Sapphire Flame: A Paranormal Romance (The Flame Series Book 7)

by Caris Roane

  Ryan returned. Just as I thought. Kryder blew up your burrow.

  Grant was more relieved than anything else. Then I’m beyond grateful you had this plan for moving my stuff. Though how you achieved it, without my knowing, I’ll never understand.

  He heard Ryan’s telepathic chuckle. I had a lot of help.

  It’s extremely well done. Thank you.

  You’re welcome. Ryan paused then asked, Battle stations for the rest of the night?

  Yup. I’ll be surfacing in a few minutes.

  Good. How’s Natalie?

  Shaken up but holding steady.

  Also, as expected. See you in a few.

  Grant broke the connection about the same time Natalie pulled away from him.

  “My turn to shower.” Before stepping in, she asked, “What did Ryan say?”

  He explained about his burrow and she shuddered visibly. “I feel bad. I’d wanted to see it.”

  He tried not to think about the place that had given him peace for the past six years, especially each time he had to recover from one of Kryder’s beatings.

  “We have a lot of plans in place. I never expected to return to my burrow once I became alpha.”

  She nodded several times in a row. “This is all new to me.” She turned on the showerheads.

  “I understand. I’ll apologize now, because I have to go. I want to make sure the compound is secure.”

  “Go. Please, go. I’ll be fine.”

  He nodded then left the bathroom. He felt oddly disjointed, like he should have said something more to her, but his mind was already racing toward pack business. Now that he was alpha, he needed to be doing.

  He hoped to hell they’d planned for every contingency, or the compound would fall.

  ~ ~ ~

  As Natalie showered, she spent a lot of time shampooing her hair, maybe longer than necessary. Grant had already left his rooms, but he’d locked her in.

  For that, she was grateful. The explosion had rattled her as nothing else had. It was probably a good thing since it shocked her back to the reality that despite the pack’s celebration with a barbecue and after the great sex with Grant, the Meldorin Compound would no doubt be under siege for some time to come.

  She questioned Grant’s wisdom in allowing Kryder to live. After all, he’d killed off a number of his challengers and would have obliterated Grant given the chance. Grant had the right to do the same.

  But she knew Grant and understood clearly that he didn’t want to begin his tour of duty as alpha by killing his predecessor. It was a bad precedent to set no matter who did it.

  With her hair well-rinsed, she finally left the shower and dried off. Wrapping herself in one of the larger towels, she set about blow-drying her hair. She was unable to dismiss that her eyes had a deer-in-the-headlights kind of stare. The breaths she took tended to be ragged and uneven. With all the adrenaline of battle gone, she was left alone, feeling very cold toward her presence in the Meldorin Pack and wondering what she’d been thinking in the first place.

  She’d wanted to help Grant because she’d wanted to take Kryder down as well. But Kryder had also just blown up Grant’s burrow home in immediate retaliation.

  Losing heart, are we?

  Natalie jumped at the sight of Renee, now sitting in her mist-like form on the marble counter near the sink, her long blond hair in a wave over her shoulder. Natalie shut off the blow dryer and wrapped the cord loosely around the small machine. She tucked it in a basket beneath the counter.

  She had no reason to lie to Renee. “Suddenly, I’m scared shitless. What the hell am I doing here?”

  Besides getting laid you mean? Which in my opinion is reason enough, but…whatever.

  Natalie chuckled. Renee had a funny way of expressing herself. “Grant’s great. No question. In fact, he’s amazing.”

  Renee appeared to sigh heavily and some of the mist around her chest moved up and down in waves. Yeah. I was so pissed off when I died because I’d only gotten a few weeks of all that ample goodness and speed. Oh, God, the speed.

  For a moment, Natalie was drawn back to being with Grant. “Don’t I know it.”

  So, what’s going on with you? I mean as you must know by now my job is to keep you on track. I was never good at the psychology crap, but it seems to me you’re in the shits right now.

  “I’m scared.”

  Who the hell isn’t?

  “I didn’t expect to feel this way.”

  Which way?

  “Scared. Alone.”

  When did it start? Right after you made love?

  Natalie shook her head. “No, not right away. I think it was when Grant left the bed to take his shower. I’d had all this feel-good pumping through my veins. I mean, I wasn’t sure whether I’d ever come back to earth.”

  Renee leaned forward. The sudden motion sent the mist flowing backward then returning to give the spirit more shape. Did you see stars? I saw stars once. Maybe even the whole universe.

  “Yes, it was exactly like that.”

  Another sigh and an odd fluctuating of mist. Yup, I’m still pissed about being dead.

  Natalie chuckled. “I like you. I want you to know that.”

  But do you like Grant? I mean, really like him?

  “I do. I admire the hell out of him. Did you know your burrow home just got obliterated?”

  Yes, though I have to say his devoted wolves made a solid replica in here with many improvements of which I strongly approve. Okay, so back to the moment when he left the bed and took his shower. What were you thinking about? Or maybe that’s not the right question. What happened, because I think I know.

  “Give me your best guess.” Natalie stared at Renee, waiting for her response.

  Renee narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything for a long time. Finally, she said, I’m not sure if it’s Grant’s flaw or if it’s his strong suit or if it’s just a very male thing, but I’ll bet that when he left the bedroom, you felt a wall come down.

  Natalie thought for a moment. “That’s it exactly. But I don’t want to sound like a whiner. He’s got a big job to do.”

  He can shift gears on a dime. I remember feeling hurt a few times until I got used to it. In the middle of things, when we’d make love, I knew he was with me, completely. But I felt like I was a compartment in his head that the moment he was done with me, he closed the door and shut me out.

  “Well, it did feel like that. But I’m not so much hurt as scared. We’ve been in the middle of this nightmare before, yet as long as we moved together, side by side, we were able to stay alive. Now that he’s not here, I’m petrified.”

  Okay. I get it. You were shot recently, weren’t you?

  “Up through my calf and into my thigh. It hurt.”

  Right. The threat isn’t gone, either, is it?

  “No, and my guess is this whole thing is going to get a lot worse.”

  Probably. She crossed her arms over her chest. The mist flew around until it reformed. I’m pissed he didn’t finish that bastard off.

  “He wanted to. I know he did. But I’m sure he thought it a bad precedent.”

  Damn him for being honorable.

  Natalie laughed out loud. “I thought the same thing. I wish I’d had my Glock with me. I wouldn’t have been so gracious.” She then held Renee’s gaze. “So, what is it you need to tell me this time because I sense you have some kind of message for me.”

  Right. Well, I’ve been told to be extremely careful with what I tell you. I mean this is, after all, your life and your path, what you have to go through. But the Higher-ups want you to take a look at your deepest fears and they have little to do with dying or the pain of battle or that Kryder blew up Grant’s burrow.

  “What fears?” Natalie really was confused. What could possibly be worse than Kryder deciding, for instance, that his next move would be to blow up the Meldorin Compound?

  Renee shrugged, and the mist did a quick up-and-down flow. This time, however, it didn’t ref
orm. Instead, Renee said one last thing before she vanished, Good luck, Sister.

  Natalie felt completely deflated. This was the second time in a matter of a few minutes that she’d been left completely alone. She sure wished she’d been given a little more information.

  She’d never dreaded the solitary state before. Yet she did now, as though it didn’t feel right anymore.

  She heard her wolf whimper inside her.

  Her wolf.

  The sudden reality that she was no longer just fae struck her hard. “So, what do you think, wolf? What’s going on here?”

  She released her wolf who then leaped up onto the sink where Renee had been sitting. She was so beautiful, an opaque rhythm of ever-moving violet, green and blue patterns. She was joyous, wary and perfect.

  Natalie spoke the first thought that came to mind. “I need to go home.”

  Her wolf yipped and appeared to smile.

  “If you approve, then that’s what I’ll do.”

  Natalie took her time dressing. She then made the bed and savored the furs that she’d piled on top. She tried to imagine Grant as he’d been before Five Bridges, as a high school science teacher with a love of the stars. Somehow, she couldn’t. She only knew him as a powerful alter wolf, with furs on his bed and in charge of over two hundred wolves.

  She withdrew her phone from the pocket of her tunic and called Agnes. She knew she needed a greater degree of security than her house could provide, especially since she planned to leave the safety of Grant’s compound. Though she snickered at the word ‘safety’. Where would she be safe now?

  But she talked the situation over with Agnes and was grateful when the strong fae woman offered her a cottage in her compound. No one else in Revel had the kind of security set-up that Agnes did. Even Kryder, in an invisible state, couldn’t slip through undetected. In the past few months, she’d added several more cottages as well, so there was room for her.

  With her plans made, she tapped on Grant’s telepathy.

  His greeting didn’t surprise her. Sorry to be ignoring you, Natalie, but I’ve got about a thousand things on my agenda right now.

  No worries. I’m heading back to Revel.

  What? Wait a minute. Are you sure? You can’t stay in your house.

  I know. Agnes offered me a cottage and I’m taking it. When he didn’t say anything more, didn’t protest, didn’t beg her to stay, she added, Please, don’t take offense but I don’t feel like I belong in the compound right now. Even my wolf approves my leaving. She hoped her tone sounded as light as she was trying to achieve, but there was a long pause.

  Finally, he said, Maybe it’s for the best.

  Something in the finality of this statement made her heart sink. She hadn’t intended to break with him, but this sure felt like an ending. Grant? Am I coming back?

  We’re at war, Natalie. My compound is the last place you should be right now. When I’ve ended this conflict with Kryder, in whatever form that takes, we can talk. Right now, I’ll send a squad to escort you home, at least a half-dozen trained warriors.

  So many?

  She wasn’t sure how she could tell, but she knew he’d released a sigh. Yes, that many. I would send more, but most of my soldiers are on the perimeter watching and waiting.

  You think an attack is imminent.

  I do. Knowing how Kryder thinks, I wouldn’t be surprised if he brought a battalion to burn this place down. It will be easier for me knowing you’re safe.

  Natalie didn’t know how to end the conversation. Was it really only a half-hour ago that they were wrapped up in each other’s arms and flying through the stars?

  Finally, she said, Call me when things settle down.

  I will.

  Oh, God. She felt certain he never would. She hadn’t dated in so long, she’d forgotten that men could switch gears this fast.

  Her heart began to ache as she walked slowly across the living room.

  She waited for the team to arrive and only opened the door after they had knocked and identified themselves to her. She recognized two of them from the sandpit squad.

  What surprised her was that Ryan was with them. “May I speak with you for a moment, before you leave?”

  “Of course.” She gestured for him to come in.

  Ryan told the men to wait outside, saying that he’d only be a few minutes.

  When the door was shut, he moved several feet into the room and spoke quietly. “I know the communication between you and Grant went on for a bit and I don’t profess to know what you said to each other. But for what it’s worth, afterward Grant stood for a moment with his back to me and I knew he was struggling.

  “You have to know you’ve been the best thing to happen to that man since Renee died and if I can help it, I’ll try to encourage him to make an effort. It won’t be easy for him and not just because of Kryder. I’ve never seen a man so destroyed by his wife’s death as Grant was. I don’t think even he knows what he was like afterward.

  “It took him weeks to do more than head out to serve his Border Patrol shift. When he returned, he spent hours going over every aspect of the compound. As for women, just a long series of one-night-stands and it wasn’t pretty.

  “You’re the first real thing to come into his life, that wasn’t about pack business, in all these years. I don’t want him to go backward.”

  Natalie felt overwhelmed by what Ryan had just said. “Thank you for that. I’ve heard you and I will keep what you’ve said in mind. But right now, I belong in Revel. I’m fae, despite my odd, iridescent wolf. I had a life before Grant and I need to get back to it, back to the clients I have scheduled for the next two months.”

  He shook his head. “Is that really what you want?”

  “Maybe I would feel differently if Grant had asked me to join him a little, in, say, a meeting or two. But I wasn’t even an afterthought. I also know how important the Meldorin Pack is to him and that more than anything he wants to create a secure environment for his people. If he had to worry about me as well, he’d only start resenting me.”

  Ryan nodded, his brow pinched. He kept on nodding as well, his gaze falling to the floor. She could tell he was trying hard to think of something else to say.

  Finally, he lifted his gaze to meet hers and said, “Let’s get you home. But please don’t forget Grant or me or the rest of us. If you’d let yourself, I think you’d find a home here you could love. Just sayin’.” He then smiled, if sadly, turned and gestured toward the door.

  A few minutes later, as Natalie rose into the air, she forced herself not to look back, not to think about Grant and what she was leaving behind.

  Even so, her eyes grew blurred with tears. She was grateful for the vanguard in front of her, so she wouldn’t have to worry that she couldn’t see her path home.

  Chapter Thirteen

  For the next few hours, Grant kept his head down, mind focused. Because he’d been planning for years, he’d always known the day would come when he took over the pack. It was time to put everything in motion.

  His core team, which included Ryan and those wolves that had helped secure Kryder with the net, had a dozen strategies in place as well as hidden stores of food and weapons.

  Besides the usual stockpile of pistols, assault rifles, and a mountain of ammunition, he also had a rocket launcher in case Kryder produced an armored vehicle. The crew in charge of this piece of weaponry had watched a dozen training videos and practiced non-firing runs at least a hundred times.

  Hopefully, they wouldn’t have to use the rocket launcher. At this point, however, he wouldn’t put anything past Kryder and had structured his training with the man’s psychopathic character in mind.

  Several pack females, not involved in the military end of things, kept stopping by the conference room. They brought buckets of coffee, kept the team members well-fed and offered a dozen ‘thank you’s’ for taking Kryder down and for having prepared the pack for this day.

  Grant expressed his apprec
iation for their efforts as well. But he had no illusions about the difficulties in front of him. Kryder had always nurtured a network of spies within the pack whose efforts had frequently ended in the torture and death of a wolf who had been caught in any kind of opposition to Kryder.

  Over the years, Grant and had learned how to keep his mouth shut no matter what happened, to train his wolves to a form of intense discretion, and to take his beatings any time it could divert Kryder’s cruel nature away from the pack members and onto himself.

  The latter had earned him a level of devotion and loyalty that had kept his wolves out of trouble. In recent years, Kryder’s killing rate had gone down significantly.

  Now Grant’s goal was to keep his people alive.

  With the weapons distributed along with a hefty amount of ammo, Grant could only wait.

  He sat in the conference room, eating a ham sandwich and guzzling another cup of coffee. He had a dull headache at the front of his forehead. Too much adrenaline. Waiting was the hardest.

  It was nearly midnight and Natalie had been gone for several hours. He missed her, and he wished she was here.

  Yet, part of him was glad she was gone. He’d spoken truthfully when he’d said he didn’t want to have to worry about her safety. But his relief carried more weight than he’d thought. As he pondered it now, he realized he had been dreading her staying.

  He had a job to do that didn’t allow for the complications of a woman in his life. He’d never wanted to get this involved with Natalie. Not for a moment had he thought his term as pack alpha would begin with a passionate love affair with a fae female.

  “You’re in a funk.”

  Ryan’s words snapped him away from his thoughts. He shifted his attention to his second-in-command. “Yeah.”

  Ryan lowered his voice. “Natalie?”

  Grant huffed a sigh. “Unfortunately, yes. But now that she’s gone, I can focus on what’s important?”

  “Huh.” Ryan took a bite of his sandwich, then shoved a couple of potato chips into his mouth.

  “What does that mean?”

  Ryan shook his head. “I don’t know. Because she’s great or at least I think so.” Grant was grateful Ryan had kept his voice to a murmur, especially when he added, “Want my honest opinion?”