CHAPTER 18
A nervous Leila stood outside Tower watching as, one by one, the Zodiac Warriors seated themselves in the sandbox—which contained fine grains with no discernible special properties she could uncover—and drew the calculations that would take them directly to Toronto.
As a warrior departed, the next took their place, usually only needing to do a slight cleanup of the sigils that got scuffed.
Leila had never seen all the Zodiacs gathered before, and it proved impressive.
They’d dressed for battle in black combat fatigues and steel-toed boots, wearing bandoliers with extra ammo to go with the semi-automatic weapons they all carried—which Grayson had recently practiced with and enjoyed.
They all bore swords or long daggers, sheathed down the backs or hanging by their hips.
Holstered at their waists, spray bottles containing some of the poison water, with the exception of Pisces, who chose to bring a bright-colored water gun.
The speech Aries gave before they began beaming away had been inspiring but also grim.
“At two a.m., the tankers full of the toxic fluid will begin dumping their loads into the sewer system. At the same time, the sprinkler system in the subways will go off, coating the tunnels. Any aliens that come in contact with the poison will die. Expect them to panic and surge from the underground like rats. Which is where we come in. Our task is to handle any that try to escape the toxic net. Given the size of the city, and the fact we are only thirteen, I passed along a tip to my inside man with the Canadian military. He’s going to make sure we have some extra help.
There will be soldiers combing the streets with us. Try to avoid notice if possible.”
“The public has been warned to stay out of the sewers, I assume?” asked Scorpio.
“Yes. I made my contact aware we found a way to stop the aliens, that it came with risks to humans, but given the scope of the problem, we had little choice. We’ve done our best to minimize possible casualties.
The subway line will shut down early, and all staff, including overnight maintenance and security, have been sent home. ”
“There’s a lot of sewer grates and manholes in Toronto. Don’t suppose we have any clue which ones are most likely to spit out aliens?” The bulky Leo had torn the sleeves from his shirt, revealing bulging arms.
“They don’t seem to be consistent on where they emerge and will likely be in a rabid frenzy once they realize staying underground is deadly, which is why we’ll have eyes in the skies advising us where to go.
As you’re aware, we’ve set up a command post.” Aries glanced over at Leila, standing alongside several other women, partners to these brave men.
“They will control the drones and relay what they see. Make sure you don’t remove the earpieces, or you might miss the coordinates for a sighting.
I know we usually don’t rely on technology to hunt, but given the threat, we have to be thorough.
If even a single alien escapes, then this will be for naught. ”
Because just one could find a way to hide and create a new army.
“Is it true you got us some crotch rockets to move around the city?” Pisces bounced on the balls of his feet, not hiding his excitement.
“Everyone gets a bike with nav systems linked to the command post. Soon as something is spotted on a drone, the warrior closest to the location will receive coordinates to the GPS. Any questions?”
“How long are we hunting for?”
“Until they’re all dead.” A flat reply. “Assuming all goes well, the mission should be complete by dawn.”
“That’s only four hours,” noted Scorpio.
“If the poison works as well as hoped, then we could even be done within the hour.”
“Assuming it reaches every single tunnel,” Sagittarius pointed out.
“Even if it doesn’t, any escape route will be compromised. This stuff is highly toxic to the aliens. As a precaution, even if there’s no sightings after tonight, my contact is planning to reflood the tunnels and subway system again in a week. Now, is everyone ready? We’ve got a schedule to keep.”
There was something about seeing them beaming out one by one that struck her as patriotic. These people didn’t fight for a country or a religion, but rather, the entire world, and they did so without qualms. Even Grayson.
While he waited his turn, he came over to her for one last lingering kiss.
There was nothing left to be said. They’d discussed what would happen already at length. Still, she couldn’t help but murmur, “Be careful.”
“I’m coming back to you,” he gruffly replied.
“You’d better.” Then she blurted out what she’d realized the first night they slept together. “I love you, Grayson.”
His lips curved. “I know.”
She arched a brow. “Did you just quote Han Solo?”
“Yeah.”
“And do you have anything else to say?” She crossed her arms.
“I do, but it’s going to wait until I return and am holding you tight.”
His turn arrived, and with Aries coaching him, Grayson, AKA Libra, sat in the sandbox, traced where he was told, and in a flash of light—Poof—he was gone.
While Leila had been invited to join those working the command center and the drones, she instead found herself on Tower’s rooftop staring at the stars.
Praying to the Astraeus.
Keep him safe.
It was the longest night of her life. She ended up spending part of it scrolling social media in the dining room, with its endless cups of coffee, with Asterion’s cat in her lap.
Despite the late hour, the citizens of Toronto seemed aware something big was going down.
Video after video popped up, showing soldiers sweeping the streets.
A few even caught the mercenary-looking types zipping by on motorcycles.
The one thing the citizen reporters didn’t catch?
Any aliens.
As dawn approached, Leila finally dared to brave the busy command center, only to find the women, and the one male partner there, looking relaxed and even smiling.
“How did it go?” she asked of Sage, who sat apart holding her sleeping baby.
“Better than we could have hoped for. Thus far, only three healthy aliens were caught trying to escape and were easily handled. A dozen more also emerged, but they’d already been touched by the poison and died within seconds.”
“So all the warriors are okay?” Leila asked about them all rather than the one that concerned her most.”
“Grayson is fine, and as a matter of fact, I see him arriving very soon. Aries has begun releasing the warriors.”
“He’s coming back?” Leila couldn’t hide her excitement.
“If you start down now, you should be in time to meet him.”
Leila didn’t hesitate and raced for the stairs, her eagerness unseemly, but she didn’t care, nor was she alone. Circe and Ruth skipped down the steps with her.
They never made it to the bottom, though. Why would they when their warriors came bounding up, grinning and boisterous from victory.
Leila threw her arms around Grayson and hugged him tight. A hug that didn’t stop until he’d carried her to his apartment—since it was closer.
The first bout of lovemaking proved frenzied. The stress, the victory, emerged in a quick climax that left little room for soft sensuality or words. They took their time for round two, exploring, teasing, drawing out the pleasure.
Afterwards, as they lay in his bed—bodies cooling from passion—and the sun rose, he hugged her close and whispered, “I love you, Leila.”
In that moment, everything she’d gone through, all the hurt, anguish, fear, no longer mattered, for it all was part of the journey that brought them together. Two hearts beating as one.