“We can’t have our pretty boy getting his fingernails dirty,” said Arlo.
“You’re not helping.” Lincoln scowled at his brother.
“We just brought in fragments from an old mineshaft up north,” said Heath. “Run them through the scanner and see what you can find. Then catalog them for the archive. We need to keep focused on the bigger picture.”
Lincoln opened his mouth to protest, but saw the stubborn set of Danni’s jaw. This was an argument he would lose. “Fine. But there’d better be a few cold beers at the end of the day because of this.”
“You get your own beers,” said Heath. “You’re doing this to keep focused on our mission. It’s not about women and fighting.”
Lincoln ran a hand through his hair and his gaze shifted to Anastasia. “Both of us?”
“Both of you,” said Heath.
Anastasia’s head whipped up. “I’ve done nothing wrong. I wasn’t the one showing off in the ring, or trying to get it on with the boss’s girlfriend.”
“You two must work well together if you’re going to successfully infiltrate this trafficking ring,” said Danni. “Put your differences aside and figure out how to get along. If you fight in front of Clive, it will ruin everything.”
“We’d never do that,” said Anastasia. “Well, other than when we’re in the ring together. And then that’s what we’re supposed to do.”
Arlo laughed. “You two are so busted.”
“And Arlo,” said Heath, “go to the armory and check your bombs. I’ve heard worrying rumors you’ve created something new and haven’t cataloged it.”
Arlo groaned. “Would I ever do such a thing?”
“Yes,” said Heath.
Lincoln stood and patted his brother on the back. “Looks like you’re being punished, too.”
Arlo shrugged as he walked out the room with Lincoln, Anastasia trailing behind them. “Always pays to be ahead of the enemy. Heath shouldn’t worry. So long as my bombs work, that’s the main thing.”
“Weren’t you creating a bomb with a hydrogen blast?”
“That was something I was tinkering with,” said Arlo.
“You’re going to blow yourself up,” muttered Anastasia.
“No chance. I was born with a bomb in my hand,” said Arlo. “Only happy when I’m making things blow up.” He gave a cheery wave goodbye to Lincoln and Anastasia, as he strode away along the gray corridor toward his workshop.
“That guy has a death wish,” said Anastasia.
“He’s got good reason to,” said Lincoln. “He watched his best friend get blown to pieces when they were in combat.”
ANASTASIA SUCKED IN a breath. “I didn’t know.” She looked up into Lincoln’s normally smiling face, his expression now grim.
“He doesn’t talk about it,” said Lincoln. “They were best friends since they were kids. Joined the forces at the same time and went through some of the toughest training imaginable. He blames himself for what happened when they were ambushed. Since then he’s been chasing death, trying to catch it and make it pay. I’m hoping he fails. I kind of like having my kid brother around, even when he’s annoying the crap out of me.”
“I know what you mean,” said Anastasia. “When Bellatrix got sucked into the State system, it felt like a piece of me had gone with her.”
“Which is why you betrayed us.”
“You’d have done the same if it was any of your brothers in trouble,” said Anastasia. “Bellatrix is my only sibling. I had to keep her safe. And I’d do it again, in a heartbeat.”
“Good to know I should keep watching my back.”
They turned a corner, and walked together in silence toward the archive room. Anastasia still felt a sliver of guilt at betraying Lincoln and his brothers when they’d gone to rescue her sister. She hadn’t had a choice. Bellatrix’s life had been at risk. She’d had to get her out. But she knew from the wary glances she still got that people didn’t trust her. Not that she cared. She had her sister back, that was all that mattered.
Lincoln opened the archive room door and held it for Anastasia.
As she walked through, she bumped into Dmitri Grimwald, Annie’s father. Annie and Heath had rescued him from a State-run prison a few months ago. Since then, he’d been a fixture in the archives room, as he puzzled his way through the egg and bone fragments the group had collected.
“Goodness! I wasn’t expecting company today.” Dmitri ran a hand through his messy gray hair and smiled.
“Boss’s orders,” said Lincoln, as he shut the door behind him. “He wants us on fragment duty for the rest of the day.”
“There’s plenty to keep you busy.” Dmitri set the box he held on the workbench and gestured to the piles of finds in the room. “Where would you like to start?”
“Anything will do,” said Anastasia. “Have you made any more progress with the writing discovered on the inside of the eggshells?” This was the myth Lincoln and the others pursued. According to dragon legend, there were certain eggs with writing inside. When the writing fragments were joined, and the words spoken, dragons would return. It was a myth that intrigued Anastasia, but the hope of finding all the words was slim. There had to be millions of egg fragments all over the country. They would never find them all.
“We found a new letter last week,” said Dmitri, his dark eyes shining from behind his smeared glasses.
“A whole letter,” said Lincoln.
Anastasia smacked his arm. “It’s a start.”
“It is,” said Dmitri. “We have two whole words now. It’s a pity we don’t know how long the words are that need to be spoken. Could be a single sentence or a whole paragraph. We could almost be there.”
“Or it could be dictionary length,” said Lincoln.
Anastasia shot him a glare. “What about the artificial egg Honor’s been working on?”
“Come see for yourself.” Dmitri grinned and beckoned them to the other end of the room. “It’s astonishing. That woman is a genius.”
“She needs to be, since she’s dating Kade,” said Lincoln. “That guy has two brains rammed inside his skull.”
Dmitri chuckled. “Sometimes, some of the things they say even go over my head. I’ve always considered myself an authority when it came to dragons. But take a look at this.” He flicked a light on inside a glass box and stepped to one side.
Inside the box, was a complete egg.
Anastasia gasped. “Is that the real thing?” She pressed her fingers against the glass and stared at it.
“It’s as close as we will get for now,” said Dmitri. “Honor used a genome sequencing program we’ve been working on, and combined it with her synthetic DNA programming code, to create this. We believe it can grow a dragon inside.”
“And the writing?”
“We’re putting the writing on the inside of this shell,” said Dmitri. “Trying different combinations to see if anything fits.”
“Can I see it?”
“Of course.” Dmitri opened the lid of the glass box and gently pulled the egg apart. “It’s been created in two halves so will be easy to insert a dragon embryo when the time is right. This one is a mock-up. But we’ll use this design for the final version.”
Anastasia’s breath caught in her throat, as Dmitri carefully lifted the egg out and presented it to her. This was a part of her heritage. It felt like she was seeing a piece of her past, long lost, but locked inside her DNA.
Her fire-breathing abilities made her one of the more powerful dragon hybrids. She often felt a primal urge to break free and run, with no destination or purpose, just to get the wind in her hair and on her skin, bringing her alive and putting her in touch with the world. As her fingers slid over the shell that sensation intensified.
Dragons had power over the environment. Since their destruction, the world had tipped off its axis with environmental disasters happening on an almost daily basis. But maybe this egg was a step toward changing that.
“You like
it?” asked Dmitri.
“It’s beautiful.”
“It’s just a prototype,” said Dmitri, giving her a satisfied smile. “But we’re confident we’re making progress. And your help in the archive will be welcome. You never know, you might find the next word to add to our egg.”
Anastasia’s eyes glittered. The thought of recreating the dragon Lexih and bringing back her own kind made her insides warm. She wanted that more than anything else.
“How about the two of you get started with this box of finds extracted from Cheddar Gorge?” Dmitri placed the egg back in the glass box and flipped the lid shut. “Kade was certain these are of high quality.”
“Did his computer tell him that?” asked Lincoln.
“Your brother is frighteningly accurate with his predictions of where the next finds will come from,” said Dmitri. “Since I’ve been here, he’s perfected an astonishing site analysis program. I don’t think we’ve had a failed mission to extract eggs since then.”
“We all know which Ember brother got the brains.” Anastasia shot a sharp look at Lincoln. “And which one got the looks.”
“I take that as a compliment.” Lincoln grinned at her.
Anastasia snorted, annoyed at herself for revealing she found Lincoln attractive. There was no denying he was easy on the eye, with his symmetrical face and glittering eyes. But he was a ladies’ man. Even when they’d been fighting in the ring, he’d made suggestive comments and joked with her. She could never take him seriously, no matter how hot he was. She ignored the tug in her stomach as he flashed her a smile. It was just chemistry, that’s all she felt. She appreciated a good-looking guy the same as the next woman. It meant nothing.
“Take us to the finds,” said Lincoln. “I can’t wait to get started.”
Dmitri chuckled as he unpacked the box and laid the pieces out on the table. “Spend enough time in here and you might get a taste for egg sorting. I’m always looking for willing volunteers, whenever you have a spare evening.”
“Lincoln spends his spare time drinking and womanizing,” said Anastasia.
A flash of hurt crossed Lincoln’s face before he covered it with a smile. “There’s more to me than that, you know.”
“Such as?”
“I like playing cards.”
“An honorable occupation.”
“And honing my skills when it comes to shooting.”
“Killing is such a positive hobby to have.”
Lincoln frowned. “What are your hobbies?”
Dmitri cleared his throat and backed away from the table. “I’ll leave you to it. If you find anything of interest, I’ll be in the next room. I’ve been taking apart a dragon bone fragment sliver by sliver and running it through the DNA program. It’s absolutely fascinating.”
Anastasia smiled at Dmitri. Here was a guy who loved dragons almost as much as she did. “We’ll call you if we find anything.” She turned back to Lincoln and saw a frown on his face.
“Well?” His eyes narrowed slightly.
Anastasia ignored him as she inspected the first egg fragment.
“What are your hobbies?” persisted Lincoln. “Since you think the things I do are so frivolous or twisted, what do you do that makes you so noble?”
“What I do in my spare time is none of your business.” Anastasia couldn’t recall the last time she’d done anything for the sheer hell of it. She’d become too used to hiding from trouble and making sure everyone else was safe. Fun was a distant memory.
“Come on, I’m interested,” said Lincoln. “Perhaps I’m bored with my womanizing and drinking and need a new hobby. You could show me some other options.”
Anastasia kept her attention on the egg fragment in her hand, enjoying the feel of its chalky rub against her flesh. “I used to like gardening. Growing herbs, in particular.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. I haven’t had the chance to do it for ages.”
“You know about our bio zone?” asked Lincoln.
“You have a garden in the bunker?” She vaguely remembered Annie telling her about it when she first arrived. But this place kept you busy. She hadn’t had a chance to explore everywhere.
“It’s still underground. Under a dome,” said Lincoln. “It’s not fresh air and sunshine—we try to replicate that as best we can—but we’ve been using the bio zone to test out fast-growing types of food.”
“I’d like to see that.” The thought of getting her hands in some soil, planting a seed, and seeing it come to life appealed.
“I can show you sometime. I’m looking forward to the day when we have our own sustainable garden. The food supplies we have are often on the low side. You can only survive so long on canned stuff before it gets dull. Have you tasted the ration packs?”
She grimaced. “I’m not a huge fan of the freeze-dried military rations you serve.”
“You’re not the only one. I always hated that stuff,” said Lincoln, giving a mock shudder. “It was my least favorite thing about the Marines. Forced to eat nutritionally complete, but tasteless, foil-packed muck. It kept you alive, but that was it. There was no joy to be had in the meals.”
“How long were you in for?”
“Four years,” said Lincoln, as his fingers glided over the table of fragments.
“And you really got kicked out for sleeping with the General’s daughter?”
“You remember that, do you?”
“I was there when you said it. I also heard that it ruined your career.” Anastasia placed the egg fragment down and looked at Lincoln. “That doesn’t bother you?”
Lincoln shrugged, not meeting Anastasia’s gaze. “I was looking for something new, anyway. That gave me the kick in the butt I needed to get out.”
“What did you do after you got chucked out of the Marines?”
“This and that.”
“You didn’t have a job?”
“I earned credits.”
“Probably by playing cards.”
“Better than working at the Pleasure Dome.”
Anastasia slammed her hand on the workbench. The fragments jumped. “I had no choice but to work there.”
“You could have left,” said Lincoln. “Blasted a few people with fireballs and gotten yourself out.”
“And sentenced Bellatrix to death?” growled Anastasia. “That was the threat I lived under for a year.”
Lincoln ran a hand through his hair and let out a sigh. “It must have been tough for you.”
“It was a living hell.” She shoved away the dozens of twisted memories that threatened to overwhelm her.
“I’m sorry,” said Lincoln. “I know you would have left if you could.”
“Like I care about what you think.” But she did. It grated on her that Lincoln’s opinion mattered.
He was silent for a moment, as he turned over the fragments on the workbench. “I’m glad we found you and got you out.”
“You have my undying loyalty.” The words shot out sharp, and she regretted them.
Lincoln walked around the workbench, closing the gap between them. “I mean it. Having you here is making all the difference.”
Anastasia turned away and shrugged off the comment.
Lincoln’s fingers brushed down her arm, and she flinched. “I don’t mean to be a jerk.”
“It seems to come so naturally to you, though. Why try to change?”
Lincoln laughed, the sound tinged with darkness. “Guess it does. It’s easier to play the fool and act like nothing is important. Then people don’t know you care.”
Surprise spun through Anastasia. She turned and looked into Lincoln’s eyes. If only he wasn’t so hopelessly good looking, then she could ignore the fluttering in her stomach every time she was near him. He was dangerous to be around. She hated the loss of control she had when they were so close.
Lincoln’s hand stroked down Anastasia’s arm again, this time the touch firmer. “When we’re done here, why don’t we go get a drin
k? Since we’ll be working at the fight club, we need to get to know more about each other. Make sure Clive can’t trip us up.”
Anastasia licked her lips. Was this another one of his moves? Was he trying to win her sympathy, so she’d drop her guard and let him get at her? “I’ve said before, alcohol and fire are a lethal combination.”
“It’s a combination I’d like to see.” His hand kept stroking her skin, slowing as his fingers drifted down the scales on her arms.
For a second, Anastasia lost herself in his green eyes. He was like every woman’s wet dream, but he was a charmer and not one to settle. She’d seen how flighty he was around women. They spent the night, and when it was all over, he cut ties and lost interest. He was always friendly afterwards, occasionally took them to his quarters for a few more nights of fun, but that was it. She’d never seen the same woman on his arm for longer than two weeks. Not that they didn’t try, there was always some wide-eyed female hanging around trying to get Lincoln’s attention. And he was never rude to them, always giving them a kind word and a wink. But once he’d gotten what he wanted, they were out of his life.
“What do you reckon?” asked Lincoln. “Come with me to get a nightcap later?”
Her gaze drifted to his full lips. She leaned closer. Maybe she could have a one-night thing with him. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man she actually wanted. Most of her encounters at the Pleasure Dome had been simple transactions, usually with guys who had a fetish for the iridescent scales running over her arms and torso. She’d lost count of the hours she’d stood naked in front of a guy as he’d stroked her scales and jacked off over her unique beauty. The memory made her stomach clench.
His hand moved to her cheek. He brushed a finger down her face. “I wish I knew what was going on in that head of yours.”
Anastasia swallowed her nerves. One hot night with Lincoln. If she had that, he would be out of her head. She could get on with her life, free from his enticing image. “I was just wondering—”
Lincoln (Ember Quest Book 3) Page 4