Born of Embers

by Harper Wylde

  She raised an eyebrow as she studied me. “Do I even want to know what you had planned for the day?”

  Hiro and Theo spoke up simultaneously, “No.”

  I mock-glared at them, putting my hands on my hips. “Hey, it was a great idea. I was simply trying to put her in a familiar environment. I’m sure she wore a bikini all day, every day in Orlando. Besides, I’m sure she wouldn’t have objected to seeing my ripped, gorgeous body shirtless again.” I winked at her.

  She snorted. “You’re such a perv, Ry.”

  She called me Ry! That had to mean she was getting more comfortable with me. My Cerapter felt like puffing up his chest and prancing around for her. Theo sighed, obviously able to guess where my thought process was going. “Come on, guys. The trail’s right here. It’s popular enough we may see some other people, but we’ll be able to hear them coming long before we actually see them. Feel free to ask us anything you’ve been pondering, Nix. We all want to help you as much as we can.” He instructed.

  For the moment Nix ignored him, simply falling in with our group as we began the hike. I knew that I complained about being in the open air, but my Cerapter was quite enjoying it. He would have preferred if I had shifted and allowed him full reign. The cocky bastard was sure that he’d be impressive enough to garner Nix’s favor.

  “Do you have everything you need for classes starting?” Hiro asked.

  “Yeah, I think so. Shopping took hours yesterday. I just don’t know if I’m very excited about going to class. It seems kind of pointless now.” Her voice was low on the last part of her statement, but we caught it all the same. I traded looks with Hiro and Theo.

  “Why would getting your degree be pointless? I thought it was something you really wanted?” Theo asked, still in the lead of our group.

  “Well, I’m rare. Once the Council finds out about me I’m never going to get to use my degree. So why should I even put the effort in? They’re just going to lock me away again.” Nix was muttering, her voice hard as she concentrated on the trees around us.

  “Pfft.” I purposefully exaggerated the exhalation of breath and rolled my eyes. “Stop borrowing trouble! We don’t know yet what the Council will do. No matter what, we’ll make sure you can help people.” I had dropped back a little, unable to help myself from getting a view of her perfect ass in those tight jeans. God, she looked so good. I’d let her get the depressing part out of the way these past few days, now the games were on. My Cerapter reared in anticipation. He liked to play as well. “Come on, let’s have fun! I agreed to this crazy hike, but we need to get to know each other! How about truth or dare?”

  “No!” All three answered back, completely in sync. I pouted once again, really exaggerating the expression as I begged Nix with my eyes.

  “Don’t you want to learn about us and want us to learn about you?”

  She sighed but didn’t try to hide her smile. “Let’s just talk. If we play truth or dare it’s not going to end well.” Her face hardened for a moment as she glanced at me and added, “Though I may choose not to answer, depending on what you ask.”

  “Of course!” I quickly agreed, though I hoped she’d drop some of her shields with us as we got things warmed up.

  “What’s your major?” She asked, tightening her grip on the bag across her shoulders.

  Theo turned to walk backwards up the trail so he could keep an eye on her as he spoke… “Well, we’re mostly sciences. I’m a computer science major. Damien’s a geology major.”

  Hiro spoke up from his spot at her side as Theo turned back to face the path again. “I’m a psychology major, Killian’s our main outlier. He’s working on aviation technology.”

  Nix shot me a look. “How about you, Ry?”

  I grinned at her, brushing my hair out of my eyes. “I’m majorly awesome!” She snorted.

  Theo called back, not even slightly winded from the uphill climb, the bastard. “Ryder is pre-med. He’ll take what he learns and adapt it for shifters.”

  Nix stopped dead on the trail. “Ryder is pre-med?” The shock in her voice was so evident I nearly laughed.

  “Ah, so you just liked me for my body, is that it?” I teased. I was used to the initial shock. Nobody thought the pretty-boy could have brains. They thought all I was good for was partying.

  “You’re serious?” Her eyes held mine, inquisitive and genuine.

  Hiro spoke up this time when I only smirked. “Ryder’s on a full academic scholarship. He got perfect scores on both his SAT and ACT. His Cerapter has healing skills, so he’s drawn to the field. His Cerapter doesn’t affect his intelligence, however. As much as he acts like a goof, he’s actually a genius in disguise.” The last was said with a wink in my direction.

  Nix shook her head. “Is there ever going to be a time when you don’t surprise me, Unicorn?”

  “And that’s just my brain. Just wait until you find out what else I’m good at!” I shot her a quick wink as we continued down the winding trail.

  “Moving on… ” She had tried to sound serious but her tone held amusement. She was getting used to me teasing already!

  “Ok, my turn!” I wanted details of her past, but I knew she wasn’t ready to give them. I also knew from the way her lips pressed together and her fingers tightened on the strap of her bag that she expected me to ignore that and press for details. “Favorite Disney movie?”

  Her laugh was like music to my ears. “Beauty and the Beast.” The smile on her face lit up my world.

  “Ah. Coincidence? I think not!” I gestured to myself, Theo, and Hiro in an all encompassing move before I grinned, running up to grab her and spin her in a circle. She let out a small squeal of surprise and, apparently giving in, letting loose with a genuine laugh. Suddenly, she jerked in my arms, crying out. Had I hurt her? She jerked again, and I smelled the blood. “No!” I screamed it, feeling her go limp in my arms. The cracking sound of gunfire finally registered. “Gun, get down!” I screamed at the guys as I dragged Nix behind the stone outcropping next to us, laying her on the ground.

  I was shaking, unable to put a cohesive thought together. She couldn’t be hurt. It was my job to protect her. My shirt was damp and I realized it was from her blood. I yanked her coat open, trying to assess where the damage was. Hiro and Theo appeared beside where I knelt.

  “Oh my God. Her head.” Hiro choked out on a ragged gasp. I tilted my neck so that I could see the side of her head that had Hiro’s face twisting in disgust. Oh fuck. Please let that just be a nasty graze. With her jacket open I was able to see that a second bullet had pierced her chest cavity, probably her lung.

  “What the fuck was some asshole doing shooting on a hiking trail?” Theo spat out.

  I pressed my hands against her chest, my Cerapter going crazy in my head. We had to heal her. I let the energy pool over me, pushing wave after wave over her. Nix, Nix, Nix… the only thought ringing through my head right now was her name. Blood continued to pour from her chest, slowly forming a pool underneath us. Why wasn’t this working?!

  I could hear Hiro speaking rapidly, and a part of me caught Killian’s roar. He must have his cell out. I couldn’t take a moment away to look. All of my focus was on the girl laying in front of me, broken and still, her golden skin turning ashy from blood loss. “Theo, what the hell? Why won’t she heal?” I sputtered the question, pushing wave after wave of energy into her. I wasn’t even thinking at this point, just pushing every bit of energy I had towards her. “It’s like it’s bouncing back!” No matter how hard I pushed, she wouldn’t accept my energy. “Damn it, Nix! You can’t leave me! Accept it, damn it!”

  Theo’s face was hard as he watched us. Why wasn’t he helping? “She’s gone, Ryder. It’s why your energy won’t work.” His voice quavered as he said it.

  “No! I won’t let her be gone! Nix, you can call me my little pony all you want, don’t you dare die on me! Come back!” I pushed, trying my hardest to seal the wounds, to stop the flow of blood that was now a sluggish tric
kle, soaking my hands where they pressed into her chest. I moaned, leaning my head down to nuzzle my face in her hair. She still smelled like smoke and magic, though the scent was tainted now by the coppery tang of blood. I cradled her in my arms, rocking back and forth. I looked up, my eyes blazing as they met Hiro’s. I had no idea where Theo had disappeared to. Hiro’s eyes were huge in his face, his glasses had fallen to the ground completely unheeded. His face was nearly as pale as Nix’s still one cradled in my arms. “I will kill the person who did this.” The words came out a growl, as much my Cerapter as me. “We’ll find whoever hurt her and destroy them.” My Cerapter reared, letting out a battle cry in my head. He wanted to be let free, to rub his own face across Nix’s. To hunt.

  Twenty-Four

  Theo

  It’s fucking crazy how everything can change in an instant. I had been laughing at Ryder’s antics with Nix, watching as he had scooped her up in his arms, spinning her around and teasing her. Her smile made my heart beat faster. I watched her smile and it’d lit something deep in my chest. She should have a reason to smile like that every fucking day, and something deep within me had hoped that my brothers and I would be the ones to give her those reasons. Then, in the next second, that entire dream shattered with the exploding sound of gunshots. I watched in horror at the scene unfolding in front of me. The sound of gunfire was still echoing through the trees, reverberating through my body and causing my ears to ring as my eyes widened in shock. I couldn’t move. My body was fucking frozen to the spot as I heard Ryder’s cry mix with Nix’s. Hiro was already on the move, running towards them as Ryder pulled Nix’s broken, bleeding body out of view of the shooter and lowered her to the ground, yelling for us to get down. I ducked for cover with them on auto-pilot. Bile rolled in my stomach as I watched blood seep into the ground from the wound on her head. When Ryder ripped open her coat I saw more blood soaking through her clothing in an ever spreading circle from her chest. She was shot. She had been fucking shot! Twice!

  The world spun as everything came rushing back to me at once.

  “Ryder!” My shaking voice called out, but I couldn’t get the rest of the words out of my mouth. I needed to know if she was breathing but all that escaped was a strangled sound.

  “Oh my God. Her head.” I heard Hiro’s broken voice. Anger surged through me, hot and strong. I had never felt such rage and I heard my Kraken roar deafeningly in my ears. He wanted to be free. He wanted to hunt down whoever did this and make them fucking pay.

  “What the fuck was some asshole doing shooting on a hiking trail?” The angry words flew from my mouth with force.

  “Nix!” Ryder was calling her name over and over again. I don’t even know if he realized he was saying it out loud. Ryder was panicked as his hands flew to her chest, a gentle glow starting to appear and growing stronger as he worked. He could heal her. He would fucking heal her.

  We’d already lost too much time. The bastard was going to get away!

  “Hiro!” I called. I put authority and urgency in my voice. I needed him to fucking shift and go after the fucking bastard with the gun! His powers would be the most useful to track the asshole down, but he was already on the phone with the others. He was right, we needed them here, now! Ryder was frantic, begging and promising as he pushed wave after wave of energy against her unreceptive body. “She’s gone, Ryder. It’s why your energy won’t work.”

  “Fuck this. I’m going after that son of a bitch.” I didn’t give myself time to think, time to cry, time to mourn. She was so fucking still. There was nothing I could do here. Hell, there was nothing I could probably do hunting the bastard. I was made for oceans, not forests, but there was no damn way I was going to stand there and do nothing but watch Ryder mourn her. No, I needed to fucking move. I glanced over towards where she was shot, quickly calculating in my head the most probable trajectory. Being a mythological gave me an extra boost of speed I needed and my Kraken lent me as much strength as he could when out of the water. I went tearing through the trees in the most likely direction and scanned quickly as I ran, looking for any movement. Breathing deeply, I searched for any smell.

  My Kraken roared when it caught a hint of something in the air. Was that a shifter? I stopped, breathing deeply and studying the area I was in. There were impressions on the ground as if someone had knelt there, probably steadying their gun on the rock outcropping. I sifted through the smells, trying to breathe through my panic. Definitely a shifter, but the scent was incredibly faint. Must be a part-blood, and probably not a very strong one, if I couldn’t tell more than that. I saw broken branches leading into the area from two directions. Damn! This was Hiro’s job, not mine! I wasn’t good at tracking! Fifty-fifty shot, man. I turned towards one of the areas of broken branches and tore down it. I ripped branches out of my way as I ran. It didn’t look as if the area was well travelled by others. After about half a mile I swore. The scent was even fainter here. He must have gone the other direction and I had just wasted precious time.

  Turning around, I raced back the way I had come. I doubled back down the second path, searching for anything that may help. Not long after, I reached a service road, completely empty of any traffic. Marks on the ground indicated that a vehicle had been recently parked there. I turned, letting out a roar as I punched the tree next to me. I was so fucking useless like this! Glaring at the empty road, I whirled back towards the others when I heard an echoing roar through the trees.

  Twenty-Five

  Killian

  I should’ve fucking been there. Screw Ryder’s whining that I had more time with her than them. Why hadn’t I seen this coming? My Puca hissed in my head, insulted. I knew as well as he did that our visions were random, that we hadn’t had anything more useful than a general feeling in more than ten years. We never knew what, if anything, we would be able to foretell. It didn’t stop me from feeling like a failure, though. Damien came to a screeching halt at the trailhead and we both dove from the truck, racing towards where Hiro had said they were located. It was only a few miles and we ran flat out the whole way. I could hear a keening cry of “Nix…” coming from ahead. Oh God. No. Ryder could heal, it’d all be fine. I nearly toppled into the clearing to see Hiro and Ryder huddled around Nix’s absolutely still form. They were both covered in blood. Ryder held her half on his lap, while Hiro stroked over her arm and neck.

  Damien threw back his head beside me and his Gargoyle released an eerie shriek. I could tell he was losing the fight for dominance as he started to shimmer, heavy wings appearing on his back and his ears lengthening.

  “We don’t have time for this shit! Ryder’s got to heal her!” I growled at him, darting forward to fall to my knees by my brothers.

  Ryder’s eyes were shadowed and hollow as he looked at me. “I tried. Her body won’t accept my energy. I couldn’t heal her.” His voice cracked as he made his pronouncement and he buried his face in her neck. Hiro was still and silent next to him, his face as hard as stone as he fought back the grief I could see in his eyes.

  “Theo?” I breathed. They would have told me if he was injured, wouldn’t they?

  “He went after the shooter.” Hiro ground out. His voice didn’t even sound human as he formed the words.

  “They shot her. Why would they shoot her?” Damien had knelt down next to me, his hands reaching out to stroke down her legs. He was shaking so badly I was surprised he was still upright.

  I locked down my Puca, who wanted to start tearing the forest up looking for whoever had done this. “We can take her to the hospital. Maybe they…” Hiro shook his head, interrupting me.

  “Her pulse has been gone since the beginning. The second bullet went straight through her head. I think it’s why Ryder’s powers didn’t work. She was…” he coughed, turning his face back to hers as he struggled to finish his sentence. “She was already dead.”

  Damien tipped his head back, screaming again, long and loud. Theo burst from the trees near us, his eyes alight, a thunderous gro
wl rumbling from him. “He got away.” Bloody hell. What the fuck was going on? Why would anyone shoot her? They were on a hiking trail, they all had on reflective gear. “It was a part-blood.” I froze.

  A part-blood did this? Why? Did they know what she was? “You’re sure.” It came out as a statement rather than a question. Theo was always sure. He nodded, a snarl etched on his face.

  “I could smell the magic, but it was incredibly weak. I can’t even tell you the damn breed. He was parked on a nearby service road. He was gone before I got there.” Slowly he stepped forward, his steps halting and stumbling. As if his legs would no longer hold him he collapsed next to Hiro. He too reached out to stroke her. “I don’t understand. None of this makes any sense. We said we’d help her. We’d protect her.” His voice cracked at that and he bit down hard on his lip.

  We had all failed her. Two shots. Two fucking shots from a part-blood shifter and she was dead. After everything she’d gone through, we had only had a few days with her. A few days to try and make her feel comfortable with us, to explain everything. She deserved so much more.

  Suddenly, my Puca hissed. I whirled, looking for any new danger. He raked at me, trying to get me to pay attention to something he saw as important. “What?” I stuttered out. One by one my brothers went still as well, apparently all of their creatures had noticed the same thing my Puca had. I turned back to stare at Nix’s lifeless body. Slowly I reached out to put a hand on her and could feel what my Puca had felt before. Magic. Just a hint of it. It was swirling out of her in tiny waves.

  “What the fuck?” Ryder breathed, pulling back as he watched. Each swirl of magic stroked across her from head to toe, before disappearing. It happened again, and again as we sat beside her in shock.