by Lia Davis
He nodded then his smile faded as if unsure of me. Or he sensed my ice magic. When he glanced to Cyron, he smiled again then squealed. “Cy!”
Cyron laughed and picked him up. “Brandon, meet Roshia.”
“Hi,” I said, giving the little guy a small wave.
Cyron held my gaze as he said, “This is my nephew.”
Oh! “It’s nice to meet you, Brandon.” Without meaning to, I glanced around for Soora. I wasn’t sure I wanted to run into her again.
I wasn’t afraid of her. I was more than capable of defending myself. The thing was Soora’s energy was dark and defensive. She set off my need to protect myself. Plus, she made it clear she didn’t like me being there.
“Where is your mom?” Cyron asked.
Brandon shrugged. “Training.”
At that moment, Martha stepped up beside me. “Soora had to deal with an issue.”
Nate straightened. “What kind of issue?”
Martha waved him off. “Nothing she can’t handle. I’m sure everything is fine.”
Nate looked ready to go check out the “issue.” I touched his arm, bringing his attention to me. With what I hoped was a reassuring smile, I said, “Go. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll go with you in case anyone needs patching up.” Cyron handed Brandon to Martha then turned and kissed me quickly on the lips.
It was natural, like we’d done this every day of our lives. But I still froze in place. Then Nate moved in, pushing Cyron out of the way, and waggled his brows at me. I giggled and he said, “If he can, I can.”
His kiss was longer. It lingered and promised passion. I leaned forward and pressed my lips into his with a soft groan.
He broke the kiss and stared into my eyes. Swirls of passion brightened his gaze. “I…have to go. See you later.”
I nodded and watched two of my guys leave.
My guys.
With a sigh, I turned to Martha and quickly averted my gaze. Landon wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. “Don’t feel bad for wanting us all.”
I nodded. I had to trust they’d work out their feelings and jealousy, and believe my own heart wouldn’t break into a million pieces.
11
Without the sun, it was hard to tell what time it was when I felt a hand gently shake me awake. Opening my eyes, I met Cyron’s green and gold gaze. He smiled at me. “Good morning.”
Ugh. I rolled over, pulling the blanket over my head. “Go away.”
It was blood-testing day. I really didn’t want to be poked and prodded this morning.
“I made you breakfast.” He drew out the last syllables, taunting me with promises of nourishment.
My stomach chose that time to betray me by letting out a loud rumble. I giggled, no longer able to pretend to go back to sleep. I sighed dramatically and threw the covers off. Turning onto my back, I glared at Cyron. “It feels too early.”
He frowned. “Did you not sleep well?”
I sat up and shrugged. “Nothing new.” Living on the run and always looking over my shoulder did that to me. Tae always teased me and said I slept with one eye open.
“Martha could make you something to help sleep.”
“No. I’ll be fine.” What I couldn’t bring myself to say was I missed my family. Sleeping in a strange place without them just seemed wrong. And lonely.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I placed my bare feet on the cool cave floor. I would be fine.
He waited patiently for me at the door while I dragged my feet. Lifting my gaze to his, I pressed my lips in a thin line. Suspicion crept its way up my spine. There was something he wasn’t telling me. “What is it?”
“I’d like to take the blood before you eat.”
Really? “Oh, sure. Tease me with food than tell me I can’t eat it.” I offered a playful smile as I stopped next to him in the doorway.
He snaked an arm around my waist. Tingles of pleasure raced under my skin and in my belly. “I’ll be as quick as I can, then feed you. Promise.”
His promise warmed me and I nodded. “Let’s get it over with.”
Before I could walk past him, he linked his fingers with mine. A comfortable, yet giddy feeling filled me and I couldn’t help but lean into him a little as we walked.
The lab wasn’t far from where our rooms were, which I hadn’t realized the day before. Maybe because he took me on a tour first.
“Have a seat wherever you are comfortable.” Cyron let go of my hand and crossed the room.
I chose to sit in the chair next to a rectangle table against the wall.
Cyron wheeled a stool over and sat in front me. His mismatched eyes lifted to mine, holding my stare for several moments before I broke the silence. “Have you always wanted to be a doctor?”
“That and a researcher. I couldn’t decide so I do both. Before Crystal rose from the dead, there wasn’t much that held my interest, though. The human council only wanted to know how magic worked as a defense and a weapon.” The muscles in his jaw worked like he was clenching.
I could understand his annoyance. Even the fae did experiments to fight the humans. The two sides had fought for decades, maybe centuries. It was hard to not strategize about beating the other side.
“The world has been at war for so long.”
He nodded, taking my arm in his cool hands. “Are my hands too cold? The kids complain they are.”
A smile tugged at my lips. “They’re perfect for me. Calming.”
A blush colored his cheeks. “Of course. Sorry.”
Awareness nudged my mind and I turned my head toward the door. Landon stood in the doorframe dressed in all black. His blue hair was braided down his back. It reminded me of the dark fae soldiers I once saw in a village a few months after Crystal’s reign of terror began. Only Landon didn’t have body armor on.
I must have frowned at him because he moved closer, softening his features. When he stopped beside me, he caressed my cheek with his knuckles. “What’s fleeting through your pretty head?”
I started to nod but he framed my face, forcing me to meet his stare. A sigh slipped past my lips. “You’re going out, aren’t you?”
Once the words left my mouth, panic flooded me. Had the familiars tracked me here somehow? My lungs refused to suck in air as my chest tightened. I should turn myself in so no one else would suffer.
Strong arms gathered me up. I was lifted then lowered onto Landon’s lap. At that moment, Nate entered the medical center, a frown on his face. “What’s happening?”
Cyron rolled his seat back to make room for Nate. “She had a panic attack.” Cyron glanced at me and took one of my hands, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles.
The guys didn’t say anything. They waited for me to relax, which didn’t take long as they were all there with me. Ah. I was weak!
Finally, after several long moments of silence, I spoke softly. “I saw your uniform and thought the familiars were coming. Where are you going?”
Landon kissed my temple. “Nate and I are going topside with a few others to check the barriers. The alarms haven’t gone off, but we check them every few days. Wild animals and malum are known to mess with the sensors.”
His explanation only relieved a little of my anxiety. At least my panic had eased and I wasn’t fighting to breathe. What was wrong with me? I’d never had an attack come on so fast.
“Maybe next time you can come with us,” Nate offered with a flirty, yet warm, smile.
His playful nature chased away the rest of my worry. “I’d like that.”
Landon rose and set me on the chair. With a quick kiss on the lips, he said, “I’ll see you tonight.”
Desire fluttered through me at the promise in his words. Suddenly, my stomach cramped and the scent of the guys filled my head. I could hear their heartbeats and their blood flowing in their veins. Fear made me shake inside. I didn’t dare let Nate and Landon know anything was wrong as they waved and left the room.
&
nbsp; Then Cyron was in front of me, holding my face in his hands. “Fight it. Breathe. In…” I did as he said, taking a deep breath in and exhaling. “That’s it.”
I stared into his green and gold gaze, my chest rising and falling. Dread and fear mixed with my already whirling emotions. I didn’t know whether to cry or run out. I was changing. Every sign was there. The predatory instincts and extra abilities like the heightened scent and hearing had developed. Why else would I have picked up on the guys’ blood like that?
Cyron removed his hands from my face and rolled back a foot or so, then reached for the small needle on the tray next to us. “I’m going to take some extra. Could you freeze a couple of vials for me to compare to later tests?”
I nodded but didn’t say anything, just watched him tie the rubber strip around my arm above the elbow and draw the blood he needed. Numbness stole my ability to feel the prick of the needle and his cool hands on me.
Did I really want to know what he found? Without any other ice fae to test, it was hard to know what I would become. Or if the rumors about the serum making them strong enough to overtake the princess were correct.
Cyron stood, gathered up the vials, and carried them to the other side of the room where he had a microscope and other devices.
“How did you know I was struggling because of the serum? I mean. You did know, right?”
He slid a slide with a drop of my blood under the lens and faced me. His eyes shifted to red, then black before returning to their natural color. “I’ve been through it. The serum used my fae half against me. My whole body ached at times.”
Wrapping my arms around my middle, I studied the floor. “I could scent you, all of you. It was stronger than I’ve ever experienced. Then…I smelled your blood and heard it pumping through your body.”
Cyron was across the room before the sob escaped me, cuddling me close to him. I fisted my hands in his lab coat and clung to him. “What’s going to happen to me?”
“Nothing. I won’t let it.” He pulled back and stared into my eyes. “I’ve read the files of the ice fae. That gives me hope you will transform, but not into a malum, familiar, or custos.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to transform into anything.”
He cupped my cheek. “Let me look at what we are dealing with and we’ll go from there. And before Nate comes back to take you for training.”
Training? “For what?”
A smile lifted his lips. “Hand to hand combat. Landon will work with you on magic warfare.”
“Magic warfare?”
“Yeah. We’ll be using more magic than hand to hand, but you need to be comfortable with both. Not that you aren’t, but they will teach you the strategies they found that work best.” After a long pause and him studying me as if he were trying to figure out if I was okay, he wheeled his stool across the room to the microscope.
I stayed put, fighting the urge to run far away. Nothing was for sure. The chance I’d become a bloodthirsty malum was still too high for my comfort.
Cyron’s “hmm” drew my attention. My heart skipped a few beats. It was bad.
He turned. His frown made my heart drop to my feet and the pit of my stomach ache. When focused on me, he relaxed his features and wheeled back to me. “Sorry. It’s not bad. I don’t think. Just puzzling.”
Puzzling wasn’t a good thing, either. My frown deepened. “Just tell me.”
“The serum, from what I can tell at a glance, isn’t doing much. In the malums I tested, the serum attacks the cells. It’s not doing that with you. It’s like your blood or maybe your ice magic is keeping it from activating. I’m not sure why. I want to do more in-depth testing to see what really is going on.” His tone was cool, but hopeful.
I wasn’t so hopeful. There was something going on within me, so I wasn’t convinced the serum simply was not doing what it was intended to do.
“How long does it usually take for the serum to change someone completely?” I was curious to know how long I had before I started feeding on everyone.
“It varies from person to person. Some change within twenty-four hours. Others take three days. Because I’m part fire fae, my healing abilities fought it off for about a week. I think that’s why I’m a custos instead of a malum.”
He raked a hand through his hair, pulling it as if frustrated. I touched his arm, gaining his attention again. “You’ve been researching it for a while, right?”
“Yes, but the results in each subject are so different, it’s hard to find a pattern.” He stood and moved back to the counter where he was working. “It’s like the serum or its magical properties are as unstable as the princess.”
That kind of made sense. “What if she meant it to be that way? I mean, she might control how each injection works. Or the spell infused with the serum was crafted to work with each individual’s DNA. Those with certain characteristics turn to familiars and the others are the flaws in the serum.”
He whirled around and cocked his head at me. “I never thought of it that way.” He nodded as he turned to gather the vials of blood and put them inside a metal box. Then he carried them to me, handing me the box. “Can you keep them cold?”
“Yes.” I took the box and directed my ice magic onto the metal, freezing it and turning it into a small icebox. “I can keep it in my room since I need it a little cooler than the rest of the place.”
He nodded and studied me for a little longer. “Your theory would explain why ice fae grew stronger without changing. I’ll get the files from Landon and go through them to see if there are notes about similar theories. If this is true, then the guys and I are right about you being able to stop Crystal and the evil spreading through the Hollow.”
The spark of hope I’d been waiting for lit. I could beat this changeling curse. With the help of my guys, we stood a chance in the war against the princess.
We just needed to find her weakness and how to end the darkness.
“Keep me filled in on what you find. Landon, Nate, and I will get the soldiers ready while I train to build my strengths. She must be stopped.”
Cyron smiled before leaning in and capturing my lips. My insides tingled and I ached all over. He broke the kiss too soon and I whimpered. A chuckle escaped him and he leaned his forehead to mine. “We will stop her. We just have to figure out how.”
Yes. But I believed a little more, right then.
12
Thirty minutes later, I was circling the ring in the training center with Nate. My hands were fisted at my sides as I watched his every move. He managed to pin me a few times, but I still had the advantage.
“Do you have to have it so cold?” he asked, but I could tell he wasn’t bothered by the cooler temperature. He was teasing me, trying to distract me.
He wasn’t the only one who could be distracting. Straightening, I walked sideways, not taking my eyes off him. The last time I glance away, he charged at me, taking me down.
A seductive smile teased his lips. I scoffed. “Not falling for your cuteness, right now.”
“I’m not being cute.” The corner of his lips twitched and he flicked his gaze over my shoulder.
I almost fell for it and looked back. No, it was another distraction. I learned from the first few not to trust him while sparring. He played dirty. Instead, I opened my senses, feeling out for others around us. There were, of course. We seemed to have gained an audience. It didn’t bother me. Word had already gotten out that I was an ice fae.
My magic stirred within me, begging to come out and play. Not today.
Narrowing my eyes on Nate, I jerked to the right then cut left to charge right at him, catching him off guard. I hit him full on, tackling him to the ground. With my hands on his shoulders, I pinned him. A moment later, he jerked and twisted his body until I was pinned under him.
Ugh. It was hard fighting without using my magic.
He grinned down at me, one brow raised. “I know you’re stronger than that.”
“With
my magic, I am.” I relaxed under him and stared at the ceiling. The truth was the growing strength inside me scared me. I didn’t want to lose control and hurt him.
Nate released me and sat on the mat beside me. I remained on my back. Lifting my hand and kissing my fingers, he said, “Maybe we need to try a different approach. Play on your strengths. Landon would be able to help you with holding back your magic without holding back everything else.”
I nodded and sat up. Thoughts of the episode I had that morning in the medical center still weighed on me. I knew it was the real reason I’d been holding back. If I hurt Nate or anyone, I wasn’t sure how I’d deal with it.
In the short time of knowing the guys, I’d grown attached. I was starting to feel the connection to them and I didn’t want to do anything to break it.
Nate jumped to his feet and held out his hand. Forcing a smile, I placed mine in his and allowed him to pull me to my feet. He tugged hard enough, I crashed into him. His strong arms wrapped around me. A spark of happiness lit up his gaze. Then he frowned. “What’s wrong?”
I glanced around. “Can we go somewhere more private?”
He waggled his brows, which made me laugh. “Anything you want. Will you take advantage of me while we’re there?”
All my worry washed away with his playful words. I sucked in my bottom lip and decided to play back. “If you’re good.”
“What if I’m bad?”
Another laugh burst from my lips. “I don’t know…”
A low growl-like sound drew our attention to the side of the ring. Soora stood scowling at the two of us. “If you’re not going to spar, then get a room.”
I had to fight the immature act of sticking my tongue out to her. Nate, however, didn’t hold back anything. “Go get laid, Soora. It’ll do you some good.”
She glared at both of us before pushing past to the other side where the weapons were. “Are you two staying or leaving?”
