Dark Flame

by Caris Roane

  She drew back from Brannick, her chest tightening. She called out once more. “Roche texted me?”

  “’Fraid so. Something about a woman named Mary.”

  She put a hand to her mouth and met Brannick’s gaze. He eased her away from him, then lifted up off the sink, his brow growing pinched once more.

  She called out to Fergus. “We’ll be right there.”

  “I’ll be on the canal patio.”

  She dropped the towel, but didn’t look at Brannick. She put her thong and bra back on, then slid her dress over her head so fast, she displaced half her curls. She took a moment to straighten the worst of the lot, slid into her sandals then headed to the door.

  Brannick followed her, a hand at the small of her back. Once in the living room, he waved Fergus in from the patio.

  She found her phone on the kitchen counter. With trembling hands, she picked it up. In all the difficulty with keeping Brannick alive, she’d forgotten to follow up on Mary’s whereabouts. Although, it had never once occurred to her that Roche might have abducted her.

  She held the phone so Brannick and Fergus could see everything.

  She slid the cell face a couple of times, until Roche’s text came up, and there it was. I have Mary. You have three hours to turn yourself over to me at the Fae Cathedral or your friend dies.

  She glanced at Brannick, who scowled heavily. “So this is why Mary didn’t show up to drive the van. Ask how long she’s been with him.”

  She texted back. How long have you had her?

  Waiting for a response felt like an eternity.

  Then, finally, Ever since I found out she’s been helping you steal my women and tunnel-run them out of Five Bridges. Be at the Fae Cathedral and come alone.

  She glanced at the phone again. “What should we do?”

  “Well, you can’t go to him. I won’t let you.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, then realized immediately he was reacting to the situation, not offering a solution. She opted for stating her own thoughts. “I have no intention of turning myself over to that bastard, but I have to tell him something.”

  “Look, he’s the one who said ‘three hours’. Tell him you’ll be at the entrance to the cathedral within his timeframe. That’ll give us a chance to put a plan together.”

  And there it was, the response she needed.

  She glanced at her clock. It was already nine. She typed again. I’ll be there before midnight. Alone. She didn’t mind lying to a liar.

  Fergus nodded his approval, then resumed his post on the patio overlooking the canal. He levitated several feet in the air, disappearing from view. Even a few feet higher would give him a much better view of the entire canal. The more powerful wolves could levitate as well as transform into four-footed creatures.

  While holding her phone in her left hand, she absently rubbed the top of the case with her index finger. She had to think. She couldn’t turn herself over to Roche. He’d use her to service his wealthy clients while in the dreamglide. She’d die before she became enslaved to Roche.

  Brannick blew the air from his cheeks. “I’ve never been to the Fae Cathedral. Have you?”

  Juliet turned to face him. “Once. It’s a large club that has three different venues within the main building. But it also houses the entrance to a massive underground development called the Village. Off to the left side of the foyer is a large, descending ramp built like a corkscrew, the kind used in big parking garages. People who live in the Village use the ramp to come and go, though no cars are allowed. I think the main form of transport is electric golf carts.

  “The ramp is heavily guarded as well. It’s a residents-only development. I’ve never gone past the large foyer, however. Never wanted to. And I don’t know anyone who lives in the Village.”

  “So this is all below the Fae Cathedral?”

  “It is.” She thought for a moment. “Rumors have it that Roche runs his drug organization from the southern end, if I remember correctly.”

  Brannick slid his fingers through his hair. “Basically, we need to get down that ramp without being seen.”

  “We could use your vampire shield and sneak in to bring Mary out. That could work, couldn’t it?”

  “Yes, absolutely.” She watched his gaze skate around.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  He stared at her hard. “That before we can put a decent plan together, I need to know more about your fae world.”

  Juliet knew her territory was the least understood of all five, mostly because their lives were lived almost in secret. At least a quarter of the population lived in underground housing. There was more than one development like the Village.

  There were also hundreds, heavily addicted to any one of the flame drugs, who did their own excavating and lived in filthy dug-outs. They were known as mud dwellers, because these places flooded when the summer monsoons arrived. Every year, dozens of alter fae drowned in the poorly constructed living areas.

  In that sense, her territory had a huge disparity between places of beauty like Lotus Tree and those areas where the mud dwellers lived.

  She knew she’d shared some of these details about Revel with Brannick during their time together in the dreamglide. But since he didn’t have a full recollection of their many conversations, she answered all of his questions.

  She then elaborated on being apprenticed to Agnes, which meant she’d become an expert in dreamgliding.

  “Why is it called that, ‘gliding’ I mean.”

  “Because the more control a fae gains over this process, the more he or she can make a dream move or glide from place to place.”

  “So your ability to be in different places while in a dreamglide is an advanced ability.”

  “It is.”

  “A portion of your people also have telekinetic abilities. I’ve seen some of your fae border patrol officers draw weapons out of their opponents’ hands.”

  “That’s true, but it can be tricky. A gun can discharge during telekinesis. Only the most powerful even attempt it.”

  Brannick dipped his chin. “What else about your people?”

  She couldn’t help but smile a little. He’d asked the same question in the dreamglide, in exactly the same way.

  “It’s often hard to explain to an outsider what it is to be fae. We have a connection to the dream world, which is clear to everyone because of the horrendous abuse in the illegal sex clubs, like the kind Roche runs. But we also have similarities to the dead-talkers in that we seem to have a much more mystical take on life. I have a blog in fact with a number of followers.”

  He shifted his gaze away from her. “Wait. I’m remembering that from one of the dreamglides. You showed it to me on your tablet. You’d written about the journey of life being a marathon and learning to take the long view. In fact, you quoted a Chinese philosopher—”

  “Right. ‘The journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.’ I did.”

  He pressed the heel of his palm against his forehead, then turned back to her. “It’s weird when a memory resurfaces. I get a fuzzy sensation in my mind, and suddenly a memory arrives.” He took her arm in his hand. “We were here in your bed. We’d been together. Christ, Juliet, did we talk that much?”

  “Yes.” She couldn’t breathe for moment. His memories were really starting to open up and not just about the sex.

  Unfortunately, with every surfacing memory, he would grow closer and closer to the truth about what she’d done to him, how she’d seduced him to be with her. There’d be a time of reckoning, and the more she was with him, the more she started dreading what now appeared to be the inevitable.

  Once he knew what she’d done, she doubted he would ever forgive her. Or even if he could, he’d use the knowledge as an excuse to shut her out of his life for good. Brannick was a man who believed in the rule of law.

  He gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “Hey, are you okay?”

  She forced herself to blink a couple
of times. “I’m fine. But I think all of this is overwhelming. For one thing, you keep remembering different dreamglides and each one gives rise to an entire host of memories. And for another, I’ve never spent this much time with you. It just feels so odd.”

  “It is strange.” A rueful smile touched his lips, and he moved a little closer to her. “But it’s been great, hasn’t it?”

  She took in a long stream of air and released it slowly. “More than I can say.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Brannick glanced over his shoulder, and seeing that Fergus was making an elevated sweep up the canal in the direction of the main bridge, he took Juliet in his arms. The memories that had started to surface showed him how comfortable he’d been with her in the dreamglide. Because of it, he couldn’t help but feel a powerful attachment to her in real-time.

  She seemed so familiar to him now. And yes, they’d talked a lot, and everything she’d just shared with him about the Fae Cathedral and the Village, she’d already told him in a dreamglide.

  Still, part of his mind shouted a warning. He’d never planned on pursuing a relationship with any woman in Five Bridges. He would be wise to let her go.

  Yet, he’d been Juliet’s lover in the dreamglide for five months. And right now he wanted to know what would it be like in real-time?

  “Brann, we don’t have to do this. We don’t have to do anything.”

  “I know. But I want to.” He let his concerns slide away as he settled his lips on hers. He felt her entire body melt against his, a perfect fit. God, she felt good in his arms as the recently remembered dreamglide memories now merged with the real thing.

  After a moment, he drew back, kissed the freckles on her right cheek, then the left. He’d definitely done this before.

  “I love your freckles.” He kissed the curls dangling near her forehead. He caught the strawberry scent of her shampoo. But did he know it from the White Flame club where he’d originally met her? Or had this been in the dreamglide as well?

  He couldn’t help himself; he kissed her again.

  Her voice entered his mind. Oh, Brann, you feel so good.

  You do, too. But this is a bizarre experience, holding you and kissing you while knowing I’ve done this hundreds of times before.

  It’s amazing.

  Reluctantly, he drew back. “But we have work to do.”

  “We do.” Juliet turned away from him and actually shook out her hands and fingers. She then glanced at him and smiled. “You get to me so quickly, you know.”

  He loved that she’d said that to him. He loved her dark blue eyes, her freckles and her mischievous smile. He wanted to take her back to her small office and bend her over her desk again.

  But other things were much more important. “We have Mary to think about now.”

  “Yes, we do,” she said.

  With difficulty, he let her go. She lowered her chin and blinked a couple of times, then turned away from him.

  Fergus landed once more on the patio and dipped his chin to Brannick. He immediately turned toward the canal.

  Brannick felt a strong pull within his chest as he watched the wolf, a sensation similar to the way the dreamgliding memories arrived. Only this wasn’t a dream, but it definitely felt very fae.

  As he stared at the shifter, he realized he was once again experiencing an instinct more in keeping with the alter fae community than with his vampire self. He turned back to Juliet. “Fergus should come with us.”

  A frown deepened between her arched brows. “The wolf?”

  “You sound surprised.”

  “It’s just that he can’t create an invisibility shield like you can. He’s not a vampire.”

  Brannick glanced at Fergus again, but he felt the same pull as before.

  Fergus was a powerful man and ally. His mane of hair went all the way to the middle of his back. The wolves, especially the alphas, grew their hair out long and wore braids to hold it away from the face. Although, he’d seen some with leather straps across their foreheads.

  His alter instincts continued to warm up but with a fae tone rather than the cold, direct manner of his vampire nature. “Juliet, I can’t explain why, but Fergus needs to be with us as we hunt for Mary.”

  Juliet caught his arm with her hand. “I’m feeling it too, though I’m pretty sure the weight of my conviction is coming from you. You seem to be reacting more like a fae than a vampire.”

  He held her gaze tight to his. Something similar had happened between Vaughn and Emma, this odd transference of powers. He’d watched Emma levitate when she’d never done so before, and she’d had Vaughn’s complete skillset while doing it.

  Now here he was with Juliet. She’d used a vampire shield while on the bridge and had later taken on some of his physical strength to bring him to the second bedroom.

  “You know what amazed me? I can recall how you carried me to the other room. I still find it hard to believe, even though I told you to do it.”

  He watched her lips curve. “Would you like me to show you how strong I am?”

  “I would.”

  She moved over to stand next to him. “Drape your arm over my shoulder.”

  When he did, she caught his forearm from behind and locked it in place. “Now, slowly ease your weight onto me.”

  He didn’t want to hurt her. The muscles he carried could do damage to such a willowy female. But as he began to relax and transfer his weight to her, damn if she didn’t hold steady.

  Even she seemed surprised. “I can do this better than before. I mean, I doubt I’d ever be able to pick you up and carry you around, but can you feel the strength I can take on?”

  “I can.”

  He removed his arm from around her shoulders and stared at her for a long, difficult moment. He felt uneasy suddenly. He knew what had happened to Vaughn and Emma. The couple was engaged, for Christ’s sake. A witch and a vampire.

  He didn’t approve of the species mixing like this. Life was hard enough in Five Bridges without becoming the brunt of anti-species hate.

  He also thought the level of intimacy that kept expanding between them was a big mistake. “This isn’t right.”

  Juliet searched his eyes. “I get it, Brannick.”

  “You do?” He wasn’t sure he believed her.

  She turned her gaze away from him as though remembering. “This feels like a kind of forced connection, something neither of us wants. Though it is reminding me of decisions I made when I set up house in Lotus Tree. I haven’t dated once during the four years I’ve lived in Five Bridges. I haven’t wanted to. Life here, in the world of the flame drugs, requires a different focus. Staying alive, for one thing. And helping others as needed, like Mary right now. Anything else is exactly as you’ve said. It isn’t right. Maybe that’s why dreamgliding worked for both of us. It wasn’t real. Not like this.”

  He was grateful she understood and that they seemed to be on the same page. But it didn’t help much; her sincerity made her even more appealing. “I’m with you.”

  She settled her hands on her hips. “All right then. So, you and I aren’t going to take this seriously, whatever this is.” She waved her hand back-and-forth between them. “Agreed?”

  “Yes.”

  She nodded briskly. “Good.” She glanced at Fergus and saw one of the warlocks land on the patio. “What are your new fae instincts telling you about the rest of our security detail? Should they come with us?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think so. You mentioned earlier that I could use my vampire cloak and disguise us while we moved, but an entire group could become problematic. Three of us, if needed, yes. Besides, I think they should stay here and continue to guard your home. I don’t want Roche anywhere near this property, whether you’re present or not.”

  “I like the sound of that, especially since Roche is cozy with the dark covens in Elegance Territory. If he ever got his hands on any of my personal property, he might be able to have a witch conjure a dangerous spell against m
e.”

  Brannick cringed at the thought. “I hadn’t even considered the possibility of a spellcaster being involved. Then we’re agreed, the rest of the security detail will remain in place.”

  “Yes.”

  “All right. Now, how about we have a chat with Fergus, then get over to the Fae Cathedral?”

  ~ ~ ~

  Juliet inclined her head in agreement and gestured for Fergus to come in from the patio.

  As Fergus drew close, he moved to stand on the other side of Brannick. She felt a strong wave of heat emanate from Fergus, very sexual in nature. She hadn’t been around a lot of shifters, but she’d heard about the alpha cycle that tended to force the men into a heavy mate-hunting period. Even she felt drawn to him, as though whatever natural musk he exuded called to all women.

  Brannick turned toward her, scowling. What the hell is going on?

  She felt her eyes go wide. Busted. Sorry. It’s something about Fergus. He’s very wolf right now.

  Well, dial it down because your sudden interest in him is like a fire creeping over my skin.

  She stared at Brannick, aware of just how little it would take for him to start brawling with the wolf.

  She drew close and took Brannick’s hand. Some things, especially with a hot wolf hanging around, needed to be said aloud. “You’re my man, Brannick. For as long as this mission holds. I’m with you.” She avoided eye-contact with Fergus.

  Brannick’s nostrils flared. She saw more than one emotion pass quickly over his face: Lust, pride, and of course fear of what they were sharing together. “You’re with me.”

  He glanced at Fergus, who slowly dipped his chin in acknowledgment.

  Brannick then explained to Fergus their current plan, but he didn’t let go of Juliet’s hand.

  She knew it was important to sustain the connection for a few more minutes, to cement their relationship in front of the wolf, but the intimate connection with Brannick started having a powerful effect. Her knees suddenly weakened and desire tore through her. Had her statement of belonging to Brann somehow triggered something inside her? Whatever it was, it felt very alter in nature, not something a normal human would experience.