“How do you want your hair styled today?”
“What colour clothing do you want to wear?”
“Breeches or a dress?”
“What’s your favourite flower?”
What’s your favourite bloody flower?! The last question was the final straw. Seraphina’s episode was edging ever closer; she didn’t have time for this. “Enough,” she grumbled, standing up. The women surrounding her stopped talking at the sudden move, looking up at her with curiosity in their bright eyes. “Enough,” she repeated, her voice stronger, louder. “I’ve had enough of this. Where’s Lucian? I want to see him.”
“You can’t my Lady,” one of the attendants whispered, her face paling at the mere idea.
Sara’s eyebrows twitched in annoyance. “Why not?” she demanded.
“Lord Lucian said…”
Her body temperature skyrocketed, flames beginning to crawl along her skin. If Lucian planned for this to happen, I’m going to really hurt that man. “Lord Lucian said what?” she snapped.
Gazes were averted at her question, serving only to confirm her suspicions. Lucian was behind this. “I’ve had enough of this.” She swept from the room, the long skirt of her dress trailing behind her making her departure seem all the more dramatic. The attendants flitted around her as she walked down the long corridor to reach the centre of the staircase. Heat filled her vision, there were clearly no vampires on this side of the manor.
“Please my lady, let’s return to the room.”
“No and if you ask me that question again, I will roast you alive.”
Flames leapt from her skin. The fiery cocoon enveloping her skin expanded past the boundaries of her body to provide a warning to all around her, she was not in a mood to be taken lightly. She glanced at the door hiding the other corridor, expecting to see the lack of heat a vampire gave off instead there was nothing, not even a modicum of residual coldness. She scowled before heading down the staircase, her eyes watchful for any sign of vampirism.
The corridors were full now, bustling with life both human and vampiric but they quickly moved aside when they saw her coming, afraid of being burnt by the fire surrounding her. As her walk continued, the human heat began to dissipate and her strides lengthened, her step quickening as certainty filled her. She was going the right way. A large door appeared before her and with her eyes seeing only in terms of heat she quickly noted that vampires filled the room behind the door.
Her steps sure and confident, she pulled the door open, unprepared for the affronted stares she received when she walked inside. Her step faltered and her flames died down as she searched the crowded room for Lucian. All gathered sat around an enormous table, their heated discussion falling into silence as soon as she’d walked into their midst. Her heart was pounding wildly as fear and uncertainty beset her. Maybe I should have waited for him to come to me. He promised didn’t he? A body pressed itself against her back and she relaxed, remembering how Lucian had pressed himself against her that morning. Her body tensed quickly as soon as she felt a sword pressed against he throat. Whoever was holding her wasn’t Lucian.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Gareth hissed coldly in her ear.
She was on the verge of struggling until she saw the familiar crest emblazoned into the sword’s handle and then a smile curved her lush lips. “I think you’re mistaking me for someone who isn’t prepared to char you to a crisp. Did no one tell you that you should never try to turn a word against its maker?”
The gleaming silver blade of the sword glowed red hot, heat travelling up into the handle, making Gareth drop his prized sword to the ground with a loud clatter. Cursing, he pulled away from her, nursing his burnt hand. Sara reached down, picking the burning sworn form the ground to run her hand over the fine edge. Smiling fondly at the blade, she swung the sword through the air, testing its edge before spinning it calmly in her palm, testing its balance. Gareth watched the display becoming less concerned with his injured palm as he became engrossed in what looked like an intricate dance. He watched as Lucian rose from his seat at the head of the table and made his way over to them, Sara’s movements stopping the instant she saw him.
“Lucian,” she murmured.
“Yes, Sara?”
“Where have you been? I told you this morning I needed to talk to you.”
“I am not at your beck and call Sara. I have a people to lead and a war to win. When I’ve finished here, I’ll come to you and we can talk about whatever it is you deem so important as to interrupt my meeting.”
“You make it sound as though I’m trying to make problems where there aren’t any. I don’t have the time to wait for your meeting to be over, I need to talk to you now.”
“No, what you need to do is return Gareth’s sword to him before he tries to take a healthy bite out of your neck.” The very thought made Lucian’s stomach churn though not as much as the sight of his friend pressed so intimately against his bride. She’s driving me crazy. She needs to leave before I take her neck myself. No one ever gives me time to feed and her presence is only making things worse.
“I think you’ll find that this sword is mine so I don’t need to return anything,” she countered, stepping closer to him. Seraphina could erupt at any moment; she needed to be close to him. The words were rational, they made sense but she couldn’t help but think there was something more at work. She wanted to be close to him, he called to her like no one else and judging from the way he was unconsciously edging closer to her, he wanted it too.
“That sword is mine,” Gareth hissed, slightly unnerved by the way he had been so effectively excluded from the discussion as though Sara and Lucian were the only two people in the room. Their eyes were focused only on each other, their perception of the outside world dim.
Lifting the sword, Sara ran an assessing eye over it. “You’ve taken good care of it,” she complimented. “But the sword is still mine and always will be.”
“What makes you think that?” He moved closer to her preparing to take the blade from her hands by force if necessary. The red glow in Lucian's eyes at the move though was making him nervous, Lucian had never directed such an angry look at him before.
“I made this sword, so by any law it’s mine.”
Gareth paused letting the words sink in before boisterous laughter spilled from his lips, even Lucian could barely resist the urge to laugh at his bride’s words. Hot, dark eyes ran over her petite frame assessingly. Her slender arms barely looked able to lift the sword let alone craft it. Sara’s face flushed red with embarrassment as the laughter spread around the room. Her eyes narrowed angrily before she swung the sword, narrowly missing slicing Gareth’s head from his shoulders and pointing the tip of the sword at his throat. His eyes widened at the sudden move.
“My name is Sara Quicksilver and this sword, a Quicksilver, was made by me, don’t make me have to bring out the sword’s true potential to let you see the truth in my words.” The angry words were hissed from between clenched teeth. Her swords were the only things she could take pride in; no one insulted her work. She lowered the sword, sure that her point had been made. Clenching the handle for a second, she handed the blade back to Gareth confident that he would continue to take care of her work. “You still don’t believe me.”
“It’s hard to imagine,” Lucian began, “that someone as delicate as you could make such a weapon of destruction.”
“Fine,” she huffed, extending her open palm to him. “You want proof, then take a look.” His eyes fell to her open palm, finally noting the comet embossed on her skin, the symbol of the Quicksilver.
Lucian’s eyes widened upon seeing the symbol amazed that his bride was the legendary sword smith. No one had ever laid eyes on the maker of the Quicksilvers but the swords were worth their weight in gold despite that. Honed to such a fine edge that they cut through almost anything, the swords never dulled, the blade remaining sharp throughout the years, facts that made them priceless in battle.
Sara clutched her head as the pain began to build, Seraphina was almost upon them. “Lucian,” she whispered as flames sprung from her body, “take my hand.”
There was something strange about his bride and he had every intention of finding out what it was immediately. “Get out!” he bellowed.
Gareth moved to Lucian’s side, tugging on his arm and pulling him away from Sara’s dangerous flames. “My Lord, you want us to leave? The meeting is still going on. We need to discuss our next move against the Malachites. Is something wrong?”
“I thought I had made that quite clear, I want you and everyone else to leave. Leave NOW!” His voice was angry and those in the room rushed to comply with his orders. Gareth stepped away from him, confused by Lucian's strange behaviour but his leader’s hand gripped his arm tightly preventing him from leaving. “Gareth?”
“Yes my Lord?” he answered hesitantly.
Lucian pulled his friend closer, whispering in his ear, “If you ever get that close to her again, I’ll tear your heart out.” He released him abruptly, glaring intently at him as Gareth backed out of the room.
Now that they were alone, he let his attention return to his bride. The flames on her skin were spreading, covering her entire body in a bright orange fire. Without any hint of hesitation, he walked into her flame, pulling her body close in a tight embrace. The fires died down and her breath caressed his cheek as she relaxed against him.
Sara wrapped her arms around Lucian's waist unwilling to let him go. This was the first time since Seraphina had made her presence known that she hadn’t blacked out after the flames began to wash over her. “Thank you.”
“I think we need to talk.”
She laughed. “I told you that this morning.”
“There’s something wrong with you isn’t there?”
“Well you’re direct aren’t you? Straight to the point but was there really a need for you to say it like that? I’m not contagious.”
“There’s no need to beat around the bush, you’re a fire elemental yet you can’t control your flame, there’s something wrong with you.” Her body was beginning to affect him, the sweet smell of her enticing him to take a bite out of her flesh. Her soft curves encouraging him to ruthlessly plunder her body. She was holding on to him so tightly that he knew she wouldn’t release him.
“What do you know about the ancient oracle?”
The question surprised him but Lucian recovered quickly. “I know about as much as every one else. She was an oracle and could see into the future, her predictions were never wrong.”
“Is that all you know?” Her voice was desperate. Lucian was old, how old she didn’t know, but it was entirely possible that he was alive at the same time as the ancient oracle. He might have even known the woman for all she knew.
“Yes. Why are you so interested in the oracle? Weren’t we talking about your problem?”
She sagged against him, weakness overcoming her. Lucian was a vampire, he wouldn’t know anything about elemental prophecies and he knew nothing about the oracle either. He might be the one who was meant to save her life but that fact was of little use when neither of them knew how he was meant to go about it. “Trust me when I say that the two topics are one and the same.”
“You need information about the oracle then?”
“Yes but you know no more than me.”
“That might be true, but I have a library that will have more information.”
She brightened up immediately, pulling away slightly to look into his dark eyes, a hopeful smile replacing her previously forlorn expression. “Really?”
Her smile tugged at his cold heart and Lucian felt a corresponding smile creep onto his face. His bride was a distraction, one he could ill afford, but she had also made him smile more in the few days he’d met her than he had in the decades before her arrival. Her smile was drawing attention to her plump lips, the redness making him want to kiss her until she was breathless with desire, desperate from wanting him. His smile died quickly, confusing Sara as he pulled away from her.
His voice was cold, his emotions shuttered the next time he spoke. “Come,” he ordered as he strode away from her.
The instant he pulled away from her, Sara’s body was infused with heat. Unwilling to risk another episode, she rushed after him, gripping his hand tightly as she linked their fingers together. While the heat from her flames left her when their skin met, heat of an all-together different nature suffused her bringing a blush to her cheeks. Her breasts tingled and an ache started between her thighs as an image of her and Lucian in a heated embrace filled her mind. The mental image was so vivid that she could almost feel his lips moving against hers. She stopped suddenly, Lucian's hand almost slipping from her grip.
Lucian’s mouth opened, ready to snap at her, she was more trouble than he’d even thought possible but the words died the instant he looked at her. Her freckled cheeks were flaming red, her heart was thumping wildly, pumping blood around her body quickly but it was the scent of her burgeoning arousal that got his attention. He cursed himself, slamming all the mental walls he’d acquired over the years down hard. The dazed look on her face faded and he cursed himself twice over. His bride was far too susceptible to his influence, his heated imaginings had slipped into her mind, drawing her into a world that wasn’t really her own.
“Sorry about that,” she murmured, coming back to her senses slowly, reluctantly. Her gaze was drawn to his mouth, curiosity niggling at her. Would his lips really move like that over hers? Would he really be able to draw such intense reactions from her body. Yes! Her mind screamed. Her cheeks flushed an even brighter red and she turned away from him, pulling him behind her as she strove to reach the library and put her mind on a more appropriate course.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Lucian laughed.
“I would have thought that obvious,” she responded irritably. “We’re going to the library.”
“And do you know where that is?”
“This way.”
Lucian smiled from behind her, watching her walk undaunted into the unknown. She was definitely his bride. No other appealed to him as she did and no other could draw such reactions from him without even having to try. She began heading in the wrong direction and he pulled her slightly, encouraging her to move the right way but still letting her pull him. With Sara leading and Lucian guiding, they quickly reached the library. The sight of so many books was distinctly unnerving to Sara. As a blacksmith she rarely had to read but her spine straightened quickly in preparation for the task ahead of her. One of these books might have the answers that I need to save my life. What’s the worst thing a book could do to me? Nothing.
A short rotund man approached them as soon as the large double doors slammed loudly behind them. Not even for a moment did Sara believe that the man was a vampire. His skin was far too tanned, his green eyes partially obscured by thick spectacles that a vampire would never need with their superior eyesight, his brown hair thin and balding. “Lord Lucian.” He bowed respectfully.
“Edward, I want a book on the ancient oracle.”
No questions were asked when Lucian issued a command. “Yes my Lord.”
Edward rushed off, fingers trailing over the worn spines of the books that he passed. From floor to ceiling, the room was filled with books, shelves extending far overhead accessible only by tall ladders. The smell of old paper was heavy in the air, settling heavily into Sara’s lungs as Lucian guided her to a table. The smell was very different to the heated metallic smell that filled her workshop, the sight of so many books alien to her. She sighed in relief when Edward came racing back to them with a pile of books cradled close to his body.
“My Lord, the books you asked for.” He placed the books on the table gently, treating each as a treasure.
A groan escaped Sara’s lips at the sight of so many different titles. “Is there one that deals specifically with the elemental prophecies?” she asked forlornly, the very idea of having t
o read so many books making her stomach turn.
“My Lord?” Edward asked questioningly, finally looking at Sara, confused as to her presence. His eyes widened when he took in their linked hands, surprise showing clearly on his face.
“The elemental prophecies Edward,” Lucian repeated, unconsciously gripping Sara’s hand tighter in reassurance.
Edward stood shocked for a moment before shaking his head and rushing into action. He pulled out a single thin book, handing it carefully to Lucian.
“Thank you Edward. That’s everything.”
“Of course my Lord.”
As Edward backed away, Lucian turned to Sara, placing the book in her hand. “Here’s the information you need. Now will you tell me what is wrong with you?”
“In a minute and again, there’s nothing wrong with me in the sense you’re talking about,” she huffed, opening the book.
Lucian leaned over her shoulder reading the words on the page, tapping his foot impatiently as seconds passed and the page hadn’t been turned. “Do you know how to read?”
“Of course I do,” Sara snapped angrily. “It’s just I don’t have to do it much in my profession.”
“As a sword maker,” he drawled.
“Yes. I craft swords. There’s nothing wrong with that. Just because I work with my hands, it doesn’t mean I’m stupid.”
Sensing that this was a sore topic, Lucian pulled her closer, taking the book from her hands. “I’ll read it to you.”
“I can read it myself.”
“I know,” he responded softly, unwilling to anger her any further, already there were flames emerging in her hair. “I want to read it to you.” And he did. He liked the feel of her pressed so closely against him as she sought to see the images on the page that matched the words so closely. Her head rested against his chest, the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed pushing her breasts against his arm. He didn’t mind reading to her when the benefits were so obvious. Not allowing her the opportunity to protest any further, he began reading.
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