Page 17 of Jude

Chapter 4

Shifting in his seat, Jude couldn’t get comfortable. He’d picked a location to meet Octavia off a main road that ran out of Old London. The road would be quiet at this time of night and was not monitored closely by the State.

The site still carried risk, though. Traveling at night without a State permit and out of curfew hours would get you noticed if you weren’t careful.

The Cobra he’d come in with Lincoln and Malachi was equipped with Invis Tech. They used it when they traveled. It disguised their vehicles and made it harder for the State to notice them. Octavia did not have that luxury.

“What’s the matter with you?” Lincoln sat next to Jude in the passenger seat.

“What do you mean?”

“You keep squirming in your seat,” said Lincoln.

“I don’t.” Jude forced himself to sit still.

“Are you excited about meeting Octavia?” Lincoln grinned at him.

“It will be good to finally meet.”

“I like the music she plays.” Malachi sat in the back of the Cobra. He was a new member of a recon squad. As a talented dragon hybrid, he had his own set of skills. He’d been badly injured by the State and was still recovering from that experience. Jude considered him a valuable member of the recon units.

“She has great taste in music,” said Lincoln. “And as for that voice of hers.”

Jude gritted his teeth. Lincoln was always going on about Octavia’s voice. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard. It was husky, with honeyed tones, and she had a deep, slightly dirty laugh. He’d like to make her laugh like that when it was just the two of them alone together.

Lincoln nudged him. “I’m only joking. I know she’s yours.”

“She’s not mine,” said Jude.

“You’d like her to be,” said Lincoln. “That’s cool. I get it. Besides, if I say anything about her in front of Anastasia, she’ll burn my eyebrows off.”

“So she should,” said Malachi. “You’re her mate. You’re not supposed to look at anybody else.”

“I don’t want anybody other than Anastasia,” said Lincoln. “I’m a one-woman man these days.”

Jude relaxed a little. He knew how crazy Lincoln was about Anastasia. And they had Skyler, their adopted daughter who they’d rescued from a State facility. The two of them kept him crazy busy, and Lincoln had never been happier.

“Octavia is late,” said Malachi.

“Maybe something held her up,” said Lincoln.

“Or someone.” Jude peered out into the night. “What if she’s encountered the militia?”

“She’s been moving around on her own for the best part of two years,” said Lincoln. “If she did, she’d know what to do.”

“We wait,” said Jude. “She promised she’d be here.”

“We should have the radio on, see if she’s talking to us,” said Lincoln.

“I told her to contact us through a secure comm channel.” Jude flicked on Flame radio anyway. His fists clenched. It was silent. That was never a good sign. She only went quiet in the early hours of the morning, when he assumed she was sleeping and the auto-play music had run out.

“Or maybe not.” Lincoln shot him a concerned look. “I’m sure she’s on her way. If she was in any trouble, she’d let you know.”

“A lot of the roads are in bad condition,” said Malachi. “Maybe she’s just taking longer than she thought she would.”

“That could be it.” Jude clung to that possibility. Octavia would get here; she had to. She couldn’t have been found by the State now, not when they were so close to meeting. “What are you picking up on the State chatter?” he asked Malachi.

Malachi had an earbud in and was scanning the main comms channels of the State. “It’s busy tonight. Non-stop talk.”