Dark Burn: Fated & Forbidden

by Decadent Kane

  Nothing else was updated in the old house, though it looked to be in good repair even inside. A draft filtered through, tickling the small hairs on the back of Priya's neck. She self-consciously grabbed her hair and twisted it back up into a ponytail. The old woman seemed to just watch her until she stopped fiddling with things and then she finally opened her pink-covered lips.

  "Welcome, child." The woman stood to greet Priya.

  "Hello." Priya held out her hand. "I'm Priya."

  The woman took it. "I know. I'm Shara Sullen."

  Priya's eyes felt like they'd bulge out of their sockets. Here was the woman in the picture, much older, but the name was the same.

  "How is Dala?" Shara asked.

  Priya looked at her feet and let go of Shara's hand. "She has passed."

  "I'm terribly sorry to hear that. I assume that's why you've come?"

  A tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped it away. She should not feel sad about her gran's death; she had lived a full life, but Priya ached to have her near again. "I was hoping to find others like me. That's how I found Capri, actually." Her heart squeezed when she looked at Capri, another like her. How come it had taken her grandmother's death to find more like her?

  "She saved me from Nicholas, Elder Shara." Capri cast her gaze down and waited for the woman to acknowledge her presence.

  "I warned you about outsiders, child. Let me look at you." She pulled Capri's chin up. "Did he harm you? Did you give him information about us? Do you come back to us whole?"

  Priya watched their exchange. It was neither cold nor warm. She couldn't tell if the elder cared or not.

  "I gave him nothing. He already knows where we keep our home. But most do. He did run tests on me and held me half changed. I was part woman, part bird. It was the worst sensation." Capri's hands balled into fists as she continued, "I think he rather enjoyed torturing me and making me do things not of my own accord. But he did not alter me permanently, except in my mind. The memories there will stay forever."

  Elder Shara pulled Capri to her chest and hugged her. "Come, let's get you ladies home. Priya, we are glad to have you with us. I'm sure you will have plenty of stories to tell." As she walked to the back of the old house, Priya followed, Capri still tucked protectively under the old woman's arm.

  After they stepped into the backyard, Capri changed to her orange bird form. Elder Shara didn't twitch a hair as she changed. Her body slowly collapsed on itself with the grace of all her years of shifting. Her eyes no longer looked smoky, but shone bright and clear in the fading sunlight. Her feathers were deep red with yellow tips, a truly remarkable effect that reminded Priya of the fire from her gran's funeral. They both looked at her expectantly.

  Priya let the familiar heat take her as feathers emerged from her skin. She ruffled and stretched her white wings, still aching from the journey to Ovander. She wasn't keen to jump right back into flight, but she knew once she finally got to the others, she'd be glad for all her traveling.

  Elder Shara turned toward Luna Peak and flapped. Capri followed. Priya watched them fly for a moment, appreciating what she had found, before she began flapping her wings, letting the air glide beneath and bring her up as she followed her new hope.

  Chapter 20

  Dark had descended by the time they reached Luna Peak. The stars twinkled as Priya followed Capri and Elder Shara into what looked like a castle built into the side of a small mountain. Huge, round stone columns formed open doorways. Priya couldn't help but think of it as a temple of air, there were so many openings. She felt a whoosh over her body, not air, not wind, but something other. Magic, perhaps. And goose pimples puckered her flesh. She spread her wings to follow, soaring into a window-like opening. She had no idea what to expect but when she zipped in behind Capri, she flapped backward to keep herself from running into anything.

  That was not an issue though, as a very large expanse greeted her before opening into a room with a vaulted ceiling. Faces and clouds were etched into the very stone. All three landed together. Priya shook her feathers out and shifted back into her human form. She grabbed her floating white feather and tucked it into her pocket. Others rushed into the room to meet them. Men, women, even children. Priya could hardly believe her eyes. They all stared at her wide-eyed as if she were something no one had ever seen before. Unintelligible whispers swept the room. But Gran was from this clan, wasn't she? Hadn't they seen a white firebird before?

  "Welcome to your new home, Priya." Elder Shara spread her arms and encouraged her to follow. "We have made a bed up for you in the upper wing. Which is just a fancy way of saying the top of the house."

  Priya glanced at Capri, who smiled at her and waved before heading off on her own.

  "Does everyone live here?"

  "Yes. We keep each other safe by living together. You probably felt something comb over you as you flew in. It's our feather magic. Each bird donates a feather once a month. I and two other elders use them to create a barrier to keep shadow hunters away."

  The place was amazing. People followed as Elder Shara led her up a set of stairs outside the big gathering hall. They twisted and turned and then dropped into a long hallway. The walls were hung with paintings of clouds, skies, sunrises—or perhaps they were sunsets—all beautiful, and she resisted the urge to touch them as she walked by. She'd never lived in such a large place before. "How many wings are there?"

  "We keep expanding, but we have a lower wing, an upper wing, and one for each cardinal direction. If we keep growing as a family, then I'm sure more wings will be added as needed." She looked over her shoulder with a knowing smile on her face.

  Priya cocked her head. She wasn't sure what the elder knew . . . but it twinkled there in her eyes. "So there are a ton of firebirds then?"

  "Yes, little one, but only one of you. Just a bit farther." They walked on, passing several doors and more paintings, until Elder Shara finally slowed, coming to a stop at the very end of the hall.

  Shara reached out and turned the knob of an intricately engraved wooden door. It seemed as if the entire hall held a collective breath, including Priya, though she wasn't sure why. The door to the room swung open with a creak.

  "Your mother stayed in this room. Other than cleaning it, we haven't touched a thing."

  "My mother stayed here?" She couldn't help the awe in her voice. She moved into the room and tears sprung to her eyes. She hadn't had anything of her family other than Gran, and here . . . here was an entire room filled with stuff her mother had once owned.

  "It's all yours, little one."

  Priya wiped the tears away. She refused to let all her emotions show. When she felt calm enough to turn around and face the elder, one giant question leaped out. "If this place is so safe, why did Gran take us away?"

  Elder Shara's eyes chilled. Since they had reached the peak, the woman had seemed not nearly so blind anymore, but she kept a warm smile on her lips. "Your grandmother had a mind of her own. I can't presume to understand why she took you from your home. What did she tell you?"

  "Only that we were all that remained. She never talked about you, or this place."

  Elder Shara seemed to consider her reply and then said, "Again, a stubborn will and mind. She had her reasons, I'm sure. Go get some rest. I'll have a bath drawn up for you in the side room." Shara pointed right, toward a door in a little cubby. "Just walk through there after you've looked around and picked out some clothes. I think you and your mother are the same size. Then your bath should be ready. I know you are likely hungry as well so I'll have something sent up. Do you have a request?"

  At the thought of food, her stomach rumbled. "Some fruit would be great."

  Shara nodded and left the room, shutting out all the gawking people as she closed the door behind her. Priya took a second look around the room. It was way bigger than the rooms her and Gran had shared. A large bed was tucked into one corner with a bedside table and a simple lamp. On the opposite side, closed curtains obscured a big picture
window. A light shone down from the vaulted ceiling, enveloping the room in a soft yellow glow. The hardwood floors were so glossy Priya could see herself in them. The sight made her heart speed up. What would she do with all this room?

  A wardrobe sat at the foot of the bed. Priya skipped over, excitement and sadness warring inside her. She opened the closet, and clothes, an entire woman's wardrobe, hung inside. She leaned in and sniffed, but all she smelled was must. No lingering hints of her mother's scent. Not that she'd remember what it was anyway. Priya pulled a sky-blue, button-up shirt off a hanger and a pair of jeans from a drawer, pleased her mother seemed to have the same style, if a bit older.

  Priya pulled off her blouse, wiggled out of her jeans, and slid the other clothes on to see how they fit. They were nearly the same size. The jeans flared at the bottom though and she rolled the button-up's sleeves to her elbows. She sat on the bed, her body drained, yet her brain wanted to continue searching the room. To check all the drawers, to see what might be in the end table by the bed. She lay on the soft mattress and looked at the drawer. She could pull it out, but her arms didn't want to move anymore. She gazed at the cubby door and wondered if the bath would feel as amazing as the bed after her long journey.

  Her eyes slid closed, for just a moment, and Nicholas's face slithered in.

  Priya shot up from the bed. She couldn't sleep yet. She needed to do something else, to think of something else so the nightmares wouldn't invade her sleep.

  Slowly she climbed off the bed, traipsing over to the cubby door. She opened the room and a single claw-foot tub sat in the middle of the smaller room. A towel rack off to the side of the tub held a single white towel. The floor was tiled in sandstone, and steam rose from the tub's water. Priya stripped off her clothes. A bath would be just what she needed to calm her mind, to relax and find peace. Nicholas couldn't get her here.

  She slipped a foot into the tub and goose bumps slid up her leg and made her shudder as the warm water hit her skin. Priya pulled herself up and slid the rest of the way into the tub. It was so deep, she was submerged clear up to her shoulders. The heat was a welcome embrace and she let her muscles go, relaxing deeper into the water.

  Doulzen's image came to her. She shouldn't want the shadow hunter, knowing what he was, but that kiss . . .

  She slipped into the memory, allowing herself just a moment to relive his hard body against hers. A different kind of heat sunk into her core. Priya hadn't felt release in . . . she wasn't sure how long. She'd been dealing with so many other things, and an orgasm sounded like a perfect way to get rid of some of her tension. She focused on Doulzen's body in her mind. Imagined what his skin might be like under all those clothes, his cock hardening for her.

  Priya let her fingertips graze over her slick stomach, imagining they were Doulzen's calloused fingers delving deep into the water, over her mound, and she sighed as two fingers slid inside. She bit her lip, pulled out, and circled her clit. The water made it slippery and easy to move. She flittered back and forth, circled, adding more and more stimulation as she needed it. Her breath came in shallow gasps as the fingers of her free hand toyed with her nipples, pulling, touching so softly, all her concentration on her body.

  Fingers worked faster, pulled harder, twisted, slid, and circled. She held her breath as her body froze, cresting at the tip of an orgasm. She pushed a little harder with her fingers, wishing it were Doulzen's tongue adding the extra pressure, and then crashed through wave after wave of bliss. Her legs squeezing together as she let out her breath. Relaxing fully into the heat of the water.

  She laid her head back on the edge of the tub and stared at the ceiling. It was painted with clouds in purple and red hues. Peaceful. Nothing like the silver in Doulzen's eyes. Guilt assaulted her blissful moment. She shouldn't be imagining a shade . . . a killer . . .

  As her eyes began to slip closed, something fluttered in those clouds. It took her a moment of blurry, relaxed vision to notice a single white feather falling toward her.

  Chapter 21

  Doulzen shadow-walked to the high peak with Nicholas in tow. He'd used his shadows to hold Marcus in a sleep trance until he could get back and deal with the lab. Nicholas's face had grown ashen and he looked as if he would puke before they finally reached the top, where a set of steel double doors blocked him from the rest of the peak. Doulzen slammed his fist into the door over and over with loud, thrumming thuds.

  "Who are you?" A female voice called down.

  Nicholas's face whitened. "It's her."

  "Who?" Doulzen asked.

  "The one who protects this peak. She will kill us both, you fool."

  "I said who goes there?" the voice called again.

  "Doulzen. I have a present for Priya and Capri!" he hollered back, hoping his words would catch their attention. They couldn't be powerful enough to harm a shade. He'd survived a freaking scarab, for fuck's sake. He could handle some birds.

  The door opened.

  He moved forward and a wrenching ache attacked his kneecaps. He fell to his knees, letting Nicholas loose. A sharp pain shot down both his arms as murmurs rang out in the background.

  "A shadow hunter," one said.

  "Call Elder Shara," another voice said.

  Doulzen inched his way back, the pain easing as he moved farther away. Nicholas lay crouched near the open door, seemingly too scared to do anything. He watched Doulzen with an I-told-you-so glare.

  Bright yellow made him look up as feathers flapped so close to his face he could feel the air move. "Elder Shara, I presume?" Doulzen slowly rose on shaky legs, but he pulled his trench close, his hands in his pockets, to keep all from seeing the weakness.

  The bird flapped once more, and then an older woman stepped forward, seemingly out of midair. The image pulled at Doulzen. He couldn't think about what he'd done to these shifters, all because he hadn't known. But that wasn't an excuse for his actions. He could have found out more if he'd tried. When he traveled back to his clan, he would demand to know why they had kept such a horrifying secret.

  "I am. And you are?"

  Doulzen straightened. "I am here to talk with Priya."

  The woman cocked her head and looked at him through cloudy, pupil-less eyes. But they glinted in the sun. Despite the appearance of human-like cataracts, he had no doubt she could see far more than what others might believe.

  "A shadow hunter here to have one of my kin? Have you gone mad, shade? You know you have come to a place for firebirds only. You kill our kind without a second thought. Why would I ever let you in? You'd murder us all."

  There were whispers behind her as more birds flew in and landed in human form behind her. Doulzen kept his eyes on the elder. "Because I come in peace. I'm sure you know of Nicholas?"

  The woman glanced over to the human cowering at her door. "The one who took our Capri and experimented on her."

  "Priya saved her, and I saved them from his lab. I have no intention of harming any of you."

  "She won't see you." The woman's eyes slowly moved back to Doulzen. Watching his every movement.

  "Let me talk to her at least."

  "She doesn't want to talk to one such as you. She's been through enough. If you truly mean us no harm, go and never come back." She paced in front of the door, defensively crossing her arms over her chest, as if Doulzen might actually attack her flock.

  He didn't think he'd be able to make this woman budge on her stance. And he had no idea how he could get to Priya, his fated one, without her letting him by. "You can chain me."

  "Unacceptable. You will slip into the shadows and be done with the chains easily. If you want in, give up your powers. Otherwise, you will not set a single shadowed foot within my doors." The crowd behind her grew.

  Doulzen looked beyond and was floored by how many he could see, all of them firebirds. All seeking refuge with this woman. Because of his kind.

  "I promise you, shadow hunter, bird killer, you will not get past otherwise. What is she worth to you?"<
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  The question of the hour. She'd saved him, he'd saved her, there was a connection there, one he couldn't explain, but he wanted to explore it, wanted it to become more. If he let go of his powers, he could get them back via the magic of his clan elders, but he was treading untested waters, territory no shade had ever explored, as far as he knew. Doulzen closed his eyes and prayed to Erebus, hoping for some guidance, some sign that might point him in the right direction. Opening his eyes again, he surveyed the crowd; all of them stared back at him, some with scowls, others curiosity. If he gave up his power, what would they do with him?

  "With some conditions, Elder. No harm comes to me, and if it does, may Erebus strike you dead. Vow it to your gods, to your children, to all of these people who depend on you. And if you go back on this deal, my clan will find me because I'll send out a beacon to them, and your home, your refuge here, will be at war with my kin."

  This time, Elder Shara looked at him with a bit more appreciation lurking in her eyes. She snapped her fingers and several males came to collect Nicholas. He didn't really care what they did with him.

  "As elder to my kin, for whom my word is my bond, I vow no harm shall come to you as long as you lose your shadows."

  Silence filled the air, thick, tense, waiting. Doulzen glared at the woman but removed his hat first, careful of its pocket with the tiny dose of essence he had left to eat. He'd been refusing it because the thought of the source that essence made his stomach churn. He set it beside the door and placed a rock inside it to keep it in place. He flipped his trench back and it fluttered around him. He folded it up, slipping Priya's feather out and setting the coat beside his hat with another heavy rock. "Do I have your word that no one will mess with my stuff?" He raised his brow as he shoved the feather discreetly into his jean pocket.