Seducing the Sergeant by Mina Carter Page A

the familiar Klaxon.
    “Shit! Battle stations!”
     
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    Forty-six hours, three enemy-boarding parties, and more blood and gore than Cam wanted to think about later and the ship was finally secure. He sagged against the nearest bulkhead and tried to remember the last time he’d slept. He’d managed to grab a couple of catnaps during lulls in action, but by rights he should be exhausted. He wasn’t. Energy surged through his body like he had an uplink to the ship’s engines.
    A bead of sweat trickled down the side of his face. He ignored it, managing a small smile as Ren leaned against him, a furred shoulder propped against Cam’s hip. His coat was matted with greenish blood, the stuff thick around his muzzle. Insectoid body parts lay piled high in the corridor their section had been tasked to hold.
    Around them, other weredog pairs slumped against the walls. Some were shifted, some not. Perez and his partner, for example, were small terran breeds, too small to go shifted into combat. Instead they used the increased speed and strength their non-human natures granted them while in bipedal form.
    “Yeah. Right, have that…”
    Wynter walked down the center of the corridor, hand to her ear as she listened to someone, presumably command, on the comm. The members of the section watched her. Waiting to hear if they were being stood down, which meant food, sleep, and showers. Not necessarily in that order.
    She was amazing. Even though Cam knew she was a patch, that her genetic code and body systems had been enhanced, she’d still kept up with a weredog pack in full-battle mode. And she was still on her feet even though some of the dogs weren’t, which was fucking impressive. He and Ren had fought with some patches before, but none of them could hold a light stick to Wynter.
    She turned, nodding, and he caught the slight wince as she put weight on her left leg. Concern flitted through him. She wasn’t supposed to be off light duties yet, not that bug-boarding parties ever took shit like that into consideration.
    Sighing, he ran a hand through his close-cropped hair. He’d have to check her dressings when they got back. The thought of smoothing his hands over the satin skin of her thighs sent heat spiraling through his body.
    Grunting a little, he shifted position and used Ren’s bulk to hide the state of his body. The shifted dog turned his head, a question in the bright amber eyes. Cam shook his head. No matter that he and Ren could go for days without sleep; Wynter was human, with a human’s need for rest.
    “Yeah, we will. Thanks for that.” Wynter dropped her hand from her ear and looked around. A small smile played over her lips. “That’s a wrap, guys. Get your asses back to the barracks. We’re off duty for twelve hours, so make the most of it.”
    The corridor erupted with catcalls and woohoos of jubilation then, just as quickly, emptied as the weredogs beat feet and paws to get into the showers first. Cam and Ren were the only ones who held back, parting to walk on either side of Wynter as she turned to follow the section. As soon as the rest were out of sight, the rigid set of her spine softened, tiredness washing over her features.
    Cam’s heart melted. Unable to help himself, he started to reach out, intending to scoop her up in his arms and carry her back to the barracks. A single, sharp glance stopped him.
    “None of that shit. I’m fine, I can walk.”
    She looked at Ren padding beside them, his big shoulders at just the right distance for support should she need it, then back at Cam. Her gaze was assessing and concerned, perfectly professional at first, and then she smiled, and Cam could see the relief washing through her that they were both okay.
    “Showers first, then sleep,” she announced, as if that was in any question whatsoever. The first anyway. They were all splattered in greenish bug blood, the stink so pervasive that he was sure it had crawled into his pores