Kade (sci-fi romance - The Ember Quest Book 2)

by Arcadia Shield

  Kade checked her pulse and breathing, but was wasting his time. There was no way she could survive such damage. Cursing under his breath, he looked at the necklace in her hand. He pried it from her palm and tucked it into a pocket. Might be something he could give to her family if she had any left alive. He owed her that at least. She’d been attempting to get the State to see sense when it came to dragons, and that took guts.

  A gun pressed into the back of Kade’s head.

  He whirled round, smashing his fist into the arm of his attacker and bringing the other up under his jaw.

  The gun flew through the air as the soldier fell backwards. Kade grabbed the front of his shirt and smashed his fist into his face. “Where is she?”

  The soldier gasped and aimed a punch at Kade, but he sidestepped it and shook the guard by the front of his shirt. “Tell me where she is.”

  “Who you talking about?”

  “Honor! The woman in the Cobra. You’ve taken her.”

  “You’re wrong,” said the soldier. “Surprised anyone survived that blast. I was sent to check for bodies.”

  Kade growled and smashed his fist into the soldier’s jaw, sending him dropping to the ground.

  “Kade!” Heath appeared in the doorway of the house, closely followed by Lincoln. “You got out!”

  “Somehow,” said Kade. “But Vivian is dead, and I can’t find Honor.”

  Lincoln’s gaze shot to the burning remains of the Cobra. “If she didn’t make it out—”

  “She’s alive,” said Kade. “We have to find her.”

  Heath grabbed Kade’s shoulder and he cursed at the spike of pain. “We’ll search before we leave. But we’ve had word more militia are coming. We can’t stay.”

  “We stay until we find her.” Kade was not leaving, even if he had to carry a body out of here. He’d make sure Honor got the dignity she deserved.

  “Look around,” said Heath to Lincoln. “Check the Cobra and keep an eye out for incoming militia.” His gaze didn’t leave Kade. “Come with me.”

  Kade gritted his teeth as he followed Heath, scanning every inch of the garden as he did so. He wasn’t leaving without Honor, he didn’t care what Heath said.

  Heath stopped close to the house and turned. “Focus for a second. Lincoln is looking for Honor. He’ll shout if he finds her.”

  Kade ran his tongue over his teeth, tasting blood and dirt. “She’s out there.”

  Heath nodded as he kicked aside a piece of burning metal. “Did you get anything useful from the Councilwoman?”

  Kade let out a breath and forced himself to think of something other than Honor. “She was into dragons. She was working with the other two councillors, to see if they could get the State on board with doing an investigation into returning dragons.”

  Heath whistled low. “Interesting. Looks like the State aren’t exactly keen on that idea.”

  “You don’t say.”

  “No sign of Anastasia here, either,” said Heath, giving him a hard stare. “Looks like she’s not involved in this.”

  Kade nodded, only half listening. If Honor was dead because he hadn’t stood up to her and made her stay at the base, he’d never forgive himself. He had to find her.

  Heath snapped his fingers in front of Kade’s face. “This is hard for you, but stay with me. We have to get out of here. You need to get your injuries treated.”

  “We find Honor first.”

  Heath grabbed his arm. “The Cobra was hit by a rocket. You only survived because you were flung out the door.”

  “She’s not dead!” Kade shoved Heath away. “Help me!”

  Heath let out a sigh before nodding and doing a slow circle as he looked around the garden.

  Kade’s head pounded as he searched the garden, kicking aside pieces of hot metal, all that was left of the Cobra.

  “Kade! We have to go,” said Heath. “Reinforcements are fifteen minutes away.”

  “You go.”

  Heath yanked him around by the elbow. “Not without you. Honor wouldn’t want you to make this sacrifice. You can’t help her if she’s already dead.”

  “Get off me!” Kade turned away and swiped a hand across his eyes. He stared at a large piece of smoking metal, and his heart leapt into his throat. A small, pale hand stuck out from underneath it. He ran forward and grabbed the metal, ignoring the hissing sound as the flesh on his palms burnt, and dragged it off.

  Heath joined him, levering the metal up with a piece of wood.

  Kade forgot to breathe as he saw Honor, blood trickling from a head wound, and her clothing smoldering. He staggered back a couple of steps before dropping to his knees and crawling toward her. She had to be alive. Please let her still be alive.

  Heath knelt and checked the pulse in her neck.

  “Is she...?” Kade couldn’t tear his gaze from Honor. She looked so fragile. He should have protected her, instead of worrying about some stuck-up councilwoman and what the State were doing. None of that mattered if Honor didn’t make it.

  “There’s a pulse.” Heath looked up at him. “But it’s faint and too fast.”

  “We don’t have any transport.” Kade felt sick at how little he could help. She would die out here, and all because of him. Because he hadn’t been able to look after her.

  “I’ve already recalled Tobias and Arlo. We can take her on a bike. Base know we’ve got injured people.”

  Kade barely heard him as he scooped Honor into his arms, cradling her to him. “Hold on. I’ll get you home and everything will be fine. Just remember, I owe you dinner and a beach holiday when all of this is over. You need to be around to collect on those debts. Can’t take myself for dinner. And I’d look like a loser if I took myself on holiday.”

  Honor shifted in his arms and a faint moan escaped her lips.

  “That’s it.” Kade swallowed the lump in his throat. “You fight this. Fight as hard as you can. I need you healthy and by my side. I will not lose you.”

  “The bikes will be here in three minutes.” Heath touched Kade’s arm. “I’ll go in the house and see if there are any medical supplies.”

  Kade nodded, his gaze focused on Honor’s closed eyes. “Three more minutes. That’s only one hundred and eighty seconds. Once you’re on the bike everything will be okay. I’ll get you home, in bed, safe and warm, and no one will ever hurt you again.”

  It was a promise he made himself as he pressed a hand over one of Honor’s wounds, trying to slow the flow of blood that continued to ooze out of her. He held her close and smoothed her hair from her face. If Honor lived, he would never let her go. He wanted her forever.

  “TAKE IT EASY,” SAID a voice in Honor’s ear. “You took a beating out there.”

  Honor opened her eyes, but the light was dim and they refused to focus. She licked her dry lips and tried again. “Sophia?”

  “That’s right. I’m here and as gorgeous as ever whenever you want to take a peek.” Sophia’s image came into focus and she smiled down at Honor.

  Honor attempted to move, but pain lanced through her body. She groaned and shut her eyes again. “What happened?”

  “You got crushed by a piece of flying Cobra, after that same vehicle was sliced in two by a rocket,” said Sophia.

  “Kade?” Her pulse raced. He’d been on the Cobra with her.

  “Very much alive. And very much banned from seeing you.”

  “But I ignored the ban.” Kade’s warm hand rested on top of Honor’s and she felt herself relax and some of the pain fade.

  Honor cleared her dry throat. “Everyone else okay?”

  “Vivian didn’t make it,” said Kade. “The others are fine.”

  Honor forced her eyes open again and saw Kade’s face inches from hers. He had a large cut on his scalp, patched up with butterfly stitches, and the right side of his face was puffy and bruised. She tried to lift her hand but didn’t have the strength to do so.

  “How did we get back?” asked Honor. “The Cobra was blown up?”<
br />
  “Came on the bikes,” said Kade. “We sent a vehicle out to pick up the others, but needed to get you here quickly.”

  “I think I hit my head.” Honor swallowed and coughed, feeling a sharp stab in her right side.

  Kade’s gaze went to the floor. “I thought you weren’t going to make it.”

  “I’m not that bad.”

  “It was touch and go,” said Sophia. “Ten more minutes, and my excellent training in treating sick animals would have been wasted.”

  Honor had a faint memory of Kade holding her and talking about the holiday they’d go on. “The beach.”

  “What?”

  “You said you wanted to take me to the beach.” Honor attempted to smile. “I’d rather go hiking in snowy mountains. Or white-water rafting.”

  “Whatever you want.” Kade brushed a strand of hair from her face and then kissed her cheekbone. “I’ll take you anywhere. Do whatever you want. Just make sure you get better.”

  “I’ll be out of here in no time.”

  “You’ll be here at least three days,” said Sophia.

  “No way!” Honor scowled. “I can walk out of here right now if I have to.”

  “But you don’t have to,” said Kade. “And I bet you all my credits you can’t walk more than a step.”

  “And if you do, you’ll bust open your stitches and I won’t do them again.” Sophia placed her medical scanner on the desk. “Move at your peril. Bed rest and hourly checks are what I’ve prescribed you.”

  Honor’s scowl deepened. But taking a deep breath made her feel like she’d just run a marathon, so rest wasn’t a terrible idea. She looked at Kade and saw deep purple smudges under his eyes. “Tell me what happened after I blacked out?”

  “I found you lying under some metal. I thought you were gone. Thought I’d lost you.” Kade looked away again.

  Honor felt tears in her eyes as she saw the pain on Kade’s face. “I’ve got a lot more living to do. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You won’t do any living if you don’t get rest.” Sophia appeared on the other side of the bed shooing away Kade with her hands. “Leave my patient alone.”

  “Can’t he stay?” asked Honor, hating how weak and pathetic she sounded. “I don’t want to be alone.”

  “You won’t be,” said Sophia. “I’m here. And there are three other patients if you want to chat with someone.”

  Honor felt her chin wobble and bit her bottom lip. “I guess I do need to rest.”

  “Heath’s holding a debriefing in ten minutes,” said Kade. “I need to get to that. Danni is demanding an update.”

  “You’re coming back?”

  Kade kissed her cheek again, his lips lingering longer this time. “Always. Take a look at this while I’m gone.” He opened Honor’s palm and placed something cold and metallic in it.

  She eased her arm up and looked at the object. It was a silver necklace with a large green stone in the center. “A gift?”

  “No. It’s Vivian’s. It might be nothing, but I know you like puzzles and there’s an inscription on the back. She seemed to think it was important. Maybe you can figure out why she was holding it when she died. If that’s okay with the Doc?” He looked at Sophia who was frowning at him.

  “Can’t see any harm,” said Sophia. “But let me wash the blood off it first.” She plucked the chain from Honor’s palm and grimaced.

  Honor suppressed a shudder. She was getting worryingly used to seeing blood. “Might be a family heirloom?”

  “I wondered about that,” said Kade. “But Vivian said she wasn’t married and had no kids. Who would she pass it to?”

  Honor took the clean necklace back from Sophia and turned it over in her hand. “I’ll see if I can find anything useful.”

  Kade slid a hand down Honor’s arm. “Make sure you do everything Sophia tells you. No misbehaving while I’m gone.”

  “As if I would.” Honor forced a smile to remain on her face as Kade left the room. When the door shut behind him she closed her eyes and let out a groan. “Sophia, I need stronger pain killers.”

  Sophia chuckled. “Knew you were pretending.”

  “I’m dying here.” Honor opened her eyes and squinted at Sophia.

  “You’re not dying, but you are bashed up. Damaged ribs, several deep cuts that needed stitching, and a serious concussion.” Sophia inspected the drip Honor was hooked up to and injected something into it.

  “What’s that?”

  “Something I’ve been cooking up with our new hybrid friends.”

  “It’s safe?”

  “It’s safe. And will give you sweet dreams and no pain.”

  Honor sighed and looked back at the door, already missing Kade. When had she gotten so dependent on him that she didn’t want him to leave her side? Maybe all this living with death in front of her every moment was making her lose her mind. But having Kade around made everything brighter, and although it was more dangerous, she was prepared to live with that.

  “Want to try something that will heal your injuries quicker?”

  Honor raised her eyebrows. “What is it?”

  “Hybrid blood heals injuries such as yours.”

  Honor’s mouth fell open. “Of course! When I got injured in the fight at the Pleasure Dome, I landed in hybrid blood, and it healed me.”

  Sophia nodded. “I was skeptical at the time when you made that wild claim, and busy. But once the hybrids were settled, I had Daisy and Clarissa run some tests. You were right; hybrid blood is quite something.”

  “I’d like to try it,” said Honor, remembering the rush of energy she got the last time. “I feel like I’ve been crushed by a bus, so anything that makes that better is welcome.”

  Sophia adjusted her glasses. “I should warn you, it’s an untried method. You would be a test subject. But the hybrids assure me it’s safe. I cannot guarantee it will be successful simply because it has worked for you once before.”

  “I trust you,” said Honor.

  Sophia grinned. “You do know I’m trained as a vet, right?”

  “I know. But you seem pretty good at keeping humans alive as well.”

  “Under duress. But Heath was desperate one day and needed help with a casualty, so I stepped up. I’ve barely left this room since.”

  “You do a good job.”

  “I do an excellent job.”

  Honor sucked in a deep breath and groaned as her ribs protested. “Let’s do it. I need to get to work on this necklace, see if it’s anything important.”

  Sophia nodded. “If you die, I am not taking the blame. Kade will never forgive me if anything happens to you.”

  “I’m not going to die.” Honor grinned weakly at Sophia. “Now, hook me up with some dragon blood.”

  Chapter 20

  Danni Hannigan stood at the front of the briefing room. Heath and Annie sat closest to her, with Lincoln, Arlo, Jude, and Kade taking the rest of the seats. Danni’s sharp gaze shifted from each one as she digested the mission debrief. “The State are not as stable as they appear to be.”

  “Not if there are people working on the inside to bring back dragons.” Kade’s eyes burned with exhaustion, but he didn’t have time to rest. He certainly wasn’t going to shut his eyes until he knew Honor was out of danger. And they still needed to find Anastasia before she blew their cover and led the State right to their front door.

  “It’s too bad we don’t have one, because an inside agent would be a bonus,” said Danni, her fingers idly stroking her eye patch.

  “We didn’t find out anything useful before Heath recalled us,” said Arlo. “We tailed the vehicles, but they didn’t pick anyone up or drop anything off.”

  “Could be they heard what was going on and weren’t prepared to reveal their secrets,” said Danni.

  “The circus is a front,” said Heath. “I’m sure of that. I’ve had the Hives running analyses of their routes, and they’re going into small towns and isolated places, before stopping of
f to run a few shows.”

  “Places where hybrids might hide out,” said Annie.

  “The circus is extracting hybrids?” Danni arched her eyebrows. “For what purpose?”

  “To test on them,” said Kade. “Learn how to manipulate their abilities.”

  “Or how to wipe them out,” said Arlo.

  “If I were them, I’d be interested in the regenerative abilities of their blood,” said Annie. “Sophia is convinced hybrid blood is a catalyst to healing injuries.”

  “It worked on Honor,” said Kade. “When she landed in hybrid blood after being injured, it healed her.”

  “The State could have changed tactics and want to exploit the hybrids instead, rather than wipe them out,” said Danni.

  “They might have left it too late,” said Kade. “The hybrids are as good as us at hiding.”

  “Which is why they’re using the front of a circus to hunt them out,” said Heath.

  “We can send out an alert to possible hybrid locations,” said Jude. “Let them know to be wary of any traveling circuses that pass through.”

  “The hybrids are wary already,” said Danni. “And they have no reason to believe us.”

  “But with the hybrids we’ve already rescued wanting to join us, it’s a start,” said Heath. “If they’re willing, they could work as our liaisons with other hybrid outposts, and get the word out.”

  “That could work,” said Danni. “See if we have any takers with the right skills and get them communicating.” Her gaze shifted to Kade. “You and Honor work with Sophia on the hybrid blood. See if there’s anything irregular in it that is of value to us.”

  “Honor’s too sick to work,” said Kade. “She almost died in her last encounter with the State.”

  “When she’s better, we can put her to work,” said Danni.

  The door to the briefing room opened and Honor walked in. She smiled at the group. “Mind if I interrupt?”

  Kade jumped to his feet and hurried toward her. “You should be resting.” His eyes widened as his gaze ran over her. She looked incredible. Apart from a tiny bruise on one cheek, her injuries were gone. Her eyes gleamed and her cheeks were flushed with a healthy pink glow.