by Ashley Meira
My Fire was. It kept bopping along, albeit at a more sluggish pace. Letting loose and setting everything ablaze was at the top of my list right now. Right ahead of getting more of Adam’s magic.
I faltered on the final step, realizing what was going through my mind. All I wanted was to blow through my magic and absorb more. And then do it again.
“Sophia, are you okay?”
“I will be. After I kick some ass,” I said bitterly. Magic wasn’t on the menu for me, but I could channel my destructive tendencies the good old fashioned way. I twirled my sword, trying not to get distracted by the trail of pink it left behind. Effects of the high. Adam’s magic was too damn good.
We stepped onto a plateau. The magic’s effects were obvious. Fissures littered the ground, and the snow was little more than a few streams of liquid seeping between the cracks. The left side of the plateau was blocked off by the mountain face. On the other side, a thick wall of smog blocked the path beyond.
“Barrier,” I said, nodding toward the wall. “A very powerful barrier. The Heart’s magic is past it.” I glanced at him. Being good-touched by his magic made me want to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Are you sure you don’t have any more information about the Heart?”
He shook his head. “Damien told you everything we have. There were only a few notes on a map in our library. You were at the temple. There wasn’t much there either. I’m told information on ancient artifacts is hard to find.”
“Yeah.” Ancient magical items, especially those related to powerful beings were usually shrouded in mystery. Usually only worshippers or related species possessed any knowledge of them, which they guarded vigorously. “But you’re a Pierce.”
“You think Damien’s hiding something?”
“I didn’t say that.” But I was implying it.
“He’s my brother.”
“Is there any chance he’s holding something back?”
“Of course not—” He winced. “Sorry. I’ll ask him, and the people he hired, again when we return. But if he that’s all he found, I believe him.”
Would I believe him? Or Adam? He valued my words enough to question his brother again, but it could be a ploy for all I knew. Adam was smart, calculating. I sighed. Maybe I was too paranoid. Or not paranoid enough.
“If you told me what was really bothering you, maybe I could help more.”
“Turning things around on me. Feels like gaslighting.” I was such a hypocrite.
“Fair enough,” he said. “If you told me anything at all, maybe I could help more.”
A blur flew toward us. I rolled out of the way just in time, hearing rocks shatter behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Adam was okay too. We stood to see six golems emerging from the cliff face to our left.
Golems all looked like giant rock people, so there was no way to tell if they were related to the golems Cyrus had summoned. But I didn’t think this was a coincidence. There had been way too many of those already.
The place was different, but the enemies and dance were the same. A rocky fist slammed down, leaving a crater in the ground. I scaled up the limb and stabbed the golem through the head. Kicking off it, I flipped onto another golem and stabbed him too. The ache in my arm stemmed off the high. Adam’s magic began filling the air, chasing away the fetid sensation of dark magic.
He was still in human form, throwing balls of concentrated wind. Guess phoenixes only spit fire. I watched a pair of golems explode into dust. He didn’t need to shift to be scary.
I hurled my sword, piercing a charging golem through the non-face. Calling it back, I ran to another golem. They were climbing out of the rock surrounding us in a never-ending supply. There was a summoner, but I doubted they were on this side of the barrier.
Sliding under Adam’s wind blast, I prepared to face the three new golems stepping out from the mountain’s face. Before I could, a giant hand grabbed me. Snow hit my face as I was flung through the air. My back slammed into something solid.
The barrier was packed full of magic, and it surged through me like I’d hit an electric fence. Sheer euphoria flooded my veins until it felt like it was coming out my eyes.
I slid off the barrier. The bright white light in front of my eyes faded into colorful spots like when I’d absorbed Adam’s magic. Large shapes came into view as I laid in the snow, giggling like mad. This magic wasn’t as potent as Adam’s, but I had absorbed a lot of it.
A golem appeared through a swarm of rainbow streaks. My legs were asleep, tingling under the effects of the magic. I couldn’t push myself up. The ground shook harder with each of the golem’s pounding steps. My boots slipped against the sludge as I tried to scramble away. Moving around in jell-o would’ve been easier.
The golem was less than two feet away, fists raised high. Before it could hit me, a blast of wind flew toward us, crashing into the barrier. The shockwave that followed was so intense I could see physical waves of magic bounce off the barrier. They flowed outward, turning the golems to dust as they passed through them. When they hit the mountain wall, things began falling apart.
Finally finding my strength, I kicked off the ground and ran toward Adam. Grabbing his arm, I pulled us back the way we came. We slid down the path in time to see boulders fall against the plateau we’d been standing on, crumbling on impact.
“Sophia!” Strong hands shook me to attention.
I looked at Adam, trying to remember how words worked. When I didn’t reply, he dragged me toward the cave entrance he’d totaled earlier. He let go, and I dropped to the ground.
“My legs are gooey,” I slurred. “Shit, I’m so high.”
“Focus—” He jumped away from a plummeting boulder. It smashed against the rocks by the entrance. “Damn it. The mountain’s going to collapse on us before I can move all the rocks.”
“Why are you moving them? There are ice wraiths in there,” I said. “And the lake. Oh, can I ride on your back across it?”
He rolled his eyes. “I can freeze the lake back over.”
“What if I got a saddle?” I giggled.
“Sophia.” He cupped my cheeks. “Pay attention. We need to get off the mountain.” He pulled me away from a falling rock “Now.”
I blew him a kiss. Fear was the last thing on my mind. All I had was adrenaline and magic in equal parts, warring in my mind for control of the party train. No wonder Fireborns were so into absorbing magic. This was the best feeling in the world. I was immortal. Nothing could kill me.
I gasped, slapping Adam’s chest excitedly. “Let’s jump.”
“What?”
“You want to get off—” I snorted “—the mountain. Let’s jump.”
“We’ll splatter against the rock.”
I scoffed. “We’ll roll. Come on. Even if we get past the cave, the helicopter can’t land where it did before. Not with all the falling rocks. So unless we fly—”
“I can fly,” he said. “You can’t.”
I stepped toward the edge. “I can try.”
He grabbed me back. “You need to calm down, beautiful.”
“Okay.” I frowned. “Serious face. Shift and fly us down.”
He looked at me like I’d grown a second head. “Maybe you didn’t hear me the first time. A phoenix is pure fire. Your arm was a miracle—”
“No, you’re a miracle.” I poke his perfect nose. “A genetic miracle. Ow!” Blood seeped down my forehead as a stray rock shard hit me. “I’ll jump into the snow if it gets too hot, but I don’t want to die here. Oh,” I said glumly, “I don’t feel invincible anymore.”
Adam ran a hand through his hair and sighed. It felt inappropriate to ask him if I could have more magic. My stomach was churning from the overload, but the high was beginning to ebb away. I wanted it back. I wanted to feel like a god again.
With another sigh, he shifted. My Fire shrieked in joy at the burst of magic he let out. Red seared my vision, but I reached out anyway, fingertips grazing fiery feathers. He may have been a
scary, flaming bird, but he tasted like vanilla cupcakes and smelled like Christmas.
His feathers were a million shades of fiery gold and felt like silk against my fingertips. They tickled my nose as I stepped closer. My tongue flicked out against the side of his face. Yep. Vanilla cupcakes. Black eyes turned to me. I gave him a grin and petted his head.
“Good birdy. Yummy birdy. Can I keep you?”
A sharp beak nudged me, sending tingles down my side. How was something both fire and solid at the same time? His claws looked strong too. Long and sharp. They could rip me in half like a piece of paper.
I swung a leg over his back and grabbed his neck feathers. Maybe it was because I’d already absorbed so much, but Adam’s magic didn’t wash over me. It seeped, slow and hot. Like lava oozing through my veins. I could feel him sliding over me. Strong, proud, loyal. He was all those things, and his magic reflected that. I moaned against his back. No one like that could work for evil.
I really hoped that was true.
My eyes rolled back at the influx of power. With all I was absorbing, and keeping, my magic was probably on a whole other level now. I wanted to test it out, to see what kind of power I could let out. But I’d cut myself off from my magic long ago. I wasn’t sure how to unleash it now. Just let it burst out? I’d hurt people if I did that. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. No matter how high I was. I would never forget that.
I jolted, eyes widening as we plummeted. Adam quickly corrected our altitude, but there was a shakiness to his movement. His wings fluttered, wavering. Was I too heavy? No, he was too strong for that to be an issue. Then it hit me.
I was draining him.
My fingers were trembling, but now it was from panic. I could see the ground from here, but I wouldn’t survive the fall if I got off now. Fireborns absorbed magic automatically. How did I stop?
Focusing was hard, but I tried pulling my magic in as much as possible. My Fire grumbled, but self-preservation won out. My magic retreated, settling against my skin like a live wire. A humming filled my ears, and I desperately wanted to fire off a blast of something, anything, to get rid of all this pent-up magic. I was still absorbing his magic, but it was coming in slower. I forced myself to believe it was because of my restraint, not because he was almost dry.
It felt like an eternity before Adam landed. I jumped off, immediately regretting the loss. He shifted back and stumbled toward me. His body was heavy against mine as I became his crutch. I didn’t want to touch him. Well, I did. More than I wanted anything else. But I was worried I’d sap what was left of his magic. A flight like that shouldn’t have even winded him, but because of me, he was gasping for air. His words rumbled against my shoulder as he called the pilot to pick us up.
“Hurry,” he finished, his voice rough and tired.
I led him to a nearby rock and made him sit. I kneeled before him, touching his face and trying to transfer some heat.
“Are you okay?” I whispered. “Please—”
He pulled me into his lap and held me close. “I’m fine. Just tired. Very tired.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” He looked me over. “You’re not burned.”
“Neither are you,” I said.
“I’m a phoenix.”
And I’m Fireborn. I tugged at his hair. It was still messy from when I’d played with it earlier. Now that I knew he was okay, I felt the magic-induced giddiness coming back.
“Your hair is cute. Like a puppy.” I giggled, kissing his cheek.
“Your magic is going haywire,” he said with a tired smile.
“Your fault,” I said against his skin.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” His eyes slid shut, and he rested his head on mine. “Glad to see you’re warming up to me.”
I held him close, trying to keep his skin warm. He was colder than he should’ve been. Cold enough for me to notice.
Because I’d stolen his magic, I realized. What if I’d drained him in the air? We could have crashed. We could have died.
He could have died. And it would’ve been all my fault.
I cupped his cheeks and looked into his eyes. They were tired and cloudy, but still alert. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?” His brow furrowed, and he frowned, making his lips curve in the most distracting way.
“I could’ve gotten us killed. You could’ve died,” I said. “I’m so sorry.”
He was shaking his head. He said something, but I didn’t listen. I refused to place the blame anywhere else. This was all my fault. I was a monster. And it almost cost Adam his life. His fingers covered my trembling ones.
When he lowered his face to mine, I met him halfway. His lips were chilled, but they felt like heaven. The thought of losing him hit me hard. I pulled him closer, wanting to feel every bit of him — to make sure he was really here.
I knew the buzzing in my head was no longer from his magic, but from his touch. Strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me flat against his hard chest. His lips were soft, a perfect contrast to the body I was pressed against. I ran my hands over him, trying to map out as much as I could.
He let out a groan. The noise hit me in all the right places, filling me with a heat that made my Fire seem temperate. Screw not being strong enough. I didn’t care about that right now. I never wanted this to end.
His hand cupped my backside, giving it a squeeze. I moaned. The end of it was cut off, drowned out by the sound of helicopter blades. My lips tingled as I pried them from Adam’s. He began peppering kisses across my jaw before trailing to my neck, his free hand sliding up my shirt.
His touch burned, the sensation a first for me. If it felt this good, I couldn’t figure out why people were so afraid of fire. I’d had lovers before, but none of them had ever made me feel this way. What was it about Adam? It was more than his magic, though that was orgasmic on its own.
My Fire was wild enough to set the nearby forest ablaze. Magic covered the air, and it took me a minute to realize it was mine. It circled around us like a curtain, trying to shield us from the rest of the world. But it wasn’t soundproof. The blades were getting closer.
Pulling back was torture, but I managed long enough to say, “Helicopter’s here.”
Chapter Fourteen
I remembered what I forgot after exiting that cave.
“Do not let your magic run wild, especially around Adam Pierce.”
But I had. I’d let it loose the moment he’d pulled me out of that lake and hadn’t stopped until we’d gotten back to his plane. Mortified was the mildest word I could think of.
“I am an idiot,” I groaned, my cheek pressed against the toilet seat. Gripping the edge, I leaned back in and continued throwing up.
The steady stream of vomit had died down ten minutes ago. Now I was sitting here waiting for what was left to come out. Or death. I wasn’t picky.
Every bone in my body ached, like I’d been stomped on by a dragon. My brain felt too big for my head. Which was fine, because I had no plans of lifting it any time soon.
I hadn’t thrown up on the helicopter. But by the time we’d made it to the airfield, I was greener than the trees surrounding it. Adam had been worried, but I’d slurred out an excuse about being hurled through the air by a golem and flying on a giant bird. Before I could see if he’d bought it, my stomach had dragged me to the toilet.
He had followed me, and spent half the flight rubbing my back and holding my hair before falling asleep on the bathroom floor. He was so peaceful that I forced myself to stop throwing up so I wouldn’t wake him.
Unfortunately, my stomach only held out for an hour. Then Adam had to drag himself outside to get some peace. On the plus side, throwing up in a private jet made me feel like a preening socialite.
“Urgh.” The idea of being a socialite made me hurl again.
Whimpering, I thought on how badly I’d fucked up. It’s possible Adam had been too frazzled to notice anything. Or maybe I’d drained so much of his mag
ic that the memories would be foggy. Except no one would be able to ignore having their magic drained while they were flying through the air.
“Damn it, Sophia.” I groaned. “Freakin’ idiot. You’re going to prison. Or worse.”
“They don’t hang people for being stupid,” Adam called from the doorway. “Even if they did, you aren’t an idiot.”
“Don’t walk in while I’m thinking out loud.” I spat out what was left of my stomach. “Being hung sounds good right now.”
“Does that mean you’re not feeling any better?”
Maybe if he rubbed my back again. That was nice. I glared. At me and him. “I don’t feel worse.”
“If you can be sarcastic, you’re fine.”
“Sorry for throwing up in your nice plane,” I said weakly.
He smiled warmly and held up a plastic bag. “I have French Onion soup.”
My stomach growled loudly. “No, thank you.”
He raised his other hand. “And desserts. Both from Millésime Brasserie.”
I stared at him blankly. “If you think the sexy accent is going to stop me from asking….”
“It’s the restaurant we were at last night.”
So that’s how you pronounced it. “We’re in Bordeaux?”
“We landed an hour ago.”
My shame grew. Magic sucked. “What’d you get?”
“Lemon tarts, cream puffs, eclairs, and chocolate lava cake.”
“I love lava cake.”
“I remember.”
I reached feebly in his direction. “Give it.”
“I will,” he said. “After you eat your soup. Do you need help getting up?”
“No.” I pushed myself off the seat. A second later, my knees gave out, and the floor was my best friend. Exhaustion weighed me down. No wonder Fireborns went on crazy rampages or kept prisoners for magic — the high was great but the comedown was beyond shit.
Not that I condoned it.
Groaning, I curled into a ball. I was a terrible person.
“Do you want to eat here?” he asked.
“You do not eat in a bathroom,” I told him. “Unless Fiona chases you into said bathroom because she’s hungry, and you stole the last slice of pizza. It’s totally not fair,” I added. “She can eat whatever she wants and never gets fat. And she’s always hungry. It’s like she has the world’s fastest metabolism.”