Arlo

by Arcadia Shield

  The back of Arlo’s neck prickled. He turned to find Juniper in the doorway. Her purple-streaked hair was pulled off her face, making her look younger than she was. She looked rested, and the panicked look in her eyes had gone.

  He fumbled the explosive in his hand. Mary lunged forward and caught it before it slammed onto the workbench and the delicate insides broke.

  Juniper smirked as she strolled into the room. “Looks like you could do with a hand.”

  SHE’D FELT A JOLT OF surprise at how astonished Arlo had been when he’d seen her. Why would he be affected by her?

  Juniper had watched Arlo from the doorway for a couple of minutes before he’d noticed her. His shoulders were broader than she’d remembered, and he didn’t sound as carefree as he used to. Maybe he regretted inviting her here. Now that she was here, maybe he’d remembered she wasn’t easy to be around. Perhaps he even considered her his responsibility because he’d issued the invitation directly and now considered it a drag. Well, he had nothing to worry about. She’d always looked after herself. She didn’t need him babysitting her.

  Mary gave Juniper a kind smile and gestured to the workbench. “I was just saying to Arlo that he needs to take a break. Perhaps it would be nice if you both spent some time together?”

  Juniper liked Mary. They hadn’t been close when they lived in the Badlands, but she’d always had a kind word and a spare cup of herbal tea. She was no different now.

  She settled at the workbench and looked over the numerous half-finished explosive devices in front of them. “If Arlo takes time off, how’s he going to finish all of these?”

  “That’s what we were debating,” said Arlo as he stabbed at the protein pouch with a spoon.

  “Are you going to eat that?” Although Juniper had stuffed herself with food since she’d arrived, she still felt ravenous. She wondered if she’d ever stop feeling hungry.

  “You want it?” Arlo raised his eyebrows as he looked at her.

  “Only if it’s going spare.”

  He instantly placed the pouch in front of her. “I haven’t touched it. It’s all yours.”

  She grabbed the spoon and started eating. It tasted good. She eyed Mary’s half-full bowl of soup but decided it would be rude to ask for that as well.

  “So, what are you and Arlo going to do on his first day off?” The smile on Mary’s face was a sly one.

  “I’m not sure,” said Juniper slowly. She glanced at Arlo and then kept on eating.

  “What sort of things did you do in the Badlands for fun?” asked Arlo.

  “Fun wasn’t something you had much of there. I basically survived.”

  Arlo’s fingers skated across the workbench. “I guess you don’t get much chance for fun when you’re always looking over your shoulder.”

  Mary tutted. “You two are perfect for each other. Juniper needs a friend, and Arlo, you need someone you can let your hair down with.” Her gaze went to his crew cut. “Well, figuratively speaking. Someone you can enjoy yourself with.”

  “I’ve got friends,” muttered Arlo.

  “I’m not much for letting my hair down,” said Juniper, her cheeks feeling uncomfortably warm. “But I like the look of everything in here.” Her gaze went around the workshop. She ignored the awkward tension she felt radiating from Arlo. What was wrong with him?

  There was a main workbench in the room and two side tables, equally scattered with devices and tools to make bombs. The radio pumped out Flame, a channel Juniper listened to when she got the chance.

  “You want to help in here?” Arlo sounded surprised.

  “Why not?” Juniper shrugged. “I’m more than capable.”

  “I’m not saying you aren’t,” said Arlo. “We would welcome an extra pair of hands.”

  “Making bombs is hardly a fun hobby,” said Mary. “I was thinking something away from here.”

  “We’ll make time for hobbies when we haven’t got the State to destroy,” said Juniper. Her words came out sharper than she’d intended, and she shot Mary an apologetic look. “I mean, aren’t we all occupied with that ambition? Shouldn’t we be focused on destroying Emperor Endrir?”

  “It’s something I dream about every night,” said Mary. “It’s why I work my fingers raw in here to make sure we have enough weapons to stop him from beating us.”

  Juniper scooped out the last of the food from the protein pouch, making sure she left nothing behind. When she looked up, she saw both Mary and Arlo giving her amused smiles. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’ve never seen such a small girl have such a big appetite,” said Mary. She passed her the rest of the soup.

  “You have it,” said Juniper, ignoring the burn of embarrassment on her cheeks.

  “I think you need it more than me,” said Mary.

  She didn’t argue with that. She’d take any food offered her.

  “So, you really want to work here?” asked Arlo.

  “Why not? It will keep me busy, and I get to learn a new skill. It would be handy to know how to blow things up.”

  “You can’t argue with that logic,” said Mary.

  Juniper finished the soup. “Let’s get started.”

  As they worked together, some of Juniper’s tension eased. Mary was her usual sweet self, asking questions and getting all mother hen over her. At first, Arlo was quiet, focusing on his bombs, but she slowly saw him relax and he began to joke with her.

  It felt more like old times. She’d missed having a partner in crime. She’d missed that when she’d left. And she’d missed Arlo. She hadn’t realized how much until he was standing in front of her.

  There was something solid and fierce about him that stirred a feeling inside her she’d never experienced before. An echo of a word ran through her head: mate. There was no way she was looking for a mate. All that dragon bonding crap could drop dead. She was not giving in to her dragon side when it came to finding a guy.

  A new song started on the radio. Arlo placed his bomb down and shimmied around the room before dialing up the volume as he passed the radio.

  Mary shook her head. “There’s too much noisy guitar for my liking.”

  Juniper grinned as she watched Arlo shaking his toned behind. The guy had moves. His eyes were closed as he shimmied around the workbench as if he were the only one in the room. She admired his confidence. He had a body to be proud of, so why not show it off? She mentally slapped herself as she realized she was lusting after Arlo. He was a friend, that was all.

  Arlo danced closer to Mary, wiggling his fingers at her. “Come on, Mary. I know you love this music really. I’ve caught you shaking your tail feathers when you think nobody is looking.”

  “A dragon hybrid never shakes her tail feathers.” Mary tried to frown, but there was a glimmer of humor in her eyes.

  “Give us a demonstration now.” Arlo tried to grab her hands, but she backed away, shaking her head and laughing. “Not a chance. You can dance around like a crazy thing on your own.”

  Arlo twirled around, his gaze settling on Juniper. He slowed for a second, but then found his rhythm and danced toward her.

  “Not a hope in hell.” She raised her hands, backing away quickly.

  “If you’re in this team, you have to learn to get into the groove.” He caught hold of her hand and dragged her toward him. “Just one tiny dance. It will show me you’re committed to the cause.”

  A startled laugh came out as Arlo’s warm fingers caressed hers. “I have to dance to show I’m committed to this place?”

  “Call it an initiation to the bomb makers’ gang.”

  “I never had to dance to join this motley crew,” said Mary. “Don’t make poor Juniper do something she doesn’t want to.”

  “Who doesn’t want to dance?” Arlo’s grin widened as he looked at Juniper. A flash of something primal lit his green eyes. “Why don’t you show me what you’ve got?”

  “I don’t think you can handle what I’ve got, bomb boy.” She could feel the calluses o
n his hands formed from all the hours he’d spent working on his bombs.

  Before Juniper had a chance to think of an excuse to get away, he’d wrapped his other hand around her waist and spun her in a circle. Juniper laughed and clung to his arms, feeling the muscles tensing under her fingers.

  “See! You’ve got plenty of moves,” said Arlo. He leaned in close, his mouth by her ear. “And I can handle everything you want to give me.”

  Juniper pulled back, startled by his words.

  Mary climbed to her feet and wiped her hands on a cloth. “Perhaps it’s time for a break.”

  “Are you leaving so soon?” Arlo kept his gaze on Juniper. The intensity in his eyes made tiny spikes of pleasure jump up her spine. What the hell was going on here?

  “I was thinking you two needed a break,” said Mary. “All of this dancing and loud music is making it impossible to concentrate. If I make a mistake with this bomb and blow your head off, you won’t thank me.”

  Juniper gave a choked-sounding laugh. “There’d be no chance of that with his head gone.”

  “Exactly my point,” said Mary. “I’m making good progress on these bombs. I’ll finish this one and then tidy up.”

  “You’re letting us off for good behavior?” Arlo still shimmied gently in front of Juniper.

  “Just this once.” Mary grinned at him. “Besides, you don’t want to work Juniper too hard. She won’t stay if you do.”

  Arlo’s smile slipped. “Good thinking. I don’t want you to go disappearing on me again.”

  Juniper ignored a flash of guilt. “I’m not going anywhere. For now.”

  Arlo let go of her hand. “I could do with a coffee.”

  “Good idea,” said Mary. “And don’t come back here. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

  Arlo led the way out of the workshop toward the canteen. It was quieter now, the lunchtime crowd long gone and the early-dinner people yet to arrive.

  He grabbed two mugs of coffee and sat opposite Juniper on a long table. “Thanks for the help today. It’s good to have someone who knows their way around an explosive.”

  “I don’t know that much,” confessed Juniper. “I was mainly watching what you and Mary did.”

  “You’re a quick study, then.”

  “I learned to be,” said Juniper. “If you’re slow to pick up things when you’re on your own, it never ends well.”

  Arlo’s lips pulled down. “What happened to the Badlands sucks. I wish there was something we could have done to stop the State wrecking the place.”

  “There was nothing you could have done.” She felt her own mood darken. “Maybe it was time to move on, anyway. It didn’t feel safe there anymore.”

  “Did you ever feel safe in the Badlands?”

  “My place was as secure as it could be,” said Juniper. “And it was familiar. I knew the places to keep out of and who to trust.” She looked around the canteen. “Everyone here is a stranger.”

  “I’m not,” said Arlo. “And you know Clarissa and Annie. You get along well with Mary.”

  “I guess so,” said Juniper. She watched as Arlo hesitated, his hand hovering over the table as if he meant to take hold of her hand. He pulled back and wrapped his fingers around his mug and took a long drink of coffee.

  She should be glad he didn’t try anything. Juniper didn’t want kind words and friendship. It made you weak to expect that from others. She chewed on her bottom lip as silence descended over them. It had been a long time since anyone had shown her true kindness. It felt like a distant memory. She was so used to being on her guard, watching out for anyone trying to take advantage. Mary’s kindness and Arlo’s interest in her felt odd. It felt unnatural.

  Juniper’s gaze drifted across his face and settled on the scar running along his jaw and down his neck. It was an old injury. The edges of the scar looked jagged. It must have been a nasty injury when it happened.

  As if he sensed what she was thinking, his fingers touched the scar. “This doesn’t exactly help with all the modeling jobs I do.”

  “How did you get it?”

  His expression darkened. “It was years ago. I was in the Forces as a bomb disposal engineer. We had a night mission. It went wrong.”

  “Were you attacked?”

  “I didn’t do this to myself.” His short response was a clear sign not to probe any further. A shadow slid over Arlo’s face, and he sank back into his chair.

  Juniper shifted in her seat. She wanted to know more but wouldn’t push him. They all had demons to deal with. “So, what do we do now?”

  “We make bombs, and we blow the State sky high.”

  Chapter 4

  Arlo repressed a sigh as he looked across the table at Juniper. He wanted to tell her what happened to him. Every time he talked about that night patrol, how everyone was slaughtered and he ended up with half his face hanging off, the words stuck in his throat. The memories of that night still hit him when he slept. He didn’t want Juniper around him when that happened. She’d seen enough damage. She didn’t need his baggage as well.

  “I want in on destroying the State,” said Juniper. “Anything you want me to do, I’m there.”

  Arlo should have welcomed the assistance. Instead, he felt worried. He didn’t want to put Juniper in danger. But that wasn’t his decision to make. She was a free woman. She could do whatever the hell she wanted. There was no way she’d ever listen to him. No way she’d listen to caution if he tried to tell her not to take a risk.

  “What can I do to help?”

  Arlo shrugged and drained his coffee. “There’s a briefing with the team in an hour. You can meet the rest of my brothers then. You already know Lincoln and Heath, but there are a few others kicking around here.”

  “You’ve got five brothers, is that right?”

  “That’s right,” said Arlo. “And a sister. She’s not around right now.”

  Juniper tilted her head. “Izzie? Is she based somewhere else? I haven’t met her.”

  Arlo looked away, his eyes tightening. “Something like that.” Damn, even after all this time, he couldn’t dwell on what might have happened to Izzie. Who had her? Was she even alive?

  Juniper stared at him in silence as if waiting for him to say more before finishing her own coffee and standing. “Shall we go to the briefing room now? You can get me up to speed on what you’re planning before the others arrive. Perhaps we can figure out where my skills are best suited?”

  He nodded. Juniper was involved now. He couldn’t prevent that, no matter how much he wanted to. Arlo led her out of the canteen. They passed the workout room and corridor leading to the living quarters before entering the empty briefing room. They settled at the table and Arlo activated the main screen.

  “So, what are you planning to do?” Juniper sat on the edge of the seat, her eyes bright with interest.

  Arlo inhaled deeply and felt his arousal stir. She was great to look at. Even with a grease mark on her cheek and oil under her fingernails, she was one hot-looking dragon hybrid. He forced away his lust and turned his attention to the plans. “Over the last few months, we’ve obtained information about State locations. We’ve uncovered several sites we believe are communication hubs.”

  “You’re planning to send out messages through these hubs?”

  “We don’t want to send messages,” said Arlo, “but we think the State are reinforcing their hypnotic suggestions through these media feeds. You know, all the statements about loyalty being rewarded and believe in the State and happiness will follow.”

  “That’s such bullshit. All those annoying messages they flash up everywhere. Peace and prosperity for all. The only good hybrid is a dead hybrid. And my personal favorite: kill a hybrid, save the world.”

  Arlo smirked as Juniper mimicked the comms the State broadcasted throughout the day. “We know that. But it’s a powerful way of keeping everyone subdued.”

  “Make them believe creepy Emperor Endrir is the rightful ruler.” Juniper curled
her top lip. “And make everyone believe there’s no such thing as dragons.”

  “That’s it exactly,” said Arlo. “I wasn’t immune to the hypnotic suggestions and had to get shocked back to reality by Heath.” They had a machine in the base called The Volt. It was powerful enough to dislodge the hypnotic suggestions of the State. It was dangerous to use, and no one who’d been through it could ever recommend it.

  Juniper nodded. “Lucky for me, hybrids have never been affected by the mind games the State pump out. Although I didn’t know we were immune. Any idea why?”

  Arlo could see how intensely focused she was on the discussion and liked it. She cared about this cause.

  “It must have something to do with your unique mixture of human and dragon. We’re guessing a dragon would also be immune to these hypnotic suggestions. Whoever the State are, they’re manipulating the suggestibility of the human mind, planting false beliefs, and then reinforcing them through the daily broadcasts sent out.”

  Juniper nodded. “That makes sense. What’s the plan to stop them?”

  Arlo pulled up a schematic they’d obtained when they broke into a State prison. “Blow a comms hub. We want to see how it impacts people when we disrupt the flow of information. So far, we’ve been testing this on smaller targets. Our next hub will be a central one.”

  “What you really need is to capture a top dog in the State leadership. That way, you can find out all their secrets.”

  “That’s sound advice.” Danni stood in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. “I wonder why we’ve never thought of doing that.”

  JUNIPER SAT BOLT UPRIGHT as Danni strode into the room. She was followed by Heath, Jude, Lincoln, and two guys Juniper didn’t recognize. From their muscles and cocky attitude, she imagined they were new squad members. They all took seats around the table.

  “Why haven’t you ever tried to capture someone high up in the State?” asked Juniper.