As for me, I tried to help out wherever I could. I escorted tipsy supernaturals to a few temporary portals at the base of the mountain. I enchanted the stone sinks in the kitchens to act as magical dishwashers—because if they had to wash all these plates by hand, they’d still be doing it a year from now. I picked up garbage outside with Leda and Hudson, I spoke for Darius in his absence when clan members came looking, and I loaded Hayden up with soft blankets and some herbal tea to take to his mother.
But all I wanted to do, however, was speak to Darius—alone. And now he was gone. Without a trace. Lips pursed, I thanked my best friend quickly, nodded to a sullen, exhausted Quinn, then made my way out of the dark, smelly alpha’s hall and into the night air. As refreshing as it was, I wouldn’t breathe easily until I found him. After checking his old bedroom, his mother’s room, and a few of the mountaintop sites he had been especially vocal about the first time I toured the village, I found nothing.
Not wanting to go back to work without giving it my all, I headed as far from the noise and hubbub of the clean-up crew as I could. Then, in the quiet, I closed my eyes, breathed deeply, and told my inner voice to shut up for two seconds so I could listen to my gut instead. She complied, though only just, the whispers caressing the fringes of my mind, encouraging me to find him, to go to him, to comfort him.
“What do you think I’m trying to do here?” I snapped, glaring up at my forehead. Squaring my shoulders, I stared out into the night, lifting my gaze up to the starry, clear sky—wondering if I might find him there.
I didn’t. There were no dragon cries on the wind. No thundering flaps of his wings.
Knowing that he had to be here somewhere, that Darius wasn’t the type to throw his hands up and bail when things got tough, I just started walking. With no set path in mind and no particular route to follow, I let my feet steer me. I wasn’t one for meditation, but I managed to clear my mind just enough so that persistent thoughts, good or bad, wouldn’t cloud my feet’s judgement. I wanted to let them do their thing. Because with every step, something inside me told me I was following in Darius’s footsteps, that even though I couldn’t see the evidence, this was the path he had walked sometime earlier.
Sure enough, my feet led me down the mountain, away from the village halls and off the beaten path. The air warmed the closer to the ground I walked, until finally I was at the foot of one mountain in the range, my legs tired and my eyes heavy.
But at least my feet had stepped up to the plate and done their job. Because there was Darius, some twenty feet away, seated at the edge of a lake so dark, I could have sworn the water was black. He stopped skipping stones as I made my way over, though he didn’t turn back, not even when I smoothed a hand over his hunched shoulder.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” he muttered, his voice hoarse. He looked down at the stone in his hand. Smooth. Oval. He turned it over and over, before rearing back and hurling it toward the water. Rather than skipping as the others had, it landed with a heavy plunk and disappeared. Nibbling my lower lip, I eased around to the other side of him, then perched on what looked like a recently fallen tree trunk. When he didn’t immediately lean into me, I wondered if he needed the space—then shook my head and shuffled closer until he had his arm around me. I locked myself around his waist, with my head resting on his shoulder, and listened to the slow, steady beat of his heart, to the blood pumping through his veins.
“How are you doing?” I murmured.
“Fine,” he answered without pause, without hesitation, his words thick—restrained. I could feel the control radiating through him, his body stiff and his jaw clenched. He wasn’t fine. Darius was far from fine, but I knew pushing too hard could backfire. So, I softened my tone, set my hand on his thick thigh, and sighed.
“You know… It’s okay not to be fine, too,” I told him. “No one else has to know. It’s just me and you.”
“I have to be fine, Kaye,” he said with a slight shake of his head. “Tomorrow I become the clan alpha. I can’t be…”
“Sad?”
“I have to be strong,” he growled, then untangled himself from my grasp and stood. I watched him pace the edge of the lake for a few moments, his hands swinging in tight fists by his sides. “There’s no weakness in alphas. Our dragons don’t respect weakness. They pounce. They exploit. They purge it from their homes. I can’t…”
“You aren’t weak to mourn the death of your father,” I argued. He stopped, kicking up a bit of wet rock and dirt as he did. Although he didn’t face me, I caught the quiver in his lower lip, the faraway look in his eyes as he studied the dark lake. Slowly, without the constant assault of his rocks, the water settled to a stillness, save for the flutter of fish beneath its surface.
“I…” Darius planted his hands on his hips, his head bowed and his eyes closed. “I don’t think I can do this, Kaye.”
I cautiously stood and joined him at the edge of the lake. While I wanted to touch him, to drag him into my arms and brush my fingers through his hair, it wasn’t what he wanted. In a moment of perceived weakness, no one wanted to be physically coddled—as if he was weak.
“What do you mean?” I tipped my head to one side, frowning at him. “You don’t think you can become alpha? Pretty sure it’s a done deal—”
“I don’t think I can fill his shoes,” he insisted. “I don’t think I can handle the responsibility of taking care of all these people, shifters I’ve known my entire life. All of them will look at me now to fix everything. Their lives are in my hands, and I don’t think I deserve such a huge responsibility. I mean, what have I done to warrant any of this? Just because I was born, doesn’t mean I deserve to take his place.”
I bit my lip, waiting a few beats in case he needed to keep ranting. Then, with a soft sigh, I touched his bicep and found it tense beneath my fingers.
“Darius, you weren’t just born. You were born to do this. Everyone knows it. They can all sense it.”
“But—”
“If you weren’t ready, your father wouldn’t have left you alone to do it,” I told him, raising my voice to drown him out for a moment. “Seriously. He had faith in you. Not only that, but I have faith in you. I’ve watched you display leadership and sacrifice. I’ve seen you defeat magical beings with powers far greater than your own, and I’ve watched you protect the weak. Sure, I don’t know much about this alpha business, but to me, you have exemplified over and over again the true qualities of a leader. You can do this. I know you can. You will do this, because that’s the kind of person you are.”
I sucked in a much-needed gasp when I finished; apparently, I’d been rambling on a lot longer than I realized, judging by the slightly wide-eyed expression on Darius’s face. Hands limp at his side, he stared at me, capturing my gaze with his stormy grays, and I suddenly found myself anxious for a response. Had I overstepped my bounds? Was that not what he wanted, or needed, to hear—at all?
“Darius, I didn’t mean to overstep—”
He silenced me with a kiss, leaning down and scooping me up with an arm around my waist, his lips capturing mine in a heated embrace. I felt the moment flood my body, a rush of excitement paired with a spark of longing burning brightly within my core. Exhaling sharply, I threaded my fingers up through his hair, smiling against his mouth at the rumbling growl reverberating in his chest when I tugged twice for good measure. The sound penetrated through me, shooting straight to the crux of my thighs, the longing unfurling into something akin to dark desire—to desperate need.
Much to my disappointment, Darius pulled back as soon as the kiss threatened to deepen, nipping lightly at my lower lip before he straightened.
“You didn’t overstep,” he murmured, his words colored with a rasp that made my toes curl. “You never do, Kaye. You always know just what to say to pull me back from the edge.”
My hands slid down his neck to rest on his burly shoulders, and I flicked my hair back, smirking.
“What can I say… It’s l
ike knowing what to do in a mental crisis is my job, or something.”
At the very least, it had been my job. I hadn’t practiced psychology professionally in months. Maybe that was why I was so on the ball with everybody’s feelings today—therapist withdrawal.
“Either way, thank you.” He stole another quick peck when I didn’t expect it. While the starlight illuminated our surroundings, I hoped it was still dark enough that he couldn’t spot my blush.
“So, shall we head back?” I asked, nodding toward the mountains looming behind us. “Or do you want to stay here for a bit?”
“Let’s go,” he said, looking just as reluctant to fully untangle as I felt. “I’m sure there’s still a lot to do.”
“You know how many gifts there are to sort through? It’s insane.”
“It’s a compliment.”
“One well earned, I think.” We exchanged smiles before turning away from the lake, hand in hand, and strolled toward the unseen trail I’d taken down here at a good clip. As we walked, however, something washed over me—like a summer’s breeze, but cold. A flash of adrenaline pumped from the top of my head straight down to my toes, firing up everything in between. My fight or flight instinct kicked into high gear seemingly out of nowhere. I whirled around.
“Kaye?” Darius stopped as I scanned the area. Nothing but forest and underbrush and the lake out here. In the distance, an owl hooted.
“I thought I felt… something,” I said, frowning. “But it must have just been the wind.” I looked up at him. “Are you cold?”
Darius shrugged. “No, but I kind of always burn hot.”
“True.” Heart hammering, I took one last look before calling it. Clearly Darius wasn’t the only one reeling from a stressful, long day. Apparently, I was just jittery…
Though as we started our climb, hands clasped, the hairs on the back of my neck slowly rose, and once again, I felt an unflinching stare fixated on my back.
Yet when I glanced over my shoulder, I saw nothing.
But the feeling of being watched…
Those eyes.
Not once, for the whole climb, did they ever blink.
Chapter 3
“Hey,” Leda nudged me with her elbow, “you promise, you’re going to keep it together?”
“What, for more speeches? I think I can manage,” I whispered back, eyes fixed on Darius, Cynthia, and some decrepit shifter I’d come to learn was the village elder. Apparently the oldest in the clan, along with the spouse of the fallen alpha, led the ceremony that transferred Khalon’s responsibilities to his son. For the last hour, as we all stood watching in an enormous semi-circle in front of the alpha’s hall, there had been a lot of talking, walking around a bonfire holding hands, and ceremonial throat singing from the elder. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected when it came to an alpha ceremony, but probably not this.
At least the mood had lifted from yesterday. And, why shouldn’t it? This was a joyous moment for the Sanctius clan. Although there were only a few supernatural beings present, the air hummed with magic—magic I could only assume stemmed from the clan’s excitement at the crowning of their new king. While most of the flags and banners still hung low in deference to Darius’s father, some were up and flying high already. Quinn told Catriona and I that everyone would raise new banners and new flags once the alpha ceremony was completed. Then there would be feasting, dancing, and general merriment well into the night.
Another exhausting day, but at least I had seen Cynthia smile—and eat.
“No, what’s next isn’t a speech,” Leda told me. I stood sandwiched between her and my father, hands clasped in front of me, dressed in a crimson gown that Cynthia had worn when Khalon was sworn in. The damn thing was so tight that I worried I’d split it right down the sides of I took too deep of a breath, but I appreciated the gesture—even if it was woefully inappropriate for such a scorching, hot summer day. On top of that, I missed my trademark black attire, even if Darius couldn’t take his eyes off my butt earlier.
“More awkward singing?” I didn’t want to knock an ancient tradition, something that had kept Darius up most of last night—something that was such a huge deal to him. But I was tired. My patience was a little lower today. My feet hurt from standing in one place for so long. I adored my dragon, but just put the freakin’ crown on his head already. He needed for this to be over—and I seriously wanted it for be over for him. The stress of a parent’s funeral one day, and then this the next? Brutal.
“No…” Leda pressed her lips together when our father shot us a pointed look. I bit the insides of my cheeks, trying not to smile as my half-sister and I exchanged side-long glances. Shifting my weight from side to side, I straightened somewhat at the sight of Cynthia and the clan elder disappearing inside the alpha’s hall. Darius stood before the small bonfire, hands hovering over it.
“Where did they go?” I murmured, trying not to move my lips much. “Is it over?”
Leda shook her head. “Not quite.”
Frowning, I watched as Cynthia and the elder returned, each carrying a torch. The elder carried one with a blue flame, which I instantly noted belonged to Darius. I’d recognize it anywhere. The other burned a breathtaking red—pure and stark against the gray backdrop of the mountains. In fact, it looked a little like the color of my dress. I twisted my hands together, anxiety prickling through me.
“What are those for?”
“Promise you’ll keep it together?”
“Leda.”
“Kaye, promise—”
“Both of you,” James hissed, still facing the ceremony, “be silent.”
My mouth opened in protest, but then quickly shut again when Darius stepped around the bonfire and held his arms out. Palms twisted toward the sky, he met my gaze briefly before closing his eyes and tilting his head back.
“What…?” My sassy inquiries died on the tip of my tongue when both Cynthia and the elder lit each of Darius’s arms on fire. A strangled screech slipped out of me as the blue and red flames spread across his bland cotton shirt, colliding on his chest and engulfing his body. Panicked, I lunged forward, hands pulsing with magic, ready to extinguish the flames, but both Leda and James dragged me back.
“He’s fine,” James assured me. “It’s all part of the ceremony.”
“He’s on fire,” I snapped. “He can’t be fine!”
“Dragons live in fire,” Leda countered, her grip tightening on my arm when I tried to wriggle free. “Seriously. He’s okay.”
I faced him, my breath coming hard and fast, unable to feel my toes, and watched as the fire consumed him. For a moment, the flames retained their separate colors—until finally they merged, blending into a beautiful, soothing purple, the heat of which washed over me some twenty feet away.
“The flame of the old,” Cynthia cried, her voice echoing across the mountaintop.
“The flame of the new,” the elder chimed in.
In unison, they said: “Darius Thomas is reborn… alpha.”
The purple flame disappeared, as if absorbed by his skin, leaving him naked but unburned. The elder strode forth and threw a shawl over Darius’s broad shoulders, which he used to cover himself as the crowd around me broke out into thundering cheers.
“No one could have warned me he was going to be lit on fire?!” I demanded, a sickly feeling creeping up my body, unleashing some unholy combination that made me feel as though I was about to vomit and faint.
“Everyone should experience the surprise of an alpha ceremony, at least once,” James said, grinning. “What takes place isn’t discussed ever. If you are fortunate enough to witness it, then—”
He hastily caught my other arm when my knees buckled. Moments later, Darius was by my side, smiling broadly for the first time in days.
“Are you all right?” he asked, smoothing a hand over my face, tucking my hair behind my ear. “I’m sure that was a bit frightening, but—”
“A bit frightening?!” I quickly found my footing,
wrenched myself free from Leda and James, and pushed at Darius’s chest with all my might. “Are you kidding me?!”
“Kaye—”
“I’m just so…” With shaking, clammy hands, I threw my arms around him, still torn between pushing him again and kissing him in front of everyone. In the end, I let go of my shock, my surprise, and my near heart attack, and instead whispered in his ear, “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you,” he rumbled back, squeezing me softly before stepping away, his hands on my shoulders. “I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a heads up. For the record, I’d react the exact same way if someone set you on fire.”
“And I’m sure you’d be justified,” I told him. I, on the other hand, kind of made a fool of myself in front of everyone by overreacting, but at least no one could question just how much I loved my dragon.
“Darius, my darling!” Cynthia swept over and wrapped her son in a brief embrace, her eyes shining with tears—but her smile outshining us all. “Your father would be so proud of you!”
Darius scratched at the back of his neck, clearly a little uneasy with all this attention. The clan still hadn’t stopped cheering. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Of course.” She patted his cheek, then shot a quick glance back to me. “Now you just need to find yourself a mate and you’ll be all set. I think I know the perfect candidate.”
My cheeks darkened as all eyes in the nearby proximity darted to me. Oi. Nothing quite like a huge ceremony and everyone watching to put pressure on a relationship.
“I…” I swallowed hard, that about-to-faint-and-hurl feeling hitting me again—hard. “I think I need to sit down…”
Magic Blaze: an Urban Fantasy Novel (Shifting Magic Book 3) Page 3
