Heath kicked open the doors to the medical bay. “Where do you want him?”
Sophia barely glanced up from the bed she stood by. A bed occupied by Anastasia. “Empty bed at the end.”
“I want to be with Anastasia,” croaked out Lincoln. He spotted Arlo in another bed, chatting with Daisy, his head already wrapped in an enormous bandage. He looked surprisingly cheerful for someone who’d almost died.
“You’re no use to her,” said Sophia.
He caught hold of her hand as he passed on the stretcher. “Please. I just need to be near her.”
Sophia gave an irritated sigh. “Very well. Put him in the bed next to this one. But you make one smart comment, or tell me how to do my job, and I’ll put you in the isolation room whether you need it or not.”
“You’re the boss.” Lincoln groaned as Heath and Kade moved him onto the bed. “Did we shake off the militia?”
“They’re gone,” said Heath. “Most of them didn’t survive that explosion. We’re going back out to make sure they don’t come back and are convinced the building blown up was our base.”
“I’m going to plant some old tech in the building to make it look like we’ve been using it,” said Kade. “That should throw them off the scent.”
“But we need to be more careful,” said Heath. “Somehow, they’ve figured out we’re in this area. And if they think they haven’t got rid of us, they won’t stop searching. We won’t use that particular route into the bunker for a few weeks, to be on the safe side.”
“I have a theory about that. I’m going to do a sweep of the base and make sure none of our tech is faulty, sending out signals showing where we are,” said Kade. “That’s all it will take for them to know something is being hidden.”
“What do you need me to do?” asked Lincoln.
Heath placed a hand on Lincoln’s shoulder. “You rest for now. We’ll deal with the clean-up.”
Lincoln nodded, too exhausted to talk. He watched as Heath and Kade hurried out of the medical room.
“Daisy, see to Lincoln’s burns. And make sure he has enough sedative so as not to be a nuisance,” said Sophia.
Daisy hurried away from Arlo, her dark hair in a messy ponytail, and her glasses sliding down her nose. “No problem.”
“Go easy on me,” said Lincoln.
She gave him a brief smile, as she hooked him up to an IV and checked his injuries. “I’ve seen a lot worse. You’ll be fine.”
“Don’t knock me out.” Lincoln pitched his voice low, to avoid being overheard.
Her dark eyes widened, as she eased the remains of his shirt off. “You might want to be. You’ve got nasty burns on your arms.”
“They’ll heal,” said Lincoln. “Juice me up with some of that dragon serum.”
Daisy gave him a nod. “That would work, but I’ll need to check with Sophia.” She glanced over her shoulder.
“How’s Anastasia?” He tried to lean around Daisy to get a better view of her.
Daisy’s face paled. “She took the brunt of the explosion. Her back’s badly burned.”
Lincoln’s stomach roiled. “But she’ll be okay?”
“She hasn’t been conscious since she arrived,” said Daisy. “We’re keeping her that way to give her a chance to heal.”
Lincoln knew dragon hybrids had a similar ability to full dragons; when they were injured, they went into hibernation to allow themselves to heal, directing all energy and resources to combat illnesses and wounds. Even knowing that still didn’t stop his nerves from thrumming. “If I can do anything to help, let me know. She saved us all out there. If she hadn’t set off those bombs, the State would have found the base by now.”
“We’re fortunate to have her here,” said Daisy, as she spritzed antiseptic burn spray over Lincoln’s arms. “All the dragon hybrids show incredible abilities. Not just fire breathing. You need to be careful of the new babies, though. Sometimes a burp can turn into something scary.”
Lincoln flashed her a smile. “They are incredible.” His gaze drifted to Anastasia. She had to be okay. She’d get out of this just fine. Then he’d stop messing around and tell her how he felt. No matter how much it terrified him. He’d show her he wanted her in his life every day, scolding him for being an idiot, and showing him how fearless and amazing she was.
An alarm sounded in the room and Daisy’s head raised.
Sophia gestured to her. “Go. That’s Skyler.”
Lincoln’s head shot up, his brain woozy. “How’s she doing?”
Daisy was already hurrying away. “Not good.”
They could not lose Skyler. He struggled to sit up. “How can I help?”
“You can’t.” Daisy silenced the incubator alarm, and checked Skyler. “She’s okay. Still breathing.”
“Still breathing! Is that all you can hope for?” Lincoln’s heart clenched.
“The dragon serum is too strong for her,” said Daisy, her attention on Skyler. “We want to mix it with a transfusion of human blood, but she has a rare blood type.”
“What type?”
“AB negative.”
“Wait!” Lincoln started. “What? AB negative? That’s my blood type.”
“I know it is,” said Sophia, her back turned to him, as she treated Anastasia. “I already checked the base’s records.”
“Give her my blood!”
“No, you’re too sick. You can’t go giving blood.”
“I can. She needs it.”
“Skyler is an ill baby,” said Sophia, as she moved away from Anastasia’s bedside. “Even if we gave her this transfusion, she’ll be unlikely to make it.”
“But there’s a chance.” Lincoln swung his legs over the edge of the bed, fighting the pain shooting through his body.
“It’s a remote chance,” said Sophia. “Stay in your bed.”
“I’m doing this,” said Lincoln. “Take whatever you need from me, if it makes Skyler better.”
Sophia glared at him over the top of her glasses, before sighing. “I’m not being held responsible if you die because of your injuries and blood loss.”
“It will be worth it if Skyler lives.” Lincoln held his arm out. “Hook me up.”
Sophia shook her head. “Daisy, take care of Lincoln. You must do a direct blood transfusion. Can you manage that?”
Daisy’s head bobbed. “Of course.”
“Excellent. Try to keep him alive while I deal with Anastasia.” Sophia turned and walked away.
Daisy helped Lincoln off the bed. “Best if you’re sitting next to Skyler while I do the transfusion.”
“Whatever you need,” said Lincoln, as he eased into a plastic seat, his heart stuttering as he saw the green tinge on Skyler’s skin. The veins beneath were prominent. Her eyelids fluttered over her closed eyes.
Daisy rolled over a transfusion unit, disinfected Lincoln’s arm, and prepped him to insert a needle. Then she turned to Skyler and the IV port already in her little arm. Daisy connected the tube to the port. “She’s weak, the poor thing. Her veins are collapsing. Once we got the IV in, we left it there to avoid having to pick her too many times.”
“Just get it started,” said Lincoln. “Please. She has to live.”
Daisy nodded, her gaze on Skyler. “We’re all set.” She switched on the transfusion unit.
“Take as much of my blood as you need,” said Lincoln, his fingers stroking along Skyler’s cold arm. “This will work?”
“We’re hopeful,” said Daisy. “But this is mostly guesswork. We’ve only got Sophia’s veterinarian knowledge and my two years of medical school. When we realized the serum wasn’t doing any good and tested her organ functions, we discovered they were under stress. Sophia suggested the next step could be a blood transfusion, with the serum diluted in.”
Lincoln ignored the flash of light-headedness as blood slowly pumped out of him. “She’ll be fine. And so will Anastasia.”
Anastasia groaned, as if she’d heard him say her name.
> “I’m right here,” called Lincoln, unable to move away from the incubator.
“Hold still,” snapped Sophia, as Anastasia stretched her arm out as far as she could, the skin pink and blistered.
Lincoln stretched his free arm toward her but couldn’t reach. The two things most precious to him were hanging in the balance. It was only now he realized how true love felt. The love where you gave yourself to someone completely. You sacrificed anything to be with them. He’d thought he’d had it before, but this was different. This was so much more and he would not lose it.
“I’m right here,” he said to Anastasia.
She tilted her head, her bleary gaze struggling to focus. “You’re here? You’re alive?”
“We all are,” said Lincoln, struggling around the lump in his throat. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
Anastasia smiled, as her eyes closed and her arm grew limp.
FORCING HER EYES OPEN, Anastasia blinked under the bright lights and shifted on the bed, but groaned as pain lanced through her back. As hard as she’d tried to fight, she hadn’t been able to stop unconsciousness claiming her.
Her mouth was bone dry and her eyes watered, but she was alive. And so was Lincoln.
The race back to the bunker had been a chaotic, pain-filled one. She remembered little of getting there. But one thing she did recall was seeing Lincoln, hearing his voice as he told her everything was going to be fine.
“Take it easy.” Suddenly, Lincoln was next to her, brushing her cheek with cool fingers and smiling down at her.
“How long have I been out for?”
“Two days,” said Lincoln. “I thought you would never wake up.”
“What happened?”
“We won. You blew up the building, killed the soldiers. We all got out.”
“Everyone’s okay?”
“I got a few bruises. And Arlo will be bitching about having no eyebrows for a while, but other than that, we did okay.”
“The militia are gone?”
“They have,” said Lincoln. “Heath and Kade are still running a few checks, but they don’t think we’ll be bothered, as long as we’re careful. Kade is working on a new signal-jamming program to stop our communications being picked up. That’s how they found our location. He’s working with Danni to increase security when people enter and leave the bunker, just as a precaution.”
“That’s good to know,” Anastasia breathed, already feeling the tug of sleep once more. But something stopped her. “Wait! How’s Skyler?”
Lincoln’s grin grew and his eyes lit up. “She is incredible. And she’s responding to treatment.”
Tears filled Anastasia’s eyes. “She’s going to make it?”
“It was touch-and-go for a while.” Sophia strode to the bed and checked Anastasia’s vital signs. “We weren’t sure we’d be able to save her.”
“You always knew you could,” said Lincoln.
“Even I sometimes doubt how incredible I am.” Sophia shot him a sharp smile. “But I believe Skyler will make a full recovery.”
A tear slid out of the corner of Anastasia’s eye. She smiled. “I’d love to see her.”
“I think she’s up to visitors,” said Sophia. “Stay where you are. I’ll bring her over.”
Anastasia tried to sit up again, but groaned and fell back. She ached all over.
“You need to take it easy,” said Lincoln. “We’re still not sure how you survived the blast from that explosion.”
“I hit the ground just as it went off,” said Anastasia. “Most of the debris must have shot straight over my head. Although, from the feel of my back, not all of it.”
“Sophia’s treating you with the dragon serum,” said Lincoln. “It will take a couple of days, but your injuries will heal. I’ve been using it since we got back, and I’m almost back to normal.”
Anastasia’s gaze shifted from Lincoln and her smile grew. “I’m feeling better already.”
Sophia walked toward her, Skyler cuddled against her chest. Her cheeks were a warm, rosy-looking color. Her black eyes were open, taking in her surroundings. Her gaze settled on Anastasia, and a smile lit up her face.
More tears fell from Anastasia’s eyes. “Help me up,” she said to Lincoln.
He grabbed her under the arms and scooted her up in the bed until she was in a sitting position. She held her hands out to Skyler, who was already struggling in Sophia’s arms, her tiny hands reaching for Anastasia.
“Someone is pleased to see you.” Sophia passed Skyler to her. “Just a short visit. Both of you need more time to rest. Give me a shout if you need anything. I’ll be in the office.”
Anastasia nodded, her attention on Skyler, who gazed at her with unblinking eyes. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to let this little girl go. She was perfection.
Lincoln sat on the edge of the bed and Skyler grabbed his finger and pulled it toward her mouth.
Anastasia laughed as she saw the two of them together. From the look in his eyes, he was as besotted as she was.
“Sophia’s sure she’ll be fine?” Anastasia couldn’t believe how well Skyler looked.
“They’re keeping her under observation for another week,” said Lincoln. “But with the transfusion of my blood and the dragon serum, she will be perfect.”
“You gave her your blood?”
“They figured out she needed a transfusion and serum combined. Just glad I could help.” Lincoln brushed a kiss on Skyler’s forehead before doing the same to Anastasia, his lips soft and gentle.
“You’re awake!” Scorch appeared through the door and stopped at the end of the bed, her hand curled around the arm of a tall, thin guy with a mess of black curls and a shy smile on his face.
“Looks like,” said Anastasia, giving her a smile. “Nice to see you’re better.” Her gaze flashed to the guy.
Scorch grinned. “This is Damien.”
“Good to meet you,” said Anastasia.
Lincoln stood and pulled his shoulders back. “I trust you’re treating Scorch with respect?”
Damien shot Lincoln a startled look. “I am, sir.”
Anastasia pressed her lips together in amusement. It was charming to see Lincoln get all protective of Scorch.
“Make sure you keep it that way,” said Lincoln. He rested a hand on Scorch’s arm. “Any problems, you come find me.”
Scorch blushed. “We’re getting along fine. But thanks for looking out for me.” She tugged Damien away.
Lincoln watched them go, and then turned to Anastasia and laughed. “I couldn’t resist doing that.”
She returned his smile, a quiver of nerves running through her. “So, now what?”
His smile grew. “Now, we figure out how to become a family.”
Anastasia’s heart rate increased. “You sure you want us?”
“Every fiery, spiky, difficult inch of you.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Can’t imagine a life without my two amazing girls in it.”
“I’m not easy to be around,” said Anastasia.
“I have met you, you know,” said Lincoln. “I know just how difficult you are.”
She smacked his arm. “I mean, this is new for all of us. I’ve no experience with a baby. And have no experience with a human mate.”
“I’m your mate?” Lincoln grinned.
A blush crossed Anastasia’s cheeks. “It feels like you are. I think about you all the time. I have to protect you. Don’t want anybody else. I’ve chosen you.”
“Then you’re also my mate,” said Lincoln. “I feel exactly the same. And you’re my first dragon hybrid, so we’ll just have to muddle through. We’ll figure it out. Work out how Skyler will cope with us.”
“You’ll make an amazing dad,” said Anastasia.
“We’ll make an amazing family.” He brushed a kiss on her cheek again, and then kissed Skyler’s fingers, making her gurgle and laugh.
Skyler fell asleep in Anastasia’s arms a few moments later. Anastasia leaned again
st Lincoln, her eyes growing heavy. She could finally relax. She was home.
Chapter 21
Two weeks later
Lincoln paced his quarters. Anastasia was late.
He looked at the food on the table and the tiny bunch of white daisies he’d bribed Patrick for. Was this too much? He found it easy to drop smooth lines and get a woman in his bed. Romance was different. This was new to him.
The alert on his door pinged. His heart beat increased. Lincoln took a deep breath. This was Anastasia. They knew each other. They were together. He was her mate.
He smoothed down his shirt and strode to the door. It slid open and his jaw dropped.
Anastasia stepped into the room, the door sliding shut behind her. Her dress clung to her figure, highlighting the curve of her breasts. Her hair was piled on her head, tendrils loose around her neck. Her eyes sparkled with red, dark kohl making them look huge.
Lincoln stepped back. “You look…”
She blinked up at him. “I didn’t know if this would do. Annie let me borrow it.” She slid her hands down the crimson fabric.
“It’s perfect.” He slipped an arm around her waist. “You’re perfect.”
She snorted a laugh. Smoke drifted from her nose.
Lincoln relaxed. Anastasia was hiding it well, but this meant a lot to her.
He’d waited until she was fully healed before suggesting this date. Although it almost killed him to not sneak to her room, strip her naked, and finally be with her, she’d needed time. The fight against the State had almost killed her.
Lincoln needed this to be a long term thing. She’d said it herself, they were mates. But there was one piece of the puzzle missing.
Anastasia stepped around him and approached the table. Her fingers touched the daisies. “You cooked?”
He shrugged. “I might have had help.”
She picked up a carrot and ate it. “Your help is great at cooking.” Turning to him, she sucked her fingers clean.
Lincoln inhaled deeply. His cock felt hard and heavy in his pants. He wanted this woman. He needed her.
As if she’d read his thoughts, Anastasia threw herself at him. Their tongues clashed in a passionate kiss. Her arms and legs wrapped around him and she growled into his mouth.
Lincoln (Ember Quest Book 3) Page 21