A stir of jealousy ran through Honor. Kade was handsome, and it wouldn’t be long before someone caught his attention. She wanted to be the one who did that.
“We shouldn’t need weapons on this trip,” said Annie, “but take this pulse laser gun. There’s a pocket on the vest you can store it in.”
Honor looked down at her too-big protective gear and the gun in her hand. “I could do with a few lessons in how to use the pulse laser.”
Annie nodded. “We’ve got a couple of hours before the mission. I sometimes help with pre-mission checks, but can run you through the basics before we go, make sure you don’t shoot yourself in the foot by mistake.”
Honor, nodded, not certain what she’d gotten herself into. But it was time to discover what, if anything, was hidden in these caves. And what could have possibly convinced Kade and his brothers to give up everything and become fugitives?
Chapter 10
Two hours later, the Cobra rolled to a stop, and Kade glanced at Honor who sat opposite him. He’d struggled to stop looking at her since they’d left the base. Every minute they’d spent in the back of the truck had ratcheted Kade’s nerves higher. Honor shouldn’t be slumming it in fatigues because of him; she’d had a great life and she’d lost it all. And he was dragging her even further into trouble.
But she was here, drumming her fingers on her knees and humming under her breath, and he didn’t want her to be anywhere else. Kade’s gut clenched as he realized how good she looked in those faded army fatigues. The woman would look hot if she wore a potato sack.
She caught his gaze and gave him a tiny smile. “Is this it?”
Kade nodded. “Tobias and Arlo, go make sure we’re alone and there are no surprises in the trees.”
“Who put you in charge?” Arlo grinned at his brother.
“Just do it.” Kade was being sharper than usual, and was normally happy to let Heath lead them, but he wasn’t about to take any chances when it came to Honor.
“No worries.” Tobias hopped out the back of the truck and Arlo followed, leaving Kade and Honor alone, with Heath and Annie up front.
Kade commed through to the base. “Jude, everything good your end?”
“Reading you loud and clear.”
“No sign of company?” He was thinking of the giant mutant creatures they’d encountered on previous trips out of the bunker.
“Nothing wants to eat you tonight.”
“Keep a watch on us.”
“I always do.”
Kade looked at Honor. “You don’t have to do this. We’ll bring back whatever we find. You can take a look at it when we get to the bunker.”
“Not a chance,” said Honor. “I’m here now and will not miss out on this. I need to see what’s going on out here.”
“But are you sure you’re going to believe what you see?” Kade asked. “Because there are alternatives, but they aren’t great.”
“Tell me again about those alternatives? That jolt thing I keep hearing about?”
“It’s a last resort,” said Kade swiftly. “And you’re not trying it.”
Honor smiled at him. “You know that won’t work on me.”
“What?”
“Bossing me around like I’m one of your squad,” said Honor. “I’ve never been in the military and don’t take too well to orders. You can try it on me if you like, but it just makes me dig my heels in.”
For a second, Kade got a flash of giving Honor orders in the bedroom, watching as she obeyed him and peeled off her clothes, before he grabbed her hips and claimed her. Suddenly, he needed a cold shower, and fast.
“Duly noted.” Kade took a steadying breath. “We have two caves to explore. Ever been caving?”
“Never. I’ve done some rock climbing, though.”
“Stick close. There are two underground passageways worth exploring while we’re here. But the way through will be tight and we need to check how stable the caves are before we go too deep.”
Honor’s gaze went to the door of the Cobra. “And I’m guessing Tobias and Arlo aren’t just checking around for wild animals?”
“We have to assume the State could be watching,” said Kade. “Since they shot our drone out of the sky, they must also be interested in this site. We need to keep a low profile, and not spend much time here, just in case they come back.”
“I hope we find something.” Excitement lit Honor’s eyes.
Kade poked his head out the back of the Cobra and then turned to Honor. “It’s all clear. Let’s go.” He held his hand out. She took it and climbed down onto the damp, rocky ground.
It was past midnight and a new moon and the surrounding trees made the darkness feel dense and encroaching. A gentle breeze stirred the trees overhead. A few night birds called to each other. Other than that, they were alone.
Kade pulled on his night vision goggles and scanned the area. Only when he’d seen for himself the area was secure did some of the tension leave his shoulders.
Heath and Annie climbed out of the Cobra and joined them.
“We’ll split into two groups and search the caves,” said Heath. “Kade, you take Honor and Lincoln and investigate the cave to the east. I’ll take the others to the west. We meet back here in an hour. Any problems, report in through the comms channel, but otherwise, we need to maintain radio silence, in case the State are listening.”
“Got it,” said Kade.
“Good luck,” whispered Annie, shooting Honor a thumbs-up as they walked away.
Kade resisted the urge to grab hold of Honor and tuck her under his arm, keep her safe from anything lurking in the trees. But they were on a mission and he had to remain professional.
Lincoln was by the entrance to the cave when they arrived. He straightened, flashing them a smile in the darkness. “Ready to see what’s hiding underground?”
“You take the rear,” said Kade, switching on the light on his helmet. “I’ll go first. Honor you stay between us.”
Lincoln smirked at Kade as he turned on his own light, but said nothing, getting himself in position before they stepped into the partially concealed cave entrance. The passageway curved sharply down. They’d gone less than a hundred yards, before the air grew damp and the walls bloomed with moss.
“What are we looking for?” Honor’s voice echoed along the passageway.
“There are two sites,” said Kade. “There are signatures suggesting dragon remains. Most likely egg fragments, but also bones.” He paused as they came to a junction that split into two passageways and held his location scanner up. “This way.”
They walked into the right-hand passage, which grew narrower with every step. Before long, they were squeezing along the passage, the sound of material rasping against rough rock sounding louder than it should.
“If this gets much smaller, I’m in trouble,” said Lincoln.
“That’s because you spend too much time in the gym,” muttered Kade.
“The ladies love the muscles,” said Lincoln.
“How much farther?” Honor’s tone sounded panicked as her breath shot out.
“Another fifty yards.” Kade paused and looked back at Honor. “How are you doing?”
“Not loving the tight spaces. Or lack of air.”
He reached back and squeezed her hand, and she grabbed onto it. “You’ll be fine. Make sure you’re taking enough deep breaths so you don’t get lightheaded. The air down here is stale, but it’s safe.”
“I’ll sing you a song, if it makes you feel better,” said Lincoln.
“You can sing?”
“He thinks he can,” said Kade.
“I’ve had women weeping over my tuneful voice.”
“Weeping because their eardrums are bleeding,” said Kade. He kept hold of Honor’s hand as they slid deeper into the cave. He was used to tight spaces like this, but wasn’t a regular participant of dragon hunts, preferring to scout sites remotely. But this time, he wouldn’t be anywhere else.
“The si
gnal is getting stronger,” said Kade. “We must be within ten feet of the finds.” He paused as a faint rumble shot through the ground.
“What was that?” asked Honor.
“Nothing good,” said Lincoln.
“These caves are stable,” said Kade. “It could have been a rock fall overhead.”
“We did a scan before coming in,” said Lincoln. “Nothing to worry about.”
The ground shifted beneath Kade’s feet again and he heard Honor gasp. “Lincoln. Head back to the entrance of this passageway and make sure no rock slides have blocked the exit. And contact Heath and see if they’re having any problems. We can’t rule out the possibility of an earthquake.”
“I’m on it.” Lincoln vanished into the gloom.
“You think it’s something serious?” whispered Honor.
Kade ignored the tug of concern in his gut. “Nothing to worry about.” He took a few more steps, Honor’s hand now clutching his shoulder, when a roar ripped through the passageway and rocks and mud flew into his face.
He spun around, grabbed hold of Honor, and threw her to the floor.
HONOR’S SCREAM WAS muffled against Kade’s chest, as dirt rained down on them. She wrapped her fingers into his vest, her scalp stinging as dirt and grit hit her.
She turned and spat out a mouthful of grit before blinking up at Kade. “What was that? An explosion?”
“Possibly. Or a cave slide. It didn’t feel natural.” Kade leaned down and spoke in her ear, his hot breath tickling her neck. “Are you hurt?”
“Just a few bruises from when we hit the ground.”
They lay tangled together for a few moments as the dust and dirt settled around them. Honor was too aware of Kade’s hot, heavy body pinning her to the ground. She felt safe, even though they were covered in dirt and rock.
“We should be okay to move.” Kade slid off Honor. He held his hands out to pull her to her feet. He brushed off some of the dust and grime covering her. “You sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” said Honor. “Although my ears are ringing.”
“It had to have been an explosion,” said Kade, as he looked around. “That was no normal rock slide.”
“Someone is blowing up the cave with us inside?” Honor looked around in disbelief. “Who would do that?”
“One guess,” said Kade, darkly. He tested his comms link and frowned. “It’s damaged. Is yours working?”
Honor fumbled with the comms device on the side of her vest. “Don’t think so.”
“The explosion could have taken out the comms,” said Kade. “The State loves nothing more than throwing in some electromagnetic interference.”
Honor turned and looked at the surrounding debris, concern filling her. “We’re trapped.” She pointed to the pile of rocks blocking their way back.
“We’ve got Arlo outside,” said Kade. “Once the others realize we’re trapped, he’ll get us out. He loves blowing things up.”
“So long as he doesn’t blow us up, as well.”
“There is always that risk.”
Honor turned and peered over Kade’s shoulder. “What’s that?” She eased past him and edged toward a hole. She peered inside and a smile spread across her face. “I think this might interest you.”
Kade looked in the hole and a surprised grunt shot out of him. “Whoever set off those explosives might want us dead, but they’ve helped us.” In front of them was a pile of pale, broken eggs.
“This is what you wanted?”
“It is.” Kade lifted one fragment. “It’s a dragon’s egg.”
Honor’s mouth twisted and she bit back her immediate skepticism. “Looks more like an emu egg, to me.”
“Too big for an emu,” said Kade. “There must be a dozen fragments here.”
Honor took the egg fragment from Kade’s fingers and studied it. It was a chalky-white color, with several pale-blue dots on the shell. She’d never seen an egg of this size, or one with these particular markings. “Don’t suppose there are any dragon babies to go along with this? Would help with the whole authenticity thing.”
“No such luck.” Kade was already gathering the fragments and placing them into a small, solid box. “Let’s hope these are the real thing.”
“You’ve found fake dragon remains before?”
“All the time,” said Kade. “We’ve wasted hundreds of hours going on dangerous expeditions only to find someone has set up a fake nest.”
“Why would someone do that?”
“Because they’re crazy. Or having a laugh,” said Kade. “Or maybe the State sets them up, hoping to catch us.”
“These must be real, though,” said Honor. “This is too much trouble for someone to go to for a bit of fun.”
“I hope you’re right,” said Kade, as he stashed the last fragment and sealed the box.
Honor turned and looked back at the blocked passage, her excitement at discovering the eggs fading. “Now, all we need to do is get out of here.”
“Give me a few more minutes,” said Kade. “I need pictures of this site and samples of the soil. I have a theory I’m working on that dragons only lay eggs in specific pH areas. If I’m right, it will make our expeditions more reliable.”
“I’m going nowhere.” Honor stepped back and watched as Kade got to work on taking soil samples, pulling out metal vials and stashing them back in his jacket pockets when full. She’d always loved watching him work. He got a concentration line between his eyebrows when focused on something. Honor wanted to reach over and rub away that tension line with a finger, but didn’t want to appear weird.
Honor’s stomach clenched as the ground shifted beneath her feet and she flattened herself against the wall. “Kade, I don’t think that was the last—” Her words cut off, as a shower of rock and dirt spat into her face, and she fell to the ground.
Chapter 11
Kade groaned as sharp pressure from the rocks on his chest bit into his side. Every breath felt like he was inhaling glass shards.
He blinked grit out of his eyes. “Honor.” Rocks pinned Kade’s arms. When he shifted a stabbing pain glanced through his ribs, making his breath hitch and his vision blur.
Coughing and cursing, Kade spat out blood. “Shit! Honor, where are you?”
“Kade!” Honor’s pale, grimy face appeared in a small gap over his head and she let out a choked sob. “I’ve been calling for ages.”
“I’m fine.” He tried unsuccessfully to pull an arm free. Bile filled his throat.
“You’re not fine. You’ve got half the cave on you.”
“Just need to move a few of these rocks before I can get out.”
“No! Stay still,” said Honor. “I’ll shift what I can.”
Kade tried for a deep breath and almost blacked out. “Are you injured?”
“A bump to the head, but that’s it,” said Honor, her hand hovering by Kade’s face, as if she was afraid to touch him. “Don’t move. I’ll get to you as soon as I can.”
Kade lay in the gloom and listened as Honor shifted rocks around, wincing and biting his already bloody tongue every time he breathed.
“I can get to you.” He felt Honor’s fingers brush against his. “Let me get this arm free.”
Kade bit down on the pain as Honor dragged rocks across his skin. A groan slid from his lips as the pressure from his arm lifted.
“Sorry! Some of these are too heavy to lift. I’ll have to roll them off.”
“Not a problem,” said Kade, through gritted teeth. “Any sign of the others?”
“I heard movement a while ago,” said Honor, her breath rasping as she rolled away more rocks. “But it could have been the rocks sliding around.”
“No word on the comms?”
“Mine’s dead,” said Honor.
“They’ll know what’s happened,” said Kade. “We’ll be out of here in no time.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Honor’s voice wavered. “You’re a mess.”
“
None of my injuries are serious.” Kade swallowed blood and resisted the urge to gag.
“You’re a terrible liar.” Honor’s pale, dirt streaked face appeared again, her hair stuck to her forehead. “Try moving your left arm.”
It felt as if a thousand needles pricked Kade’s arm as he slowly lifted it. Although he was sure it was bruised, he was thrilled to find it worked. None of the bones were broken.
Honor shifted onto her hands and knees until her face was next to Kade’s. She pressed a hand to his cheek. “Hi, there.”
“Hi, yourself.”
“Don’t go doing anything stupid like dying on me,” said Honor. “I’ve got plans for us once we’re out of here.”
Kade’s breath quickened as Honor placed a kiss on his cheek, and then he groaned as his ribs ached. “Tell me everything.”
“Not a chance,” said Honor, a lopsided smile on her face. “Where’s the fun in you knowing everything?”
“Not even a hint?”
“I’m thinking something alcoholic. And a hot bath.”
“Good start.”
“Then you can buy me dinner and convince me about dragons.”
“I’m very persuasive.”
Honor smiled. “You’ll need to be. Now comes the horrible part. Think happy thoughts as I move this rock off your chest. I’m going to have to push it.”
Kade sucked in as much air as he could and clenched his fists as Honor shoved her weight behind the rock and inched it down his body. He couldn’t stop the grunt of pain that shot from his lips as his ribs were freed of the weight.
“Almost there,” panted Honor.
“Take your time. I’m enjoying myself.”
“Funny guy,” said Honor. “But I want you out of here. I’ve decided small spaces aren’t my thing.”
“Aren’t I supposed to be the one protecting you?” Kade watched Honor grapple with the rock, seeing her muscles stretched to their limit and sweat staining the back of her shirt.
Kade (sci-fi romance - The Ember Quest Book 2) Page 10