“I like the sound of that.” I shifted my leg so it draped over him, wanting our bodies pressed as close together as possible. Though I still burned with desire for him, it was just as good being held in his arms and knowing he cared for me the way I cared for him. Whatever doubts I’d once had about him were gone. I was ready for whatever we would face at the Fire Temple.
34
Jasin
“Get up!” someone whispered.
My eyes opened with a jolt. I was instantly alert, reaching for my sword and ready to fight. Someone moved in my bedroom, a dark figure in the meager light of dawn. I prepared to attack until I realized who it was. My mother.
I relaxed slightly, until I remembered Kira was in bed beside me wearing nothing but her little chemise. My mother knew we were sharing a room, and she definitely knew about my reputation with the ladies, but it was an entirely different thing to have your mother walk in on you in bed with a woman.
“Hurry,” Mom said, before tossing my shirt in my face.
I threw it over my head. “What is it?”
Kira stirred beside me, but then let out a yelp and drew the blanket up to cover herself when she saw who was in the room with us.
Mom peered through the curtains at the street outside. “Your father has done something terrible. You need to leave right away.”
“Tell me.” I grabbed my boots and began putting them on, while Kira quickly pulled on her dress.
Mom turned around with a frown. “He’s gone to tell General Voor about you. They’ll be here any minute now to arrest you as a deserter.”
I swore under my breath as I jumped to my feet and strapped on my weapons. The sting of my father’s betrayal cut deep, but I couldn’t think about that yet. I had to focus. Remember my training. Get everyone out. Stay alive.
When Kira and I were dressed, we moved to the front of the house and found the others readying their things too. Everyone looked dazed and exhausted, but strong and alert. Slade was ready to go, and Auric and Reven both seemed to be completely healed, thanks to Kira’s magic.
“It’s best if you go out the back,” Mom said, gesturing for us to follow her.
“How could he do this?” I finally asked, once we reached the back door.
“He’s not thinking straight. I tried to talk some sense into him but he wouldn’t listen.” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Jasin.”
I pulled my mother into a tight hug, while my heart hammered in my chest. When I pulled away, she turned to Kira to embrace her as well.
“I’m so happy I got to meet you,” Mom said, before pressing a package into Kira’s hands. “I wrapped up some food for all of you. Please take care of Jasin for me.”
“I will,” Kira said. “I promise.”
We rushed through the door and out into the early morning light. Our horses were already waiting outside, tied to the fence with our things already packed on them. Slade had retrieved them last night and knew we might need to leave at a moment’s notice.
I lifted Kira onto my horse, then climbed on behind her, securing my arm tight around her waist. For a second, I simply held her close, breathing her in while I tried not to think about how my father could turn me in as a deserter. Kira rested her hand over mine and gave it a squeeze.
“The north gate is nearby,” I said, as I gathered my horse’s reigns.
“Let’s go,” Auric said.
We kicked our horses forward, but we didn’t get far. At the end of the road, a row of mounted soldiers was already waiting for us. My father was in front of them—with General Voor at his side. The sight was like a dagger in my chest, though it didn’t surprise me that he’d turned against me. I’d always been the disappointing son.
“There they are,” my father said. “I knew they’d come this way.”
“Halt,” the General bellowed, sending a chill down my spine. How many times had I heard him shout out orders? How many times had he made me do things I’d later regret?
We were forced to stop and draw our weapons. My sword was too large to wield while riding with Kira, but I pulled out my knife while my horse stomped his feet. Auric, Reven, and Slade also prepared to fight at our side.
“Get out of our way, and none of you will be hurt,” I called out. “We don’t want to fight you.”
“Surrender, Jasin,” Voor called out. “Turn yourself in and face the penalty for being a deserter, and we’ll let your woman live.”
A flash of anger made me see red and I nearly charged him for even mentioning Kira. “Never.”
“You can’t win this fight,” General Voor said, shaking his great helmeted head.
“Want to bet?” Reven asked, his voice cold and deadly.
General Voor stared at Reven, before his gaze swept over the others. “You…you were there yesterday at the execution. You helped those Resistance traitors escape.” He let out a harsh laugh. “Ozan, it seems your son is not only a deserter, but a traitor as well.”
“Is this true?” my father asked me. “The Resistance killed your brother. How you could you help them?”
With his confidence, passion, and anger, my father had always commanded my respect, along with my fear. General Voor was the same way. I’d admired them, followed them, and obeyed them. For years I went along with what they wanted because I thought I had no other choice, or I thought they knew better than I did. Now I realized I’d traded one overbearing, controlling, tyrant of a father for another. But I was no longer a coward, and I was no longer under their oppressive thumbs. Kira and the others had showed me that it was time to stand up for what I believed in.
I stared my father and General Voor down. “I left the army because I could no longer follow orders when I knew they were wrong. And I helped those people because it was the right thing to do.”
“You really are a traitor,” my father said, then spat on the ground. “May Sark’s flames turn your bones to ash.”
“Get them,” General Voor said.
At his command the soldiers charged toward us on their horses. Rage burned hot inside me, and I no longer cared if anyone knew about my magic. If my father wanted flames, I’d show him some damn flames.
I spread my hand and fire leaped up from the ground in front of us, creating a blazing wall between us and the soldiers. Once it was as high as my house, I yanked on the reigns to turn my horse around. “This way!”
While the soldiers shouted and fell back from the flames, I led the others down the empty early morning streets toward the north gate. There would be soldiers there too, but it was the closest escape and we had to get out of this city fast.
Our horses galloped through the stone streets toward our destination. I gripped Kira tightly as I led the charge, praying I remembered the quickest route. Her other mates rode right at our heels.
Just when I thought we’d gotten away, General Voor appeared before us with two other soldiers. Slade flicked his hand and a stone wall crumpled down on top of the soldiers, sending them to the ground. I gave him a short nod as we continued racing through the streets.
I spotted the heavy stone gate up ahead and was relieved to see it was already open. Merchants and other travelers were already moving through it with their carts, forcing us to slow as we maneuvered around them.
“Stop them!” a soldier called out behind us.
The guards at the gate jumped to attention, grabbing their swords and bows. Two of them charged at us, but Auric blasted them both back against the wall. With a shout, we urged our horses forward and made it through the gate, but we weren’t safe yet—not from the archers on top of the wall, who prepared to fire at us.
“I’ve got this,” Reven said.
As the arrows flew, he pulled all the water out of the moat and sent it flying straight up, where it froze mid-air and formed a tall wall of ice between the archers and us. Impressive.
“Into the mountains!” I called out.
Our horses clambered up the rough, rocky slope, where the trees and brush
soon blocked view of us, though I had no doubt the soldiers would be chasing after us soon. I kept looking behind us, expecting to see the General or my father, but the way behind us remained clear.
We pushed our horses hard until the sun was high in the sky, and Kira held my hand the entire time. Although it burned me up inside knowing my father had betrayed me and that I would never be able to go home again, it was all worth it—for her.
35
Kira
After a long, exhausting day of riding up and down mountains on the way to the volcano, Slade found us a cave to hide in for the night. We’d seen no sign of the Onyx Army behind us so far, but that didn’t mean they weren’t following. Our only hope was to get to the Fire Temple and hope we would be safe there—or that we’d unlock Jasin’s dragon form and be able to blast our way out.
We ate the leftover pasta Ilya had packed for us, but instead of sitting around a campfire and chatting, all the men retreated to different corners of the cave or slipped outside to be alone with their thoughts. I was surprised to find that I wanted the opposite of solitude and missed their company. After nearly two weeks with these men, I’d started to grow accustomed to having them by my side at all times.
“Can I sit here?” I asked Slade, who was sharpening his axe.
“Of course.” He set down his axe and patted the spot on the blanket beside him.
I sank down beside him with a weary sigh. “Thanks. It’s been a long day.”
“Been a long week.”
“True. But between fighting off soldiers, helping prisoners escape, and running up and down mountains, I’m feeling especially weary.” I leaned back on my hands, stretching my legs out. “Do you think the Resistance members got away safely?”
“I hope so. Our escape this morning might have helped distract the soldiers who would have followed them.”
I hadn’t thought of that, but I nodded. “How did you know about that Resistance hideout?”
He ran a hand along his dark beard. “I used to be part of the Resistance.”
“You were?” I blinked at him. “Did you fight against the Onyx Army with them?”
“No, nothing like that. I made weapons and hid some of them when they were in trouble. That was all.”
“How did you get involved with them?”
“A friend convinced me to help them, but I tried to keep my involvement as minimal as possible. I didn’t want to bring trouble to my town or to my family and friends.” He frowned as he glanced at his axe. “Trouble found me anyway though.”
“I know what you mean,” I said with a sigh. “At some point we might want to find the Resistance and convince them to help us. It could be good to have some allies.”
“We can try, although the Resistance survives by staying hidden. They might not be interested in helping us.”
I thought of my parents, wondering again if they were also members of the Resistance, or if they were truly killed because of me. Or both.
“I suppose we’ll worry about that later.” I rested my hand on his arm. “But thank you for everything you did in Ashbury.”
“It was nothing.” He met my eyes and something stirred inside me as I admired his rugged, handsome face. I wanted to run my fingers through that beard and see if it was as soft as it looked. I wanted to kiss those sensual dark lips. As he looked back at me, I thought I sensed a similar desire smoldering inside him, but then he turned away and went back to sharpening his axe.
Sensing that our moment was over, I got up and walked over to Auric, who was studying a map he’d laid flat on a wide rock.
“How are you feeling?” I asked him. “Any problems with your shoulder?”
“None.” He stretched his back and arms. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think I’d never been injured.”
“Good.” I leaned against his side and peered at the map. “How close are we?”
“I think we’re about here,” he said, pointing to a spot in the mountain range cutting through the Fire Realm. He traced his finger across to a large black peak. “The Fire God’s temple is here, near the Valefire volcano, on the edge of the Eastern Sea. I estimate we should reach it by tomorrow afternoon.”
I nodded and wrapped my arms around myself. A confusing mix of emotions swirled inside me at the thought of reaching the end of this journey tomorrow. I was torn between feeling nervous, anxious, excited, and worried. I had no idea what to expect at the Temple, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for what we would face there.
Auric must have sensed my unease, because he gave me a warm smile. “Don’t worry. There should be priests at the Temple to guide you through what you need to do. Hopefully they can give us more information too.”
“That would be good,” I said, although I wasn’t very enthusiastic.
“Are you hesitant about sleeping with Jasin?”
“A little.” I glanced over at Jasin, who sat alone, staring into the fire he’d made. “Not because I don’t want to do it. But it’s my first time, and there’s a lot of pressure riding on this.”
“I understand.” He took my hands in his. “For what it’s worth, I think Jasin will take good care of you.”
“Does it bother you, knowing you have to share me with him?”
“No, but it’s common for people in the Air Realm to have multiple partners.” He shrugged. “Obviously I would have liked to be first, and Jasin wouldn’t be my choice to share you with, but he’s loyal. Whatever he might have done in his past, he cares about you a lot. Everyone can see it.”
“Thanks. I should probably go talk to him.”
“Yes, you should.” He gave me a quick kiss, then released my hands and went back to studying his map.
I joined Jasin by the fire and sat beside him, trying not to let my fear of the flames show. “I’m so sorry about what happened this morning.”
He nodded, his face solemn. “I never thought my father would do something like that. I can only hope that one day my parents will forgive me and understand why I chose this path. Seems unlikely though.”
I leaned against him, resting my head on his shoulder. “You did what you thought was best. I’m proud of you, even if they’re not.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “That’s all I need to hear.”
We sat in companionable silence as the flames crackled and popped in front of us, until I said, “Auric told me we’ll reach the temple tomorrow.”
“Good. I’m ready.” He pulled back to look into my eyes. “Are you?”
“I think so. I’m still nervous about a lot of things, but I want to do this.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Nervous about being with me?”
“Yes, and about all the fire.” I swallowed. “I couldn’t handle that burning house. What am I going to do in the Fire Temple? Or once you’re a Dragon or I have fire magic of my own?”
He wrapped an arm around me. “I won’t let any harm come to you, I promise. And once you have this magic, I’ll train you. Reven would never admit it, but I’ve gotten a lot better over the last few days thanks to our training.”
“Yes, you have. I was suitably impressed by the wall of flame earlier.”
His cocky smile returned, and some of the melancholy lifted from his eyes. “Were you scared?”
“No, I wasn’t,” I said, surprised by my answer.
He let out a long breath. “I know you haven’t always trusted me—both with my fire and with your heart, so that means a lot to me.”
“I do trust you,” I said, and meant it. Although his past reputation with women had worried me at first, I sensed his passion for me more than from any of the other men. Jasin wasn’t the type to hold back—he said what he felt, often without thinking first, and that was one of the things I loved about him. You never had to worry about where you stood with him.
He brushed his lips against mine. “I’m ready for tomorrow. I want to be yours, and I want you to be mine.”
“Me too.”
He pulled me cl
ose and kissed me with all that pent-up passion, until I had to pull away to stop from dragging him down to the blanket to continue what we started last night, even with the other guys watching. Although I wouldn’t mind if the guys watched, actually. Or joined in. I glanced over at Auric and Slade at that thought, but they were both pointedly not looking at us, as if trying to give us some privacy. But the fourth member of our group was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Reven?” I asked, as I pulled away from Jasin.
Jasin shrugged. “Outside maybe?”
I sighed. “I should go check on him.”
I slipped through the low entrance of the cave and into the small valley outside. Under the tiny sliver of a moon, Reven stood beside his horse, unpacking something from one of his bags. No, not unpacking—he was putting something in them.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
He turned his black-haired head toward me. “I’m leaving.”
My stomach fell out from under me so fast I was nearly dizzy. “What? Why?”
“I never planned to be part of this team. Last night reminded me of that.”
“Last night you helped those people. You saved my life. And after that…” I took a step toward him. “I started to think you cared about me. About our mission. What changed?”
“What changed is that you risked your life for me.”
“I don’t understand…why is that bad?”
“You nearly got yourself killed in the process. And today General Voor recognized me because of it, putting the entire group at risk.” He shook his head, his voice dripping with disgust. “Caring for people makes you weak. I should have left a long time ago.”
My throat tightened and I found it hard to speak. He was really leaving, just when I’d thought he was starting to truly be part of the group—and had started to have feelings for me. “What about the Water God?”
Stroke The Flame Page 15