Flare of Promise (AMT #4)

by Jessie Donovan

  Leyna searched his eyes and he wished he had the ability to read minds.

  Finally, her eyes turned wet and he’d bet his life it was the first time Leyna had shown even a flicker of true emotions in months if not years. He gently pushed, “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  He could barely hear her when she answered, “I can’t. It will risk your life, Will.”

  He cupped her cheek. “I can take care of myself. Besides, if I’m injured, I can just heal myself and continue to fight at your side.”

  She gave a weak smile. “So now you’re happy about your magical abilities?”

  He laid his forehead against hers. “If it ensures a second chance with you, Leyna, then I will proudly show it to the world if you let me kiss you right now.”

  “But the others.”

  He raised his brows. “Now you’re going to be shy?” He smiled. “How about you just go along with my exhibitionist desires?”

  She snorted. “I’m afraid to do that. It’ll bite me in the ass later on.”

  He moved his hand to the side of her neck. “Woman, I’ve waited two years for this chance. And I’m tired of waiting.”

  Before Leyna could reply, he kissed her.

  She could’ve pushed him away, but instead, she parted her lips in invitation. Slipping his tongue inside, he groaned at her taste. He would never get enough of it.

  Someone whistled in the background, but he ignored it and took the kiss deeper. Each stroke or flick of his tongue was another claim on his woman.

  Despite the mountain of issues still between them, Leyna Grunwald was his once more. No matter what happened, he would be there for her when she needed him and he was never going to let her go again. Life had given him a second chance. Will wasn’t about to take it for granted.

  ~~~

  Petra could barely think as Will stroked and licked as he tried to dominate her mouth. She fought back, meeting and tangling with his tongue. While their kiss back in the shady hotel had been good, this one was mind-blowing. Will wasn’t just kissing her, he was claiming her.

  And she was determined to claim him back. She wanted to keep her sexy warrior scientist and learn everything about him all over again.

  Hell, together, they might even achieve her dream of normalcy and safety. Will was the only one who might be able to bridge her old life and new.

  Threading her fingers through his hair, she dug in her nails. Will’s groan sent a rush through her body that ended between her thighs.

  Someone cheered, but Petra didn’t care. After so many years of loneliness and surviving on her old memories, she wanted to make new ones. Who knew when a chance like this one would crop up again.

  Yet as Will maneuvered her onto his lap, something niggled at the back of her mind about why she needed to stop. Then he grabbed her ass and pressed her against his erection, and she forgot about everything but the hardness of his cock pressing against her.

  Everything about William Evans just felt...right. How she’d convinced herself she’d be better off without him, she had no idea.

  All Petra knew is that she wanted to give him a chance.

  Someone poked her back and yelled, “We’re getting close. Save it for later, Petra.”

  Millie.

  With a growl, Petra broke the kiss and glared at the other woman. “Mind your own business, Ward.”

  Millie placed her hands on her hips. “No. Friends don’t let friends have sex in a crowded helicopter. Especially when my brother just happens to be here too.” Millie leaned down and whispered loudly, “But I can help you get some later. I have plans and connections. Your own private lovefest will be worth waiting for.”

  It took a second for Petra to absorb that Millie called her a friend.

  Luckily, Will answered so she didn’t have to. “How much time do we have?”

  Leave it to Will to regain his head and focus on the details. That aspect of his personality hadn’t changed.

  Millie answered, “Five minutes. Enough time for you to think of grannies and get rid of your hard-on.”

  Petra narrowed her eyes. “Don’t think of his erection.”

  Will sighed. “Could we not discuss my cock in front of company?”

  Millie pretended he hadn’t spoken. “Then don’t dry hump him. Any straight guy, regardless of the woman on his lap, will react to a little friction.”

  Will growled out, “She’s not just any woman.”

  Millie shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat. Just get ahold of yourself.”

  She walked away and Petra looked to Will again. Smoothing his frown, she murmured, “Forget about her. If I’m honest, we should be thanking her.”

  Will’s gaze shot to hers. “Why? Do you have regrets?”

  “I mentioned nothing about regrets.”

  “But do you?” he asked softly.

  Petra paused as she stroked the whiskers of his cheek. If there was ever a time to close off her heart and back away, there was no time like the present.

  However, the thought of losing Will a second time twisted her heart. Kissing him had released a flood of emotions and memories that she didn’t want to wall back up.

  Petra wanted a future with Will Evans.

  She finally murmured, “No. But I’m concerned about you focusing once we step off this helicopter.”

  He smiled and lightly slapped her hip. “Keeping me on the helicopter will drive me crazy. The second my feet touch the ground, I’ll be ready.” She raised her eyebrows. “Just maybe don’t bend over in front of me, if you can help it.”

  Petra snorted. “At least you’re honest.”

  Will gripped the back of her neck. “From here on out, we both need to be honest for this to work. There are still mountains of secrets and two whole years of separate lives between us. We can’t afford to add more to the pile.”

  Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of only telling the truth. Keeping secrets was the reason she was still alive.

  Yet as she stared into Will’s brown eyes, no deceit lurked there. Only open anticipation and longing.

  Nodding, she leaned down to his ear and whispered, “I agree if you agree. But I also have one more promise to extract from you.”

  She felt the rumbling in his chest as he asked, “What?”

  “I want you to stop loathing your gift and keep an open mind.”

  Placing his fingers on her cheek, he steered her head toward him until he could see her eyes. “I’ve despised magic for so long that it’s going to take some time.”

  “I can live with that.”

  He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Then I’ll try. Any last pointers before we land?”

  She frowned. “Don’t get yourself killed.”

  With a snort, he finally released his grip on her and Petra moved back to her seat. She expected Kiarra, Jaxton, and Millie to be studying their nails or looking the other way. Instead, Kiarra and Millie were smiling at them; even one corner of Jaxton’s mouth was turned up. Petra narrowed her eyes. “What?”

  Jaxton shook his head. “Nothing. Let’s go over the plan one more time. Are you two ready?”

  Will took her hand in his and nodded. “Ready.”

  Jaxton leaned forward. “Right, then here’s what we’re going to do.”

  As Petra listened to Jaxton’s voice, she swore a flare of heat shot up her arm from Will’s hand. A quick glance revealed a faint green light emanating from Will and dancing along her arm. The light didn’t hurt; it was just a warm tickle.

  Since it looked as if she was going to be working with Millie’s crazy boss and family, Petra would need to dig into the Feiru legends and see what she could find. There was so much unknown about latent abilities and she would do anything to make sure Will didn’t accidentally hurt himself or others. Because even though he healed, sometimes magic worked in strange ways. She needed to protect not only herself, but also her man and newish-friend, Millie Ward.

  Chapter Nine

  Per the plan, Will
remained in the middle of their little rescue party as they made slow progress through the trees and undergrowth of the forest. While he had a couple of years of self-defense training under his belt, he’d never actually had to use it in the field like they would be during this rescue. And that made him a slight liability.

  One he hoped to rectify in the coming months. Will was damned if he’d let Leyna try to solve the issue of her brother and the drug lord on her own. Especially since they had no idea if Millie or anyone else working with her would help Leyna with that little problem. He might be able to call in his favor from earlier with Millie Ward, but there were no guarantees.

  And no matter the cost, Will wanted to make sure Leyna was free to live her life as she wanted. Admitting he still loved her was a huge step, but it was the truth. He could never get back the two years they’d spent apart, but he was going to try his damnedest to make up for lost time.

  Well, once they finished the mission.

  Jaxton raised his arm and gave the signal to stop. Will listened intently, but he couldn’t make out anything special apart from the wind rustling in the trees. They were in the Outlying Islands of Hong Kong and this particular one was the least inhabited. A few of Will’s colleagues from the Hong Kong research facility had spent some of their holidays and weekends in the more rural Islands District, but he was pretty sure the island under his feet was privately owned.

  It was a strange choice for where to stash away and imprison the magic user. Will would’ve expected the researchers to keep E-1655 high above the ground to protect themselves. While no one knew exactly how far away from the earth a magic user could still move it, distance was always used as a precaution.

  Maybe when he started the next chapter of his life with Neena’s group, Will could do some tests to better understand the range of elemental abilities. If he believed the legends and a disaster was coming, knowledge could help the Talents and their army.

  Trying not to think about how much his world had changed in the last few days, Will waited for Jaxton’s order.

  Jaxton finally motioned forward and they continued silently making their way through the forest. The light was growing faint and Will could barely see.

  When he bumped into Kiarra’s back, he murmured an apology. She pointed up. He followed her finger and his jaw dropped.

  High above them was a large rectangular box hanging in place by wires attached to the top and bottom of the container. The wires ran from the edges of the rectangle to the poles stationed every few feet around the structure. Each pole was topped with faint glowing orbs. Scanning what he could in the dim light, his eyes landed on a raised drawbridge-type structure secured between two of the poles with wire.

  If that wasn’t enough, another platform stood about halfway between the structure and the ground. Judging by the faint light shining through several jagged holes, the elemental earth user had been taken off the drugs long enough to use her abilities there.

  Even though Will had previously had high security clearance at the Hong Kong facility, he had never known of the structure’s existence. He wondered if it was new. If so, they had built it bloody quickly.

  Petra was right behind him, and she tugged his shirt until he retreated. Their party continued back the way they had come for ten minutes before Jaxton spoke up again. “We should be beyond their range for any microphones or sensors here. While Neena had mentioned the structure being unique, she never said it was dangling in the bloody sky. We need to alter our plan.”

  Will frowned. “To what? If we had an elemental wind user, or even an earth user, it would be easier.”

  Kiarra answered, “We’ll have one once we rescue the woman. For now, I say we draw out whoever is inside the structure. If I create a flame on the underside and warm up the floor, they should evacuate.”

  Petra jumped in. “And what if they leave her inside? I’m pretty sure your boss doesn’t want a barbecued Talent.”

  Kiarra waved a hand. “I can lessen the heat of the flames with Jaxton’s help. More often than not, the illusion is enough to scare away the enemy.”

  Will had a few words he wanted to say to the cocky woman, but he kept his mouth shut. With all he’d learned lately about magic, it was entirely possible Kiarra could do what she said.

  Jaxton pointed at Will. “You’ll standby to help, if needed. Even if we all survive without a scratch, we have no idea what shape that magic user will be in.”

  Only because they’d agreed to keep the secret of E-1655 being a Talent did Jaxton not refer to her by her rightful title.

  Will nodded. “I’ll try my best, but don’t expect for me to perform miracles. Like with any skill, it takes time and practice to refine it.”

  “I understand that more than anyone,” Kiarra murmured.

  “Right,” Millie chimed in. “Then while Kiarra does her flame trick, I propose Petra and I take care of the fleeing researchers and other staff. If one of them escapes, it might cause a headache for us later on.”

  Jaxton grunted. “Fine. But I want them alive. I’d like to bring a few of them back to base and question them.”

  Millie raised her brows. “Of course they’ll be alive.”

  Jaxton muttered, “Just making sure. You get a little enthusiastic sometimes, Millie.”

  Petra spoke up. “I’ll make sure she behaves.” Millie opened her mouth, but Petra beat her to the reply. “There’s no time to argue. If nothing else, then consider me your operation partner. We’ll keep each other in check.”

  Millie slapped Petra’s shoulder. “Good. Glad to see you’re finally seeing me as your equal, Brandt.”

  “Enough,” Jaxton jumped in. “The longer we stand here, the greater the chance we’ll be discovered. Let’s go.”

  He turned and walked back toward the structure. As everyone followed, Will looked to his hand and imagined a gash that needed healing. It took a second, but his hand flared before returning to normal. He was ready.

  Will only hoped his healing ability was unnecessary. Small cuts were one things; he had no idea what to do if someone’s life depended on him.

  ~~~

  Petra stood about ten feet behind the two poles holding up the drawbridge structure, hidden behind a few trees and some bushes. Millie was at her side, thankfully remaining silent for a change.

  Both of them waited for Kiarra to jumpstart their plan.

  The wind rustled through the trees and a bird flew overhead. If the people inside the rectangular container knew of their existence, they were keeping quiet about it.

  The only good thing about the weird structure was that it was easy to see who came and went. No one could escape through a hidden tunnel.

  An eight-foot-high flame leapt into the air. At the bottom of the blaze, Petra could make out the dark, silhouetted figures of Kiarra and Jaxton. She had no idea why Kiarra leaned against Jaxton or how the flames licking both of their bodies weren't burning them alive. It must be yet another secret related to the Talents.

  In the next second, the flame surged until it danced across the bottom of the floating container. Petra half-expected it to catch fire and burn, but while the flames surrounded the box, the exterior paint didn’t peel or change in any way as it would in a normal fire.

  Still, as the only door to the structure opened and the drawbridge lowered via a remote, the magical fire must still be hot. Various voices yelled for someone named John to hurry up.

  While the drawbridge lowered, a metal ladder descended from the drawbridge platform above. Petra looked to Millie and nodded. Millie gave a thumbs-up and the pair of them readied their stun guns.

  The bridge clicked into place and people scurried across. Between the green glow from the orbs on the poles and the fire blazing around the rectangular structure, the six people above were as visible as if they’d been standing in broad daylight.

  Two of the six remained calm and were ushering the others to safety. Petra would bet her life the two calm men were some type of guard. Turnin
g to Millie, Petra whispered, “Wait until they rush into the forest. I’ll take the two guards. You take the other four.”

  Millie answered, “That’s almost fair, although I could do with another two or three.”

  She glared at Millie. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Petra waved above. “Once we have this group, I’ll go above to find the magic user. You can stay here and watch over the prisoners. Make sure to cover me.”

  “Of course. I’m not about to allow my new bestie to die so soon.”

  Petra blinked at being called Millie’s bestie, but pushed it aside as people began to descend the metal ladder from the platform. As the first person set foot on the ground, the woman wearing a white lab coat headed straight toward them. Millie and Petra’s earlier assessment, that the researchers used the faint trail they were standing in regularly, had been correct.

  Just as the escapees were coming into range, one of the guards up above raced back into the structure. Petra whispered, “Damn. Let’s take these people down. I need to ensure that guard doesn’t kill the magic user.”

  Millie answered, “They’ll be in perfect range in four, three, two, one. Now, come to mama.”

  Ignoring her, Petra moved a few feet to the side. Trusting Millie to take care of the researchers, Petra followed the slow, calculated movements of the guard currently descending the stairs.

  Cries came from her left and the guard jumped the last few feet from the ladder. Just as the guard went to draw his gun, Petra charged at him and fired her stun cartridge. It made contact, but just as it pumped electricity into the male guard’s body, he swung his gun barrel against the wires, severing the connection.

  Pocketing her weapon, Petra rushed him and landed a kick in his stomach before he could react.