Frost Fire (A Novel of the Dracol Book 3)

by Michelle Howard

  Maybe to the others he looked fine. In control. He wasn’t. Not in the least. The madness must be trying to surface. She reached for his braid and looped the end about her wrist, giving it a fierce tug. He blinked and glanced in her direction. Confusion flickered in his gaze, the color flashing from amber to deepest gold then back again. Rena tugged harder on his hair, causing his neck to arch and Faris jerked in the chair.

  Slowly he caught her hand and pulled it free of the braid. Rena tensed, her heart drumming hard.

  “Thank you, amans.”

  He patted her hips and nodded at Rylin, who’d stop speaking. Mikal was eyeing them oddly. Rylin cleared his throat. “The fighting was at an all time low when the sitting king was committed to his lira. Since you, Varyk, Kon and I became king that changed. Four single male Dracols in possession of a powerful source. The mantle. Kon believes and I agree that it’s linked to the lack of matings with us.”

  Totally lost, Rena frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  Red stained Rylin’s cheeks. “My lira left me and dissolved the mating before I became king. I had trouble finding another lira for years. I didn’t want the risk of losing someone else I loved. Varyk’s father killed his lira and it made him understandably leery of committing to someone. Tora of the Silver never mated the woman he wanted as his lira. Kon…”

  Rylin paused, but Mikal filled in. “Breya ended it with Kon before they became mated and she chose another.”

  Rena still tried to piece it together then gasped. She and Faris—. He squeezed her thigh. “I ended things with you.”

  “So this is because you all, the kings, failed to find love?” Rena asked.

  The expression on Rylin’s face twisted. “The goddess wants those she chose to lead in a loving relationship, to have someone to share the burden of leadership. At least that’s what we’ve surmised.”

  Rena knew the Goddess of Fate could be capricious. Still, if that’s what it took. “Faris and I can be mated right away. Will that cure him?”

  Before Rylin could answer, Faris cupped her cheek and pulled her close. His lips whispered tenderly over hers in the softest of kisses. “I would mate you a thousand times over, but we need to know more and not act rashly.”

  Rena pursed her lips and Faris chucked her under the chin, a slight smile still about his lips as he returned his attention to Rylin. “Naturally I will make Rena my lira. Soon. But I sensed there is more.”

  “There has to be, but we haven’t figured it out yet.” Rylin came to his feet on a curse and threaded his fingers through the black waves of his hair. “I need to have Kon dig deeper. If this was found in his history annuals, there might be more. Mikal and I have gone through every record we have and come up empty.”

  ***

  “And Varyk?” Faris probed, mentioning the King of the Green.

  Rylin snorted. “If we can drag him away from Inez. For someone who once opposed mating, he doesn’t like his attention to be far from his lira at any given time.”

  Faris had to laugh at that. He’d met Inez on several occasions at official functions. She was as headstrong as Varyk and a former member of the Black. She’d given up her duty as a guard under Rylin and wasn’t easily impressed by Varyk’s status as king. Faris had the feeling she still viewed Rylin, her cousin, as the only leader she’d truly defer to.

  “Alright. I shall have Simeon continue to look for any information as well though it seems the Silver weren’t great trackers of historical details.” They’d been much more content to mind their own and stick to their home in the cold lands. He slid his hands under Rena’s bottom for a good caress then helped her to her feet and stood beside her.

  Rylin came over and clasped his shoulder. “We’ll find the answer. Everything possible is being done to save you and the Silver. Stay strong.”

  Being strong might actually be his downfall. “Having the madness in me makes this situation much more difficult than when it struck a member of our sects. The mantle gives me access to a level of power none of them had. I fear I will do far worse before this ends.”

  Chapter 13

  Rena drifted, head tucked on his chest, an arm about his waist and one leg thrown over his thighs. Faris grinned. He was well and truly pinned, not that he cared. Kissing the top of her head and inhaling a scent he’d long grown addicted to, he contemplated a future that looked all the more rich with Rena in it. He’d never make up for the time he’d lain in his bed alone, wishing she were at his side.

  “What are you thinking?”

  Faris startled at the question. He ran a hand over Rena’s shoulder, his lips once more drifting over the top of her head. “I didn’t think you were still awake.”

  “I am.” She lifted up, breasts rubbing against him in a distracting manner. “Are you worried about what King Rylin and his friend shared?”

  He was always worried as it pertained to the madness. “It’s good to have a starting place on what may have caused all of this. I’m just concerned it’s too little too late.”

  Rena bit her bottom lip. “We could proceed with the mating ceremony anyway.”

  “No.” Faris pushed up and caught her in his arms. “I won’t risk you that way. Who knows if joining with me will give the madness another point of attack.”

  He’d never forgive himself if Rena suffered the way he did with the voices. For now, they were quiet. After the incident yesterday with Rena in her shop, everything had gone silent.

  “Alright. We wait. But not a moment longer once we rid you of this.”

  Faris snorted and rolled on top of Rena, stretching their bodies out on the bed. “Oh, yeah?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Rena confirmed, her eyes lighting up as she teased strands of his hair and twirled them about her fingers.

  Faris rested his head on her shoulder, the slight tugs on his scalp relaxing him. Rena had always loved playing in his hair. Things may have changed, but in some ways they were still the same. “The color doesn’t bother you?”

  When a king assumed the mantle, his hair color changed to match the sect. Rylin had always had black hair so being King of the Black had done nothing to change his appearance. Varyk’s hair had taken on the green hue of his Dracol and Kon’s long hair had deepened to a vibrant shade of purple that was startling yet fitting for the underwater King.

  “The Silver is very flattering,” Rena said. “Like pressed metal under direct sunlight. A sheen of dark to light gray from front to back.”

  Faris’ mouth curved up. He liked that she saw the change in a positive way.

  “It’s also sexy,” she added. “I’m glad you didn’t cut it.”

  Rena wrapped a leg about his hips and arched up in a deliberately provocative way. Faris lifted his head and slid upward until their faces aligned and met her gaze. “Sexy?”

  “Mhmm.”

  She was smiling as she agreed and smoothed her fingers through the silver length to shove it over his shoulders. Faris nipped her bottom lip and ran a hand over her svelte curves. He wished he could take her pleasurable hint to the next step and make love to her, but duty called. “We have to get up soon. I have meetings today and you have to go back to work.”

  After they returned from Rylin’s, they’d spent most of yesterday together getting reacquainted and curled in his bed between bouts of sex. Faris couldn’t spend all his time shirking his responsibilities though. There were things required of him as King. Or as long as he could function as one and trust his decision making.

  “Fine.” She feigned a pout but pushed at his shoulder and Faris rolled away, freeing her from beneath him.

  Rena climbed from his bed and ignored the robe on the floor he’d given her to use as she walked toward his connecting bathroom. She shot a naughty smile over her shoulder. He caught a glimpse of her stiff nipples and the curve of her breasts before he was presented with the delicate line of her back.

  Her hips swayed and his gaze dropped to her round butt, the muscled legs he’d kissed all night and
her long feet with ticklish toes. A grin crooked his mouth. Toes Rena hated and called unsightly because they were bigger than she felt they should be. On a groan, Faris tossed the sheets aside and got out of bed, prepared to join her in the shower. Maybe there would be time for a quick session after all.

  The mantle heaved as soon as he took the first step on the floor. Faris’ reached deep inside of his mind to the core of what gave a King of the Dracol his power. Fear and panic. Faris surfaced along the conscious of his people with a light touch he’d long since perfected.

  He skimmed until he discovered the source. A cave had collapsed near the northern portion of his territories. Close enough to the land bordering Purple territory to require contact with Kon.

  Faris would have ignored it and sent someone to deal with the issue later if not for one thing. Several of his people were trapped inside. Striding toward his closet, Faris yanked on leathers and a vest while he ruthlessly took hold of the mantle. He pumped out streams of calm to bring the level of the terror down enough to where it wouldn’t continue to ripple to the others in the sect. He strode across the room toward the door, thoughts on rescuing them.

  “Faris?” Rena came out of the bathroom, wet hair up in a long red tail, dressed in cream colored leggings that laced at the sides of her hips and a form-fitting white shirt trimmed in silver fur and a light silver vest over it all.

  He stopped in his tracks. Even better. “I need you with me. A group of youth managed to get caught in a cave collapse. Snow has fallen and blocked the entrance.”

  “Of course.” That easily she switched focus and went to his bed to grab her knee high boots which she shoved on her feet then straightened. “Ready.”

  The corner of Faris’ mouth curved up. He’d missed this. Her acceptance and no questions asked demeanor. “Let’s go.”

  ***

  When Faris landed, he waited for Rena to hop down from her seat on his neck before shifting. A flick of his wrist clothed his lower half in a shimmering silver cloth to conceal his nudity, not that he was concerned. He had more pressing matters to deal with.

  He probed the mantle to reach for the five minds he’d maintained contact with the entire trip. Scanning the area, Faris blocked the worry tickling the back of his conscious.

  “We’re close to Kon’s land,” Rena said.

  “I know.” It had Faris questioning how his actions would be taken, but he couldn’t wait to get a hold of Kon who lived deep beneath the ocean. Sometimes it took days for him to get the message and respond because his sect traveled the waters constantly and rarely stayed in one place.

  “Are they here?” Rena stared around them as snow began to pour from the sky in a thick fall.

  The mild breeze kicked up into a potent wind, whipping Faris’ hair about his face. Dealing with bad weather wouldn’t increase the risk. He controlled the cold elements. It was Rena he was concerned about. “Yes. Just ahead.”

  Tying his hair off in a knot at the nape of his neck, Faris started in that direction, using the powers of the mantle to clear a path in the snow down to the faded green of the grass below.

  Shielding part of her face from the weather with her hand, Rena caught up to him and gaped. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a precise use of your skills.”

  Other than official duties as King no one had witnessed all Faris was capable of. There had been no need to demonstrate his strength. “I hope you can contain your excitement.”

  Rena snorted and Faris grinned at the sound. The mantle chose that moment to rock, pulling him back to the moment and Faris hurried forward. Through the blinding snowfall, he could make out the covered entrance ahead. He scanned the surrounding area once more and muffled a curse.

  The crisp smell of salty water blew on a breeze, reminding Faris that he was close to violating territory laws between him and Kon. This was further out than any of his sect should have traveled. Even their youth looking for a place to sneak off with someone of the opposite sex should have known better.

  He puffed out a fierce exhale. Nothing to do about it now. Faris reached along the mantle to confirm this was the correct spot. Those inside projected relief as soon as they sensed his presence. He continued to send waves of reassurance while focusing on the problem at hand.

  Beside the entrance, Rena went to one knee and patted the ground with her bare palm. Snow dotted her hair in white flakes. She shook away the wet droplets. “Lots of ice and frozen sections. No telling what tempted them to go inside.”

  Pranks. Curiosity. Sex. At their age, it could have been anything.

  Concentrating on the removal of the blockage, Faris pushed his arms forward and large swaths of snow slid to the right. He did the same to the other side and snow slid to the left. The opening revealed was six feet high and about four feet wide. Bramble fell to the ground from the overhanging tree branches weighted by the volume of snow falling, but Faris kicked it out of the way as he ducked his head and signaled Rena to follow.

  “They were all the way in the back when the structure started to give. Too far to get out in time without harm.” Faris squinted, glancing around the dark interior. Melted snow pitter-pattered as it hit the ground from the stone ceiling. The drips filled the eerie silence with a distinct melody. His heart skipped a beat and the dark voices inside his head began to whisper insidiously.

  Killll.

  “Are you sure they’re in here?” Rena asked.

  She’d entered right behind Faris, her shoulders bumping the middle of his back. Faris reached behind him, a soft caress to her waist, drawing forth a whispered gasp that brought a smile to his face even as worry began to tease at his mind. He didn’t have time to deal with the madness.

  “They’re in here.”

  Something in his tone must have given him away. Rena grasped his wrist and tugged him to a stop. “Are you alright?”

  She peered up at him, the arch of her brows crinkled together as she stared into his eyes, searching.

  Kill.

  Death.

  “Faris?” Rena placed a palm on his chest, the heat of her touch taking away the cold.

  “I’m fine,” he lied.

  Rena leaned in close and nipped the skin on his bare chest. “Good. Because I’m not willing to let you go. Remember that.”

  Her will wrapped around him, potent and constricting. The strength of her poured through the mantle as well. Oh, she was smart this female he wanted at his side for all his tomorrows.

  “I’m as good as can be expected.” Taking a long drawn breath, Faris pushed back the worry. Fear would not rule him today.

  As they got closer, Faris could hear whispered conversation. When he reached the last turn in the pathway they traveled, five teens jumped to their feet, faces wreathed in smiles as they shuffled toward him.

  Faris sent a firm pulse of calm into the mantle though his inner Dracol growled at their foolishness and the unnecessary jeopardy they’d placed themselves in.

  “King Faris.”

  His name was murmured in part awe and part chagrin. Faris folded his arms over his chest and pointedly gave them each a stern look. “This is close to Purple land.”

  “Because—”

  “We were—”

  They all spoke at once and Faris slashed his hand through the air, quieting them in an instant. “You will explain to your parents, not me.”

  More defeated expressions. Inside, Faris relaxed at finding them unharmed. Three females and two males, who appeared just past transitioning. Probably also close to or just entering their First Fire. The days of being ruled by his hormones were far beyond him, but Faris remembered his time with Rena well and his eagerness to have her alone.

  He glanced to his side and noticed the gleam in her eyes though she did a better job of hiding her smile as she spoke. “We need to get out of here. The weather is taking a turn for the worst and I’m sure your parents are worried as well.”

  They were definitely worried. Light notes of distress danced thr
ough the mantle, but Faris continued to balance his attention between all of his sect and the group of parents who now realized their children were missing.

  “We’re sorry, King Faris,” muttered the tallest boy as he took the lead.

  The others followed suit, meeting his gaze as they said their apologies in clear, strong voices. Rena headed out first and by unspoken agreement, Faris stayed in the back with all of the youth taking up the middle.

  They were half-way to the entrance, the damp air bringing a cold mist with it. Faris sniffed. The weather was indeed shifting and a storm brewed. His fingertips tingled with the need to react.

  Slash their throats.

  Drink their blood in triumph.

  Faris hesitated. Possibilities ran through his mind. Deadly possibilities.

  Pain.

  Destruction.

  Sweet, sweet agony.

  Do it now.

  He steeled himself against the dark commands and focused on Rena. The back of her red ponytail swished side to side. It flashed like a beacon, obliterating the encroaching darkness within. He would not break. Not yet. A little more time. He just needed a little more time with Rena.

  Snow began to seep in tiny puffs from the cracks in the ceiling.

  “Keep moving,” Faris snapped when the two females slowed, jerking their gazes upward.

  Rena shouldered an arm about one of the males. Faris recognized him as a cousin to her best friend, Mari. More snow tumbled from above and the male in front of Faris slipped on a wet patch and went down to one knee. The others stopped all at once.

  “Jarel,” one of the females called, turning back.

  The cave rumbled. Chunks of ice hit the floor beside them. Someone screamed. Shards of bright color flashed on the mental pathways of the mantle. Faris threw up a palm and a glaze of ice shored up the ceiling. Panting breaths filled the sudden quiet.

  “Don’t stop. I’m not sure about the stability of this cave.” Faris grabbed the youth beside him and tugged him back to his feet. “Everyone hurry.”