First Flame (Stories of Frost and Fire Book 1)

by Kimbra Swain

“This is it,” Kat said, jumping on the pillar. She walked around the finial, scrubbing her side as she went. “But, of course, you can’t see it.”

  “They can see us though!” I scolded.

  “Oh, I didn’t think of that,” Cat said, twirling around Kyrie’s legs.

  “Keep walking,” Kyrie suggested. We continued down the block to another abandoned building which we could see. I ducked beside it, looking back at the empty lot. Opening my sight, I was blinded by the glittering ward which floated around an obscured building. I could see what the cats saw in it. Sparkling cat litter.

  “I can’t get through that ward,” I said.

  “Can you see anything past it?” he asked.

  “Nothing,” I said.

  “Hold on,” he said wrapping his arm around my waist. We shot into the air just above the clouds. He sat me down, and we peered down on the house which I could see from the air.

  “Now I see it. The ward isn’t as heavy from above. But it doesn’t do much good for me, because I can’t see anything but the roof,” I said. “I don’t know if she is there or not.”

  “What about the crystals?” he asked.

  “I only have a few. I could drop one from here, but unless we are ready to dive down into that, then we need to save it,” I said, reluctantly.

  “I’ll follow you,” he said.

  “I know you will, but I’m not so impulsive that I don’t realize that is a death trap for both of us,” I said.

  He slipped his arm around my waist and lowered us to the ground.

  “You can lift me up anytime, honey,” Kat said.

  “Stay away. He’s mine,” Cat complained.

  “Oh! You want them all,” Kat replied.

  The cats circled each other hissing. “Stop!” I exclaimed.

  “She started it,” Kat said.

  “Why do you fight over men you can’t have?” I asked.

  “Who said we can’t have them?” Cat asked. Kyrie snickered behind me, and I couldn’t think of anything to say to the cat.

  “Hello, Wynonna,” Reyna’s voice interrupted the cat fight.

  I looked up to see her standing at the other end of the building. She leaned on the wall as if she had no fear of us. The cats scattered, and Kyrie tensed next to me.

  “Give them back to me,” I demanded.

  She laughed. “I will. You received our terms. And the good thing is, now that you know where we are, we don’t have to use the magic to conceal the building. More for me to use against you, should you decide to do something really stupid.”

  “We cannot leave here. There are traffickers moving fairies, and we will stop them,” I explained.

  “Well, if you and your group of misfits weren’t here, we could focus on that task. I assure you, we do not need your help,” she said, standing up straight. She stuck her hands in her pocket. I knew she had to have them to fight us.

  “Why couldn’t we work together?” I asked.

  “The Sanhedrin made the mistake of trusting your mother and it destroyed us. We won’t be making the same mistake again,” Reyna said.

  “It wouldn’t be a mistake. If we joined forces, those who are doing this would be found and stopped,” Kyrie said, following my lead. I didn’t want to work with Reyna or the Sanhedrin, but we needed to walk away from this. I looked behind us to see two men standing across the street. I’d seen them with Reyna.

  “Ah! Meet my friends, Elias and Simeon,” Reyna said since I’d noticed her back up. “This is Judith and Gamma.” Two women stepped out from behind the building.

  “Fuck,” I muttered.

  “We mean you no harm, but you should know there are more of us. Don’t come back here, Miss Riggs. Fire or not, you aren’t enough to stop us,” Reyna said.

  “She isn’t alone,” Malphas landed in a burst of feathers next to me. Echo waved his hands repeating Malphas’ statement.

  “How deep are your resources, Reyna?” Nick asked, stepping out of a shadow in the alley.

  “Cute. You are all here. Is the Queen coming, too?” Reyna mocked.

  “We don’t need Gloriana for the likes of you,” Kyrie said boldly.

  “Your stubbornness will be your downfall. You have until tomorrow before we start executing your friends,” Reyna said, then skipped away with her companions.

  Nick turned to me with his nostrils flaring. “Winnie.”

  “We followed the cats here. We were just looking at it,” I said.

  “I see,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m just glad I put Malphas out there to keep an eye on you.”

  “Don’t explain yourself to him,” Kyrie said.

  “I’m in charge here, and the two of you have got to stop stepping into messes. Those two cats could have been sent by Reyna. You don’t know why they are here,” Nick protested as the two felines appeared behind him.

  “I take it back, you can have the wolf,” Cat said.

  “I like birds,” Kat said, licking a paw.

  Echo held his laugh back, and Malphas cleared his throat. “Does she mean food?” Malphas asked.

  “I’ll eat you,” Cat said.

  “Good grief,” I muttered.

  “Everyone back to headquarters. Winnie, you are with me,” Nick said.

  “She’s with me,” Kyrie protested.

  “You get back however you want, Starboy, but she’s riding with me,” Nick insisted.

  I followed Nick down the block to where he’d parked his motorcycle. He handed me his helmet. I pulled it down over my head. He climbed on the bike, and I mounted it behind him. Leaning into him, I held on with one hand. He’d pissed me off, and the last thing I wanted to do was hold on to him.

  He revved the engine and raced past a sour-looking Kyrie who stood next to Malphas and Echo.

  We drove through town, then down past the docks, to the bridge that led across the river. He drove the motorcycle hard, forcing me to hold on with both hands. Once we reached the other side, he slowed, pulling over at a park with benches that overlooked an old battleship that was now a museum.

  The ship looked as new as the day it had first left port. Restored to look its best, the ship’s flags flew, whipping in the wind from the sea. The strong smell of salt lingered in the air. When Nick cut the engine, I stepped off the bike to stare at the relic of a past war. He didn’t speak as he sat on one of the benches.

  I sat next to him. My anger had cooled on the ride here. He wasn’t wrong, but he also wasn’t right.

  “What do you see?” he asked.

  “An old ship,” I said. The last thing I wanted was an object lesson.

  “It’s a massive memorial to the sailors that fought on that ship. But for the most part, no one remembers those who fought for anything. They do remember the leaders,” Nick said.

  “Ah, good news for you. Street cred.”

  “I’m not the leader here, Winnie. You are. I’m just a placeholder until you accept that role.”

  I jumped out of my seat and walked away from him. “No, I’m here to follow your lead. I know I stepped out today, and I’m sorry. Kyrie and I just felt like it was a good chance to check out what the cats had said. It seems ridiculous now, but the lead was right.”

  “I would have done the same thing.”

  “Please don’t blame Kyrie. Wait, what?”

  “I would have done the same thing. It was a good decision. Perhaps not getting caught, but I would have gone to check out the lead.”

  “Why did you come here if you had no intention on staying?” I asked.

  “I am supposed to be running the F.B.I. facility in Birmingham. It is on hold until your mother finds another leader here. I say that leader is you.”

  “She will never go for it.”

  “She will if we prove it to her. I’ve got your back.”

  “I’m not ready.” My heart pounded in my chest, and my fists glowed in the darkness. I pressed back my fear and anxiety. The fire cooled.

  “Looks like you are to me,
but I’m gonna hang around until we get Soraya and Rory back,” he said.

  “What did Astor say?”

  “He was pissed, as much as Astor can be. Grace convinced him to stay in Shady Grove.”

  “He’s not in Summer?”

  “No. He’s going to come get his son, but I’d rather us deal with it than put him in danger.”

  “What about Luther?”

  “Betty has him bottled.” Luther, Soraya’s grandfather and guardian, was an Ifrit. His wife, Betty, kept him in a bottle to recharge his powers and hers. Long story, but if Luther was bottled, he could only get out if Betty let him out.

  “What do we do?” I asked.

  “You tell me,” Nick said with a grin.

  “Oh, so this is a test?”

  “No, I want to know what you think. What would you do?”

  “We aren’t leaving Steelshore.”

  “I agree,” he said. “What else?”

  “I have some crystals that Athena gave me. I know they can disrupt their ward but getting into the house is easy. Dealing with the inhabitants will be the difficult part.” I sat back down next to him. “What about Lyra?”

  “What about her?” His voice dripped with disdain.

  “Whoa! I thought you liked her.”

  “I don’t know what to think about her. She’s from a matriarchal pack.”

  “Is she their Alpha?” I asked.

  “No, they don’t have an alpha. They haven’t had a male leader for years. She is their leader.”

  I nudged him. “You can’t handle a woman in charge.”

  “No, I can. But because I’m an alpha, I throw off their pack dynamics.”

  I realized what was going on. Nick hadn’t separated himself from Lyra. She’d cut ties with him. “But you aren’t an alpha anymore.”

  “In practice, no. But my bloodlines cannot be denied. Not every pack is run like the one in Shady Grove. It doesn’t matter. We’ve got things to do here.” He looked up to me with sadness in his eyes. He’d found something only to have it ripped away.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. But let’s not talk about it anymore.”

  “Gotcha.”

  We rode back to the office to find Kyrie in a tizzy and being calmed by the ravens. Nick and I parked the bike across the street. I giggled watching Kyrie pace the room.

  “Well, Mr. Cool is worried,” Nick teased.

  “He’s pretty great,” I said.

  “It’s about time you saw that.”

  “You approve?”

  “I think that a man that stands by his girl with no expectations and supports her like he does you, deserves some respect.”

  “And Mark?” Afterall, Mark was his Alpha.

  “And Mark will figure it out.”

  When Nick and I walked into the office, Kyrie slid into my office chair and kicked his feet up on my desk.

  “Just sitting here waiting on you guys,” he said.

  “Were you worried?” I asked.

  “No. Of course, not,” he said, playing it off. I’d watched him pace inside the room before Nick and I made our presence known. I sat down in his lap and kissed the tip of his nose.

  “You are cute when you lie,” I whispered.

  “When you didn’t come back I admit I was concerned that Nick had finally changed his mind and swept you off your feet,” he said.

  “She’s all yours,” Nick said. “I’ve called for reinforcements. Aydan, Isabella, and Callum will arrive by morning. If we don’t get them out by noon, Steelshore will have a royal fairy invasion which isn’t good for anyone. Winnie and I discussed our options.”

  He wanted me to lead. I sucked in a breath then cut him off. “My brothers and Isabella will take the crystals to disrupt any wards around the building. They will go in with Malphas and Echo. In the meantime, I am going to draw Reyna out to face me.”

  “And no,” Kyrie said.

  “It’s our best choice. You and Nick will back up the others,” I said.

  “You are going to face her alone? What about the dream?” Kyrie protested. He’d lost all of his cool.

  “And what if she kills me?” I asked.

  “You are going along with this?” Kyrie turned Nick.

  “It’s a good plan. None of us has the ability to return except Winnie. She will rise. In the meantime, we will get Soraya and Rory out,” Nick explained.

  “No! What if they have some sort of magic that will end her? She isn’t invulnerable. The Sanhedrin chased Grace for years. They could have killed her! We can’t do this! Winnie, please!” Kyrie pleaded.

  “I’ll be fine,” I assured him. “This is a good plan.”

  “Go get some rest. We’ve only got a couple of hours before we need to move,” Nick said.

  Kyrie walked in circles in my small living room. Cat and Kat watched him. Their heads swiveled back and forth as he paced.

  “I’m going to bed. Are you coming with me?” I asked.

  He released a long sigh and nodded his head. I’d slipped into a soft pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt. Crawling under the sheets in my queen-sized bed, I held them up for him. He joined me, jeans and all. I laid on my side facing him. He grimaced as he touched my cheek.

  “How are you going to sleep?” he asked.

  “You mean knowing what I have to do tomorrow?” I asked. He nodded. “I’m at peace with it. She isn’t powerful enough to kill me, plus all of you will be nearby.” The plan had come to me, and I didn’t think twice about it. Dying and rising wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened to me. Those last few moments before death hurt, and it scared me. But now that I had done it, it didn’t seem like such a big deal.

  “I’ve always supported you.”

  “But you don’t now.”

  “I do, but I want there to be another way. It’s a risk that I don’t like taking.”

  “You aren’t taking it. I am.”

  “You are taking it, but all of us who love you will live with the consequences if it goes wrong.”

  “You’ll just have to trust me.”

  “It’s not a matter of trust. It’s a matter of the heart.” He pressed his finger into my breastbone, right at my heart. I wrapped my fingers around his.

  “Your heart?” I asked.

  “It would break without you. I’m not sure I actually had a heart until you made it beat.”

  “Wow. That’s an incredibly romantic thing to say while lying in the bed the night before we all might die,” I smirked. His sincerity threw me off, and I reverted to immaturity as a defense mechanism. I’d pushed Mark and his affections away. Was I going to push Kyrie away too?

  He shifted his body closer. His lips hovered over mine. “You better not die on me, Wynonna Riggs.”

  “I don’t plan on it.” He kissed me. Gently at first, but as the kiss lingered, it became more forceful and hungrier. I returned the fervor, because I wanted to kiss him. I wanted more than just a kiss. I wanted all of him. My hormones fired up inside of me and burned as brightly as my phoenix. My mother warned me that the fairy side of me would be at its peak whenever I was aroused. It had peaked at tsunami, and I had no intention of stopping it.

  Pulling my shirt off over my head, Kyrie never said a word. He went along with the flow and mimicked me by removing his shirt. The fact that I’d never gone this far only entered my head for a moment and it was to ask me why I had waited. His touch was soft, but with a clear yearning. I loved that feeling of being desired and wanted for who I was.

  “Wait,” he said, pulling away from me. He rose up and looked at the end of the bed where Cat and Kat sat. “Go away!”

  “We were quiet!” Kat protested.

  “You are watching?!” I exclaimed.

  “About the best we can hope for,” Cat said. I could have sworn she shrugged her cat shoulders.

  “Get down!” Kyrie demanded. The cats obeyed, but the heat of the moment was gone. He flopped back down on the bed, and I curled up next to hi
m, resting my head on his chest. “I’m sorry.”

  “For?” I asked.

  “Getting carried away.”

  “I’m not sorry.”

  “Okay. Then, I’m not either.”

  “So, we are stopping?”

  “That is up to you, Sunshine.”

  My heart continued to pound in my chest, but I was ready for this. I wanted to be with him. Reaching down, I pushed my pants off, then rolled over to sit on top of him. His eyes widened. Kyrie loved to talk and to hear himself talk, but once again he didn’t speak. We spent our few hours wide awake, making love.

  Sipping a cup of coffee, I watched Kat and Cat drink down the rest of my red wine. Kyrie was taking a shower, and Nick had already called asking us to meet him at the office as soon as possible. I thought about the last couple of hours, and I had no regrets. Not one. A certain wolf’s reaction concerned me, but it’s not like I intended to broadcast it.

  Kyrie walked into the room in a low-hung pair of shorts while rubbing his hair with a towel. “Oh, coffee!” I poured him a cup, and he kissed my cheek as he took it from me. I had an intense craving for a cup of the magical coffee served at the Hot Tin Roof in Shady Grove.

  “Nick called. He’s waiting on us,” I said.

  “Alright. I suppose I should wear a shirt,” he said with a wink.

  “Unfortunately,” I replied. I admired him as I had never before. Kyrie and his family were their own type of supernatural beings, and he had good genes. Now, I looked at him as something I’d had the pleasure of exploring. Possession. I didn’t want to be owned by Mark and his mate talk, but after being with Kyrie, I kinda understood.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asked, returning from the bedroom in jeans and a tee shirt.

  “Um, nothing,” I said. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks.

  “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen you blush that hard, but I love it.”

  “Because I was thinking about you?”

  “Of course.” He was still the devil in blue jeans.

  When we walked into the office, I felt like everyone in there could see though me. As if they all knew what Kyrie and I had done. The worst part was my brothers were there giving Kyrie the stink eye.

  “Good morning, wolves and birds,” Kyrie said not noticing the stares. Or maybe I was just paranoid.