“I have more power than you realize,” she spat out. “Even if I die doing this, I’m not letting you go.”
“Working with humans has made you weak,” snarled Emperor Endrir. “You fight for these pitiful creatures when you could have control over them.”
“We don’t want to rule over anyone,” said Juniper. “We’re happy to share this planet.”
“Then you are pathetic as well as weak,” said Emperor Endrir. “You are not wanted by us, and the humans treat you as an oddity. You will never truly have a place among the humans.”
“Neither will you.” Juniper focused on unleashing every ounce of her ability. She had to get him under her control. She had to make him change his mind and let them go.
All around her was the sound of fighting and laser guns firing. She couldn’t let that distract her. Juniper knew Arlo and the others would watch her back. This was her own private fight. She had to bring it to an end.
Emperor Endrir glanced over her shoulder. “Perhaps my beasts will deter your friends.”
Juniper saw an image run through Emperor Endrir’s head, and her heart stuttered. He was releasing the giant lizards.
Hatred and anger poured out of her as Juniper’s grip tightened on Emperor Endrir’s head. “Call off your guards.”
Emperor Endrir opened his mouth, but no words came out.
She was winning. Juniper could feel his control slipping.
“Tell them to lower their weapons.” She felt blood running freely from her nose. Her brain felt like it was about to explode. But she had him. Emperor Endrir was hers to control.
“I’m not yours,” growled Emperor Endrir, as if he’d read her thoughts.
“Do as I say.”
Emperor Endrir’s hands slipped from hers. He grabbed the front of her protective vest and slammed her to the ground. Her head bounced off the hard stone floor, and she tasted blood.
“As I said, you’re pathetic.” Emperor Endrir kneeled over her and wrapped his fingers around her neck.
The control Juniper thought she had slipped away. He’d been playing with her. There was no way she could beat him. Her panicked gaze darted around the room.
Arlo was being attacked by a giant lizard. He was on his back, his weapon jammed into the beast’s mouth.
Heath was also down and wounded. Lincoln had hold of Izzie and was keeping her restrained while Ranger offered covering fire at the two remaining guards.
Juniper saw the other giant lizard stalking toward them, but couldn’t cry out an alert. She couldn’t help them. She had failed.
Juniper locked gazes with Arlo. He winked at her just as everything exploded.
Chapter 22
A hacking cough shuddered out of Arlo. He came to squashed under the body of a giant lizard, its sticky, dark blood soaking through his protective clothing. It felt like he was taking a bath in rotting entrails. His ears rang, and all he could smell was burning flesh and blood.
Where the fuck was everybody? Where was Juniper? The last time he’d seen her, she had been battling with Emperor Endrir. He’d had her pinned to the ground and was strangling her.
Arlo cursed as he forced the body of the giant lizard off him. He rolled to his knees and spat out blood. He should have been watching Juniper more closely. The shock of seeing his sister standing by Emperor Endrir had thrown him, and he’d lost focus. Holy dragons, it had thrown everyone. Heath and Lincoln had been as shocked as he was. Izzie was alive!
A shudder of dread ran down Arlo’s spine at all the horrifying possibilities of what Emperor Endrir might have done to her. He pounded a fist against the side of his head to lessen the ringing in his ears before staggering to his feet.
As he looked around the room, he saw that both lizards were dead, as were the guards. His bomb had worked, but at what price? Where was Juniper? What had happened to Izzie? And what about Heath, Lincoln, and Ranger?
He groped on the ground for his weapon and grimaced as he felt the lizard’s blood on the metal. His ears popped and he could hear again.
The sound of someone groaning had Arlo turning. It was Lincoln. He rolled onto his back and Arlo raced toward him, ignoring the throb in his side from what felt like a laser blast.
As Arlo reached Lincoln, he saw an unconscious Izzie lying next to him.
He sank to his knees and checked her injuries. She was real, and she was alive. But Izzie wasn’t in a great state. She had a burn on one arm, and some of her hair was missing.
“Can you stand?” he asked Lincoln.
“I’m pretty sure my legs are still intact,” choked out Lincoln. “I’m taking it that bomb was yours?”
“It was a last gasp attempt at getting us out of this.”
“Well, it sort of worked.” Lincoln shook his head as he looked around at the carnage. “How’s Izzie doing?”
“She’s breathing.”
Lincoln’s gaze grew concerned. “The others?”
“I don’t know.” Arlo’s thoughts kept tripping to Juniper. What had he done?
Lincoln looked around the room. “There’s no sign of Emperor Endrir.”
“Hopefully he’s dead under a pile of rubble.”
“I’ll go find the others.” Lincoln clapped his brother on the shoulder.
“What the hell’s going on?” yelled Jude through Arlo’s earbud. “We lost all contact with you.”
“We’re okay. I think.”
“Why didn’t you respond?”
“We got distracted,” said Arlo. “Stop shouting for a second. You will not believe who we’ve found.”
“Is Emperor Endrir dead?” It was Danni.
Arlo scrubbed a hand across his eyes and grimaced. There was no sign of him. “I don’t know. Listen, Jude, it’s Izzie. She’s here.”
There was silence. “Izzie? Is this a joke?”
Arlo choked out a laugh. “I promise you, our sister is here. She’s alive.”
A shaky laugh shot down the comms line. “No way.”
Arlo grinned. “I don’t believe it either. We’ve got her. We’re bringing her back with us.”
“I’m happy for you,” interrupted Danni. “I need you to focus on your mission. Where is Emperor Endrir? And what about the dragon’s egg?”
Shit! Arlo did need to focus. All he could think about was Izzie and Juniper. Everything was in chaos, and the people he cared about most were right in the middle of it.
“Arlo!” Danni’s tone was stern. “Focus on one thing at a time. Where is Emperor Endrir?”
Arlo forced his tangle of thoughts away and double-checked the room. “He’s gone. The last time I saw him, he was fighting with Juniper. I think she was using her ability on him. He overpowered her and was choking her.” The image of Juniper on the ground as Emperor Endrir knelt over her flashed through his head. He forced himself to remain calm. “I set off a bomb, and that’s it. When I came to, Emperor Endrir had gone.”
“Which means he’s still alive,” said Danni. “And the rest of the squad?”
“All alive, I think,” said Arlo. “Lincoln’s checking on Heath and Ranger now.” But where was Juniper?
“Make sure everyone is fit to leave and then get out of there,” said Danni.
“What about the egg?”
“Your orders are to destroy that place,” said Danni. “Get everyone out and leave.”
Arlo’s head whipped around as he heard a scraping sound. A wounded guard was dragging himself along the ground toward a pile of rubble caused by a wall collapsing. Arlo’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the rubble. There was a flash of purple under it. It had to be Juniper.
“Arlo, did you hear me?” asked Danni. “Get everyone patched up and get the hell out of there.”
He dropped his hold on Izzie’s hand and took a few steps forward. Dizziness overwhelmed him, but he kept on going. That guard could not get Juniper. He staggered forward and fell to his knees, grunting as he did so.
The injured guard looked over his shoulder and s
potted Arlo, raising his gun as he did so.
They both fired at the same time. The guard’s shot went wide. Arlo’s laser blasted into the guard’s chest and he dropped his gun.
Arlo staggered past him and dropped down next to the rubble. He shoved aside some of the stones. His heart raced as he turned Juniper onto her back. She was covered in blood.
A hand landed on Arlo’s shoulder, and he jumped. “Easy, it’s only me,” said Lincoln. “Is she...”
Arlo held his breath as he felt the side of Juniper’s neck. “There’s a pulse, but it’s weak.” He looked up at Lincoln. “Are you fit to fly?”
“One of your bombs isn’t going to put me out of action.”
“How are the others?” Arlo’s gaze didn’t leave Juniper. He couldn’t tell how much of the blood was hers and how much was Emperor Endrir’s. How badly had that sick fuck hurt her?
“They’re doing good,” said Lincoln. “Heath and Ranger got knocked out by the blast, but they can walk.”
Arlo looked over to see Heath and Ranger carefully lifting Izzie. “Did you hear Danni’s order?”
“I did. Have you got enough bombs to bring this place down?”
“That won’t be a problem.”
“You need to get out of there,” said Jude. “You’ve got enemy reinforcements on the way. They’ll be with you in five minutes.”
“It’s time to go,” said Lincoln.
Arlo grabbed hold of Juniper and scooped her into his arms, ignoring the pain in his side from the laser wound as they left the room.
Heath and Ranger were just ahead of him.
“I’m taking Izzie to the copter. Are you three okay?” Heath held Izzie in his arms, her dark curls a matted mess over his shoulder.
“Get her out of here. We’re right behind you,” said Arlo.
Lincoln staggered along beside Arlo, grunting in pain as he moved.
Arlo looked at him with concern as they reached the exit. “Are you sure you can fly us out of here?”
“So long as I’ve got my eyes open and one working hand, we’re good to go.” Lincoln looked over. “Do you need a hand setting the bombs?”
Arlo adjusted his hold on Juniper. He didn’t want to let her go. He slid the remaining bombs from his backpack. “Place them on the wall. I can detonate them once we’ve taken off. So long as you’re up to it.” Lincoln was deathly pale and limping badly.
He grabbed the bombs and set them in place. “Don’t worry about me. You focus on your girl.”
That was all Arlo could focus on as they raced to the copter. Juniper hadn’t made a sound the whole time he’d been holding her. Every muscle was limp, and he could feel her blood running down his arm.
“Emperor Endrir could still be out here,” said Arlo.
“If I see him, I’ll be sure to shoot him,” grunted Lincoln.
Heath had already disengaged the Invis-Tech by the time they’d got to the copter. They both climbed in, Arlo keeping Juniper in his arms.
Only when the copter was in the sky and they were heading back to base did Arlo take a deep breath. He inspected Juniper’s wounds and found a deep cut on her right arm and a lump on the back of her head.
He patched the arm wound and gave her a shot of pain relief before cradling her in his lap again.
Looking over at Heath, Arlo shook his head. Izzie was still unconscious. Heath had his arms wrapped around her. “How’s she doing?”
“I don’t know. Her injuries aren’t life threatening. She must be in shock.”
“You would be after being exposed to Emperor Endrir,” said Ranger, his hand hovering over Izzie before he dabbed at a cut on her head.
“She’ll be okay,” said Heath, his fingers flexing protectively around her. “We’ve got Izzie back and she’ll be safe with us.”
Exhaustion rolled through Arlo as he sat back in his seat and pressed the detonation switch. A huge orange flare of flame shot into the sky.
They hadn’t found the dragon’s egg and Emperor Endrir was still out there, but Arlo had his sister back. And he had Juniper. It felt like a win to him.
JUNIPER JOLTED AWAKE. For a second, she had no clue where she was. The last thing she remembered was seeing Emperor Endrir leaning over her, his fingers digging into the flesh around her throat.
She pushed against a hard object pressed against her cheek. A hand touched her face.
“You’re safe. We’re on the copter.” It was Arlo.
She let out a shaky breath and stopped fighting to get away. “What happened?”
“Our plan didn’t quite work,” said Arlo. “How are you feeling?”
“Like death warmed up.” Juniper blinked her eyes several times. They felt sore and full of grit. She gagged on the taste of her own blood. “My head...” She couldn’t get her words out. Her brain felt on fire as a dozen messed-up images flew through her thoughts. Fighting with the guards, reaching Emperor Endrir, Arlo’s sister being in the castle. Her fingers curled against Arlo’s chest. She found some of the horror faded at his solid presence.
“Take it easy,” said Arlo. “Everyone’s been messed up.”
“All thanks to Arlo’s bomb,” said Ranger. “Next time, some warning would be nice.”
“I like to keep everyone on their toes,” said Arlo.
“Is everyone alive?” asked Juniper.
“We all made it.” His fingers stroked down her cheek.
“Some of us are feeling better than others,” said Lincoln from the pilot seat.
“You’ll live,” growled Arlo. “We all will.”
“How’s your sister?” asked Juniper, shifting in Arlo’s lap and noticing him wince. “I didn’t imagine she was there, did I?”
“She’s here,” said Heath, who sat on the seat opposite Arlo and Juniper. “She hasn’t woken up yet.”
Juniper struggled to sit up, wrapping an arm around Arlo’s shoulders as she did so. She looked around and saw Izzie next to Heath, his arm wrapped securely around her. She was unconscious and strapped into her seat. Next to her sat Ranger, one side of his face slick with blood.
Juniper felt wetness beneath her fingers and lifted them. They came away covered with blood. “You’re hurt!” She ran her hands over Arlo’s arms, looking for the injury.
“It’s nothing. I’ll get treated when we get back to base,” said Arlo. “I’m more worried about you. When I saw you with Emperor Endrir...” He swallowed and looked away.
“I’m...” Juniper didn’t know what she was right at that moment. She wasn’t fine, she knew that. She felt like she’d been smashed against a brick wall several times before having her neck trapped in a vice.
“In shock,” said Arlo. “All of us are. We hadn’t expected to find that at the castle.”
“What about Emperor Endrir? I thought I had control over him. But the whole time he was playing with me.” Juniper let out a wobbly breath. “Arlo, he’s so strong.”
“You should never have gone near him,” said Arlo. “He could have killed you. He nearly did. What were you thinking?”
She blinked angry tears out of her eyes. “He needed to die. I wanted him dead. He had to be stopped.”
“Even if it meant you dying?”
She stared at Arlo, seeing the fury in his eyes. “Even that. It would have been worth it.”
Arlo gripped her closer, his mouth by her ear. “I will never let that happen. Don’t you ever put yourself at such risk again.”
“I can’t promise you that,” she said. “I’d do it again if it meant I got a chance to kill that tyrant.”
His lips pressed against her hair, and a sigh escaped him. “I cannot lose you.”
Juniper tried to pull away. She must taste disgusting.
Arlo didn’t seem to mind. He kept hold of her until she stopped resisting. She gave up fighting and curled herself tightly around Arlo, never wanting to let him go. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the horrors of what she’d seen.
For a second, she must ha
ve dozed off, but a soft murmur of voices brought her back.
“I don’t see any injuries on her other than the burns,” said Heath softly.
Juniper looked over at Izzie and slowly slid off Arlo’s lap.
“No, stay here.” He tightened his hold on her.
“I know you’re hurting because I’m sitting on you,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter. I need you here.” He pulled her back toward him.
She decided not to argue. Instead, Juniper slid around so she could look at Heath.
“What’s wrong with Izzie?” She studied Arlo’s younger sister. She looked scarily pale and kept flinching and twisting in her seat.
“She’s not responsive,” said Heath, concern clear in his eyes. “I’ve tried several stimulants to bring her round but nothing has worked.”
“It could be Emperor Endrir’s influence,” said Juniper. “When I was in his head, I sensed his power. If he’d used that control on just one person, it would overwhelm them. It might take her a while to shake off that influence.”
“It won’t be permanent, will it?” asked Arlo.
“Now that she’s away from Emperor Endrir, and he can’t continue to influence her, she’ll make a full recovery.”
A smile slid across Heath’s face. “It’s hard to believe. Our baby sister is finally back with us.”
Arlo shook his head. “Whatever’s happened to her, whatever Emperor Endrir has done to her, she’ll get through it. She has us looking out for her now.”
“We never stopped looking out for her,” said Lincoln. “And I will not let her out of my sight ever again.”
Juniper couldn’t decide if that was a good thing, having all six Ember brothers looking after you. She’d find it claustrophobic, but it might be nice, having so much love surrounding you and keeping you safe.
Heath opened his comm link to the base. “What’s the situation at the castle?”
“The reinforcements are there,” said Jude. “You got away before they saw you. No one’s on your tail. It’s safe to come back.”
Juniper let out a relieved sigh. This had all started by destroying a single communications hub, but they’d found so much more. They’d destroyed State experiments, discovered how scarily close the State were to breeding a dragon, revealed the State for who they really are, almost killed Emperor Endrir, and found Arlo’s sister.
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