“I know,” said Heath, appreciating their presence. “She still didn’t need to do it. She has nothing to prove to me.”
“Maybe she wasn’t trying to prove anything to you,” said Arlo. “I’m hearing about more and more people who aren’t convinced by their memories and are looking for whatever’s missing. It was beginning to sound like maybe Annie needed to find the truth for herself.”
“The woman has spirit,” said Lincoln. “Can’t stop her from doing what she needs to do. That would only make her hate you. I have a feeling you don’t want that to happen anytime soon.”
The door at the end of the corridor banged open. Kade and Jude walked toward Heath.
“How’s the patient?” Kade rested a hand on Heath’s shoulder.
“She’s stable,” said Heath. “Sophia said her vitals are returning to normal.”
“We’ve been hearing all about Annie from Juniper,” said Jude. “She sounds like quite a woman.”
“She is.” Heath began pacing again. “Someone distract me before I go mad.”
His brothers exchanged a glance.
“The extraction from the prison was a success,” said Jude. “We got the prisoners out. They’re being checked over at our southern bunker.”
Heath had been so distracted by Annie that he barely remembered the prison. “Were any guards taken?”
“All dead.”
More silence. Heath couldn’t stop thinking about Annie.
“Tobias is making progress with the new bunker,” said Lincoln. “It should be operational in the next week.”
“That’s good.” Tobias Ember was a brilliant tactician who focused on finding new, secure sites from which to expand their operations. He hated being in any one place for long. Heath worried about the amount of time he spent alone, often aboveground. But he could never be pinned down in one place for long. Tobias was a free spirit.
Another silence filtered through the group. Lincoln hummed an off-key tune.
“I could tell you about my new bomb,” said Arlo.
Heath waved his hand in the air. “Something positive that will not blow this base apart.”
“What about the fragments?” asked Kade. “The ones you brought back on the last mission?”
Heath slowed. “Yes, tell me about those.”
Kade stood up straight. A smile crossed his face. “They’re legitimate. I’ve run them through the system. They’ve already added new strands to the genome program.”
“You sure?” A thread of excitement ran through Heath. This was progress. Just what they needed to get closer to bringing back dragons.
“Have I ever let you down?” Kade grinned at his brother. “And I’ve been testing my new fractional orientation program, using the coordinates of the finds.”
“Speak English,” said Arlo with a groan. “Fractional what?”
“My mapping system.” Kade shook his head at Arlo. “My theory is, that if you find remains in one spot, then there will be more. Dragons were social animals and worked together as a collective. Unless someone else placed those dragon fragments in the tunnel, moved them from their original site, there will be more.”
“I need to take another trip into that stinking tunnel full of giant, blood-sucking millipedes?” Heath ran his hand through his hair. He’d been in worse situations.
“If you want to get more legitimate finds, you do,” said Kade. “I’ve plotted out several nearby locations that will be useful to scout. When you’re ready, you can get out there and collect more. What you brought back was high quality. Worth the risk with the blood suckers.”
Heath nodded. That mission had been less than a week ago, but it felt like a lifetime to him. He was relieved to hear they’d made progress, but it didn’t seem so important now, not if Annie didn’t make it. The thought of her dying kicked the air out of his lungs.
The door was pushed open again. Danni strode through.
“How are things?” Her gaze settled on Heath.
“We retrieved Dmitri and the prisoners,” said Heath. “The site we located has been destroyed.”
“And Annie? I heard she elected for memory retrieval.”
Heath swallowed, his eyes going to the closed medical bay door. “We’re just waiting to find out.”
“I’ll need a full debrief.”
Heath opened his mouth to protest. He wasn’t going anywhere while Annie’s life was at risk.
Danni raised a hand. “Tomorrow. I’ll schedule a debrief then.”
He gave her a relieved smile.
“Good job everyone.” She turned and walked away. “Make sure you get some rest. All of you.”
The door to the medical room opened. Sophia poked her head around it, her glasses propped on top of her head. “Oh good, you’re all here.”
Heath stopped pacing. “How’s Annie?”
“Will you behave if I let you in?” Sophia’s stern gaze rested on Heath.
“Best behavior.” Heath raised his hands in a gesture of submission. “I need to make sure Annie’s okay.”
Sophia’s gaze went around the rest of the group. “Just you. And keep the visit short. Annie needs to rest.”
“Good luck.” Lincoln stood and slapped Heath on the shoulder.
Heath nodded his thanks, as he followed Sophia through the door, holding himself back from rushing to Annie’s bedside.
Sophia stepped to one side as they reached the bed. “Five minutes. I’ll be in the office if you need me.”
Heath looked at Annie, his heart racing as he scanned her body, searching for injuries. “How you doing?”
She nodded and gave him a tired smile. “My head aches like it’s been stamped on by an elephant. Other than that, I feel amazing.”
“And your memories?” Heath grabbed hold of her hand and clutched it between both of his. It didn’t matter if it the Jolt wasn’t successful, just so long as she wasn’t hurt. This woman was his everything, his perfection. Somehow, they would make this work.
Annie licked her lips, her smile wavering. “I believe it all.”
ANNIE ALMOST COULDN’T believe it, but everything Heath had been telling her was true. Dragons used to rule the planet. And they were benevolent and had ensured stability and prosperity for every country. Everyone had had their fair share under the dragons. But it was more than that. They’d also ensured a stable environment, making sure there was no famine or tornadoes or catastrophes of any kind.
Emperor Endrir and the State were a shame. Everything she believed wasn’t true. Annie shook her head and tightened her grip on Heath’s hand. She looked into his eyes. “I’ve been so blind.”
“You didn’t know,” said Heath. “Nobody does. Well, except for a few of us. The State does an amazing job of using hypnotic suggestion to create false memories, make everyone believe it’s natural for them to be in power, and for them to take what they want, leaving everyone else struggling and desperate.”
“Who are they?” asked Annie.
“That’s what we’ll find out,” said Heath. “So far, we haven’t gotten close to anyone with any power. But we will. Then we’ll stop them.”
“Why weren’t you affected?” asked Annie. “How come you still remember?”
“I was unconscious,” said Heath. “The day the State arrived, I was in a medically induced coma because of a head injury.”
“What happened to you?”
“Bike crash. I injured one side of my brain. That’s the only thing that saved me.” Heath’s gaze ran over Annie. “I’m nothing special.”
“You are.” Annie blinked away tears, still shocked by everything that flooded into her thoughts. “Now we’ll change things together.”
Heath pressed a kiss to the back of Annie’s hand. “Only if you’re sure. Life in these bunkers isn’t glamorous.”
“I don’t need glamor,” said Annie. “We need to stop the State. Figure out who these monsters are and make sure everyone knows what they’re doing. They’ve ruined this cou
ntry.”
“Not just this country,” said Heath. “Dragons have been wiped out everywhere. Every country is experiencing the same thing as us.”
“Then they must be stopped,” said Annie.
“They will be.” Heath pressed a kiss to Annie’s cheek, but she turned her face so their mouths met, her lips parting as his urgency met hers.
Heath growled into her mouth and slid a hand down her side.
Annie wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck and drew him closer, intensifying their kiss as their tongues met.
“This isn’t what I meant when I said you could see how the patient was doing.” Sophia appeared by the side of the bed, her arms folded and an amused glint in her eyes. “This will not help Annie recuperate.”
“I disagree.” Annie blushed and released her hold on Heath, her breath coming out shaky. “We’re glad to see each other.”
“Be glad to see each other when it’s appropriate.” Sophia shooed Heath from the side of the bed. “Get out of here before you make my patient relapse. She needs calm and quiet.”
Heath grinned at Annie from the doorway. “I’ll be outside.”
Annie shook her head. “Get some rest. I’ll be fine here.”
“She will,” said Sophia. “And I insist you get rest and something to eat, Heath. I don’t have room in here if you collapse because you haven’t been taking care of yourself as usual.”
“I’ll be right outside.” Heath gave Annie a hope-filled look before leaving the medical room.
Annie’s smile faded as she looked at Sophia. “How’s my dad doing?”
“He’s settled into his new quarters. I have him on bed rest for the next two days. He’ll be fine.”
“You won’t get him to rest,” said Annie, relieved to hear he was doing well. “Not in a place crammed full of dragon finds.” She could imagine he was itching with anticipation over everything he’d discover in the base. He wasn’t the only one. Now the hypnotic suggestion had gone and her memories were back, she wanted to explore, learn about it all, and help Heath and his brothers bring down the State.
“I threatened to sedate him.” Sophia raised an eyebrow. “That did the trick.”
“And Malachi and the other rescued prisoners?”
“They’re all suffering but stable.” Sophia’s lips pursed. “Malachi is weak and needed blood. He’s had one transfusion. I’m waiting to see how much more he needs. And, some of the tests done on him, well, let’s just say they might not only leave physical scars.”
Annie’s happiness faded. She’d been deluded for so long.
“So, you and Heath?” Sophia glanced up from the medical report she was reading on her handheld comms device.
“It’s early days,” said Annie. “But, yes, I hope so.”
“You’ve made a good choice,” said Sophia. “Not all the Ember brothers are, how should I describe them, stable. You’ve met Lincoln, right?”
“He seems normal enough,” said Annie.
“Wait until you see the effect he has on women,” said Sophia. “There’s something about him that makes them act like airheads who have trouble keeping their legs closed. And he takes full advantage of that. Then there’s Arlo and his love of everything that goes bang. And you’ve yet to meet Tobias. That guy has some serious issues after his time buried underground.”
“What about Heath?” A brief flash of jealousy shivered through Annie’s veins. “Does he have an effect on the women here?”
Sophia shot her a slight smile. “There has been one or two. You go crazy stuck in here. Having naked fun with somebody is a good way of blowing off steam and keeping your head together. But he’s never been serious about anyone. At least, not yet. Maybe you’ll change that.”
Annie studied Sophia, noticing how attractive she was. “Have you ever dated Heath?”
Sophia laughed. “Oh no, he’s not my type. I’m more of a—” She looked up from the screen and a blush crossed her cheeks. “Never mind that. You focus on resting. Then you can see just what Heath is like.”
“I already know what he’s like,” said Annie, recalling their passion in Heath’s quarters, the way he had opened her, filled her and fucked her.
“And you approve?”
Annie grinned at her. “I do.” And she wanted more. Everything Heath had to offer her, she was ready to take.
“Then I wish you the best,” said Sophia. “Heath gets lost in his obsession. He thinks he has to look after all the Ember brothers, despite them being big enough and smart enough to take care of themselves. Having you by his side will be a good thing. Give him something positive to focus on.”
Annie nodded, her fingers going to her lips, swollen from kissing. Just days ago, she’d seen a future at the university, a stable life that had seemed enough. But everything had changed. The future was full of uncertainty and excitement. And she wanted that with Heath, wanted to be by his side when that happened.
Heath was her future and the possibilities that stretched out in front of her were exciting. Everyone needed to know the truth. And she’d help make sure that happened.
Chapter 22
Kade
Kade Ember yawned and stretched his arms over his head. He checked the clock on the wall and realized he’d been feeding DNA information into the system for over three hours. His eyes burned and his stomach grumbled, but the tiredness gave him a sense of contentment.
Since Heath had brought back the last collection of dragon fragments, he’d pieced together two new strands of DNA, which was a step toward bringing back dragons.
Codes, sequencing DNA, and dismantling computer systems, that was all Kade enjoyed doing.
His dark-green gaze flicked to the continuous news feed he had open, his constant companion at his messy computer station. He squinted his eyes and his pulse kicked up a notch, as he rolled his chair closer to the screen. An image of an old colleague, Honor Davenport, looked back at him. He grunted as he read the news feed. She’d won an award for services to the State.
Kade shook his head and turned away from the screen. Honor was crazy-smart and dedicated. And when they’d worked together on the new computer framework for the State, she’d challenged him to keep up with her ideas and coding. He’d never met anyone who could code so fast and make so few errors.
But that had fallen apart when he’d been accused of infecting a State computer program with a virus and threatened with prison.
Heath had gotten him out and brought him to the bunker before shocking him awake and helping him remember the reality of the situation. And the vicious, brutal lies of the State.
Ever since then, Kade had kept his head down and focused on discovering the complete genome they’d need to bring back dragons. Bring back dragons; it was something he was still uncertain of. Kade continued to struggle with what was real and what wasn’t. His returned memories were patchy, and his sleep filled with nightmares of fire and death.
He had the added pressure of being the only one in the bunker with the skills to nudge the complex genome sequence toward reality. And on top of that, his hobby of security hacking was in high demand. A decent night’s sleep felt like something other people did.
Help from someone like Honor would make things easier. Another mind that operated like his, and could see patterns, matches, and chinks in systems that made them vulnerable. She’d been the only system operative who’d been fast enough to keep up with him. No one else ever came close.
Kade looked back at the screen, losing himself for a second in Honor’s intelligent, dark eyes. She had her light-brown hair pulled off her face, making her cheekbones look too sharp. He remembered how she used to let her hair loose when they worked on late-night coding sessions. She’d twirl strands around her fingers, as she puzzled through a coding issue, and leave little spirals poking up around her head.
The door to the computer room slid open. His brother, Heath, and Annie Grimwald walked through, their arms wrapped around each other. Kade smil
ed as he saw them together. Ever since Heath had brought Annie back to the bunker and helped her remember what was going on, they hadn’t left each other’s side.
And Kade was glad Annie was here. He’d been worried about Heath, the way he’d barely slept or ate, fueling himself with shots of adrenaline to keep going on his hunt for dragon remains.
Annie had remedied that, making sure Heath ate regularly and got plenty of sleep. Kade grinned mischievously to himself. Well, maybe there wasn’t quite as much sleep going on as they led others to believe. The two of them were loved up.
“How’s the coding going?” asked Heath, as he tore his gaze away from Annie.
“Nothing new.”
“I need to get out there and find you fresh material.”
“You’ve done enough trips for one week.” Annie placed a hand on Heath’s chest. “There’s material in the archives to keep us busy for the rest of the year.” She’d been working with Heath to go over old data and re-analyse fragments and had discovered two partial DNA strands. Annie was proving to be a valuable asset to the group.
“It’s too degraded,” said Heath. “We need new material.”
“Annie’s right. There could be something useful in the archives,” said Kade. “Focus on what we’ve got. I can send some of the other guys out to sites I’ve identified.”
Heath looked from Kade to Annie and his hard expression softened. “I guess a week shuffling through piles of old egg fragments and bones won’t do me any harm.”
“Absolutely.” Annie shared a secret smile with Kade. Between the two of them, they’d make sure Heath didn’t get too obsessed again.
Kade’s stomach clenched as he saw the way Annie looked at Heath. It had been a long time since anyone had paid him attention like that. Freaking hell, he wasn’t sure anyone had ever looked at him the way Annie was gazing at Heath. But it was for the best. This job was his life, his home was this computer lab, the green screens staring back at him as code flashed before his eyes. Daylight was a distant memory.
“Take a look at this when you get a minute.” Heath passed Kade a data chip. “Annie found it at the State prison. Could have useful information on there.”
Heath (Ember Quest Book 1) Page 22
