Seared by Desire

by Jennifer T. Alli

  He refused to wait for a response, running through the burning village searching for Sara. Fire was all around him but while he felt the heat from the flames they didn’t burn him, a familiar feeling of invigoration filled him when the flames licked at his skin.

  “Sara,” he cursed softly, his pace never slowing.

  “Wait!” A voice called out to Lucian as he passed through the burning wreckage of what used to be houses.

  He turned, surprised to see dozens of people being sheltered beneath a small dome of water. The rain kept the worst of the fire at bay, protecting those that it touched but his surprise turned to shock when he realised that the protection was being maintained by a single water elemental.

  Gabriel’s companions had long since exhausted themselves, falling at his feet and leaving the burden to him. The strength of the fire that surrounded them was staggering, he’d never encountered a fire that he couldn’t extinguish and all he could manage was to protect the other delegates that had gathered because of Geoffrey’s false words. The sight of a man who was clearly not a fire elemental running freely through the flames had caused him to act out of character and call for help. “Wait,” he called again.

  “I’m busy,” Lucian commented easily, preparing to leave again.

  “You have to help us.”

  “I don’t have to do anything. I’m going to help my bride and that will more than likely help you in the process.”

  “Your bride? Are you talking about the she-devil that started all of this?”

  “I should kill you for saying that.” But I can’t. Sara will think she did it and will never forgive herself. Thank the heavens she hasn’t managed to kill anyone innocent. He sighed, “Sara is the most gentle soul on this earth. She was forced to do this. When I come back you will apologise to her. Can you maintain your bubble for a few more minutes?”

  “Do I have a choice?” Gabriel asked.

  Lucian's response was succinct and curt. “No.”

  Running again, he came across Sara’s fallen form lying in the centre of a blinding white pyre. His heart stopped at the sight of her lying so still. She’s alive. She’s alive. He repeated the mantra to himself as he stepped into the flames, cradling her prone body against his chest.

  “Sara,” he called softly, stroking her sooty cheek tenderly. “Sara, it’s time to wake up.” She didn’t respond to his call, her body just as still as it had been when he’d first seen her. The flames around them didn’t recede as they normally did when he touched her and his heart constricted painfully within his chest. For all his bravado when he’d spoke to Abigail, it seemed she was right. He was too late to save her. Sara was gone. “Sara, you can’t do this to me. I won the war for you. It was you who made me go, you told me you’d be safe if I left, this isn’t what I call safe.”

  She didn’t respond to his words and her body was growing colder within his arms. Lucian closed his eyes on an anguished cry, pulling her closer to him and holding her in a crushing embrace. The rings around his neck, clinked quietly when he moved her, reminding him of the promise he’d made to himself. Shifting her slightly, he tore the chain from around his throat and examined the rings speculatively.

  “In all our time together I never once got you a physical present, one that you could hold and now when I do have one, it’s too late. I want you to have it anyway Sara because even if we never had the chance to have the ceremony for the short time I have left to live I want others to think of you as my wife. I already do.” Lucian lifted her hand, scowling at the sight of her tender flesh cut to ribbons. “Before I die I’m going to make the fire elementals suffer for what they did to you. They will suffer like no other creatures have before. They will wish for death, every single one of them.”

  Carefully, he brought her palm to his lips, his mouth moving gently over her skin to lap away the blood he found. Sara shifted slowly in his arms in response to the feel of his lips against her flesh. The small motion made Lucian's still heart pound as hope sprung within him and he stopped his ministrations in shock.

  “Sara?” he croaked but she didn’t respond to his call, her body once again still and lifeless and the hope that had dwelled within him only moments ago quickly turned to frustration. It was then he remembered. He remembered the last time he’d spoken to Sara, the wisdom the scholars had finally imparted to them on how to control Seraphina, on how to prevent the vengeful spirit from taking over, from killing her. They were made for each other; he needed her just as much as she needed him. Heart pounding in hope, Lucian lifted her hand to his lips once again, watching her carefully through dark eyes. Her blood against his tongue was delicious but he made himself to focus, Sara’s recovery was far more important than his blood lust.

  Sara groaned, confused at the heated sensation that was filling her body when only moments ago she had felt a bone chilling cold. Heat was spreading through her, desire beginning to course through her veins and bring her cold body back to life. Her eyes fluttered weakly, the lids heavy and hard to open but she forced her mind to push past the dense fog of confusion, intent on discovering what was going on. Her body felt strange and leaden as though she hadn’t used it in a very long time and she struggled to move her heavy limbs quickly realising that it was an exercise in futility. Instead she focused her attention on the one part of her body she could feel with extraordinary clarity. Her vision was blurred when she first opened her eyes, staring hard at her palm and the vague shape that was moving above it but her eyesight began to sharpen after a few moments of staring at the dark shape.

  “Lucian?” she whispered hoarsely.

  He moved hesitantly, watching carefully for any signs that she would slip away from him should he stop drinking her delicious blood. Her eyes stayed open but she didn’t move in any other way, despite that Lucian smiled in relief. She was alive. “Sara,” he groaned.

  “Lucian, what’s going on?”

  Her eyes shifted away from him, finally noting the burning village and the flames that surrounded them. She gasped in mortification as memories flooded her mind. She’d been thrown carelessly into the ever fire and as soon as the flames touched her skin, Seraphina had risen in full force. Even if she hadn’t been so weak Sara doubted she could have prevented her from taking control and letting her flames wash over the village.

  “Oh God,” she sobbed. “I killed them Lucian, I killed all those people.”

  This was exactly what he’d feared would happen and the tears welling in her eyes made him eternally grateful for Gabriel’s strength. He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing the healing injuries softly. “No Sara, you haven’t killed anyone. From what I can see you went for the buildings first giving the people in the village a chance to escape. The fire elementals prevented any one from leaving but there’s a water elemental here, he’s protected everyone. They’re safe but I don’t know how much longer he can shield them from the fire. You have to take control.”

  She sobbed, looking around at the flames that surrounded them. “I can’t Lucian, I can’t.”

  “Yes Sara, you can. You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met. This is your power you can control it and I’ll help you.”

  “How?”

  He didn’t respond verbally to her question instead lowering the hand he’d held so carefully and lifting her other hand to his lips. His mouth moved sensuously over the wounds, his tongue healing the scrapes and cuts as he took her blood into his mouth.

  Sara groaned, the flames of desire unfurling within her causing the fire around them to seep back into her skin, “Lucian.”

  “Take control Sara,” he ordered, tracing sensuous patterns against her flesh with his strong tongue.

  How does he expect me to take control when I can barely think straight? Damn him, he knows what drinking from me does to me. He knows what it does to me, she realised.

  The mindless state of desire he was pushing her towards was exactly what she needed. Her blood was heating with desire and the flames that surroun
ded them were an obstacle to quenching that desire, to touching Lucian, holding him close to press desperate kisses against his flesh. She cursed the fire, wishing that it would simply fade into nothing and the flames began to follow her unconscious command, creeping back towards her and seeping into her skin. As the power of the blaze settled into her body, strength returned to her limbs and she was able to move them freely. Her free hand lifted to pull Lucian's helmet from his head so that she could caress the skin of his face with ease.

  Sara’s touch surprised Lucian and he pulled away from her hand, moving swiftly to press his lips against hers in a bruising kiss. He pulled her soft body against his hard armour, wishing they were alone so he could strip them to the skin. Forcing himself to be content with the kiss, he pressed his tongue into her mouth, duelling with hers aggressively, relieved beyond all measure that she was alive.

  Sara pulled away from the kiss, her blue eyes dark with passion, her lips swollen from the strength of Lucian's mouth moving against hers. “Lucian,” she breathed, her voice filled with desire. “Lucian, bite me…please.”

  “My pleasure,” he conceded.

  Her eyes fluttered closed when he pulled her hair away from the column of her neck and placed a string of kisses against the skin. “Lucian,” she groaned. “Now.”

  His fangs lengthened, sinking easily into her tender flesh and moans of pleasure spilled from their lips simultaneously. As her blood flowed from her body into Lucian's mouth the fires around them exploded, rushing back towards the unprepared pair. Flames engulfed them but they stayed firm, holding each other tightly, unwilling to relinquish their grip in the slightest for fear that the other would be lost to them forever.

  The extreme heat of the fire cooled and when Lucian's eyes opened the only thing on fire was Sara. Her body was covered in the brilliant white light of the hottest fire imaginable but she seemed no worse for wear. “Sara, you’re on fire,” he began cautiously, his mind still fogged from the taste of her blood on his tongue. “Are you okay?”

  She smiled widely, infectious laughter flowing freely from her lips. “I’ve never been better Lucian.” Her arms wrapped around him tightly. “And I’m not the only one on fire.”

  “What?”

  “Look at yourself Lucian.”

  He lowered his eyes to look at the usually pale skin of his forearm surprised to find that it too was covered in the almost blinding light that covered Sara.

  “It’s okay Lucian. I’m in complete control now. The ever fire is just learning to settle within me properly and because you’re touching me, it’s covering you as well. I’ll find an empty field or something on the way home and release the excess. You should ask the men if they want to watch, it’ll be quite the display.”

  “And Seraphina?”

  “She’s still here and I’ll never be free of her either. We were born together and we’ll die together as well but I can control her so long as you’re with me.”

  “I’m never letting you out of my sight again. You do nothing but attract trouble when I leave you alone. You’re dangerous to my health Sara, my heart can’t take the strain.”

  “Me?” she said aghast. “I’m not dangerous and if you’ll learn to keep up old man, your heart will be fine.”

  “Me?” he chuckled. “Old?”

  “Yes!” she laughed.

  “What are you doing?” Gabriel demanded, his voice intruding on the intimacy of the moment.

  Both Sara and Lucian turned to look at the water elemental, regarding him curiously. Lucian's eyes narrowed as he remembered the harsh words Gabriel had said about Sara and he stood, helping Sara to her feet. “I’m helping my wife, the she-devil. We’ve saved you so it’s quite obvious that she wanted no part in this. Apologise,” he ordered.

  Gabriel’s spine stiffened in rebellion. “I don’t like being told what to do. What authority do you have to order me to do anything?”

  “King Lucian!” Russell called as he and the army entered the village, the cowed remnants of the fire elemental village trapped meekly between their bodies.

  Gasps of surprise filled the air when the vampires witnessed the glowing bodies of Sara and Lucian, the glow beating back the darkness of the night much in the same way Sara’s sun had so many nights ago. “The King and Queen of light,” they murmured, bowing their heads in respect.

  “Lord Lucian? Of the vampires?” Gabriel breathed, visibly shocked.

  “It’s King Lucian,” Sara corrected, gazing up into Lucian's dark eyes affectionately.

  “And you’re his wife?”

  “You sound shocked,” Lucian commented coolly. “There’s no reason to be. I told you before Sara is far too gentle to willingly cause this amount of damage. I have yet to hear your apology.”

  “But she’s a fire elemental.”

  “What has that got to do with anything?”

  “Lucian, it’s okay. It’s not his fault. I did something horrible. Whether I wanted to do it or not is irrelevant.”

  “Sara, I want him to apologise. If I let him get away with this now then what sort of message will I be sending? The others may decide to try and attack you for what’s happened today.”

  “I don’t want to bring another war onto your doorstep not when we’ve just gained peace.” She walked towards Gabriel, her hand firmly within Lucian's and his free hand holding tightly onto the hilt of his sword. Sara’s eyes locked with Gabriel’s aquamarine gaze and Seraphina rose within her.

  Calder!

  Sara’s step faltered. Seraphina?

  Calder! The spirit repeated, happiness filling her voice.

  Sara’s brow furrowed in confusion, Seraphina never sounded happy and the only time she even came close to expressing the emotion was when she was preparing to kill people for a feast. Seraphina, who is Calder?

  Brother.

  Seraphina, you’re one of a kind. There’s only one child of flame and he is not a fire elemental.

  Water! she screamed aggravated. Seraphina is fire. Calder is water. Brother.

  Seraphina’s jumbled rambling finally made sense. The man in front of her was cursed just like her to carry the spirit of his element within him. If anyone could understand why she’d done what she had it was him. She continued walking, closing the gap between them until she was directly in front of him. “Calder,” she began.

  His eyes widened and he stared at her in shock. “How?” he spluttered. “How do you know?”

  “I know because I’m like you. My spirit is called Seraphina and she has no regard for life. She would consume everyone here if given free rein. I was too weak to control her before but it will never happen again. You must know what it’s like to be guided by forces outside your control.”

  He looked away, unable to meet her gaze. “Your curse?”

  “Yes. Seraphina’s fire raged within me uncontrollable, slowly but surely eating away at my life until I met Lucian.” He squeezed her hand in a silent show of support. “But I’ve found the one to cool my flame, with Lucian beside me I’ll never falter again.”

  He nodded his head in understanding. “My name isn’t Calder, it’s Gabriel and I apologise for what I said before. No one but the four of us will ever truly understand how important control really is and how easily it can be snatched away.” He turned from Sara to face the delegates that had gathered. “King Lucian's Queen is innocent. The guilty ones are the fire elementals who gathered us here.”

  “Speaking of fire elementals,” Lucian mused, moving away from Gabriel and the delegates back to his people and the fire elementals that stood cowed between them. “Gareth, where is Abigail?”

  “Here my King,” he responded pulling the violent fire elemental towards him. Her brown eyes were ablaze in anger, her teeth bared.

  “If I remember correctly I told you that I wouldn’t kill you I’d save that pleasure for Sara.” He unsheathed his sword. “But we both know that Sara is too –”

  His words were interrupted when Sara pulled out of his gri
p and stepped directly in front of Abigail, punching her squarely in the jaw and knocking her to the ground. “A sword,” she stated quietly, the command all the more deadly because of the control held in her steely voice. Gareth pressed his sword into her outstretched palm and she felt the familiar warmth that always filled her when she was holding one of her blades. “Abigail, you almost killed me. Once upon a time I might have let that go, I might have went by the ‘forgive and forget’ creed but not today and do you want to know why? You made Lucian worry. You don’t deserve to live. I could kill you but I want you to suffer for what you put Lucian through.”

  Dropping to her knees, Sara embedded the sword in the ground beside Abigail’s head. Grabbing both Abigail’s hands, Sara reached for the well of power that lay within her former friend and pulled hard. Abigail’s body jerked wildly but Sara held firm pulling the power from Abigail until it had all settled within her body. She dropped Abigail’s hands abruptly, standing and moving back to Lucian, enveloping his body once more in the white glow of her fire.

  “What did you do?” Abigail croaked.

  “I took your powers Abigail. Don’t worry I’m going to do the same to most of the people here. If you can’t use what the heavens gave you properly then you don’t deserve it.”

  “No!” she shrieked. “You can’t do this.”

  “I think you’ll find she’s already done it.” Lucian commented coolly. He smiled, clearly proud of Sara’s actions. “Gareth, Russell, watch them while we’re gone.”

  “Where are you going?” they asked.

  Lucian's tilted his head heavenward, staring at the dark night sky with knowing eyes. “Nowhere special,” he remarked mystically. Wrapping his arms around Sara’s small waist, he leapt from the ground and into the sky.

  Sara gasped in shock, watching nervously as the village became smaller until it was nothing but a speck against the ground. “Lucian, what are you doing?” she shrieked. “Put me back on the ground.”