The Lick of Fire Trilogy

by Bianca D’Arc

  As of right now, he had no idea where they would go, but he knew in his heart that, wherever Syd was, that would be his home. He might have to talk her around to the idea, but he could be patient…and cunning, if need be. He’d win her heart, no matter how long it took, because he knew his own heart could not go on beating without her.

  She wouldn’t let that happen. She’d be there for him. He felt it in his soul.

  Paul dropped to the ground first, landing smoothly before her so that, if she tumbled, he could catch her. Syd was so new to flying, he had to watch her landings so she didn’t get hurt. Proficiency with take-offs and landings would come in time, and he already saw ways that he could help her learn, but for now, the best use of his presence was as a backstop…or perhaps a catcher’s net.

  Paul spread his wings wide to give her a target. He would catch her and wrap her in his wings—in his arms—and prove to her over and over how much he loved her.

  Syd didn’t quite bowl him over when she crashed into him, but she definitely needed to work on her landings. He caught her, regardless, and set her back on her feet as gently as he could. Her fiery feathers tickled against his dragon hide, showing him once again, that they were a perfect match for each other. The both burned hot, and neither could be harmed by the other’s fire.

  Flying with her by his side from Arthur’s mountain to this desert area on the other side of the sprawling city of Phoenix had been truly life changing. He’d never flown with anyone before. Birds had been afraid of him, sensing the predator within. He’d had to avoid airplanes in case someone aboard was able to see through his magical shielding.

  All of his flying had been done alone. As most of his life had been spent alone. He’d searched for family—for acceptance—for so long. To finally find it so easily seemed almost impossible. He’d only just recently discovered Peter and his babushka in Grizzly Cove. Their welcome had touched Paul’s fractured heart deeply.

  Now, to find not only his perfect mate, but that she was someone he could share the skies with… It was all just too much. He dared not blink, lest it disappear in a puff of magic.

  Paul’s wandering thoughts were brought back to Earth by the none-too-graceful landing of the other phoenix. The male. Lance. The owner of the car lot.

  It was obvious to Paul that Lance hadn’t been flying long either. His landing, while much better than Syd’s attempt, had been a little wobbly. Paul had to give the man points for trying, though. It wasn’t easy to learn the nuances of the air currents when you were new to flying. It had taken Paul years to perfect his style, and he still got turned ass-over-tea-kettle sometimes when the winds decided to play with him.

  Sensing others in the area, Paul shifted shape back to his human form. He’d carried a small bag of clothing for Syd with him into the shift, and it came through intact. He opened the bag and held out a long tunic-style dress Arthur had provided from the stockpile of clothes he kept in the cabin for the dragons down below.

  Syd walked around Paul until he was between her and the other male. She was using Paul as a human screen, but he didn’t mind in the least. Neither of the phoenixes had been raised as shifters to be comfortable with nudity when they came out of a shift. Paul was lucky, in that respect. For some reason, the dragon magic allowed him to take his clothes with him into the shift, so he’d never intentionally returned from his dragon shape naked.

  Oh, there had been a couple of notable occasions when he’d first been learning about his other side when he’d made mistakes, but since gaining mastery over his shifting, he’d had a lot better control. He was glad of that now. He would help his mate learn and grow into her powers, and he’d be there for her whenever she needed him. Even if it was only to shield her from view.

  Syd shifted quickly this time. The more she did it, the better she seemed to get at it. She slid the tunic dress over her head quickly and was presentable for human sensibilities in less than a minute. The male phoenix didn’t have as easy a time of it. He stayed in phoenix form, sort of walk-hopping toward the house in the distance. Paul heard a motor start up, and within a few minutes, a four-wheel drive vehicle approached. He could feel the magic in the two women were in the car. The one driving felt like a mage, but the woman in the passenger seat felt like…fire. Fire shifter. She was the second phoenix. Had to be.

  The Jeep pulled close to the male phoenix, and the woman who had been driving hopped out. She waved, shouting “Sorry! We’re still new to all this,” as she got a bag from the back of the vehicle and opened it, tossing a pair of jeans to the male phoenix.

  Lance had worked his way over to the Jeep, and in a shimmer of fiery magic, he shifted, catching the clothing from the friendly woman who had to be his mate. The female phoenix in human form had also gotten out of the vehicle and started walking slowly toward Syd. In moments, Lance and his mate had caught up with the other woman, and the three approached Syd and Paul together.

  The two sides stood there, facing each other in silence until the mage-woman broke it. “Hi,” she said in a bright, cheery voice. “I’m Tina.” She reached out to shake hands with Syd first, and Syd reflexively took the other woman’s hand.

  Raised human, Syd didn’t yet know not to reach out to touch Others until you were certain of them. Paul had been raised human, as well, but he’d been neglected as a child, and it wasn’t his custom to reach out to anyone, so he hadn’t had to change his behavior once he became aware of the unseen world of magic and shifters.

  “I’m Syd,” she replied as the two women shook hands. Paul held his breath, but there was no attack, no flare of magic. The handshake was just that—a greeting. “And this is Paul,” Syd went on, oblivious to his thoughts.

  Paul reached out to take the other woman’s hand when offered, knowing it was the polite thing to do. He also had an ulterior motive. Touching the woman’s hand allowed him to get a taste of her magic—and she, his. Their hands met and held for a brief moment, but that was enough for Paul to make a judgment. Tina was okay. No taint of blood magic or evil about her.

  “This is my husband, Lance,” Tina said, introducing the male phoenix who stood beside her. “And this is his cousin, Diana.”

  The male and female phoenixes didn’t reach out for a handshake. Lance was holding his breath, his expression tight, and Diana had tears gathering behind her eyes, even though she was smiling. It was Diana that spoke first.

  “I think you’re probably my cousin, too,” she told Syd, one of the tears escaping to roll down her cheek, though she ignored it.

  “I was raised in foster care,” Syd replied, her voice hiding her emotion, but Paul knew she was wound tight on the inside. He put a hand on her back, offering silent support.

  “I was, too,” Lance finally spoke. “Never found my folks, but when I met Diana and her grandmother, they were finally able to fill in the blanks for me.” Lance moved a step closer, hesitantly. “It’s just possible that you’re my little sister.”

  “How?” Syd croaked, her strangled voice filled with emotion. Paul stayed close. This was perhaps one of the most important moments of her life and he felt privileged to be here to see it.

  “My grandmother—I call her Oma because she was born in Holland—had two children. My mother and a son, named Gustav. Uncle Gustav died before I was born, but he traveled to Phoenix a lot. We now believe he was involved with a human woman here, and for whatever reason, he didn’t tell Oma. She didn’t know he’d had a child—children—with anyone, so discovering Lance’s existence was a miracle.”

  “For all of us,” Lance put in, reaching out to put one hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “I gave up on ever finding out where I came from, but when the phoenix started to emerge, I figured my origins had to be magical in some way.”

  “The phoenix gift runs in our family. It skips generations, at times, but it manifests on occasion—usually resulting in someone dying much too young as they shift for the first time and head straight for the sun, never to return,” Diana added. />
  “That’s so sad,” Syd said, as if unsure what else to say. “How can you know that I’m related to you?”

  “Well, you’re a phoenix, for one thing,” Diana said, chuckling slightly.

  “And, in my earliest memories, I remember a little sister,” Lance added, shocking them all, judging by everyone’s expressions. “I always thought she must’ve been another foster kid and that I misunderstood, but it makes sense now, seeing you. I remember being really little, and there being a baby girl. I was disappointed you weren’t a boy, but then, I remember being told I could help protect you and that I was going to be a good big brother.” Lance paused and shook his head. “I suppose that was our father telling me that, but I don’t remember his face, only the pep talk. I was maybe two or three years old. Too young to have solid memories, I guess.”

  Paul felt his heart racing for Syd. He knew what it meant to be alone in the world with no blood relations. She’d been as isolated as he had, in her own way. The gift she had for knowing when people were telling lies had kept her from forming any real bonds with anybody—except maybe Arthur. Paul’s own isolation was more brutal, at the hands of a totalitarian regime that didn’t give any real care at all to a nation’s orphans. He’d survived, but only just barely, and he knew many of the children he’d grown up with had permanent scars both mental and sometimes physical from the way they’d been raised.

  He’d never stopped hoping, though. He suspected Syd hadn’t stopped dreaming of finding a family she’d never known either. And, now…here it was. She had a brother. And a cousin. And, from the sound of it, a grandmother.

  Paul’s heart leapt for her. He’d found kin of a kind when he’d discovered the other dragons. That was enough for him. At least for now. But this… This was something different and altogether special. He felt joy in his heart that his mate had discovered this truly amazing gift. The gift of family.

  Syd couldn’t really believe what Lance was saying. He was her brother? How in the world did that work?

  Yet, she felt something toward him. Not like the attraction she felt for Paul, but something older, and more familial. She’d never really experienced such a feeling before. She hadn’t really dared to dream she’d ever find people of her own to love and trust and be family, but she could tell that every word Lance and the newcomers had spoken was the absolute truth as they knew it.

  He remembered a baby sister. He believed she was that baby sister from his earliest memories.

  When he’d met them in the sky above this stretch of desert, she’d felt instant recognition. At the time, she’d put it up to her newly discovered phoenix side recognizing a creature just like itself, but perhaps, it had been more. What if that jolt of happiness had been the phoenix recognizing its sibling?

  “This is new to me, too, Syd,” Lance said quietly, his gaze holding hers and his words ringing with truth to her ears. “I grew up knowing I was an orphan. I know what it’s like for you. But I also know now, what it is to have family ties, and I hope you’ll allow us—me and Diana and Oma—to share that with you, too.” He stepped closer and held out his arms. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you like our father wanted, but I’m here now, and I’d like to get to know my baby sister.”

  That was it. Syd sobbed as she practically threw herself into Lance’s arms. She hugged him tight. So tight. He was real. He believed they were siblings, and he wanted to get to know her. That was more than she ever could have dreamed would happen when she woke up this morning.

  So much had happened in such a short time. She’d learned about magic and discovered the love of her life—though Paul didn’t know it yet. She’d fought with evil people and learned of her own power. And now, she’d found people who claimed her as their own.

  It was all a little surreal.

  Chapter Fourteen

  After much hugging, they were all invited back to Lance’s house, which was just a short walk away. Stone had come in about halfway through the evening spent at Lance and Tina’s to report that all was well on the mountain, and activity had ratcheted up a whole lot. Arthur had suggested that the Pack could cease their patrols now that some of the dragons were back on the surface, and Stone had pulled his people back.

  He’d stayed and sat with Diana, who turned out to be his mate. Syd had enjoyed seeing the couples together and learning a bit of their stories, even as she shared some of her own with them. They were good people who deserved happiness, and she was so glad they’d found love and become mated, as the shifters called it.

  It would take time to really get to know them, but that was okay. Syd was already looking forward to meeting the woman they all called Oma, who was her grandmother, too. They were planning a get-together as soon as Oma returned from her trip to Europe. Apparently, when Diana had come into her power, a bit of it had spread back to her grandmother, who had a new lease on life. While the energy lasted, she had gone to see her childhood home in the Netherlands and had refused the offer of company.

  Oma had said—according to Diana—that she wanted her granddaughter to have a true honeymoon with her new mate and had used that as an excuse to go traveling as she hadn’t been able to travel in decades. She checked in with the family back in Phoenix every few days and had reported that she was bringing back surprises for them all. She also hinted at renewing old contacts but wouldn’t elaborate. Still, the feeling among those left behind was that Oma was on some kind of secret mission that only she fully understood. That was said half-joking and half-serious, which made Syd wonder what the old lady was up to.

  At length, the conversation turned to dragons, and Paul was asked a lot of questions to which he didn’t yet know the answers. Syd felt for him. He had been a lone wolf—make that a lone dragon—for so long, he didn’t know the things they were asking him about. Everything he knew about being a dragon had been learned from trial and error, and Syd knew Paul was a bit uncomfortable with all the questions.

  He hadn’t really had time to talk with the other dragons yet. Not in any depth. Hans had gotten all commander-ish and sent everybody scurrying before Paul could ask any real questions. Syd hoped the golden dragon would slow down for a few minutes once everybody was aboveground and give Paul a chance to ask what he wanted to know.

  “I’m not sure what Hans has in mind,” Paul told them all. “He seemed to indicate that the rising of you three was the sign they’d been waiting for to wake up and rejoin the rest of us above ground.”

  “I never thought I’d ever see a dragon in my lifetime, much less fly alongside one,” Lance said, his eyes filled with wonder. “You’re really good at landing, too,” he added. “I wonder if you could give us some pointers.”

  Paul chuckled. “I’d be glad to. It wasn’t easy when I first started shifting. I crashed a lot in the beginning.”

  Lance and Diana were both nodding. “Same here,” Diana replied. “Any advice you could give us would be greatly appreciated.”

  “I think maybe you’re going to have to give us some flying lessons, Paul,” Syd said, smiling as she clutched at his arm, moving closer as they sat side by side around the big kitchen table with the others. “If you don’t mind.”

  “Mind?” Paul took the opportunity to put his arm around her shoulders and give her a little hug. He was like a starving man, unable to touch her the way he wanted because they were in public. The hug helped, even if it was sideways and not front to front. He’d get her alone soon, and then, they’d be able to snuggle. “I was already planning to help Syd,” he told the others, trying to push down his urge to be alone with her and speak civilly to the others. “Might as well make it a group thing if you’re all interested. I’m sure you can share what you’ve learned about flying with feathers with Syd. I’m not sure how much will carry over from my kind of wings to yours, but I can definitely help with the take offs and landings. Those are pretty much the same, I think.”

  “That would be awesome,” Diana said, relief in her tone as she smiled. Stone had put his a
rm around her shoulders, as well, and Lance was edging closer to Tina. Dinner had been prepared and consumed hours ago, and the night was beginning to wind down, as was the conversation.

  There was still so much more to say, but it had been a very long day filled with all sorts of new things. Paul knew they all needed some time to think about everything that had happened and sort through the events, feelings and new knowledge that had been gained. More questions would arise, but there would be other days to talk and learn more about each other, thankfully. Now that they had found each other, Paul doubted they would ever lose touch.

  It had been a good day. Now, he intended to finish it with an even better night.

  “Do you think Syd’s house is safe enough for tonight?” Paul asked Stone point blank as the conversation hit a lull.

  “We’ve kept a standing watch. Nobody has infiltrated, though the place is definitely under some sort of observation. Nothing much, just a guy in a car, but it’s still being watched. I hate to say this, Syd, but you’re probably going to have to move.” Stone put into words the topic Paul had found hard to raise with her. Good. At least it was out in the open now.

  Syd looked stunned. “I hadn’t thought much about it, but I suppose you’re right,” she said slowly. “But where would I go?”

  Paul tightened his arm around her shoulders and squeezed lightly. “You always have a place with me,” he told her. They were dancing very close to things he wanted to talk about with her in private, but at least he could say that much.

  She looked over at him and smiled. “There’s time to figure it out,” she said, making him wonder what was going on behind those gorgeous, mysterious eyes of hers. “But I’m too tired to think about it tonight. Too much has happened. All I want is a quiet night in my house, and then, we’ll deal with the rest of it in the morning.”