Lincoln (Ember Quest Book 3)

by Arcadia Shield

  “Nothing’s broken,” said Anastasia. “Feel like I need to throw up a stomach full of water, though.”

  “Take it easy until we get to Thunder Island,” said Lincoln. “You can always stay on board and keep watch until we get back.”

  “There’s no need,” said Anastasia. “I’ll be fine. Just need to catch my breath.”

  “You don’t need to push yourself,” said Lincoln. “If you need to rest, then do so.”

  “Same goes for you,” said Anastasia. “You just fought a sea monster and saved me.”

  Lincoln shrugged. “It’s all in a day’s work. It’s what I’m famous for; slaying evil and wooing women.”

  Anastasia shook her head. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thanks again. That thing was taking me down. I wasn’t able to beat it.”

  Lincoln’s heart stuttered at the warmth of Anastasia’s lips on his cheek. “I can never resist a lady who needs help.”

  “Sure you can’t.” She smiled up at him. “Got a change of clothes on board this boat?”

  “There’ll be spares in the boxes,” said Lincoln, tapping his knuckles on the side of the boat. “You want me to help you get out of those wet things?”

  “In your dreams.” Anastasia pulled herself to her feet, ignoring Lincoln’s hand as she stood. “Let me help you dry off a bit. Guess it’s the least I can do, since you helped me.” A fireball shot from her mouth and hovered in the air. The warmth immediately took the chill from Lincoln and his sodden clothes steamed.

  “Thanks.” After a minute of warming them, she turned. He watched her walk away, her damp clothes sticking to every curve. He’d been half joking when he’d offered to help her get changed. Suddenly, the thought of seeing Anastasia naked was the only thing he could focus on.

  What was wrong with him? She was just another woman, someone to have fun with and not get serious about. Anyone would have acted the same way as him if they’d discovered Anastasia had gone overboard. But something had opened inside of Lincoln when he’d realized she’d gone. Something he’d kept a tight lid on for years. He knew he had to save her, and would have done anything to do so.

  He hissed out a breath and focused back on the water. They were five minutes from Thunder Island. He couldn’t get distracted by a set of sexy curves and flame-red hair.

  Anastasia returned a few moments later in black fatigues. She passed Lincoln a dry pair of trousers and a shirt. “Thought you might need these.”

  “Thanks.” He kicked off his boots, shrugged off his damp clothes and rubbed himself down swiftly. He caught Anastasia looking at him from the corner of her eye and grinned, before pulling on the dry clothes and scraping his hair off his face. He reattached his pulse laser protection vest and strapped on his weapons.

  “We’re out of deep water,” said Heath. “We shouldn’t be bothered by anything else beneath the waves. Time to focus on what’s in the sky. We’re moving fast, but still risk being spotted by a drone if we’re within its field of motion.”

  Lincoln instinctively raised his gun and scanned the skies for any sign of the red dots around the edges of the State drones.

  “One minute out,” said Heath, his tone edgy as he stood beside Lincoln, his weapon also raised.

  Kade slowed the boat. The water calmed, as they drifted toward the shoreline.

  “Bet I can take out more drones than you,” muttered Lincoln to Heath, the usual flood of adrenaline running through his veins as they drew nearer to the fight.

  “That’s a bet I’m not willing to take,” said Heath. “I’ve done it too many times and always lose.”

  “Always happy to take your credit, brother.” Lincoln’s gut tightened as he spotted a flash of light and shot the drone from the sky. Two more appeared. He slammed a laser blast into both.

  “Can’t get us any closer,” said Kade. “I’ll beach the boat if I do. This is where we get off.”

  They jumped into thigh-high, icy water, and dragged the boat to the shore, positioning it for a fast getaway.

  Lincoln continued to scan the sky. He froze as they reached the sandy shore, and fired on a dot of red above his head. It blinked out of sight. A splash sounded as the drone hit the water.

  “Let’s move,” said Heath. “Now these drones are down, others will come to investigate.” He led the group along the sand through the seagrass and onto a stony path away from the shore. “The building is five miles from here.”

  “Zane sent through information about the storage sheds,” said Lincoln. “Should be vehicles in them to get us to the center.”

  They kept to the shadows as they headed toward the storage units. So far, there was no sign of any State patrols, but they all remained on high alert.

  The first storage unit was full of rubber dinghies and maintenance equipment for boats.

  The next one was locked, but Kade disabled the lock in seconds and pulled the door open.

  Lincoln grinned as he spotted a pair of trucks. “Just what we need.” He ran toward the first one and tried the door, but it was locked. The second one was open. He hopped inside, quickly followed by the others, Anastasia joining him on the passenger seat.

  He fumbled beneath the dashboard and hotwired the engine.

  “Let’s go,” called Heath from the back of the truck.

  Lincoln drove out of the storage unit and headed along the only road on the island. The engine on the truck was almost silent, thanks to its hydrogen cell, but his nerves still kicked in as they drove through the soundless night. Anyone could spot them approaching. They were exposed. But this was the only way in. This truck would be ideal for transporting the babies and women out.

  He looked at Anastasia. Her hand tightly clutched the door handle. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  She gave a small nod, her eyes scanning the road ahead. “We’ll get everyone out.”

  “We’ll do what we can.” He didn’t want to give her too much hope. They weren’t certain what they’d find when they got inside the building.

  “We’re saving them all,” said Anastasia.

  “The babies have to be our priority,” said Heath quietly from the back. “I understand you want to help everybody. We do, too. But we help the most vulnerable first. We can come back with reinforcements, once we know what we’re dealing with.”

  Anastasia hissed through her teeth and tucked her chin to her chest.

  Lincoln reached over and squeezed her leg, but she moved away from his touch and turned her body, angling herself away from him.

  He hated seeing her withdraw, just when she was letting him in. Focusing back on the road, the outline of a large detached house appeared as they crested the brow of a hill. A flicker of surprise ran through him. He’d assumed the center would be more like a hospital, or a secure facility, but this looked like a family home.

  Anastasia sat forward, her eyes focused on the building. “That’s it.”

  “Heath, how close do you want us to get?” asked Lincoln.

  “As close as you can. We need to be near so we can load as many people on as possible.”

  Driving along the tree-lined avenue, Lincoln found it hard to believe they were heading toward such a nightmare. Maybe their intel was wrong. They could get inside and find it full of happy dragon hybrids, living in isolation on this island away from the interference of the State. He snorted quietly to himself. If he believed that, his fingers wouldn’t be aching from gripping the steering wheel. Whatever was inside, he knew he wouldn’t like it.

  “Guard post up ahead,” said Lincoln. His hand reached for the weapon on his belt.

  “Keep it discreet,” muttered Heath, as he ducked out of sight. “They know to expect Lincoln and Anastasia with their delivery, but no one else.”

  Anastasia hunched in her seat and turned the collar up on her shirt.

  Lincoln rolled the truck to a stop and slid the window down as the guard approached. “Got a delivery for you.”

  “Just a minute.” Th
e guard returned to his booth and came out with a port screen in his hand, which he scrolled through slowly. His suspicious gaze ran over the vehicle, before flicking to Anastasia and then back to Lincoln.

  “Is there a problem?” Lincoln’s hand slid to his gun.

  “Need your papers.”

  Lincoln gritted his teeth. Clive hadn’t mentioned anything about papers. “Oh, right. Well, you see, the thing is I was in such a hurry I forgot to pick them up.”

  The guard’s lips pursed. “That is a problem.”

  “Doesn’t need to be,” said Lincoln. “I can get them sent on when I get back to base.”

  “You’d better open up and let me check.”

  “It’s just a locked box I’m transporting. Nothing to see.” And there really wasn’t, since he’d stashed that box on the Cobra.

  “I’ll get in trouble if I send you through without checking.”

  A sigh escaped Lincoln’s lips. This guard just wasn’t cooperating. “Sure. I’ll open up for you.” He hopped out the cab and strolled around the side of the truck, meeting the guard at the back.

  He jiggled with the latch for a second, before smashing his elbow back into the guard’s nose. Lincoln spun around and kicked the gun out of the guard’s hand before punching him in the throat and dropping him to the ground.

  The guard made a gurgling sound, before his eyes rolled back in his head. He didn’t get up.

  Heath jumped out of the truck and helped Lincoln drag the guard back to his booth before tying him up and smashing his comms device. They hopped back into the truck, and continued along the gravel driveway toward the house.

  “There is a surprising lack of guards around,” said Heath. “I’d have expected to meet multiple patrols by now.”

  “Maybe they think because it’s women and children, they won’t cause any problems,” said Anastasia.

  “They obviously haven’t met you,” said Lincoln.

  She gave him a sharp smile.

  “This is close enough,” said Heath. “We’ll split into smaller groups and find a way inside. Lincoln, you go with Anastasia and check out any back ways in. I’ll take Arlo and Kade. Tobias, go find those cages Zane identified. See what the State are hiding in them.”

  “We’ll report in as soon as we know anything.” Lincoln turned and saw Anastasia was already hurrying toward the house. He shot Heath an exasperated look before racing after her and catching hold of her arm. “Take it easy.”

  “We don’t have time to take it easy,” snapped Anastasia. She pulled in a deep breath. “The sooner we get in there, the sooner we can get those babies out.”

  “I know,” said Lincoln. “But we need to be sensible.”

  “Something I doubt you ever are.”

  “I am when it comes to this kind of thing.” Lincoln tightened his grip on Anastasia’s arm. “And as much as you will hate this, you need to follow my orders. Keep your head down and stay quiet. And don’t rush. We don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into here.”

  EVERY INCH OF ANASTASIA thrummed with worry. She knew there were other dragon hybrids around even before she’d seen them. When she was surrounded by others like herself, she could feel herself relax, no longer so on edge and concerned.

  She realized she felt the same way when around Lincoln. He might tease her, but when it was just the two of them, she could also relax and felt her guard come down.

  Chewing on the inside of her cheek as they made their way around the house, Anastasia noticed there were no window bars. The door locks were of a standard design. But she didn’t let that fool her. If the State wanted to, they could use other means to hold you prisoner. They’d done it to her by taking Bellatrix and threatening to kill her.

  They crept around to the back of the building, past a neat-looking garden full of fading flowers long past their bloom, and stopped by the back door. She went to open the door.

  Lincoln shook his head. “Let’s check who’s inside first.”

  She repressed a growl, but then nodded and waited as he peered through the windows.

  Bouncing on her toes, the urge to shove Lincoln out of the way made her fingers clench. She forced herself not to move. “What’s inside?”

  “There aren’t any guards,” whispered Lincoln. “But there are several nurses carrying babies. They’re just leaving.”

  “The dragon hybrids.”

  “Looks like it.” He tried the door handle. The door opened without protest. Lincoln beckoned Anastasia in behind him. They entered a large, white kitchen with an island in the middle.

  The kitchen smelt of steeped tea and sour milk. Anastasia noticed several babies’ bottles in the sink.

  They hurried to the kitchen door. Lincoln pressed his ear against it, before pulling it open and checking either side of the corridor. “It’s clear.”

  Anastasia’s heart bounced in her chest when she heard low voices in the room above them. She followed Lincoln, resisting the urge to run and slam open the doors, looking for the babies.

  Lincoln grabbed her and shoved her into the nearest room, clicking the door shut behind them and pressing her against the wall.

  Footsteps passed the door. Two women could be heard talking quietly. She cursed silently. If she’d been focused, she’d have heard them before Lincoln. She was letting this place get to her.

  “Most likely nurses.” Lincoln let out a breath and Anastasia felt it tickle the hair on her neck. She ignored the desire to remain pinned against him. She had to remember what she was feeling was just hormones sparking. It meant nothing.

  They hurried back out into the corridor, getting closer to the distinctive smell of infant, that warm, milky scent they all seemed to have when they were young.

  Lincoln stopped by a set of double doors and peered through the glass before ducking back and looking at Anastasia. “It’s the nursery. There are rows of cribs in there.”

  Anastasia risked a glance in. She saw a dozen occupied cribs and a single nurse, moving from crib to crib, checking on the babies.

  The nurse moved to the last crib, tucked a blanket around the baby, and then left the room through a door at the back.

  “Now’s our chance.” Anastasia pushed open the door and slid into the room, Lincoln close behind her. She hurried to the first crib and looked inside, letting out a loud gasp. A weak-looking baby of about four months old was sleeping on its back, a flash of scales visible on its skin.

  “This isn’t right,” said Anastasia. “Dragon hybrid abilities don’t normally show themselves until puberty, but this baby already has scales.”

  “Same here.” Lincoln stood at the next crib, peering down at the baby.

  “It will be too taxing for them to manage their dragon hybrid skills from such a young age,” said Anastasia. She gently rested her palm on the infant’s chest and felt its racing heart. “The State must have done this. They must have forced the dragon hybrid abilities to activate early. It could kill the babies.”

  “Once we get them back to base, Sophia and Clarissa will help them.”

  Anastasia shook her head, horror flooding her veins. It would be impossible to get a newborn infant to understand their abilities, how to control them and how to use them.

  “Heath. We found the nursery.” Lincoln spoke softly into his wrist comm.

  “And we’ve found the women,” came Heath’s voice through the comm. “None of them are looking good. One of them told me they haven’t been beaten or assaulted, but several look sick.”

  “Same with the babies,” said Lincoln. “Anastasia thinks the State have been messing with their dragon hybrid abilities.” He walked to the end of the row of cribs.

  Heath cursed. “And there’s no way of knowing if their sickness is infectious. We need to come back with more equipment, test each dragon hybrid for disease. We can’t risk bringing something contagious underground.”

  “I don’t think the babies are contagious,” said Lincoln. “They just look malnourished.”
/>   “We can’t take that risk.”

  “We leave everyone behind?”

  “For now, but we’ll come back,” said Heath. “We’re not abandoning them. We’ll meet you at the truck in ten minutes. Just checking out some medical supplies.”

  Anastasia heard Lincoln curse, but didn’t pay him any attention as she bent and picked up the sleeping dragon hybrid infant with the scales on its arm. It was a little girl. She cuddled the baby to her chest, breathing in her warm scent and hearing her gurgle as she stroked a finger down her cheek. This was so wrong. Everything the State did was wrong.

  She looked over at Lincoln and saw him staring at her, his eyes wide and his expression frozen.

  “What’s wrong?” she whispered, glancing over her shoulder and expecting to see a guard aiming a gun at her back.

  He shook his head. “Nothing. Let’s help these babies.”

  Chapter 8

  Lincoln’s senses blurred as he stared at Anastasia holding the baby. Something he’d never felt before stirred in him, as he watched her rock the infant and stroke its cheek. Motherhood suited her. He felt himself shake at the thought of having children of his own. Having a family with Anastasia.

  Until now, he’d never thought he was into kids. But seeing Anastasia holding that infant and being surrounded by so many weak and vulnerable babies, it was if a switch had flipped inside him. All he wanted to do was protect them and keep them safe. And he included Anastasia in that.

  Shaking himself into action, Lincoln checked the rest of the cribs. There were twelve babies in total. He didn’t want to leave them behind. There was no one else who would help them.

  As he looked around the room, the door behind him opened and a nurse walked through, her arms full of clean towels. Before she’d uttered a word, Lincoln grabbed her, the towels spilling from her hands onto the floor as he yanked her against his chest.

  “Don’t make a sound.”

  The nurse’s brown eyes widened as they flashed from Lincoln to Anastasia, who still held the baby.

  “What are you doing with these babies?” hissed Anastasia, striding toward her.