Heath

by Arcadia Shield

  “Wait,” said Clarissa. “My brother. You need to guarantee me you’ll get him out of the base, as well.”

  “We can’t do that,” said Heath.

  “We’re going in,” said Annie. “And we’ll get Clarissa’s brother at the same time.”

  “It’s too dangerous,” said Heath. “I’m not taking you in there.”

  “You don’t get to tell me that,” said Annie. “If you refuse to help me, I’ll go in alone.”

  “And get yourself killed.”

  “I will help you in every way I can,” said Clarissa, her gaze flitting from Annie to Heath. “On the guarantee you get Malachi out.”

  “We will,” said Annie. “We’ll get your brother. Just tell us everything you know.”

  Clarissa held her hand out to Annie. “Deal.”

  Chapter 11

  Heath grabbed hold of Annie’s arm, biting the inside of his lip to stop from yelling. “Give us a moment.”

  “We don’t have time to spare.” Annie tried to pull her arm out of his grip, but he held on.

  Clarissa was already bringing out maps and drawings from her desk. “I’ll prepare the information and brief your colleagues about the base.”

  Heath nodded, knowing he could trust the others. “Out here.” He yanked the door open and pulled Annie out behind him, before spinning round and gripping her shoulders. “The base will be full of militia. If you go in there, that’s it.”

  Annie glared at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “The State have me on their radar,” said Heath. “They know how I interfere with their plans and disrupt things. But they don’t know we’re working together. When this is over you can go back to the university and your life. But only if we’re careful and make sure the State don’t know you’re involved. If they discover you’ve been getting help from me, then you’ll have no career to go back to. Your assets will be frozen. Your home taken. They’ll wipe you out of existence, or turn you into a fugitive. You don’t want a life like that.”

  “I don’t care about any of that,” said Annie. “I have to get my father back.”

  “And we can do that,” said Heath, seeing the desperation in her eyes. “You don’t need to come to the base, though.”

  A tear slid out of Annie’s eye. “Yes, I do. I can’t wait behind. And I’ll be careful. I’ll slip into the base and out again before anyone knows what’s going on.”

  “That might not be possible.” Heath watched the progress of the tear as it ran down Annie’s face. “We’re not properly equipped to raid a secure base. I should take you back to the bunker, get us fully supplied, and then return with more people.”

  “But you won’t,” said Annie, her words coming out shaky. “Because if you do, my dad will be dead.”

  Heath sucked in a breath. “I know. Which is why we’re going in.”

  “Yes, we are,” said Annie. “All of us.”

  “Stay here.” Heath wouldn’t risk having Annie in the base. If anything happened to her, he’d never forgive himself.

  “There’s nothing you can say that’s going to stop me from coming with you,” said Annie.

  Heath wiped the tear from Annie’s cheek. “What if I told you I cared? That I needed to know you will be here when I get back? That you wouldn’t be lying in a bloody heap in the base because our mission failed and I couldn’t protect you?”

  Annie’s mouth dropped open. She stared at Heath. “Do you?”

  Heath pulled her toward him and pressed his lips to hers. Annie’s response was instant. She opened her mouth, her tongue meeting his.

  Surprised by her passion, Heath released his hold on her shoulders and wrapped his fingers into her hair, drawing Annie even closer. She smelt of sand and ash and something floral. Even in this hellhole, she smelled amazing.

  His kiss intensified. He backed Annie against the wall, one hand running down her side as he explored her curves.

  She groaned into his mouth and pulled back. “What are you doing?”

  “Showing you I care,” said Heath. “Please, stay here.”

  “Is that why you’re doing this?” Annie’s words came out breathless.

  “I can’t watch your back all the time,” said Heath. “This base will be dangerous.” His fingers kept trailing up and down Annie’s side, as if they had a mind of their own and enjoyed what they were exploring.

  “But we won’t be alone,” said Annie. “Lincoln will be there, as will Arlo and Juniper. We can look out for each other.”

  Heath’s brows lowered, at the stubborn set of Annie’s chin. “I don’t want—”

  Annie pressed a finger to his lips. “We’re doing this. And I’m going with you.”

  Heath sighed and pressed his lips to her forehead. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

  “No, I’m not.” The ghost of a smile traced through Annie’s words. “I’m going to bring you to life.”

  AS HEATH OPENED THE door back into the room, Annie kept her eyes down, aware her hair was messed up by Heath’s touch, and her lips swollen from his mind-blowing kiss.

  She caught Clarissa’s eye and saw her smile. Annie ducked her head and hid her own smile. She had nothing to be ashamed of. And she wanted Heath, she’d just never expected to get him. So, now what?

  “Now that we’re all here,” said Clarissa, “I’ll show you the best way into the base.” She tapped her finger on the map in front of her.

  Heath strode over, his hand going to the small of Annie’s back and taking her with him. Her breath hitched in her chest. It felt as if her skin was on fire every time he touched her.

  “What have we got?” asked Heath.

  “There’s no point in going through the front,” said Clarissa. “Armed guards on the ground and in the perimeter towers.”

  “Just like a prison.” Lincoln lounged against the far wall, his gaze on the maps.

  “That’s essentially what you’re going into. The people aren’t there willingly. They’ve been abducted, taken because of the skills they have or beliefs they’re sharing.”

  “What condition do you think the people will be in?” asked Heath.

  “The scientists should be okay,” said Clarissa. “They need to keep them alive long enough to get all the information out of them. Maybe even use their knowledge to run experiments on dragon hybrids.”

  “What information are they trying to get?” asked Annie.

  “Everyone in there believes in dragons,” said Clarissa. “The State wants to know what proof they have to support these beliefs.”

  “And then they’ll destroy any evidence,” said Juniper. “Same old story. They stop people realizing the truth.”

  Annie shook her head. Everyone in this room apart from her believed in dragons. This stupid obsession was going to get people hurt. Why was it such a big deal?

  “As for the rest of them,” said Clarissa, “they’ll be the work grunts, or test subjects. They won’t be looked after so well.”

  “Testing what?” asked Annie.

  Clarissa grimaced and her hand went to her stomach. “The State are working on a weapon to eradicate dragon DNA from the population.”

  “Meaning we get wiped out,” said Juniper.

  “And that can’t happen,” said Clarissa.

  “Agreed,” said Heath. “So, if not the front way, how do we get in?”

  “The transport trucks,” said Clarissa. “Every week, a new batch of inmates is taken to the base.”

  “You want us to hop on board one of those trucks?” asked Lincoln.

  “Use the trucks to get inside the base. Then you can disappear,” said Clarissa.

  “You make it sound so easy.” Lincoln quirked an eyebrow at Heath.

  “Where will my dad be?” asked Annie.

  “I imagine they’re keeping him with the rest of the scientists.” Clarissa touched the map. “They have an area for experiments and research.”

  “You can’t be sure?” Lincoln asked Clarissa. �
��I thought you predicted the future.”

  Clarissa’s eyes narrowed as her gaze slid over Lincoln. “I can predict your future. Would you like to know who you’re going to marry?”

  “As if that’s going to happen.” Lincoln smirked but looked away from Clarissa.

  “It will happen,” said Clarissa. “When you’re least expecting it. And your mate is going to be somebody extraordinary.”

  “She’d have to be to put up with Lincoln,” said Heath.

  “I’m open to offers,” said Lincoln. “But I can’t promise there’ll be a ring at the end of it.”

  Clarissa chuckled. “Don’t be so sure of yourself. Every Ember brother needs someone to control his fire, otherwise he’ll burn out of control.”

  Heath cleared his throat and shot a smile at Lincoln.

  “When’s the next transport truck coming through?” asked Annie.

  “There will be one passing through the camp tonight,” said Clarissa.

  “Then we need to be on it,” said Annie.

  “We need more time,” said Heath.

  Annie frowned at him. “No! We go tonight.”

  “I’ll send Lincoln and Arlo to the base for a closer look before we go inside,” said Heath.

  “We can be there and back in three hours,” said Lincoln.

  “The transport truck arrives in two hours,” said Clarissa. “You will miss your opportunity.”

  “And if we wait any longer, word will get back to the base that we’re here,” said Annie. “Then we’ll have no way in.”

  “The lady has a point,” said Lincoln.

  “What about your brother?” Annie asked Clarissa. “Where will we find him?”

  “I didn’t agree to help get anyone else out,” said Heath.

  Annie placed a hand on Heath’s arm. “But we’ll get him. That’s the agreement.”

  “You’ll get him for me,” said Clarissa. “Malachi was in a work party the last time I saw him. But they had plans to experiment on him before he’s worked to death. He could be in the laboratories by now. Here’s a picture of him.” She passed over a crumpled photograph of a handsome, dark-haired man with brilliant, purple eyes and a wide smile.

  “I know Malachi,” said Juniper. “I’ll look out for him. I’ll start in the labs and work my way up from there.”

  “Then I’m with you,” said Annie. “That’s where my dad will be.”

  “No,” said Heath. “You need to be with me.”

  “She will be,” said Clarissa. “I see your fates so clearly, I don’t even need to portend them.”

  Annie’s cheeks heated. She had an idea of what a future with Heath would be like. It excited her. But right now, she had to focus on her father. If Heath Ember was the one for her, then he’d wait. In fact, they’d been waiting for each other for years. She hadn’t even realized it until now.

  “Arlo could always blow the place up and get everyone out,” said Lincoln. “He’s itching to use his new devices.”

  “We’ll use explosives if we have to,” said Heath. “But we need to go in quickly and quietly. Bombs are a last resort.”

  “The transport trucks only stay at the base for an hour,” said Juniper. “That doesn’t give us much search time.”

  “We get in, find Dmitri and Malachi, and get out,” said Heath. “We don’t need to be there for long.”

  “What if that doesn’t give us enough time?” asked Annie.

  “Then we go back and try again,” said Heath. “But we can’t be stranded inside the base.”

  Annie gritted her teeth and then nodded. “We’ll find them.”

  Clarissa smiled. “I believe you will.”

  They spent the next hour going over site plans while Juniper collected more supplies for their trip to the base.

  The nerves in Annie’s stomach refused to settle. She couldn’t decide whether it was because of the mission or because of the kiss with Heath. Every time they accidentally touched as they looked at the map, the memory ignited inside her and sent her thoughts into a tail spin, desire thrumming through her.

  Annie rolled her shoulders, needing a break from studying the schematics of the base and the map. She sat on a sofa and accepted a cup from Clarissa as she joined her.

  “What’s this?” Annie sniffed the steaming cup of liquid. Brown leaves floated on the surface and the smell of cinnamon drifted out.

  “A herbal concoction of mine,” said Clarissa. “It helps calm the mind during a stressful situation.”

  “Then I’ll take a gallon of the stuff.” Annie sipped the drink and was surprised by the sweetness. “It’s good.”

  “How long have you and Heath been together?” asked Clarissa.

  “It’s not like that,” said Annie. “Well, it might be. Right now, we’re friends.”

  “Friends do not look at each other the way you two do,” said Clarissa. “Don’t fight it. You’ve been resisting him for far too long. He needs you.”

  Annie watched Heath, deep in debate with his brothers as to the best way to get onto the truck. His broad shoulders were hunched and his solid arm muscles bulged, as he pressed his hands onto the desk. “He’s as obsessed with dragons as my father. I’m not sure it’s sensible to be involved with someone with such a dangerous hobby.”

  Clarissa tutted. “Dragons are not a hobby.”

  “But they aren’t real,” said Annie.

  “It will all make sense to you soon,” said Clarissa. “But you’ll need to ask Heath for help in order for that to happen.”

  “What can he do?”

  “Open your mind,” said Clarissa. “Have you never wondered how the State came to power so quickly and easily?”

  Annie took another sip of her drink. “They’ve always been here. I mean, I remember the old monarchy, but it seems like a lifetime ago. No, more like a different lifetime. I remember seeing the monarchy and hearing about the things they did, but it’s like they weren’t real. Just like the dragons.”

  Clarissa gazed at Annie over the top of her cup. “How long has the State been in power?”

  “Less than a year,” said Annie. She ran a hand through her hair. “But it’s longer, isn’t it?”

  “You tell me,” said Clarissa. “What do your memories show you?”

  “I’m not sure.” She rubbed her forehead. Everything looked blurry. For a few seconds, she was seeing double. Annie looked at the cup in her hand, her stomach clenching. “What’s in this drink?”

  “A tonic.” Clarissa leaned closer and took hold of Annie’s hand. “Don’t resist.”

  Annie’s breathing grew shallow and her vision dimmed.

  “What are you doing?” Heath was suddenly in front of Annie, pulling the cup from her fingers. He sniffed the contents and tossed it to the floor. “What have you given her?”

  Clarissa shrugged and finished her own drink. “I thought Annie would appreciate seeing the reality of the situation.”

  “She doesn’t need to see anything.” Heath grabbed Annie’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Are you okay?”

  Annie nodded, still feeling woozy. “I’m fine.”

  “Clarissa was drugging you,” said Heath.

  Annie frowned at Clarissa, her tongue running over her teeth as she detected a bittersweet aftertaste. “Why?”

  “I was doing no harm.” Clarissa stood and moved back to the desk. “My herbal concoctions help free people from the lies of the State. It’s not always effective, but for those already questioning what’s going on, it can be the nudge they need to free themselves.”

  “Is that true?” asked Lincoln, his gaze on the empty mugs.

  “It is,” said Clarissa. “I can see you don’t need any, though.”

  “Thanks to Heath,” said Lincoln.

  Annie shook her head as she attempted to clear her muddled thoughts. “How did Heath help you?”

  “Not here,” said Heath, shooting Lincoln a warning glare.

  Lincoln shrugged. “Maybe these dragon herbs
are an option for us to use in combination with The Jolt.”

  “The Jolt? Is that what you use to remove the States influence?” asked Clarissa.

  “Yes. But it’s unreliable and sometimes people get hurt,” said Heath.

  Annie rubbed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

  Clarissa raised her eyebrows and grinned at Heath. “She’s your woman, you decide what has to happen.”

  “I decide for myself,” snapped Annie, confusion fraying her nerves. “What’s going on? What’s this jolt? How will it help me?”

  “Not now,” said Heath. He ran a hand down Annie’s arm. “We focus on the base. Focus on getting your dad back. We can talk later.”

  Annie had a dozen questions to ask Heath and Clarissa, but at that moment, Juniper shoved open the door, her cheeks flushed and a vibrant ripple of color shooting across the scales on her arms. “I’ve got everything we need. It’s time to go.”

  Chapter 12

  As the others made the final preparations, Heath slipped outside into a dark alley between the bar and a rundown general store. The evening air was cooler than the stuffy interior of the bar. A faint buzz of desert crickets echoed softly in the night.

  He couldn’t get the kiss with Annie out of his head, or the words he’d said. No, the words that had spilled out. Once he’d started, he hadn’t been able to help himself. But Annie couldn’t feel the same way. He was an idiot for dragging her into this.

  Their kiss was distracting him. It had felt better than any adrenaline high. Heath wanted more. But Annie must have gotten caught up in the moment. She was desperate to get her father back, and distressed about the situation. Could she have gotten her feelings muddled when he’d kissed her?

  Heath ground his teeth together as he paced the alley. He had to keep his head clear for this mission. There were no second chances once they were inside. The State would have eyes and ears everywhere. One false move, and it would be over for all of them. If anyone realized they were inside the base, they’d be executed on sight.

  He tipped his head back and stared at the night sky, spotting Orion’s Belt as he calmed his breathing. They’d be in and out in minutes. Clarissa’s maps had been detailed and clear. She had a good idea where Dmitri and Malachi should be. Heath had to assume they’d be in a good enough physical condition to leave the base. If either were too wounded, they’d be left behind. He hated leaving injured people, but if it meant keeping Annie safe, he’d do it.