The Exodus: Planet Athion Series (Darkest Skies Book 4) Read online

  “So do you. What about your future?”

  “I’m already living it, Molly. This is what I’ve always been destined to do.” I caught Elodie staring up at me, her chin wobbling. “Besides,” I added, throwing her a wink. “Fighting bad aliens is my idea of fun.”

  The little girl risked a shaky smile, and I returned it. These were frightening times, but I didn’t want her to be scared.

  I leaned in and hugged them both, and then turned to head back upstairs. I wasn’t sure what our next steps would be, but I wanted to be there when decisions were being made.

  On the ground floor, I spotted a set of broad shoulders vanishing into the security office. I hurried after him, pushing into the room, and leaving the door standing open behind me.

  “Aleandro?”

  At the sound of his name, he paused and turned.

  “What is it, Camille?” he asked. “I need to check the perimeter is secure. The danger might look like it’s above us right now, but there’s a chance the ship is just a distraction.”

  I knew he wasn’t talking about physically going out to check the perimeter. He was going to check the computers.

  “What you did back there was reckless,” I said, referring to his gunshot into the air. “People could have started returning fire.”

  “I didn’t shoot anyone.” His tone was curt.

  Aleandro and I didn’t fall out often, but I had to mention what he’d done.

  “No, but they didn’t know that. Emotions are running high. They might have just reacted.”

  He glowered down at me, folding his arms across his chest, making his biceps bulge. A throb of lust pulsed through me. He was angry and defensive, and hot as hell.

  “Yeah, well, I was sick of that bunch of assholes acting like the righteous ones when we’re in here trying to figure out how to save humanity.”

  “They were already frightened. Being shot at didn’t help.”

  “For fuck’s sake. I did it for you. Everything I do is always for you.

  “That’s not true. You care about the others, too.”

  “Yeah, it’s true, I do, but not in that same way. You know it’s always been you, Camille. And maybe I did lose my head for a moment, but you have to take some responsibility for that, too. You were the one who wanted to go out there and try to reason with them, and when they wouldn’t even listen to what you had to say, I lost it. I love you, I admire you, I respect you, and I fancy the hell out of you, so if sometimes I act a bit crazy, it’s only because I’m so fucking scared I’m going to lose you in all of this, that sometimes I act without thinking.”

  My heart swelled at his words, and I instantly felt horrible for giving him a hard time. This couldn’t be easy for him. The idea of losing any of them was unthinkable, and they didn’t have an alien species attempting to impregnate and kidnap them.

  I placed a hand to his muscular chest, the beat of his heart beneath my palm. “I’m sorry. Forgive me?”

  He stepped in closer, gazing down at me. “There’s nothing to forgive. But you’ve always driven me crazy, Camille. It’s not just since all the shit happened.” He leaned into me, brushing his cheek against mine to growl in my ear. “Before then, you’d come into work wearing those low-cut tops, and you’d stop and hang out at the security desk, bending over it so your tits were right in my face.” He jammed his hips up to mine, pinning me to the wall behind, the large bulge of his erection against my stomach. “Or you’d drop something right in front of me and somehow need to bend over to pick it up. Don’t think I didn’t notice every time you did that, and all those flirty smiles and glances. Every time you walked past me, my cock would get hard.”

  I hid a smile. He was completely right. I’d enjoyed teasing him, just having some fun. I’d never considered dating my co-workers back then, of course, but we were living in a very different world now—a world that could end at any moment. The professional and social norms of our past lives no longer existed.

  “I used to go home with images of your tits and ass in my head,” he continued.

  He spoke low and sexily into my ear, my body growing more and more excited with every word. Aleandro had a way of talking dirty that made my blood race through my veins. His deep, gravelly voice always got me hot. “I jerked off, imagining my dick inside you, thinking how tight your pussy would be, and what kind of noises you’d make as you came.”

  “Yeah?” I said, breathless. I wrapped my arms around his solid neck and fitted the length of my body to his. “And now you know for sure what I sound like when I come.”

  “Do I?” He looked down at me with a mock frown, his lower lip pouting. “I think I may have forgotten.”

  “Maybe you should remind yourself,” I teased, knowing full well that I was the one who’d be benefitting from the reminder.

  “I think I can do that.”

  His mouth crashed onto mine, covering my lips with his own, his tongue pushing forcefully into my mouth. I kissed him back with equal passion, knowing we didn’t have long and wanting to make the most out of every second. Though we knew a massive threat was hovering above us, the last month or so had also taught us that life was fragile and could end at any moment, and maybe that made us even more determined to live every minute we had available. Now we knew there was no point in putting something off until another time, because we might not get another time.

  His hand went to the button of my jeans—we’d long since given up attempting to wear smart work clothes, no one gave a shit what you were wearing when it was the end of the world—and popped it open. He yanked my jeans from my hips, and I toed off my shoes, giving myself room to kick them away. I reached for him, too, already knowing what he had in store for me. We were a frantic grappling of hands and mouths, teeth bumping against teeth, fingers fumbling with buttons and zippers. He used his huge bulk to push me back, so my shoulder blades and ass hit the wall behind.

  Aleandro was the biggest of my guys, and normally he’d get me warmed up. But we didn’t have time for all of that now, and I didn’t care if this was rough—if it hurt a little, if it left me feeling tender the next day. Whenever I experienced the pain, it would remind me of Aleandro again, and what we’d shared together.

  He pushed two thick fingers inside me, as though he’d read what was on my mind and knew what I needed. His dirty talking had already gotten me wet, and I groaned and sank down deeper on his hand. Wanting him, I tugged his erection out of the opening of his jeans, from where I’d undone his button and zipper in our frenzy, and his thick cock filled the space between us.

  I pumped his length, from the base right up to the head and back down again, keeping my grip firm. We were breathing hard and heavy, inhaling each other. I was still aware of the Trad ship above us, the danger that loomed, and how we were needed to do other things. Perhaps that was what made this even more exciting.

  Aleandro slipped his fingers from me and reached around my body to grab my ass and lift me. I hooked my thighs around his hips, wrapping my legs around him, all the while keeping hold of his dick. I guided him to the sweet spot between my thighs, felt that moment of pressure where he nudged my entrance, and then stretched as he breached me.

  My back hit the wall behind, and Aleandro hands gripped my ass as he thrust inside me, slamming me up against the wall with every stroke. Heady with pleasure, I didn’t even care.

  Over his shoulder, I caught a glimpse of someone standing in the doorway. A hint of blue skin. Was that Irus? A fresh frisson of excitement shot through me. He was watching us through the gap. Did seeing Aleandro and I together affect him? Was he getting off on watching us?

  I experienced a thrill of lust from this unexpected voyeurism. I increased the volume of the moans escaping my lips, gritting my teeth to fuck Aleandro harder and faster. That familiar pressure was building inside me, and I knew it wouldn’t take long to reach my peak. Aleandro shoved his hand between our bodies and thumbed my clit, and I cried out, clinging to him tighter.

 
My climax broke over me, and I buried my face in Aleandro’s thick neck, squeezing my eyes shut as I bucked and writhed against his solid body.

  “Ah, fuck, Camille,” he groaned and jammed his hips harder to mine as he released himself.

  Breathless and sweaty, I lifted my face from his neck, my gaze instantly drawn to the open doorway.

  Irus was gone.

  Chapter Six

  I cleaned myself up, trying to make myself look as presentable as possible, and gave Aleandro a quick kiss goodbye, knowing I’d catch up with him later.

  Footsteps hurried after me. “Camille, there you are,” Mike said. “I have the president on video coms.”

  Oh shit. I had been half expecting the call, but I still felt unprepared. I was a mess as well—it was hard to stay smart and professional when the world as we knew it had fallen apart and we were fighting for survival—plus I’d just gotten thoroughly ravished by Aleandro. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d washed my hair, instead mostly tying it into a knot at the top of my head to keep it out of my face while I worked. Things had certainly changed. I remembered how I’d always preened and primped myself ready for work, knowing I’d be exchanging flirtatious little moments with Aleandro, and that Mike would check out my ass as I bent over the radio, and Casey would hold my eye a moment too long when we were discussing planetary missions. But then I guessed they were all looking a little more rough and ready now, too. Mike’s stubble was certainly longer than it ever had been.

  “I’m on my way,” I replied.

  “There’s something else, too. The Trad ship has gone into orbit, but it’s still not using it’s shielding. We can still see it.”

  “Why have they done that?”

  He lifted his eyebrows. “Why do you think?”

  “They’re preparing for battle,” I said.

  “Exactly.”

  Together, we hurried up to our workspace at the top of the Observatory. Casey was waiting for us, and he gave me a quick smile as we stepped into the room. Irus and Leif were both already present, as was Sergeant Byrd. They all gave me a brief nod to say hello, but I noted how Irus didn’t quite meet my eye. He knew I’d seen him.

  I hated to think I’d kept the president waiting. Through the glass dome above our heads, the Trad spacecraft was clearly visible, yet they’d still made no attempt at communication. Those bastards were playing with us again.

  Mike had already pulled down a large screen from the ceiling which was used for video calling. It was blank for the moment, so I assumed the call had ended while he’d gone to find me.

  He went to his station.

  “Making connection with the White House,” he said, using voice control to operate the screen, “in five...four...three...two...”

  And he fell silent as an image of the president sitting behind her desk in the Oval Office appeared on screen.

  I stepped forward. “Madam President. I apologize for keeping you waiting.” I remembered what I’d been doing to occupy me and willed my cheeks not to burn. “It’s good to speak with you again.”

  “You, too, Ms. Harran, though I wish it was under different circumstances. It appears the Trads are keen to keep us on our toes.”

  “They certainly are.”

  Our president always left me in awe. Even during these crazy times, she was poised, eloquent, and refined. Where I felt like a scruffy mess, she was smartly dressed in a pant suit, her hair beautifully styled, her brown skin flawless. She still had that air of calm and sensibility that had gotten her elected in the first place.

  “I understand you have one of their ships with you in Las Vegas?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. It appeared a couple of hours ago. It’s gone back into orbit now but it’s still visible to us on radar. We think they’ve made their point perfectly clear, however. They were hiding before, but now they’re not.”

  “We have the same situation here in Washington. Reports are in from New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. The local Observatories are all putting together plans about what to do about it.”

  Sergeant Byrd joined me at my side. “If I may, Madam President, I believe we should take an offensive tactic rather than defensive. We can’t allow them to think they can bully us into doing whatever they want.”

  I nodded. “I agree. We have four Athion rocket ships here that are ready to attack. The Trad ship might be bigger, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do some damage.”

  She frowned slightly and steepled her fingers to her lips. “What about the launch of Exodus? It’s scheduled for less than a week now. The lottery is due to be called in a matter of days.”

  I ducked my head in a nod, my stomach roiling at the thought of the results of the lottery. “We believe the Trad ship is here to prevent Project Exodus from ever happening. They must have gotten word about what we had planned, and this is their way of preventing the Athions helping us. If the ship is still somewhere above us when Exodus is due to launch, we couldn’t possibly take the risk. There will be one hundred innocent women on board, and if there is any chance of this going wrong, the launch will have to be grounded. If something happens to the women, there will be no chance of any other missions going to Athion—people simply won’t take the risk—and I believe the Trads are perfectly aware of this.”

  The president nodded. “Thank you, Miss Harran. I agree with you one hundred percent. Our priority is with the safety of the women remaining on Earth, and we won’t be taking any chances with their lives.”

  Though I knew she was saying the right thing, I couldn’t help the surge of disappointment closing over my throat and prickling my eyes with tears. I cleared my throat and pulled myself back together. I didn’t want anyone to see how badly this affected me.

  Irus stepped in. “I’ve heard from other Custo teams as well, Madam President. They’ve all been redirected to Earth to deal with this new threat. We’re aware that it’s most likely the presence of Athions on Earth that’s caused the Trads to increase their presence here.”

  “I think their presence has already been more than felt, but we thank you and your kind for your support.”

  He ducked his head in a small bow. “Of course.”

  “You all have my approval to do whatever it takes to fight the Trad ships,” she said. “This is America, and we don’t negotiate with terrorists, human or otherwise. Just make sure you keep me updated about your plans, and I’ll make sure the other areas where the Trad ships have appeared will coordinate with you. It’s important that we’re seen as a united front.”

  “We will. Thank you, Madam President.”

  Her face vanished off screen, and we all turned to each other.

  Sergeant Byrd lifted his eyebrows. “Looks like we’re going to war.”

  Chapter Seven

  “What now?” I asked, looking around the room.

  “We need to put teams together to fly the rocket ships,” Casey said, “and then I guess we need to wait until the ships carrying the rest of the Custos get close enough to join the battle.”

  Irus nodded. “Yes, they won’t need to land. They can fight from the skies.”

  “Good to know,” I said. “That’ll save us some time.”

  “How much longer will we have to wait?” Mike asked Irus.

  “A few more hours, at least. I’ll make contact with the commander and find out for sure.”

  “I’ll start pulling the flight teams together,” Casey said. “We should have enough pilots and copilots to man each of the rocket ships.”

  I lifted my eyebrows. “What if they don’t want to fight?”

  “They don’t have a choice. They all knew this was a possibility when they signed up.”

  “I’d like to join one of the teams as communications officer,” I volunteered. “I want to be up there. If we’re taking the Trads down once and for all, I want to be a part of it.”

  The guys exchanged a glance. I knew they’d all be taking places on one of the ships, too. We were all in this job bec
ause we loved space, and there was no way one of us would turn down an opportunity to be part of a launch, even if it meant risking our lives.

  “Let’s see what spots are available once Casey has put the teams together,” Mike said.

  I narrowed my eyes at him but didn’t argue further. I was going to be a part of one of the teams whether they liked it or not.

  We each went our separate ways again, anxious to keep things moving forward. We didn’t know what the Trads had planned, but they could attack at any moment, and we wanted to be prepared for them when they did.

  I discovered Molly lurking anxiously in the corridor outside. I felt bad that she wasn’t privy to these meetings, but she was a civilian, and we had to draw a line. She might be my sister, but if we allowed her in, soon we’d have to let every relative of every person working here in on classified meetings.

  “Hey,” I said. “Where’s Elodie?”

  “She’s taking a nap, though we had tears before she eventually went to sleep. What’s going on?”

  “We’re going to fight the Trads, and I need you to take care of Elodie. Please don’t do anything crazy or brave, just stay down here until all of this is over.”

  “Is it ever going to be over, Camille? Because it doesn’t feel like it is. It feels like this is just our lives now.”

  She was pale with worry, and my heart swelled with love for her. Things had been so simple only a matter of months ago, and we’d totally taken it for granted.

  “They will get better,” I assured her. “We just need to take care of those damned Trads before that can happen. You wait and see—before we know it, we’ll be eating at restaurants again, and drinking in bars...”

  “And watching movies at the cinemas,” she joined in. “And shopping for food and clothes instead of scavenging.”

  “Exactly,” I said, smiling back at her. In truth, Molly hadn’t needed to do any scavenging herself—being in the Observatory meant that Sergeant Byrd’s team did the scavenging and brought back everything we needed, from food to clothes, to toiletries, to bottled water, but I appreciated her sentiment. “We just need to finish this once and for all, so we can rebuild our country and get our lives back.”