Sabine smiled at him, leaned in close, and whispered, “I know she’s small, but don’t discount her effectiveness. Blossom has numerous abilities she doesn’t usually share.”
Malek hesitated, glancing at Blossom, whose eyes were filled with hope and enthusiasm. Sheesh. He never thought he’d be concerned about disappointing a pixie. “I don’t want Blossom to get hurt. If I’m taking out the guards, I won’t be able to keep an eye on her.”
“You don’t need to worry. She’s pretty tough, and I think she’ll be more helpful than you might expect.” Turning toward Blossom, Sabine held out her hand and said, “I need some of your dust.”
Blossom landed and fluttered her wings furiously, sending a smattering of pixie dust onto Sabine’s palm. Sabine held her other hand over Blossom, not quite touching the pixie. The air between her hands shimmered from Sabine’s power, and Blossom trilled happily. The pixie flopped onto her palm and wriggled around in the dust as Sabine’s magic flowed through her.
Sabine smiled. “That’s enough, Blossom. You can play later. It’s time to go to work.”
Blossom jumped up and flew off her palm. Sabine dipped her finger into the dust and spread some of it across her lips. She closed her eyes a moment, a look of intense concentration on her face. Malek’s gaze lingered on her lips, which shimmered in the moonlight. He wasn’t sure what sort of magic she’d enabled.
Blossom grinned and said, “My turn!”
Sabine nodded and blew the remaining dust back over the pixie before turning back toward Malek. “As long as the guards aren’t too close to the crystal, Blossom can send some of them to sleep with her modified pixie dust. Nothing will wake them for at least an hour.”
Malek’s eyes narrowed, understanding the implications. “That’s how you intend to distract the guard? You’re going to send him to sleep by kissing him?”
Sabine paused and frowned. She closed the distance between them, her shoulders tense and unyielding. “We all have different strengths, Malek. I’m decent with weapons, but I have other skills more suited to my nature. As do you. This is the easiest way to disable the outside guard without killing him. I’d rather not take more lives unless it’s necessary. After your reaction with the desert hunters being slaughtered, I assumed you felt the same way.”
Well, damn. She had a neat little way of cutting to the heart of the matter and making him out to be a complete ass if he objected. Sending a guard to sleep with a kiss would be better. He just didn’t like the idea of Sabine being the one to do it.
He could try to see if he had enough magic left to shift into a dragon and burn the crystal to the ground. If he’d had more time to fully recover, he might insist upon it. But even if he could, shifting into a dragon would garner too much attention. Not only would it jeopardize their efforts to save Esmelle and Levin, but it would most likely drive a wedge between him and Sabine if he suggested it.
He was becoming far too possessive of her, and she’d likely object once she fully understood his true nature. It grated on him, but he’d have to defer to her decision. He had no idea how he was going to handle things once she was reunited with Bane. He supposed that would be something to consider later, if they managed to survive the next few days.
“Very well. I trust your judgment.” With a sigh, he removed the warding medallion around his neck. Once he dropped it into his pocket, he rested his hand against the back of her neck. His heated draconic power rose up, wrapping around Sabine. Her skin prickled in awareness, and he idly stroked his thumb across her neck.
Sabine withdrew her knife and pricked her finger. Her magic rose to meet his, and he had to focus on not responding further. The more time they spent together, the stronger his need became to merge their powers. He’d nearly lost control back in that inn with having her in his arms and pressed against him. Damn. He was falling—and fast.
Sabine uttered the ritualist words he was beginning to recognize. Squeezing her finger, she allowed two drops of blood to fall to the ground. He looked up and saw the clear sky from earlier was gone. Clouds streaked across the sky, stealing the light of the moon and throwing the street into near total darkness. Unlike Akros, the streets of Karga were mostly quiet and empty during the night. Oil lamps hung from posts at most intersections and in front of public houses, but all other businesses were closed.
Sabine turned and held out her finger toward him to offer the third drop. He wrapped his hand gently around her wrist and kissed her finger, accepting the blood offering. Power, deceptively sweet and impossibly potent, filled him and strummed through his veins. His skin tingled as the deepening shadows clung to him. His own magic rushed to the surface, and he closed his eyes as he sought control.
Sabine slipped her knife back in its sheath. “It’s done. The magic will obscure you from sight unless you touch them, but try to stay at least an arm’s length away from anyone. Their gazes should pass right over you, but it won’t prevent them from hearing you if you’re too loud.”
Malek released her and put the medallion back around his neck to hide his powers. It was no wonder why Dax had managed to lead such a successful criminal enterprise with Sabine at his side. “Good. I’ll leave the bags in the alley here. Can you hide them from view too?”
Sabine nodded and gestured at a spot farther away from the intersection. Malek placed the bags on the ground, careful not to damage any of their contents. Sabine put her bag beside his and then knelt, running her hand over top of them. Their appearance shimmered, reforming in the guise of broken crockery.
“That could come in handy,” he murmured, remembering an occasion or two where he’d nearly gotten caught smuggling items.
Sabine smiled up at him. “Indeed, but it’ll only last an hour or two.”
“We won’t need it longer than that. If we’re not back to retrieve our belongings by then, we probably won’t have any further need for them.”
Sabine stood. “Give me a few minutes to lead the guard away before you try to slip into the building. You’ll need to keep your distance, since the shadows are only designed to hide you from view. I’ll leave the guard in this alley and cover his presence with another illusion.”
Blossom fluttered to his shoulder and said, “I’ll tell you if you’re getting too close to anyone. I can see through the shadows.”
Malek nodded, watching as Sabine turned toward the main street and then headed around the corner. The streets were still deserted, which would make their plan a bit easier. He only hoped it remained that way. Following slowly behind her, Malek made sure to keep almost an entire building’s length between them.
Sabine’s pace was unhurried as though simply out for an evening stroll. As they approached the building where the Kiervan were headquartered, Sabine tripped and fell to the ground with a pained cry.
Alarmed, Malek started to go to her. Blossom patted his neck and whispered, “It’s a trick. She needs him to come to her so she doesn’t set off the crystal.”
Malek halted, watching as the guard left his post outside the building. He knelt beside Sabine and helped her to her feet. She tossed her dark hair back and said something too low for Malek to hear. The guard grinned. He glanced back at the building behind him and then wrapped his arm around Sabine’s waist. Limping slightly, Sabine leaned against the guard as he brought her back in the direction of the alley they’d just abandoned.
Malek moved to the opposite side of the street, but the guard never even glanced in his direction. He was too busy staring at Sabine in a way that set Malek’s teeth on edge. If he didn’t know Sabine could handle herself, he might be inclined to go back to make sure the guard didn’t try anything. Instead, he forced himself to head toward the building where the crystal waited.
Blossom whispered, “I’ll scout ahead. Sabine gave me enough of her magic to send five of them to sleep.”
Malek nodded, watching as the pixie shifted her appearance again and took off. Keeping to the shadows, Malek moved along the wall of the building tow
ard the front entrance. He waited outside for several minutes, but he couldn’t hear anything from within.
Blossom reappeared in the form of a large black moth and perched on his shoulder. “The front room is clear.”
Malek slipped around the corner and into the main entrance area of the Kiervan’s headquarters. Several low tables were set up with lanterns and weapons scattered over top of them. Three guards snored loudly, their bodies resting on top of cushions scattered around each of the tables. Two of them appeared to have been cleaning their curved swords when Blossom had dusted them. The other had been eating a meal, and his head was resting not so comfortably on his plate.
Blossom pointed at a doorway where a curtain had been strung up to separate the two areas. “The crystal’s in there, but I hear someone moving around. I’m sorry, Malek. He wasn’t there earlier.”
Malek nodded, his hand immediately going to the knife at his side. In tight quarters, a shorter weapon would prove more advantageous. He shifted the curtain slightly and caught sight of a man turned away from him. He was staring at something on the far side of the room. Motioning for Blossom to stay back, Malek crept into the room, prepared to take the guard unaware.
A high-pitched keening noise filled the air, and a purple light shone against the walls. The guard spun around, shouting a warning, and drew his weapon in one fluid movement. Damn. Sabine’s shadow magic coating his skin must have tripped the crystal alarm. Abandoning his knife, Malek grabbed his sword and blocked the guard’s attack. Metal rung against metal as he continued to block and parry.
Blossom flew into the room, fluttering her wings furiously over the guard. Pixie dust cascaded and the man sneezed, upsetting his footwork. Malek shifted his weight, angling his weapon downward, but the man sneezed again. The guard staggered, and his weapon clattered to the ground. He followed a moment later and crashed onto the ground, sound asleep.
Malek jumped over his body and rushed toward the shrieking crystal. With both hands, he brought his sword down against the purple stone. Nothing happened. A slight mark was the only indication he’d hit his mark.
“Hurry, Malek,” Blossom urged, yelling over the sound of the crystal. “More people are coming!”
Malek’s jaw clenched. He gripped the warding medallion around his neck and yanked it off. Infusing his breath with dragonfire, he breathed over the crystal. The purple surface began to bubble at the intense heat, but it still wasn’t enough.
“Get out of here, Blossom!” Malek shouted, grabbing the sleeping guard and dragging him out of the room. What he was about to attempt would likely kill anyone in the immediate vicinity.
Running back to the crystal, he focused on summoning the full strength of his power. He inhaled deeply, the staggering heat in his blood pulsing through his temples. His human form hadn’t been designed to contain the raw power of what he was attempting. His vision blurred and sweat poured off him as the molten lava in his veins prepared to erupt. Unable to contain it any longer, he flung his power outward. Blue fire erupted from his body, consuming the crystal in a blast of heat.
The last vestiges of his strength fled, and Malek dropped to his knees. The sharp smell of burnt clay and smoke filled Malek’s nose, but he barely noticed. He swayed, pressing his hands against his knees to stay upright. Blinking through the smoky haze, he tried to focus on the crystal. The table was gone, and the crystal was nothing more than a pile of purple dust. Most of the floor in front of him was gone, including part of the wall.
Relief flooded through him. He tried to stand, but he couldn’t make it to his feet. His strength fled, and he fell sideways onto the hard ground. Even if he didn’t make it out of Karga alive, at least he’d saved some innocents. Sometimes, that had to be enough.
Something wasn’t right. Sabine wiped the rest of the pixie dust from her lips and peered out of the alley at the building where Malek had disappeared. It was taking longer than she’d thought for him to destroy the crystal. She hesitated a moment and slowly started making her way back to him.
If the Kiervan had caught Malek, there was no way of knowing what they might do to him. Flying with the ship had taken a great deal from him, and he’d likely have difficulty defending himself. Sex and the magical spring water had helped restore her power, but Malek still wasn’t at full strength.
“Sabine! Come quick! Malek’s going to—” Blossom’s words were interrupted as an explosion rocked the Kiervan’s headquarters. The ground trembled under her feet, and smoke poured upward from the roof.
“Malek!” Sabine screamed, running toward the building. Gods. If anything had happened to him because she’d pushed him to do this, she’d never forgive herself. She couldn’t lose him, not when she’d just found him.
She staggered inside the building, the smoke making her eyes tear up. It was nearly impossible to breathe. “Where is he? Blossom, where is he?!”
Blossom coughed and pointed at another room. “In there, Sabine. Hurry!”
Sabine scrambled over the sleeping bodies of the guards, intent on finding Malek. Grasping the edge of the doorframe that was falling down, she stepped into a secondary room. The smoke was even worse in here. She coughed and crouched low, spotting Malek on the far side of the room. His clothing was burnt, and he was lying facedown on the ground. Her heart fell into her stomach as fear gripped her.
“Malek,” she whispered, rushing to him and dropping to her knees beside him. Rolling him over, she searched for any injuries, but it was impossible to tell. His skin was darkened from soot as though it had been burned. “No. Please, no.”
Blossom landed on Sabine’s shoulder. “It’s okay. He’s not dead, Sabine. Look! His chest is moving.”
Tears streaked down her face, both from the harsh acrid smell of burnt building materials and from her tumultuous emotions. She focused on Malek’s chest and saw what Blossom had meant. His breathing was labored, but his chest rhythmically moved up and down.
“Malek, please talk to me,” she whispered as she reached toward him and then stopped. She wasn’t sure if touching him would make things worse. She leaned over him, trying to figure out how she could get him out of here. People would be arriving any minute to investigate.
He opened his eyes and managed a weak smile. “It’s destroyed. They’re… they’re all safe.”
A hysterical laugh bubbled out of her, and she wiped away her tears. “You wonderful, foolish dragon. What have you done to yourself? You never should have taken such a risk.”
“Had to,” he whispered and reach up to cup her face.
Leaning into his touch, she held his hand against her skin. For a moment, she’d feared she’d lost him. “We need to get you out of here. Can you stand?”
“Need sleep,” he whispered, his eyes closing.
“You can’t sleep right now,” she urged, reaching toward him. If he hadn’t objected to her touching his hand, he was probably mostly unharmed. She tried to pull him up, but he wouldn’t budge. Sabine frowned, panic growing as she searched the room for anything she could use to lift him. There was nothing. Everything in the room had been destroyed.
Blossom squeaked. “Sabine, I think someone’s coming.”
Sabine frowned, leaning over Malek and using her glamour to disguise them as rubble. She pressed her fingers against Malek’s lips in a silent gesture for quiet as footsteps rushed toward them.
“What the hell happened?” a man shouted from the other room.
“No idea. I can’t wake any of them.”
Malek opened his eyes, and Sabine shook her head in warning. His eyes closed again, and he drifted back out of consciousness. If she couldn’t get him out of here, these people would kill him. He was too weak to defend himself. They’d never believe he created this much destruction without the use of magic.
“Go find Captain Kaveil and wake him up. One of those damn cursed demons is responsible for this. We need to search the city. Now.”
Sabine swallowed at the guard’s words, knowing they nee
ded to hurry. They’d do a full search of the building once the smoke cleared, and their presence would be discovered. Sabine stared at Malek and brushed his dark hair away from his face. She wouldn’t lose him. There was a way to help him—but it would bind her even tighter to Malek. The alternative, though, would be to watch the Kiervan kill him—and she’d never allow that to happen. But first, she needed to get him out of the building.
Leaning over Malek, she pressed a light kiss against his lips. He blinked open his eyes, and she smiled at him. Using the mark connecting them, she sent some of her strength to him. Their connection was still in its infancy, and she couldn’t share much with him until the level of trust between them deepened.
Malek sat up and cupped her face, searching her expression. She gave him a small smile and leaned forward, kissing him again softly. Keeping her movements silent, she rose to her feet and then helped Malek up. He was a little unsteady, but at least he was able to stay awake. She’d need to give him more of her power once they were outside, but it would likely deplete her remaining strength. She had some magical water left, but once it was gone, they’d need to return to the spring to recover more. Otherwise, she’d be without magic until they came to another forest.
From the sound of footsteps and approaching voices, more people had arrived to investigate the disturbance. Blossom had shifted back into the guise of a moth and fluttered over near one of the walls that had melted. Understanding the pixie’s silent direction, Sabine gathered the shadows around her and Malek. He leaned heavily on her as she led him toward the burnt and crumbling wall of the building, which had partially collapsed.
She climbed over the low wall and helped Malek do the same. For a large man, she’d always been impressed with how well he moved, but now his movements were clumsy and awkward, as though even lifting his feet was difficult.
She wrapped her arm around his waist and indicated with gestures for him to lean on her. Struggling under his weight, she managed to guide them toward the alley, narrowly avoiding more guards as they converged around the Kiervan’s headquarters. Once they finished in the building, they’d expand their search to the surrounding areas. She needed to hurry.
By Blood and Magic Page 18