with the fluttering wings of a red-headed bird landing in
the trees at the cave’s opening. Inside, the steady rhythm of Grace’s breathing
eased his heart.

When the sun moved lower in the sky, he shook her awake. “We need to
move.”

She yawned. “What time is it?”

“Dusk.” Partlan cleared his throat. The sight of her was enough to send a
surge of renewed desire throughout him.

“Did you sleep?” She stretched her arms over her head.

“I stood guard.”

Grace frowned. “You need rest. Let me take over while you get a couple of
hours of shut eye.”

“My eyes need to be open.” Partlan gathered Grace’s clothes together. “I
want us to reach the airport before sunrise. Then, I will sleep.”

Grace took her clothes and put on her underthings. “How long will it
take?”

“Not long. We will stay close to the road. We may be able to get a ride.”

“Won’t they be looking for us to do that?” Grace pulled her blouse over
her head.

“Let’s hope they think we’ve gone north.”

“What if they don’t believe that?” Grace unrolled her pants.

“Then, they will assume we will try and get to the airport.” Partlan kept
his voice emotionless.

“So, we may be walking into a trap.” Graced pulled on her pants.

“I have made plans for that.” A muscle clenched in his jaw. He did not
want Grace in danger, but they had to get to the airport. It was their best
chance of escape from this place.

“Are you going to tell me?” Grace raised an eyebrow. “I might be able to
help.”

“I do not want you injured.”

“If our relationship is going to survive, you have to trust me.” Grace
leaned forward. “I’ve been trained to protect myself and others.”

“You are a true warrior.” Partlan hesitated a second before continuing.
“Once we are at the airport, I will be able to assess our next move. Hopefully,
Ardal’s team will already be there.”

“That sounds reasonable.” Grace slipped on her shoes. “Another night of
walking. I don’t know how much more my feet can stand. These shoes look good,
but they weren’t made for hiking.”

“Just a few hours.” Partlan stepped outside and held his hand out for
Grace. “This will be a short night, if everything goes as planned.”

Grace took his hand and let him lead them away from the rocky hideout.
The air was cool now and the sun was below the horizon. He headed toward the
road. They continued to follow close to the highway until the lights in the
distance signaled that they were near the town.

“Eogan said the airport was south.” Partlan pointed in that direction. A
glow lit the night sky. “We will go in that direction.”

A few minutes later a vehicle pulled up beside them. A young man leaned
across the front seat of his truck. “Need a ride?”

“To the airport.” Grace went up to the man. “Is that out of your way?”

“You don’t sound as if you’re from these parts.”

“We were out hiking and got lost.” Grace grinned. “We should have stuck
with our guide.”

“I’m headed to the drag strip and that’s right beside it.” The young man
motioned to the back of his truck bed. “Your friend can sit in the box, but you
can hop in beside me if you want.”

Partlan caught Grace by the waist and lifted her into the box of the
truck. “She stays with me.”

He jumped up and sat close to Grace. He kept one hand on the side of the
truck and one around her.

“You sound jealous.” Grace’s voice was playful.

“I am not going to let you out of my sight.” He motioned to the driver.
“He looks harmless, but I will not take a chance.”

Grace leaned back into him. “That’s alright. I feel safer around you.”

The truck pulled into a gravel parking lot twenty minutes later. The sign
announced Inland Dragway. The truck stopped and Partlan jumped down. He reached
up for Grace just as the driver came around to meet them.

“The airport is over there.” He pointed to the east. “Take the road going
into the terminal, otherwise you’ll run the risk of being on the runway. I
don’t think any planes come in this late. You’re going to have a long wait
until morning.”

“Thank you.” Partlan nodded.

The man shrugged and then head off to the track. Partlan took Grace’s
hand and walked towards the lights of the airport. The tension in his body
increased with each step. If they were going to be captured, the airport would
have been one of the first places the agency people would have under surveillance.

“You’re nervous.” Grace pulled Partlan to a stop.

“The other Hunters are not here yet.”

Grace straightened her shoulders. “What do we do?”

Partlan scanned the horizon. “They should be coming in by helicopter, so
it would be best if we went to the helipad area.”

“Do you have any idea where that might be?”

Partlan shook his head. “There is only one way to find out. We will ask
at the airport.”

They followed the edge of the roadway that led to the terminal. Partlan
kept away from any camera surveillance, but close enough to read the
directional signs. There was an Inland Helicopters. It was a place to start.
They headed there.

A plane flew in low over their heads and then turned toward the runway. Partlan
scanned the area to be certain that there was no other aircraft nearby. The
skies were clear of lights. There were no vehicles on the road either. That
probably meant that no flights were scheduled.

So who was in the plane that was landing?

He sent out a mind connect to Ardal. “
Have you arrived?
”

“
We are still several miles outside of the town.”

“Be advised that we have company. I will scout the area and report
back.”

“
Understood.”

They kept their bodies low as they came to the first outbuildings and
hangars. The runway was lit up, but the only plane on it was the one that had
just landed. It was taxiing into a hangar by the time they reached Inland
Helicopters. To the side of the office, there was a large helipad.

Partlan flattened his body against the steel exterior of the building and
pulled Grace close to his side. “The men from the base are waiting for us. They
probably flew in reinforcements on the plane that just landed.”

“Now what?” Grace’s voice was calm.

“We have the element of surprise.” Partlan moved so his body covered
Grace. “I will find them first.”

“We have to make every shot count.” Grace pulled her gun out.

Partlan motioned her to move behind him. “You will only have to use the
gun if something happens to me.”

“No.” Grace spoke in a hoarse whisper. “We both get out of this alive, or
neither of us does. I couldn’t continue living if something happened to you.
Not now.”

Partlan turned to her and ran his finger down her cheek. By Cygnus and
Warrior, she was beautiful and brave. She was the perfect mate for a warrior.
He would not fail her. He brushed his lips across hers and savored the
delicious sweetness of her.

“I will be with you always.”

“I want you alive.” Grace’s tone was urgent. “I have finally found love
and I’ll be damned if I lose it now.”

Partlan grinned. “Anger is good. You will be a strong opponent. That will
make us invincible against these men.”

Grace nodded. “We’ll defeat them together.”

“You stay behind me at all times. It is the only way that I can protect
you.”

They inched their way along the wall, and when they came to the corner,
Partlan edged his head around the side. The coast was clear. They moved to the
next building, and the next, without any resistance. A deep unease settled in
Partlan’s gut. Years of combat had honed his skills and his intuition had saved
his life many times. When they came to the next building, he put his hand out
to stop Grace.

“This does not feel right.”

“You think they’re leading us into a trap?” Grace’s voice was hesitant.

“My instinct says we are being lulled into a false sense of security.”

“Where are they?”

“There is no sign of them, but I sense that we are being watched.”
Partlan glanced up at the light posts and edges of the buildings. No cameras
were visible. “I am certain we are under surveillance.”

Grace exhaled a shaky breath. “So what do we do?”

“You are to stay here and keep out of sight.”

Partlan edged back along the wall until they came to a door. He opened it
and then scanned the room. It was a small tool shed and empty. He motioned for
Grace to enter.

“I want you to stay here.”

“What will you be doing?” Grace’s voice held a note of suspicion.

“I am going to draw them out.” Partlan pulled his second weapon from out of
his back waistband. “I will kill them. That is the only way we will be able to
escape.”

“You can’t expect me to let you do this alone.”

“It is what I am trained to do.”

“So am I.” Grace lifted her chin.

“This is not a normal situation.” Partlan’s voice was firm. “These men do
not honor your laws. They will not hesitate to harm you. I cannot allow that.”

“So you’re going to go storming out there alone?” Grace shook her head.
“It is a crazy plan.”

“I need to do reconnaissance.” He sensed that she was not going to let
him do his job. He had to give her a reason to stay behind. “You are my backup.
If I am in trouble, then you can come out. It is our one element of surprise.”

Grace bit her lower lip and then nodded. “That makes sense. I’ll keep a
watch at the door.”

Partlan released his breath. “I will be back.”

He left the room and eased against the cold metal wall of the building.
He settled his breathing and heart rate in preparation for battle. He was
prepared for however many were waiting for him.

He edged around the corner.

He detected motion near one of the hangars.

It might be a worker, but he was not going to take any chances. He
crouched low and ran to the hangar. Two men were standing guard. They wore the
same uniform as the men at the base. They were also heavily armed. He stood and
eased away from the building.

At the next hangar, at least twenty armed men were waiting. A small jet
was there with its hatch open and stairs still lowered. The men were splitting
into two teams and gathering in formation.

Partlan backed out and took a deep breath.

He needed to get to Grace.

There was a commotion near the hangar entrance and Partlan moved behind a
stack of forty gallon steel containers. The hangar door opened and five men
rushed out. They headed in the direction of the other two guards. He stood and
eased away from the steel drums. He crept back to the tool shed where he had
left Grace.

As much as he wanted to stand his ground and defeat the guards, he needed
to keep Grace safe. She was his priority. They were surrounded. The best plan
was to wait for Ardal and the others to arrive. As a team, they would defeat
these men easily.

Partlan edged closer to the shed where he had left Grace. There was no
one in sight, so he tapped and then entered. Grace had a gun aimed at his head.
She lowered her weapon when she recognized him.

“Are we safe here?”

“No.” Partlan took her arm. “We need to leave. The guards from the base
are everywhere.”

“We didn’t see anyone coming in,” she whispered. “The drag way track
might be the best place to wait.”

“Help will be here soon.” Partlan moved out along the side of the
building.

They had only taken a few steps when the sound of speeding car engines
filled the air. Brakes screeched and then the noise of squealing tires on
asphalt as the vehicles skidded to a stop in front of them. The area was
swarmed by black Sports Utility Vehicles. There were five in total and they
formed a semi-circle that stopped them from escaping.

Dust flew up all around them as a helicopter landed behind the vehicles.

They were trapped.

Ten men jumped out of the cars with submachine guns aimed at them.

Partlan took a step away from the building and pushed Grace behind him.
He shot three men dead before they had a chance to get off one shot. Grace’s gun
sounded beside him. He continued to shoot until he ran out of bullets, with the
one pistol. He threw it down and pulled out his second weapon.