“Word has reached me there are fun and games afoot this evening,” said Octavia as the song faded. “I want to let everybody know I’d like to join in. I always play to win. Good luck out there tonight, boys.” The sharp twang of a solo guitar played as her voice faded out.
“I knew she wouldn’t let us down.” Jude sounded like he was smiling. “She’ll tell us if anything is happening.”
“Having her watching out is useful,” said Heath. “But don’t rely on her too heavily.”
“I trust Octavia,” said Jude. “She’s not let us down yet.”
“Even so, we all need to watch each other’s backs tonight,” said Heath. He turned his attention to Juniper. “Everyone needs to follow orders.”
Arlo saw Juniper shrink back in her seat.
“Will you follow my orders?” Heath asked Juniper.
Arlo held his breath as he waited for Juniper’s response.
She slid her gaze toward him before nodding. “I’ll follow your orders.”
AS THE COPTER SKIMMED through the night, Juniper forced herself to relax. She looked at the group. Lincoln was flying, and Heath was talking to him quietly. Brett and Ranger were checking their laser guns, their attention fixed to the sky, looking out for signs of drones. Malachi sat opposite her, his gaze on the floor in some kind of silent contemplation. Moira was next to Bellatrix, holding one of her gloved hands. Jahil and Romesh had their eyes fixed on the world skimming past outside. Maybe this was also their first time in a copter.
Arlo’s hands rested on the wrap of weapons around his chest. He’d fallen silent after the radio came on, but she could sense tension radiating from him in hot waves. He didn’t want her on this mission. He hadn’t said as much, but he’d stood up against Danni when she’d said Juniper could go. She wished he’d stopped trying to keep her safe. It was impossible to do so when they lived in this messed-up world.
Juniper was determined to go through with this. Her gaze went to the window. She identified several small fires where there had once been an enormous housing estate. They passed several softly lit and closely guarded safe-housing enclosures run by the State. The State claimed safe-housing zones were there to protect the general population. Juniper knew they were nothing more than glorified prisons, a way to keep tabs on everyone.
The State had to be stopped. Now that she knew what they were, it wouldn’t make things any easier. She wished she didn’t know. They weren’t human; they were worse than human. They would maim and kill and destroy until there was nothing left but their victory.
Juniper glanced over at Arlo. Being with the Ember brothers, being with Arlo, made her realize there was a chance of victory. They hadn’t lost everything just yet, but the odds against them were high. There were so few of them compared to the dominance of the State. But she’d seen for herself that the commanders could be killed. They weren’t indestructible. It gave her a small piece of hope to cling to.
Arlo shifted, and his leg rubbed against hers. She brushed away the jangle of pleasure she felt as he eased down in his seat until their shoulders were side by side. If she turned now, they’d be face to face. She couldn’t think about that. They were here to fight. Maybe that was why she was so aware of Arlo. Everything felt intense and amped up. All her emotions were focused on defeating the State. With Arlo by her side, Juniper suddenly felt that was possible.
She recalled waking up in his bed after collapsing when she’d interrogated the commander. She hadn’t asked him why he’d put her there. Why did he want to be the one by her side when she woke up? These were questions for later. Now wasn’t the time to think about a future that included Arlo. Juniper couldn’t deny she’d liked waking up and finding him there, looking after her. She wanted to do it again and have him be the first thing she saw every morning.
Juniper looked over at him, and he gave her a smile. Some of the tension loosened in her shoulders.
“We’re almost at the target,” said Lincoln.
Juniper felt the copter descend.
Arlo squeezed her knee, and his lips pressed against the side of her neck. “Everything will be fine. Stick close to me.”
She nodded at him, surprised by his tender kiss. Anyone could see. Juniper glanced around, but no one was watching.
The copter landed. After Heath and Lincoln had checked the immediate area was clear, everyone climbed out and formed into their three groups.
The night air was surprisingly mild, given they were in the middle of summer. The weather had been crazy ever since the dragons died. You could be standing in a heat haze one minute and then running for your life from giant hailstones the next.
“I’ll take the front entrance with Lincoln and Malachi,” said Heath. “Arlo, you go with your group and scout suitable areas to access the building. The rest of you head around the back and see about a way in.”
“It’s too quiet,” muttered Lincoln. “I was expecting a welcome party.”
Heath activated his ear comm. “Any sign of movement from the State?”
“So far, no one is following you,” said Jude.
“We’ve picked up no activity either,” said Zane. “You’re good to go.”
Heath looked at the group. “Let’s move out.”
Chapter 14
Activating the night vision sensor on his helmet, Arlo did a quick sweep of the area as they moved away from the others. Juniper was right alongside him, with Brett and Romesh behind them.
“Is your dragon vision good enough to see in the dark?” he murmured to Juniper.
“I can see where I’m going,” she said.
“Lucky for some,” murmured Brett. “Everything looks like a ghost when you activate the night vision.”
Romesh chuckled. “I do enjoy the benefits of my dragon abilities. If only the State weren’t so keen on destroying me, there really wouldn’t be any downsides.”
This was the first time Arlo had been in the field with Romesh. He’d arrived with a group of rescued dragon hybrids after the State had bombed a town secluded in an ancient forest. Arlo knew about his ability to manipulate the environment but had never seen him in action.
He knew Brett better. They’d been on several missions together. Brett was fast, strong, and quiet. As a former military police officer, he knew his way around a fight and was handy with a weapon. Arlo was happy to have him at his back.
He slowed, double-checked their position, and carried on through the shadows.
“Arlo, there’s movement ahead of you,” said Jude. “I can’t get a fix on the number, but there’s more than one person. They just popped into view. It was as if they were cloaked and suddenly revealed themselves. Maybe they had an equipment malfunction?”
“Or maybe they don’t care we’re here,” muttered Brett.
“Everybody stay sharp,” whispered Arlo. “Heath, how you doing?”
“We’ve reached the front entrance,” said Heath. “There’s no way we’re getting through the guards without revealing our position. There’s a dozen, all armed.”
“I can create us a new entrance,” said Arlo, as he inspected a thick stone wall. “A couple of well-placed bombs will get things moving.”
“If you do that, we won’t have long inside,” said Juniper. “It won’t give us enough time to find the dragon egg.”
“I can stagger the timings of the detonations,” said Arlo. “Anyone inside will panic. The place will be in chaos. We get in during the panic, find what we want, and get out.”
Heath came back on the comms. “Ranger, how’s it looking at the back?”
“I’ve got half a dozen guards at the back entrance and four armed guards on the roof.”
“My bombs will be the perfect distraction,” said Arlo. “That way, none of us need to get hurt trying to smash our way through so many guards.”
“So long as you don’t stand too close to your own explosions,” muttered Juniper.
He grinned at her. “As if I’d do such a thing.”
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sp; “Set the detonations,” said Heath. “Let us know when you’re ready to go. The explosions will draw the guards from the entrances.”
Arlo gestured to Romesh. “I could do with cover so no one spots me from the top of the building.”
“I can offer you fog,” said Romesh, his dark amber eyes glowing.
Arlo nodded and watched in amazement as Romesh spread his arms wide. The surrounding atmosphere cooled and grew heavy with moisture. A mist drifted from the ground, growing in height as it swelled around Arlo.
“Holy crap, that’s impressive,” said Brett. “What else can you do?”
A bead of sweat ran down the side of Romesh’s face. “I can create lightning bolts. I respect the elements, though. Manipulate them too much, and they bite back.” He looked at Arlo. “Is that enough cover?”
“It’s just what I need,” said Arlo. “Brett. Juniper. Cover me while I handle the bombs.”
Juniper flashed him a smile. “No problem.”
Arlo felt himself relax. He could rely on Juniper.
Arlo felt in his element as he slid the bombs off the wrap on his chest and selected the best place to fit them to the wall. This was what he was all about, keeping everyone safe. Keeping Juniper safe. Crushing the State. Well, the Dinnorms. He was still in shock over the discovery of who the State really were. Knowing who his enemy was didn’t comfort him. Dinnorms couldn’t be allowed to rule over the population.
He pressed the last bomb into place and activated it. “Everybody move back.” Arlo activated his comm. “The bombs are in place.”
Instead of Heath responding, it was Octavia. “You get this right, bomb boy, and you can have all the Iron Maiden music you desire.”
He grinned, surprised Octavia could follow their movements so closely. Arlo looked up to see Juniper scowling at him. Was she jealous of the disembodied voice of a woman he’d never met?
“Thanks, Octavia.” Heath sounded terse. “Keep this channel clear. We need it.”
No reply came from Octavia. Seemed like she’d gotten the message.
“Whenever you’re ready with the first bomb,” said Heath.
Arlo checked everyone was safely behind him before hitting the button.
A bright flash of light erupted through the darkness. Flames and rubble shot everywhere as the bomb detonated.
After a few seconds, Arlo waved the smoke away. He could hear people inside the building yelling and running.
“How’s it looking at the front entrance?” he asked Heath.
“The guards are on the move.”
“Same here,” said Ranger. “There are only two guards left.”
“And they’ll all be heading this way.” Arlo gestured the rest of the group farther back, keeping to the shadows to avoid detection as the first of the guards arrived.
“We should get round the front and help Heath,” said Juniper.
“Heath can manage a few guards without us.” Arlo saw the anticipation on Juniper’s face. She wanted to fight. If he didn’t let her, she’d do it anyway. “Giving him a hand can’t do any harm.”
He nodded at Brett and Romesh. They moved past the burning wall and the chaos the guards were inspecting, back to Heath and the others. Arlo had primed four more bombs. He could access their detonation from the remote switch he carried. That would keep the guards distracted while they got inside.
By the time they’d joined with Heath, Lincoln, and Malachi, five additional guards had positioned themselves by the entrance.
“I could trigger another bomb,” Arlo said to Heath. “That will make them move.”
“Keep the bombs for once we get inside,” said Heath. “We can take out this group.” He led the way from the cover of the building they stood behind. The guards didn’t stand a chance as their lasers slammed into them.
“Time to get inside.” Heath pulled up short as more guards appeared from inside the building.
“Shit! This place is heavily guarded,” muttered Brett. “They must be hiding something good to have all these guards on duty.”
“Ranger, how are you doing getting into the back entrance?” asked Heath.
“We’re working on it,” said Ranger over a blast of laser fire.
Heath gave a curt nod. “Let’s get these guards out of our way.” Arlo and Brett stood alongside him. The three of them fired at the guards protecting the front entrance. Malachi, Juniper, and Romesh were behind them, offering covering fire.
The air around Arlo felt electrified, and the hairs on the back of his neck prickled. A bolt of lightning shot from the air and slammed into the ground in front of the guards, causing them to scatter.
He glanced over his shoulder at Romesh and grinned. “Nice move.”
Romesh shook out his hands. “I don’t have many of those in me. You’re welcome to all the lightning bolts I can create.”
“The guards are down.” Heath gestured everyone toward the entrance. They were almost at the front door when a fresh wave of armed guards emerged.
Heath slammed the nearest with his fist. Arlo shot his weapon twice before crashing into another guard with his shoulder and taking him to the ground.
A flash of bare skin zoomed past him. Arlo locked the guard he was grappling with in a stranglehold before glancing up. His eyes widened as he saw Bellatrix, wearing barely any clothes, as she streaked past the guards, touching any pieces of exposed skin and instantly poisoning them.
“Jeez, that’s quite a sight.” Brett dropped another guard. “Bellatrix is something else. Ranger must have sent her.”
Arlo blinked as he watched Bellatrix wrap her bare legs around a guard. The guard dropped to the ground, his fingers scrabbling at his poisoned skin before he collapsed face first into the dirt.
Juniper stood beside Bellatrix, providing covering fire when any guard focused on them. It was like hot, scary poetry in motion seeing those two dragon hybrids fight. Bellatrix poisoned anyone who got too close, her bare skin glistening with sweat, while Juniper’s purple eyes glowed as she fired at any threat.
Moira’s quiet voice came through the comms. “We’re inside.”
JUNIPER LET OUT A BREATH as she heard Moira. Knowing they’d breached the building’s security and were a step closer to finding the egg was a huge relief. They still needed to finish off these guards and get inside themselves.
She stood with Bellatrix, who was covered with an unhealthy dusting of bruises. Just like other dragon hybrids, every time she used her ability, it took its toll on her physical form.
“How many more?” gasped out Bellatrix, her face pale and her forehead beaded with sweat. “Anyone would think I have an endless supply of poison.”
Juniper chuckled. “Don’t you?”
“That’s hardly the point,” said Bellatrix. “If I can’t stand, I can’t kill anybody.”
“I’ll bring them to you and you can snuggle together,” said Juniper.
“You’re such a good friend.” Bellatrix flashed her a smile before leaping on the guard who’d foolishly turned his back on her, thinking Heath and his laser was a greater threat.
Juniper made sure Bellatrix had him under control before she looked around at the rest of the fighting. Heath was a lethal machine, smashing into and felling any guard who got too close. Brett was super accurate with his laser gun.
Her eyes widened as she saw Arlo grab a guard and grapple him. He was more than a match for the guard, who was quickly out cold.
She looked back at the building. Juniper desperately wanted to get inside with the others and ruin whatever it was the State were up to. Especially if it had anything to do with bringing back her precious dragons.
A shout went up from the guards and those who remained retreated, moving in a scattered, bloody group back into the building.
Heath motioned everyone close, and they formed an orderly group, going through the now-open entrance to find the others.
Juniper stuck close to Arlo. Her gaze ran over him as she checked for any injur
ies.
He caught her eye and winked at her, his firm hand running down her back. “We’re all good here.”
She smiled at him. “Yes, we are.”
The lights in the building flickered off, replaced with an eerie green emergency lighting. The inside of the building was all concrete blocks and steel. After the chaos of outside, it sounded too quiet.
An unsettling swirl drifted through Juniper’s stomach. Where was everybody? They can’t all have escaped. And where were the remaining guards?
“Ranger, how you doing?” Heath’s voice was low.
“There’s no egg,” said Ranger. “But we’re in some kind of data room. I’m downloading everything we can off the mainframe.”
“Any sign of reinforcements?”
“Not so far,” said Ranger.
“Arlo, set off the next bomb,” said Heath. “That will keep them distracted.”
Arlo nodded. A few seconds later, the floor vibrated and a deep boom shuddered through the concrete blocks.
“We’ll check each room as we go,” said Heath. “See what we can find inside. If there’s no egg here, at least we can mine as much data as possible.”
The group split into two and searched each room they passed.
Juniper skulked around one room, Arlo sticking by her side. She found nothing but abandoned papers and laptops. Whoever had been in there had left in a hurry.
The next room she checked was similar. Frustration ran through her veins. There was no egg. That was the whole reason they were here.
“Has anyone found anything?” asked Heath.
“Nothing,” said Arlo.
“This data we’ve pulled is interesting,” said Ranger. “This might not be the site we need.”
Juniper hissed under her breath. She was so sure this was the place. Maybe the commander had fed her lies when she’d manipulated him and he’d sent them to the wrong place.
“Get back to the main corridor,” said Heath. “We need to regroup.”
She headed back to the corridor. Ranger, Moira, and Jahil appeared at the end of the corridor and joined them.
Arlo Page 14