Page 189 of The Other Omega

She slipped her arms around my waist. I held her, feeling her breath warm through my shirt, until she tipped her face towards mine.

“Can you come and lie down with me? Eira’s with the girls.” Her fingers tightened at my waist. “Just until I fall asleep?”

“Of course, sweetheart. I am rather tired myself.”

On the days Caius left for a deployment, she often wanted the privacy of her nest. I kissed her forehead and went with her, keeping her hand in mine.

She curled against me as soon as I lay down, tucking her face beneath my chin. I drew her closer, and when I felt her begin to cry, a purr rose in my chest.

“Please don’t,” she whispered. “I just need to let it all out.”

I stopped and kissed her forehead. “Then you may.”

She pressed closer, her hand caught in the front of my shirt. I pulled the blanket over her back and held her while she cried, stroking her hair whenever she shifted beneath my hand. When she lifted her face, I wiped her cheeks and kissed her.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

She settled against me again, and I stayed awake as her breathing gradually eased, my hand moving slowly over her back.

When she finally fell asleep, my shirt was damp beneath her cheek. I kept her close, thinking of Caius and the operation waiting for him. He had better return home safely, because I did not think she would ever recover if he did not.

Chapter 40

Caius

The assault craft dropped beneath the clouds with its running lights extinguished.

House Tureen’s main facility was built into the black stone of the eastern range. Officially, it was a power-maintenance station. The concealed weapons guarding its entrances suggested that its occupants expected considerably more trouble than a failed generator.

My soldiers stood in the cargo hold, securely strapped in and eager for battle.

“All assault teams are in position,” Alaric said through my receiver.

The pilot signalled thirty seconds as the ship tilted towards the mountain. Teams approaching the eastern and rear entrances confirmed that no civilians remained nearby.

“The Council chamber is sealed. External communications have been suspended.”

Every High Lord was inside, including Tureen.

“Disable their surveillance and communications.”

“Surveillance and communications disabled, General.”

“All forces,” Alaric said. “Begin.”

The floor panels opened beneath us, revealing the upper platform ten metres below. I released my harness and dropped with my soldiers, landing with my weapon raised. Gunfire echoed from somewhere beyond the mountain’s eastern face.

“Eastern force under heavy fire,” Zorya reported.

“Rear team, report.”

“We are breaking through the entrance.”

Mercenaries fired from both sides of the upper entrance as we spread across the platform, returning fire as we advanced. Several fell beside the doorway, but their companions held their positions. More of our craft landed behind us, their engines roaring as fresh teams joined the assault.

The mercenaries pulled back inside. By the time we reached the entrance, they were firing from behind the stone pillars lining the hall. A burst struck the soldier beside me and sent her crashing against the wall. Her head hit the stone, and she went limp. I caught her before she reached the floor and dragged her clear of the doorway.