“Lincoln, this is Sophia.” His wrist comms device pinged to life.
Lincoln stepped back from Anastasia with a resigned sigh. “Go ahead, Sophia.”
“We’ve got a new intake of injured dragon hybrids. We need all hands on deck.”
“More dragon hybrids?” Anastasia’s eyebrows shot up.
“We’re on our way.” Lincoln grabbed her arm. “We’ll continue this conversation later.”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to carry it on. Lincoln was a weak spot. Anastasia worked hard to eliminate vulnerability from her life. There had to be a way she could shake off Lincoln Ember without getting hurt.
Chapter 4
Lincoln cursed to himself as they hurried toward the medical room at the other end of the bunker. He’d been getting through to Anastasia, he was certain of it. But then her guard had slammed into place when they’d been disturbed.
But this wasn’t the end of their conversation. He would find out what she wanted and make sure she got it. She fascinated him and twisted his insides like no woman had ever done before. Well, maybe one woman had done it before, but she was long gone now and he was glad of that.
Shoving open the double doors to the medical room, they met chaos. Sophia, Clarissa, and Daisy rushed from bed to bed, each bed occupied by a sick dragon hybrid. The air was full of groans and the odor of sickness and antiseptic.
Sophia glanced up as he strode toward her. “You handle the patients at the far end. They mainly have minor burns and shock. Possibly a couple of concussions. You can handle that?”
“Of course.” Lincoln’s time in the Marines meant he had the basic medical knowledge to be able to patch up injuries. That knowledge had come in handy on numerous occasions when they’d been attacked by State militia while out on missions.
“Where are they from?” Anastasia joined him.
“Found them in a burned-out building,” said Sophia. “Hive Two had gathered intel about the site and picked up on them. Looks like the State bombed the location. Tobias took a team and brought back the survivors.”
Lincoln heard Anastasia hiss out an angry breath. She always saw any attack on the dragon hybrids as an attack on herself. And she was right to do so. The State wanted them dead or imprisoned. They were relentless in their pursuit of these ambitions.
He grabbed two sets of gloves and coveralls and passed a set to Anastasia. “Let’s get to work.”
They walked along the line of beds until they reached the end. Lincoln came face-to-face with a pale, teenage girl of about fifteen. Dried blood matted her green hair and she had a deep gash on her forehead. Her thin fingers picked at the sheet she sat on. She shrank back as Lincoln and Anastasia approached.
Lincoln raised his hands slowly. “We’re here to help. We’d like to treat your injuries if you’d let us.”
The girl’s eyes widened as they flashed from Lincoln to Anastasia. “It’s safe here?”
“It is.” Anastasia took hold of the girl’s hands and her eyes glowed red. “You’re with your own kind here. Dragon hybrids are welcome.”
The girl let out a shaky sigh. “Do you know where my friend, Rachel, is? We got separated when the bombs hit.”
“You don’t see her here, in the room?” asked Lincoln softly. If she wasn’t here, she was most likely dead.
The girl’s gaze flashed around the room and she shook her head. “Don’t know where she is. She told me to run, and I did. But I should’ve stayed with her.”
“You worry about getting better for now,” said Anastasia.
“What’s your name?” asked Lincoln.
“Everyone calls me Scorch.”
Lincoln grinned at her. “Catchy nickname.”
“Had a bit of trouble when I was younger,” said Scorch. “Not my fault. Just struggled with my abilities.”
“You’re a fire breather?” asked Anastasia.
“That’s right.”
“Me too. I can show you how to control your fire, if you’d like.”
Scorch’s eyes widened. “That would be great. I’m always afraid to open my mouth when I lose my temper. Never sure if a fireball will come out.”
Lincoln smiled as he cleaned the wound on Scorch’s forehead. “Anastasia has that problem, as well.”
She shook her head. “I do not. And I’d be happy to help you get control of your abilities.”
“We don’t have any fire breathers in our group,” said Scorch. “Most of them are ice dragons. I’ve always been an outcast.”
“It’s a privilege to have this ability,” said Anastasia. “Fire beats ice every time.”
“I know that,” said Scorch, her chin tilting up. “Just need to be better at controlling it.” Her gaze flashed to Lincoln, and a blush crossed her cheeks. “What about you? What’s your magic ability?”
“What makes you think there’s anything magical about me?” Lincoln covered the cut on Scorch’s forehead with salve.
“Those green eyes can’t be natural.”
“They’re all me.”
Scorch’s own eyes widened and her blush increased. “Are you mated?”
“Never found the time to mate.” Lincoln flashed them both a smile.
“Would you like to be?”
He chuckled as he placed butterfly stitches on Scorch’s forehead. “Is that an offer?”
“Are you kidding?”
“You’re far too good for me.” Lincoln grabbed a bowl of water and a sponge and cleaned the matted blood out of Scorch’s hair. He saw how young she was under all the dirt and bravado.
Scorch giggled. “The guys in my group are so immature.”
“I bet they get shy around you,” said Lincoln. “We get tongue-tied when we’re with an attractive girl. Say dumb things we don’t mean.”
“You think I’m attractive?”
Lincoln teased a clump of dirt from Scorch’s hair and eased the tangle apart. “You’re perfection. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
“Some of the guys are scared of me.” Scorch shrugged. “They think I’ll burn them.”
“Then they don’t deserve you,” said Lincoln. “You need a guy who’ll stand by your side no matter what happens. And if he gets a few burn marks along the way, he should be able to handle them. If he can’t, then he’s not the guy for you.”
“I bet you’re just that kind of guy,” said Scorch.
Anastasia snorted at that comment.
Lincoln ignored her and continued to clean Scorch’s hair. It looked like it hadn’t been washed for weeks, and she was far too skinny. Dragon hybrids often had a hard life, finding shelter where they could, always on guard for any attacks by the State. “Anastasia, can you get Scorch some food? And not ration packs, either. Ask Juliet in the cafeteria for fresh bread. She’s been baking. I can smell it through the air vents.”
“Yes, boss.” Anastasia turned on her heel and stalked away.
Scorch watched her go and then turned to Lincoln, a grin crossing her face. “She’s kind of scary.”
“She terrifies me,” said Lincoln. “But Anastasia knows what she’s talking about when it comes to fire breathing. And it will be good to have her on your side. Have someone to teach you how to control your abilities.”
“I’d like that,” said Scorch. “My mom did her best, but she didn’t have strong abilities.” Her gaze drifted down. “She died when the State took over.”
“Maybe you got those abilities from your father’s side.”
Scorch shrugged. “He’s dead. No idea what abilities he had. Mom never talked about him.”
Lincoln frowned. His father had been a constant by his side when he’d been growing up. A military man through and through, he’d encouraged Lincoln to join the Marines as soon as he was old enough. He was happy to do so. Losing both his parents in the first attack by the State was devastating. He still felt a pang at their absence.
“Are you sure you don’t have some dragon in you?” asked Scorch.
“Positi
ve,” said Lincoln. “I’m just your boring average human.”
“There’s nothing average about you.” Scorch blushed and ducked her head. “Are you and Anastasia a thing?”
Lincoln grinned. “Don’t think that’s ever going to happen. She can barely stand to be in the same room as me.”
“Probably because she likes you.”
“Doubtful,” said Lincoln. “But thanks for the advice.”
“Anytime. We can hang out when I get out of here. Can you show me around the base? Help me find my friend?”
Lincoln smiled at the dopey expression on Scorch’s face. She was cute, but just a kid. “I can get that organized. We like to show people around when they join us. You can get a group of your friends together.”
Scorch’s smile slipped. “I guess so. Any sign of Damien?”
“Not sure.” Lincoln finished rinsing the blood out of Scorch’s hair and stood back. “Who’s he?”
“Just some idiot.” Scorch’s gaze went around the room again.
“An idiot? Then why are you worrying about him?”
“I’m not.” Scorch tugged on the sleeve of her dirty T-shirt. “I mean, he’s sort of cool. We hang out sometimes. He likes to watch me make fire rings. He always tells me how hot it is.”
“Sounds like he’s into you.”
“He’s too young for me. I like older guys.”
“Older guys come with baggage,” said Lincoln. “This Damien sounds interesting. The two of you can look around the base together.”
Scorch kept her head down. “Maybe.”
Lincoln turned as the smell of warm bread filled his nose, and found Anastasia smiling at him and holding a wrapped package. “Ah…I smell success.” She was stunning when she smiled, her whole face came alive. He realized he’d rarely seen that smile. That was something he’d like to change.
Anastasia unwrapped the bread, pulled off a chunk, and handed it to Scorch. “I had to bargain for this, so you’d better enjoy it.”
Scorch grabbed the bread and sank her teeth into it before groaning. “This is incredible.”
Anastasia grinned, and pulled off another piece of bread, before handing it to Lincoln.
He took the bread and gave it straight to Scorch, ignoring the way his mouth watered. “You’ll enjoy this more than I will.”
“Thanks.” Scorch grabbed it and stuffed it straight in her mouth.
He looked back at Anastasia and saw the same smile on her face. “What’s the matter with you?”
“It’s nothing.” Anastasia looked away.
“It’s great you got us out of that building,” said Scorch, around a mouthful of bread. “But when are you going to get the others?”
ANASTASIA’S SMILE FADED and her blood chilled. “The others? What do you mean?”
“The State didn’t just bomb us,” said Scorch. “They came two days ago and took a load of us away. They sorted us by age and gender, and took the women. They were going to take me, but I hid.”
“How many women?” asked Anastasia.
“They took six,” said Scorch. “And the infants.”
Anastasia swallowed the horror creeping up her throat. “They took children?”
“We tried to stop them, but the soldiers killed anyone who fought back. We lost three babies.”
“What are they taking them for?” Lincoln was on his feet, a scowl on his face.
“We’re not sure,” said Scorch. “Some of us think they’re experimenting on them.”
Anastasia’s nails dug into her palms as her fists squeezed closed. “Smoke and fire bites! We have to get them out. Wherever they’ve taken them, we have to find those babies and rescue them.” She spun on her heel, but only made it a step before Lincoln’s hand was on her shoulder, keeping her still.
“We will,” said Lincoln. “But we can’t go back there and hunt them down.”
“Why not?” She turned, shrugging his hand off. “The longer we leave it, the less likely it is we’ll find them.”
“I agree,” said Lincoln. “But we need to get intel first. Then we’ll get them. If we rush back not knowing what we’re getting into, we’ll get ourselves killed.”
“They’re just babies,” gasped out Anastasia. “They’re taking innocents to do who knows what.”
Lincoln grabbed hold of her elbow and moved away from Scorch’s bed, out of the teen’s earshot. “I get that. And we will help. I promise you, we’ll find out where the infants are and bring them here.”
“You can’t guarantee that.”
“I won’t let them down,” said Lincoln. “I won’t let you down.”
Anastasia took in a deep shuddering breath, fighting her primal dragon desire to protect the innocent. “What do we need to do?”
“I’ll finish up the work here. You get the others. I’ll meet you in the briefing room in an hour. Talk to any of the other dragon hybrids who are stable. Find out what they know. We need all the information we can gather, if we’re going to make this work.”
Anastasia pushed down the feelings of sickness and fury, her insides boiling as her dragon side fought to take over and burn the State to the ground.
“Anastasia! Focus on this.” Lincoln pulled her closer and his intense gaze met hers. “We’ll make a plan and get the babies back.”
She let out a breath and nodded. “Okay. I’ll meet you in the briefing room in an hour.” His confident tone reassured her. They would get these children back. The State would not get to keep what wasn’t theirs. Would not get to harm them. But if they did, she’d be coming for revenge.
Chapter 5
Lincoln pulled the sweaty gloves from his hands and tossed them into the trash. The dragon hybrids were safe and stable. Sophia, Daisy, and Clarissa were monitoring their vitals and making sure they were well-fed and hydrated.
He’d struggled to concentrate after the revelation that dragon hybrid babies had been stolen. Anastasia’s distress had cut him like a knife. He’d fought his own urge to go out, pulse laser blazing, and take down anyone involved.
There was something about Anastasia that stirred a feeling inside him he’d cut off years ago. Ever since Melissa tricked him into loving her and ruined his career. Lincoln shook his head. He needed to get a grip. Dwelling in the past wasn’t going to help. There were dragon hybrids to save.
He strode into the briefing room to find Heath, Arlo, Lincoln, Jude, Annie, and Honor sitting around the table, along with Anastasia. His wrist comms alerted him to a message. He checked it and grimaced.
“Something wrong?” asked Anastasia.
“It’s Clive. He’s got a job for us. The timing couldn’t be worse.”
“What’s the job?” asked Heath.
Lincoln scanned the message. “Collection and drop-off. Doesn’t say what.”
“Where’s the drop-off point?” asked Anastasia.
Lincoln frowned. “Thunder Island.” What was Clive doing involved with the goings on at Thunder Island? It was run by the State. No one knew what went on there.
Danni strode in. She positioned herself at the front of the room, posture stiff and hands clasped behind her back. Her gaze settled on Heath. “Give me a progress report.”
“The dragon hybrids we brought in confirmed the State arrived two days ago and took the infants and women of breeding age,” said Heath.
Lincoln heard Anastasia curse under her breath. He reached under the table and squeezed her knee. He was surprised when she didn’t pull away.
“Any information on where they were taken?” asked Danni.
“One of the other dragon hybrids overheard a guard mention an island location,” said Anastasia. “He wasn’t certain, but he thought he heard the word thunder.”
“Hold on.” Lincoln checked the message he’d received from Clive again. “I’ll bet he’s talking about Thunder Island.”
Danni raised her eyebrows. “What makes you think that?”
“Because of this message. Clive wants a collection and dr
op-off at Thunder Island.”
“Where’s that?” asked Anastasia.
“Off the south coast,” said Arlo. “The residents were removed after the State took control, so they could use it as a secret base.”
“It’s not a secret to us, though,” said Jude. “I’ve been monitoring their comms for months. The only thing is, I haven’t been able to figure out what they do there. Everything sent through is coded. They talk about shipments a lot.”
Lincoln scrubbed a hand across his face. “This collection has to be linked to whatever’s happening on that island.”
“You think he’s shipping dragon hybrids over there?” Anastasia’s eyes glowed red.
“Get the hives to run a sweep on Thunder Island,” said Danni. “We need as much data as we can get. See what we can find out about the activities on this island.”
“Already on it,” said Heath. “But they do a great job of hiding their movements. They don’t want anyone knowing what goes on there.”
“We can’t risk not going,” said Anastasia. “If there are dragon hybrids there, we have to get them out.”
Danni raised a hand and her sharp gaze shot to Anastasia. “We’ll do what we can to rescue them. But Thunder Island has always been a stronghold of the State. The only way we can get there is across open water. They’ll shoot anything they see out of the sky. Nothing makes it over Thunder Island in one piece.”
“A sea crossing will be just as dangerous,” said Lincoln. “We only know half of what’s under the water.”
“Dangerous is an understatement,” said Heath. “With the State creating mutant creatures to terrorize us with, we won’t know what we’ll encounter.”
“We don’t have a choice,” said Danni. “We’ve already lost one copter. Another is currently out of action. A sea crossing is the only way to these dragon hybrids.”
“I’ve got depth charges,” said Arlo. “Been meaning to try them out.”
“Now’s your chance,” said Danni. “We’ll need everything we can get to fight off an attack when we’re in the water. Then we’ll have the State to face when we get on dry land.”
Heath tapped into the comms and opened a link with Hive One. Zane Blanchard’s face popped into view, his dark eyes serious as he looked around the group.
Lincoln (Ember Quest Book 3) Page 5
