Page 1 of Marc
CHAPTER ONE
Marc
“Can you see it yet?”
The Talon pilot huffed out a breath. “Not yet. Like the last ten times I told you, when we’re in visual range, I’ll let you know.”
I swallowed a growl, frustration chewing on my gut like acid. Stepping back from the cockpit, I dropped into a seat in the back of the Talon quadcopter. It wasn’t fair of me to take it out on Gavin. After all, he wasn’t our regular pilot.
No, our regular pilot had crashed, alone, in the middle of the Blue Mountains.
At night.
In monster-infested bushland.
My jaw clenched so hard that my teeth ground together. Energy rippled through my body and my hands clenched.
I wanted to fucking be there.
I wanted to find Colbie.
“We’re going to find her.”
At the deep rumble, I lifted my head to look at our squad leader, Jameson Steele.
He had a rugged face, brown hair, and muscular body clad in light-weight body armor like me. He looked exactly like the experienced soldier he was.
He leaned forward and gripped my shoulder. “Marc, we never leave anyone behind. We’ll bring her home.”
“Jameson…” My throat was thick. “She’s tiny. She’s not a soldier. I know she flies us around, and she’s amazing at it, but she doesn’t fight.”
Not like us.
We were the monster hunters.
Thirty years earlier, the Earth had experienced First Contact. But the aliens hadn’t been friendly and looking to make friends. No, the dinosaur-like Gizzida had tried to take over the planet.
They’d dropped their bombs, devastated our cities, and killed so many.
Humans, including our parents, had fought back.
The Gizzida had been destroyed…but they’d left something behind.
They’d conducted experiments during their time on the planet, injecting their DNA into the local wildlife, into humans. I sucked in a deep breath. They’d created abominations that still hunted us to this day.
“We know how bad the monsters can be.” I dragged in a harsh breath. “Colbie is out there. Alone.”
That was, if she’d survived the crash. My gut locked. I couldn’t even let that thought take root.
“We’re getting her back, bro.” My twin brother Zeke, sitting beside me, nudged my side.
Around me, the rest of the squad nodded in agreement. Kai, North, and Jess, all wearing light-weight body armor and holding their weapons, looked focused and determined.
Kai Rahia—tall, lean, with bronze skin and black hair—was the squad’s tracker. North Connors—whom I’d heard the ladies describe as tall, dark, and handsome—was the team’s medic. Jess Ramos—North’s better half—was short, curvy, and fit. She was a hell of a soldier and our squad’s monster expert.
I nodded. “We’re bringing her home.”
I knew Colbie would be waiting for us.
