Code Name: Ghost (A Warrior's Challenge 1) (49 page)

He laid his cheek against her soft curls,
and shook his head. What could he say? He’d spend eternity with
this woman, no matter what the suffering would mean. No matter what
the team meant to him, he’d protect Kayla first and always. He
pinned a hard look on Cobbs. “She’s going to be all right.”

Cobbs’ expression tightened with sympathy.
“Old man, she’s not whole anymore. She’s splintering. Fox is right.
It might be too late. You have to be prepared for that.”

His friend had always been the voice of
reason, but he refused to believe it. “Broken or not, she’s mine,
Pat. I won’t leave her behind.” The words came out hushed, but his
tears came like a rogue wave. “She’s mine. Forever mine.”

Kayla’s lashes fluttered, and slowly as if
waking from a deep sleep she lifted her head and looked around
her.

“Hey, Kayla-girl,” Fox said, touching her
shoulder lightly. “All your favorite guys are right here. Come on
back to us.”

Her head rolled and she stared up at him
trying to focus, embarrassment and questions filling her eyes at
the same time. “I’m so sorry.” Her hand swept a tear from his
cheek. “Please don’t cry for me, Commander,” she whispered and
closed her eyes again. “Raven—can’t catch me.”

Sorrow gutted him and bit him so hard a
groan of anguish left his throat. Standing in the desert, she’d
looked so beautiful, wild and delicate. She’d taken his breath,
like the Arizona wind that swept around them that day.
My
grandmother said although a raven has sharp eyes and quick claws,
it can’t catch what’s already dead.
His forehead dipped to
hers. “No, baby, you’re not dead. Please.” He choked on a sob.
“Kayla, please—just take my hand, I’ll bring you home. I’ll always
bring you home.”

He connected with each of his men. Each one
looked away from him as he held his broken dove in his arms. The
unspoken words in each of their eyes telling him she was too far
gone, her past never allowing her to be a whole again. “SEALs never
fucking give up. I will never give up on her.”

With a lazy sway she shook her head.
“Commander?”

All he could do is nod, his words twisted up
in battle, his agony against his heart.

“Promise me you’ll take this back before
they bury me,” she said squeezing his trident.

“Never,” gusted from him. “You are the only
woman who will ever wear that. The only woman strong enough to.” He
swiped at his eyes, and dug deep to still his fear.

Mace drew her hand to his heart. She
blinked, still trying to grasp her surroundings, then draped an arm
across his shoulder. “Mace—”

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”
Mace pulled her into his lap.

She offered him a tired smile, and rested
her head against his. “Death has stood at my door too many times,
Mace. This time I think I have to go with him.”

“You’re talking to the wrong group of guys,
Kayla, if you want to talk about playing chess with the reaper.” He
brushed her bangs from her forehead. “You might feel like you’re
lost in the darkness, but the Commander knows the way out.” Mace
kissed her cheek and shot a worried look in his direction. “Repeat
after me—the only easy day was yesterday.”

Kayla offered a crooked, tired grin. “Now,
there’s a morbid thought.”

Thane’s heart lightened with her smartass
remark. An eternal brilliance burned in the woman he loved,
lighting her path. The rough waters of her past would never keep
her down. She was a warrior, just like him. He leaned toward her
and her eyes darted nervously around at the guys. “My sweet
mermaid, follow me.” He kissed her deeply, tasting her, needing
her.

Her cheeks flushed. “Commander?”

“Don’t worry, Kayla, apparently I was the
last to figure it out.”

“Figure what out?”

He gave her a gentle kiss and said, “Guess
I’m not the last.” Kayla’s brows disappeared beneath her bangs.
“Sweetheart, I won’t be far away.”

She nodded and her lids slid closed with
exhaustion. “Where’re you going?”

“Fishing, sweetheart, and I’m going to bring
home one very dead Shark.”

Natasza Waters is an officer, author, and
reviewer with InD’Tale Magazine. She debuted her first romance
novel, “Too Grand For Words” in 2011. Issued in E-pub and paperback
through BookStrand Publishing, the novel found its way to book
clubs where women enjoy a cup of romance with a twist of steam.

After majoring in English in her early
years, Natasza’s life altered course. A lifelong working
relationship with the marine industry began when she became an
officer with the Coast Guard. Crafting stories with pieces snipped
from real life and the sea—particularly the West Coast and those
who respect it as much as they love it, find their way into plots
puddled in action and suspense, with unsung heroes and heroines
aplenty
.

A twenty-four hour day finds Natasza
drafting her next novel, blogging, working, and reviewing other
author’s voices. Sleep you say? Not so much! Visit her websites at
http://nataszawaters.com/
or
http://voicebetweenthelines.com/
or drop a
review or a word at
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6086142.Natasza_Waters

www.secretcravingspublishing.com