She watched him, but she didn’t say a word. Finn chuckled. “I think my predatory days are over.”
“You?” She laughed. “Why do I find that so hard to believe? I haven’t even gotten to show you my fuzzy handcuffs yet.”
“Save ’em for someone else.” He shook his head, as if he could shake off the sense of his life having irrevocably changed. “It’s hard to explain, Lizzie, but after a whole lot of meaningless sex over the years, I think I finally know what’s been missing.”
“And what’s that?” She grinned, probably expecting a smart-ass comment.
“A connection with my partners. The knowledge that I matter, that they matter. That what we shared was special, something so wonderful that I’ll never find it with anyone else but them.”
Lizzie’s eyebrows crinkled up in that familiar frown again. “This doesn’t even sound like you. In fact, you sound like you’ve been blindsided, Finnegan. You gonna be okay?”
A loud roar overhead shook the sturdy building. Finn glanced up, identifying the noise. He returned his attention to Lizzie and slowly shook his head. “I don’t know, Lizzie. I wish I did, but I just don’t know.” He pushed himself away from the console. “You and Zianne going to be okay? I want to go out and see how they’re doing with the fire. That was the CDF chopper. I’ll check back with you in a bit, and if there’s any danger, I promise to come for you.”
“Thanks, Finn.” She smiled warmly. “If you’d said that two days ago, I don’t think I would have trusted you to come back for us. For some reason, now I don’t have that problem. Be careful.”
“You’re probably right.” He leaned over and kissed her, and she kissed him back, lips every bit as warm as her smile.
And when he headed outside, Finn realized that he’d just kissed a woman he thought of as a friend. One he had no intention of putting the make on, no desire to take to bed.
It should probably make him very nervous, but it didn’t. No, it just made him feel really good about life in general.
Once again they met in the lodge, all but Morgan sitting quietly at the big table. Meg had served their dinner tonight, which felt oddly formal. Once she left the room, Mac gazed at his team, all freshly showered after dealing with what the CDF captain had described as “a fire of highly suspicious origins.”
He glanced up as Morgan walked in carrying Zianne’s tote. “Was anyone able to give her energy?”
Morgan set the bag on the floor beside Mac. “Yeah. A couple of people shared with her, but she’s still weak. It’s not helping as much as it did at first.”
Mac nodded as Morgan took his seat beside Rodie. Zianne had been days now without her soulstone, and he knew she was barely hanging on. “How many Nyrians still need a human form? Any idea?”
Lizzie raised her hand. “I had three—a man and two women—come during my shift.” She glanced at Kiera.
“I did a full shift and Lizzie’s three got the word out. There were five gorgeous men who showed up during mine. Morgan? Your shift was pretty short. Did you have any new ones?”
“Three I’ve not met before.” He grinned at Rodie. “All women. Believe me, my shift absolutely flew by.”
Rodie elbowed him in the side and he grunted dramatically.
“Two of them shared energy with Zianne. They’re worried about her, Mac. We need to take action as soon as we can.”
“I agree, but we still have seven Nyrians who haven’t been down here yet. Until they have bodies, we can’t do anything.”
“I’m heading for the shack as soon as I eat.” Morgan picked up his fork as he talked. “Between Rodie and me, I’m hoping we can get the last of them covered by midnight. They understand the need to hurry, and they’re all on board for the plan.”
“Nattoch came to my room just before I left to come here.” Cam focused on Mac. “He said the Gar plan to start ramping up power day after tomorrow for the move against Earth. Once that happens, it’s going to be hard to get any of the Nyrians free with their soulstones because they’re all needed. The Gar will know some are gone as soon as they discover they can’t bring up enough power.”
“Then we’ve got less than forty-eight hours to put this into motion.” Mac let out a frustrated breath. “I don’t know if Zianne even has forty-eight hours, but she’s said more than once that her survival isn’t important as long as we save her people.”
He glanced at the sleeping squirrel. “You know I don’t agree. I can’t imagine coming this far only to lose her, but I will honor her wishes.” He took a deep breath. This was so hard to say, as if speaking the words aloud doomed Zianne. “Whether Zianne lives or dies, we’re sticking with the plan.”
He blinked, clearing his eyes. This was not the time to lose it. Not while there was still hope, so he took another deep breath and continued. “Is there any one of you who has reservations? Do any of you, for any reason, feel that what we’re doing is wrong? Tell me, please.”
He wiped the back of his hand across his eyes. “Obviously, I’m not as clearheaded right now as I should be. This is a huge decision. Lives could be lost. We know we’re condemning the Gar if we succeed. My feeling is, they deserve it, but I need your thoughts. Morgan? Finn? Your risk is huge. You’re sure?” He looked at each of them, but there was no sign of doubt. None.
“Cam? Okay. Kiera? You’re an attorney. Give me an argument.”
She shook her head. “I can’t, Mac. I’m sorry, but I think it’s worth any risk to help them. They’ve suffered enough, and we know that if the Gar aren’t stopped, we could all end up dead.” She shrugged. “Personally, I think it’s a no-brainer.”
The others were nodding. Mac realized he was nodding in agreement, right along with them. “Okay. We’ll do what we can for the Nyrians. Unless someone’s got a better idea, we go with Cam’s plan. Get as many Nyrians down here with their soulstones as possible before sending anyone to the ship. We’ll have to time it during a shift change and hope like hell everything works.”
He couldn’t say any more. Not without losing it, but he took another deep, controlling breath. “I’m not a religious man at all, but Zianne swears her goddess still lives, that she’s the reason they’ve survived this long. Tonight, and until this is over, I’m putting my faith in Nyria.”
He glanced at the plate Meg had set in front of him before leaving the room. “Well, the goddess Nyria and Meg’s excellent cooking.” The others laughed softly and attacked their dinners. Grilled tenderloin, roasted potatoes and veggies, crusty French bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the side—a perfect meal.
He stared at his plate and thought of the meals he’d shared with Zianne. Thought of the dreams they’d had, the long talks about everything under the sun in those few short, unbelievably special months they’d spent together.
He wanted that again. Wanted her. Hell, he wanted all of it. Was that too much to ask?
Mac felt a stirring, as if something in the room had changed. He raised his head and realized everyone was looking toward the front door. Mac turned just as Dink stopped beside his seat.
“Do ya think you could get me a plate like that?”
“You’re here.” Mac stood up and held out his arms. Dink enveloped him in a hug, and it was all Mac could do to hold back the tears. “Thanks, man. Thanks for coming.”
Dink stepped back but kept his hands on Mac’s shoulders. “Couldn’t keep me away. You know that.” He grinned, and there, in front of everyone, leaned close and kissed Mac full on the lips. Claiming him. And without hesitation, Mac kissed him back.
“Now,” said Dink, smoothing his hands over Mac’s shoulders, as if he couldn’t stop touching him. “How about that plate?”
Dink sipped his drink and stared at the squirrel sleeping in the tote bag in Mac’s lap. “I can’t believe you’ve gotten this far and yet you could still lose her. God, Mac. I’ve missed Zianne so much. That time when she was with you, when I was still in town—that time was pure magic.”
Mac nodded. “I know. I’ve thought a lot about those months these past couple of days. We’re so fucking close, and yet there’s too much that can still go wrong.”
He really needed to take Zianne back to the dream shack in case anyone else showed up who could share energy with her, but he couldn’t bear to let her go. He’d brought her up to his rooms along with Dink, just to keep her close.
She’d not awakened all evening, but he knew she was still alive. The subtle scent of vanilla and honey lingered.
“Uh, Mac? I think we’ve got company.”
Mac turned as a column of energy materialized across the room. “It’s okay. We’ll know who it is in a moment.”
An older man stepped out of the fading sparkles of energy. He looked directly at Mac and bowed his head.
“You are Zianne’s Mac. I am Nattoch. I’ve come to share energy with Zianne.”
“Thank you. She’s here.” He looked down at the squirrel. She was awake now, blinking her dark eyes and staring at Nattoch. “Should I take her out?”
“On the floor, here, where we have room.” He leaned over and touched her as Mac set the squirrel down. “She’s very weak. We have no idea how long she can survive without her stone, but we’ll do everything we can to keep her with us.” He raised his head and looked at Dink. “I know you,” he said, smiling. “You are the other one Zianne loves, the one whose life she saved.”
Dink nodded. That night twenty years ago when Patrick Randle died, Dink had been stabbed. A mortal wound until Zianne became a creature of pure energy and healed Dink from the inside. Dink hadn’t known the story then. Now he did. Mac wasn’t entirely surprised to see the damp trails of tears on his friend’s cheeks.
“I am,” Dink said. “I only learned a few days ago that she was the one who saved me, which means I not only love her, but I am forever indebted to her.”
Nattoch dissolved into a small cloud of sparkles. Spinning slowly, he covered Zianne with a blue-and-gold light, pulsing over the squirrel for at least a full minute before the sparkles took on form and he was once again a very human-looking man kneeling beside a small gray squirrel.
He held out a hand and Mac helped him to his feet. “Thank you. My age begins to wear on me.” He sighed. “I grow old and very tired, but you and your dream team have given me hope.”
Mac couldn’t take his eyes off Zianne. She was awake, watching him now with bright eyes. But for how long?
Nattoch followed his gaze. “One thing about my advanced years is that my energy is strong. This should hold her through the night if you wish to keep her here, with you.”
“Thank you.” What else could he say? He wanted promises, wanted to know that everything was going to be okay, but no one, not even Zianne’s elder, could promise him the impossible.
Nattoch stepped back. “I must return before I am missed, but the rest of our people will have a human form by the end of this night. It will take less energy if they wait until nightfall to make their final escape to Earth. Expect the first group to begin arriving as soon as it turns dark tomorrow night, when the shift changes. They’ll have their soulstones, and they will be staying. And never doubt that we have Nyria watching over us all.”
He bowed to both Mac and Dink. Then his form wavered and dissolved once again into energy that slowly disappeared. Dink turned to Mac with a look of total disbelief on his face. “Well, fuck. Great newsman I am. I have a camera in my pocket and I forgot to take a picture.”
“You’ll have a chance.” Mac got down on his knees on the floor. “Zianne? Is there anything you need? You’ve slept so much—does your squirrel need food or water? I’ve got it here for you.”
She began to sparkle and grow. Within seconds Zianne stood next to the sleeping squirrel. A heartbeat later, she was in Mac’s arms. He held her close, amazed at how healthy, how strong she looked. “But how?”
“Only for a while,” she said. “Nattoch’s energy is powerful.” She leaned over Mac’s shoulder. “Dink, hello.”
Dink stared at her as if he were seeing a ghost. Mac almost laughed at the grin slowly spreading across that inscrutable newscaster’s face of his. “Zianne? I don’t know what to say.”
“Now that’s a first.” Mac kissed Zianne. She was in his arms, a woman, alive and whole, if only for a short while.
She sighed. “I am growing weaker, Mac. If I don’t survive, I don’t want my last hours with you to be spent as a little gray rodent.” She kissed him again. “I need to tell you how much I love you. And how much I love Dink as well.” She looked at Dink, and her beautiful violet eyes sparkled with tears. “You two are the best of my memories, and you, Mac, will always be my beloved hero, whether this crazy plan works or not.”
She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again. Then she slipped out of his embrace, pulled Dink to his feet, and kissed him as well. “It’s good that you’re here, Nils Dinkemann. Mac needs you. And if this scheme works and my people are saved, we will all need you. You will be our spokesman and tell your world about us.” She stood beside Dink with an arm around his waist and smiled at Mac, and for a moment he was back at Sloan’s Bar, drinking cheap beer and laughing about nothing and everything with the two people he loved most.
He promised himself then that they’d go back to Sloan’s together. They’d have those drinks and celebrate when this was all done, because Cam’s crazy plan was going to work. He refused to accept anything else.
“How long can you hold this form?” Mac stepped up behind Zianne and wrapped his arms around her waist. She leaned her head back against his chest and sighed.
“Long enough. As long as Dink’s not too tired. If we screw up and the plan doesn’t work, I want my last night to be a good one, and I want to share it making love with both of you.”
Dink raised his head and stared at Mac as if he couldn’t believe he was here, that Zianne was here. That any of this was really happening, but Zianne was unbuttoning Mac’s shirt, and it appeared there was an excellent chance, at least for now, they were going to spend this night building more dreams, more hope, and a whole lot of love.
Mac lifted Zianne and headed toward the bedroom as she continued working her way down the buttons on his shirt. He paused in the doorway and glanced over his shoulder. “Dink? This way. Unless you’ve forgotten how this works.”