Black Destiny (Black Opals 2)

“Kerr won’t be happy,” Medic continued.

Screw Kerr. He’d ordered Medic to take care of her, told Lily to report for debrief in the morning and then had left with Macon. She knew where they were going to blow off steam.

And what they’d be doing.

She’d been invited many times. It hadn’t taken Lily long to figure out Drakkonian men had voracious sexual appetites. Because of that, the only women allowed on base were non-combatants like Medic, or the ones who were there to take care of their sexual needs. There was no in-between.

Which is where Lily was stuck. And why she needed her cover to remain intact.

She bit her lip as an image of Kerr with the women crossed her mind. In an effort to fit in a few weeks back, she’d gone with the boys to “the tank”, which was nothing more than an alternate word for brothel. The women were well versed in the ways of pleasure and there had been liberal giving and taking.

Kerr had left with two Drakkonian whores, had laughingly asked if she wanted to join in on the fun. One female had tried hard to get her to come along. Of course they all thought she was male.

Lily had declined, fled to her quarters and had spent the night pissed off and full of emotions that she shouldn’t have been feeling. Kerr Strome had the right to do whatever the hell he wanted. She was there to protect him. Nothing more.

Lily’s breaths were coming in short gulps and she grimaced as a fresh wash of pain rolled over her body. She left the infirmary and turned quickly, her head low as she concentrated on the path that led to her private quarters.

“Blackie, hey, that was some move back there.” Karak, one of the men in the unit tried to stop her, but she nodded and kept going. “You’re heading the wrong way. After saving Kerr’s ass you should at least grab some for yourself.”

Lily ignored the man, wincing as his laughter echoed against the metal walls. When she reached her door she punched in her personal ID code and slipped inside, sinking to her bed immediately as the door slid closed behind her.

Her left arm was engulfed in pain and she hissed softly as she ripped off her head gear and the skull cap along with it. Her long hair was twisted tightly around her head and she yanked on the ends, loosening it as quick as she could. The relief she felt as her hair fell in waves down her back was immense and though her shoulder was on fire with pain, she smiled and shook out the length of crimson.

The relief was short lived, however, and she gingerly unlaced her boots, slipping them off her feet and letting the rest of her combat gear follow suit. By the time she was down to her undies, sweat formed a slippery sheen over most of her body.

She paused, dragged in a shaky breath and then walked to the mirror above the small sink in the corner. Her shoulder was caked in dried blood and she cursed as the pain continued to throb, not letting up as she tried to wash the area.

It was hard. She was dizzy and as the grime came away, a knot formed in the pit of her stomach. She’d definitely taken a small missile, and by the feel of the smooth skin on the back of her shoulder, it hadn’t exited.

It was still inside and that wasn’t good.

She swore loudly, using every Arathian curse she’d learned on her last mission but it didn’t change the fact that she needed to get the damn thing out.

Lily grabbed the alcohol and couldn’t keep the scream inside as she poured it over her wound. The liquid burned like fire along her flesh and tears sprang to her eyes, but she held on. She knew if she didn’t get the area clean, infection would rear its ugly head.

She nearly laughed. That was the least of her worries. If the bullet was in pieces there would be no way to stop the flow of poison. She’d be dead within twenty-four hours.

Lily glanced at her reflection and grimaced. She needed to hold on. Kerr must survive. She would get him off the planet and worry about herself later.

Failure wasn’t an option.

By the time she was done her skin was slick with sweat, rivulets running across her face, down her neck to slide across her naked breasts. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, pushing away the fear as she glanced at the empty space where her opal should be. Without it, in her weakened state she’d never be able to time-shift home.

Her deep blue eyes were glassy and she knew that fever was already setting in.

“Nice work, Lily,” she muttered.

She grabbed the bottle of antibiotics and popped several units into her mouth, washing them down quickly with cold water before she grabbed her knife. Carefully she wiped the entire blade with alcohol.

A wave of dizziness rolled over her and she clutched her midsection as her gut churned in reaction. The pain was becoming harder to deal with.

With her right hand she could feel the bullet and as she poked around inside the fleshy part of her shoulder, she grunted fighting the black haze that danced around the edge of her mind.

Lily began to pant and with steely determination sank the blade into the wound, wincing as the shriek that fell from her lips reverberated inside the confines of her room, to echo crazily inside her head.

Everything began to spin and as fresh blood spilled down her flesh she bit her lip and dug deeper. Frakk but it fucking hurt. A deep groan fell from her lips and she blew out a harsh breath when she finally retrieved the bullet.