Taming Fire

by J. L. Weil

  Her eyes flared with an unholy ambiance. “Our abilities to manifest in this realm are strongest during a new moon, when the veil between worlds is the thinnest.”

  Tonight was a new moon.

  “As the moon cycles, it becomes more difficult to communicate, which is why our time is so important and limited with you,” she explained.

  “Why me? Why not appear to your sons?”

  The ends of her white dress swirled on a phantom breeze. “Our tie is to you, to the one who will save the Veil.”

  Wasting no time, I got directly to the point. “The next stone is inside Titan Mountain. How am I supposed to retrieve it, when my human body can’t withstand the heat?”

  She folded her fingers gently in front of her. “You are never given a task that isn’t within your power to complete. Just believing you can, creates a spark. The strength within in you is not a burning flame you can see.”

  Great pep talk, but how was any of it going to help me retrieve the Star of Fire?

  “You seem lost, daughter,” she confessed, perceiving my confused silence.

  I glanced up from the spot in the dark I had been staring, lost in my own thoughts. “I’m afraid,” I admitted. “I don’t know how I’m going to secure the star.” My voice broke.

  A tender smile curved her lips. “All things have weaknesses, have contraries. It is what we do with them that matters. They do not need to be a hindrance, but can be the light in the darkness.”

  Shoving aside the feeling of despair, I lifted my chin.

  “What are you doing down here?”

  My head whipped around toward the sound of Kieran’s voice. His form was shrouded in shadows, but I could see the scowl lines creasing the corner of his lips. “Did you see her?” I asked.

  “Who?” His face grew somber, and I could tell he thought I was referring to Tianna.

  “The woman,” I clarified. “In the white dress.”

  He shook his head. “I saw no one but you. How much wine did you drink?”

  My shoulders sunk. “Either too much or not enough,” I replied, staring at the spot where Zade’s mother had stood.

  “You shouldn’t be down here, not alone. Where’s Jase?” His green eyes were full of disapproval toward Jase for leaving me unattended.

  “In the library. He probably thinks I went to bed.”

  “And you should have.” He pivoted to escort me upstairs to my room, but I turned one last time to look behind me. Big mistake.

  With the woman in white gone, taking the light with her, I was left in utter darkness. For a heartbeat, I’d forgotten Kieran was beside me and I that wasn’t back in the box of shadows. My breathing became uneven and labored, panic suddenly escalating. I couldn’t move, my feet felt glued to the floor. The dark caved in all around me.

  “Olivia,” Kieran murmured my name, his hands coming to frame either side of my face, holding my gaze. “Look at me.”

  I swallowed hard, pushing aside the sick feeling rumbling in my belly and threatening to rise. Damn wine. Yet, it was more than the wine. It was a nightmare that haunted me day and night.

  “I’ve got you.” He enfolded me into his arms, and I breathed in the familiar scent of woods and rain. I let him hold me, let him chase away the demons that haunted me, and led me into the light. “Come on,” his hand slipped to the small of my back as he applied light pressure, urging me back toward the stairs. “I’ll show you the way.”

  “I’m okay,” I told Kieran, forcing my chin up and my back to straighten. “It was just the wine.”

  Liar. Such a small fib, but a lie nonetheless.

  “Hmm,” was all he said, lips pursed.

  I only half-remembered him leading up to my room, my conscious mind going in and out of that place of fear. It was a quick way to sober up, that and the way my body responded to being close to the shifter. His fingers brushed against the base of my spine as we came to the doorway of my room, and I could feel his touch through the thin material of my dress. A blush stole over my cheeks.

  “I wouldn’t mention your little venture into the dungeon tonight. Some parts of the castle are off limits.” He stepped back, no longer touching me, and I immediately missed his warmth.

  “Kieran, wait,” I called, not allowing myself a chance for second-guessing.

  My hand reached for his arm, to prevent him from whisking off down the hall. The corded muscles under my fingers shifted as his brows rose in question. I angled my body toward him, feeling the pull inside me to the poison dragon. We shared the same power. He could sense my desire, and had been the first guy with whom I’d ever slept with. Yet, I never felt further from him than I did now. In theory, all that we’d been through should have brought us closer, but Kieran with all his roguishness, had the most heart. He felt too much. Some might see it as a character fault—Tianna came to mind—but not me. It only made me love him that much more.

  Now, I just needed him to realize he wasn’t to blame for what happened. “Can we talk?”

  His shoulder leaned against the doorframe in a lazy gesture. “What’s on your mind, Blondie?”

  My eyes closed for a second, savoring the sound of the nickname he’d given me. “You.”

  A playful smile danced on his lips but didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I don’t see how that is a problem.”

  It was an attempt at his old flirty self, and I appreciated the gesture, but he couldn’t fake the guilt in his eyes. I was going to put an end to it. He was putting on a show for me, attempting to make things good between us and I valued it, but I didn’t want it to be work for him. He shouldn’t have to pretend to be okay, not with me. “Glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor entirely.”

  “Some things not even a witch can destroy.”

  I was glad to hear that, because I wanted my dragon back, not the sully man who doused himself in guilt and regret. That was just the kind of attitude Tianna would prey on and use against us.

  My hand lifted to placed my palm over his beating heart and peered up at him. He didn’t back away as I shifted my body closer to his, needing to touch him. “I don’t want things to be weird between us.”

  “Are they?” He glanced up at me from lifted brows.

  “You can hardly look at me,” I answered plainly.

  He frowned. “I’m looking at you now.”

  Smartass. At least this was more like the Kieran I loved. Mischievous. “Good. Now listen to me when I tell you that what happened to me wasn’t your fault.”

  “I know.” He said the words but they were empty, meaningless. Something you said to appease a friend, a lover.

  That shit wasn’t going to fly with me. “Do you?” I shot back, holding his gaze. “How long are you going to punish yourself? How long are you going to keep avoiding me?”

  Finally, his charade cracked. The pad of his thumb glided in a feather-light touch over my arm, tracing one of the still tender cuts, and his eyes darkened. “I couldn’t find—You were just gone and I—” The snag in his voice cut through me.

  I circled his wrist with my fingers and leaned into his hand, pressing my body against his so I boxed him into the wall. The heat from his body seeped into mine. “There’s nothing you could have done, and it doesn’t matter now. It’s over. What matters is what we do from here. I need you in my life.”

  For a long moment, we just breathed each other’s air, the glow of love surrounding us like starlight. “I miss you,” I said quietly.

  Something akin to regret flickered in his emerald eyes. “I’m sorry for it,” he apologized, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. My cheek turned into his touch.

  “I love you,” I declared, the words tumbling from me before I had a second to think about what I was admitting, but once they were said, there was no taking them back.

  His powerful chest exhaled as he released a breath, his fingers coming to circle my wrists. Those emerald eyes brightened.

  When he didn’t say anything, my self-consciousness re
ared its ugly head and I contemplated bolting into the room and shutting the door behind me. What if he didn’t feel the same way? Was that why he was staring at me with an expression I couldn’t read? I shoved those nervous, vulnerable emotions aside and tried one more time.

  “Do you hear what I’m telling you? I love you, Kieran.” I loved them all, but for now, Kieran needed to hear how I felt about him specifically… or so I hoped.

  If he rejected me… I didn’t know what I would do.

  “You love me?” The incredulity in his tone squeezed at my heart. When was the last time someone had told him they loved him? It made me wish I hadn’t waited. I needed it as much as he did.

  I loosed a long, controlled breath. “Yes, you fool. I’m in love with you.”

  “I don’t deserve it. I—”

  My lips pressed to his, shutting him up. “Stop it right there. That is not true,” I murmured. The pain he attempted to bury from his eyes was visible to me.

  He brushed his knuckles across my cheek. “I’ve never loved someone the way that I love you.” Those emerald eyes flared with unholy affection.

  “Stay with me,” I asked softly.

  His chuckle rumbled against my ear. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter Ten

  After a night of fitful sleep plagued with memories of Tianna, I rubbed my eyes and glanced at Kieran. Rays of orange sunlight gleamed through the windows surrounding the room, casting his face in a golden halo. The sky was cloudless and cheery, unaware of the gloom it might face in the coming months—if Tianna won.

  With those less than inspiring thoughts, I dragged myself out of bed. The cuts on my body were healed, leaving behind little scars that would forever remind me of my time in the mountain. I peeked at a still sleeping Kieran, debating about climbing back in bed or drawing myself a bath. My skin still tingled from being in his arms most of the night. We had both needed the comfort of being held—of love.

  My heart glowed.

  I padded across the room to slip into the bathroom. Today, my training with Jase resumed. My muscles ached thinking about it. When I emerged thirty minutes later, a rumbling Kieran was sitting up in bed, shirtless, running his fingers through that messy green hair.

  He glanced up, what looked like a half-eaten croissant to his mouth. “Hungry?”

  I gulped, my eyes devouring the sight of him in my bed, scattering my thoughts before I focused on the tray of food on the little table. “Breakfast in bed,” I stated, my brows lifted.

  “Mila came by while you were in the bath.”

  “And who is Mila?” I asked, crossing the room to help myself to his coffee. I noted there was only one cup, and a single plate of those flaky pastries that smelled like almond and sugar.

  “She works in the kitchen.”

  My eyes narrowed and something hot flashed across my heart. “Does she often bring you breakfast in bed?”

  He smirked. “Jealous? It looks good on you.”

  I gave him a particularly rude finger, ignoring the laugh rumbling from his chest.

  Damn dragons.

  I went to scrounge up some clothes worthy of training in, something that wouldn’t be too restricting and would give me free rein of motion. Settling on a pair of form-fitting shorts and a tank top, I sauntered over to the little table and plucked off a croissant. I was aware of Kieran’s eyes on me, watching me while I dressed, lingering on my hips as I walked.

  Good. Let him suffer.

  I had been jealous of another girl, seeing him sprawled out on my bed. There was an intimacy between two people first thing in the morning that should be kept between them. I had wanted to be the first person he saw upon waking.

  Taking a bite out of my pastry, I left Kieran in my bed, staring after me with heat in his eyes to go find Jase.

  “Fighting against a griffin or goblin is different than going up against a witch or a wraith. Combat skills are as important as magic. You need to learn to defend yourself, as well as attack.”

  We were outside in a training ring that was set up not far from the castle, as Jase schooled me on the importance of learning how to defend myself. The sun was beating down upon us, though not yet at full height. I gave myself ten minutes before I collapsed from a heat stroke.

  “Is there nowhere inside where we could practice?” I asked, shielding my eyes from the bright glare overhead. At least I’d get one hell of a tan.

  His brows narrowed. “Not unless you want to accidentally poison the staff.”

  “Right.”

  “As I was saying,” Jase continued. “An hour of training can make all the difference in a life and death situation. I hope you got some sleep, because I’m going to test your limits.”

  “Don’t think I can handle it?”

  He laughed and I almost regretted the taunt. “You’re going to need that spirit, that fire.”

  I rolled my eyes, surveying the training space. Dummies and racks of weapons that contained blades, daggers, maces, axes, bows, arrows, and spears were scattered over the area. Did he actually expect me to be able to do anything other than trip on my own two feet? The last time I wielded a dagger, I’d stabbed a witch, who then kidnapped me.

  We were both in trouble.

  Jase rotated his shoulders, loosening up the muscles, and I followed his movements. “Do you remember the basics?” he asked.

  “I remember how to run, and I can summon tranquility and poison easy enough.”

  He did his best to keep the amusement off his lips as he pressed them together to compose himself. “Running is not a cowardly feat. If it saves your life, does that not make it a strength worth having?”

  “I guess. I’d never looked at it like that.” I chose not to point out that I wasn’t a fantastic runner either, for fear of having to do laps around the training ring in this heat.

  “You can practice the magic on your own.”

  “So, no Kieran?”

  A knowing sparkle glinted in his eyes. “Didn’t get enough of him last night?”

  I shot him a vulgar gesture that only made him laugh; the deep sound did funny things to my belly.

  “He seems in better spirits, so whatever you did, thank you. Now more than ever we need to be united, and I wasn’t sure he’d ever forgive himself.”

  My cheeks burned, and this was one of those times I was grateful they could only read my emotions and not my mind. “We, um, talked.”

  “Is that what you’re calling it?”

  My hands perched on my hips as I let my bitch wings fly. “For your information, Kieran and I did not sleep together.”

  “But you did sleep with Zade and Issik the other night,” he pressed.

  Oh shit.

  I rubbed at the back of my neck, contemplating my answer. “It just happened.”

  He jerked his chin into the direction of the ring etched into the clearing. “Things tend to just happen around you.”

  Following his direction, I sauntered into the ring with heavy steps. “What does my sex life have to do with protecting myself?” I countered, spinning around to find him directly behind me. My palms instinctually went out to keep myself from falling and flattened against his chest.

  He glanced downward and gave me a disarming grin. “Just know that you’ve saved the best for last.” Then he kissed the tip of my nose.

  My blood heated at the insinuation behind his words as the wind suddenly stirred, carrying his scent—a combination of sea and something else. “I can smell the sea on you. Were you flying this morning?”

  Surprised showed in his expression. “Your senses have gotten stronger. That’s good. And, yes. I went to do a perimeter sweep. Now, start your circuit of warm-ups.”

  I rolled my eyes, but obeyed, going through a series of lunges, kicks, and stretches designed to loosen up my muscles. And then the real fun began. Sparring. My hands jabbed into his upraised palms, in a succession of one-two punches, but his hands never faltered as I hit them. Thirty minutes later, I wished
I had never stepped foot within that white-chalked ring of hell.

  “Keep your feet planted and dagger up,” Jase ordered. Again.

  He had removed his shirt shortly after beginning and I cursed him for more than the sore muscles. The hard planes of his bare chest caused quite the distraction. It was hard to concentrate on keeping my balance with his abs gleaming in the sun, begging to be touched… or fondled… or licked.

  Focus, Olivia.

  The fact that we had moved from sparring with fists to blades made my stomach queasy, but I pushed through the rolling and the heat, resorting to taking out my frustrations on the person delivering this torment.

  “If I cut you with this, I’ll never forgive you,” I barked, sweat dripping in places it shouldn’t be. I waved the steel blade in the air. If I allowed myself, I could still remember what it had felt like to sink one very similar into Tianna’s flesh. A fat wad of good it had done me. The witch still managed to abduct me.

  “And where is the logic in that?” Jase countered, looking as if his skin was born to glisten.

  “Who said anything about logic. It’s your fault I have the dagger to begin with, so you’ll pay,” I seethed between my teeth and lunged forward.

  Jase’s arm connected with my wrists, blocking my attack. “Less complaining. More focus.”

  I lifted my chin, rotating my neck from left to right to work out the kinks. “When are we going after the star?”

  His arms dropped, wiping the back of his hand over his brow. “You’re positive it’s inside Titan Mountain?”

  “As much as I wish it weren’t so…” I finished with a nod.

  His lips formed a grim line. “The right moment will come.”

  “Is there a reason why we haven’t already gone after it?” Something flickered in his eyes, and my unease churned. “What aren’t you telling me?” I pushed.

  “Tianna. The Pool of Mirrors.” The words were heavy and weary—I wasn’t the only one who was drained.

  I understood what he was telling me. “She’s watching us.”