Stealing My Heart

by Stephani Hecht, Jambrea Jo Jones, A. J. Llewellyn, Carol Lynne, D. J. Manly, Jaime Samms, Serena Yates

  And with that the vexing mermaid waved at him and vanished into the depths.

  Elryk’s eyes were fixed on the raft which began to fade at the edges, dissolving as the mermaid had promised. He called up the earth magic within him and tried to coax the wooden logs into growing back for him. It was hard work and when the wood finally reacted he was so relieved that he almost lost his focus.

  Sweat soon beaded on his brow and when he noticed first one and then two more shark fins circling the raft, a full-out panic was no longer unlikely. How long had Kaythan been gone? Minutes? And how was he going to make his way back up unto the raft without being eaten by those evil - monsters?

  Elryk’s heart beat so fast he was about to lose it.

  A loud splash right next to him made him jump and he lost his magical hold on the logs. Kaythan was back! Gulping for air and shaking from the exertion, his mate clung to the dissolving raft with the shaking fingers of one hand. In the other he held a shell-shaped urn which was a deep green on the bottom and a swirling blue and white on top.

  “Here.” Kaythan coughed and took some more deep breaths.

  “Come on up.” Elryk held out a hand, focusing on keeping at least the logs under Kaythan’s hand from vanishing.

  “No time.” Kaythan shook his head, dislodging rivulets of sea water from his drenched hair. “Get the water magic back, then we can worry about me getting up on the raft.”

  Not too sure they’d have time to worry he took the urn, eying the sharks carefully. There were at least seven of the great beasts now.

  “Don’t worry about them.” Kaythan brought his now empty second hand up to help him hold on while he regained his breath. “They actually helped me.”

  “Helped you?” Elryk was distracted from the cool urn for a moment.

  “Yeah, they helped push me back up to the surface when I started to run out of air. I don’t think I would’ve made it without their help.” Kaythan smiled.

  Huh. Would wonders never cease? The sharks were giving Kaythan a wide berth, just seemed to be circling them like guard dogs or something.

  The creaking logs reminded Elryk that he had a job to do and he sat back, cradling the urn in his hands as if he was holding water. Within seconds the top half of the urn sprang open and revealed a deep blue pearl.

  The pearl started glowing and the whole shell-shaped urn dissolved into a bubbling fount of quickly dissolving beauty. The water magic bubbled up from his cupped hands and flowed over the rim to flood his entire being. Water magic poured into him, stroking the back of his neck like waves stroke a beach. It almost swept him away, it was so powerful.

  Elryk absorbed all it had to give, smelling salt and brine, feeling warm sand caress his feet and hearing a lake ripple against a rocky shore. Like with the earth magic, after a while the imagined perceptions faded and he returned to reality. His hands were empty and the urn was gone.

  From the corner of his eye he saw a huge tidal wave appear on the horizon and he suspected their time in the second chamber was up. He grasped Kaythan’s hands and pulled him up onto the raft with him, holding him tightly in his arms.

  He barely had time to grab Kaythan’s clothes before there was a roar similar to that made by a giant waterfall and the disintegrating raft vanished completely. Just before they were swallowed by the shark filled waters the giant wave enveloped them, lifting them up into the sky. With a final blue flash it was gone.

  Elryk sighed. They were now precariously perched on the top of a high rock arch so thin that he was amazed it was able to support their weight.

  Chapter Six

  Kaythan sensed his mate’s unease with the height they’d been deposited at. Elryk hadn’t been really comfortable at Arith’s place either. He tightened his embrace and bent his head for a kiss to help distract his man.

  Scorching heat met Kaythan’s lips and Elryk clung to him almost desperately as they caressed each other’s tongues. He let his hands roam up and down Elryk’s spine, leaving one to stroke his nape when that made the man moan. Elryk had placed his hands flat against Kaythan’s shoulder blades and held on. The skin to skin contact reminded him that he was still half naked and he pulled back slowly.

  “Probably should get dressed before the next guardian shows up.” He grinned into Elryk’s widening eyes.

  “Good idea.” Elryk nodded and looked around while Kaythan slipped his clothes back on. “You know, air magic was never my strong suit. And being as high up as we are now isn’t likely to change that.”

  A mournful squawk, followed by a second louder one made him raise his eyes. Two black vultures were circling above their heads. Their glowing red eyes looked like burning coals, their sharp beaks were the size of daggers. They were at least as large as horses and the powerful whoosh-whoosh of their beating wings fanned foul smelling air towards him that made him retch.

  “Do you think they’re the guardians of this place?” Kaythan sure hoped not. How were they going to get information from birds?

  “If they are, I think we’re in trouble.” Elryk swallowed.

  Just then there was a sound of rock crumbling and when Kaythan peeked down, there were a few fissures in the rock below them. The vultures’ squawks got louder.

  “Great. Another test with a time limit.” Elryk trembled.

  “All right, let’s consider our options.” Kaythan tried to sound calm. “We can try and climb down the arch, we can jump off it, or we can ask the nice birds to carry us down to ground level.”

  “I think you forgot that we need to find the third part of the Key while we’re at it.” Elryk went pale as the fissures creaked and widened.

  “Good point.” Kaythan scratched his head. “Can you try and use your magic to sense where the Key is? I’m not holding my breath for these fellows to tell us.”

  Elryk raised his eyebrows but nodded and closed his eyes. The rocks didn’t stop crumbling and Kaythan was about to say something when Elryk’s eyes opened.

  “It’s over there.” Elryk pointed at a rock formation a few hundred feet away. It had the shape of a column and was about half as high as the arch that was now fissuring at an alarming rate. Kaythan wondered who had come up with these hiding places.

  “Okay, we’re going to have to find a way to fly.” Kaythan gripped Elryk’s hand before he was able to pull away. “And those birds are our only option.”

  Elryk nodded and turned to the birds.

  “Can you please help us get to that rock formation over there?” Elryk sure sounded pleading enough.

  “Finally.” The first bird’s voice sounded scratchier than a needle on glass. “We were about to give up hope you’d figure it out.”

  “We weren’t allowed to help you until you spoke to us.” The second bird came closer, hovering right over Elryk while the first one came to hover over Kaythan. “Now that you have, there’s no time to lose.”

  “The arch is about to collapse.” The first bird came closer, the stench almost too much to bear. “Grab onto our feet and we’ll fly you where you need to go.”

  Kaythan was still trying to close his mouth as Elryk grabbed the other bird’s feet.

  “Don’t let me fall.” Elryk closed his eyes and the bird took off.

  Kaythan grabbed his own bird’s feet and followed.

  As they approached the rock formation a thundering noise behind them announced the collapse of the giant arch. Kaythan didn’t even look back.

  Elryk shook so hard he was afraid he was going to lose his grip on the bird. When his own feet finally touched ground he opened his eyes only briefly to make sure he didn’t collapse towards the edge of the rock pillar. Then he let go of the bird’s talons and crumpled into a relieved heap.

  Kaythan’s warm arms came around him, lifted him up and cradled him against his muscled chest. Listening to his mate’s strong heartbeat calmed him down a little. He opened his eyes and saw smiling deep blue ones gazing back.

  “You okay?” Kaythan lifted a hand and caressed his ch
eek.

  “I am now.” Elryk took one last deep breath and settled down. “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

  “You did well.” Kaythan looked across to the circling birds. “Thank you for your help.”

  “You are welcome.” Both birds replied in unison, then turned and flew away.

  “Okay, let’s do some air magic.” Elryk kissed his mate on the cheek and walked over to the small golden cage with a shimmering feather inside.

  He picked up the cage and walked back to his mate. Kaythan opened his arms for him and he sat down in his lap, wiggling a little to make sure he was comfortable.

  Kaythan groaned and he grinned. He couldn’t wait for all this magic stuff to be sorted so he could finally make love to his mate like he wanted to.

  “Only two more types of magic to go after this.” Kaythan grumbled and held onto his hips, stopping him from moving. “And then your sweet arse is mine.”

  “Oh Tah’. That’s supposed to help me focus?” Elryk’s groin was suddenly tight.

  “No, dearling, it’s supposed to make you stop wiggling.” Kaythan slid a hand behind the back of his neck making him shiver. “If you don’t, I may not be able to wait.”

  “Oh, shit, you make me want.” Elryk tilted his head for a kiss. At least he could have one of those, right?

  He only pulled back when he ran out of air. He was about to come in his pants, and needed to calm down before it was too late. Kaythan’s erection pushed against him from below and that didn’t help either.

  “Soon.” He smiled at his mate whose pupils were dilated with lust. “Soon your arse is going to be mine, just as much as mine’s going to be yours.”

  Kaythan’s eyes widened but he didn’t say anything. Then a slow grin spread across his face and he nodded.

  Okay, back to business.

  Elryk opened the little cage and pulled out the feather. It started to vibrate as if stroked by a strong wind and dissolved into a fine mist that hovered in front of his face. The air magic wafted into his nose and made its way into his lungs like a breath of pristine air. It was as quiet and soft as the earth magic had been strong and the water magic had been overwhelming.

  He absorbed all it had to give, first feeling a soft breeze against his cheek and then a strong storm against his back. After a short while the imagined sensations faded and he returned to reality. His hands were empty and the mist was gone.

  A gigantic tornado approached them faster than any of its kind should be able to move. He slid his arms around Kaythan and held on as his mate returned the favour. The wind buffeted them, pushing them towards the edge of the rock pillar. When they went over the edge Elryk was sure his life was over.

  But they didn’t fall. Instead they were suddenly surrounded by immense heat. They were inside a cave. It was dark but orange and red flames danced on the surface of a lake of magma to their left. The heat was almost unbearable and sweat ran down his back in little rivulets within a minute.

  Chapter Seven

  Kaythan shuddered despite the heat. Fire had never been his thing, ever since his parents’ house had been burned down by an arsonist when he was three years old. Heat and smoke got to him on a subliminal level and fear coiled tightly in his belly. He fought it back, knowing that he needed to be there for Elryk and whatever trial was next.

  A small flame flickered into existence above the lake of magma. It grew larger and then started to approach them. About the size of a large dog by the time it arrived at the lake’s rocky edge, it stopped as if it could see them.

  “Wow, a fire imp.” Elryk’s voice was low and respectful. “They’re very rare and extremely temperamental, so it makes a perfect guardian for this place.”

  “This isn’t a ‘place’.” The fire imp’s voice hissed and crackled like a real fire. “This is the fourth chamber of the temple of Tah’Muyd and you will show the appropriate respect or suffer the consequences.”

  “I meant no disrespect.” Elryk bowed deeply but remained in Kaythan’s lap. It made the heat worse, but Kaythan loved having his mate this close. “We’re new to this realm and in dire need of your help.”

  “Why should I help you?” The fir imp flamed more brightly.

  Kaythan almost grinned. It acted like a small animal trying to puff itself up so it looked more dangerous.

  “We’re trying to stop some truly unscrupulous people from stealing even more magic than they already have.” Elryk swallowed and wiped the sweat from his brow. “You may not feel the effects in here yet, but if we don’t find a way to prevent them from taking more, the balance on Tah’Nut will be damaged beyond repair. I have lost my magic and need to retrieve it by finding and absorbing the pieces of the Muyd’Zel.”

  “All right, your cause is worthy.” The fire imp’s colour changed from a bright orange to a duller red. “However, I do not yet see what’s in it for me.”

  “Why you…” That was as far as Kaythan got before Elryk’s elbow made contact with his stomach. “Ouch!”

  “Please.” Elryk’s eyes pleaded with him. “Don’t make it angry.”

  “I didn’t mean to.” Kaythan hung his head. He’d never been this impulsive. Maybe it was the new mate bond, or maybe he was just getting irritated from sweating buckets. He turned towards the fire imp and bowed from the waist like he’d seen Elryk do. “I am sorry for insulting you.”

  “You are forgiven.” The fire imp turned a bright red. “This time. However, I’m still waiting to hear what’s in it for me if I help you.”

  “What would you like?” Kaythan was happy to see Elryk regard him with approval in his eyes. Much better.

  “I’m bored.” The fire imp shrank and turned purple. “It’s very lonely here.”

  “And there isn’t a whole lot to do.” Elryk looked around the rock cavern. It was fairly large, with a few alcoves, but otherwise empty. “So, what would you say if I gave you something to play with?”

  “You would do that?” The fire imp grew back to its earlier size and went from purple to red in a heartbeat.

  “If you help us—sure.” Elryk smiled.

  “Yes, yes, I’ll help you.” The fire flickered wildly. “Please, let me see.”

  “Okay, hold on. This is only the second time I’ve used magic in a long time, so it may take a while.” Elryk made a move as if to get up.

  “Don’t go.” Kaythan pulled him back, close against his body. He wasn’t too happy about all the magma and heat around them.

  “You’re not worried I’ll hurt you if the magic goes wrong?” Elryk wiped more sweat from his face.

  “You would never hurt me.” Kaythan kissed Elryk’s nose. “And nothing will go wrong with your magic. It was fine when you repaired the raft earlier and it’ll be fine now. Whatever it is you’re planning to do.”

  “If you’re sure…” Elryk smiled when Kaythan nodded. “Okay, here we go.”

  Elryk stared at one of the alcoves for long moments, then started to move his hands in slow, graceful gestures. He closed his eyes and a deep humming sound poured from his chest. Kaythan kept watching the alcove and blinked when there was a shimmer, then a fog and finally a solid stack of wooden logs. Wow. This magic stuff would never get old.

  Elryk sighed and opened his eyes.

  “There you go, fire imp.” Elryk sagged back against Kaythan’s chest. “You can play with the wood as much as you want. Singe it, char it or burn it, it will always return to its current state after you’re done.”

  “Really?” The fire imp perked up and moved towards the stack, completely engulfing it.

  Crackling flames licked along the logs, caressing them like a lover’s hand at first. Then the wood started turning black and the first wisps of smoke rose towards the ceiling. Finally a sea of flames engulfed the wood until it turned to ashes.

  The fire imp moved back, obviously waiting. As soon as it no longer touched the edge of the alcove the stack reappeared, looking like new. Jumping up and down with glee the fir
e imp moved inside the alcove again and this time hissed at the wood like a flame thrower. The logs went up in flame and were gone within seconds.

  “Impressive.” The fire imp moved towards them. “That was a worthy gift. So now it is time for me to release the Key to you.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Elryk seemed exhausted but sat up straight at the fire imp’s words.

  “The Key is hidden within my body.” The fire imp flared brightly as if in pride. “You will need to reach inside me to retrieve it.”

  “What?” Kaythan held onto Elryk more tightly. That—that thing had just burned a stack of logs to cinders and now it was asking Elryk to put his hand inside what was obviously a very dangerous fire? How was his mate going to survive that without serious injury? And he was expected to just stand by and say nothing?

  Elryk smiled when he felt Kaythan’s arms tighten around his middle. His mate was worried for him. Not that the gorgeous man needed to be anxious, but it was nice to have someone care again. He hadn’t had that since he was about five years old. Tears pooled in his eyes despite the heat and he wiped them away quickly.

  This was the wrong time for him to remember how his parents and little sister had died, struck by lightning on a sunny day. Lightning that he had caused because he was playing with his magic and lost control. Sure, the counsellors had explained that it wasn’t his fault, that he hadn’t been trained and that accidents happened. But that hadn’t taken away the guilt for a long time. And the pain still hadn’t gone away even almost fifty years later.

  “Elryk? What’s wrong?” Kaythan’s voice pulled him back to the present.

  “Nothing.” He smiled at his mate. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry. I’ll be okay.”

  “Reaching inside that fire? Are you sure?” Kaythan was shaking.

  “Now that I have some of my magic back I can use what I have to protect me.” Elryk grinned. “It’s a good thing fire came towards the end.”