Scorched by Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  Anger. Betrayal. A terrible dread that he’d nearly lost something infinitely precious.

  “Are you sure?” he muttered.

  “Why would you think I’d want to die?”

  He spoke his darkest fear before he could halt the words. “I assume death is preferable to the horrible fate of becoming my mate.”

  She pulled back, genuine confusion darkening her amber eyes.

  “That’s insane.”

  “Is it?” He reached to cup her chin in his hand, careful to keep his touch light. The last thing he would ever want to do was bruise her smooth, delicate skin. He might be a dragon-shifter, but he wasn’t an animal. Okay, that wasn’t true. He was an animal. But he could usually control his beast. “You accused me of not being properly excited about our betrothal, but I didn’t disappear from my home on a reckless mission that put my life in danger.”

  She stuck out her chin. Stubborn female.

  “I had to find my mother.”

  Her explanation only fueled his sense of injustice.

  “And you trusted a frost sprite to help you instead of reaching out to me,” he scolded.

  “I told you, I didn’t think you would care.”

  His fingers drifted down the curve of her throat, lingering on the rapid beat of her pulse.

  “But you knew I cared when you insisted on opening a portal and entering it despite my protests,” he muttered.

  A part of his brain recognized he wasn’t being entirely fair. But that didn’t stop him. This female stirred the primitive side of him that didn’t care about logic or justice.

  With a frown, Rya reached up to smack his hand away. “Are you blaming me for us being trapped here?”

  He heaved a rough sigh, grasping her shoulders as she tried to scoot away.

  “No, I’m blaming you for scaring the shit out of me,” he rasped.

  She blinked, as if startled by his revelation. “Torque.”

  “And if you dare claim that I would be happy if you were dead, I’ll…”

  “You’ll what?” she demanded.

  “This.”

  Torque didn’t know what demon prompted him to swoop his head down to claim her lips in a stark kiss. At least not until he felt her mouth soften beneath his fierce demand.

  Only then did he acknowledge that he’d been aching for any excuse, no matter how flimsy, to kiss her again.

  He’d harbored a precise memory of her sweet taste. And the way her lips parted when he swept his tongue over their lush temptation.

  Now he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her tight against his body.

  She had heat, but not the scorching heat of his own dragon. Hers was a smoldering, exotic warmth that enticed his beast even as his fey blood bubbled with the intoxicating magic that sizzled between them.

  Allowing his fingertips to touch the satiny smoothness of her cheek, he plundered her mouth. He wanted to drown in the sensations that thundered through him.

  Why the hell had he been so reluctant to claim this delectable female?

  Reluctantly lifting his head, he watched as her fingers fluttered toward her reddened lips, her eyes still dazed.

  “Why did you kiss me?”

  “Because I can’t stop myself,” he admitted in a gruff voice.

  She blinked, her expression oddly wary. “You’re just saying that to try and manipulate me.”

  He flinched, guilt blistering over his raw nerves. Of course she didn’t trust him. He’d never given her any reason to believe he cared about her.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his hands smoothing over her fragile shoulders.

  He felt her tense, her tongue peeking out to lick her lips.

  “For kissing me?”

  He scowled. Was that supposed to be a joke? He rarely understood humor.

  “Hell, no,” he snapped. “That’s the one thing in my life that I’ll never regret.”

  “Then why are you apologizing?”

  His skimmed his hands down her arms, grasping her hands in a tight grip.

  “I allowed my reluctance to relinquish my life as a warrior to tarnish our betrothal,” he admitted. “I never considered how my lack of attention was affecting you. It was selfish and unnecessarily cruel.”

  Something vulnerable flared through the amber eyes. “And now?”

  He tilted his head to the side. “Now?”

  “How do you feel about our mating?”

  He didn’t hesitate. “I’m fully prepared to do my duty.”

  The air cooled, her expression suddenly impossible to read.

  “Duty?” she demanded.

  “Yes.”

  “Awesome.”

  She tugged her hands free, closing her eyes as she sucked in a deep breath.

  “Rya.” Torque frowned, baffled by the scent of singed blossoms that filled the air. Rya was pissed, but he didn’t have a clue why. “What’s wrong?”

  “The fact that you even have to ask proves you know nothing about me,” she muttered. “Or any other female.”

  Her eyes remained closed, as if she was trying to block him out. The sight made tiny flames dance over his skin.

  Dammit. He’d just told her that he regretted not treating her with proper respect as his soon-to-be consort. And even told her that he was ready to complete their mating.

  What more did she want?

  “I have no talent for reading minds,” he groused.

  Her lips twisted. “What is your talent?”

  “Killing things,” he informed her in bleak tones, belatedly wondering if she’d hoped for a mate who was artistic or poetic or philosophical. He’d never had time for anything but training to protect his master. “It’s all I’ve ever known.”

  She bit her lip, but she still refused to look at him. Instead she squared her shoulders as the feel of her magic swirled around him. “I’ll be back.”

  Fear exploded through Torque.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  He grabbed her arms, roughly hauling her into his lap, but he instantly knew he was too late. She lay limp in his arms, her essence already leaving her body to travel beyond the walls of their prison.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Char felt…unsettled.

  At first he assumed it was a result of his long sexual drought. Despite his teasing with Torque, it’d actually been weeks since he’d visited the harem to enjoy the various females who were always eager to invite him to their beds.

  Not since he’d seen his master with his beautiful mate, Tayla.

  The sight had been a revelation.

  Suddenly he was witnessing the relationship between a mated couple.

  Not just lust, although Baine could barely keep his hands off his lovely consort. But teasing and laughter and a soul-deep affection.

  It made the thought of a fleeting night of passion…

  Hmm.

  He wasn’t sure.

  He only knew that he wasn’t as content with sex as he had been before he’d seen what was possible.

  But as the hours passed, he accepted that his restlessness wasn’t just sexual frustration. Instead, it was directly connected to Torque.

  His fellow guard had been gone for a few days, but it wasn’t until that morning that Char had felt a jarring sense of loss as his mental connection to the younger male had been abruptly severed.

  All of Baine’s warriors shared a telepathic bond that allowed them to fight as a seamless unit during battle.

  It should only have been broken if Torque…

  The thought didn’t have time to form as a massive fist smashed into the center of his face, sending him flying across the gym to land flat on his back.

  Pain exploded through Char.

  Shit. He knew better than to try and train when he was distracted. Especially when his sparring partner was a six foot six half-breed dragon with massive muscles and a burning desire to earn a place among Baine’s warriors.

  A shadow fell across him before a lean face with smoldering b
lack eyes and a gleeful smile was hovering directly above his head.

  “Do you give?” Vynom demanded.

  “Fuck that,” Char growled, surging upright to lunge toward his companion with a wicked speed.

  His hands were a blur of movement as he hammered the young male with a series of blows that quickly had him retreating across the practice mat.

  Fire spilled around them as Char spun through the air and landed a kick that cracked at least two ribs.

  “Stop.” Vynom dropped to his knees, holding up a hand of surrender.

  Clenching his aching jaw, Char leashed his beast, his body trembling with the effort not to shift. He was one of the very few half-breeds who could actually become a dragon. He had to take care he didn’t accidentally lose control of his inner animal.

  Warily straightening, the younger male lifted a hand to touch the blood welling from a cut on his lower lip.

  “Damn, dude. What crawled up your ass?”

  Char grimaced. “I need to go see our master.”

  Vynom shook his head, his long, dark hair that was pulled into a braid brushing against his back.

  “While you’re at it, why don’t you get laid?” the warrior-in-training suggested. “You seem a little on edge.”

  Char shrugged, moving to grab a towel to wipe the sweat from his bare chest and arms.

  “Or I could come back here and kick your ass again,” he suggested, drying his face before he tossed aside the towel.

  Vynom headed toward the nearby baths. “I vote for the getting-laid option.”

  Char rolled his eyes, leaving the gym.

  He ignored the startled gazes that followed his slender form as he marched down the wide corridor that was lined with priceless tapestries. It was rare that he ever left his private rooms without being elegantly attired in black slacks and a silk shirt.

  He took great pride in his grooming.

  At the moment, however, he was wearing a loose pair of yoga pants and his hair was mussed from his sparring. It was no wonder the natives were gawking.

  Moving from the communal area of the lair into Baine’s private rooms, he followed the pulse of energy to the vast library.

  He stepped into the room that had towering shelves filled with books as well as glass cases that protected the more fragile manuscripts. A quick glance revealed Baine sitting behind a large desk with a map spread across the polished top.

  Coming to a halt in the center of the room, Char offered a deep bow. “Master.”

  “Char.” Baine arched a dark brow, his amber gaze skimming over his servant’s rumpled appearance. “Are you coming from the gym or the harem?”

  “The gym.”

  “That’s a relief.” Baine’s lips twitched as he deliberately studied Char’s battered face. “I’d hate to think one of the females gave you that black eye.”

  With a small burst of power, Char rapidly healed his injuries.

  He really was rattled not to have done it before he left the gym.

  “I was distracted and Vynom got in a lucky punch,” he muttered.

  Baine slowly stood. Like Char he was wearing nothing more than a pair of loose pants, but his pale skin was covered in a dizzying array of tattoos that possessed a metallic sheen in the candlelight.

  “I assume the distraction is the reason you sought me out?”

  Char gave a jerky nod. “I can’t sense Torque. I think there might be something wrong.”

  Baine’s brows snapped together, his heat blasting through the room as he closed his eyes. Char knew the dragon was concentrating on his own connection to his servant.

  Since it was far greater than Char’s bond with Torque, he hoped the older male could make contact and reassure him that there was nothing wrong with his friend.

  Abruptly Baine’s eyes snapped open. “When did you last sense him?”

  Char clenched his hands. He didn’t need Baine to tell him that he couldn’t reach Torque. The worry was etched on his narrow face.

  “Our bond was broken when I woke up,” he said in grim tones. “I don’t know exactly when it occurred.”

  Baine gave a slow nod. “There’s something blocking him from me.”

  Relief exploded through Char. “So he’s not—” He couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

  Torque might have annoyed the hell out of him on occasion. And there was no denying that he could be a stick-in-the-mud when it came to his rigid sense of duty. But there was no one that Char would rather have at his side.

  And the thought that he might have died had hurt more than Char wanted to admit.

  “No.” Baine gave a sharp shake of his head. “Torque is still alive. But he’s no longer in this world.”

  No longer in this world? Char blinked in surprise. “What the hell is going on?”

  ***

  Finn re-formed his body as he stepped out of the wall.

  Instantly he swayed, nearly falling to his knees as weariness slammed through him. It’d taken even more energy than he’d expected to move through the ice. No doubt because it kept fluctuating.

  More than once he’d feared he was stuck. In fact, if he hadn’t possessed the ability to manipulate the ice around him, he might have become permanently lodged in the strange barrier.

  Now he sucked in deep breaths, a fine layer of frost covering his skin.

  Realizing that he was dangerously close to collapse, Finn tensed as he caught a familiar scent of rosemary.

  Adair.

  She’d passed this way.

  Recently.

  With an effort, Finn forced his heavy feet to carry him forward. The shifting ice had seemingly given him a shortcut through the Sylvermyst lair.

  The first stroke of good luck he’d had since his people started to disappear.

  Keeping a hand on the icy wall, he moved along the narrow tunnel. It felt like he was walking through a maze that might change or even disappear at any second.

  It was unnerving as hell.

  Refusing to dwell on the creepy sensations that prickled over his skin, he moved silently through the eerie light that glowed from the surface of the ice.

  He was rounding a large curve in the tunnel when he caught the sound of voices. Slowing his pace, he pressed his back against the wall and inched his way forward.

  At last he could see Adair standing near an opening in the tunnel. His heart stuttered, his gaze lingering on the striking beauty of her finely sculpted profile and the copper highlights in her hair.

  It wasn’t until he noticed the way her hands were balled into tight fists of tension, and her slender body trembling beneath her white robe, that he turned his attention to her companion.

  The female bore a striking resemblance to Adair. She had the same delicate features and odd metallic eyes, although the stranger’s were bronze in color. Her hair was also darker, without the stunning copper highlights. Finn also suspected that the other female was older by several years.

  No doubt most males would find her attractive, but Finn was instinctively repelled by her cold disdain as she reached out to grab Adair’s upper arm.

  “Lila,” Adair murmured, her tone wary. “What are you doing here?”

  “Obviously I was looking for you.”

  “Me?” Adair cleared her throat. “Why?”

  “You left your rooms.” The female gave Adair a sharp shake. “Where have you been?”

  Finn stiffened, infuriated as he watched Adair cower in obvious fear.

  “Nowhere,” she breathed.

  “Don’t act coy,” Lila snapped. “Tell me where you went.”

  “I…I was bored and I took a walk.”

  “Liar.” Lila gave the smaller woman another rough shake. “You went to see the prisoner.”

  Finn watched as Adair lowered her lashes over her eyes. She didn’t want to tell this female that Finn had been trying to escape.

  She was…protecting him.

  An odd tightness wrapped around his chest, making it hard to breathe.<
br />
  “I needed to ensure that pulling him through the portal hadn’t injured him.”

  Lila gave a sharp laugh. “Right. And it has nothing to do with the fact that you’ve been gawking at the male since we opened the gateway?”

  Even from a distance, Finn could detect the blush that touched her cheeks. It only emphasized her rare, astonishing beauty.

  “I was told to monitor the entire tribe,” Adair muttered.

  The older female sneered at Adair’s flustered expression. “Maybe, but no one told you to spend hours staring at the lovely prince, did they?”

  She’d been staring at him? For hours?

  He should have been creeped out by the thought. Who wanted to be watched by unseen eyes? Instead it warmed something deep inside him.

  “Is there a reason you’re here?” Adair asked.

  “Micah is anxious to get the prince working,” Lila said, glancing over her shoulder. Was she afraid of the mysterious Micah? And what the hell did she mean by work? “Do you know when he can be brought to the treasure room?”

  Adair made a sound of frustration. “I’ve told Micah that it’s impossible to keep a portal open during the flux,” she said. “To even attempt to release the prince from his prison might kill him.” She held her companion’s gaze. “Or me.”

  Lila shrugged, her lack of concern for Adair’s welfare blatantly obvious.

  Bitch.

  “Our brother is impatient to complete our task,” she insisted.

  Finn’s brows snapped together.

  A violent urge to rush forward and shove the female away from Adair surged through him. He could grab her by the front of her white robe and send her skating down the tunnel. Like a penguin skimming across an ice floe.

  Only instead of plunging into the ocean, she would smack her smug face into the wall.

  Adair hunched her shoulders. “He’ll have to wait. Even when the fluctuations cease, it might be hours before the prince wakens,” she said.

  Finn bit back his curse. Why was she trying to protect him? It couldn’t be a trick to earn his trust. There was no way either female knew he was eavesdropping.

  So why?

  Lila grimaced, as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. “The fey in this world are weak,” she groused. “They should have spent some time with the Dark Lord. He would have given them a spine. Or they would have been destroyed.”