“Not so much,” said Anastasia. “Kept my head down and got on with the work.”
“You were a geek?”
“I didn’t say that,” said Anastasia. “But I enjoyed science. And English.”
“Did you conceal your dragon hybrid abilities?” asked Kade. “We’re still amazed you exist. Must have been hard when you were younger.”
“I grew up as an ordinary kid. Well, an ordinary kid with a bit of dragon in her.”
“How does that work?” Kade’s intelligent gaze rested on Anastasia.
“We’re still figuring that out ourselves. But when the dragons were killed off, it was like something in my DNA triggered. I remember the day so clearly; I was keeping my head down, freaking out over what happened when the State killed the dragons. My skin had been feeling on fire for days, I was itching everywhere. Had no clue at the time it was because my scales were emerging. Until then, I always knew I was different, but it wasn’t until the dragons died that my full abilities emerged.”
“That’s what I’ve been theorizing with Honor. The dragons being killed switched on latent abilities,” said Kade, excitement lighting up his gaze. “Almost like you’re a failsafe, so they wouldn’t die out.”
“It was frigging scary,” said Anastasia. “Dragon hybrids were almost non-existent back then. Only the strong ones had their full abilities before the dragons died.”
“We thought they were all dead,” said Lincoln.
“Dragons being killed off triggered dormant dragon hybrid DNA.” Kade scrubbed a hand over his stubbled chin, talking to no one in particular. “It’s a self-preservation mechanism. They die and you come to life.”
“Would have been nice to have had warning,” said Anastasia. “My mom and sister both have abilities, but Dad didn’t. That’s when we figured out Mom had an affair with a dragon. She must have been drawn to him.”
“You’re saying your mom’s dragon side couldn’t resist another dragon hybrid?” asked Lincoln. “Nice excuse.”
“It’s not an excuse.” Anastasia glowered at him. “You wouldn’t understand. It’s a dragon thing. You can’t help who you kind attractive. She loved her husband, but when she met this other guy, the compulsion was too strong.”
“Bet your dad loved that,” said Lincoln.
“I never saw him after our true abilities emerged,” said Anastasia. “I get he was angry, but he’d raised me and Bellatrix. It wasn’t my fault what Mom did. But he cut off communication. Then I discovered he’d sold us out to the State.”
“That’s harsh,” said Kade. “He reported you?”
“Not that I care. And I heard he’s dead. Not such a great loss, after he tried to have his whole family wiped out.” She felt Lincoln’s hand on her arm and swallowed the lump in her throat.
“Losing a parent is the worst thing,” said Lincoln.
Looking over at him, Anastasia saw a weariness in Lincoln’s eyes she’d never seen before. The brothers had lost their parents. She felt a sliver of guilt about being so dismissive about her own father’s death. It had hurt to learn he’d betrayed the family.
She placed her hand over his. “I still miss him. Even after what he did.”
“If he was still alive, I bet he’d regret it,” said Lincoln. “And I bet he’d be proud of you for doing this.”
Anastasia looked at the gun in her hand. Her other hand went to her stomach at the thought of the stolen infant dragon hybrids. She’d get them back. They would all be safe. No matter what it took, and how exhausted using her flames made her, these babies would be saved.
Chapter 6
Lincoln sensed movement in front of him and raised his weapon. A tiny woman with blonde curls peeking out the bottom of a black cap, slid out of the shadows and grinned at him.
“Jeez! Sneak up on us, why don’t you.” He lowered his raised weapon. “I almost shot your head off.”
“You’re getting sloppy.” The woman smiled.
Lincoln grinned. “Anastasia, this is Bonnie Benedict. She runs our underground operations on the south coast.”
Anastasia shook the woman’s outstretched hand. “Good to meet you.”
“And you.” Bonnie grinned, revealing two cute dimples. “I’ve been hearing a lot about the dragon hybrids joining the bunker in Old London. Hoping to recruit a few down here.”
“I have contacts,” said Anastasia. “Happy to put in a word for you. But the dragon hybrids will be reluctant to leave their homes.”
“Anyone who wants to is welcome to join us.”
“Is the boat ready to go?” asked Heath.
“As requested,” said Bonnie, as she nodded a greeting at him.
Lincoln returned to his vehicle and grabbed the box Clive wanted them to deliver. He stored it in the Cobra, before Heath activated the camo mode, hiding it from any passing drones or patrols.
“Right this way.” Bonnie led them along the dockside, past rows of shipping containers, and down a slippery concrete docking ramp to the edge of the water.
Arlo whistled. “Looks like a sweet ride.”
A modified jet hydroplane sat in the water, bobbing gracefully on the surface. It was painted matte black and fitted with a hydrogen engine.
“Only the best for you guys.” Bonnie grinned at him. “Been working on this myself. We’ve been doing a few short runs, testing the water to see what’s out there.”
“Doubt it’s anything friendly,” said Lincoln.
“You’re right. Keep your wits about you when you’re out there and aim to kill with each shot. You won’t get a second chance.”
“Thanks for the tip,” said Arlo. “I was thinking of singing any gruesome sea beastie we met a lullaby and putting it to sleep.”
“Anything to keep your goofy face alive,” said Bonnie, giving him a shove. “You haven’t picked the best night for travel though. If this storm gets any closer, you don’t want to be out on the water. We don’t have camouflage on the boats, so keep your heads down and fly like the wind.”
“That’s the plan,” said Lincoln. “Have you ever made a trip out as far as Thunder Island?”
“Never needed to,” said Bonnie. “But we have seen interesting activity heading out that way. Lots of copters. We assumed they were taking deliveries of food and equipment. Sounds like it’s more dragon hybrid oriented, though.”
“Shipping out women and infants,” said Anastasia.
Bonnie’s blue eyes narrowed. “Get them back safely. I’d wish you luck, but you’ll need more than that. Need any extra weapons?”
“We’re good.” Heath clapped Bonnie on the back. “Thanks for the ride. We’ll do our best to get it back to you in one piece.”
“Make sure you do,” said Bonnie. “This is my favorite boat. You destroy it, and I’ll be chasing you for credits for months.” She waved goodbye before fading back into the shadows.
Lincoln steadied himself against the boat as he held his hand out to Anastasia, but she hopped on easily, her gaze shifting around as everyone else clambered aboard.
Once everyone was on board, Kade fired up the engine. They shot away from the dock out into the choppy waters of the Solent.
“Eyes on the water,” ordered Heath. “Fire on anything that moves.”
Lincoln raised his gun to his shoulder, his gaze focused on the black, swirling waves as they headed out into open water.
“Tobias, keep your eyes up front and watch out for State boats or drones.”
Tobias nodded and headed to the front of the boat.
“You should keep him at the back, in case he throws up,” said Lincoln.
“Just stand out of the way of the splashback,” muttered Heath.
Lincoln flashed a glance at Anastasia and saw her gripping the side of the boat, her eyes on the water. The tension seeping off her was so strong he could almost taste it. A sliver of fear ran through him. He’d seen her when she was fighting, how she let her dragon instincts take over. It was a beautiful, if somewhat frightenin
g, thing to witness.
She could act impulsively, risking everything to save another. He’d have to keep an eye on Anastasia when they got to Thunder Island, make sure she pulled no heroics when it came to the infants. The fury she felt about their kidnapping simmered just below the surface. It wouldn’t take much to make her explode.
Lincoln understood the instinctive urge to protect loved ones and innocents. He’d do anything to save his brothers. And they’d do the same for him. Lincoln’s mind had been manipulated the same as everybody else when the State came to power. But Heath had tricked him into visiting the bunker, knocked him out and used The Jolt on him. It had stopped Emperor Endrir’s hypnotic suggestions influencing his thoughts and made him remember the truth. He still had a couple of scars on his head from where the treatment had been so harsh, but he understood why Heath had done it and he loved him for it.
“Any sign of trouble?” asked Heath.
“Quiet this side,” said Lincoln.
“Same here,” said Arlo. “No sea beasties wishing to eat us tonight.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way,” said Heath. “Tobias, how’s it going up front?”
Tobias raised a hand.
“You feeling off-color?” called Lincoln.
“Shut it,” growled Tobias.
“Beats being underground, though,” said Arlo.
“I agree,” said Tobias.
“You’ll have to find a place to settle someday,” said Lincoln.
“I’m working on it.”
“You try being buried alive for three days and see how much you like being underground,” said Heath.
Anastasia looked over at Tobias. “Is that what happened to you?”
“It is,” said Tobias, with a sigh. “Got trapped in a building as it was being blown up by the State. Ended up in the basement, pinned down by what felt like a ton of rubble.”
“How did you get out?”
“These guys found me.” Tobias gestured over his shoulder with a thumb. “Wouldn’t stop searching until they located me.”
“We knew where he was,” said Heath. “His wrist comms device was still operating. Took us days to dig down and get him out. We had to be careful of the State. It was still early days. They didn’t know how effective their mind manipulation had been. They were stopping everyone and interrogating them back then.”
“Which is why I like wide-open spaces and no walls closing me in,” said Tobias. “Nothing that can fall on my head and trap me.”
The boat jumped as they hit a rough patch of water. Everyone’s attention returned to the waves.
Lincoln swung his gun slowly from left to right. His gaze narrowed in on a patch of bubbles. “Heads up! Might have something coming toward us.”
“What do you see?” asked Heath.
“Not sure,” said Lincoln. “Could have been tidal currents swirling together.”
“Keep your eyes open,” shouted Heath. “We’re halfway there.”
Something smashed into the bottom of the boat with a bone-shuddering thud. Lincoln grabbed the handrail to stop from pitching overboard. His knees slammed against the side.
“Everyone okay?” yelled Heath.
“Lost a couple of fillings,” called Arlo. “But still here.”
“I’m fine,” called Tobias. “Didn’t see what that thing was, though.”
“Okay here, too,” said Kade.
Lincoln’s gaze shot to where Anastasia had been standing. His stomach clenched in horror. She had vanished.
THE BREATH PUNCHED out of Anastasia as she hit the icy, salty water and went under. She spun in the waves, taking a few seconds to figure out which was the right way to swim before her head broke the surface and she gasped in air.
Panicked breath shot out of her as her gaze raked across the water and saw the boat retreating.
She raised an arm, her heart thundering in her chest. “Over here!”
For a horrifying second, she thought they hadn’t noticed her go in. But a moment later, she let out a relieved sigh as the boat slowed and turned.
She treaded water rapidly, aware of her decreasing body temperature. The sea was friggin’ freezing. She just needed to hang on for a minute. They’d be back to fish her out. And then she’d have to face being ribbed by Lincoln for not holding on properly.
But Anastasia didn’t care. She needed out of this water, and fast. She knew whatever had hit the bottom of the boat would not be friendly. It would very likely make a second pass to see if anything interesting fell out.
She looked around for the gun she’d been holding, but it was long gone.
Anastasia waved her hands over her head again, as the boat shot toward her. She saw Lincoln leaning over the front as he hurled a bright-red floating ring toward her. She reached forward to grab it, just as something encircled her ankle and yanked her under the waves with muscle-tearing force.
Gasping at the strength of the thing wrapping itself around her ankle, Anastasia inhaled water. She grasped around beneath the waves until her hands clamped upon a cold, rubbery tentacle. Her stomach clenched in fear. Beating against it with her fists, she raked her nails across it. But it held on fast and dragged her deeper. She caught a flash of pale limbs floating in the water, as one wrapped itself around her neck and dragged her deeper still.
Anastasia tried to calm the panic flashing through her head, encouraging her to flee, get away no matter what she needed to do. She focused on generating a fireball. But although she could get the heat to generate, every time she opened her mouth, it filled with salty, freezing water and extinguished her flame.
Her eyes stung with the salt and cold. She beat against the tentacle around her neck, digging her nails in until she broke through the rubbery skin. But the creature didn’t let go. Her lungs ached with the desire to inhale.
A blast of red shot through the water, followed by another. Suddenly, the tightness around Anastasia’s throat vanished. Her ankle was also free. She kicked out and flailed her arms through the water, trying to break the surface and grab a much needed lungful of air before she blacked out.
A strong arm wrapped around her waist and she panicked, punching out, thinking the sea monster had come to claim her again. But the arm refused to let go. And after a second of blind fear, she recognized the hard lines of muscles. It was Lincoln. He was dragging her toward the surface. She clung on and kicked alongside him.
They broke the surface of the water and she took in a long, shuddering breath, coughing harshly and spitting out seawater.
“Get on board,” yelled Lincoln. He grabbed her around the waist and flung her toward the side of the boat, where Heath and Arlo waited with outstretched hands.
She grabbed their hands and hauled herself over the side, Lincoln shoving her from behind until she landed on the deck.
Lincoln leapt over the side and landed beside her, kneeling down, dripping salty water on her face.
“Is she okay?” asked Heath.
“I’m fine.” Anastasia weakly waved a hand. “Keep going.”
Heath nodded and looked over at Kade. “You heard the lady. Let’s get out of here before that thing comes back.”
She felt her hair shoved off her face and Lincoln’s hand rested on her cheek. “I thought you were gone.”
She coughed and spat out seawater, leaning into his warm touch. “So did I. What was that thing?”
“Not sure.” Lincoln’s anxious gaze ran over her. “From the marks around your neck, it was something with big suckered tentacles.”
“Kind of figured that for myself.” Anastasia pulled herself into a sitting position. Her neck throbbed and her lungs burned. But she could breathe, and was happy to have Lincoln looking out for her. Happy they came back for her and realized she was worth saving.
“Freaking hell you scared me.” Lincoln dragged her into a hug.
She allowed herself a second of weakness. She was safe in his arms, safe with his solid embrace wrapped around her. Anastasia pull
ed back and gave him a wobbly smile. “Thanks for saving my life.”
Chapter 7
Fuck! It felt like his heart would burst out of his chest. Lincoln had never been so terrified before. When he’d seen Anastasia had fallen overboard, the world slowed as he’d searched for her in the water. When they’d turned back, and he’d seen her waving, her red hair floating around her, he’d been sure everything would be fine and he’d be able to tease her about her swimming session.
But then she’d been yanked under. He’d seen the flash of panic on her face just as she disappeared beneath the waves. It was like someone had cut his heart out as he’d watched her vanish.
Knowing that using Arlo’s depth charges was too risky, he’d ignored Heath’s orders and had jumped in. He’d dived until he saw the giant, pale squid wrapping its tentacle around Anastasia’s throat.
Lincoln had taken a risk by shooting. He could have hit her. But his aim had been true. He’d never wanted to save anyone more than in that second. He was only just getting started when it came to Anastasia. Some mutant ocean monster would not end things for them.
Now, she was sitting next to him, tears in her eyes and her breath shaky and rasping. But Anastasia was alive. Lincoln was determined to make sure she stayed that way.
“Thought it would be fun to take a swim, did you?” He kept on running his hand down her sodden hair, reassuring himself she was still breathing and not badly hurt.
“I figured it would be warmer than it was.” Her words came out hoarse.
“Next time, wear a wetsuit.”
She shook her head. “There won’t be a next time. I’d forgotten how much I hate the sea. I could never figure out why so many people want to spend their holidays there, paddling around in all that salty, cold, gritty water.”
“Pick the right Caribbean beach, and it’s not so bad.”
“You can have your beach.” Anastasia blinked and grimaced. “My eyes sting like the devil.”
Lincoln handed her a bottle of water. “Rinse them out with this.”
She nodded him thanks and tipped the water over her head, scrubbing her eyes a few times.
Lincoln (sci-fi romance - The Ember Quest Book 3) Page 7
