That thought caused a little chuckle as Maddelyn softly opened the door and stepped inside the small space. Draco sat stiffly at the table, a stone sentry that waited for her return. Maddelyn opened her mouth to speak, but he lifted a finger to his lips, indicating she should be silent. His head tilted to the side slightly, and she noticed Serra asleep in her bed.
Head bobbing in understanding, Maddelyn deposited the provisions on the table and walked quietly behind the filmy curtain near the back of the room. She beckoned with her hand for Draco to follow and tentatively sat on the edge of the bed, waiting. When he poked his head around the edge of the cloth, Maddelyn patted the space on the bed beside her, indicating he should sit.
With a wary glance, he moved to sit beside her, his added weight on the bed causing Maddelyn to lean into him a little. Immediately, she was struck with the heat emanating from his body. Of course he would be warm, given what he was. But the pure fantasy of that realization caused Maddelyn to seize control of her rambling thoughts.
“How did you get her to take a nap?” Maddelyn asked softly, with a curt nod in Serra’s direction.
“I told the young one a story in exchange for a nap.” Draco studied Maddelyn intently, his amber eyes almost glowing in the dim interior of the shack. Those eyes, lit from within with an almost predatory light, unlike anything she’d ever seen. Eyes that seemed to look right through her, illuminating all the dark parts of her soul.
Focus, Maddelyn. “A story, huh? What about?”
“About suns, and myths, and galaxies—all things that children tend to dream about.”
Draco’s gaze remained focused on Maddelyn as he spoke, the intensity causing her throat to suddenly go dry. She swallowed hard before she spoke again. “So, you told her about yourself?”
A blond eyebrow arched at her comment. “And what exactly do you mean by that?”
Maddelyn inhaled deeply. Here goes. “What I mean, Draco Taralundar, is that I know what and who you must be, even if it is a complete impossibility for it to be true.”
“Is that so?” Draco’s words were ripe with skepticism.
Maddelyn nodded, her breath coming faster as she stayed mesmerized by his amber gaze.
“Then say it, Maddelyn Sowers. Say what you believe me to be—this paradox of impossibility that you are convinced I am.” He tilted his head to the side, his blond hair brushing his shoulder as he waited for her to accept his challenge.
Maddelyn felt her heart quicken with his dare, thumping wildly in her chest. Suddenly, she felt utterly foolish for thinking she knew this man’s story, being confronted with the reality of it. She shook her head from side to side, unwilling to follow through with her suspicions. “Never mind. I was mistaken.”
She moved to stand, but Draco caught her wrist and pulled her back to sit on the bed. His fingers were gentle, but firm, as they encircled her wrist. And the heat from his touch was even more intense than it had been last night. A ring of heat that made her hand tingle, the sensation spreading throughout her body, leaving her breathless and aroused.
“I want to hear you say it.” His voice had grown low and seductive, gliding along her skin like a caress. His eyes glowed even more brightly as Maddelyn searched frantically for her own voice, the sparks going off all along her skin quite the distraction.
“Sun Whisperer.” The words came out as a low rasp, so faint Maddelyn wasn’t even sure she had spoken aloud at all.
Draco dropped her hand and closed his eyes with a sigh, his chin sinking into his chest.
Her eyes widened in surprise. “You mean I’m right? I can’t be right!” Her voice went up a bit at the end, which made Serra stir briefly. Maddelyn caught herself and took a bracing breath. Stay calm.
Draco opened his eyes and gazed at her again. “And why is it so difficult for you to believe what I am?”
“Because Sun Whisperers don’t exist! They are a fairy tale, told to children to get them to sleep peacefully. A myth, a legend, and not someone that can sit on my bed and stare at me like I’m nuts!”
Draco’s forehead creased deeply in confusion. “I do not understand this expression. How is it that you think I am looking at you like you are a…nut?”
Maddelyn couldn’t keep the laughter from escaping. The complete absurdity of the situation didn’t help either. “I mean, you’re looking at me like I’m a crazy person,” she managed in between chuckles.
The lines in Draco’s forehead relaxed. “Oh. I just don’t understand why you find my existence such an anomaly.”
Maddelyn wiped her eyes as her breathing returned to normal. “I’m sorry. I just…I can’t wrap my head around the fact that a story I’ve heard from childhood is sitting beside me. A Sun Whisperer is next to me on the bed. How am I supposed to reconcile that with reality?”
Draco nodded briefly. “I can see your point. But stories and fairy tales are usually grounded somewhere in reality. I just happen to be that reality.”
“But how can that be? All of the Sun Whisperers legends I have heard say that your people come from a piece of the sun itself, that you are immortal, almost as old as the universe, and you command the attributes of fire. That your soul ‘burns with the fire of the sun.’ Is any of that true?”
Draco held out his hand, palm up, between them. The image of the sun etched into his skin glowed reddish orange, then spiraled into a small column of flame. Maddelyn watched, her mouth falling open in awe and disbelief as the flame danced in the middle of Draco’s hand without burning him. Then his fingers closed and the image disappeared completely in a small puff of smoke.
It was a moment before Maddelyn could speak after that. “And what about the immortality? Am I also to believe you are thousands of years old?”
Draco ran a hand through his golden blond hair, which also seemed a lot lighter than she remembered it being last night. Actually, it was even more golden than just a few hours ago. I have to be losing my mind…
“My people enjoy a very long and healthy life span. Some of us have been around for more years than can be counted.”
More years than can be counted? “And you? How old are you, Draco?”
Draco shook his head and rubbed a finger along his temple with a sigh. “Does it really matter? My age, as well as the true name of my people, was lost millennia ago. When you live so long, time really has no importance anymore.”
Maddelyn’s mind raced with this information, almost making her dizzy. “What do you mean the true name of your people was lost?”
Draco shifted his weight on the bed. “Sun Whisperers are a name that was given to us. Our true name is said to be unfathomable by the standards of most other life forms, so it fell to disuse and became as unimportant as counting the years of our existence.”
“But what happened? Sun Whisperers are said to be the oldest, most powerful race that ever existed. Yet, you were on death’s door last night when you appeared out of nowhere.” Maddelyn tucked a stray hair behind her ear as she waited for Draco to answer.
“My people have spent the bulk of our existence staying out of the affairs of the universe. It was decided long ago that we were to keep to ourselves, and let the other races develop as time and evolution dictated.” He paused for a breath before continuing. “But unrest has come to dwell among us, for there are those that believe we have kept to ourselves for far too long—that we have an obligation to use our vast knowledge and power to help those that need it to reach their full potential.”
“But not all of your people agree?”
Draco shook his head back and forth, his jaw set. “No. There are still those that cling to the ancient ways, and stand against reclaiming our role as universal guardians. This rift among us has turned into somewhat of a civil war.”
Maddelyn watched as distress flickered briefly over Draco’s features. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of civil war these legendary beings were capable of waging. Planets snuffed out with a wave of a hand, perhaps? That thought was chi
lling.
“Our council of elders was discussing once again the issue of re-emergence, when a powerful enemy took the opportunity to strike. Because of our internal chaos, we were caught completely unaware, and sides were boldly drawn in warfare. I was lucky to have escaped at all.”
Maddelyn’s heart twisted in her chest at Draco’s dilemma. How horrible it must be to have lived so long, then have to see your people torn apart in war. You’d think that beings such as they would have evolved beyond that.
Draco smiled at her weakly, almost as if he sensed her thoughts. “War apparently has no limits, in evolution, or in time.”
Maddelyn cleared her throat. “And what side were you on in this battle?”
“I was arguing for the side of re-establishing a visible place in the universe. But I never wanted it to lead to this. Not this way. Not ever.”
Maddelyn nodded. His situation was actually not so far from hers after all. His way of life had been forever altered, just as hers. That nagging feeling that he was here to save her bobbed to the surface once again.
Still, could she truly believe this man was who he said he was? All the stories she was told as a child swirled around in her head, yet here beside her supposedly sat the real thing. But there was no denying the mark on his hand, or the flame that he had conjured within it.
“You still stare at me like I am a ghost, Maddelyn. Do you still not believe that what I tell you is the truth?”
“Honestly, I don’t know what to believe. I still can’t wrap my head around all this, Draco. For all I know, you’re just a figment of my imagination.”
In one swift movement, Draco grasped her hand and brought it firmly over his heart. The beats vibrated under her palm as the heat from his body seeped into her hand and travelled slowly up her arm, lighting a fire inside her.
“I assure you, I am real—flesh and blood, not a figment of anything.”
Maddelyn’s own heart pounded in her chest. The corded muscles under her hand flexed where Draco held it, making her breath hitch. He was real, all right. All real and definitely all man.
The outline of his chest was clear under the thin garment she had given him, but Maddelyn’s memories of his body from the night before helped fill in the gaps. Heat flared in her cheeks as she remembered staring at his nude body as she’d removed his ruined clothing. A perfect specimen of man, despite his injuries. She now stared at her hand, the heat intensifying from his body. And when she raised her eyes to meet his, they blazed at her, like flames dwelled within them.
Something in his gaze touched her soul, a part deep down that she didn’t even know existed. It pulled her toward him, his warmth a haven against the cold abyss her life had become. She licked her lips and leaned closer. His gaze settled on her mouth, which made her pulse throb and her body come alive with awareness. What other kind of magic did this man wield?
“Maddie?” Serra’s sleepy voice filtered through the air, startling Maddelyn enough to pull her hand away from where Draco held it against him.
“I’m here, Serra.” Shakily, she stood and half stumbled over to where the little girl sat in her bed, tiredly rubbing her eyes. “Did you have a nice nap?”
Serra nodded, her blond curls bouncing. “Mr. Draco told me a story. Did you know suns have souls? And they talk, too!”
“That was just a story, small one. Told to help children have sweet dreams.”
Draco’s voice rumbled behind Maddelyn, and she spun to cast him a sharp glance. His eyes were back to their normal golden color, no longer blazing from within. Maybe I imagined it?
“Sounds like our Mr. Draco here is good at telling stories.” She still wasn’t completely convinced he was all that he claimed to be. No matter how much her heart wanted to believe him, her head was the one in charge right now. Besides, living according to her heart had filled her past with pain. No room for more of that.
Maddelyn scooped up a brush and plopped in one of the chairs beside the rickety table. “Why don’t you let me take care of those tangles in your hair?”
A toothy grin spread across the little girl’s face as she scurried over to stand in front of where Maddelyn sat. She crooked her finger and beckoned Draco to follow. “You should tell Maddie the story you told me. She would like it.”
Draco’s lips curved into a smile as he sat in the chair opposite the two women. “Oh, I believe Maddelyn has had enough stories for one day. Maybe some other time.”
Methodically, the brush made its way through the yellow nest of curls, smoothing away the tangles of sleep. Though her concentration was on Serra, Maddelyn let her gaze flicker briefly over to Draco. He watched them closely.
“How about you or your mother tell me a story instead?”
Serra crinkled up her nose. “Maddie isn’t my mother, Mr. Draco. She’s my aunt. Mama and Papa died right after the Rag…the Rak…the Raknorg came.” Serra took a small breath with the effort it took to get the name right.
Maddelyn finished brushing the child’s hair and set the brush on the table. Then she gathered Serra backwards onto her lap. “Serra’s father, my brother, died in an uprising against the Raknorg right after they established their foothold here three years ago. Her mother was one of the first to die of the sickness. My parents not long after that.”
Serra coughed and leaned back against Maddelyn, who wrapped her arms around the child and squeezed. The only real family she had left had limited time. Then truly, she would be alone in this world.
Draco leaned forward and took Serra’s small hand in his large one, squeezing it gently. “I am sorry. No child as young as you should live through such loss.”
Serra sat up and leaned toward Draco. Her free hand patted him on the side of the cheek. “It’s ok. I was little, and don’t remember much about it all. Besides, Maddie takes real good care of me.”
Maddelyn leaned forward and inhaled the sweet scent of Serra’s hair, doing her best to commit it to memory. This girl was wise beyond her years, an old soul. The trials of her life had forced her to mature much faster than any child should have to. Despite that, Serra somehow managed to keep her sweet, childlike ways, and Maddelyn found herself wondering once again what she was going to do without her niece when the time came.
“Speaking of taking good care,” Maddelyn started as she stood and deposited Serra in the chair they just vacated, “It’s high time I should be getting some food ready for us.”
Tears stung behind Maddelyn’s eyes as she moved towards the rations she’d brought home earlier. Focusing on something else would give her time to remain in control. She never wanted Serra to see her upset. She had to be strong for her niece. But as the time drew nearer when Serra’s sickness would claim her young life, Maddelyn’s strength waned.
Serra busied herself with a crayon and a scrap of paper as Maddelyn poured water from a large flask into a brown clay pot. The hunk of meat lay nearby on the table. She picked it up and began tearing small strips, tossing them into the bowl.
“It looks like the rations the Raknorg have made available to you are nearing their end.”
Maddelyn’s gaze flitted across the table to where Draco sat, his hands clasped before him. “There is hardly any food left for those of us that remain, not that the number is great, by any means.”
“All the Raknorg essentially care about is finding a world weaker than they are, that they can control and ravage for their own needs.”
Maddelyn continued to tear the meat into strips, hoping the water would make some sort of broth that Serra could eat easily. “When the Raknorg first came to this planet, they told us that all they wanted was to dig in the unpopulated areas where there were deposits of an ore that they use for their weapons and technology.”
“And then?”
“And then, they found more ore underneath our towns, our schools, our parks. We were forced out of our homes and moved to locations more liking to the Raknorg’s wishes. Locations like the lovely house you’re in right now.” Maddelyn’s
voice had taken on an edge to it, which made little Serra stop coloring and glance up warily.
Maddelyn smiled to ease her niece’s distress, which allowed the child to return to her coloring. “Not long after the Raknorg started drilling, many of the people in town became ill. By drilling so deeply, the Raknorg unleashed some kind of bacteria into the air that morphed into an airborne sickness that spread like wildfire among the population.”
“But you do not suffer from this ailment?”
Maddelyn dropped the last piece of meat into the bowl and wiped her hands on her thighs before she looked over to where Draco still sat, listening intently with his hands clasped together. “A select few of us seemed to be immune to the disease, so we were pressed into helping take care of all those that were ill. And after so many of our men were also killed in the uprising my brother Jared organized, it became even more necessary to just follow orders and try to survive.”
Maddelyn took the remaining empty seat and forced another smile while she grabbed a spoon and stirred the concoction in the bowl slowly. “I’d like to be able to serve this warm, but the winds have become so forceful lately, I never seem to be able to keep a fire lit.”
“Please, let me see.” Draco unclasped his hands and held them out. Maddelyn shrugged and handed the bowl to him while Serra decided that this was more interesting than her drawing.
The bowl sat cradled in Draco’s hands, his large fingers encasing the small clay vessel almost completely. He closed his eyes and held absolutely still—so much so that Maddelyn could barely detect he was breathing at all.
A reddish glow peeked from beneath his hands, turning the brown clay pot to a warm orange color. Small bubbles popped sporadically to the surface of the liquid, then more rapidly as the liquid appeared to come to a rolling boil, steam rolling in plumes away from the bowl.
Then just as quickly as it started, the glow disappeared and Draco opened his eyes, sitting the bowl carefully on the table. Maddelyn just stared at him, her mouth hanging open in amazement.
Serra squealed and clapped her hands together, obviously delighted. “Do it again, Mr. Draco! Do it again!”
Burn With Me (Legend of the Sun Whisperers) Page 4