Forbidden Embers (35 page)

Even as Cecily pulled down more lightning, he thrust his mind into the first one’s head. What he found in there was evil, disgusting, the dragon’s desire to humiliate and debase the woman in front of him an all-consuming fire in his brain.

For the first time, he wondered about the logic of the Dragonstars forming an alliance with the Shadowdrakes. Any leader who would allow his men to rape defenseless civilian women during battle was not the kind of leader Dylan would need—or want—to associate with.

As the bastard reached for her, talons extended, Logan didn’t hesitate, didn’t try for finesse—not with the other two bearing down on the helpless woman, as well. Instead, he honed his will to a blade, raking it through the man’s brain and shredding everything he came into contact with. Blood was leaking from the man’s nose and ears and mouth before Logan dropped him, dead, on the street.

He aimed for the second man’s mind, but Cecily was already there, a thin stream of lightning heading straight toward the two men. The woman was facing them and was obviously familiar with Cecily’s abilities, for she scrambled as far backward as she could. The men started to follow her, but before they could move, Cecily’s electricity blasted them off their feet.

“Good job,” he said, and this time he did pull her into his arms and kiss her. He couldn’t help it. His complete and utter relief that she was safe was so overwhelming that he couldn’t speak of it. Couldn’t do anything but pour his feelings into the kiss and into her.

She clutched at him, returned the kiss for a moment, then shoved him away. “They got through because there were no guards, no
factionnaires
, watching our borders. They were able to hurt my people because someone called the guards off on purpose, left us open to this attack.”

“Yes.” He couldn’t sugarcoat it for her, knew that she wouldn’t want him to, anyway.

Traitor.
The word hissed from her mind to his.

“Yes.”

“I want him found and imprisoned.” Her voice was flat and emotionless, colder than he had ever heard it. “I want him dead.”

Though he’d known they were coming, and though he hadn’t been the one to leave the compound defenseless, he felt her words like blows deep inside him. He wasn’t a traitor, as his loyalties had never lay with her, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t betrayed her. Didn’t mean he wasn’t going to betray her more before this whole nightmare was through. He couldn’t stand the idea that one day soon she would feel about him the same way she felt about the Wyvernmoon who had sold out her people to the Shadowdrakes.

But there wasn’t time for that now. The battle raged on, people dying all around them, and Cecily needed his help. He wouldn’t let her down, not now. Not this time.

Standing with her on top of that building, he fought side by side with her. Not because he cared about saving what Silus had built out here in the middle of South Dakota, but because he had faith in Cecily. In who she was and in what she wanted to create. No matter what he’d thought when he’d come here, she was not her father’s daughter.

There was no way he could make things right for Gabe or Dylan or Quinn. No way he could make things right for the hundreds and thousands of Dragonstars who had lost loved ones to Silus’s evil creation. But that was one man and his corrupt council. That wasn’t the entire clan.

It wasn’t the poor woman down there who had nearly been raped and murdered simply because she was a Wyvernmoon. It wasn’t Sebastian, who was just trying to make ends meet in a clan that had forsaken him for so long. And it wasn’t Cecily, with her beautiful smile and even more beautiful heart. With her plans and determination and hopefulness that she could somehow buck thousands of years of tradition and save her home. Save her people.

Logan!
Shawn’s voice ripped through his head, coming at him from the psychic bridge he had built between them hours before.
Are you in the lab?

No. We’re under attack from the Shadowdrakes. My guess is that Dylan’s attempt to reach out to them today failed,
he said, tongue firmly in cheek.

But Shawn wasn’t in the mood to joke.
It didn’t fail. Rafael simply said he wasn’t sure an alliance between the clans was going to be necessary. I’m assuming this is what he meant.
A pause.
Are you okay?

Just dandy,
he answered as he grabbed Cecily and hit the deck in an effort to avoid an energy blast aimed straight at them. It missed, but only by inches, and the resulting explosion rattled every bone in his body.

He rolled off Cecily slowly. “Are you okay?” he demanded.

She was still trying to catch her breath, but she gave him a thumbs-up sign.

“Stay down!” he ordered fiercely, as he crouched and looked over the edge of the buildings. But no one was paying attention to them. One of the
factionnaires
—Wyatt, he thought—had gutted the bastard who had sent the blast toward Cecily. He hoped none of the others down there had that particular power.

Logan!
The roar came down the bridge.
Are you all right?

It was Dylan this time, and it had been a long time since he’d heard his king so frantic. But, then, Dylan had never been very good about sitting back and watching while any of his people were in danger. With her courage and determination to do right by her people, Cecily reminded Logan of his ruler.

I’m fine. We’re fine
.

Dylan paused, and Logan could almost feel him evaluating the
we
he had just used. But the king didn’t comment on it. Instead, he said,
Good. Because you need to get back to that lab. Now.

Chills went through him at Dylan’s tone—a combination of cold, calculating rage and a fear the other dragon shifter couldn’t quite hide.

They’ve created a strain of the virus based on the main DNA strands that all Dragonstars share.
Quinn was speaking now.
They’ve done the same for the Shadowdrakes.
He paused.
Do you know what that means, Logan?

His world imploded. Right up there on the rooftop, as the battle raged around him in all directions. It simply crumpled in on itself and took a huge part of him with it.

He sank to his knees beside Cecily, stared at her, and wondered—just for a moment—if she knew. If everything had been an act and she’d known what was going on in that lab all along.

No. He wouldn’t believe that of her. Not of Cecily. He couldn’t believe it of her—not if he wanted to survive.

Still, he found himself turning away from her, angry with her even though he knew the mess they were in wasn’t her fault. She simply hadn’t known. But a part of him felt betrayed, anyway, wanted to know
why
she hadn’t known. Why she hadn’t been aware of what was going on right under her nose.

I’m going to head back to the lab,
he told Dylan.

That’s not your choice,
Dylan answered.

Be practical. You can’t bring the lab down alone,
Dylan said
.

Watch me.
Very deliberately, he broke the bridge between them. He was the only psychic in the group—without him holding it up, there would be no communication. Dylan, as king, had the power to communicate telepathically with each of his sentries, but not over great distances. He was on his own.

He turned to Cecily. “I have to go.”

“What? Now?” She looked at him like he was insane.

“Something big is coming.”

“Bigger than this?” She gestured to the fight going on beneath them.

“Yes.”

“Then I’m coming with you.”

He shook his head. He didn’t want her anywhere near the lab. He had to move fast if he wanted to get it done before the other Dragonstars showed up; he wasn’t stupid enough to believe that an objection from him would keep them home. But that meant the lab, the virus, everything had to be gone before his king and fellow sentries made it to South Dakota. He might have broken the bridge between them, but he knew Dylan well enough to know that his king was already on the way. Logan was determined that there should be nothing left to threaten him—or any of the other Dragonstars—by the time he arrived.

“No. You need to take care of your people. They need you.”

“
You
need me.” She grabbed on to his arm, put her face right next to his. When he shook his head, she said, “At least tell me where you’re going.”

What was he supposed to say? He didn’t have time to explain, and even if he did, he wouldn’t. He didn’t want to give her time to warn anyone at the lab. She might not condone the virus, but there was no way she would condone the killing of that many Wyvernmoons, either.

He didn’t like it much himself, knowing he was probably going to get some innocents in the blast. But he couldn’t worry about that now, couldn’t let it get to him. Besides, if they worked in the lab, they had to know something was up with all the secrecy, had to know something about this damn virus. They’d brought about their own destruction.

“There’s something big going on at the lab,” he told her. “I’m afraid the Shadowdrakes are gunning for it.”

“The Shadowdrakes?” Her eyes grew wide. “You know more than what you’re telling me, don’t you?”

“Cecily.” He grabbed her hand, but she shook him off.

“I knew it. I saw your face when I showed you those invoices. You know what they’ve been up to and you didn’t tell me.”

A blast of fire came soaring over the side of the building, nearly singeing off what little hair he had left. Things were getting worse out there, and if he didn’t leave now, he was going to be pinned down on this roof for the duration. “I can’t do this now!” he roared. “I have to go.”

“So go!” She shoved him away from her. “Do what you have to do. But when this is all over, you’re going to answer to me, Logan Kelly!”

In that moment, she looked every inch the queen, and he knew when the battle was done that he would indeed answer to her. And in doing so, would lose her forever.

“Fine. But you need to get out of here, too. It’s too dangerous for you.” The look she gave him was imperious, commanding, royal. “You don’t get to tell me what I need to do. Go. Take care of whatever it is that’s so important to you that you can’t share. But don’t presume to tell me what to do or how to take care of my people.”

Another energy blast came hurtling at them, and Cecily slammed her hand out, met it with a blast of lightning so powerful that the energy dissolved in midair. Then she quirked a brow at him. “Go, Logan. I don’t need or want you here.” And then she turned her back on him.

Leaving her there on that roof was the hardest thing he’d ever done. He wanted to grab her and pull her to safety, to stash her somewhere where no one and nothing could ever hurt her again. Wanted to force her to look at him, to talk to him, to forgive him for what he’d done and what he was about to do.

But in that moment, he couldn’t touch her. She was the queen and she was doing what she had to do—fighting to keep her people safe. He couldn’t interfere with that, couldn’t make her stop any more than she could turn him from the course he was on.

He took one last look at her, and then he ran.

F
or the second time that night, he shifted on the run. Flew back to Cecily’s house and got the bag of explosives he’d picked up for just this occasion. Then headed for the lab as fast as he could fly. But with every flap of his wings, something inside him was telling him to stop, to go back to her, to make things right with Cecily before it was too late.

He ignored the feeling, focused on everything he had to do in the next hour. He shoved the future, whatever it might be, to the back of his mind. He would figure out what happened next after he ended the malignant evil of the virus once and for all.

He landed about 250 yards from the door he’d broken into earlier, and just observed for a second. Everything was quiet and there were no Shadowdrakes in sight, but he knew better than to assume that meant anything. Dragons were sneaky—he should know.

The guards were still in place around the perimeter, and, in fact, it looked like security had again doubled in the time he had left to check on Cecily. He wouldn’t be able to go ten feet without tripping over one of them.