Chapter 57
Royce lay in bed, an arm curled around Dylan who lay with his head on Royce’s chest. Together they basked not only in the afterglow of their sex but also of their mating. Now that he was bonded to Dylan, their connection was stronger than ever.
He picked up Dylan’s hand and twined their fingers together. Their hands were similar yet different — his big and pale, Dylan’s smaller and tan. Both were hard and scarred. A reflection of who they were. Their life as soldiers had brought them together in a perfect fit. Royce knew he would never have fallen for anyone who didn’t live the same life as he did. A sweet civilian waiting for him at home was not for him. He needed Dylan, the omega’s strength and passion and joy called to both parts of him, man and wolf. His heart and his Instinct had been nothing but ice for so long. But Dylan had warmed those frozen spaces inside him. And now, being bonded, he finally felt as if he had a pack. A home.
“I love you,” Dylan said softly.
“I love you too.”
He’d just dropped a kiss on Dylan’s head when someone knocked on the door, intruding on their cocoon of newly bonded bliss. Royce knew what that meant. It was time to go to work.
“Yeah?” he called out.
“It’s go time,” Jax said on the other side of the door.
“We’re on our way.”
Dylan sighed. “I’d better go to my room and get ready.”
Royce squeezed him once in a hug before he let him go. They rose from the bed, Dylan pulling on the discarded casual clothes he’d worn home from the hospital. They exchanged one last kiss before Hazard returned to his room.
After Hazard left, Ice got up to put on his uniform. In the wardrobe he started to reach for one of his long sleeve black tops as usual. But today he decided against it. Instead, he grabbed a short sleeve uniform top. He shrugged into it and buttoned it up, tucking it into his pants. The collar was high enough to cover the fresh bond bite at the base of his throat. His pulled on his boots next. Then he took out a fresh balaclava. But he didn’t put it on.
Ice stared down at the black cotton. He’d been wearing a balaclava under his mask during missions for years. The combination gave him a sense of anonymity and made him feel more like an instrument of war than a man. As a weapon, no one knew him and he didn’t care that he belonged to no one. But now, he did belong to someone. To Dylan, his bonded mate.
He tossed the balaclava on the bed. He wasn’t going to wear it, but he wasn’t going on an op without his wolf mask. Ice looked through his collection. White, black, camo. Deciding on the black one, he put it on and buckled the straps closed at the back of his head. Once he was completely dressed, he looked at himself in the mirror.
The short sleeves of his black uniform shirt were made even shorter by a thick cuff. The sleeves stopped high on his muscled biceps, leaving his arms bare down to his wrists where gloves covered his hands. His tattoos were on display, the bands of inked art rising up to his elbows revealing his Mystic Storm heritage. Without the balaclava his hair was out, the white blond a stark contrast against the black wolf mask. His neck, the hard line of his jaw, and his chin were all visible.
He hadn’t gone out in public this exposed in a long time.
After taking a moment to be sure this was what he wanted, he opened the door and stepped out of his room. The rest of the team were in the common area waiting for him.
“What took you, sir? You’re usually the first one ready to —.”
Hazard stopped mid-sentence. His mouth dropped open in surprise as he ran his gaze from the top of Ice’s head and down his arms.
“You look good,” Ortiz said.
Ice gave a single nod as thanks.
“Yeah,” Jax agreed. “And somehow even more intimidating.”
Hazard simply smiled at him. He was clearly happy and proud but he didn’t say anything. The look was enough.
Ortiz clapped her hands together. “Okay then. Let’s go catch us a bad guy.”
“I had no idea you were blond,” Jax said as they left the barracks. “Is that natural or dyed?”
“He’s definitely a natural blond,” Hazard said with a smug grin curling his lips.
Jax groaned. “Fucking hell.”
Hazard laughed then yelped when Ice grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and lightly shook him. “Behave,” he said before he released him.
Hazard nodded, but humor continued to dance in his eyes.
On their way to the armory, they passed several soldiers. Their eyes bugged out of their heads with shock when they saw Ice with his hair and tattoos bared to the world. One of them stared at him so hard that they walked into another soldier. They both stumbled back, grabbing on to each other to keep from falling to the ground.
“Keep your eyes forward, private,” Ice ordered with a thread of amusement hiding beneath his gruff tone.
“Yes, sir,” the private said with a sharp salute.
Ice kept a straight face behind his mask. Jax and Hazard snickered while Ortiz shook her head and sighed.
* * *
In the ready room, the team swiftly but carefully geared up. Hazard was buzzing with battle readiness. He buckled on the switch blade Ice had given him, more as a way to have a piece of his lover with him than with any intent to use it. Right before he put on his helmet Ice called him over.
“Come here.”
Hazard went over to the alpha, expecting to get some necessary piece of final advice before the mission. But Ice surprised him. He gently cupped the back of his head and leaned down, brushing their noses together in a light scenting.
“Be careful,” Ice said, making it sound like an order.
Hazard nodded. “I will, sir. You be careful too.”
After a low grunt of acknowledgment, Ice let him go and stepped away.
Hazard went back over to his space and settled his helmet on his head, securely buckling the straps under his chin.
“You two are cute,” Jax teased from the other side of the room.
Hazard rolled his eyes at his squadmate’s teasing, but a smile still broke free. He was pleased that Ice had been openly affectionate. It was a far cry from the man who’d insisted he didn’t need scenting from anyone.
After Ortiz did a weapons check, they left the armory and hustled across the tarmac to the plane waiting to fly them to Minnesota. As Hazard jogged up the ramp, a sure feeling settled in his gut. One way or another, the situation with Cortez would end tonight.