Burning Ashes

by Jadyn Chase

  I refused to finish that thought knowing he was doing everything in his power to get to me. After everything we’d been through, I knew he wouldn’t abandon me. I could hear his voice in my head, whispering in my ear, ‘I would have never let him touch you.’

  17

  Julian

  “Set. Her. Free. Cut. Him. Up!” the crowd chanted alongside Aya while I bargained with a very annoyed Skinner Finch.

  “Please, I don’t have much time,” I begged him.

  He rolled his eyes glancing between Aya and myself. “So, rope made of our wings you say? That is a new one. Even I never dared to dream up something so diabolical.”

  “Of course not!” I hissed, “We aren’t in the habit of making use of our body parts.”

  “Oh no? I’ve heard the things our great Enchantress has done with Golden Imperial blood and Black Sapphire scales.”

  “Those are voluntary contributions, and you know that. What he’s doing-”

  Skinner held up his hand with disinterest, “My dear, you do not have to convince me. The very fact that Aya is that angry is enough to sway me. How much do you need?”

  “Enough to free the Scarlet Wings over there and her binds as well.” The one time I needed her to remain calm and stay by my side, she decided to act irrationally. I let out a sigh of frustration as I knew time was running out. She could only stall the crowd but for so long.

  “I guess I can help you out,” Skinner said pursing his lips, “How would you like to carry this?”

  He snapped his fingers, and a blonde Anthro immediately dropped to her knees and opened her mouth. I shook my head, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her to her feet. The idea of blood dripping into her mouth disgusted me; a soft reminder that as helpful as Skinner has been to me, he’s still Skinner Fucking Finch.

  “No! Use this!” I handed him the canteen from my satchel. He smirked and sliced into his palm letting his blood slide into the container. The woman’s eyes gleamed with desire as she locked onto Skinner’s face.

  “Oh my little sadist, we shall dabble tonight shan’t we?” he said to her with just as much need in his eyes.

  I couldn’t believe he was like this all of the time. “Thank you, Skinner. I guess I owe you three now.”

  “Yes, and I’d like to collect right now,” he said.

  “Seriously?” my eyes darted across the crowd. I couldn’t see Aya or Cyrus. Looking up, Six and Axel were still clawing at each other. I needed to help them all. “I need to help Aya.”

  He touched my forearm softly grabbing my undivided attention. It felt like the world was burning down around us, but he held me captive with a single look in his eyes. I could feel the sincerity in his tone as he spoke, “Your favor to me will be to take our dear Aya away from here.”

  “What?” She’d told me she had no intentions of leaving Black Harbor. I tried to understand, “All three of my favors are going to be used to take Aya out of Black Harbor? Your city needs a healer.”

  “And with Cyrus dead, as I’m quite sure she will handle, a new one will find us shortly. I can smell her on you. In all of my years, she’s never let anyone that close. That says a lot. She’s stubborn, but she needs intimacy and love like the rest of us. Don’t just rescue her from this, from that lunatic, take her away from here so she can truly fulfill her life. And tell her Skinner Finch says goodbye.”

  “You don’t want to tell her yourself?”

  He waved his hand toward her, “You need to hurry before they start rallying behind Cyrus again.”

  I turned to see where Aya was. She’d sliced her arm open to show them how fast she could heal. When I turned back to thank him, Skinner Finch was gone. What an odd Scaler, but I knew that no matter what he said if he ever called on me for anything I’d show up with no questions asked.

  I pushed through the crowd trying to fight my way toward Aya. There was too many of them, and I knew she wouldn’t want any more people to get hurt. To my right, the captive Scarlet Wings sat nestled in the net. I poured a few drops of Skinner’s blood and torched the same spot with my flames. The material disintegrated, and they fell out onto the ground. The powder blowing off of them made me hazy and sick to my stomach. Aya was right. The odor was nauseating at best.

  With them free, I pushed my way toward Aya, but it was still too much to fight through. It wasn’t until a large thud sounded behind me that distracted everyone, drawing them away from Cyrus and Aya. Six had pinned Axel to the ground. They shifted and were now in the throes of hand to hand combat.

  The relief in her eyes when she saw me coming for her moved me even faster. Cyrus and a hoard of Anthros were ready to soak her in some murky colored liquid. I rushed past all of them to get to her, making sure to knock the glass container to the ground shattering their hopes of setting any Scaler on fire. Not tonight, assholes!

  I drizzled the rest of Skinner’s blood onto the ropes and torched it just like I’d done for the nets. They dropped, and she threw her arms around me.

  “I thought you left me for bait again!” she whispered.

  “No, I’ve learned my lesson on that. I went to ask a favor of a friend of mine.”

  “You have friends in Black Harbor, other than me?” she chuckled, nuzzling against me.

  “I do.” I nodded.

  She stopped her display of affection just long enough to see Cyrus trying to escape. A growl erupted from deep within her. She pushed me aside to take off after him. It didn’t take long for her to catch him at all.

  I stood back and let her do what I believe she needed. I’d been killing Cyrus followers for quite some time. I think I’ve shed enough blood to cover the vengeance brewing in my bones.

  Aya pinned him down with her knee in his chest and her hand around his throat. She squeezed and crushed his vocal chords first.

  “I’d like to see you try that mind-bending trick now,” she glowered. “Or better yet, why don’t you show me how long it takes for you to bleed out?”

  I watched as her silver talon slowly extended from her fingertip and sliced him open, through his beard, ear to ear. She held him down as he trembled and shook until his last breath of life escaped his body. Satisfied with his death, she rose to her feet glaring at the crowd around her. “This is your immortal leader!” she spat. Disgusted with them, she turned her backs and headed toward the water.

  “Aya, wait!” I called out to her.

  She paused, turning back around to me. I nodded to the battle still going down with Six and Axel. They were boxing at this point, both bloodied and bruised. They weren’t giving each other enough time to heal between blows. Six had earned his life in keeping Axel busy while we dealt with Cyrus. I rushed in to help him.

  We subdued Axel together, and Aya came with her elixir, dropping a few drops under his tongue. He collapsed under me, falling onto the ground. We watched as Six’s face slowly healed, all but just under his eye. He touched the tender spot with his hands, “I think he fractured my skull.”

  I scavenged through my satchel, coming across Aya’s box and pulled out the salve I made for her ankle, handing it to him. “This will help.”

  “What about him?” he asked.

  Rolling my eyes, “There should be enough in there for the two of you.”

  “Thank you,” Six extended his arm out to me.

  I never thought it would be possible, but I took it into my own. We shook hands, and that was it. Six bent down and scooped Axel over his shoulder and headed toward the outskirts of the city.

  Turning to the beautiful Aya, my heart thudded, blood pumped to every inch of me. She eyed everyone around her with disgust in her eyes, but my gaze refused to let her go. I moved to her claiming her lips, her mouth, all of her, without the greying of my hair I kissed her passionately. She let me inside of her mouth, chasing her tongue as my erection hardened against her. It could have been hours or mere minutes that we were locked in that embrace.

  “Aya, please, let me take you away from here,” I insi
sted. I didn’t beg.

  “I guess since the Height is over, I can take you seriously,” she said with the glimmer of a smile. “Maybe that would be something we can do.”

  “Maybe?” I laughed loudly. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her into me again sealing our forever with a kiss.

  Epilogue: Aya

  Epilogue: Aya

  Years Later …

  Sitting on the porch, I couldn’t help but eye the surf as waves rolled in one after another crashing onto the beach in front of me. The wall of a cliff to my right, looked like it could touch the clouds. A series of boulders and jagged rocks to my left managed to form the perfect diving board. The smell of sea salt engulfed me like a warm blanket reminding me of the home I used to know.

  I never imagined not being a healer to Anthros and Scalers of all kinds, but I still utilize my talents. They all kept me busy.

  “HEY!” I shouted to the tiny boy on the rocks with his twin sister already leaping off, “You two be careful!”

  “Relax, my love,” Julian’s voice always calmed me when our children were impossible, “They’ve been diving off of there all week. It’s a new accomplishment for them.”

  “I’ll feel better when they can scale in the water. It wouldn’t terrify me so much.”

  “Julianna and Ryan are fine. They are not fragile children. We should know since they belong to us,” he laughed. His arms wrapped around me, as I continued to clutch the railing stiff with fear for their tiny bodies crashing into any one of those sharp points. It was only when Julian’s lips grazed my neck that I released my white-knuckle grip. Moaning with pleasure, I melted into him. He whispered to me, “I could give you a few more reasons to let the children be.”

  I spun around to face him with a seductive grin on my face. I kissed him softly on the lips, “Is that so? Please do. I’m listening.”

  With one hand behind me, the other drifted down between my thighs instantly beckoning my orgasm.

  He spoke between kisses, “For one, they are phenomenal divers and swimmers.”

  Mmhmm. He knew exactly what to do, making me melt into his touch.

  “Two, they have the best bodyguards any Scaler could ask for.”

  Right on cue, Six and Axel walked around from the back of the house with piles of coconuts and fresh fruit in their arms and two of our children following close behind them.

  “Would you look at these two, Aydan and Lina? Be like your folks,” Axel said shaking his head. “Still at it like the day they met.”

  “Ewww,” the tweens twisted their faces in disgust and kept moving through the sand.

  “You should have never told the Sentinels that,” I giggled.

  “Come on; it was like a bonding thing. Bragging rights and besides, Six smelled me on you the very second you came near him,” he chuckled.

  I rolled my eyes instantly remembering Julian’s voice, ‘Told You!’

  He continued speaking softly into my ear, “Forgiveness is one thing, friendship is something completely different. Six and Axel have made some wonderful friends for us. Did I ever say thank you for that? Meeting you taught me more about my rational side versus following my super heightened emotions. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

  “I know,” I nodded, “You would have become the third goon for that insufferable sociopath.”

  “No, I would have been dinner.”

  “Well, I have something far better for you to eat,” I changed the subject almost immediately.

  “For that, my love, I think we should go inside,” he whispered before kissing me delicately.

  “GET A ROOM!” our eldest yelled. Jay sunk his teeth into an orange as he made his way toward the water with a surfboard tucked under his arm wearing nothing but a pair of swim shorts.

  “No fire sailing!” I called out to him. He had a flair for dramatics and the incessant need to show off for his siblings. They didn’t need his encouragement. They were already testing my blood pressure with their depth defying dives off of the rocks.

  “Dad!” Jay called out with whining in his voice, “Tell her not to worry so much.”

  I watched him suck down the rest of the fruit, peel and all, as he ran toward the water. Fire blazed from his mouth, pushing him off the sand and into the waves. He continued to pulse his flames with amazing control, creating clouds of steam to keep him hovering above the surface. He worried me to no end.

  Julian’s finger grazed the side of my face until he swept it under my chin forcing my gaze to focus on him. “Aya, Aya, my dear Aya. You are worrying far too much for an Emerald Siren who’s clearly broken every mold there is to break. You are amazing, loving, strong, desirable, enchanting, and by far the best mother for our children. Allow them to show you that.”

  I relented, letting my worries go, “Fine.”

  “Now, my beloved, I believe you and I were heading inside to discuss something I’m supposed to be feasting on?”

  Julian always had a way of making me focus. Stepping into our home, the receiving area opened into a massive living space. Wood carved furniture surrounded us as the trunks of palm trees acted as pillars along each side of the room. There were usually walls that separated the space from the porch that wrapped around the entire house, but we kept them open to let the breeze flow through. The kitchen was to the left and toward the back of the first floor with doors leading out to the guest house behind our home. It took us years to finish and addon the rooms to accommodate our family, but Julian, Six and Axel flew all over to get the materials we needed. I couldn’t help but smile as he led me up the stairs.

  Our bedroom was in the front, overlooking that spectacular ocean, with a balcony that we christened the first night it was finished. I didn’t have any doubts we’d do it again if our children weren’t swimming out there. We’d called the Isle of Etha home for some time now. There were other Siren families scattered across the island chain. We had our hands full when our teens began to experience the Height. We had to chain Jay to the trees for his first time. Just thinking about it now made me worry about the other little ones. They hadn’t reached the maturity level yet, and honestly, neither had Jay, but physically, nature said he was.

  Entering our bedroom, silk curtains swayed while Julian led me toward our bed. I finally got out of my thoughts and looked up to him.

  “You’re worrying about them again, aren’t you?” he asked me.

  I sat down on the edge and Julian kneeled in front of me. Being present in the moment seemed like a task until I felt the smoothness of his hands pulling my dress apart to reveal my center to him. He stared at it hungrily.

  “Let’s think about something else, shall we?” he smiled. “Like how much I love you.”

  He kissed the inside of my knee. I moaned.

  “Or, how long I’ve loved you.”

  I couldn’t believe this was my life. I lost myself in the insane amount of love he showered over me, over our family. What I never told him was I constantly worried because it seemed too good to be true.

  I’d lost everything. How was it that after so many years alone, I ended up surrounded by such a beautiful amount of life? After so much death and destruction, how is it that Aya the Enchantress of Black Harbor deserved this kind of happiness? My heart swelled with the overwhelming feeling of joy while my walls swelled with the urges that begged for my mate’s touch.

  Julian’s mouth calmed me in more ways than one, from the words he spoke to the kisses he doted upon me, I couldn’t have felt more satisfied. We fought hard to get to this place, this place of ecstasy, togetherness. We’d taken our time getting to know one another and growing our family. Finding our place together wasn’t an easy feat either, but here we were. Two Sirens who’d lost everything managed to find each other, to save each other. It made it feel like the pain and hurt was worth it so that we could arrive at this moment together. Laughter and love wafted through our home like scents carried on the winds, and there was no other place that I’d rather be.<
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  More from Jadyn

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  More Books by the Author

  Jeweled Embers Series

  Sapphire Embers

  Obsidian Embers

  Diamond Embers

  Black Harbour Dragons Series

  Reign of Ash

  From the Ashes

  Smoldering Ashes

  Blazing Ashes