Lincoln (Ember Quest Book 3)

by Arcadia Shield

  Whatever it was, he needed to get a grip on his feelings before they distracted him and he made a mistake.

  After checking the wood-floored corridor and seeing it empty, Lincoln led the way past portraits of university faculty members in gowns and mortar boards, toward the room where the relics were supposed to be stashed.

  Anastasia’s footsteps behind him were so light, he had to check over his shoulder to make sure she was following. But she was right there, her gaze alert as they walked along a bookshelf-lined corridor, dust motes floating in the light.

  “Heath loved this place. He spent all his time here, when he wasn’t out hunting for dragon remains,” whispered Lincoln. “He called it his second home.”

  “I can see him in a place like this,” said Anastasia, her voice quiet.

  “He always wanted to be an academic. Went into the forces because that’s what our parents wanted for him. And he enjoyed himself well enough, going out on expeditions into freezing-cold places, and scaling up crazy-assed rock faces on covert missions. But it wasn’t until he gave in to his own desires and started studying that the real Heath emerged. Every geeky inch of him.”

  “I don’t think he’s a geek,” said Anastasia. “He can get intense about things, though.”

  “You should hear him talk about the spectral analysis of bone fragments or the latest DNA program. Get him, Kade, and Honor in a room together, and it’s like they’re talking another language.”

  “Everyone needs a passion.”

  Lincoln shot a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. “What’s yours?”

  “Fire dancing.”

  He turned his head, surprised she’d answered. He’d expected the usual silent treatment when he delved into her private life. “What’s that?”

  “You won’t have seen it before,” said Anastasia, as her gaze scanned the corridor. “Dragons do it as part of a mating ritual. But it’s been adopted by dragon hybrids as a form of pleasure.”

  “What do you do?”

  “We dance, genius.”

  Lincoln scowled. “What’s the fire part?”

  “It’s believed a female dragon uses her flame to indicate her chosen mate. She would dance around her mate and create a ring of fire.”

  “And you do that?”

  “We do,” said Anastasia. “Not to choose a mate, but to enjoy the sensation of revealing our true selves without any judgment.”

  “Sounds hot.”

  “It is. Quite literally.” Anastasia smirked at him.

  “I’d like to see it.”

  “Humans aren’t permitted to see our rituals.”

  “But I’m practically dragon,” said Lincoln. “I’m fighting in your corner, after all.”

  “That does not make you a dragon,” said Anastasia. “It makes you a curiosity. Why do you and your brothers fight for us, anyway?”

  “Because what the State have done is wrong. They’re destroying this world for their own selfish desires.”

  Her expression turned serious. “Who do you think they are?”

  “No clue. I’m sure they’re not human. Although they appear human.”

  “Dragons can take human form easily enough.”

  “You think they’re dragons?”

  “No. But there’s something about them that makes my skin cold. They hide it well, whatever their true form is. But they must have power.”

  “We’ve tried capturing a State leader, but they’re too elusive. And there’s not a hope in hell of getting close to Emperor Endrir. Whenever we question any of the soldiers or guards, they know nothing.” Lincoln paused as a squeaking sound drifted along the corridor. He pulled Anastasia against the wall beside a bookcase.

  They both watched as a skinny, hunched over man with a cleaning cart crossed the corridor and entered a room.

  “Don’t think he’ll bother us. A strong wind would knock him off his feet.” Lincoln continued along the corridor, with Anastasia by his side. They waited until they’d passed the room the man had gone into until speaking again.

  “We figured out they’d been planning the takeover for a long time,” whispered Lincoln. “And they knew the weaknesses of dragons. Poisoning the leader’s mate made him lose focus.”

  “And then they attacked when his grief distracted him,” said Anastasia. “Using your human bombs and then dismembering him.”

  “Not one of our proudest moments,” said Lincoln. “And that’s why we do this. Because we see what a mess we’ve made of things and want to put it right. This world is going crazy. Every day you hear of a new environmental problem.”

  “Which dragons would have prevented,” said Anastasia.

  “Exactly. They need to come back and stabilize the planet before it blows up.”

  “Maybe that’s what the State wants,” said Anastasia. “When they’ve taken whatever it is they need, they will leave here and let the planet die.”

  “And go where?”

  “That’s a question only the State can answer.”

  Lincoln stopped by a door. “This is the room where the relics are.” He checked along the corridor. The place was so eerily quiet, it was hard to imagine the hallways full of students. Announcements blasting over the PA system, giving updates about summer socials and fundraising drives.

  He tried the handle and found it unlocked. Giving Anastasia a shrug, he eased the door open and peered inside. There was a small reception area on the other side, the blinds pulled over the window so everything sat in shadow.

  Anastasia looked over his shoulder before following him into the room. “Not what I was expecting.”

  “Through here.” Lincoln hurried to an adjoining door. This time, he found it locked, but it was a simple lock and easy to break. Inside, were three rows of glass cabinets, all displaying pieces of chipped flint and arrowheads.

  A shuffling sound made Lincoln tense. He caught hold of Anastasia’s arm and gestured toward the back of the room where the sound came.

  Together, they crept forward.

  Lincoln rounded the corner, his gun raised. In front of him, sat three terrified-looking women, sitting back-to-back on wooden chairs, their arms behind them. He lowered his weapon a fraction. “What are you doing in here?”

  Anastasia barged past him. “They’re dragon hybrids!”

  SHE’D SENSED OTHER dragon hybrids close by as soon as she’d entered the room.

  Lincoln holstered his gun and hurried over, the dragon hybrids shrinking away as he drew near.

  “He won’t hurt you,” said Anastasia. “He’s with me.”

  One of the dragon hybrids, a woman in her mid-thirties, with cropped, brown hair, kept her gaze pinned to Lincoln. “You’re not with the State?” Her words came out slurred, as if she’d been drugged.

  “I’ll try not to be insulted by that.” Lincoln smiled at her.

  “We’re waiting to be transported,” said the brown-haired dragon hybrid, shaking her head, as if trying to clear her thoughts.

  “We’re your transport,” said Anastasia. “But we’re going to get you out, not hand you over to the State.”

  Lincoln stared at the bindings. “Clive mentioned nothing about the dragon relics coming with flesh attached.”

  “That guy needs a kick to the head,” growled Anastasia, as she untied the dragon hybrids’ hands. She looked down at the women and her eyes widened. “Smoke and fire bites! You’re all pregnant!”

  “That’s right,” said the dragon hybrid with the brown hair. “That’s why they wanted us.”

  “Clive is trafficking pregnant dragon hybrids,” spat out Lincoln. “Can you get any lower?”

  “He probably can,” muttered Anastasia, fighting against the fury inside her.

  “Are you all okay to walk?” asked Lincoln. “We’ve got a truck outside.”

  “I think so,” said the dragon hybrid. “I’m Damson. This is Caitlyn. And that’s Olivia.” She gestured to the two blonde dragon hybrids.

  “Nice to meet y
ou all,” said Lincoln. “But we need to go.”

  “We’re not taking them to Clive.” Anastasia grabbed his arm.

  “You’re right, we aren’t.”

  “What are we going to do with them?” She watched as Lincoln’s gaze flashed over the dragon hybrids.

  He activated his wrist comms link. “We need to put on a performance of our own. If we convince Clive we were ambushed, and the dragon hybrids were taken, he might not be so harsh on us. Might still keep us working for him.”

  Anastasia nodded. It was a long shot, but could work. “We get the others to come and take them?”

  Lincoln smiled at her. “That’s the idea. Jude, are you receiving me?”

  “Go ahead,” said Jude over the comms link.

  “We’ve got a situation,” said Lincoln. “We’re at Helstone University. We have three dragon hybrids who need transportation. We thought we were being sent to pick up dragon relics. Turns out it’s three very much alive dragon hybrids. And they’re pregnant.”

  “Holy shit! What do you need?”

  “A distraction,” said Lincoln. “See if Heath can send a few people to make it look like we’ve been ambushed. We need to get the dragon hybrids away, but not make it appear like we were involved.”

  “You want me to get Heath to attack you?” The surprise in Jude’s tone was clear.

  “That’s it,” said Lincoln. “And we have to make it look realistic, otherwise Clive won’t believe what happened. We’ll lose our chance to break the trafficking ring.”

  “Give me five minutes,” said Jude.

  “You think this will work?” Worry traced through Anastasia’s veins.

  “It’ll have to,” said Lincoln. “We can’t leave the dragon hybrids here. Clive will send someone else if we don’t deliver the goods. We need to get them somewhere safe. Where’s safer than the bunker?”

  Olivia, who was short with lightly tanned skin, tried to stand and swayed on her feet. Anastasia grabbed hold of her and steadied her. “Take your time. Looks like you’ve been given something to keep you quiet.” Just by touching the other female’s skin, she could sense her power.

  “We were drugged,” said Olivia. “That was the only way they could control us. Not sure what they gave us, but it hinders our abilities and makes us weak.”

  “A system suppressant to muffle your abilities,” said Anastasia. It was a drug she’d been forced to take when working at the Pleasure Dome. It made you woozy and slow, and came with a killer headache the next day.

  “How long have you been here?” asked Lincoln.

  “Less than a day,” said Olivia. “But I was being held somewhere else before this.”

  “Me too,” said Damson. “I was held in a cell for a week. Other than giving me one meal a day, I was left alone. I traveled here last night chained up in the back of a van. That’s when I met Olivia and Caitlyn.”

  Anastasia focused on Caitlyn, who had been silent the entire time. She checked her pulse. Her heart was racing and her skin was clammy. “How long has she been like this?”

  “Since last night,” said Olivia. “We’ve tried to rouse her, but she was unresponsive. Looks like they gave her too much ability suppressant.”

  “It could damage her baby,” growled Anastasia. She turned to Lincoln. “We need to get them medical help. Flush the drug out of their systems.”

  “What’s this bunker you mentioned?” asked Olivia.

  “It’s a place we use to keep out of the way of the State,” said Lincoln. “You’ll be safe there. We can get you treatment and take care of your babies.”

  “Who exactly are you?” asked Olivia, her nervous gaze shooting from Anastasia to Lincoln.

  “All you need to know for now is that we’re here to help,” said Anastasia. “You can trust me.” She gripped the female’s hands and stared into her eyes. “I won’t betray you.”

  Olivia nodded. “You speak the truth. Even though my abilities are repressed, I can see you are honest.”

  “You have psychic abilities?” asked Lincoln.

  “Not as such,” said Olivia. “But I sense the future and have a knack for understanding a person’s character and how they will react in different situations.” She gave a brief, wry smirk. “For the most part, up until now, it’s mainly just helped me avoid going on disastrous dates.”

  “A handy skill to have.” Anastasia smiled at her. She looked at Lincoln. “What’s taking Jude so long?”

  “They could be on other missions,” said Lincoln. “If there’s no one at the base who can help, we might have to wait.”

  Anastasia stuffed down her frustration. The women couldn’t wait. Ten minutes of anxious pacing later, and Lincoln’s comms came back online.

  “Lincoln, it’s Jude. Sorry for the delay, busy times here. I’ve got a team heading your way. I’ve locked onto your wrist comm.”

  “We’ll be in a Jeep that doesn’t have a tracker, so keep locked onto me. I’ll make sure we’re on the road when you hit us.”

  “I’ve got your coordinates now and will track your movements.”

  “Great work.” Lincoln cut the comms link as he turned to Anastasia. “Ready to go?”

  “You make sure the way is clear. I’ll get everyone to follow.” She gestured the three dragon hybrids to stand. “Stay close and do as I say. We’ve got a truck outside. Once you’re in there, we’ll meet our contact and get you someplace safe.”

  “What was your mate talking about an ambush for?” asked Damson, already on her feet and encouraging the others to stand.

  “We’re working undercover,” said Anastasia. “We’re supposed to take you to our boss, but there’s no way we’re doing that. But if we blow our cover, we can’t go back and help any more dragon hybrids.”

  “You’re working against the State?” asked Olivia.

  “Of course,” said Anastasia. She grabbed Caitlyn as she staggered sideways. “Lincoln. Might need a hand here.”

  Lincoln hurried back, swept Caitlyn into his arms, and smiled at her. “It’s a leasure to make your acquaintance.”

  “I like your muscles.” Caitlyn gave him a sleepy smile and snuggled her head onto his shoulder.

  “You’ve got yourself a new fan.” Anastasia caught hold of Olivia and Damson, making sure they didn’t fall. Her nerves kicked up a notch as they made their way back through the quiet corridors and out the door they’d come through.

  Lincoln yanked the door of the Jeep open and placed Caitlyn inside, before activating his wrist comms. “What’s the situation, Jude? We’re ready to leave.”

  “Sending over the planned attack point,” said Jude. “Heath is on his way with Arlo. They’ll spring an attack and make it seem legit. Your new boss will only have to worry about the two of you being incompetent, not double agents.”

  “Hilarious.”

  “Take care out there,” said Jude.

  Anastasia helped Olivia and Damson into the back of the Jeep, making sure they were settled. “Try not to panic when we come under attack. The others will need to make it look good, so there aren’t too many questions when we return empty-handed.”

  Damson caught hold of her hand. “Thanks for doing this. You don’t have to. You could have left us behind.”

  “I would never do that.” She squeezed Damson’s hand before closing the back door of the Jeep and hurrying around to the passenger seat. Lincoln was already inside, waiting for her.

  He started the engine and drove along the streets, keeping to the side roads. His gaze flicked to the directions on the navigation system, as they made their way closer to Heath and his ambush.

  Anastasia leaned forward and looked in the side mirror. “Is that Heath behind us?”

  Lincoln frowned. “No. We shouldn’t be meeting him for another ten minutes.”

  “We’ve got a vehicle following us.”

  Lincoln swung the Jeep into a sharp right-hand bend, before doubling back on the route they’d come. The vehicle matched their movements
, and he cursed.

  Fear trickled down Anastasia’s spine. “You think it’s militia?”

  “Whoever it is, they’re interested in us.” Lincoln hit the comms link on his wrist. “Jude. We’ve got company. Any chance they’re friendly?”

  “Holy crap! You’ve got militia on your tail. They must have been cloaked, I’ve only just seen them on the radar.”

  Lincoln cursed under his breath. “I can’t outrun them in this hunk of junk.”

  “We can’t let them see what we’ve got in the back,” said Anastasia.

  “They’re closing in on you,” said Jude. “Get the hell out of there.”

  “Would if we could,” said Lincoln. “Fuck!” He stamped on the brakes.

  Anastasia’s eyes widened, as another black militia truck pulled out in front of them, blocking the road. Her mouth went dry as two soldiers stepped out, their weapons raised.

  “Keep your heads down!” yelled Lincoln. He reversed the Jeep, but then stopped, craning his head to look over his shoulder. “We’re blocked in at both ends.”

  “How far out is Heath?” asked Anastasia.

  “Five minutes away.”

  Anastasia’s fingers dug into the palms of her hands. “We’re on our own with this. We’re going to have to fight our way out.”

  Chapter 14

  Lincoln cursed again as he watched the soldiers draw closer, kitted out in black militia uniforms and carrying pulse laser guns.

  “Step out of the vehicle,” shouted a soldier. “And keep your hands where we can see them.”

  “There’s no way that will happen,” muttered Anastasia. “We can take them. There’s not that many.”

  Lincoln checked the rearview mirror and spotted three soldiers creeping toward them. The odds weren’t in their favor, but with Anastasia’s fire and his accurate aim they stood a chance.

  “Just wish we had our dragon hybrid friends in the back operating on full power,” he said.