by Ashley Meira
“Finally, a voice of reason,” Bane said.
“Why do you sound so tired?” Charlotte asked. “They’re the ones who did all the work.”
“They may have had to fight off temperamental fae, but I had to sit here and watch you and your dour half-brother attempt to converse.”
“Half-brother?” Fiona’s head snapped up, and she gave me a betrayed look. Great. There was something else for her to blame on me.
“Wasn’t my secret to tell,” I said quietly before heading upstairs.
Chapter Twenty
Thank goodness for opulence. Bane had enough rooms in his mansion hideout for each of us. Fiona and I never lived anywhere this nice when we were in hiding. Maybe I could buy a decked out secret base with the money I got from this job.
Memories of the wreckage I’d traveled through in my dream came rushing back. Right. First, we had to stop Trixie. Then, Nicholas. I sighed. No point in getting ahead of myself. It’s not like I could enjoy spending money with my sister mad at me. Of course, I’d given as good as I got. Her magic was still fizzling down the hall, so I knew she was awake. But pride held my tongue — and my legs — so I stayed cross-legged on my bed, freshly showered and wallowing in sadness.
The door to the en suite bathroom opened and Adam stepped through a cloud of steam. A towel hung loosely on his hips, well below the V of his abdomen. At this point, it wasn’t serving its purpose — it was just a fluffy white tease.
“Enjoying the view?” he asked with a cocky grin. “Should’ve joined me.”
“Yes,” I said. “To both those statements.”
His brows shot up and his clear gray eyes darkened. “Let’s go.”
“You just finished. As did I.”
“Can never be too clean.” He stopped in front of me, loose towel tantalizingly in reach. I’d barely need to tap it to make it slide off. “This time, we can finish together.”
I snorted and reached for him, pressing my palm flat against his stomach, just above the towel. His hand covered mine as he leaned forward to kiss my forehead. After a moment, he took my hand off his abdomen and gave it a squeeze. I couldn’t help but smirk as I saw how much of an effect my touch had.
“Could’ve just asked me to stop touching you,” I said.
“I don’t want you to stop touching me.” He sat down and pulled me to his chest. “I do, however, want you to tell me what’s up with you and your sister.”
I inhaled his evergreen scent, enjoying the feel of his bare skin against my cheek. “We had a fight.”
“I got that,” he said, threading his fingers through my hair. “Want to give me more details?”
I did, which surprised me. One day, wanting to open up to him would stop taking me off-guard, but it wouldn’t be today. I recounted everything that happened in Arcadia and the fight we’d had afterwards. By the time I was done, I felt like I’d run from those hedge dogs two more times.
“She didn’t mean it like that,” he said gently. “Not after how hard she worked to push you at me.”
I snorted at his choice of words. “Don’t put it all on her. You pulled pretty hard.”
“You were worth it.”
My blush could be seen from Mars, but I tried to hide it against his neck. “Maybe she didn’t expect me to be this happy.”
A strong hand gripped my thigh and lifted me across his lap. “I’m glad to hear that. You being happy, I mean. I’m glad to be a part of that.”
“You’re all of it,” I whispered in his ear. “Okay, most of it. Ollie and the others would kill me if they heard that.”
Lips caressed my shoulder and trailed up my neck. They stopped at my ear, leaving a burning fire in their wake. “Talk to your sister.”
“Not fair,” I whined. “You can’t be all sexy and say that.”
“It’s good advice. I got it from you.”
“How’d that work out, by the way?” I pulled back to look at his frown. “From what Bane said, things were a little bumpy?”
“A rollercoaster is a little bumpy.” He sighed and dropped his head against my chest. “This was like being attached to a massage chair that had been strapped to a mechanical bull.”
“That’s an interesting image.”
“I have never been so at a loss for words. It was awful. Just an entire day of half sentences and dodging eye contact. I had no idea what to say.”
“Apologize for what you did and say you want to get to know her.”
His teeth sunk into the flesh above my breast before he said, “I know that. It’s just— When I approach her, the words vanish.”
“Maybe you could get your dad to set up a family dinner or something.”
His bite was less playful this time around, and I had to swat him away. He released my flesh with a pop and glared at me. “He’s the last person I want to see.”
I pursed my lips, debating whether or not to tell him what Mr. Pierce told me. It wasn’t my place to reveal such things, but if it could help bridge this gap between them…. “He cares about you more than you think.”
Adam snorted. “You weren’t there when my mom got sick. He completely closed himself off from us. We were adults, but we still needed our father.”
Maybe that’s why Adam was more affectionate and caring than most people. He was trying to compensate for his father’s behavior. “Some people retreat into themselves when times get hard. I’d know.”
“You’re different. You were scared—”
“His wife was dying.”
“Don’t defend him,” he said, the fight dying from his words. “Just…. Can we talk about something else?”
I kissed him, sliding my fingers into his dark hair. “What’d you have in mind?”
“After a kiss like that? Nothing.”
“Yeah.” I shifted against his lap. “Nothing has been poking me for a while now.”
“You’re sitting here in a tiny pair of lace—”
“They’re not tiny,” I huffed. “I didn’t bring the Gem of Anathasia, by the way. I was so nervous about meeting your father that I forgot to pack it.”
“That is an awful change of topic.”
“It worked.”
“It did not work.” He pulled back with what I swore was a pout. “And don’t worry about the Gem. I have mine in my bag.”
“You’re just telling me this now?”
He nodded. “I wanted to wait until we were about to have sex so I could totally ruin the mood.”
“We haven’t had sex,” I pointed out.
“Fine — sex,” he said, making air quotes. “Better?”
I pulled his towel open, somehow managing to keep eye contact. “It is now.”
“Ollie called,” he said as I slid my hands down his torso.
I frowned. “And I’m the awful one?”
He grinned. “I never said you were awful. Just your choice of topics.”
“We’re even on that, I think.” My hands clamped down on his hips, my thumbs tracing the curve of his muscles. “What did Ollie want?”
He let out a hiss at my touch and nipped my chin. “His parents to stop calling and asking about us. They wanted an update on Charlotte. I told him she was safe. He said he’d pass it along — and that he was planning a hell of a lecture for you about picking up the phone.”
I groaned and rolled off him. “Well, my erection is gone.”
“Mine isn’t.”
“Feel free to put on a show,” I said, yelping when he reached over to pinch me. “Ass.”
“Tease.”
“Now you know how it feels.”
“I do,” he said, lips curving up. “It’s awful. You should punish me for all the times I’ve done it to you.”
“I am,” I said, sitting up and brushing my lips across his. “I’m leaving you here.”
He let out a disgruntled cry as I shoved him down onto the bed and skipped out the room. A loud thump followed me, and I grinned, knowing he’d thrown a pillow at the door.
<
br /> Fiona didn’t answer her door when I knocked. Based on the lack of running magic, I assumed she was asleep. The cotton candy scent was mild, and I heard nothing from the other side. I tried entering anyway, but the door was locked. Sighing, I decided to try again tomorrow. Waking her up by hand was one thing, but banging on her door was a surefire way to piss her off.
The mischievous part of me didn’t want to go back to Adam yet, and I didn’t know Charlotte well enough to knock on her door, so I went downstairs for a glass of water. How did Bane have running water here, anyway? I wanted to ask, but the ornery Fireborn was nowhere to be found.
A rustling sound from outside made me stiffen. I curled my finger, feeling the familiar weight of my sword as it appeared in my hand, and stalked toward the source. It was coming from beyond the front door. I gripped the doorknob and pressed my ear against the surface, trying to pick out any clues as to what lay beyond. There was no magic, but the soft flapping of wings made me uneasy. It’s not like they would attack me, right?
Realizing I was in nothing but a pair of frilly underthings, I grabbed Adam’s jacket from the rack by the door and slipped it on. Slowly, I turned the knob, letting the cool night air brush my face. Another flapping of wings brought the scent of the forest, sweet flowers and bitter plants mixing around me. A pair of slitted golden eyes met mine, but they didn’t belong to the blue dragon from before.
This dragon was red, with orange spikes along its spine and down its tail. Said tail swayed as the dragon regarded me. Soft mewling drew my attention to the ground, where dragonlings the color of clay were sprawled. Two looked up at me, toothy grins spreading across their faces. They stumbled onto short, clumsy limbs and waddled for me, bumping their rough faces against my ankles.
“Should’ve gone back for pants,” I mumbled, placing my sword by the door and reaching down to pet the duo. “Of course, if I had, Adam never would’ve let me leave.”
“Don’t let them into the house,” Bane called, appearing from behind the mother dragon. His fiery locks were untied and melted into his ornate red robe. “They’ll claw the furniture to pieces.”
I pulled the door shut behind me and shuffled toward him, trying not to step on the pair of dragonlings dancing around my feet. They’d probably be fine, but I was barefoot and they had spikes on their backs.
“I’m surprised they come this close,” I said as one of the dragonlings headbutted my knuckles.
“This is their land,” Bane drawled, running a hand down the dragoness’ face in the same manner as yesterday.
“Still.” I shrugged, taking a seat on a large rock and smiling as one of the dragonlings hopped onto my lap. “They seem to like you. Are you their great-grandfather or something?”
To my surprise, Bane chuckled. “According to legend, they’re our ancestors.”
I scratched the dragonling’s chin. “Them or phoenixes.”
“And phoenixes,” he corrected. “Both are preferable to humans.”
“And phoenixes?” I asked, eyes widening. “What do you mean?”
A sharp nip to my thumb told me the dragonling didn’t appreciate me withholding my attention. The blood spilling from my thumb drew the other dragonlings. They swarmed me, tiny claws scratching against my legs as they scaled into my lap.
Their mother leaned forward with a loud huff, steam billowing from her nose. Her babies shrieked as the gust pushed them from their perch. They rolled to the ground and looked up at their mother with affront in their golden eyes. She merely huffed again and bent down to bump her forehead against mine.
I stayed still, trying to maintain eye contact while also staring at her mouth — and the sharp teeth within. She bumped her snout against my chin before laying down and resting her face in my lap. Her eyes closed, but when I shifted, they opened to peer at me.
“Guess I’m not moving,” I mumbled, wondering if I could touch her. I placed my hands on her neck, feeling the molten heat under her scales. She didn’t react, so I figured it was okay. “Is this a Fireborn thing?”
He nodded. “In their eyes, you’re one of them.” His eyes dropped to my ruby ring. “More than most.”
I frowned. “Huh?”
“Not very knowledgable on the subject, are you?”
“I feel like that applies to most Fireborn these days,” I said dryly.
“True enough.” Bane took a seat on the boulder next to me. “Ask your questions, then. Quickly — while I’m in a charitable mood.”
If his lips weren’t quirked up, I’d have decked him. Instead, I stroked the dragon’s neck and said, “Tell me about being descended from dragons and phoenixes.”
He arched a brow. “No please?”
The dragon huffed and swung its tail toward us. Bane sighed and caught it, giving the appendage a pat before letting it fall to the ground.
“Sounds like she’s on my side,” I said smugly.
“You want the story or not?” He sighed as I grinned and nodded. “Long before humanity became obsessed with placing a building over every square foot of land on this planet, dragons and phoenixes lived freely in the wild. Despite being natural predators, the two species lived in harmony.”
“If you say two of them were named Adam and Eve—”
“You’ll stop listening and not get any answers?” He took a moment to enjoy my glare before continuing. “They discovered a pair of mages collapsed in the jungle. A husband and wife who somehow managed to wander away from society. The animals rescued them, and they eventually became family.”
The dragon let out a deep rumble, the vibrations numbing my legs. It was as if it was agreeing with Bane’s words. The dragonlings gathered at the sound of their mother’s voice, rising up on their hind legs to paw at her nose. They were too short, but that didn’t stop them from fluttering their wings and trying. Too bad their wings hadn’t developed enough to fly.
“The mages were near death when they were discovered. To save them, the dragons and phoenixes had to infuse them with their own essence: the Fire Within that burned so bright. They transferred part of their Fire into the mages, and so brought them back to life, making them Fireborn.”
I raised a brow. “Seriously? How did they—”
Bane narrowed his eyes. “Are you going to keep interrupting me?”
“Sorry.” I bit my lip. “Please, continue.”
“The reasons are lost to me, but the mages decided to remain with the animals instead of returning to civilization. Eventually, they wanted to find a way to communicate with their new family. Thus, the art of shapeshifting came to be. Those mages eventually birthed children, who had their own families, and so on.”
“And you mocked me for saying Adam and Eve,” I said flatly.
“I didn’t mock you,” he said. “Not directly, anyway.”
I gave him a short glare before allowing myself to ponder on his words. It was, well, amazing. Whether it was true still weighed on me, but I didn’t think Bane would go through the effort of making up such a story. He might enjoy being snarky, but he didn’t care enough to bother doing something like that.
“How do you know all this?” I asked.
“I’m old,” he said mildly.
“How old?”
“Older than I’ll ever tell you.”
“So… eight hundred?”
He rolled his eyes.
“Nine?”
He moved to sit up. “If those are all the questions you have….”
I grabbed his robe and pulled him back down, ignoring the affronted look on his face. “Does that mean all Fireborn are related? What about shifter mages? Did they descend from Fireborns?”
“The magic for shifting developed naturally. Other mages learned the skill the same way Fireborns did. Whether they were assisted by Fireborns, I couldn’t say.” He straightened the robes I’d mussed, shooting me a reproachful look. “As for Fireborn, they’re as related as the rest of humanity is. But yes, every Fireborn is descended from those two mages.”
/>
“Do Fireborn ever give birth to normal people?”
“I’ll assume by normal you mean non-Fireborn?” he said dryly. “Fireborns can birth regular mage children and even non-magical children. It’s very rare for a Fireborn to have only one parent that has the gene. In most cases, both parents possess a spark of Fireborn blood, even if they themselves do not display the talent. Though with the presence of Inquisitors, Fireborn are even more rare than usual.”
“Than usual?”
“Usually it’s one Fireborn per family. I don’t know why, but no matter how many children Fireborn parents have, only one will end up being Fireborn themselves.”
I frowned. “I’m a twin. We’re both Fireborn.”
“I know.” He took my hand and brushed his thumb across the ruby ring. “Born to Fireborn parents. The original two Fireborns had twins, and those twins each had twins of their own. One set became the Protector and the Warrior until they had their own families. Then, they passed it to their children.”
“Nicholas called me that,” I murmured. My head felt like concrete. I woke up, took a trip to Arcadia, met my sister’s father, got into a fight with said sister, and now I was part of some Fireborn legacy? This kind of stuff needed to be spaced out over a few days. “I was the Warrior, and Diana was the Protector.”
“Wait. You mentioned him earlier. Nicholas….” Bane repeated the name. Recognition gleamed in his emerald eyes, and his lips twisted into a snarl. “Ryder? That thing?”
I had about fifty more questions to ask him, but his comment made me forget every one. “You know him?”
“I do. As Ryder, which is why I didn’t connect the dots earlier.” Disgust was the mildest word I could use to describe Bane’s expression. “He took something from me.”
I waited for him to elaborate, but he just glared at the potted fern by the door. I was surprised the poor plant didn’t combust.
“He took me,” I said softly, staring at the dozing dragoness. “And my sister. Sisters.”
“Sisters?” he asked, still glaring into the night.
“My twin and Fiona. Fiona and I escaped together. Been inseparable ever since.” My fingers pressed into rough scales as I thought of my adopted sister, and the urge to run up and apologize hit me again.
