Scorched by Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  Torque frowned. Was he?

  It was possible he was losing control of his magic.

  “Not intentionally,” he said, then gave a shake of his head as the sparks danced away. If it was his power, they wouldn’t be traveling farther into the mist. He barely had enough strength left to stand upright. “No, it’s not mine.”

  She pulled back, her face strained from the torturous pressure.

  “I think they want us to follow.”

  Torque was getting the same feeling. Still, he wasn’t super excited to be led deeper into the fog that was killing them.

  “I’m not sure we should trust strange sparks of light that appear out of nowhere.”

  She sent him a startled glance. “What’s the option?”

  Okay. She had a point.

  “Fine,” he muttered, “but stay—”

  “I know,” she interrupted. “Stay behind you.”

  “You’re learning,” he said, savoring the heat that warmed her amber eyes.

  He hated the sight of her defeated. This was the fiery mate he loved.

  “Careful, dragon,” she warned.

  Brushing a soft kiss across her furrowed brow, he grabbed her hand. Then, turning, he forced his heavy feet to follow the sparks that looked like they were quivering with impatience.

  One step. Two. Each more difficult than the next. Only the refusal to allow Rya to give up kept him battling through the pain.

  He didn’t know how far they traveled. The mist and the pain clouded his senses. But he did have enough awareness to feel when the mist began to part, and the brutal pain eased.

  “It feels different,” Rya said, her voice shaky with relief.

  On cue the fog disappeared, leaving them in a thick darkness.

  “Stop,” Torque muttered.

  They were out of the collapsing dimension, but as the sparks swirled around them faster and faster, he sensed them being pulled into an opening portal.

  Shit. Holding Rya’s hand in a tight grip, Torque felt them being ripped out of the darkness. Seconds later they dropped through the air to land on a rough stone floor.

  Jolted by the impact, Torque fell to his knees, barely managing to catch Rya in his arms.

  Holding her against his chest, he cast a swift glance around.

  Not that there was much to see.

  Stone floor. Stone walls. A low ceiling. And a steel door with a small slit.

  “Where are we?” Rya asked, pulling out of his arms to study their cramped surroundings.

  “I don’t know,” Torque admitted, slowly rising. A stab of relief shot through him as the stone beneath his feet remained stationary. “At least it feels solid.”

  “And warm,” Rya muttered, pushing herself upright.

  Torque slowly nodded. He’d been so focused on the fact they were no longer about to be squashed like bugs, he hadn’t really paid attention to the heat that radiated through the stone.

  “Really warm,” he muttered, his inner dragon purring in pleasure, along with…

  Hmm. He wasn’t sure.

  But a part of him tingled with a glorious sense of power he’d never felt before.

  Baffled by the sensation, he crossed the short distance to grab the doorknob. They needed to discover where they were. And just as importantly, who’d brought them there.

  Giving the handle a turn, he wasn’t at all surprised when it wouldn’t budge.

  “Locked?” Rya demanded.

  He rolled his eyes. “Of course it is.” Debating whether or not to risk pissing off their captors by trying to break down the door, he stiffened. “Someone’s coming,” he said in harsh tones.

  Rya moved to stand at his side. “I smell…” She wrinkled her nose. “Lava?”

  Torque blinked in surprise. She was right. It was lava.

  So. Was the scent coming from a nearby volcano or the approaching stranger?

  Maybe both.

  Leaning forward, Torque peered through the small slit in the door. Outside their cramped cell he could see more stone. Floor. Walls. Ceiling. As if a tunnel had been carved into a mountain.

  His attention, however, was captured by the sight of a short female with her dark hair pulled into a knot at the nape of her neck and her broad form covered by a simple brown robe.

  Torque stepped back, ensuring that he was standing between the door and Rya. The female looked harmless enough, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

  Not after all they’d managed to survive.

  There was the scrape of metal against metal. As if the female was sliding a key into the lock. Then, slowly, the door opened.

  Torque winced at the loud creak. Hell, how long had it been since the door had been used?

  Stepping into the cell, the female regarded them with a pleased smile.

  “Ah, you’re awake,” she murmured.

  Torque exchanged a puzzled glance with Rya. The stranger was fey, although he wasn’t sure if she was fairy or sprite or imp. And old enough to have gained a look of maturity in her round face.

  It was the seemingly genuine joy in her dark eyes that was confusing.

  Usually people who were happy to see you didn’t lock you in a cell.

  “Why have you imprisoned us?”

  The female blinked, as if startled by the question. “It was for your own protection.”

  Torque scowled. “Protection?”

  “Truly.” The fey waved a hand toward the open door. “This lair is shielded by runes that would have killed the Shinto,” she explained. “This is the only place we could bring her that she wouldn’t be injured.”

  There was a sincerity in the female’s voice that was hard to dismiss.

  Instead, Torque sent a suspicious glance toward the tunnel outside the cell. “What is this place?”

  “Tofua,” the female answered without hesitation. “The primary home of the fire imps.”

  “Fire imps,” Rya breathed. “You’re home.”

  Torque released a slow breath. Home. Was that why he felt the tingle of power?

  He gave a faint shake of his head. Until he was certain they were safe, he wasn’t going to be distracted.

  “Who are you?”

  “I am Dasi.” The female pressed her hands together and offered him a deep bow. “One of your mother’s handmaidens.”

  The breath was yanked from his lungs.

  Being told this was the lair of his people was one thing.

  To think his missing mother was nearby was…

  Hell, he didn’t know what it was.

  “She’s here?” he rasped.

  As if sensing he was struggling against the unexpected flood of emotion, Rya moved to wrap her arm around his waist. Her touch instantly grounded him.

  “Yes, indeed.” The female gave a bob of her head. “She would have come to speak with you herself but she collapsed after she released her spell to bring you to this lair.”

  “Oh,” Rya breathed, instantly concerned. Sometimes it was hard for Torque to believe his betrothed could be half dragon. Her heart was far too tender. “She isn’t hurt, is she?”

  “No, just weary,” the servant assured them, her glance resting on Torque’s face. “She is already asking to see you.”

  Torque hesitated. He wasn’t entirely sure he was ready for the meeting. After so many years of convincing himself he didn’t need or want a mother, it was instinctive to deny any desire to meet her.

  Then sanity returned and he was fiercely shoving aside his cowardly reluctance.

  Dammit. Just moments ago he’d thought he might die without ever knowing his mother.

  Now he wasn’t sure it was the right time?

  Stress was truly making him nutty.

  “Very well.”

  Placing his arm around Rya’s shoulders, he stepped forward only to halt when the servant held up a slender hand.

  “I’m afraid the Shinto can’t come.”

  Torque’s brows snapped together. “Why?”

  Dasi gave a h
elpless lift of her hands. “As I said, the runes would kill her.”

  Torque’s suspicion wasn’t entirely eased. They were in a strange place, surrounded by strange people. The last thing he wanted was to be separated from Rya.

  “I’m not leaving her alone.”

  “I assure you that she is quite safe,” Dasi said, her expression pleading.

  “No.”

  “Torque.” Rya moved until she was standing directly in front of him. Lifting her hand, she placed it over his heart. “I’ll be fine.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I believe we’ve already had this discussion.”

  “What discussion?”

  “Whether or not I’m capable of protecting myself.”

  Torque snorted. He didn’t remember a discussion.

  More of an ongoing ‘agree to disagree’ sort of thing.

  Glancing toward the waiting servant, he returned his gaze to Rya’s upturned face. “We don’t know why we’ve been brought here.”

  “Obviously your mother saved our lives and now she wants to speak with her son.” She gave him a small push toward the door. “Go.”

  He wasn’t nearly so confident it was that simple.

  They’d been in constant danger since going in search of Kai. Why would his mother choose that particular moment to save them?

  Still, they were currently trapped in the cell.

  Did he really have any choice?

  “I won’t be gone long,” he promised, lowering his head to plant a soft, lingering kiss on her mouth. Then, reluctantly stepping away from his betrothed, he turned toward the handmaiden. “Take me to her.”

  Dasi nodded before glancing at Rya. “I’ll leave the door open, but please don’t try to leave this room,” she murmured. “I’ll send a tray of food.”

  With a swish of her robes against the stone floor, the female led him into the long tunnel.

  The heat increased as they climbed down a narrow flight of stairs. They paused as Dasi opened another steel door, then they were stepping into a massive cave that was bustling with people.

  Torque arched his brows as they moved across the floor that’d been worn smooth by centuries of footsteps. The ceiling of the cave was high enough to be lost in the shadows while the edges were lined with shallow alcoves that had been dug into the stone walls. Inside the alcoves were a wide variety of items.

  Food. Delicate ornaments. Clothing. Even small pieces of furniture.

  A market?

  His attention turned toward the slender creatures who were dressed in loose linen clothing that blended into the gray stone. Their hair was dark and their skin pale. Torque was betting they didn’t get a lot of sunlight.

  And clearly they didn’t have a lot of visitors.

  Probably because they had the damned place covered with runes that would kill strangers.

  Trying to ignore the blatant stares and deep bows as he passed, he kept pace next to Dasi.

  “How many fire imps live here?” he asked in low tones.

  “Fewer than one hundred now,” the female said, leading him toward an opening on the other side of the market. “Over the past centuries it has become increasingly rare to produce children. Which is why your mother—”

  Torque glanced toward his companion as she bit off her words.

  “What about my mother?”

  She gave a sharp shake of her head, looking annoyed with herself.

  “I’m sorry. That is her story to tell.”

  There was more bowing as they passed a long table where several males were eating what looked like a hearty stew.

  “Is everyone always so polite?”

  Dasi shrugged. “They’ve waited a very long time to catch a glimpse of you.”

  Growingly confused, Torque gave a faint shake of his head. Before he could continue his questions, however, they left the open space and headed down another flight of stairs carved in the stone.

  A smothering heat wrapped around him even as the scent of lava became more pronounced.

  They were definitely in a volcano. And they were nearing the center.

  Stepping into a small space, Dasi waved a hand toward the opening just ahead of them.

  “She’s through there.”

  He offered her a small dip of his head. “Thanks.”

  Taking a step forward, he was abruptly halted by the sound of his name.

  “Torque.”

  He glanced back at Dasi. “Yes?”

  “She’s sacrificed a great deal for our people,” the handmaiden told him, her expression pleading. “Be kind to her.”

  Before he could demand to know what she was talking about, Dasi turned to scurry back up the stairs. Torque heaved a sigh.

  He felt like he was walking into the middle of a drama he knew nothing about. Ironic, considering he’d spent most of his life avoiding messy emotions.

  Squaring his shoulders, he moved to enter the connected cave.

  He hated being parted from Rya.

  He needed to convince his mother to release them so they could return to the safety of his lair.

  Stepping through the arched entrance, he glanced around the walls that were painted with pretty murals of sunlit meadows. On the floor was a woven rug and above was a heavy chandelier where a dozen candles were burning.

  The furniture was delicately carved from wood, with bright yellow cushions tossed on the chairs and low couch.

  It looked like whoever lived there had tried to create an impression of sunshine despite the fact they were buried beneath tons of earth.

  “Torque,” a female voice called from an attached chamber.

  Torque crossed the carpet and cautiously stepped through the arched opening into the smaller but just as brightly decorated room.

  Even the ceiling was covered in vibrant murals of dew fairies dancing beneath a clear blue sky.

  At last his gaze moved to the huge bed in the center of the space. His heart missed a beat as he took in the slender female who was settled among a pile of pillows in the center of the mattress.

  Like the other fire imps he’d seen, she had glossy black hair that she had pulled into a complicated knot on top of her head. Her skin was pale and her features delicately carved. Her eyes, however, were a startling blue.

  Just like his.

  The realization made the floor tilt beneath his feet.

  Not an earthquake. Just a stunning acceptance that this was the woman who’d given birth to him.

  He cleared his throat of the strange lump that was threatening to form.

  “I assume you must be my mother?”

  A smile curled her lips as she lifted a shaky hand to wave him closer to the bed. “Yes. I’m Nalani.”

  He frowned, belatedly noting the shadows beneath her eyes.

  “Are you unwell?”

  “Just exhausted from the spell,” she assured him even as her hand dropped back to the yellow blanket that covered her. “I haven’t had to use that much magic in a very long time.”

  Torque felt a pang of guilt. Whatever his complicated feelings toward this female, she had rescued them from a very painful death.

  He gave a low bow. “I should thank you for saving us,” he murmured.

  She waited for him to straighten, her shrewd gaze easily reading his wariness.

  “But you don’t trust my motives for doing so?”

  Torque shrugged. There was no point in lying.

  “Not really.”

  She gave a slow nod, a hint of yearning in her brilliant blue eyes.

  “You can’t imagine how many years I’ve longed for this moment,” she murmured.

  He flinched. Her words touched a raw nerve. Well, maybe ‘touched’ wasn’t the right word.

  More like yanked off a scab and poured salt into the wound.

  “You’re right,” he said, his voice harsh. “I can’t imagine how you’ve longed to see me, considering that you’ve never made the slightest effort to ackno
wledge me as your son.”

  She gasped, as if he’d physically struck her. Then a dark flush stained her cheeks.

  “Damn that dragon,” she growled.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Torque blinked, catching the unmistakable scent of lava as tiny sparks danced in the air.

  Clearly he wasn’t the only one with raw nerves.

  He studied her angry expression with a small frown.

  “Excuse me?”

  She sucked in a deep breath, visibly attempting to control her burst of temper. “Would you sit down?”

  “Why?”

  “It’s difficult to see your face,” she explained. “You’re quite large for a fire imp.”

  He lifted his shoulder. He still hadn’t really processed the fact that he now knew his heritage. Hell, he didn’t even know what it meant to be a fire imp.

  “That’s because I’m a dragon,” he stubbornly muttered.

  “Not entirely.” She sent him a pleading glance. “Please, my son. I can explain everything.”

  He released his breath with a low hiss. Rya would tell him that he was being ridiculous.

  And he was.

  Slowly he moved forward, perching on the edge of the mattress. “Is this better?”

  “Much better.” She reached out, as if she wanted to touch him. Then with a grimace she hastily pulled her hand back. He felt a stab of regret that he was making her feel wary, but he couldn’t lower his barriers until he knew why she’d abandoned him. “Thank you.”

  “You said you would explain,” he reminded her.

  She nodded, resting back against the pillows. “First I should tell you a bit of our history.”

  “Keep it short,” Torque commanded, grimacing as he watched her eyes darken with pain. Dammit. He was a warrior. He was good at killing things. But the emotional crap? Not so good. “I’m worried about Rya,” he forced himself to explain.

  “Ah.” Her expression instantly brightened. “The Shinto who was with you.”

  “My betrothed,” he revealed with pride.

  “Then I understand your impatience,” she murmured. “In short, the fire imps have always depended on volcanoes to provide us protection, warmth, and magic.” She grimaced, glancing around the room. “Unfortunately, that means we’re unable to travel from our lairs for more than few weeks. At least not without severe anguish.”

  Torque studied her, recalling Dasi’s warning that his mother had been forced to sacrifice for her people.