“Place called Viller Town,” said Lincoln.
Honor’s head shot up. “I know that place. It’s where the volunteers come from. The ones Intergen have been running tests on to get DNA samples.”
“Doubt they’re volunteers,” said Arlo.
“They get paid,” said Honor.
“Why is Intergen interested in a backwater town where nothing happens?” asked Kade. “What’s so special about the place?”
Honor grabbed the bench as Heath swung the vehicle to the left. “The community is isolated. They don’t let many people move in, and have strict rules about who can join. Some of the residents share an unusual genetic quality. And that’s of interest to Intergen.”
“Intergen are interested in this community because they have abnormal DNA,” said Kade. “We might have discovered another hybrid community.”
“A hybrid of what?” asked Honor.
“Dragons.” Arlo grinned at her. “We’ll make you a believer yet.”
“Almost there,” shouted Heath.
Lincoln poked his head out the back of the Cobra and withdrew it just as quickly. “And so are the militia. Armored truck right behind us.”
There was a loud clang, as something metallic bounced off the roof, followed by an explosion. The Cobra lurched to the left as Heath fought to keep out of the direct line of attack.
“I see light,” called Annie. “It’s the town.”
“Just get us there,” said Kade.
Arlo flipped open a metal box in the back of the truck and handed Lincoln a small rocket launcher. “Think your aim’s good enough to use this?”
Lincoln grinned at him. “You’ve been holding out on me. A new toy?”
“I’m still playing with it. But it shoots straight.”
Lincoln balanced himself against the back of the Cobra, shouldered the rocket launcher, and fired through the open door. A few seconds later, the screech of metal filled the air, and a blast of heat slammed into the vehicle.
“Nice shooting,” said Kade, not needing to see the result. Lincoln never missed his target.
“I aim to please,” said Lincoln, as he passed the smoking launcher back to Arlo. “Need to sort out the recoil, but it’s a good bit of kit.”
“Knew you’d like it.” Arlo returned the launcher to the box. He tapped the back of the van. “Enemy has been neutralized.”
“Good news,” said Heath, as he steered the Cobra onto a flat road, and increased their speed. “We can’t waste time, though. They might have called for backup.”
Kade let out a sigh as his injuries stopped shrieking so deafeningly. “Let’s get to Viller Town and see what’s so special about this place.”
HONOR SHOVED AGAINST the panic, not letting it overwhelm her. She had to focus and make sure Kade was okay. His arm was still bleeding, despite the treatment he’d had, and his skin was an ash-gray color. He needed to be in a hospital, might even need a blood transfusion, given the amount soaking through his clothes.
The Cobra stopped and Heath and Annie appeared at the back door. “Time to go.”
Lincoln, Arlo, and Honor climbed out of the truck into a quiet, black night. They were parked at the edge of Viller Town, where a swath of barbed wire and bricks blocked the road, preventing them driving any closer.
“We walk from here,” said Heath. “I’ll activate the Cobra’s ultra-camo mode. You grab Kade.”
Lincoln and Arlo disengaged the stretcher from the magnets and lifted him down.
“I can walk,” said Kade. “I have to. It will look suspicious if I’m stretchered in. Give me a hit of adrenaline and I’ll be fine.”
“No. You’re too weak,” said Honor.
“He’s right,” said Heath, casting a sharp look over Kade. “This town will be suspicious of strangers. We need to keep things low-key.”
“Do it,” said Kade.
Lincoln extracted an adrenaline pen from the medical kit and jammed it into Kade’s thigh.
Honor caught hold of his arm and held him close to her side. “How do you feel?”
Kade inhaled deeply as the drugs flowed through his system. “Like I’m floating on air.”
“Float next to me,” said Honor. “I’ll take your weight.”
Kade gave her a grateful smile as they waited for the others to collect the kit they needed.
They made slow progress, stopping as they reached the town sign next to a fence of barbed wire.
“Human population zero,” said Arlo, as he read the sign. “That’s interesting.” The Viller Town sign was overwritten in black paint that had dripped down the metal.
“If there are no humans here,” said Honor, “what lives here?”
“We’re about to find out.” Kade wrapped an arm around Honor’s shoulders.
Heath and Annie took the lead, with Honor and Kade in the middle, and Arlo and Lincoln bringing up the rear, ever alert for the militia. They kept their weapons handy, but not visibly on display, so as not to alarm anyone they met.
Arlo cut through the barbed wire and held the way open for everyone to get through.
The first houses they came to were old-style, brick terraces. Several in the row had been reduced to rubble, and those that remained leaned at an angle, suggesting it wouldn’t be long before they fell.
Heath tried the doors, but they were all shut tight. There were no lights inside the houses, suggesting they’d been abandoned, or the residents didn’t feel like company.
“Keep going,” said Kade. “Might be something we can use closer to town.”
“Maybe they’ve got a hospital here,” said Honor. “You can get treatment.”
“Not out this far,” said Kade. “This isn’t a place where the State funds services. They leave these places to rot and hope the locals tear themselves apart. Or get sick and die off.”
“And they won’t treat criminals,” said Arlo.
Honor shuddered and tightened her arm around Kade’s waist.
“I see lights up ahead,” said Heath. His gaze landed on Kade. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine,” said Honor. “I’ve got him.”
Heath shot her a smile. “Yes, you have.”
Everyone stopped as they rounded the corner. In front of them was a dark, globe-shaped building. The external panels had been painted matte black, but an occasional sliver of light flashed out, as doors opened and shut.
“What’s this?” asked Arlo, taking a step forward as he peered at the building.
“Some kind of commune?” Heath walked closer, Annie by his side. “Whatever it is, we need to get inside and see what medical equipment they have.”
They approached the building, using the shadows of the night to stay out of sight. They avoided the main entrance, instead, heading around to the back, stepping over piles of trash until they reached a door.
Heath gestured to Kade. “Think you can crack the code?”
“No problem.” Kade eased out of Honor’s grip, keeping a hand wrapped around his ribs, and studied the lock.
Honor held herself back from fussing over him, despite seeing the deep lines of pain etched on his face. She felt a hand on her arm and glanced over.
“He’ll be fine,” whispered Annie.
“He got injured saving me.”
“Kade wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Annie. “He’s an Ember. They look after their women.”
Honor opened her mouth to protest and say she wasn’t Kade’s woman, but stopped herself. The thought of being with Kade made her breath quicken and her insides warm. She wanted to be his woman. More than anything, she wanted to be by his side, supporting him in his endeavours, whatever those might be.
“Door’s open,” murmured Kade, as he stepped back, a wobble in his step.
Heath and Annie led the way through the open door into a dark corridor. Honor caught hold of Kade again, and Lincoln and Arlo took the rear.
Honor heard the sounds of muffled laughter and glasses chinking. �
�Sounds like a bar.” She inhaled and caught the scent of beer and faded perfume. But there was something else in the air, the smell of burning.
“Go carefully,” said Kade. “If this place is run by the State, then we’ve just staggered into a heap of trouble.”
“And I’m all out of bombs,” said Arlo, his bottom lip jutting out.
Heath raised his hand, and the group stopped. “There’s light up ahead.” He motioned for Lincoln to go investigate.
Lincoln slid through the darkness, returning a moment later, shaking his head. “Not sure how to describe what I’ve just witnessed. There’s a bar, but it’s more than that.”
“What did you see?” asked Honor.
“A parade of dragon hybrids.”
Honor opened her mouth, but no words came out. She snapped her jaw shut with an audible click and stared at Kade. “Is he being serious?”
Kade nodded. “Hybrids are a recent discovery for us. This isn’t the first time we’ve come across human-dragon hybrids.”
Honor pinched her lips together, knowing that couldn’t be true, and feeling as though she were about to tumble down a rabbit-hole.
“How many in the bar?” asked Heath.
“Three hybrids and twenty drinkers,” said Lincoln. “There’s a raised stage in the room where the hybrids are performing. Most of the customers are seated around that, with a few on bar stools. I only saw one server.”
“Any way around the bar?” asked Kade.
“Not that I could see,” said Lincoln.
“We can’t go through,” said Heath.
“We have to do something,” said Honor, her anxious gaze flitting across Kade’s injuries.
Heath glanced at Kade and nodded.
“Wait! Someone’s coming,” whispered Annie.
The click of high heels on stone could be heard. Before they could escape, a woman with flame-red hair, dressed in thigh-high black boots and a sheer black dress that showed her curves, rounded the corner.
“We don’t want any trouble,” said Honor, waving her hand to get the others to lower their weapons.
The woman’s black eyes widened before glowing red. “Looks like that’s exactly what you want.”
Honor stared for a moment at the sight, shocked into silence. What in the hell...? It had to be some trick of the light, to make the woman’s eyes do that. She gave herself a mental shake and focused back on the reason they were there.
“My friend is injured,” said Honor. “We came here to get help.”
The woman’s gaze shifted to Kade. “What happened to you?”
Kade grunted. “A cave fell on my head.”
The redhead’s eyes widened a fraction. “Dangerous place to go caving.”
“We were looking for something unusual,” said Heath. “Not something you find in your average cave.”
The woman’s gaze shifted to Heath and her lips parted in a silent O. “I know you.”
“You should,” said Lincoln, as he lowered his weapon and stepped forward. “The Ember brothers at your service.” He gave her a bow.
The woman shook her head, her mouth pinching together. “If the State discovers you here, they’ll think we brought you. They’ll kill us.”
“This place is run by the State?” asked Honor.
“It is.”
“What do you do here?” asked Honor. “What is this place?”
“A beautiful prison,” said the woman.
“You want to leave?”
The woman inhaled sharply. “More than anything.”
“Then help Kade and we’ll get you out. The State won’t know anything about our visit.”
She shook her head. “It’s not safe here.”
“We can take you somewhere safe,” said Honor, ignoring the glare Heath gave her. “But we need access to medical supplies first.”
“What’s your name, gorgeous?” asked Lincoln.
The woman’s gaze slid to him and her eyes narrowed. “Anastasia Asher.”
“My friend is telling you the truth. We can get you out of here, Anastasia.”
“You can?” Her hands fluttered over the sheer dress she wore, but her gaze retained its sharpness.
Lincoln glanced at Heath and he gave a tight nod.
Anastasia’s jaw tightened, as if she’d made a decision. She turned and beckoned them to follow. “Come with me.”
Kade leaned down to Honor’s ear. “This could be a trap.”
“It could be, but we don’t have any other options. My hands are covered in your blood. I know how weak you are. If you don’t get help soon, you’ll die.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Sure it isn’t.” Honor tightened her grip around Kade’s waist. “But we need to check on that nothing. And if Anastasia is the only way of doing that, then that’s what we have to do.”
Anastasia glanced over her shoulder as they reached the end of the corridor. “Everyone’s in the bar for the main performance. Delilah’s on stage and they’re always captivated by her talents.”
“Does she do something in nipple tassels?” asked Lincoln.
Anastasia gave him a filthy glare. “Nothing that crass. This isn’t a strip joint.”
“So then what does she do?” asked Honor.
“She’s the same as me. She can breathe fire.”
Chapter 13
Kade’s eyes narrowed, as Anastasia led them to a storeroom full of boxes. Everyone had been stunned by her announcement that she could breathe fire, but Kade wasn’t entirely convinced. Dragon hybrids were a new discovery for the group, but there had to be limits to what they could do.
“Sit there.” Anastasia pointed at a chair. “Be back with the supplies in a minute.”
“Wait.” Kade grabbed hold of Anastasia’s wrist. “How can we trust you?”
“I could ask you the same.” Her gaze hardened. “You’ve broken into the Pleasure Dome. And I’ve heard about the Ember brothers on the news. What’s to say you’re not the ones posing a threat?”
Kade dropped his hold on Anastasia’s wrist and saw he’d left a smear of blood on her skin. “You can really breathe fire?”
Anastasia’s eyes glowed red before she tipped her head back and pursed her lips. A small stream of fire shot from her mouth and hit the ceiling.
Honor danced out of the way as flames flared down the wall, snapping and crackling for a moment, before fading away to nothing.
“That’s quite a talent,” said Lincoln, his wide eyes crinkling at the corners, as he smiled at Anastasia.
“That’s just a taste of what I can do.” She winked at him before turning and leaving the room, the door closing with a quiet click behind her.
Kade collapsed in the chair, his final sliver of energy leaving him. Honor shot to his side and grabbed his hand.
“Anastasia called this place a pleasure dome,” said Annie. “And given what she’s wearing...”
Heath nodded. “Not a place any woman wants to be voluntarily.”
“Someone with Anastasia’s powers should be able to fight her way out,” said Honor.
“Could be a reason she’s forced to stay,” said Annie. “The State loves to find a person’s weakness and exploit it.”
Honor shook her head. “They wouldn’t do that.”
“Don’t forget, they were the ones who attacked us tonight,” said Kade.
“You can’t be sure of that,” said Honor. “We didn’t see who caused the explosion.”
“Who else would it be?” asked Lincoln.
“Someone else interested in collecting these bones.”
“The only people who believe in dragons hide in our bunkers,” said Kade weakly, as he dragged in a painful gulp of air. “The State wants to destroy all evidence that gives people doubts about what happened.”
“We will talk about this later,” said Honor. “Focus on getting better, not fighting with me.”
“Yes, we will,” said Kade. He had to get Honor to remember and realize what
was going on, otherwise, she couldn’t remain in the bunker. It wouldn’t be safe for anyone if she did.
Anastasia returned with a cardboard box under one arm and a bottle of vodka. “This will take the edge off.” She opened the bottle and passed it to Kade.
“Thanks.” He took a swig and grimaced. He preferred beer to hard liquor, but anything that dulled the pain in his ribs would do.
Heath took the medical supplies from Anastasia and worked on Kade, lifting his shirt up and gently probing his throbbing side.
“See to Honor’s injuries first.” Kade grunted as Heath’s fingers touched a tender spot.
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” said Honor.
“You can’t see out of one eye.”
“And you can barely breathe. You’re getting treated first.”
Anastasia grinned at Kade. “You must like your women feisty.”
“She’s not mine,” muttered Kade.
Honor pulled back and frowned, but remained by his side, her fingers gently running down his arm. He found her touch soothing, numbing the pain better than the vodka.
He took another slug, his attention on Anastasia, who tapped the toe of her boot on the ground and kept shooting nervous glances at the closed door. “What do you do here?”
“We provide pleasure.”
“Who gets the pleasure?”
Anastasia looked at him in silence, her gaze moving around the room. “None of you were surprised I breathed fire.”
“We know what you are,” said Kade. “And we’re fighting to protect you.”
“And I know some of you,” said Anastasia. “I thought you were an urban legend, though.”
“Oh, we’re legends, all right,” said Lincoln, crossing his arms over his chest and grinning. “But we’re also very much real.”
Anastasia smirked, but the expression didn’t mask the pain in her eyes. “As much as the State loves to deny our existence, they’re still fascinated by us. A few higher-ups have kinky pleasures they have fulfilled here. And when they’re drunk and satisfied, they like to talk.”
“Then clearly, the State are aware of this place?” asked Kade.
“They are,” said Anastasia. “And it didn’t used to be like this. We started as a community for hybrids and passed the word around that this was a safe place. At least, it was.”
Kade (sci-fi romance - The Ember Quest Book 2) Page 12
