Read The Power of Three for Free Online

was the one—that he had to have her and
bring her home safely so that Ash could have her, too.
    But first, he had to save their asses.
    He reluctantly pulled away. “I apologize,
Lang, that was out of order.”
    She wiped her mouth and struggled to her
feet. “”It’s all right, sir. You’re not the first superior officer
who’s ignored protocol and pulled rank on me.”
    He caught her elbow. “That’s not what this is
about, and you know it. When we get back on the ship—”
    “ You’ll expect me to keep my mouth
shut.” She shoved the water container back in his hand. “I get it,
sir.”
    She crawled out of the shelter and walked
over to the side of the trail. “There are lights down below. I
think they’ve found us.”
    Esca came to join her, the complications of
mating lost in the reality of pursuit. “Let’s get moving.”
    * * *
    As they struggled up the increasingly
treacherous path, Esca checked back on Lang but she appeared to be
going strong. If anything, he was likely to be the problem-his leg
didn’t like the terrain at all. The bone-grinding ache was growing
worse with every step.
    “ Someone’s trying to contact
you, sir .”
    Lang in his head, her voice devoid of
emotion. He kept moving, but allowed her access to his mind, her
power strengthening the fragile link.
    “ Cave at coordinates
three-point-five-point-seven-nine. Now equipped. Rest up and move
onto drop zone at 05 hundred hours. Trenx out.”
    “ Roger
that. ”
    Esca dragged the map to the front of his
brain and fixed the position of the cave, aware that Lang was doing
the same. He altered course and kept moving up, Wisps of snow
brushed his cold face and the wind cut like the sharpest laser.
    The entrance to the cave was extremely hard
to see. If Trenx or his team had been in the area there was now no
sign of them.
    “ Up there, sir.”
    Lang pointed at a slightly uneven shadow
higher on the bleak rock face wall. Once he saw it, he knew she was
right. He moved past her, his weapon at the ready. “Let’s go.”
    The entrance was narrow and involved sliding
between several upright rocks and then sideways between two massive
horizontal slabs into what felt like a surprisingly warm and
expansive space. There was a faint green glow to his left. He dug
the light source out of the gravelly pit and flicked the power
switch to full. Light flashed on the back of the cave where a neat
pile of stores had been placed.
    “ Thank the Gods,” Esca muttered. “Or
more likely, thank Captain Jong.”
    There were two thin heat-preserving blankets,
basic rations, and a small arsenal of weapons. Esca spread one of
the blankets over the stone floor and gestured at Lang.
    “ Sit on this so you won’t freeze your
ass off. We’ll divide the weapons, set up a perimeter alarm, eat,
heal, and then try to sleep. Any questions?”
    “ No sir.” She subsided onto the blanket
beside him and he realized she was shivering. He handed her a gun.
“Are you familiar with this weapon?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ Then make sure it’s fully charged, and
help yourself to anything else Jong left us.” He armed himself to
his satisfaction and felt much better. “I’ll go and set the traps
and charges around the cave while you take care of the
entranceway.”
    “ Yes sir.”
    He had to grit his teeth to get off the floor
without his leg giving way. “I’ll be back. I’ll let you know when
I’m coming in.”
    She nodded, her gaze on the gun he’d given
her, her competent hands checking it over in a way that made him
want to fuck her even more. Frek, his timing was terrible, as were
his basic urges. Why hadn’t she met Ash first? He was the diplomat.
He’d know just how to handle her.
    He pulled on the extra-warm jacket Jong had
left him and headed outside. It didn’t take long to set the charges
and the trip alarms. In the silence of the mountain he could hear
the pursuit below. They were making no effort to keep quiet, their
voices loud, and their hunting