Fated Fortunes

by Angela Colsin

The sphere had done its job, and instead of angered shouts and bolts whizzing through the air, the only sounds were that of several seagulls taking flight at their sudden appearance, accompanied by the sea water drifting in through natural arches in the distant rock wall.

  “Now where are we?” Dalris muttered as he released Jada.

  “Actually, we're pretty close to where you chased me thirty years ago. This is an island in the Gulf of Navat.”

  As she explained, Karina quickly hopped away from Jada's shoulder, announcing, “And it's nice to be back. Menlor had me tied up for an hour.”

  “How did he find you anyway?” Jada inquired.

  Her sister groaned, explaining, “I was waiting for you at the teleport sphere with Dalris' talisman because I thought he might show up with you. Then Menlor got the drop on me, but I have no idea how he found it.”

  Jada grumbled, knowing her sister was right to wonder about Menlor's methods. Including herself and Karina, a total of five people knew the sphere's location, all of them longtime, trustworthy companions who hated Menlor just as much as Jada.

  But there was no time to figure it out. As a reminder of the situation at hand, Dalris let a low groan of pain, and she certainly hadn't forgotten all of the bolts he'd taken to protect her.

  Karina, on the other hand, was oblivious to his condition because she suddenly announced, “Oh goddess, you're bleeding!”

  More calmly, Jada directed her sister, “Go get one of my swords.”

  “On it,” she returned, quickly moving into the entrance of the caves.

  At the same time, Jada pushed herself up and walked around Dalris to kneel behind him, mentioning, “Thanks for the cover, by the way.”

  “You don't have to—nnngh!” he grunted when she jerked one of the bolts out, then breathed, “thank me.”

  Jada smirked, grabbing the next bolt to do the same, and after cringing in pain, Dalris turned his head, asking, “If you're not going to cut them out, why did you ask Karina to get your sword?”

  “You'll see,” she answered vaguely, pulling another out, then another.

  It looked as if some bolts had pierced vital areas as well, such as his kidney, and Dalris was consistently snarling in pain as she worked. But he didn't complain or ask her to stop, allowing her to work until the last bolt was the one impaled through his shoulder.

  Gently taking it in hand, Jada mentioned, “By the way, you should know that I think your horns are really sexy.”

  The draconian tensed, canting his head as he started, “You do—argh!”

  She grinned, having ripped the last bolt out during his distraction, then tossed it aside while apologizing.

  “Sorry, it just seemed like giving a compliment would be the best way to distract you,” she explained, adding boastfully, “and I was right.”

  With a low groan, Dalris jerked his blazer off, revealing the bloody, hole-riddled button down beneath that he also seemed intent on removing—and it was Jada's turn to be distracted.

  Loosening the dark blue tie around his neck, he pulled it away and started the task of unbuttoning his shirt while standing to look across the waterway and through the openings in the rock wall.

  “Is there anyway to get outside without taking a swim?”

  “Sure, but why do you want to go out?”

  “Because a storm's coming, and I could use the lightning to recharge and heal.”

  Though his answer made sense, Jada was much too distracted by his body as his shirt fell to the sand to pay attention to his reply. Blood still marred his skin, but it didn't reduce his appeal one bit in her eyes, his broad shoulders and muscular arms accentuated by glowing, blue slash marks she found attractive.

  Most were centered on his biceps, and those winding over his shoulders also trailed across his collar bones when he turned to face her, proving the view from the front was just as appealing. His smooth chest was large and sharply defined, just like the ridges of his abdomen leading down to his belt buckle.

  Yet Jada snapped out of her stupor in noticing a satisfied grin lifting the corners of his mouth when he saw her staring, and she rolled her eyes. But thankfully, her sister returned before Dalris could gloat over her obvious admiration of his sinfully appealing body.

  Back to normal now, Karina handed Jada's short sword over, then gave Dalris the talisman, stating, “I don't know if Jada explained this to you, but this is something I crafted to allow you to control your Wrath.”

  “She did explain it, thank you,” he replied, then asked the elf as if to make certain, “and you're Karina?”

  “Yep! It's nice to meet you finally, Dalris.”

  At her comment, he paused his inspection of the talisman to narrowed a brow in her direction. “What do you mean, finally?”

  Jada pursed her lips at her sister, who blinked, realizing she'd said too much. But thankfully, Karina managed to cover it up by replying, “You're the one who had Papa's tome, so I've heard a lot about you.”

  Jada was grateful when Dalris seemed to accept that explanation without question, and finally put the talisman around his neck.

  Yet his Wrath didn't immediately fade, prompting Karina to ask in concern, “Is it not working?”

  “It is,” he reassured. “I feel my control returning, but until I heal, Wrath will make these injuries easier to handle.”

  With that said, he asked Jada, “So how do I get outside?”

  “You won't need to,” she answered, focusing on her sword.

  Just beneath the cross-guard at the top of the grip was a ring with several runes etched into the surface. Using her thumb, she turned it, causing the blade to ignite with different types of magic, including fire, ice, light, and then electricity.

  Once the blade was sparking with the proper rune set, she handed it over to Dalris and said, “There, hit yourself with that a few times.”

  Dalris took the blade, seeming more intrigued with the way it worked than he did with healing himself. “Where did you get this?”

  “From a good friend, but Karina crafted the runes, so she's the genius behind the magic. Oh! And that reminds me!”

  Grinning, Jada tapped her sister's arm to get her attention and stated, “You got a compliment from an enchantress.”

  Karina went wide eyed. “Really?”

  Nodding, she related Edith's comment on her cloak, and her sister beamed with pride.

  But she soon asked in confusion, “Speaking of your cloak, why aren't you wearing it now?”

  Jada groaned, ready to inform her of Robi's assault, but she found herself too distracted by Dalris to say anything.

  Kneeling on one knee, both sisters watched as the draconian placed the sparking sword against his chest and, on contact, the electricity ignited across his skin. In response, he tensed up, muscles bulging as the current healed his wounds.

  This went on for several moments, but appeared to be working well because the hole in his shoulder soon closed before their eyes.

  When that happened, Dalris finally removed the blade with a deep breath of relief.

  “Feeling better?” Karina inquired.

  “Much,” he answered, his once guttural voice returning to normal as his Wrath finally faded away. In the process, those large horns disappeared from sight and the glowing marks on his body turned black, giving him the visage Jada was more used to.

  Yet, in some strange way, she was sorry to see it go, and couldn't figure out why. But his Wrath was … kind of attractive. In a bestial way. Sort of. Damn it all.

  Withholding a groan over her thoughts, Jada masked any expressions that might give away the fact that she did, indeed, think his horns—or just his everything—was sexy by taking her sword when he returned it and setting the ring to the blank slot.

  Once she was done, she looked up to see Dalris using some sea water to rinse the blood from his skin, and suggested, “I guess we should show you around the place now.”

  “Before that,” Dalris began, asking Karina, “would you
mind giving me a moment with your sister?”

  “Not at all,” she returned, smiling in adding, “I'll just be inside.”

  As Karina bounded off, Jada frowned at her eagerness to leave. Traitor. But Karina's betrayal was the last thing on her mind when the draconian stood and sauntered toward her as soon as they were alone.

  Her mind blanked as he came within a foot, peering down at her intently with his next suggestion.

  “I think now is a good time to fulfill your end of our bargain.”

  “What bargain?” Staring into his vivid azure eyes, she honestly had no clue what he was talking about.

  “You promised me a kiss for good behavior.”

  Jada felt her cheeks heat at the reminder of her offer, hoping it wasn't noticeable while she returned as casually as possible, “Okay, but don't forget, I only said I'd give you a kiss of gratitude.”

  “So?”

  “So it won't be much.”

  She'd hoped that might dampen his enthusiasm, but irritatingly, Dalris smirked in a confident way that made her pulse race.

  Yet his response offered her the indifference she'd been searching for all along.

  “When it comes to you, Jada, I'll take what I can get.”

  Though she liked the sound of that a little too much, the comment made everything clear. Just a few moments ago, she'd wondered why she should feel sorry to see his Wrath fading, and it was the same reason her heart was fluttering now—deep down, she enjoyed knowing his interest was all for her.

  But, while the knowledge was flattering, it made her hesitate with fulfilling her promise in favor of stating, “You're only saying that because you've found your mate, and if I wasn't it, you wouldn't be anymore interested in a kiss from me than you would from a sibling.”

  For some reason, the thought stung like a slap to the cheek. Jada could admit she'd been intrigued by Dalris ever since their encounter in Antarctica, and now, realizing he likely wouldn't have cared to kiss her if she'd turned out to be just another elf didn't only give her the sense of indifference she'd been searching for, it also pissed her off.

  Her anger only redoubled when he actually conceded her point as well. “That may be true, but only partly.”

  “Partly?”

  He nodded. “Do you know what I first thought after seeing you laying on my study floor without your cloak?”

  “That I'm yours?”

  “No,” he answered plainly. “The first thing that came to mind was that you're gorgeous, and mate or not, I'd want you. I know you can't see into my eyes to tell if I'm lying, but I vow it's the truth.”

  Jada frowned, getting the distinct feeling that he was, in fact, being entirely honest, and her indignity faded. Somehow, the idea that Dalris would've wanted her no matter what connection they possessed was equal parts exciting, and daunting.

  Yet she was much too confused to figure out why—or perhaps she already knew the answer, but was refusing to face her own truth.

  Whatever the case, she decided not to argue, and leaned up to give him precisely what she'd promised—a kiss of gratitude planted right on his cheek.

  Following the movement, she'd planned to duck away and go into the caves, but Dalris seemed to have anticipated it because he quickly latched an arm around her back, effectively keeping her right where she was.

  In the process, their lips came a mere inch apart, his heated gaze locking on hers as if he wanted to kiss her senseless, rattling Jada so thoroughly that she forgot every other consideration.

  Yet, as her heart thumped in anticipation, he murmured on a deep, accented voice, “I've never been given a sweeter thank you, Jada, and I'm eager to earn many more.”

  At that, he let her go.

  CHAPTER 13

  Dalris couldn't have been more satisfied with the thunderstruck look on Jada's face when he released her.

  Or more frustrated.

  Nearly all he could think about was taking advantage of her bewilderment to give his newfound mate their first true kiss, and if it wasn't for the talisman Karina made, he probably would have. But though he could feel his dragon blood greedily stirring for more, the magical accessory was working, offering him enough clarity of mind to release her before going too far.

  Not that he'd believed Jada was planning on making out with him when she'd promised a kiss for good behavior. She was much too wary of their situation for that, meaning care would have to be taken in moving forward if he wanted to gain any ground.

  So he'd exercised the control he prided himself on and released her in the hopes of proving himself trustworthy.

  Thankfully, it wasn't hard to do now that he knew she was physically attracted to him—the way she'd admired his body coupled with her current blush was proof enough. He just hoped it would be enough to get started on something more meaningful, and backed away while asking, “Care to show me around now?”

  “Huh?”

  His smile turned into a grin at her obliviousness, reminding, “You wanted to show me around this grotto.”

  Jada blinked, and her expression grew annoyed, as if she'd only just realized the way she'd stared. Yet she shook it off quickly enough, and led him toward the cave across the way while muttering, “Come on.”

  Dalris followed without question, and though the tunnel was short enough to make him duck, it wasn't long, connecting with a large cavern illuminated by several light spheres giving the area a soft, blue glow.

  But more impressively, a number of small, sturdy huts had been built beneath the cavern roof with a modest dock standing over the nearby waterway. A small fishing boat was anchored to it, and several tables were settled around the cavern, some covered in magical tools serving as a workshop—probably for Karina—while others sported books and scrolls.

  One even possessed various types of coins, most of which Dalris identified as nori, the currency used in Onoria.

  Jada stopped at one of the tables to place her short sword next to its twin, then pulled her grandfather's tome out of her pouch and walked over to a stack of books.

  Karina emerged from one of the huts at the same time, and as she joined them, Jada inquired, “Where's the book that references the Battle for Divinity?”

  “We stored that one in the chest for safer keeping.”

  “Right, and I left the keys in my hut,” Jada mentioned, turning to adjourn there.

  Dalris nearly followed her as well. But Karina stopped him by offering a plain black shirt with the explanation, “This belongs to a friend of ours, and it's the biggest shirt I could find.”

  “Thank you,” he returned, and after donning the garment, he could only wonder who it belonged to because it was actually a little too big.

  But he didn't ask, and Karina returned a polite smile with a demeanor that was similar to her sister's. She also seemed to possess the same curiosity because she wasted no time asking, “So, do you think the stories about Rinora's House going crazy are just a bunch of rubbish, too?”

  He quirked a brow, finding her phrasing peculiar. So far, though Jada seemed to believe Morwin's research was correct, she'd maintained a level of skepticism, as if to say seeing is believing.

  But Karina was calling it rubbish outright.

  He wondered why, and didn't hesitate to answer with a nod. “I do.”

  Karina sighed, mentioning softly as if she didn't want her sister to overhear, “I've been trying to convince Jada, but she's too worried to listen.”

  “Oh? And why don't you believe it?”

  Smiling, she waved her hand at the books. “Read these sometime. You'll be more convinced than ever. But Jada was raised in a—”

  “Got it!”

  At her sister's announcement, Karina grew silent, leaving Dalris extremely curious. But he soothed his intrigue with the knowledge that she'd probably qualify the information once they were alone again, and put his focus on Jada's activities.

  Opening a chest several feet away from where they stood, she retrieved what looked to be t
he remains of a charred book and handed it over while directing him to be careful—and Dalris could easily see why. Most of the pages were no longer connected to the binding, and he gingerly flipped through them as Jada described the item.

  “This is a book Papa found, written in ancient draconian. The modern handwriting doesn't possess anywhere near so many diacritics and archaic tokens, and the syntax is a little different, too.”

  Dalris looked the words over carefully, finding himself surprised—she was absolutely right. The writing was so strange, in fact, that even he had trouble reading it. Current draconian possessed a few diacritics, but this was simply foreign considering such flourishes could change the meaning of a word entirely.

  So the task of translating had to be difficult, particularly for a non-native speaker.

  “Where did Morwin find this?”

  “Have you ever heard of Gowlan Corlas?”

  Dalris thought that over, suggesting, “He's a legendary elven paladin who expanded the kingdom of Onoria by defeating the trolls. He also helped House Nefilias overcome what was left of them after they fled, earning their respect, so they built a shrine for him in the elven city of Shirai.”

  Gowlan's Shrine was the only reason Dalris knew anything about the paladin. Traditionally, draconians were buried in elaborate tombs along with several of the valuables they'd accumulated in life, as well as gifts from family and friends. They also constructed shrines for respected outsiders, oftentimes in their hometown if possible.

  So when Jada confirmed his story, and mentioned, “Papa visited his shrine,” Dalris knew the book had to be inside.

  But it was damaged, prompting him to ask, “Did he find it this way?”

  “Yes, actually. Before Papa arrived, the shrine had been looted, and the curator was extremely reluctant to answer questions about the event, or allow anyone inside.”

  Learning the ancient Shrine had been looted alone was an indignation, and Dalris didn't hesitate to suggest, “Of course he was. If House Nefilias or any other draconian learned one of their shrines had been desecrated, they wouldn't react pleasantly.”

  “That's what Papa thought, too. But if any story out of elven history had a connection to Draconia, he was determined to learn all he could. So instead of asking what happened, Papa pretended to be curious about what items were stolen so he could locate and return them, and the curator named a number of valuables. Jewels, red gold, coins, and then a few codexes.”