Cruz: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 2) (20 page)

“We’ll keep coming.” Santha snuck in low and cut the commander above her boot. “We’ll never stop. No matter what you do to us.”

Limping, the commander lunged, a sloppy strike. Santha opened up a large gash in the alien’s arm.

“We’ll weaken you,” Santha continued. “We’ll keep fighting. Humans, we’re stubborn like that. You said we lacked focus, but you’ve given us a big one…” Santha landed a side kick hard in the commander’s stomach. As the alien stumbled, Santha followed it with a quick slash to the neck. “Survival.”

The alien leader pulled back, but the tip of the knife kissed across the more delicate skin of her throat. She swiped at the blood and opened her mouth in what Santha guessed was a smile.

“Once, I was like you. But they made me stronger. I see good skills in you. You would make a good leader, too.”

“Never.” Santha leaped up and slammed her knife into the back of the commander’s shoulder. She leaped away before the alien could grab her.

“We will absorb your species and everything you have of value. There is nothing you can do to stop us.”

A sick feeling knocked through Santha. “No.” Grim determination rose up. “We’ll stop you. We’ll fight and we’ll never stop fighting.”

“You cannot defeat us!” The commander charged like a bull.

She slammed into Santha and they hit the dirt. The alien was tearing at Santha, using her claws to scratch and gouge.

“Yes, we can. You’ll make mistakes.” Santha jammed the knife into the commander’s throat. “Like fighting me and thinking I was beneath you. And that’s when we’ll win.”

The commander’s overlarge eyes bulged. Blood gushed over both of them. She made a gurgling sound.

“We’ll show you just what humanity is made of.” Santha leaned up, heedless of the alien blood all over her, and twisted the knife. “That’s for my sister, you bitch.”

When the commander flopped forward, with a final, gurgling breath, Santha heaved her off.

And then Cruz was there, pulling her up.

A deep, guttural cry raced through the raptors lined up in front of them.

Fuck
. Santha gripped Cruz. She might have killed the commander but there was no way they could fight all of these raptors.

“Cruz?”

“Yes,
mi reina
?”

“I…I…” There was so much she wanted to say. And so much she still wanted to do. “I wouldn’t have picked anyone else to die with.”

He yanked her off her feet and kissed her.

She absorbed the taste of him, her hands tangling in his hair. She waited for the hail of raptor fire to hit them.

Suddenly, the sounds of gunning engines filled the night. Bright lights streamed around them. The raptors cried out and started running, confused and leaderless.

Santha and Cruz turned.

Armored Z6-Hunter vehicles roared across the river, the armor plating keeping water out of the engines as it flowed across the vehicles’ hoods. Then, the Hunters charged into the field, autocannons firing.

“Squad Nine has damn good timing. Again.” Cruz started pulling her back toward the bridge. “I owe Roth a drink. Or seven.”

The battled raged around them, but ahead on the ruins of the bridge, she saw Marcus waving them over. Beside him, Gabe was cradling a sobbing Emerson.

“Cruz?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’m going to pass out now.”

Blackness swallowed Santha, but she knew Cruz would catch her.

***

Santha woke and lay still on the bed. The room was dark and the sheets smelled like Cruz.

She sat up, dragging a hand through her tangled hair. She was naked, the cool air raising goose bumps on her skin. Her healed skin. As she drew the sheet up, she noted that not a single scratch marred her body. Her thigh looked fine. Even the scar she had from where Kareena had pushed her out of a tree when she was seven was gone.

“How do you feel?”

Santha started. Dammit, she hadn’t even known he was in the room. Glancing over, she saw the outline of him in the armchair. “I feel pretty good, considering. So we either got out okay or my afterlife looks like it’s going to involve a whole lot of hot sex in an underground base.”

Cruz stood, walked over and planted his hands either side of her on the bed. “You promised you wouldn’t get yourself killed.”

Okay, there was more than a bit of a dangerous edge in his voice. “And here I am, hale and hearty.”

He moved so fast, she let out a squeak. He grabbed her upper arms and yanked her up until their noses brushed. “Barely. I had to fucking pump your heart every minute of that drive back to base. They had to revive you, then they pumped you full of nano-meds.”

Oh, her poor man. She got her hands on his chest. “I’m sorry, Cruz. But I’m alive. You’re alive.” A thought rushed through her. “The commander?”

“Dead.”

Santha felt something unfurl inside her. A release of that tight, hot, nasty ball that had been lodged inside her for over a year. She stared into Cruz’s handsome face. Kareena wouldn’t get to live the life she’d deserved. But in that cage where she’d died, Kareena had made Santha promise that she’d live for both of them.

Santha gave Cruz a hard shove. He fell back on the bunk, his lean body sprawled out. She crawled up on top of him.

“I need some proof this is real and not some injury-induced daydream,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yep.” She leaned down and nipped at his lips. Hmm, he tasted so good. Their tongues tangled, his hands cupping her shoulders.

Then she pulled away from his too-tempting mouth and dragged her lips over his stubbled jaw, down the line of his strong throat. She bit the spot where his neck met his shoulder and enjoyed his groan.

She kept going. Tracing every inch of his hard chest with her tongue. She scraped his nipples with teeth and nails and he arched up into her. She trailed her mouth over the unreal sculpted ridges of his stomach. Every bit of this strength and power was all hers.

She moved lower. He moaned her name. She cupped his thick, heavy cock in her hands. Then without warning him, she sucked the mushroom head of it into her mouth.

“
Mi reina
…so damn good.” His hands clenched in her hair.

She sucked more of him in, as far as she could go. She bobbed up and down, giving him all the pleasure she could. His body was tense as a board beneath her. God, could anything make a woman feel more powerful than having a strong man completely at her mercy?

“Enough.”

He pulled her back and reared up. Before she could react, he flipped her onto her back and his heavy weight sank down on top of her.

He grabbed her hands and slammed them above her head. Then his cock nudged between her legs and he slammed home.

She cried out, said his name over and over. She jerked against his hold but he held her down, his hips pistoning as he thrust into her.

Santha felt every inch of her body tightening. His possession was so hot, so all consuming. She was his and he was hers. She knew right now he was working out his desire and his fear. And she loved every minute of it.

“Cruz, I’m going to come.”

“Go over,
mi reina
. Let me feel you squeezing my cock, milking me hard.”

His dirty talk had her tipping over the edge. Her mind blanked and her orgasm crashed over her like a wave.

When she opened her eyes, he was still looming over her, thrusting inside her. His dark gaze locked on hers.

“I’m in love with you, Santha.”

A bright burst of warmth lit up her insides. “Good.” Her voice cracked. “That’s good, soldier, because the feeling’s mutual.”

He shifted the angle of his hips and she felt him brushing against her swollen clit with each stroke. It didn’t take long for the electric sensations to grow again.

“That’s it,” he murmured, savage satisfaction in his tone. “Come again,
mi amor
. Let’s come together.”

She threw her head back and his name ripped from her throat. A second later, his thrusts got faster, harder and he poured himself inside her.

***

Cruz watched Santha eating the fresh fruit he’d brought for her and felt a massive flood of satisfaction. She was alive, she was here, and she was his.

She loved him. Man, if that didn’t just blow his mind, he didn’t know what would.

She stopped chewing and it was clear she was lost in thought. “So, I guess I’m moving in.”

No way was he letting her go back to the city. “Yes.”

“We’ll have to eat in the dining room, though. Or you’ll have to cook.”

He smiled. “Deal.”

She leaned back. “And I expect you to play the guitar for me at least a couple of times a week.” She grinned. “A private performance.”

He ran his tongue over his teeth. “Only if you dance for me…and touch yourself.”

She slapped his shoulder. Then her face turned serious. “I can’t just sit in here, in the bowels of this base every day.” She looked him. “I’ll go crazy.”

He felt his jaw tighten. He’d known this was coming. “You want to join the squad?”

Her eyebrows went up. “And drive Marcus crazy by not following his commands all the time?”

Cruz’s lips quirked. “Yeah.” He knew he’d go crazy knowing she was out on a squad, fighting raptors. But, he was a member of Hell Squad and she’d have to deal with him going out, so he couldn’t exactly demand she stay here, safe and protected.

All he could do was be here for her when she got back and keep showing her all the good things life had to offer.

“You’d be okay with me joining a squad?” she asked, watching him carefully.

“No.” He’d give her honesty. “But I’ll support whatever you want to do.”

She smiled. “You are one of the good guys, Cruz Ramos. I have to say, I’m not crazy about knowing you’ll be out there risking yourself day after day.” She scraped a nail down his cheek. “But humanity needs its warriors, its heroes. And I’ll have to do my bit to make sure my hero stays as safe as possible.” She straightened. “You know I work better alone. And I was thinking the base’s reconnaissance needs beefing up. The drones are great, but they can’t give you the same intel you can get from the ground. I’d like to see about creating a team of reconnaissance officers. Who go in quietly, gather intel, and come home without being seen.”

Cruz let out the breath that had been lodged in his chest. It was still dangerous, but it was what she was good at. And much safer than landing in the middle of a firefight. “I think Holmes will be beside himself to have you.” Cruz stood and nabbed her hand. “Come on, I have something for you.”

He led her through the tunnels. At one intersection they met Marcus and Elle strolling with Reed and Roth.

“Santha, you look much better.” Elle grabbed her hand and smiled.

“Thanks,” Santha said, squeezing the other woman’s hand in return. She glanced over at Roth. “And thanks for the timely rescue.”

The man nodded. “Just sorry we didn’t get there a bit sooner.”

She frowned. “Everyone made it out okay, right?” She looked up at Cruz. “Claudia?”

“Is fine. Shaw is in the infirmary with her, bugging her to death.” Cruz swallowed his frustration. “It’s Gabe we’re worried about.”

“Emerson’s taking some time to recover. She was badly beaten and she’s suffering flashbacks and nightmares,” Marcus said. “Gabe’s taking it badly.”

Gabe clearly felt protective of the doctor and this, on top of his brother’s death, was weighing hard on him. But Cruz didn’t know what else he could do to help his teammate.

“We’re headed topside,” Cruz said.

Marcus nodded, slinging an arm around Elle. “We’re headed to the dining room. Join us later?”

Cruz waved as he pulled Santha along.

“We’ll take Bryony with us to the dining room,” he said. “She’s been cleared to leave the infirmary for short periods.”

Santha smiled. “She has? That’s great. I want to get some clothes for her. Something that’s hers.”

“One step ahead of you. I used my clothing credits and got her a few things.” He felt heat in his cheeks. “Elle helped.”

“Cruz Ramos picking out clothes for a little girl?” Santha didn’t even try and hide her smile. “She’ll love them.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve seen a lot kids who didn’t make it. Before the aliens came—” he thought of his cousins’ victims “—and after. I want to see her thrive.”

Santha’s hand tightened on his arm. “I couldn’t save Kareena, but together we’ll do everything we can to help Bryony.”

They exited the base through a tunnel and ladder, and stepped out into the sunlight. The gentle slope of the hill was covered in thick grass and a riot of wildflowers.

“God, it’s beautiful.” Santha breathed deep. “Things like this give me hope that we can take back our planet and drive those murdering bastards away.”

“We will. The local raptor forces are scrambling since losing the commander. We just have to keep slicing.”

She blushed. “Ah, my little speech.”

“It was motivating as hell.”

She turned back to the meadow. “We’ll beat them. We won’t give up. We owe it to the people we’ve lost.”

He slid an arm over her shoulders and led her to the tree line. “Look.”

There were two simple markers set into the ground. The first had the name Ezekiel “Zeke” Jackson inscribed on it. The second marker was a simple carved piece of wood. On it, Cruz had carved Kareena’s name, beloved sister of Santha.

Santha stared at the simple marker and pressed a fist to her mouth.

Cruz shifted uncomfortably. “Are those tears in your eyes?”

“Yes. But good ones.” She pressed her face against his chest. “Thank you. It’s beautiful and I love it. I have no idea what I did to deserve you.”

“I feel the same way about you. But I’ll spend every day making sure I deserve you.”

Her arms slipped around him. “Just spend every day loving me. That’s enough.”

Only a few weeks before, he’d been running on empty, had thought there was nothing else left for him. Nothing else to live for.

Now, he had hope and love bursting through him.

And so much to live for.

Santha lifted her face up to him, the sunshine lighting up her features. “Now, kiss me, soldier.”