CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

C raig walked back around to the front of the building. He crossed the road to where Brayden stood with his legs wide, arms crossed, and a face promising murder.

So, same page.

But it also meant they stood out like sore thumbs against the lively nightlife, city lights, and smiling faces. That, and the prince was sparkling like a motherfucker, not that humans could see it.

“Tone it down, big guy. We don’t want to draw attention.”

He nearly heard his scowl. “I don’t give a fuck. What did you find?”

Craig had surveyed the building then ghosted inside the back entrance to get a closer look. It had taken some serious mind mojo to calm himself. He was a soldier. If he was going to get Brianna and the other females out alive, he had to get his shit together.

He knew she’d be scared. As brave and sassy as the little witch was, she was still a human among vampires. She foolishly believed herself safe with him, but he too could hurt her by accident. His strength was impressive. Vampires didn’t hunt or kill humans, but what if he lost control and bit her? What if he drew on the delectable blood he could sense under her skin and ended up changing her?

He knew he had more control than that, but these were all genuine risks. He’d fooled himself into thinking she was safe with him. No one could protect her better than he could. He and Brayden were the two most physically powerful vampires in existence.

Against bombs? Not so much.

Were they faster than Stefano’s trigger finger? Unlikely. Possibly, if he could ghost. But with his emotions fucked up? Probably not.

Their lack of information was Stefano’s trump card.

“Yeah, the place is full of humans. Handful of vamps. Five at most.”

Brayden continued to stare across the street.

“He will not blow them up when he wants his brothers back. We’d never hand them over if he killed the queen and princess.”

They stared some more.

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t fucking know,” Brayden growled. “I want to race in there and grab her, Craig. I just want to get her the fuck out of there.”

Craig nodded. He felt the same way about Brianna. He narrowed his eyes at the door.

“Don’t.”

The comment pissed him off. He hadn’t been about to make a move, not with the queen in there. If that was their strategy, they’d need a third male.

“Fuck you, Brayden, I’m trying to get our females out alive.”

Brayden raised an eyebrow. He ignored it. They were all fucked up right now.

“Let’s get the king in here, and we’ll go in, grab them, and port them out. There’s no sophisticated setup I can see. I don’t believe he can trigger the bombs before we surprise him.”

Brayden stared at him.

“And he wouldn’t be expecting such a stupid move.”

That had the prince thinking, but ultimately, he shook his head. “Vincent’s not fast enough. Not for this.”

Craig nodded. It was true. Vincent was powerful, no doubt, but this would take speed and precision on an elite military level. They couldn’t risk it, not when it came to risking the queen’s life. And especially not the king’s.

He ran his hand over his mouth. “Shit. Okay, let’s get Marcus out here.”

Lance would be faster, but he was currently leading the op at the rebellion headquarters.

“That’s a big fucking responsibility for the guy. The margin of error...I don’t like it.”

Beep .

Brayden’s phone lit up. They both leaned in and began growling as they stared at the photo of their three females holding up glasses of champagne with strained smiles.

Like fucking hostages.

Which they were.

“I’m going to rip that mofo’s head off his neck,” Brayden ground out. “Fuck it. Get Marcus here now and let’s do this.”

Craig ripped his phone out as he simultaneously telepathed Marcus.

M, get your ass to our location, stat. And bring your A game.

Roger that. Three minutes.

He pulled up the livestream from Lance’s lapel cam.

Kurt, get us some audio here.

Plugging you in now.

Muffled sounds as the team crept into the building located on the outskirts of Rome.

“We’re picking up dozens of vamp scents in here,” Lance said quietly into the mic. “Eyes on nine—no, ten vampires. Machines. Roger that. We’ve found explosives in the basement. Ahh...fuck.”

Brayden and Craig glanced at each other in question. They could barely make out what was going on as the camera feed bobbed up and down in the dark.

Kurt? What’s going on?

There’s an interference...

Suddenly, the sound came through full of static and yelling.

Brayden uncrossed his arms and glared at the restaurant. “I want answers now! Are the females in danger? I’m going—”

“Wait!” Craig gripped Brayden’s arm and ignored the furious look.

Marcus suddenly joined them, and Craig gave him a quick brief on their plan.

“Fuck me,” Marcus said, running both hands over his head, biceps bulging from under his short sleeves.

Craig watched his senior lieutenant commander survey the area and start doing what he did best. Marcus wasn’t the fastest on the team, but he was damn near close.

“WE’VE GOT THEM. SHIT, GET DOWN, YOU MOTHER—” Lance’s voice screamed through the app.

Crackle.

“There’re dozens of screens here monitoring the Moretti castles. Inside, outside and—hey, you motherfucker.” The guy’s voice turned dark. “What the fuck?”

Lance ripped his camera off his uniform and held it up, staring at them directly. “Commander, where the fuck is the queen?”

Craig flashed a look at the prince and switched to telepathy.

Lance, do you have eyes on the queen?

Yes, sir. And the princess...and is that Bri? Where the hell are they?

Tell me what you see.

“Get the fuck down, hands away. Restrain him. Sorry, Commander, we have some aggressive vamps. I WANT THEM ALL IN COPPER CUFFS NOW,” Lance ordered. “Shit. I’m looking at a screen, and the three females are sitting in a restaurant.”

Fuck.

The building is rigged with explosives. Find out who has the trigger. Stefano Russo is inside with them.

Silence.

More silence.

It felt like they were waiting for two hundred years.

Then static.

“Commander, we have the trigger. Lots of flappy lips now that they’re cuffed. Russo cannot detonate,” Lance informed them. “I repeat. The bombs cannot be detonated.”

Brayden held up a hand when he saw both Craig and Marcus look at the building. “Wait.”

Craig muttered a curse.

“I’m not trusting any of those fuckers. Let’s just think about this a minute,” Brayden said and began to pace. “We stick to the plan. We go in fast and get out fast. No heroics, you hear me?”

“What about Russo?”

“We let him go. The females are the priority. Unless we bring Kurt in, we don’t have anyone powerful enough to take him, and I’m not leaving the king without a senior member there.”

The prince was right. Stefano might not be a military vampire, but he was still much older and stronger, and would rip off a weaker vampire’s head if he had to. And he would.

“Fine. But we need to move now. If someone has contacted Russo...”

“Agree. Call in the green team. We go in thirty seconds.”

Jesus .

Kurt. Send the green team right now. We’re going in. Flash and grab. There are five vamps plus Russo. If they can capture any of them, they should.

Sixty seconds.

Too late. Twenty seconds.

Fuck. Okay.

Rendezvous in the park across from the restaurant in two minutes.

Craig nodded to Brayden.

“Okay, let’s do this. Marcus, you grab Brianna. Willow is mine, obviously, and Craig, I want you to get the queen the fuck out of there.”

What? No.

He sent the prince a look, which was ignored. It was an order. There was no time to argue, and he had no authority to. Brayden was the prince and captain. End of story.

He pushed down his fury and looked at Marcus.

You get her out of there fast, you hear me?

Yes, sir.

For a split second, he felt for the guy, but it passed.

Time was working against them. For all they knew, Russo would teleport the females elsewhere, harm them, or worse if he heard about their invasion of the rebel headquarters.

Fury ran through his veins. Every instinct screamed at him to port into the building and grab Brianna.

They crossed the road, and he realized it was Brayden who had gotten his head back in the game. The vampire was a strategic fucking master, which was just as well because they’d been thinking with their hearts and dicks for the past few hours.

Craig was a powerful vampire. Far more powerful than Marcus. It would be irresponsible for him to save a human and not the queen. Despite his feelings, he knew it was the right decision.

If Brianna were his mate, the prince would never have made that call. But until they knew she was, he had to follow protocol.

The king and queen trumped all.

He blanked his face as they reached the sidewalk and continued down the alley out of human sight.

“On three,” Brayden said.

One, two, three...

So much happened in the next seventeen seconds. He felt the team teleport in just a few feet away from them.

Craig, Brayden, and Marcus arrived in the middle of the restaurant floor and scanned the space until their eyes landed on the females.

Stefano turned, his mouth falling open then turning into a grimace. All three vampires hissed at him just as he teleported away, and they moved to grab the females.

“Out now.”

If the bombs were about to go off, it would be now.

Willow ran into Brayden’s arms then turned to grab Brianna, but Marcus already had her. In fact, he’d scooped her up into his arms as she’d gone limp from shock. Craig’s blood pressure shot through the roof as the guy he trusted with his life handled the little human.

His human.

He growled low in his throat but kept moving. The queen was standing as he ghosted over to her and lifted her. There was no time for explanations, and she knew the drill. She knew the value of her life as queen of the vampire race.

Craig teleported out of the building and across to the meeting point in the park.

He was fast. Fucking fast. There had been no doubt he would be the first one out, which is why Brayden had put him in charge of getting the queen out.

“Thank you, Commander.”

Funny how they all reverted back to official titles at times like this.

“You’re welcome.” He placed her on her feet, then looked up.

Three, two and...Marcus and Brianna appeared a few feet away. Timmy came running across the grass.

“Stand guard on the queen,” he ordered. “You too, Marcus.”

Brianna’s feet lowered to the floor, and she turned, horror on her face. He went immediately to her and pulled her into his arms as she cried against his chest.

“Thank fuck,” he whispered into her hair.

His eyes didn’t leave the queen, but he felt like his ability to breathe had returned. And yeah, he’d figure out what that meant later.

Brayden and Willow arrived, the prince’s arm tight around his mate, his face still screaming murder.

“Get the queen home now!” he ordered.

“I can teleport home,” she said, and God, Craig admired her strength.

“Kate, not fucking now. Marcus, escort her directly to the king,” Brayden indicated.

“Yes, sir.” Marcus and Kate teleported away.

Brayden looked at him next.

“He’s gone.”

The leader of the green team flashed to the park. Tall, dark, and powerful in his Moretti uniform, he gave a quick bow of his head to the prince.

“Sire, he’s gone. One of my males was on him, but he’s been substantially harmed.”

Shit.

“Fuck,” Brayden muttered before looking at Craig. “I need you to get in there and lead the cleanup. That’s a shit ton of humans exposed holding cell phones. I’ll take these two home.”

He heard the murmur against his chest, and part of him felt like making the same damn sound. He knew his job; he knew his responsibility. But right now, all he wanted to do was get this female home and tucked into his bed. Preferably in his arms.

“Now, Craig,” Brayden said, softer this time.

He glanced at him and nodded.

“I’ll take care of her.”

Craig didn’t question that at all. It was just that he wanted to be the one to do it.

He lifted her chin. “Hey. It’s okay. You’re safe. Go with Willow and Brayden, and I’ll be home soon.”

A pale face nodded at him.

“Jesus, Bri, I’m so sorry. I’ve endangered your life again.”

Craig glared at the prince.

Don’t you fucking send her anywhere. She stays in my rooms.

The prince raised an eyebrow at the order.

You saying she’s your mate?

Still with the probing.

She stays, Brayden.

“See you back at the castle,” he told her, kissing her on the forehead.

Then the three of them flashed away.