by Lynda Aicher
“No, we fight.”
Out of the shadows, a fireball sailed across the space directly at them. Amber froze in shock before she ducked behind Damian’s back. The fireball deflected around them and smacked into the unseen energy circle about three feet behind her. The heat flared outward and brushed against her cheeks before fading.
“What the hell was that?” She was not prepared for shooting balls of fire.
“He controls the element of fire,” Damian huffed as he lifted his hand at another fireball that was blasted at them. Somehow, the shooting ball of flame bounced off an apparent invisible shield about two feet from Damian’s outstretched hand and sunk to the grass.
Once again, questions bombarded her brain, but there was no time for inane thoughts. Now was about reflexes, wit and survival. She stiffened her back, swallowed and let the energy flow through her. She would fight and defend. Damn it, she wouldn’t cower and run.
The bird stretched and rolled in approval.
“And don’t let them grab you,” Damian added. “One firm grip, and they’ll port you faster than you can blink.”
Great. Another thing to worry about.
“Isn’t this nice?” A deep, guttural voice spoke out of the darkness. “Two lost souls, alone and trapped. You make my job so easy.”
Amber leaned around Damian’s girth to see a man step out of the shadows on the other side of the deserted street. The man was all muscle and the image of black death. Hair, long leather duster, T-shirt, leather pants, boots—all black. The evil energy emanated from him and reached with icy tentacles across the distance.
Damian clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides, his only answer to the man’s taunts.
“You could hand her over and make this easier,” the man suggested, a sarcastic snarl curling his thin lips. “No? Then have it your way.”
With a flick of his wrist, another fireball sailed across the open space. The flames hissed and stroked the air with harsh rasps of fury as it soared through the night, a bright, flaming ball of pain and death.
Amber stood behind Damian, trapped in a shocked state of awe, the moment surreal. The dancing ball of flame streaked through the night, a blatant symbol of the drastic curve her life had taken.
The fireball whizzed over Damian’s head and slammed into the energy wall behind her. She hunched her shoulders and ducked as it disintegrated in short sparks of heat and light that rained down on her like snippets from a sparkler.
Damian swung his hand high, commanding. Amazingly, a lightning bolt shot down from the sky to hit were the attacker had been standing a half-second before. Sparks flew up where the lightning hit the earth. The man dodged, rolled and stood in one fluid motion. A fireball appeared in his hand and was immediately launched at them.
Amber gasped, the air sucked from her lungs, as she was clamped to Damian’s side by his vise-grip hold before she could even begin to process the incredible events. In the next instant, she was lifted into the air and held, suspended off the ground, the fireball soaring beneath their dangling feet. They were literally floating above the ground.
“Oh, God.” Her arms locked around Damian’s torso as they remained in the air, dodging left and right to avoid a bombardment of fireballs. “You have got to be kidding me!” Amber was willing to believe, but lightning, fireballs and levitation were seriously testing her mental stability. She fought the reflex to shut her eyes and hide her face in his chest.
No, this was something she needed to see to believe.
Damian was a study of complete focus. A small bead of sweat coursed down the side of his stern face, and his eyes narrowed, brow furrowed and lips thinned in concentration. His arm was steel around her, every muscle in his body pulled tight and hard as he weaved them back and forth through the air.
Amidst the air dance and fireballs, a dense cloud of fog rolled in out of nowhere and surrounded them in a cool blanket of invisibility. Amber’s already racing heart went into overdrive, hammering so hard against her ribs she was surprised they didn’t break. She couldn’t see anything, but at least the fireballs had stopped. She felt her feet touch the ground and exhaled in relief.
“Stay behind me,” Damian demanded as he pushed her back to where he wanted. “And duck if you see a fireball coming.”
“Not funny.”
“Not trying,” he rumbled back.
Before she could curse him out, flames sprung up from the grass and cut through the fog. The heat evaporated the mist and once again exposed them to the enemy. Damian quickly swung his arm up to command another lightning bolt at the man.
The action volleyed back and forth, no one getting the upper hand. Amber followed Damian’s orders to a tee. She might be stubborn, but she wasn’t stupid. Obviously, this fight was beyond her measly self-defense skills.
She inched back, keeping her focus on the battle before her. The power, skill and amazing abilities of the men were both frightening and breathtaking. It was beyond anything she’d ever imagined.
Amber cringed as a fireball hit Damian in the thigh, the flames lighting up his pants before he executed a duck and roll to put them out. Both men were breathing heavily, their chests heaving in and out as they sucked in deep breaths of air.
“Are you done playing yet?” the low, gritty voice called out.
Damian remained silent as he edged his way toward her. His back was to her, his face hidden from her scrutiny. Was he okay? His hands were held up and ready as blood oozed down his leg from the fireball wound.
A fine sheen of perspiration had formed on her skin, making her feel chilled and clammy. She hated the feeling of helplessness, of there being nothing she could do to defend herself or to help Damian.
“Come on, Damian. You might as well give up,” the other man taunted. “You know fire always trumps air. Just ask you brother.” An evil chuckle rolled across the space. “That’s right, you can’t. He’s dead.” The man whipped out another fireball. Damian flicked up a hand, forcing the fireball to bounce off the unseen shield of defense.
Now that was a nice trick to have.
Catching a movement out of the corner of her eye, Amber jerked her head around to see another man appear out of a black cloud of smoke. His focus instantly went to her, his eyes narrowing with sinister intent.
Amber jumped as the stone started to vibrate between her breasts. Seriously? Heat was not enough?
Suddenly, fireballs started flying at them like big, flaming snowballs. Damian held the force field, deflecting what he could, but many of them still went whizzing by her, leaving hot trails of vapor to brush against her skin.
With Damian distracted, the newest member of the party began to inch his way toward her. Six foot five inches of pure menace stalked her with deadly intent. He was dressed completely in black like his comrade, and his long, blond hair gleamed in the darkness. His face was void of expression, and set rock hard to match the rest of him.
The stone was a hot, bursting flare between her breasts. Large amounts of energy pulsated into her body, filling her, preparing her. Her bird circled and screeched in warning.
Damian was occupied deflecting fireballs. This new guy was all Amber’s. She needed to act. Not think, just do.
She inhaled, exhaled, then once again followed her instincts and reached between the folds of her coat to clutch the stone under her shirt. The energy calmed her.
She was strong. She was a fighter.
Releasing the stone, she crouched and waited as the blond man moved closer. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she met and held the deadly stare of her stalker.
“You can’t run.” His low voice shredded her nerves.
Damian turned and quickly forced a lightning bolt at the man, but was dragged back to the other fight when a fireball whizzed by his head.
Self-preservation had her backing away as the stalker advanced. He moved her backward until the invisible wall of energy made her stop. Her back quickly felt scorched as the energy vibrated and hummed against
her. There was nowhere to go.
The stalker, just feet away, raised his arm to strike her or grab her. It didn’t matter which one—neither was acceptable.
In the distant fog of her brain she heard Damian roar her name, but her focus was on the man before her. His lip was curled in victory, his eyes hooded, black and evil. She dodged his strike, made a jab with the dagger still clutched in her hand and did a quick spin. Automatically, her left hand shot out to defend against another strike, the lessons from the self-defense classes rising to help her once again.
Out of nowhere, Amber felt a surge of energy shoot through her. It felt like an inferno burned from her chest, through her body and out her extended hand. She watched in stunned amazement as a blaze of fire blasted from her hand to hit her attacker in the chest. The man roared in pain before he flailed back then tumbled to land prone and unmoving on the ground. A dark, singed circle was imprinted on the center of his chest, smoke swirling in lazy circles out of it.
Holy shit. Amber twisted her palm to stare dumbfound at the completely normal surface. She just saw fire shoot out of her hand, but there was absolutely no mark. Her palm was a healthy, normal, unmarred pink. What. The. Hell?
The energy still hummed within her, forcing her to act. To think. She quickly scanned the area. Her heart jump-started again when she saw two sets of eyes staring at her apparently as stunned by her actions as she was.
Damian met her gaze and grinned. Something akin to respect shone in his eyes, illuminated by the residual fire that still burned in the grass. He nodded, and the warmth of his approval had her straightening her back and tilting her chin up in acknowledgement.
The brief moment, the sense of closeness, ended quickly. The other man whipped another fireball and hit an unprepared Damian in the shoulder. Shock and anger lit his face as the force of the strike sent him spinning and stumbling to the ground with a strangled curse.
“Damian!” Amber could not hold back the cry. Foolishly, she had distracted him. She sprinted to his side. He was still on the ground, but had managed to prop himself up on an elbow and was making an effort to get to his feet.
Amber dropped the knife and knelt, reaching to touch him. Her hands stalled in mid-air when she saw the black and bloody wound of scorched flesh that covered his upper chest and right shoulder.
“Are you okay?” Dumb question. Of course he was not okay.
“What are you doing? I told you to stay back,” he growled.
The sternness in his voice reminded her of the danger. Before she could answer, Damian swore and yanked her arm so hard she tumbled forward to slam against his chest. He let out a groan of pain then his hand was lifting to command another lightning bolt at the enemy.
“Look out.” Damian roared in her ear. She found herself propelled in a violent circle as he twisted them out of the way of an oncoming fireball. Somehow, she landed back on her knees facing Damian, her back to the enemy, her hand in his.
Risking a quick glance over her shoulder, she saw the enemy advancing on them. His arm swung up, and she knew something bad was going to happen. All these men had to do was raise a finger and all kinds of bad crap happened.
Instinct had her free hand rising to repel whatever he shot at them. The energy surged and the incoming fireball was deflected away to land a good ten feet away from them.
“Oh my God.” She froze, her breath catching in her chest. That was not possible. She couldn’t do that. What was going on?
Damian’s stunned voice broke her stupor. He shook her slightly when she did not respond. “Amber. Focus.” He gripped her elbow and forced her stand with him.
“Well, well. Isn’t this sweet?” The snide voice had her whipping her head up to glare at the enemy. “Too bad it’s all going to end so soon. It’s been so fun playing with you, Damian. Battles are no fun if they end too quickly.” He paused to run a slow, taunting perusal over Amber. “But I really do need the girl now.”
“Fuck off, Tubal,” Damian snarled, his hand tightening possessively on Amber’s elbow as he tried to push her behind him again. She wouldn’t budge. She was done hiding.
Tubal extracted a long, knife-like sword from under his jacket and advanced on them. His steps were slow and predatory. “She just displayed some impressive power. I can’t wait to play with her. To turn her, and then use her.”
The man’s voice oozed menace. If he was waiting for a reaction, she gave him none. The dark energy stroked against her, the cold edges circling and enticing her with their lure of seduction. Of the power the dark energy could give her.
Damian pulled on her elbow, inching them backwards in a subtle evasion tactic. “Don’t let him bait you. Don’t give him what he wants.”
Tubal’s deep, sinister laugh rolled through the air. “I always get what I want. You should know that better than anyone, Damian.”
Amber shook off the cold and let her rage simmer and boil, the energy steaming and brewing within her. The culmination of the day of pain, upheaval and shock festered just below the surface of her tightly contained emotions. Now this evil asshole thought he could just poof in and take her too. Take her, use her, then kill her.
Not a chance.
Damian’s hand flexed around hers, pulled her attention and pulsed with power. Words whispered over the energy, binding with her subconscious to speak their intent. And she got it. Somehow, she understood what he wanted. The energy flowed powerful and strong between them, entwining with the stone and caressing her bird.
Damian halted their retreat and lifted his free hand over his head. The air quickly started to turn, twist and swirl into a vicious tornado focused completely around the enemy. It sounded like a freight train had entered the circle as the wind tore ferociously at their attacker, but left them completely untouched. Damian looked at her expectantly, a trickle of sweat running off his forehead and down the side of his face.
Now. The words whispered across her mind, and slammed into her consciousness. The energy spiked hot and hard behind the stone.
Amber lifted her hand and focused all her thoughts on the tornado. She felt the anger boil higher as she thought of all that had happened. Of all she had lost in the span of twelve simple hours. In less than one day, the life she had once known was gone forever.
She let the pain and frustration flow through her. Let it simmer and fester until it meshed with the energy to unite in a potent mix of power and wrath.
Enough. The thought roared through her mind and with it came the power. The hot, burning flames shot from her hand, burst through the tornado and blasted into her target. Their evil nemesis went flying, so focused on the tornado he had no inkling the fire was coming. The brief look of surprise that lit his face was priceless, the shock and anger satisfying, then his body slammed into the earth with a deadened thump.
The man lay motionless on the ground, a small smoke trail rose from his chest, the lingering evidence of what she’d done. Amber dropped her hand as relief flooded through her. Her knees weakened and trembled with the suppressed fear that finally surfaced at the elimination of the threat.
Damian dropped his arm and the tornado drifted away. The wind stopped, the air stilled. The energy that had been circling them—trapping them—quietly drifted down and evaporated along with the flames that had been continually burning in the small patch of grass.
Darkness and quiet settled over the street with unnerving calm. With the energy field gone, the common night sounds returned. The bark of a dog, the rustle of the wind through the trees, the purr of a car motor on a neighboring street. It was as if the energy field had blocked the sounds from entering and existing as well.
The energy slowly dissipated and settled within her. The stone cooled and her bird fluttered, turned, then rested.
A bone-deep exhaustion swamped her as she acknowledged the adrenaline drain that made her hands shake. Amber released the breath she had been holding and gulped in much-needed air. Lingering scents of smoke, burnt grass and something else she re
fused to think about assaulted her nose and made her gag.
Damian toppled to his knees and fell forward to brace himself on his hands. His back heaved up and down as he pushed great gusts of air through his chest.
“Damian.” Amber bent down, frantic to help. “What’s wrong? What can I do?” She tentatively placed a hand on his good shoulder, leaning forward to peer at his face. “Damian, please. Tell me what I can do.”
He lifted his head just enough to enable his pain-filled eyes to meet hers. His lids drifted closed as he breathlessly spoke on an exhale, “Kill him…I must finish him.” Damian struggled to get to his feet, pushing up before he toppled back to the ground with a low groan.
“Finish him?” Amber shook her head in confusion. What did he want? Every fiber of her body was screaming to get the hell out of there.
“I need to kill him.” His raspy voice was barely audible as he once again tried to push to his feet only to fall back to his hands and knees. His struggle was filled with pain and gut-wrenching determination despite his body’s refusal to cooperate.
Before she could argue with him, a black cloud formed next to the enemy’s fallen form. Amber jumped to her feet and quickly found the knife she had dropped earlier. She gripped it tightly in her fist, her previous exhaustion dismissed in preparation for another attack.
Her breath caught and held when the cloud dissipated to reveal the outline of a woman. The darkness hid her features, but Amber could see the wispy flow of long black hair as it curled down her back and surrounded her face.
The air dipped cooler as an undeniable wave of worry and suppressed fear hit Amber. The woman crouched and laid a gentle hand on the man’s forehead. The stranger turned her head and pierced Amber with a hate-filled glare. A quick flash of violet sparked from her eyes before the two disappeared into the night.
“Noooo!” Damian roared as he lunged to where the man had been. He stumbled forward until he stood heaving over the now empty space. His head fell back, and Amber cringed as a howl of pure torture tore from Damian’s battered body.
