Seared by Desire

by Jennifer T. Alli

  “You must be. It’s madness to enter the heat of a forge dressed in that.”

  “I’m a fire elemental Lucian, the flames won’t burn me. It’s how I make my swords, come with me and you’ll see.” She lifted her hand to caress his cheek, her eyes sliding closed as heat passed from her harmlessly into him.

  “Do you often invite strange men into your smithy while dressed like that?” The very thought made his fangs lengthen in anger.

  “So you’re a strange man then are you Lucian?” she purred, her body slowly but surely closing the gap between them.

  “Answer the question Sara,” he responded, his voice tight, trying to restrain himself. He was acting out of character enough as it was, the last thing he needed was to succumb to the darker side of his nature, to let the monster rein as thoughts of his bride with other men made him wild and uncontrollable.

  “Others have seen me in my smithy but not very often. The people in my village didn’t really use my swords, the only time they even interacted with me was to collect the swords to sell. That food smells good.”

  “Don’t change the subject Sara.”

  “I can’t help that I’m hungry Lucian.”

  “Don’t tell me you plan to eat in that!”

  Her arms wrapped around him, pulling his head down to be on par with her own. “Why Lucian if I didn’t know any better,” she whispered into his ear, “I’d think you were jealous.”

  “I told you last night Sara, you’re going to wait for me but until this war is over there can be nothing between us.”

  She pulled away laughing cheerfully. “If there’s nothing going on between us then I don’t see what the problem is.”

  “Did you wear this get up to test me Sara?”

  “No. I’m serious. This is what I wear when I’m working. It’s not my fault if you find me irresistible in it.”

  “You’re far from irresistible.” The lie slipped from his lips as he sought to regain the upper hand.

  “Good.” She clapped her hands together in triumph, her actions serving only to confuse Lucian further. Just when he thought he had her figured out, she would change again. She was irritatingly satisfying. The contradicting term suited his bride perfectly. “Seeing as everyone here will be able to resist me, I’m going to eat and then I’m off to the forge, I have swords to make, we have a deal after all.”

  Taking him by the hand, she guided a stunned Lucian back to his chair, rushing off to fill a plate full of food for herself. She could feel Lucian's eyes on her as she moved and her gait altered accordingly, the simple stride becoming alluring and inviting. She could feel eyes on her as she approached the table and a blush rose to her cheeks. While everything she’d said to Lucian was true, she’d neglected to tell him that the people who visited her to collect the swords she made were often old men, more focused on returning to the comfort of their homes than on her figure and under normal circumstances she would wear a long apron over her revealing attire. Having so much attention cast on her now was unnerving. The plate was soon full and she raced back to Lucian, sitting on his long legs and positioning his cool palm on the small of her back.

  “Do you want some?” she offered, holding out a morsel of beef to him.

  “I don’t need to eat food like you.” His words were short, his voice terse.

  “So? That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it, unless…will it make you sick?”

  “No.”

  “So why don’t you want to taste some.” She brought the meat to her lips, licking her fingers clean as she chewed. “It tastes good.”

  “I don’t want to eat Sara.”

  “You’re not feeling very talkative tonight are you?”

  “No.” Not with you dressed in that! I’m having enough trouble trying to control my body with you pressed so closely against me and in such an intimate position as well. Not to mention I really want to tear the eyes out of everyone in the room. It leaves little room to think properly enough to have a conversation. He groaned. You really are trying to kill me bride.

  “Fine.” Sara shrugged, returning to her meal.

  Her face hidden by the curtain of her curls, Sara let a small smile form on her lips. Lucian's possessive actions were well worth the embarrassment of her situation. It was a strange feeling to have someone want to protect her from others, one she was quickly coming to realise she enjoyed, almost as much as she did teasing him. Though he was doing his best to act as though he were indifferent to her, she only had to remember the dumbstruck expression on his face as she’d walked down the stairs to know better. Stifling a laugh, she ate her meal quietly.

  Once she was finished eating, Sara stretched, lifting her hands above her head and unwittingly pushing her breasts against Lucian's chest. A low groan slipped past his lips as she stood, pressing her body against his. Sara held out her hand expectantly, waiting for him to take it. He didn’t disappoint though he grumbled under his breath.

  “What was that Lucian?” she prompted.

  Lucian's head snapped up, his eyes alive with agitation. “I said that this is a one off. I have a war to win Sara, I can’t afford to spend my nights in a smithy watching you craft swords.”

  “I know that Lucian. Tonight is going to be a test run. I want to see just what I can do with my flame before Seraphina tries to take over. Please.”

  He rolled his eyes in disbelief. His bride was making him act completely out of character and he loved it. “Gareth,” he called.

  Gareth was quick to move to Lucian's side though uneasiness filled him. He and Lucian had been friends for decades and he’d never seen the older man act as strangely as he had in the last few days. It was disconcerting to know that it was all because of the mere presence of his bride. A vampire finding their bride was a rare thing and he was never gladder of that fact than he was at that moment. Now he never wanted to even lay eyes on his own. If he found her he would run as fast as he could away from her rather than subject himself to what Lucian was going through. “Yes my Lord?”

  “Gather the others, we will be having our meeting in the smithy,” he sighed.

  “My Lord?” he asked, his confusion clear.

  “We are having the meeting in the smithy Gareth, please don’t make me repeat myself.”

  Gareth bowed deeply in apology. “Of course my Lord. I am looking forward to seeing the legendary Quicksilver at work.”

  “Don’t look too hard,” Lucian scowled angrily, pulling Sara closer to his body and leading her from the room. Letting the drunkards catch a glimpse of her was one thing, they probably wouldn’t remember seeing her in the morning, but to conduct a meeting with the sober commanders of his army was asking for trouble.

  Their hands linked, their bodies pressed closely against each other, they walked down the hall towards what was to be Sara’s forge. The room had long been out of use, since there was no longer anyone qualified to use it, but it had been cleaned out and readied for Sara’s use.

  The forge was well lit, though the charred stone still made it seem dark and as soon as Sara’s eyes landed on the familiar tools, she pulled away from Lucian, relishing in the smell of metal and heat. Her fingers trailed over the hard metal anvil as she walked towards the furnace. At a simple thought, fire blazed to life within the large heater. She stood, smiling as she turned towards Lucian. He was no longer alone, but that wasn’t important anymore. Crafting swords was the only thing she’d ever been good at and now that she was back in familiar terrain, she wanted nothing more than to get started.

  “Lucian,” she called, instantly gaining his attention. “Catch.” She threw his jacket towards him, unconcerned with the shocked stares directed at her clothing; it was time to get back to work.

  The small space was beginning to feel cramped but Lucian barely registered the voices clambering for his attention entranced as he was by Sara’s movements. He was quickly coming to realise why it was that she wore so little. A simple glance from her caused the fire within the furnace to exp
lode and he, and all those around him, took an instinctive step back, ancient survival instincts coming to the fore.

  It was strange; vampires were as susceptible to the danger fire created as any other creature, but the flames that engulfed Sara when she lost control never hurt him. Maybe it was because she was his bride, maybe not, but he wasn’t willing to take the risk with these new flames of hers. Sara, on the other hand, seemed to be relishing in the heat.

  She stuck her hands fearlessly into the flames, her eyes sliding shut as though she enjoyed the fire licking at her skin. She stood, taking her hands out of the furnace but the fire followed her. Tendrils of red and orange fire wrapped themselves around her arms, intertwining with the leather as they moved up her arms until they joined seamlessly at the back of her neck, a single line of fire running across her shoulders and down both arms. His eyes widened as fire raced along the stone floor and up her legs, her smooth limbs seemingly aflame as the fire consumed her skin until she was covered in it. His knowledge of and experience with sword making was very limited but he was sure this wasn’t the conventional way swords were crafted.

  He watched as Sara reached for a thick bar of metal with one hand, the fingers of her other hand curling around the handle of a heavy hammer. Her slender arms hardly looked capable of lifting either object and his mouth opened slightly as she lifted both, easily carrying them to the sturdy anvil. His head turned slightly to momentarily take in the stunned faces of the commanders of his army. Gareth in particular looked flabbergasted that she was able to so easily accomplish a task that should be impossible for a person of her build and a sense of pride built within him. His bride was capable of shocking not only him but his normally unflappable second in command. Even if she weren’t his bride, she was a woman that commanded respect and admiration but the fact she was made her achievements all the sweeter. A taste he had every intention of indulging in. After the war is over. He mentally added, surprised that it had taken him a moment to add that realisation to his chain of thought.

  She placed the long bar onto the thick anvil before placing her palm directly onto the metal, the fire on her arms raced into the metal turning the dull grey material red hot, heat pouring from the bar in waves. The metal momentarily flashed white in colour before changing to a steady blue and it was then that Sara began her work, raising the hammer above her head and pounding steadily against the metal to craft it in to the desired shape. A few minutes passed as Lucian watched Sara, the rhythmic clang of steel on iron and Sara’s off tune humming the only sounds that filled the smithy.

  “Wow,” Gareth murmured, coming to stand at Lucian's side. “I didn’t think it possible but she’s actually making a sword isn’t she?”

  “What did you think we were going to be doing down here?” Lucian retorted, annoyed with his friend’s lack of confidence in Sara’s abilities.

  “I’m sorry my Lord, I wasn’t sure that she could actually do it. She looks much too small to be able to craft swords, most blacksmiths are at least double her size if not bigger, forgive me.”

  “Let’s just get on with the meeting,” he sighed. “Sara will continue making her swords and we will continue to discuss our plans. Have we found any more Malachites?”

  There couldn’t have been more than five hundred Malachites in existence but for a species that lived as long as vampires, five hundred immortal enemies were plenty. Gareth’s words had served as a prompt to Lucian, his bride was distracting him again and he began the meeting in earnest, intent on not looking at her. If she could let herself be so consumed by her work that she didn’t even register his presence, he could do the same especially as his people were depending on him. Time passed, the sound of Sara’s hammering eventually fading as those present became accustomed to the loud sound. They had grown so used to it that when she stopped the silence was almost deafening.

  “Sara?” Lucian demanded, spinning away from his conversation to look at her. Her body was aflame and judging from the sad look in her eye it wasn’t intentional.

  “I made it over an hour without any help Lucian.”

  A small smile tugged at his lips. “Well done.”

  “Help me.” She took a step towards him before realising her mistake. He was surrounded by people who weren’t immune to her fire; if she got any closer to him they would be hurt.

  Seeing her dilemma, Lucian moved closer to her, ignoring the spreading flames and reaching for her outstretched hand. As he pulled her against his body, the fire died down, until it was as though it had never been.

  Wrapping her arms around him, Sara breathed deeply, taking his rich smell into her lungs, wishing that she could stay this close to him forever. “Thank you Lucian.”

  The room and its many occupants faded away until it was just the two of them. It’s the least I could do for you bride. With you by my side the world seems to have so many possibilities and even though you infuriate me, I wouldn’t have you any other way. “You’re welcome,” he muttered, running a hand over the bare flesh of her arm to sooth her.

  She was trembling in his arms, visibly shaken from her near encounter with Seraphina and in that moment he both blessed and cursed the vengeful elemental spirit. Seraphina was the only reason that Sara was in his life at the moment, she was the reason that he could hold her so closely but he hated that she affected Sara so badly. She pressed closer against him, nuzzling her head against his chest, seeking comfort and he kissed the top of her head lightly in response, the action drawn from him so easily that he wasn’t even aware he was doing it.

  A cough sounded in his ear. Lucian grunted, pulling Sara closer hoping that ignoring the sound would make it go away. Another cough. “Lord Lucian,” a voice began. “Lord Lucian please, this is important.”

  Russell. He realised.

  “Lord Lucian, it’s about the Malachites. I know that you want to spent time with your br –”

  “Thank you Russell,” he snarled, spinning to face the shorter man. Standing a full head taller than Sara, he bared his fangs angrily in warning over her head leaving Russell shaken but Sara none the wiser. “What could have changed about the Malachites in the five minutes since we spoke?”

  “They’re here.”

  “What?”

  “Well, they themselves aren’t here my Lord,” he rushed to explain. “They’ve sent a messenger and he insists that he’ll only see you.”

  “There’s no point in us listening to what he has to say,” Gareth scoffed. “It’ll just be more threats, more ‘you’ll never defeat us’. I say we just slit his throat and be done with it.” He ran his hand over the hilt of his sword almost as though he were relishing the idea of dispatching the messenger.

  “My Lord,” Russell interrupted. “He says he comes in peace. I think we should listen to what he has to say.”

  Lucian rolled his eyes in disgust. Once again both Gareth and Russell were right even though their opinions seemed completely contradictory. “I’ll listen to what he has to say and then if I don’t like it, we’ll dispose of him and send him back as a warning.”

  “Yes my Lord,” they both agreed, bowing low before walking out of the smithy, leading the others with them.

  “Come Sara,” Lucian began softly, draping his long overcoat over her shoulders to protect her modesty. She was shivering against him and though every protective instinct within him was screaming that he should simply take her away from this place, take her somewhere that she could rest in peace, responsibility gnawed at him. “Let me go and see what he has to say and then we can get back to your sword work.”

  She nodded, following his lead as he led from the room, her grip on his hand almost bruising after her near miss. It was dangerous to be around her, she was a walking countdown to destruction and her being here was putting the lives of others at risk. It was a heavy burden to bear, one she had never expected to carry and the weight was almost crushing. Her mind was reeling with possibilities surrounding her fate as one of the cursed people to carry the spir
it of their element within their bodies. Would I already be dead if I hadn’t found Lucian? If we hadn’t run into each other that night would I have already been used as a weapon to destroy innocent people?

  “Sara,” Lucian scolded. “I can tell that you’re blaming yourself for something that isn’t your fault. You can’t help what you are.” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “And I will always be here to help you so you don’t need to worry.”

  She lifted her head, looking straight into his dark eyes and found herself falling into the endlessness of their depths. For eyes so dark, they revealed a surprising amount of emotion.

  “Come Sara, let’s get this meeting out of the way and then the rest of the night is ours. But before we go in I have to warn you, the Malachites can’t know about you, if they did, they would try and use you against me.”

  “Lucian, I would never betray you. Even I weren’t tied to you because of my curse, I would never turn against you. You’re a good man and an even better leader, that’s worth protecting. You’re really trying to do what’s best for your people. I respect that and I’m loyal to people I respect. My best friend Abi is trying to hunt me down and bring me back to what would essentially be my death but I’ve never raised a hand against her because I respect her. I’d treat you the same. You can trust me Lucian.”

  I didn’t mean it like that! You’re not capable of betrayal but if they find out about you then they’ll know what my weakness is and for someone so strong you have so many vulnerabilities. “I do trust you Sara,” he responded simply.

  “Then why?”

  “Please don’t ask me questions that I can’t answer. I trust you Sara, but your presence in my life might be misinterpreted and I can’t afford for that to happen. You say that you trust me, then show me that trust. Don’t ask any more questions.”

  Her mouth closed with a resounding snap as she smiled fondly at him. She was enough of an inconvenience in his life as it was without making him vulnerable to attack.

  “You’ll have to let go of my hand Sara. I’m not known for letting people touch me. I’m sorry that this had to happen so soon after Seraphina’s arrival but that’s the way of life. If you feel her coming on again then let me know somehow and I’ll get rid of him quickly.”