Dragon’s Mission (Dragon Blaze Ops Book 1) Page 9

  Epilogue

  “This,” Fiona said to Clementine as the two women waited for the Blaze Ops to return, “is the hardest part of it all. It’s at times like this that I wish Maura had insisted that Patrick and I break up.”

  Clementine smiled vaguely at her but was clearly too distracted to take much notice. Fiona understood how she felt. The boys were due back any minute. They weren’t in the ‘overdue’ part of it yet, but they were in radio silence. There was no real knowing if things were going smoothly or if something had gone dreadfully wrong.

  Even though the Blaze Ops had been running a series of successful missions, there was no guarantee that the Pack wouldn’t figure out what they were doing and how.

  The beat of wings made Fiona jumped to her feet and look to the sky. Her heart pounded as six figures appeared in the darkness. One by one, each of her boys dropped down. Patrick was the last of them, and Fiona raced into his arms the moment he shifted back to his human form. Eugene guided several people toward Clementine.

  Fiona spared only a minute for kissing before she pulled back and resumed her professional aura. “How did it go?”

  “Not bad.” Patrick grimaced as he rubbed his wrist. “We had to take out a lightning shield—”

  Fiona rolled her eyes. It wasn’t called a lightning shield, but Patrick liked to tease her by calling it that.

  “—But our mission was successful. That’s another half-dozen of the Pack’s experimental subjects that we’ve managed to free now.” Patrick’s gaze darkened as he watched the people he had just rescued start weeping with relief, while Clementine and the other doctors tried to reassure them. “Even if they can’t tell us anything about the Alpha and what his plans are, at least we got them out of there.”

  “Thank God for that,” Fiona agreed fervently. “At least we know that Cooper’s abilities to infiltrate the Pack weren’t damaged by the whole incident with me and the Senator. If it wasn’t for him, we’d never have been able to save these people.”

  Liam stepped up beside them. He had soot on his face, and his eyes blazed with such hatred that it made Fiona recoil, until she realized it wasn’t directed at her. “I saw her as I was pulling out those two teens there. Utopia Tennet. The Alpha’s go-to doctor.” He spat on the ground. “She doesn’t deserve that title. I can’t wait until I get my hands on her. She is going to pay for everything she’s done.”

  Fiona thought about the cool demeanor she’d faced when she was in the hands of the Pack and shivered. She’d been there for less than a week. Some of the people they rescued were under the control of the Pack for months. Years, even. What terrible things they went through… She was just glad that Maura had a team of psychologists to help these victims try to recover from their trauma.

  Beside her, Patrick laid a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “I know how you feel. I know that this is terrible and that you want to protect and defend these people. But you have to remember there are limits to what you can do.”

  The only response was a scowl.

  This time, Fiona sighed. “Liam, listen. We are doing what we can. We’re going to get her one of these days. But in the meantime, you need to focus on what you and the team are here for. Rescue and recovery. You did good work today. Focus on that. These people are safe now. Because of the work you did.”

  “But only these people.”

  Fiona repressed another sigh. She understood where he was coming from, after all, and couldn’t blame him for his anger.

  “Sorry, Dr. Fiona.” His shoulders slumped. “It’s just that I… I don’t like it.”

  “None of us do,” Patrick replied. He squeezed Liam’s shoulder and let his hand drop. “That’s why we have to be able to compartmentalize with some of these things. You understand that, right?”

  “It’s just that…” Liam ran a hand over his buzzed hair. “It doesn’t feel like it matters. We saved these people. So what? Tennet is just going to grab another half dozen people for her sick experiments. Six more people are going to be torn from their families, their homes. We can keep playing catch-up like this, but they’re going to catch onto us. They’re going to get smarter, and it’s going to be harder to get anybody out.”

  He started to walk away, but Fiona couldn’t let him go on such a low note. “I know it’s hard, but we are getting closer. But remember, it’s the Shadow Ops that is getting more information about the Pack. They’re far bigger than we anticipated, but every day that goes by, Cooper and his team are finding out more information. We will take them down.”

  “No.” Liam turned back and shook his head. “We won’t. Because the Blaze Ops is only about rescue and recovery. We’re not going to have any part in taking them down.”

  “We do our part,” Patrick rumbled. A furrow was in his brow, giving him a glaring look even though Fiona knew he wasn’t angry. “If you don’t think interrupting the Pack’s experiments is part of taking them down—”

  “What I’m saying,” Liam snarled, lowering his voice as he came closer again, “is that we could be doing more. Rescue and recovery are all well and good. But we could ‘recover’ Utopia Tennet and end this once and for all. At least we could if the Shadow Ops did their fucking job properly! How many times do we end up at a place that they swear she’s at only for it to turn out to be bullshit?”

  “You said you saw her today.”

  “And I should have grabbed her!” Fire flickered out of Liam’s mouth.

  The heat made several of Fiona’s hairs singe and curl up. She flinched as the smell of burnt hair mingled with the smell of smoke.

  Patrick grabbed both of Liam’s shoulders and snarled under his breath. He shoved the Captain away from Fiona and glowered at him so forcefully that Liam ducked his head. Patrick didn’t have to say anything for Liam to withdraw into himself. He inhaled deeply several times before peeking up. Shame burned in his eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” he said to Fiona. “I shouldn’t have lost my temper like that.”

  Fiona nodded at him.

  He dragged his hand over his hair again and let out a heavy sigh. “You’re right. I need to focus on my job. But. But I swear, it is going to be my life’s mission to bring her down. To stop her from hurting anybody else and to make her pay for what she’s doing. I am going to do that. It won’t stop me from doing my job.”

  Patrick looked torn somewhere between proud and annoyed. Fiona, however, shivered. Liam was a good guy, but a mission like that… even for the right reasons, it could make people lose their way. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to end up in serious trouble.

  “We are working on finding her. But it’s not your job to bring her to justice. Okay? Please, remember that. Remember what your job is, and don’t let yourself get distracted. Today, if you had gone after her, it could have put your team in danger. The people you saved might still be in the Pack’s hands.

  “I said it won’t stop me from doing my job.”

  “I know that’s what you said, but intentions and actions don’t always corollate.” And she remembered the way Utopia had flinched whenever the Alpha entered the room, the way he’d threatened her, and the way she had dropped enough hints that they’d been able to save Senator Kinsman. “And I don’t think it’s as simple as you think.”

  Liam frowned. “What’s not as simple?”

  “Utopia.”

  Liam growled, and Patrick shoved his shoulder.

  “Patrick,” Fiona snapped, exasperated. “Do I need to ask you to go wait inside?”

  He ducked his head but kept himself between Liam and Fiona. It was a little annoying since they all knew Liam wasn’t going to hurt her. At the same time, though, Fiona found it… pleasant… that Patrick was so protective of her. In the months since their relationship had solidified into a real one, it had become more and more clear that Patrick was a loving, doting man. Stubborn for sure, but between the two of them their stubbornness canceled each other out.

  After a moment, Liam started talking again. “I k
now what you observed, Ma’am,” he said slowly, not looking at her. “But I don’t think it makes any difference. Sorry if I’m being rude.” He glanced at her face and then away again. “There just isn’t anything that can excuse that sort of action. I don’t care what she’s doing it for. She’s committing crimes against prisoners, and I’m not going to let that sort of thing slide.”

  There was a slight accusation in his tone that made Fiona bristle. “I’m not saying she should go unpunished, what I’m saying is—”

  “I know. You see things as more complicated. And ma’am,” he continued, and her heart sank. He only called her ma’am when he was stuck in his ways and not about to make any changes for any reason but wanted to be polite about it, “I envy your ability to see things like that. I can’t. It’s simple enough. She knows what she’s doing, and she’s doing it anyway. There is never an excuse for that sort of thing. It’s unforgivable.”

  “I can see those complications because I’ve lived them. It’s unforgivable? Many people could say the same thing about me. Many do, in fact.”

  Liam’s head jerked up. “That’s different.”

  “Is it?”

  “You were just a kid and—”

  “You don’t know Utopia’s situation.”

  Patrick put an arm around Fiona. This was a conversation they’d had themselves once or twice. Fiona was glad that he’d stayed out of it as long as he had so far. However, by the line of his jaw, she knew that he wasn’t going to let this go forward.

  She snorted, earning a short glare from her mate, but he didn’t address her. “Captain, go clean up. Dr. Rizzoli is going to want to have a debriefing here, sooner rather than later. I don’t want you late to it.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  They both saluted, and Liam headed for the building. Patrick lingered with her for a moment. Once Liam was out of earshot, he turned to her with a sigh. “I worry about him. He’s taking this whole thing far more personally than I expected.”

  “I know what you mean. Liam feels a lot.” Fiona frowned after him. The boys might joke about her and Patrick being ‘mom and dad’, but there were times—today being one of them—where she felt like it was true. These were her boys. Out of everyone she’d trained, she hadn’t gotten as close to any of them as she was to these guys. Liam had been off his game for the last couple of missions. Not bad enough to warrant anything but a reminder, but it was troublesome. “I think maybe he needs to spend a bit more time with the people you guys rescued. Maybe then he won’t think of this all as a lost cause.”

  “Maybe,” Patrick said, but there was a doubtful frown tugging at his lips. He shook his head. “I’m too tired to try to figure that out right now. Come on. I need to clean up before the debriefing, too. Care to join me?”

  Fiona slid her hand into the crook of his elbow. “I thought you’d never ask. Yes, let’s go get you cleaned up.”

  “We have to hurry,” Patrick said as they headed for the building. “After all, I can’t be late.”

  Fiona grinned. “You’ll be late if I want you to be late. And that’s all there is to it.”

  ***

  One debriefing later, and there was only one thing on Patrick’s mind. It felt like he’d been separated from his mate for an eternity; he made excuses about being tired and having things to do to avoid the invitations he received to go hang out at the bar with the boys and quickly ushered Fiona back to the apartments. Once there, he slung her over his shoulder, earning peeling giggles that made his fires burn hotter, and raced up to the apartment that they now shared.

  Once inside, he tossed her onto the bed, grinning when she bounced.

  “What happened to being tired?” she demanded, giggling as he ran his hands up her legs.

  “I think I’ve gotten my second wind now.”

  He enjoyed the sight of her for a moment before he slipped his hand to where the button on her slacks was and popped it open. Fiona pulled her hair free from the bun it was in and shook it free. The sight of her loose curls tumbling about her face made him inhale sharply, tightening even as he gazed at his mate, lost in her beauty.

  “Shame,” Fiona purred. “You see, I was going to take advantage of your early bedtime to get a bit of my work done. There is so much paperwork, after all.” She let out an exaggerated sigh. “And so, I’m afraid that you’re just going to have to be disappointed.”

  She made to sit up, and Patrick pressed her back into the bed, straddling her now as he gave her a stern look. “I don’t think so. Paperwork can wait.”

  “Oh, but it really can’t,” Fiona teased.

  “Yes, it can. And if they complain about it being late, you can tell them you were taking care of me. After all, I just rescued all those people. I need my mate.” He nuzzled into her neck, grinning as her arms and legs wrapped around him. Her form was so soft, so beguiling, that he moaned. His hands roved her figure as though he’d never felt it before, wanting to touch her places where even he hadn’t touched her yet. “Nobody will deny a returning hero his prize.”

  “His prize, really?” Fiona dug her hands into his hair. “Ugh. I should protest that sentiment on principle alone. But you’re lucky. I want you too much to say no.”

  “Mmm, lucky me,” he purred, ripping open her shirt.

  Buttons flew every which way, pinging off his chest. Fiona made a noise of protest, but that didn’t stop her from tearing open his shirt just the same. She growled as she kissed down his chest, her teeth teasing against his nipples. Patrick grunted in pleasure, moving back a little so she could straighten her spine and not be uncomfortable.

  “You,” Fiona said as she tenderly removed the shirt she had so viciously torn. “You are one amazing dragon. The only thing better than one of you would be two of you. But then you’d be twins and that’d be incest and that’s gross.”

  Patrick laughed aloud, knotting his fingers into her hair as she kissed down his body. The coolness of her hands made him shiver as she worked the rest of his clothing off, leaving him vulnerable and bare to her. His lips were slightly parted, and a deep moan echoed from his throat when she took him into her mouth.

  “Wait,” he gasped, not willing to pull away from that beautiful heat, the pressure she knew just how to give him, “won’t it be more comfortable if we change positions?”

  Fiona smirked at him. With her hands on his hips, she moved him so he was kneeling upright, as straight as he could. Then she took him into her mouth again. She was so good, her tongue wicked. Everything about her spoke right to him. His fingers worked deeper into her silky hair. Patrick gazed at the long line of her spine, the creaminess of her skin, the roundness of her ass. She was so fucking beautiful that he couldn’t breathe. Beautiful and smart and sexy. The way she worked with her mouth right now… it made him screw his eyes shut and grind his teeth with the effort not to fill her mouth.

  “Are you liking this?” she purred in a tone that said she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

  “God,” Patrick grunted between his teeth. “Fuck me!”

  “He might do a better job at it.”

  “No.” Patrick pulled her up to him, catching her lips, the taste of him still in her mouth. “No god could be better at this than you.”

  “Flatterer.”

  Patrick shook his head. “It’s the truth. I can’t imagine being with anybody else. All I want is you, Fiona. I love you.”

  Fiona gasped sharply. She pulled back, her eyes widening, and Patrick stared back at her in confusion. Tears welled in her eyes, and he took her into his arms, alarmed. “What’s the matter? What did I do? Did I hurt you?”

  “No.” Fiona sniffed as she buried herself into his embrace. “No, you didn’t hurt me. It’s just that… Well… I don’t actually remember the last time someone told me that they loved me. My father never said it. I don’t know if my mom ever did…”

  Patrick’s arms tightened around her. He wanted nothing more than to go back in time and change her past. Rescue her f
rom the pain that she went through as a child and teen. She had such a good heart; she didn’t deserve any of the treatment she had received. And, if he could, he would have gone back and changed his own treatment of her from the start. It made him so ashamed now to think of how he acted around her… how he had been planning on trying to blackmail her into leaving the program.

  He buried his face in her hair. “I’m sorry. You should never have had to put up with that. And I do love you. I love you more than I thought I could love anybody. Come to think of it, I shouldn’t have waited this long to tell you.”

  She turned her beautiful eyes up to him. Tears still ran from them, but her smile was like a rainbow. She beamed, taking his breath away. Then she was kissing again, further stealing his breath. Everything in his body burned for her. He wanted nothing more than to make love to her until the stars went cold.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered.

  “Aw… fuck,” he breathed.

  Fiona drew back, looking startled. “What?”

  Patrick laughed, shaking his head. He knew how that sounded. “Sorry. It’s just… I have been told I love you before. So many times, I’ve lost count. It’s always been something… rote. I don’t think anybody’s said those words to me like you have.”

  Red crept up her neck and cheeks. “Oh really?”

  “Oh really.”

  Patrick kissed her deeply. He teased her mouth open, wanting to show her everything that she was making him feel. Wanting to express with his body how much she meant to him. Words were not adequate. Never before had anybody made his fires roar as she did. Nobody had ever made him tingle in delight just to hear his name on their lips.

  And nobody ever would, ever again. He was hers: soul, heart, and body. Nobody would ever lay claim on him again.

  Gently, tenderly, he removed the rest of her clothing and laid her back down on the bed. He was already hard and throbbing, but he wasn’t about to take care of himself until she had everything she needed. Her gaze tracked him, those happy tears still on her face. He sucked her breasts the way she liked him too, then continued to move down her form.