“You know, you’re pretty sexy when you go all Lord of the Universe.” Tannis spoke the words into his neck, her soft breath tickling his skin.
He glanced down and forced a smile. “Hold that thought.”
The master cabin had been designed with wings in mind. It was huge and decorated in scarlet and black. Holding her with one arm, he stripped the coverlet and placed her in the center of the mattress, then removed her boots and pulled the sheet up to cover her. Sinking down beside her, he took her hand.
“Go to sleep,” he said. “When you wake up, I’ll be back.
Her eyes drifted closed, and her breathing evened out.
Would she wake up? Or would she be one of the lucky ones and die a relatively peaceful death in her sleep? Part of him hoped so; the other part wanted her to live as long as possible. That little hope niggled at his mind again and he leaned in close.
“Hold on,” he whispered. “Don’t leave me.”
He sat and waited until he was sure she was asleep. Black rings surrounded her eyes. She looked small and tired in the enormous bed, propped up on the pillows so she wouldn’t choke on her own blood. He wanted to stay, but he needed to spend some time with Daisy, make sure she could handle The Endeavor in case they were all captured or killed, and she had to take the ship up on her own. Still, he waited until the ragged sound of Tannis’s breathing had smoothed, and then he gently tugged free of her hand and rose to his feet.
Would he ever see her again? He hoped so.
He kissed her forehead, then turned and left without looking back.
Chapter Twenty-four
The Endeavor set down on a landing pad just outside the Church’s main headquarters. Callum had considered taking her inside, but she’d have been seen as soon as they got close, and they’d lose the element of surprise. They could go for a quick extraction, but as they had no clue where Alex was being kept that was unlikely to succeed. The place was a warren, expanding over the years as the Church grew.
In the distance, the sound of guns rumbled. Darkness had fallen, and up in the sky to the north, he could see the flashes of the ongoing firefight, hopefully drawing the Church’s attention away from The Endeavor’s approach.
The plan was to find Alex first and then go after Hatcher.
Jon growled and pawed at the door, impatient to be off. Callum hoped he would be sufficiently in control not to be too conspicuous and give them all away. He knew little about werewolves, but he suspected control wasn’t one of their stronger points. Rico would have known.
The Endeavor was equipped with her own speeders, and they took one for the short distance to Church Headquarters, pulling up at the rear entrance. There was a single guard on the small gate. Skylar took him out easily and they slipped through and found themselves in a deserted courtyard. Callum presumed that everyone was concentrating on the full-frontal attack by El Cazador. No doubt, they would have recognized the ship.
Jon padded out to the center of the courtyard and sat on his haunches, his eyes closed, his nose raised to the air.
“Can he scent her from here?” Callum asked.
“I don’t think so,” Skylar replied. “But they have an almost telepathic bond, not like we do, more sensory, so if she’s anywhere close, he’ll feel it.”
Jon’s eyes opened, glowing amber. He peered over his shoulders and nodded his huge, shaggy head.
“We’re on,” Skylar said.
They followed the wolf to a door set in the far wall. He stood to the side as Skylar pressed her palm to the wood. The door didn’t budge, and she stepped back and kicked out. The lock splintered, the door swung open, and Jon pushed past her. Skylar went after him, Callum squeezed through behind her, and Devlin followed.
It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim light. They were in a narrow corridor with walls of bare stone, and a rock floor, which slanted downward. He guessed they were heading toward the dungeons. Obviously, they’d decided their little priestess wasn’t to be trusted.
Metal doors lined the corridor, each with a small grill in the front. Callum peered into a few of the cells, but they were empty. Then Jon gave a small yip of excitement and he was off, still heading downward, deeper underground.
Up ahead, he came to an abrupt halt outside one of the doors. The fur along his spine stood on end. His ears were pricked, his hind legs trembling. He released a low whine and then frantically scratched at the metal.
Callum caught up, pushed past the wolf, and peered through the grill. Alex huddled on a small cot, but she stared toward the door, her eyes wide. Beside him, Jon let out a low, impatient growl.
Callum studied the door. A palm panel was built into the wall to the side—no way would they kick this one open—so it looked like they were going to have to blow the door in.
Skylar must have come to the same conclusion. “Stand back,” she said.