Fire Within

by Ella M. Lee

  Ours was the furthest alcove, in a corner against the windows. At a table that could comfortably seat eight people lounged Daniel, sprawled across his chair like a lazy, relaxed cat. He looked well. Apparently there were no lingering aftereffects of what Nicolas had done to him.

  Nicolas guided me to the other side of the table, where we would have a view of the room rather than the Hong Kong scenery. I thought Daniel would bristle as I slid past him, but he merely studied me with a dark expression. I looked away quickly.

  “Right here, lamb,” Nicolas said, getting my attention and holding a chair for me. I sat rigidly, my eyes locked on the elaborate place setting before me.

  White tablecloth, smooth and pressed. Plate, smaller plate, bowl, water glass, teacup. Heavy chopsticks on chopstick holders shaped like orange-and-black koi. Chinese-style spoon beside them. At the center of the table was a huge glass lazy Susan.

  I studied each detail, trying to keep myself from looking at Nicolas or Daniel. They were having a quiet conversation in Cantonese now, ignoring me.

  “Who are we expecting tonight?” Nicolas asked eventually. “I hope Keisha hasn’t left the city yet. I neglected to ask her schedule for the evening when I saw her earlier.”

  “She’ll be here,” Daniel said. “Ryan and Cameron are coming. Angie is still in Singapore, but I convinced her new lieutenant, Gloria, to come. Teng told me that Nari has been looking for you, so she might stop by tonight.”

  I glanced up briefly, and Daniel’s eyes wandered to mine, his expression neutral. I looked away instantly—no need to annoy him tonight—but I could feel his gaze as he continued to study me.

  It appeared nothing was going to happen until more guests had arrived. Nicolas sipped his wine while Daniel made intermittent comments in Cantonese that were clearly meant to leave me out of the conversation. I followed Nicolas’s gaze when, after a while, he looked up sharply.

  Walking toward our booth was a woman so lovely that I felt an involuntary pang of jealousy. She was tall, blonde, voluptuous, with amber eyes that looked like melted caramel, dressed in a T-shirt and white shorts. I was surprised to see she had a knife strapped to each thigh, shamelessly out in the open.

  “Gloria,” Nicolas greeted her, standing and spreading his hands invitingly. Right. Angie’s lieutenant.

  “Nicolas,” she said warmly, surveying our table.

  Her eyes found me last and hung on my face for a moment, wide and interested. She let out a low whistle. “What did you do to her?” she asked with a tiny smirk.

  Nicolas touched my chin, tugging it so I was looking at him. “Yes, that is a rather pretty shade of purple, isn’t it?”

  The hatred I tried to convey with my eyes was not entirely fake. He laughed very softly at my expression.

  Good, lamb, he said in my mind.

  Despite speaking to me mind to mind, his attention appeared to be entirely on Gloria. I wondered how hard it was for him to focus, to hear all of our thoughts and to carry on multiple conversations at once. I was impressed despite myself, imagining it must take a rather large amount of mental fortitude for him to even sit still in a room full of people.

  “I’m so glad you could make it,” Nicolas said to Gloria. “I was also glad to hear of your promotion. Angie made an excellent choice. I suppose there are reasons why I trust her.”

  Gloria laughed lightly at what was clearly a joke on Nicolas’s part. “We were all relieved to hear that you are alive and well. And your pet—this is the Flame who tried to assassinate you?”

  “One of them,” Nicolas corrected frostily. “The only one left.”

  “The unfortunate one, if you ask me,” Gloria said. “We all know what happens to your slaves.”

  I stiffened, so tense I could barely breathe. What did that mean? Daniel looked like he wanted to throw himself over the table and strangle her. Nicolas didn’t noticeably react.

  “Want me to take her off your hands? I’ll pay,” Gloria asked. “Look at her eyes. She’ll be pretty once the bruises are healed.”

  “I don’t think your wife would like that,” Nicolas said.

  “Oh, we share,” Gloria said, raising her glass to me in a mock salute.

  “She’s mine, sorry. Not for sale,” he said.

  He took my trembling hand casually, stroking my knuckles with his thumb. I was still tense, schooling myself not to pull away from him, even though I disliked how he touched me whenever he felt like it.

  But that was nothing compared to how terrified I was that Nicolas would get rid of me, landing me in a much worse position. Why did practically every single Water Clan member who saw me want to buy me? He had said he wouldn’t sell me to Derek or Gloria, but he hadn’t said he wouldn’t sell me at all, and he hadn’t ruled that out as one of my potential fates.

  Calm down, he whispered inside my head. I’m not selling you to anyone. I said you were mine, and I meant it. More acting, less actual fear. Remember, I told you to pay attention tonight.

  What did she mean about your slaves? I asked carefully.

  I’ll tell you that story later, he said.

  “Hey,” Gloria said. “You!”

  I didn’t realize she was talking to me until Nicolas squeezed my hand lightly.

  “Who was your commander in Flame?” she asked.

  I hesitated, my eyes wide. I couldn’t tell her that, could I? I hadn’t even mentioned it to Nicolas.

  She gains almost nothing from the information, Nicolas whispered in my head.

  “Tell her,” he said and added a silent, Please.

  “Jeremiah Young,” I whispered.

  I thought Gloria would say something cutting, but she merely smiled, lifted her glass to me, and said in a deep drawl, “Hell, if that boy had an idea, it would die of loneliness!”

  Her laughter was genuinely amused. I stiffened.

  What was that? Nicolas asked silently.

  Just… just something Jer used to say a lot. It’s a Southern expression. She must know him? That was a perfect imitation of his accent.

  I wouldn’t be surprised, Nicolas responded. Before she joined Water, she was a liaison.

  I blinked. Liaison was a powerful position, a mortal who could move between clans, making arrangements and doing business. Not all clans or groups within clans fought, and they sometimes needed someone neutral to act as an ambassador. Liaisons were prized and protected, well paid, and seldom touched in clan disputes. Someone from Water must have offered her something good to join full time.

  Nicolas removed his hand from mine as servers brought food to our table. A dozen bamboo steamers appeared, all filled with dumplings and Chinese buns and steamed meat. One server bore a round plate with a huge whole steamed fish on it, covered in scallions. Another added a heaping tray of noodles to the table. Everyone dug in ravenously. I waited with my hands in my lap.

  Nicolas took some pity on me, and with a dramatic roll of his eyes, added food to my plate.

  “You’re allowed to eat,” he said mockingly.

  I resisted the urge to roll my eyes right back at him.

  “Oh, just in time!” a light voice said.

  I glanced up. A young girl who looked no older than eighteen bounced to the table. She had the longest, shiniest dark hair I had ever seen framing a cute, kind face. Trailing her with long, powerful steps was a tall man. Red-haired and bearded and built like a battle ax, he had a ropey scar around his neck, but his smile was friendly. He held up his left hand in greeting, and I could see that he was missing three fingers.

  The girl plucked a bun from one of the trays and came around to sit at my right, glancing at me curiously. I shied away, edging closer to Nicolas until I realized I didn’t want to be in that position either. I drew my shoulders together and tried to stay still between them. The tall man took the empty seat next to Daniel, clapping him on the back gently.

  “Commander,” the girl said, muffled by a big bite of the bun.

  “Keisha,” Nicolas said, smiling and toas
ting her with his wineglass. His eyes turned to the man. “Cam.”

  Keisha, the one who had bought my clothes. Cam, probably Cameron, who had been mentioned a few minutes earlier by Daniel. I flicked my eyes between them as subtly as I could. Cameron didn’t seem to have more than a passing interest in me, and there was no wariness or hatred in his eyes. Keisha studied me for longer, her expression concerned, but she seemed more focused on Nicolas.

  “Glad you’re back for good,” Keisha said to him warmly and affectionately.

  Her eyes wandered to me again, and she smiled tentatively, studying my hoodie. She seemed like she wanted to say something, so I looked away. I was trying to be good. I didn’t want to upset the balance I was maintaining with Nicolas.

  I picked at my food, too tense and nervous to enjoy any of it. I didn’t touch the wine. I didn’t hold my alcohol well and couldn’t imagine being drunk around these people, but each of them had glass after glass. When most of the food was gone, they jumped into an animated conversation, mostly about people I didn’t know.

  I sat quietly, studying my empty plate, trying to keep myself from throwing up all the food. I was skittish and edgy with the suffocating press of all their magic against me. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself.

  Nicolas’s clanmate Ryan—also mentioned earlier by Daniel—joined the table in time to snag the last pile of noodles from the tray and the last remaining steamed bun. He was a classically handsome Chinese man, dressed in an expensive and lovely tailored suit. I watched as he ordered something very specific from the waiter in Cantonese. When he was done, he came around to Nicolas’s chair to clasp hands and clink glasses. He spared me a single appraising look, eyes cool and narrowed, but he said nothing.

  In fact, no one else commented on my presence or my beaten face.

  The meal soon moved on to the dessert course: a cold coconut soup that was one of the most delicious things I’d ever tasted. Gloria, I noticed, didn’t eat it. Instead she peeled a pile of tiny oranges and ate the slices one by one, engaged in a conversation with Keisha about Singapore, Keisha’s favorite city.

  Nicolas hadn’t touched his dessert either and—so quickly I barely noticed—swapped my empty bowl with his full bowl. I gave him a curious glance, trying to figure out why he was being nice to me, but I gathered nothing from his calm expression as he exchanged polite remarks with Gloria.

  I took his actions as an order and ate his soup as well, trying to listen closely while looking disinterested.

  Nicolas had told me to pay attention during dinner, but I wasn’t sure what he wanted me to notice. I could hardly follow the conversation. Much of it was obfuscated from me because half of it was in Cantonese, and Nicolas was apparently not interested in translating it to me mind to mind.

  I watched Gloria the most. She, like Daniel and Nicolas, had a net of magic in place around her, powerful and elegant. She didn’t seem to have any fear or wariness of Nicolas, but she did treat him politely and respectfully at all times.

  Daniel, too, radiated power. He was warmer and more animated than Nicolas, but he was similarly impressive and intimidating. I liked his fire. He was the sort of fun, cocky friend that I could have imagined having in Flame. He had barely glanced at me tonight, but he engaged everyone else in expressive conversation, especially Cameron.

  Cameron had a rather thick Scottish accent, colorful and energetic. To my surprise, he could speak Cantonese. I didn’t know his fluency level, but he listened intently when Daniel spoke to him in the language and seemed to be able to answer competently in return. He pointed at me once and asked a question. Daniel merely shrugged and responded with a half sentence.

  Keisha was bright and bubbly, and Nicolas seemed to have a special fondness for her. He engaged her in conversation the most, ordered her favorite foods, and she received his infrequent smiles more often than the others. She seemed not only very young but also new to the clan. There was a certain way that rookies wore their magic that was different from veterans, something that seemed inherently less comfortable. Still, she was holding her own among these powerful people. Her charm was quite obviously winning over Gloria handily.

  Ryan was a complete mystery. Among this group of rather pretty people, he was one of the prettiest. His dark-brown eyes were hooded and sparkling, his skin a rich ochre, his cheekbones as refined as Nicolas’s. If I had to guess, I would say he had been with the clan for years and years. He was comfortable with himself, his magic, and all these people. Nicolas had said earlier that Ryan didn’t want the position of lieutenant, and I wondered why with the leagues of power he had within him. He was quiet compared to the others, but I didn’t think anything was slipping by him.

  Shortly after we had all finished dessert, a young woman approached the cubby. She lingered at the entrance for only a moment, wide-eyed and jumpy, before Nicolas beckoned to her.

  “Nari, come,” he said curtly.

  “Sir,” she said, moving to stand between him and Daniel. “Arturo wants these signed and stamped. He would have sent them through Yu-Teng, but he needs them now.”

  She held out a black folder to him. Her hands were shaking.

  Nicolas sighed and flipped the folder open, running his eyes over each page quickly. The papers looked like contracts to me, but I was too far away to even read the headers without making an obvious move toward him.

  From his pocket, he pulled a slim fountain pen as well as a small black cylinder. He carefully signed his name on the three required lines in an elegant, flowing script. He uncapped the cylinder and placed a stamp next to each signature. I couldn’t see much other than that it was in dark-blue ink and seemed to be a Chinese character.

  “Dan, this one is yours,” Nicolas said, passing him the page.

  Daniel borrowed Nicolas’s pen, signed in Chinese, and placed a similar stamp on the page.

  I wanted to laugh at the bureaucracy. Growing up, I had always imagined that if magic existed, it would be fun and exciting and carefree. In reality, it was nothing of the sort. Most clans had pretty rigid internal hierarchies and a lot of laws and paperwork. Nicolas probably dealt with that more than others if he was truly as high in the clan as he had alluded to. I had dealt with it myself frequently in Flame, and I was practically a nobody.

  He stacked the papers and placed the folder back into Nari’s outstretched hands.

  “Than-thank you,” she stuttered.

  Nicolas flicked his hand at her, and she retreated quickly. Well, at least I wasn’t the only one here who was intimidated by him.

  The group consumed another two bottles of wine before Nicolas stood.

  “You’re all welcome to stay here,” he said, “but I have some things to take care of at home, and I would truly appreciate some sleep.”

  Keisha raised her almost-empty glass. “To Nico!” she cried.

  “To Nico!” the rest of them followed, smiling.

  He rolled his eyes, amused. “Doh je, doh je,” he said. Clearly some sort of phrase for “thank you.”

  I didn’t need to be told to follow him as he left the table. Nicolas’s hand was on my back again once we were clear of the alcove, guiding me out. I heard Daniel smoothly resuming the conversation.

  “Nicolas!” a familiar voice called from behind us.

  Nicolas froze, turning on his heel. He snaked an arm around my waist, pulling me so close to him that our sides were pressed together. I went rigid, barely breathing. The gesture was gentle, but I hated every second of it. I couldn’t get over the choking feeling of his magic, knowing how easily he could kill me with barely a thought.

  It was Derek who had called his name, detaching himself from his own group and coming over to us.

  “Still not bored of this one after a whole day?” he said. His eyes flashed between Nicolas and me, assessing our closeness.

  Nicolas’s smile was vulpine. “Well, she has a lot to give. I’m looking forward to even more tonight.”

  Derek reached a hand out to touch my
cheek, but Nicolas spun me away quickly and deftly.

  “Ah-ah-ah,” he growled, reaching his hand up to cradle my head, pulling me closer. “I don’t share. Get your own.”

  Derek smirked but withdrew, shoving his hands in his pockets. Nicolas hadn’t been lying when he said he had no intention of letting Derek touch me again. I was grateful for that, at least. Compared to the idea of Derek touching me, Nicolas’s hands on me were practically welcome. I was compliant in his grip, pressing myself into him to get further from Derek.

  Derek’s gesture, it seemed, had been some sort of test. He laughed lightly at Nicolas’s response and seemed to eye me even more carefully after Nicolas showing he was so obviously protective of me.

  “I’ll get something arranged with the council,” Nicolas said, presumably answering Derek’s unspoken thoughts. “But not until at least next week when Angie is back.”

  His left hand ran idly up and down my side, and I felt as though I would faint, dizzy and trembling badly. His right arm was practically holding me up.

  Derek shook his head, grimacing. “I was hoping for this week.”

  “Next week is better,” Nicolas said, smiling, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I appreciate your patience while I sort this out.”

  “Of course.” Derek shifted, his magic flaring out a little. He was clearly unhappy with Nicolas’s response but didn’t want to push the issue. Nicolas must be very powerful indeed if Derek didn’t want to go up against him.

  “Anything else?” Nicolas asked, although his tone was not inviting.

  “No,” Derek said, bristling.