“What are the women doing in there?” asked Juniper.
“At the moment, nothing much,” said Jude. “They don’t look to be guarding Emperor Endrir. They’re dressed in smart, office-type suits. Maybe they’re his personal assistants. I’m betting he’ll use them as a shield when the lasers start flying.”
“They know the risk of siding with the enemy,” growled Juniper.
Heath nodded. “Even so, keep the focus on the armed guards. Anyone who gets a shot at Emperor Endrir, take it. The people in that room will sacrifice themselves to protect him. We can’t let that stop us.”
Arlo hated injuring bystanders, but they couldn’t afford sympathy and hesitation. Emperor Endrir was going down.
“I’ll take the left flank,” said Heath. “Lincoln and Ranger, you’re our sharp shooters. Focus on getting a shot at Emperor Endrir. Arlo, take the right flank.”
“And me?” asked Juniper.
“Shoot at anything that moves,” said Heath. “Stay behind us, but shoot to kill.”
Arlo let out a breath. He was glad Heath wasn’t putting Juniper in the direct line of fire. From the scowl on her face, he could tell she wasn’t happy, but he didn’t give a damn. If only one of them came out of this alive, he needed it to be Juniper.
The group edged closer to the door, everyone tense, their fingers clenched around their weapons.
“Arlo, check the door isn’t locked,” said Heath.
Arlo hurried forward and crouched by the door panel. It was sealed, but nothing a little bomb couldn’t handle. “Give me thirty seconds.” He slid a compressed explosion bomb from his belt and attached it to the door.
“Everyone get back,” cautioned Heath.
“Wait a minute,” said Jude. “They’re moving about. The women are talking to each other. They might have detected you.”
“We should go now,” said Juniper.
Arlo shook his head. “We wait. Jude won’t let us down. He’ll know when it’s safe to move in.”
A tense minute passed. Arlo’s anticipation edged up along with everyone else’s.
“Okay. Now!”
Arlo detonated the bomb.
Heath led the charge. He smashed his booted foot against the center of the double doors, and they slammed open.
Staring through the smoke toward Juniper, Arlo let out a relieved sigh. She was doing as instructed, waiting for the others to take point. She was safe. He would keep her that way.
He moved forward with Juniper behind him, through the smoke and toward their deadliest enemy. By the end of this, Emperor Endrir would be gone.
STAYING BACK BEHIND Arlo and the others was torture. Every inch of Juniper wanted to race into that room and smash into Emperor Endrir. She wouldn’t stop smashing until there was nothing left of him but a bloody mess on the floor.
But she fought her own desires. Following orders would keep everyone safe. Arlo included. She caught him looking at her and gestured for him to hurry. No distractions. Emperor Endrir had to die.
Several startled cries reached her and Juniper watched as Heath killed two guards. The smoke from Arlo’s explosion provided a good level of cover. They were in the room and firing their weapons before the guards had moved.
As predicted, the remaining guards and the women formed a barrier around Emperor Endrir.
Juniper was surprised to see how smartly dressed the women were. They did look like personal assistants, in high black heels, fitted pencil skirts, and matching jackets. Their faces looked vacant and blank. Emperor Endrir was manipulating them, forcing them to be here.
Dragon’s fire, she wanted him dead more than anything. Well, maybe there was one thing she wanted more. She checked where Arlo was. He was fighting ruthlessly ten paces in front of her, taking down a guard with his pulse laser.
Juniper ducked, using the remaining smoke as cover, as the guards shot wildly at them. She peered through the smoke toward the throne. She caught a flash of dark hair and pale skin in the middle of the ring of protection. That was him. That was the coward, Emperor Endrir, hiding behind everyone to keep his own scaly behind safe.
Checking on Arlo again, Juniper’s breath hitched. His weapon was lowered and he’d stopped fighting. She ran toward him, narrowly avoiding a blast from a guard’s laser as she did so. She grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the floor. He was an easy target standing there and staring into space.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Her hands ran over his arms. She couldn’t find any injuries.
Arlo blinked and rubbed his eyes.
“What? What’s wrong?” Panic slid over Juniper. She looked over to see Lincoln and Heath also staring open-mouthed at the guards. No, they weren’t looking at the guards, but at one of the women protecting Emperor Endrir.
Ranger was crouched on the ground on one knee. His weapon was raised, but he didn’t fire. He caught Juniper’s eye and shrugged. “Is this a ceasefire?”
“He’s done something to them,” spat out Juniper. She jabbed a finger toward Emperor Endrir. “He must be controlling them.”
“I’m not affected,” said Ranger. “Neither are you.”
“I’m a dragon hybrid. Their creepy hypnotic methods don’t impact us.” Juniper eyed the guards cautiously. Their weapons were aimed at them, but they weren’t shooting. They’d been told to hold their fire, most likely through the same hypnotic influences Arlo and his brothers were now under.
Still, they were standing in her way of killing Emperor Endrir. She aimed her weapon and shot a guard in the shoulder.
Arlo grabbed her hand and pulled her weapon down. “Don’t shoot.”
She turned on him, anger pouring through her. “Why not? What’s going on?”
Arlo turned toward the guards again. His finger pointed at one of the women. “That’s my sister, Izzie.”
Chapter 21
Arlo felt like he’d been kicked in the heart. When he’d seen the woman, he’d thought her mass of curly, dark hair looked familiar. It wasn’t until she’d met his gaze that he knew. It was Izzie, his baby sister. She’d been lost for almost two years. Now he knew what had happened. She wasn’t lost. Izzie had been taken by the State and used by Emperor Endrir. The thought made him want to puke.
“Arlo.” Juniper shook his arm. “Are you sure that’s your sister?”
He scrubbed his eyes again. Maybe this was a delusion. Arlo looked over to see Heath and Lincoln equally as shell shocked. There was no doubt in his mind. Izzie was a little thinner than he remembered, and she looked pale. The usual carefree smile on her face was absent, but it was her.
A low, humorless laugh slid from the center of the group. “It seems I have something you want.”
Arlo grimaced, forcing himself to focus. This situation was deadly. Emperor Endrir must have known Izzie was their sister. Maybe he even took her as payback for the trouble they’d caused. If that sick bastard had hurt her, touched her in any way, he would discover the true meaning of pain.
“No fucking way,” breathed out Lincoln. He took a step toward Izzie. The guards swung in his direction.
“Wait!” Heath joined Lincoln. “There’s no need for anyone to get hurt.”
“Some of my finest warriors have already been injured thanks to your unannounced arrival.” Emperor Endrir’s voice was devoid of emotion. It was flat and toneless. It was not human.
The guards moved slightly, allowing Arlo a glimpse of Emperor Endrir. He was tall and pale skinned with jet black hair and large, dark eyes.
Arlo couldn’t stop staring at Izzie. “Izzie. Come away from there. Get away from the guards.” He held his hand out to her.
She looked at him but didn’t move. There was no recognition in her eyes that she knew who he was. Arlo hadn’t expected her to. Emperor Endrir’s power tingled against Arlo’s skin. This Dinnorm was the leader. He had to be strong and ruthless to remain in control.
“The woman is mine,” said Emperor Endrir. “I picked her myself. In fact, you should thank m
e. I saved her from our prisons. I chose her to be by my side.”
“You can go fuck yourself,” said Arlo, his fists clenching. “Izzie is a prisoner. You’ve brainwashed her. Made her your slave.”
“You are all my slaves.”
Arlo focused on Izzie. “Come over here, Sis. Get away from that asshole. He will only hurt you.”
“Izzie will do exactly what I tell her to do,” said Emperor Endrir. “She will not listen to you.”
“Only because you’re forcing her to.”
Emperor Endrir pulled his lips into an attempt at a smile. “I can force her to do whatever I wish.”
Lincoln took a step forward. The guards matched him.
“Give us back our sister,” said Heath.
Emperor Endrir stared at Heath. “Heath Ember. It’s a pleasure to finally meet the thorn in my side.”
“The feeling isn’t mutual.”
“You have eluded me for too long.”
“We’ll keep doing that until you’re dead and in the ground.”
The Emperor’s tongue slid across his lips. “An unlikely outcome.”
Heath’s gaze shot to Izzie. “Let her go.”
“In return for what?”
“In return for us not bringing this building down on your head,” said Arlo.
Emperor Endrir’s dark gaze shifted to Arlo. “Ah, yes. You’re the crazy one who enjoys his explosions.”
Arlo’s nostrils flared. “I’m always happy to smash anything of yours into oblivion.”
“Not if it damages your precious sister,” said Emperor Endrir. “She has been absent from your lives for such a long time. You must want her back.”
“What do you want?” asked Heath.
Emperor Endrir rubbed his chin as if contemplating the offer. “I would settle for your complete surrender. If you give yourselves up, reveal the location of your bases, that will be a good start.”
Heath gave a small shake of his head. “We can’t do that. There are too many people involved.”
Emperor Endrir shrugged. “Self-sacrifice among humans is such a tedious quality. If you do that, you can have Izzie back.”
Heath glanced over at Arlo. “How about we let you go?”
“No way!” Juniper swung toward Heath. “We can’t let this monster go. This could be our only chance to end the fight.”
“Juniper’s right,” said Ranger. “It’s madness to let Emperor Endrir go. I get this is your sister, but if we take him out now, we win.”
Emperor Endrir gave the same creepy laugh. “That is where you are wrong. Our rule will not come to an end because I am not here. There are others prepared to take my place. We all seek the same thing. We all desire this planet as ours alone.”
Arlo could see Heath was fighting to control his anger. He felt the same. This was Izzie. They couldn’t give up now they’d found her.
“Take me instead.” Arlo stepped forward and lowered his gun. “I’ll take Izzie’s place.”
“You can’t!” Juniper grabbed his arm. “I won’t let you.”
He turned and saw the distress in Juniper’s eyes. “She’s my baby sister. I have to get her out of this nightmare.”
“Emperor Endrir will kill you.”
“The dragon hybrid speaks the truth,” said Emperor Endrir. “If I take you in exchange for your sister, you won’t be able to offer me the same delights she can.”
Arlo ground his teeth together. “She doesn’t offer you anything.”
“But she could. And she will.” Emperor Endrir’s gaze slid slowly over Arlo. “What can you offer me?”
“I won’t put up a fight,” said Arlo. “You can do whatever you like to me. Why not make me an example? You can string me up on a death wall. Show the world how pointless it is to fight against you.”
“That is a tempting offer,” said Emperor Endrir. “Would I have your full compliance? You wouldn’t put up a fight?”
Arlo fought to maintain a level tone. “I’ll do whatever you tell me to.”
“No! Arlo, you can’t let him have you.” Juniper’s fingers were so tight around his arm they felt like a vice.
“I could get you to do a piece on camera saying how wrong you were about us,” said Emperor Endrir. “How you wish you’d followed us from the beginning. Your own ignorance and stupidity meant you fought back. Yes, I would enjoy seeing you on your knees. I would make you beg for mercy and forgiveness.”
Arlo’s jaw hurt from where he was clenching his teeth. He nodded. “I can do all of that. All you need to do is let Izzie go. When I know she’s safe and everyone else is out of here, you can take me.”
“Don’t listen to him,” said Juniper, her frantic gaze going to Emperor Endrir. “He will not let any of us get out of here.”
“Ignore your hybrid freak.” Emperor Endrir’s top lip curled. “They are not to be trusted.”
“You don’t get to talk about trust,” snapped Juniper. “You took this planet by force. People only follow you because of what you do to them. If they knew the truth, they’d be running and fighting as hard as they could. You need to be stopped. Everything you do has to be destroyed.”
“I would urge you to use your words with caution,” growled Emperor Endrir. “There are consequences if you speak out of line.”
“I don’t care about your consequences.”
Emperor Endrir gestured toward Izzie. “Give this woman a gun. She’s going to shoot herself in the head.”
“No!” Arlo lunged toward Izzie but was confronted by two guards who slammed him backwards. He barely felt the impact as he hit the ground and rolled onto his feet. Terror raced through his veins as he saw Izzie slowly raise a gun to her head.
“Do you see what I mean?” said Emperor Endrir. “If you listen to these hybrids, it ends in disappointment. Your sister will die because you sided with a dragon freak. This is all her fault.”
“This has nothing to do with me.” Juniper glowered at Emperor Endrir. “It has to do with the way you exploit humans. You follow no dragon code.”
“That is because we are better than dragons,” said Emperor Endrir. “Dragons are weak. They thought it acceptable to live alongside humans, play by their rules and keep this planet stable. What did they get for it? They were seen as supernatural and could not walk freely among humans. They suppressed their powers so as not to frighten them.”
Arlo was only half listening to the argument between Juniper and Emperor Endrir. His attention was fixed on Izzie and the gun that wobbled in her hand. He tried to get her to look at him, but her eyes were blank and focused on nothing. He had to get her out of here.
“None of that is true,” said Juniper. “You must realize how important they are since you’re so determined to bring them back.”
“Do we have a deal?” interrupted Arlo. “Juniper didn’t mean any harm by what she said.”
“Arlo!” Juniper stared at him with wide eyes. “You are not doing this.”
He swallowed his sadness. He’d just found Juniper, and now he had to let her go. His heart hurt at what he was losing, but Izzie had to live. “Let Izzie go. Let everyone else leave safely, and you can take me.”
“I no longer want any of you,” said Emperor Endrir. “Having seen you working alongside this disgusting hybrid, it sickens me. All of you would be better off dead.”
“Let Izzie go.” Arlo’s fingers tightened around his gun. They weren’t getting out of here without a fight.
“That’s not an option,” said Emperor Endrir. “What is an option, is that I get her to kill you.”
AS IZZIE TURNED THE gun toward Arlo, Juniper threw herself on him and shoved him to the ground as hard as she could. The blast from Izzie’s laser shot over their heads.
Juniper yanked a bomb from Arlo’s vest, slung it toward the guards, and then covered her head with her hands, Arlo still lying beneath her.
“What the...” The sound of the bomb detonating blocked the rest of Arlo’s words.
Junip
er rolled off Arlo and onto her knees, her gun aimed at the guards, trying to see through the smoke and flames. She saw Ranger already firing and Heath and Lincoln lining up shots. She only had eyes for Emperor Endrir.
Strong fingers wrapped around her ankle, and she yelped. Looking down, she stared into the angry gaze of Arlo.
“You could have killed us all.”
“You can thank me later,” snapped Juniper. “Now, go get your sister.”
Arlo jumped up, blasted a guard off his feet, and then hurled himself at Izzie, tackling her to the ground. The gun she held flew from her hand across the room.
Juniper ducked, keeping away from the guards as she crawled through the smoke toward Emperor Endrir. She would make him pay. Every piece of hurt he’d inflicted on a dragon hybrid and every human, she would make him regret.
An arm wrapped around her neck and yanked her off her feet. Juniper slammed her elbow into the chest of her attacker and heard him grunt. She kicked back just as hard and made contact with his knee. The grip around her loosened.
Swinging around, Juniper blasted the guard in the face. She raced toward the chair where Emperor Endrir had been sitting.
She was surprised to see him still there, looking calm as he surveyed the chaos around him.
Juniper lunged at him. If she could manipulate his thoughts and force him to act differently, she could make him change his plans. He would call off the guards, release the prisoners, and they could get the hell out of there.
Emperor Endrir’s dark eyes widened as he saw her. She shook off the fear, grabbed his head, and opened her ability, forcing herself into his mind.
His cold hands covered hers, and he snapped his teeth close to her face. “You cannot influence me. You are nothing but a mistake.”
Juniper’s breath came out shaky as she sensed Emperor Endrir’s power. He was strong. His Dinnorm abilities almost overwhelmed her. She could also feel how much he hated her and every single thing about dragon hybrids. His desire to dominate and rule over the dragons was also strong. She got flashes of his thoughts, all dark and deadly. She saw then that the Dinnorms would not stop until every single human was either dead or their slave and every dragon hybrid destroyed.
Arlo Page 20
