Seared

by Bethany Adams

  Her skin tingled as Ralan, oblivious to her distress, channeled more magic into the mirror. The light flared, then settled to reveal two elves standing in a beautiful study. Cora leaned closer, not sure what to look at first. There was a handsome male with long brown hair and a delicate blond woman beside him. Light streamed all around them from myriad windows, ancient trees visible beyond the panes.

  Cora bit back a grin. It looked like a scene from a fantasy movie.

  “Is Eri okay?” Ralan asked as soon as the magic settled.

  The man nodded. “She is well. Behaving perfectly, in fact.”

  Ralan’s brows drew together. “Has something else happened? I was supposed to contact you later.”

  “My mother found another source on the energy poisoning.” A worried frown crossed the elf’s face. “Have you found Kien? If not, put a rush on it.”

  “Why?” Ralan asked.

  “According to Mother, he might be planning to connect himself to Earth’s energy despite the danger. I recommend you kill him first.”

  Ralan went silent, and Cora glanced over to see his nostrils flaring. Finally, he spoke. “My Sight has completely failed. And Cora’s friend was kidnapped by Kien’s minions. We’re making progress, Lyr, but I’m going into this blind.”

  “You’ve had three centuries of life without your Sight,” the elf said. “Think of something else.”

  Cora’s attention returned to the mirror as the female took a step closer. “What about my runes?”

  Beside Cora, Ralan let out a curse. “No. You would be beyond lost in the human world, Meli. If you think Lyr’s home is different from Alfheim, imagine a place with speeding vehicles and skyscrapers,” Ralan said. “Beyond that, it would take too long to get you here.”

  Meli’s chin tipped up. “I have a few memories from my past life.”

  “What about Kien’s blood?” Lyr asked in a rush, his face a shade paler in the glass. “Didn’t you take it with you for that purpose?”

  Cora jerked back, and if the others continued to speak, she didn’t notice it. A memory popped into her mind, and suddenly all she could hear were Vek’s casual words. Too bad your kind can’t follow blood connections as easily as mine can. But I doubt you carry around each other’s blood.

  Her heartbeat roared into her ears as realization hit. All this time, Ralan had possessed the very thing they needed. Almost two days of fruitless searching. Of leads that never worked out. Her palms heated until she forced her magic down.

  Barely.

  “Cora?” Ralan asked, concern in his tone.

  “You asshole,” Cora said softly.

  His hand lowered to her shoulder, but she shrugged it away. “What’s wrong?”

  Cora took a deep breath, struggling for control, and spun to face him. He stared at her with mouth agape. Didn’t he realize she’d heard? “You lied to me. You’ve been lying to me all this time.”

  Confusion lined his brow. “What are you talking about?”

  “Your friend just said you have Kien’s blood.” She poked a finger against Ralan’s chest, not caring if she singed his shirt. “All this time, you could have found him and thus Maddy. All this fucking time. Did you want to sleep with me that badly, or were you trying to capture me in this damn bond first?”

  She felt the punch of emotion in her own soul as pain washed away his confusion. “That was low, Cora.”

  The air heated as her fury spiked, and Cora scrambled for the door handle. Without a word, she shoved her way free of the car. She heard his door slam as he followed, but she didn’t look. Instead, she paced as she fought to control her fire. Only when she knew she could speak without blasting him did she spin to face him.

  “That’s all you have to say?”

  “No,” Ralan answered. Regret tinged with fear flowed from him, souring her stomach. “Vek said Kien had found his group, but that could have been a lie.”

  “Bullshit,” she snapped. “You gave no indication that you doubted him. So why?”

  Ralan shoved his hand through his hair. “There’s risk.”

  Her fists clenched, and she had to stifle to urge to punch him. “Vek didn’t think so.”

  “He’s a blood elf.”

  “Your friend in the mirror seemed to have no qualms,” Cora retorted.

  “Dammit, I don’t want to end up like Kien,” Ralan shouted, his voice raw with pain. “He’s a butcher. Some of the things I Saw when I still could… Gods, Cora, he absorbs power from the lifeforce of others. What if his blood is as vile as his soul?”

  The sound of chirping birds and burbling water filled the silence. Cora’s anger dampened at the tortured look on Ralan’s face, but it didn’t go away. “You aren’t like him.”

  “He’s my brother.” Ralan’s shoulders slumped, and he rubbed his hand across his face. “I can’t help but wonder if I hold something like that inside of me.”

  “Oh, for—” She cut off the expletive she wanted to utter and strode over to Ralan. When his gaze dropped, she put both hands on his cheeks and forced him to look at her. “Why would you even think that?”

  His sigh brushed her lips. “I share other traits with him. A certain arrogance to be certain. And I’ve bent rules to get my own way.”

  “Everyone has,” she said. “Humans. Fae. Everyone.”

  Though he smiled, it held little humor. “Cora—”

  “Shut up, Ralan.” She tugged him closer as her anger faded to embers, simmering but banked. “I’m connected to your soul, so if anyone in the world could answer this, it would be me. You. Are. Not. Evil. Stop wasting time over something that isn’t real.”

  His hands framed her face. Then he lowered his mouth to hers, pouring his worry and his pain into their kiss. Cora let her arms drop to his shoulders and shifted closer. For a moment, they devoured, his agony feeding the remnants of her fury. But then the tone shifted.

  For the first time ever, he brushed his mind against hers. She hesitated only a heartbeat before allowing his thoughts in. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  He had so much worry suffused in his thoughts. A burden, a weight, so great she wanted to cry for him. Cora shifted back until their lips parted and she could look into his eyes. “Thank you.”

  His eyebrow arched. “For?”

  “Apologizing.” She let her lips curl upward. “I like people who can admit a fault.”

  “I’ve had plenty of fault to admit to lately,” he answered wryly. “Trust me.”

  Cora found herself laughing. With a shake of her head, she ended their mental connection. Aloud, she said, “What do you need to do the spell with Kien’s blood?”

  “A shielded space free of possible disruption.” Ralan examined the clearing with a frown. “This is a serious spell, one I haven’t fully performed before. A parking lot beside a public road would not be a safe spot.”

  She bit her lip. There was one place she could take him. Her haven—home. Only her closest friends had ever been, and they but rarely. But she could hardly chide him for holding back if she did, too.

  “Let’s go to my house.”

  They didn’t speak a great deal on the way to Cora’s house, but that was fine with Ralan. Their argument had given him more than enough to process. Why hadn’t he realized the true source of his hesitation about using Kien’s blood? He hadn’t known himself until Cora’s goading had brought it forth.

  He and Kien had always been in competition, at least as long as Ralan could clearly remember. Both of them were confident and hated to lose. But Kien’s games had always been tinged with a hint of cruelty. Sometimes, it was a joke that held more than a little mocking. Others, an accident that ended in injury. Like the time Kien’s sword had slipped during practice, cracking the bone in Ralan’s arm.

  Cora was right—Ralan didn’t have that cruelty inside him. But fear and logic were far from friends.

  They turned down a quiet street of well-kept older homes set around a broad hill. The lots here were generous, more s
o than near the city proper, but they were far from private. Ralan peered curiously at the neighborhood and wondered which belonged to Cora. Did she like living so close to humans?

  But as they continued around the hill, the yards grew larger and the homes older. Finally, Cora pulled into a driveway at the end of the road. Trees lined the drive and partly obscured one corner of the house, a craftsman style in decent repair. A quick glance around revealed the yard to be fairly private.

  “How much land do you have?”

  Cora smiled as she parked the car. “Eight acres.”

  “It’s beautiful,” he said, unbuckling his seatbelt.

  “I’m sure you have penthouses that are bigger.” Cora chuckled. “But it’s my favorite home so far.”

  “A penthouse that large in a city? Not even I can do something that impossible.”

  They shared a grin before climbing out of the car. Ralan did have a five-hundred-acre estate in New York, but he didn’t mention it. The place had never felt like home, and its size was no substitute for the peaceful energy that caressed him as soon as he stepped onto Cora’s land.

  Ralan hefted his backpack to his shoulders and followed Cora up the sidewalk. Her fingers shook as she unlocked the door, and she dropped the keys with a clatter. Shoulders going stiff, she bent to retrieve them. Then she took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

  Why was she so nervous? He hesitated a moment before following her again. Ralan found nothing embarrassing in the living room. The furniture was in good repair, and the room was fairly free of clutter. To the left, a television hung above the fireplace. To the right, a cozy chair had been placed beside a set of bookcases.

  “I was beginning to worry I’d find something terrible,” he said.

  Cora blushed as she placed her purse on a side table. “Oh?”

  “You looked like you’d rather run than open the door.” He scanned the room before returning his attention to her. “It’s obviously nothing here. What’s wrong?”

  “I…” She swallowed hard. “I don’t let many people in. To my life, I mean. Even Maddy and Jase have only been here a few times.”

  “Because of the jerk on your home world?”

  Cora nodded. “And because I move so often. I’ll have to close this place up and leave before long.”

  Ralan knew that annoyance all too well. It was the main reason he’d bought the five-hundred acres. His neighbors were too far away to see him, so he didn’t have to hide his lack of aging. He only needed to sell the place to himself every few decades. But eight acres wouldn’t be enough to ensure that Cora wasn’t watched too closely by her neighbors.

  “So,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “My back workroom is magically shielded. I have my drawings there, though, so just…”

  Some of the reason for her nerves became clear. “Your fashion designs? I won’t say a word about them.”

  Cora waved a hand, her expression wry. “I’m not sure that’s better. I’ll be wondering if you hate them either way.”

  He chuckled. “Then what do you prefer?”

  “Honesty,” she answered. Then she nibbled at her lower lip. “So long as it isn’t brutal.”

  “My ego is healthy enough that I don’t need to bruise another person to augment it.”

  Cora grinned at him. “That’s a fancy way of saying you aren’t a jerk.”

  Ralan gave a flourishing bow. “As it pleases you, milady.”

  “Ha ha,” she answered. She gestured toward the archway behind her. “Come on.”

  Despite the difficult task ahead, Ralan found his mood lighter as he followed Cora into a small kitchen. She opened a door on the left and motioned for him to enter. He paused in the doorway, a little nervous himself. It would be awkward indeed if he hated his soulbonded’s work.

  A few framed pictures of her designs hung from the walls, and many more were pinned over a drafting table cluttered with work. A table occupied the center of the room, fabrics piled on one end. She also had a sewing table against the wall and a rack of clothing in various stages of construction.

  Ralan circled the room, examining the drawings first. Then he stopped next to the rack and pulled out a fun, floral dress with a scooped neckline. “Custom order?”

  Nibbling at her lip again, Cora nodded. “I’ve been trying to work on winter designs, but I keep getting requests for other things. At this rate, I might as well start on spring stuff.”

  Ralan shrugged. “You aren’t as constrained as I am. Make what you want.”

  “Constrained?”

  “The bigger you get, the more you have to stick to a schedule.” Ralan placed the dress back on the rack. “Fashion weeks, big shows, magazines, store ordering times. It makes it harder to follow your inspiration.”

  Cora studied him. “Are you going back to design once this is through?”

  “I doubt it.” Ralan smiled against a wave of sadness. Another chapter of his life ended, one more to add to thousands of others. “I’ll formally hand it over to my assistant. She has already been running things in my absence and is more than skilled enough. If she wants to start her own business, I’ll end the line. Eri will not be ready to return to Earth for some time.”

  “Your daughter,” she said, a strange expression crossing her face.

  Ralan’s brows drew together. “What is it?”

  “Our bond.” Cora squared her shoulders. “If we keep it, it’s a form of marriage, right? She would be my stepdaughter. That’s something we’ll have to consider. She might not be receptive.”

  That was what was bothering her? Ralan smiled. “She’s the one who told me your name and urged me to find you. Remember that she sent her regards when last we spoke. She likes you.”

  Cora’s lips pursed. “She hasn’t met me.”

  “She’s a seer of great power,” Ralan said. “She has probably foreseen every interaction you’ll have for the next thousand years.”

  “Thousand years?”

  Ralan strode to the table and set his backpack on the clear side. “Maybe not literally. There are many strands of possibility. But she has Seen enough to know if she likes you.”

  He hid a grin at the stunned expression on Cora’s face as he dug in his backpack for the vial of Kien’s blood. When his fingers connected with the cool glass, Ralan’s humor cut off like the end of an unexpected vision. It was time. As much as he hated the thought, it was time to track his brother.

  Cora paled when he pulled the vial free. “Do I want to know how you got that?”

  “He left behind a pool of blood when he escaped from Inona and Delbin. Thankfully, Inona brought some back with her.”

  “How much time are you going to need for…whatever you’re doing?” she asked.

  Ralan grimaced. “An hour or more. Probably. I learned this spell hundreds of years ago, so I’m rusty.” He met her gaze. “I’ll need privacy.”

  “I’m fine with that,” Cora said with a shudder. “I’ll take a walk and start on dinner.”

  “You cook?”

  A quick grin flitted across her lips. “Passably.”

  Though he wanted to return the smile, Ralan couldn’t quite manage it. Not with his brother’s foul blood in his hand. As Cora slipped out of the room, he sighed. Whatever effect this might have, he would have to deal with it.

  No more delaying.

  Chapter 17

  Ralan shoved his hand back in his bag and pulled out a small metal bowl, a cloth, and a knife. He set them on the table and dropped down into the chair he’d grabbed. For a moment, he rolled the smooth vial of blood between his fingers. All that he’d dreaded was contained in this small tube of glass.

  I hope this doesn’t destroy me.

  He took a deep, bracing breath and placed the vial next to the bowl. With a tendril of energy, he tested the room’s shielding. Strong. Then he glanced around her room and frowned. He didn’t want any hint of this to touch upon her work, but he wouldn’t have to add much with her protections alrea
dy in place. Closing his eyes, he lifted a hand and cast a thin but solid shield around himself and the objects on the table.

  Ralan eyed the knife, then sighed and picked it up. No time like the present. Quickly, he slid the blade along the top of his forearm. With a wince, he held his arm over the bowl and let a few drops of his blood plop in. Then he wiped the knife clean on a corner of the cloth and pressed the fabric to the cut to stop the bleeding.

  His stomach turned as he set the knife on the table and stared at the red splattering the middle of the bowl. His arm burned, but elves healed fast. Already, he could sense his energy pooling around the wound, aiding his body’s natural response. In only moments, he was able to pull the cloth away to reveal a scab across the cut.

  Now for the truly unpleasant part.

  Bile scalded the back of Ralan’s throat as he let energy pool in his palm. He sought inside himself for the spell he’d learned as an apprentice, one based on similarity. It would form a link between him and Kien, and it would only be stronger and easier since they were brothers. Fortunately, it also blocked the other party from recognizing the link.

  With a sharp exhale, Ralan connected the spell to his own blood.

  Only then did he lift the vial again. Deep breath in. Out. With numb fingers, he pulled the seal free. Then he tipped the tube over the bowl, letting a few drops of blood land and mingle with his own. He corked the rest inside and set the vial next to the bowl.

  His vision went black.

  “Come on, Ral, I’ll go with you.”

  Ralan scoffed. “Aren’t you too old to be sliding down the banister?”

  “You’re ten,” Kien answered, laughing. “You’re probably too old, too. Let’s do it anyway. I dare you.”

  Wary, Ralan peered at his older brother. Kien was a couple hundred years older, way beyond this kind of stuff. Besides, he left Ralan to take the blame as often as not. He’d dared Ralan to hide their other brother’s practice sword last week, and Teyark had lectured him for hours. Kien had laughed about it for days.