Operation: Marauder
Chapter 26

Rowan kept his focus on the Wraythe hot on their tail. Zoey was doing great. He expected no less from his mate. It was his job to ensure her efforts weren’t for naught.

The Wraythe at the gate expected them to run straight at them. They scrambled when Zoey aimed for the fence beside it. The vehicle shook when she broke through it, and the colonel in the back groaned, holding his chest. His skin was pale, sunken in. Cas had assured him the human would be fine--as long as they found somewhere quiet so he could patch him up.

Zoey turned for the main road, but Jack, on the same wavelength as Rowan, tapped Zoey’s shoulder and told her to follow a dirt path going west for the mountains. She glanced at Rowan, unsure, but he offered a nod of comfort. The mountain base would be safe for the meantime--if Rowan could get the Wraythe off their tail before they found the entrance.

Only one vehicle had caught up to them; one Wraythe crouched on top of the SUV, preparing to jump when they go close enough.

Rowan leaned out the window and took aim of the tires. He swore he shot two of them, but the air didn’t fizz out.

Jack, watching, called to him, “They have no-air tires. Shooting them won’t make a difference.”

They also had bullet-proof glass and siding. Nothing he did slowed them down--and they were getting close.

Until the Marauder exited her cloaking field above them and launched two torpedoes. The first was a direct hit, sending the car flying; the second was for good measure, setting off a plume of smoke so no one else could follow.

Rowan saluted Mave before they went into cloak again then he tucked back in the vehicle. “We’re in the clear.”

Zoey visibly relaxed and gave him a little smile. He could get shot at by Wraythe all day if he meant he got to see that smile at the end of the day. He took her hand and kissed her knuckles, grateful she was his.

Aaron moaned. Zoey glanced back at him through the mirror, concern in her eyes. “Dad?”

“He’ll be fine,” Jack assured her. “As soon as we get to the base, Cas can start working on him.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Base? In the mountains?”

“It’s a repurposed bunker from the sixties, meant for emergencies,” Jack explained. He, too, had relaxed, leaning back into the seat as if it was the most comfortable down cushion. “It’s filled with supplies, weapons--and a hanger big enough for the Marauder.”

“It has everything we need to set up a more subtle base of operations,” Rowan added, more excited to have a place to themselves to conduct their hunt than anything else Jack listed.

“You guys will be safe?”

"We will be safe,” Rowan corrected her. She was distancing herself from them, but he wasn’t having any of it. Wherever he went, she was going with him. End of story.

A pained look crossed her face when she gazed ahead of them. “Rowan. . . I can’t stay with you. I. . . I signed a contract: I can have my life back, but I can’t see you or Jack ever again. Either that or I go to prison for life.”

"What?” Jack shrilled while Rowan growled at the colonel, knowing he had something to do with it. “Dad, you can’t be serious. You said you would look after Zoey!”

“I did what I thought was right,” he groaned. He was growing paler by the minute. Cas did his best to staunch the bleeding in the vehicle, but the road was bumpy and Cas didn’t have enough supplies to do his job properly.

"By cutting her out of my life??” Jack shouted, his voice two octaves above normal. “There is nothing right about that! How could you do this?”

Despite his injuries, the colonel’s gaze cut into him. “I haven’t done anything yet. Zoey didn’t actually have the chance to sign the contact.” He winced, holding his side. Once the pain subsided, he continued a little more breathless, “After today’s events, it is evident that Zoey is a target for the Wraythe. She needs protection I can’t provide.”

“But we can,” Cas jumped in, then nodded to Rowan, a silent promise that she was in good hands.

The colonel grunted in response. “It would only be temporary, until I can put a team together-”

“No,” Rowan cut him off. “My men--and them alone--will be her protectors.” While he was making demands, he made a few more, “We will also no longer run your errands. If you want reporters saved, save them yourselves. We will hunt the Wraythe plaguing your planet and you will continue to provide for us until the threat is gone. In return for protecting your planet, you will leave Zoey alone; her life is to remain the same.”

The colonel glowered at him, but then released a ragged breath. “Fine. We don’t have much of a choice.”

“No, you don’t.”

Rowan faced the front and scanned the wilderness for any threats.

Zoey peered over at Rowan for the millionth time. She had been driving for hours in the dead of silence after her dad had surprisingly gave in to Rowan’s list of demands. She had never seen anyone talk to him like that. Would he ever stop surprising her?

Eventually, as the sun crested over the mountains, Jack tapped her shoulder. “We’re here. Park by that tree.”

She did as instructed and let out a breath of relief when she cut the engine. She didn’t care that they were in the middle of the woods on a warn down road with little light to guide them. They were safe.

For now, at least.

All the tension in her shoulders gave out, leaving her with an ache in her neck.

Rowan and Jack exited the car to check the perimeter. When it was safe, Rowan opened the door for her and offered a helping hand out; she took it gratefully, replaceing much needed strength in his touch.

Jack shone his flashlight towards a lightly trodden path. “This way. The entrance isn’t far.”

He took the lead, while Rowan and Zoey followed, with Cas and her dad in the rear. The sun set quickly, leaving them in darkness. Jack was the only one with a flashlight, so she entirely relied on Rowan to guide her.

Silence rang through the air, putting her on edge--until an owl hooted in the distance. She jumped.

Rowan brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “You are safe. No Wraythe or bear is getting passed me.”

Despite already knowing she was safe with them, hearing his words brought a new wave of comfort over her; the rough texture of his lips sent a buzz through her body that further relaxed her, almost as if he had willed her to relax. There was still so much she had to learn about Arthonians, she wouldn’t be surprised if that was true.

“So, uh, back at the base,” she started slowly, trying not to think too hard about the horrors at the base, “those Wraythe said I smelt like an Arthonian female. Some of them said I’ve been marked. . .”

Rowan tensed, as if bracing for a hit.

“What does that mean?” she asked. “They made it seem like a big deal, but it’s not, is it?” If it was, maybe she should have asked her questions before she slept with him.

Rowan chewed on his bottom lip, eyes front. “When we coupled, I inadvertently made you my mate.”

“You made me your mate. . . .” Her mind whirled. She wished they could stop walking for a minute while she processed this and everything she knew about Arthonians. “Your people mate for life, don’t they?”

“We do.” He still refused to look at her, like he was afraid of how she would look at him; his grip was tight around her hand.

“Oh.” She needed a moment to absorb that. She hadn’t thought about settling down with anyone, mostly because her relationships never lasted longer than a year. She certainly hadn’t expected Rowan to want to be with her long term. “This is. . . unexpected.”

He squeezed her hand and finally turned his gaze to her, pleading. “It is. Zoey, if I had known we would become mates, I would have talked to you before we coupled. But I am glad this happened. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”

She blinked, surprised by his earnest confession. “Really? Are you sure?” There were so many women in the universe, how could he possibly think she was the one?

He pulled her to a stop and took her hands; Jack shined the flashlight at him, a reminder to keep moving, but he said nothing. “More than anything in my life. . . As long as you are happy that I am your mate,” he added sheepishly.

She smiled at him. “I am.”

There was still so much she wanted to know about him, but just by looking at him, she knew she would only fall deeper in love with him. He was the one for her.

“Wait just a minute!” Aaron broke away from Cas to stand between them, facing Zoey. “I can’t let you throw your life away on a whim.”

“Dad-”

Aaron tossed a dismissive hand to her brother. “Quiet, Jack.”

Rowan growled, but Zoey spoke first, “I’m not throwing my life away. I love Rowan and I want to spend my life with him.”

He gave her the same disappointed glower he gave her on her eighteenth birthday right after she told him she wasn’t signing up for the military. Right before he exploded and disowned her. “He’s an alien, not an ordinary man. What are you going to do when his ship is fixed, hmm?”

Suddenly, she was unsure. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I’ll-I’ll leave with him.”

She looked to Rowan to see if that was something he wanted; the smile he gave her warmed her heart. It made all the worries she held about their future fade away.

Her father scoffed, ruining the lovely moment between them. “You won’t last a week in space--on his planet. They won’t accept you.”

“On the contrary,” Cassian piped up, “interspecies relationships are more common than you think. Zoey will be welcomed as Rowan’s mate. Not only that, the Federation hasn’t come in contact with humans yet. There is much they can learn from her.”

“It would be handy having an ambassador,” Jack put in, winking at her. “If more Wraythe turn up--or another threat--it’ll be nice to know we can call on someone.”

Aaron whirled on her brother. “Jack-”

“No, Dad. Zoey has found someone who loves her for who she is. Just, for once, be happy for her and welcome Rowan to the family. I’m sure in Hell happy to call him my brother.” Jack quickly peered around the forest then gestured for the path with his light. “We need to keep moving. The Marauder is still airborne. They can’t land until we unlock the hangar doors in the base.” With that, Jack marched onwards, their only source of light disappearing with him.

Zoey rushed after him, but Aaron caught her hand. Rowan growled a warning at him. Jumping, Aaron released her. Ignoring him, Zoey rushed to catch up to Jack, who was insistent on making it to the secret base within the hour. Aaron scrambled to keep pace with her.

“I’m sorry,” the colonel beseeched, holding his side. It clearly hurt to walk at the pace they were going, but if Zoey had learned one thing from the man, it was to never show pain, and he was a living example of that. “I know I haven’t been the best father to you, Zoey, but I’ve seen how you’ve handled yourself today, heard of the Wraythe you killed, how you learned to fly a spaceship in a week, and that truck you modified. . . . You’re not the engineer I wanted--you’re better. You’re more than what I could have ever asked for in a daughter, and I’m sorry I never saw it. I’ve never been more proud to be your father.″ He slipped his hand into hers, making her look at him. He hadn’t held her hand since she was little; the last time had been at a theme park and he was afraid she’d get lost. “You’re going to be holed up in this base for a while; if you permit it, I’d like to visit, maybe have dinner with the both of you. It seems only fair that I get to know the man my daughter loves.”

She couldn’t fight the small smile tugging at her lips, despite how hard she tried to shove the little girl inside her aside that only wanted her father’s approval. Nothing she had done in her life had been for him; she did it because she wanted to and it made her happy. But knowing that he was proud of the woman she had become. . . it touched a sweet spot and she nodded. “I’d like that. We have six years to catch up on.”

A warm smile swept across his face. “I can’t wait to hear all about it. Ah!” He dropped to his knees, clutching his side.

“Dad!”

Jack and Zoey gripped his shoulders, but Cassian pushed them away gently so he could see the problem. He frowned deeply at the blood seeping through the gauze. “His wounds are reopening. We need to get to the base.”

Jack flashed the light up the trail. “It’s just past this ridge.”

Cassian lifted Aaron and his protests into his arms and carried him up the hill behind Jack. Rowan came to her side and gave her a comforting squeeze. “Cassian’s the best doctor in my galaxy. Your father won’t die tonight.”

She took comfort in that. Rowan had told her of all the trouble he had gone through to get his crew, to get Mave specifically. The Marauder was the squad everyone went to when they wanted the job done. Now they were the only people on her planet who could help them against the Wraythe threat.

She had the utmost faith in them and the man she loved. She planned on helping them in any way she could. With the government’s funding and a secret base with five aliens, she was sure she could come up with something good.

“Here we are.” Jack came to a stop in front of a veil of vines wrapping around an enormous boulder at the top of the ridge. He pulled the vines aside and pressed a hidden button. With a laborious grunt, the door swung inwards. “Welcome to your new home, boys--and Zoey.”

Zoey had no idea what to expect from this point on, but with Rowan, Jack, and the Marauder at her side, there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do, nothing she couldn’t create. The Wraythe better look out. They picked the wrong planet to fuck with.

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed Zoey and Rowan’s journey. Follow me for updates on the sequel, following Maliki and Nina’s adventure!

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