Wicked Flames (Solsti Prophecy)

by Sharon Kay

  “But…that’s why Ria was there.”

  His eyes flicked to a screeching bird flying low over the sand. “Yeah. She did a good job. But I have other skills that Arawn wanted me to use.”

  “Other skills?” He can conjure fire and probably find a caterpillar on a leaf three thousand miles away. She couldn’t imagine what else lurked in his arsenal.

  “Extraction and persuasion.”

  Her jaw dropped. “What? What does that even mean?” Why was this so hard for him to spit out?

  “Extracting information. By any means. Gathering intel.” Hazel eyes pierced her as if waiting for her response.

  Any means. That didn’t mean— “Do you…torture people?”

  “Well, not people. Demons, elves, witch—”

  “Stop.” She held up a hand and leaned away from him. “I don’t want to know.”

  “It’s my job. I find creatures and I get information.”

  Back to the job aspect, again. She drew a deep breath. “Okay. I get it. I don’t ever want to know details, but I get it. But what did you need to extract from me?”

  “With you, it was about persuading.”

  She frowned, not liking where this might be going.

  He pulled free a tendril of her hair that had stuck to her eyelashes. “I wanted to persuade you to see the extent of your power. To give it a chance. To work with your sisters. At first, that was it.” He paused.

  She leaned forward, the suspense of the moment vibrating every nerve. “And?”

  “And then I realized how god damn sexy and smart you are. I’ve never met anyone like you, and I’m not talking about the fire stuff. It’s everything else about you.”

  “You…slept with me as part of your job?” The words left her mouth on a broken whisper. She should have felt shocked, or hurt, or betrayed. Again. But as the pieces of this nightmare puzzle clicked into place, the weight of the larger picture crushed her. The Deseratis, her curse, Torth, her sisters. Ria and Mathias. Her own resistance.

  Her gaze dropped to the sand. All she felt was numb.

  “Not about the job, Gin. Not that part.” He caressed her jaw. “Look at me.”

  She met his stare. What was left to say at this point?

  “You have compassion and the conviction to make this world better. You know how few people I’ve met who have that drive?” His eyes burned, the intensity stealing her breath. “Power or no power, you’re unique. You’re capable of amazing shit. And I want you to work with me. I want you.”

  Her shoulders sagged and she didn’t know whether to yell at him or slap him again. Or maybe kiss him. She opened her mouth, then closed it again as his earlier joking words echoed back. Hi, I’m a demon and I’d like to spend time with you. If she’d known, she never would have gotten close to him.

  But because she ignored her true nature, demons had lurked around campus. Innocent people had been in potential danger.

  The squawking bird landed near them, pecking at the sand and pausing to shoot wary glances their way. She looked at it because she didn’t want to look at him, and shook her head. “I-I don’t know what to say. I need a minute.”

  He leaned back on his elbows, stretching his long legs out on the sand but not putting distance between them. She was grateful for his presence as much as she was for his silence. Grateful for his acceptance of her words and feelings as much as for his wish to keep her safe. I didn’t make it easy. He’s been walking a fine line too.

  The enormity of the situation crashed over her. This is real. People in this world need help. I may not want to be part of it, but does that mean I turn my back? This world has good guys and bad guys too.

  Mathias, Ria, and her sisters had chosen the good.

  It was time for her to decide.

  CHAPTER 30

  “THIS IS SCARY.” GIN JABBED dots in the sand with her finger.

  “Which part?” Mathias’s voice rumbled from behind her, where he lay reclined on the sand.

  “All of it.” Her voice was tiny. “Being here. Using my power.”

  “Makes sense. Wrapping your head around the one thing you swore off? I can see how that would be scary. Or at least, take some getting used to.” He straightened up beside her and rubbed slow circles on her back.

  She took comfort in his touch, thankful he wasn’t pushing her. Thankful he was taking time to explain until she was satisfied. Was that his standard way of operating? Or did he know that was the approach she needed?

  Drawing a deep breath, she turned to him. His dark hair was mussed, like he’d run his hands through it. The blue swirls in his eyes stood out from the other colors, magnified by the sky behind him. But they held something else—something true, patient, and protective. They radiated the heartfelt feeling that he cared about her happiness just as much as his job. Maybe more.

  He tilted his head. “Watcha thinking?”

  She swallowed hard. “I’ll do it.” Wow. The instant the words left her lips, she felt lighter. “Help me learn.”

  He smiled, a megawatt grin that made him even more handsome. “You got it.”

  Her chest expanded with the sense that she’d made the right choice. She couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah. This feels…right.”

  “Agreed.” His eyes roamed her face, and it seemed like he had more to say.

  She waited. Was he going to say something about them? She wasn’t sure about them yet. She didn’t hate him. And she wanted him to be the one to train her. But the rest? Her eyes dropped to his oh-so-kissable lips.

  He didn’t make any move to kiss her. Probably letting me decide that too. Suddenly needing to say something before her body acted on its own, she blurted. “Will you work with me?”

  “Sure.” He chuckled. “I’d planned on it. I was thinking we could try some different things with your power.”

  “When?”

  “Now.”

  “What?” Her voice came out higher than she intended. Talking about it was one thing, but trying it?

  “This is a good place. No one else is here. We’re on a beach. Just sand and water.” He glanced over his shoulder at a copse of palm trees. “Maybe we’ll stay away from the trees at first.”

  “Not funny.” She folded her arms over her chest. “And I can’t conjure fire out of thin air. I need it to, you know, exist first, then I can do something with it.”

  He pulled her to her feet and held one arm out to the side. “Consider me your own personal Zippo.” A ball of fire appeared in his palm, growing to the size of an apple and bobbing gently.

  Focused on the fire, she took a tiny step back. “You don’t have to be in a fight to make that? You can do that whenever you want? Ria, too?”

  “Yep. Can do it with two hands too.” He extended his other hand.

  “No!” This time, she hopped back two full steps. “That’s okay. I believe you. I think you actually did that, back in my parking lot.”

  “I probably did.” He dropped his hand back to his side.

  The ball of flame hovered above his palm. “Do you ever run out of…” She tilted her head. “What fuels it? I mean, what causes the ignition?”

  “Magic.” He smiled. “Not a very scientific answer.”

  “I guess I better get used to that.”

  “Probably a good idea. Though, if you want to analyze the how and why of things here, go right ahead.” He made a bouncing motion with his hand, and the ball of fire bounced right along with him, just like a baseball. “So, are you ready?”

  “What did you have in mind?” Nervousness chilled her skin despite the warm air.

  “How about recreating what you did in that house we rescued you from? Which was fucking incredible. I never got to tell you how shocked I was to see you doing that. And impressed.”

  “The look on your face pretty much gave you away.” She allowed a small smile, remembering his wide-eyed, yet appreciative expression when he’d burst into the room at Xavier’s.

  “You know what was real
ly cool? You were concentrating so hard, yet you didn’t seem like you were straining. And you had no fear of the fire.”

  “Yeah, because it did exactly what I asked. No more, no less.”

  “See? You were in complete control.”

  “Yeah.” She frowned, studying the fire. It didn’t beckon her, rather, it seemed content to bounce in his hand. Maybe because he created it. “Are you sure about this? I could burn you.”

  “But you don’t want to burn me.”

  “Of course not!”

  “So I think your power will understand that. And, just to be safe, start out by aiming it away from me.”

  Hmm. Her gut told her he was right, that her power was tuned in to her intentions. But what if it wasn’t? You can control it. The words popped into her head, like when she’d been tied up in Xavier’s house. It was reassuring, yet firm. She took a deep breath. “Okay. First, I’m going to experiment with the size.” She concentrated on the fire, and in seconds it grew to the size of a basketball.

  “Nice,” Mathias said. “But if you go any bigger, I’d like to set this down first.”

  “No, I’ll put it back to the way it was.” She shrank the fire ball and let out a huge breath. She looked up to meet his sparkling eyes.

  “So how’d that feel?” he asked.

  She paused, searching for the right word. “Controlled. I was a little wary, but I could manage it.”

  “Good. Ready to try more?”

  “Yes.” I can do this. We’re on a beach. I can’t burn the sand. For the next several minutes she coaxed tendrils of flame out of the ball, making them longer or shorter, making them reach, dip, and swirl. She tried bringing out two at once, in different directions. At her will, they arched up and met high above Mathias’s hand.

  “It’s a ring of fire. That could come in handy,” he said, looking to the top of the ring, which was a good four feet above his head. “Hey, I bet Nicole could use her power to grab this and fling it at an enemy. Then you could shrink it around their bodies.”

  “Ew.” Horrified, she blinked and directed the fiery arms to draw back into the ball. They snapped back to it like rubber bands, a little faster than she had intended, but his words jarred her. “That’s awful! Why would you even think that?”

  He extinguished the fire. “Shit, I’m sorry. It just popped into my mind. I see a lot of violence in my line of work.”

  “You want me to kill people?” Disgust and dread tumbled her stomach. I can’t do this.

  “Not necessarily. But someone needs to take out this evil, whatever it is. Maybe one of your sisters. Or maybe you girls will clear the path for the Lash demons to do it. I don’t know.” He closed the distance between them. “The more you practice, the more control you have, the more likely your power will do exactly what you want. And nothing that you don’t want.”

  “I won’t kill anyone.”

  “Not telling you to. Today is all about practice.”

  She looked at him and swallowed hard. It sure sounded like a setup to kill people. Or demons.

  “You can use fire to simply thwart an enemy. Put a fire barrier between them and us. Set their bows and arrows on fire. Burn bridges that they need to cross. The options are endless. You don’t have to kill.” He held one of her hands between his. “Okay?”

  She nodded. I can do this. One day at a time. “Okay.”

  He gave her hand a squeeze. “I have faith in you. Let’s try a few more things.”

  He summoned a ball of demonfire again. “Try picking it up. Or telling it to rise. I’m not sure exactly how you want to communicate this. Then fling it toward the sea.”

  Gin complied, successfully lifting the fire and throwing it toward the water. It landed short, hitting the sand with a pop. A few dry twigs and blades of grass sizzled, then the fire went out.

  They repeated the exercise, with Gin enlarging the fire ball after it left Mathias’s hand. She also experimented with the shape—forming it into a comet, a spear, and again a ring. Each time she felt more confident. And each time, the fire simply went out when she told it to. No harm done. She was so wrapped up that she didn’t realize they had an audience until the sound of clapping reached her ears.

  Startled, she turned to see Ria, D’Mari, Zinaya, and two other Tarsa demons standing at the tree line. She looked at Mathias. “Did you tell them to come?”

  He held up both hands. “Nope. Didn’t say a word.”

  “Our peninsula is vibrating with your power, Solsti.” Zinaya stepped forward, crossed the sand to stand near Gin, and inclined her head. “We couldn’t help but come and see what you’re doing.”

  Gin swallowed. “I didn’t mean to disturb anyone.”

  “Disturb?” D’Mari snorted as he joined his mate. “We wouldn’t miss this. You’re putting on quite a show. Never mind the fact that just a few months ago, you were thought to be a myth.”

  “We’re honored to have you with us.” Zinaya smiled.

  About to respond, Gin stopped. The air hummed and buzzed, like it did when you stood under a giant power line. Her skin prickled with static electricity. “What’s that?” She stepped closer to Mathias.

  He threw an arm around her shoulders. “Someone’s coming. But it’s not the same magic as a portal. So it could be a porter, or someone extremely powerful.”

  D’Mari and his guards unsheathed their swords, eyes sweeping the beach.

  “What’s a port—” Gin stared in wonder as a black mist generated out of thin air. It grew to a six-foot-tall column of smoke, swirled with silver streaks. Her eyes widened, and she was thankful the Tarsa men appeared ready for whatever was about to happen. She pressed closer to Mathias. He seemed calm. Does he ever worry for his safety?

  The mist stopped moving and the air stopped buzzing. The smoke dissipated on the wind to reveal a short figure in a black-hooded cloak. A delicate hand reached out to push back the hood.

  “Rosa!” Mathias boomed.

  Gin’s eyes whipped to his face. Does he know everyone over here? He was beaming.

  D’Mari and Zinaya inclined their heads. “Rosa, you’re most welcome here. To what do we owe this honor?” D’Mari put his weapon away and gestured for his men to do the same.

  “I’d like to say I had a taste for your Sangre sea shark.” Rosa swept her gaze over the Tarsa demons, then Mathias. “Hunter.” She fixed crystal blue eyes on Gin. “But there’s someone I have to talk to.”

  Gin swallowed hard. Authority and strength radiated from this woman. She was petite, probably only five feet tall, with the brightest turquoise eyes Gin had ever seen. And her hair was silver. Not salt-and-pepper, not gray, but as bright as a new coin.

  Mathias dropped his hand to her waist. “Gin, this is Rosa. She’s a witch.”

  Witch? Was she supposed to say something special? Shake her hand? Curtsy? “Hello,” she managed to squeak out.

  Rosa stepped close and reached for her hands, holding them in front of her. “Virginia.” She studied Gin’s face. “You have the same eyes as your sister Nicole.”

  “You know Nicole?” Had Nicole told her about this woman, and she’d tuned it out? And how did she know her full name? She didn’t care for it, but wasn’t about to argue. Gin got the distinct feeling that this witch did things her own way.

  “And I know Brooke.” Rosa released her hands. “You’ve been practicing.”

  “H-How can you tell?”

  “Child, traces of your energy linger in the air.” Rosa smiled. “I’m glad to see it. But you must keep working on it. Time is ticking.”

  “Have you learned anything about Elegia?” Mathias asked.

  Elegia. Why does that name sound familiar?

  “Yes, Hunter. But first, let’s sit.” She shrugged out of her cloak, revealing a long-sleeved white peasant-style blouse, a full deep-blue skirt that reached her ankles, and white sandals. Silver jewelry adorned her wrists and neck. She shook her hair out over her shoulders. “Your peninsula is as warm as ever.”
>
  Zinaya turned to her clansmen. “Oh, I can have Javon bring a table and—”

  Rosa snapped her fingers and a cherry wood table appeared on the sand, complete with six chairs. She winked. “No need. But I would like some of your mango rum.”

  Gin stared at the table. Oh my God. What else can she do? She wasn’t afraid of Rosa, just filled with the sense that the witch was not one to be crossed.

  Rosa sat and patted the chair next to her. “Sit, Virginia.” She gestured to Mathias, Ria, D’Mari, and Zinaya to do the same.

  “I’ve been monitoring the kidnappings going on around the realm. They’ve slowed, due to the Solsti Brooke eliminating one of the men responsible.”

  Gin’s jaw dropped. “My sister?”

  Mathias nudged her with his elbow. “I’ll tell you about it later. She kicked ass.”

  “My own spies have confirmed that Elegia is behind the kidnappings. She’s at the top of the food chain, so to speak.”

  “What kind of demon is she?” D’Mari asked.

  Rosa shook her head. “She’s not a demon. She’s a vampire.”

  “Vampire?” Zinaya’s eyes widened.

  “How is a vampire leading a kidnapping operation?” Mathias said.

  Gin sat stunned, still processing that Brooke had killed some kind of creature while she was here. And now vampires exist too? She took a deep breath.

  “How can she control the creatures she captures? Some are vicious predators.” D’Mari said.

  “I wish I had those answers,” Rosa said. “But Brooke’s dreams are prophetic, and she dreamed of being attacked by a blond vampire.”

  “What?” Gin’s jaw dropped. “Her dreams are what? And…and she’s going to be attacked?” The thought of losing her sisters had her breath coming in shallow gasps. This was too much, too close.

  Mathias draped an arm around her shoulders. “Kai knows about it. All the Watchers do. They won’t let a vampire near her. And even if that happened,” he cocked his head. “I’d put money on Brooke.”

  Gin searched his face, wanting to believe him. “But her dreams?”

  “One Solsti has foretelling dreams,” Rosa said. “But dreams aren’t always easy to decipher. So we put the pieces together as we get them.”