Fire Brand: Fated & Forbidden Series

by Kristen Strassel

  I meant to put the paper on my nightstand, but I missed the mark and it fluttered over the floor. My little bedroom rocked violently like Asher was in bed with me. I closed my eyes and tried to make it all go away, but it was impossible.

  When I was Queen, no one attacked Chronopolis. We stopped all invaders in their tracks in The Bay. If dead men could talk, the tales that could be told from the ocean floor would all be cautionary. There’d been no real leadership in The Bay since I’d been dethroned. No one stepped up to fill my stilettos.

  Asher may not be willing to fight for me, but I’d fight for myself. My people and my Bay. It had been my plan all along in luring the King to my bed. I was never, ever supposed to fall in love with him.

  He was my weakness, and I had to make him my strength.

  Tonight I only had wine and longing. I couldn’t afford to turn either of them into regrets.

  Chapter Five

  I’d become a victim of my own circumstance, in freefall to the bottom of the ocean.

  My eyes popped open, but I couldn’t swim to the surface. Something heavier than gravity pulled me down. The bitter aftertaste of wine burned my tongue as ocean water filled my lungs.

  Drowning was the most humiliating death possible for a siren. Water creature thing aside, I was supposed to be immortal.

  Last I remembered, I’d passed out in my bed. The boat rocked violently, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. But I couldn’t sleep, either, or so I thought. The empty wine bottle rolled back and forth on the floor, a reminder of my bad decisions. If I could’ve moved, I would’ve smashed it to make the noise stop.

  There was a purgatory somewhere between awareness and dreams, and I was stuck in it; fighting the element that had kept me alive for longer than I could remember: water. I gained ground, and the bright light of the nearly full moon illuminated the shallow water. It was a small victory, but I’d take what I could get. I waded through the waves, nowhere near the boat, even though I still heard that damn bottle rolling along my bedroom floor.

  When I woke up, I’d have to write all of this down so I could figure out what the hell it meant.

  The walled kingdom that greeted me on the shore wasn’t Chronopolis. There was an incredible familiarity to it, and the castle on its edge had been build centuries before. Maybe I’d been received here as a Queen. In hindsight, it was no surprise I had my crown taken from me. I’d taken it for granted and didn’t appreciate what an honor it really was. Immortality and invincibility were mutually exclusive.

  Something inside this place had a pull over me. Something impressive that could lure a siren. I followed for no other reason than that. Wine mixed with someone else’s power made me woozy. Yeah, I’d been here before. I walked in the giant front door, past the fae who guarded it, like I owned the place. I’d never been this ostentatious when I was in power. I must’ve known, deep down inside, that my title wasn’t forever. If I’d learned anything over the years, it was that nothing was.

  The stone walls were as damp as the air that hovered above the ocean. The only noise was the empty bottle rolling along the floor, a reminder of a place my body wouldn’t let me return to, consciousness. The pull strengthened the further I journeyed inside the castle. A heavy wooden door marked the end of the hallway. It opened without me touching it.

  I wasn’t the first to arrive. No one acknowledged me when I claimed the empty spot in the circle. Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the giant moon that had been branded in the middle of the floor. Nobody who’d gathered looked remarkable. That was the beauty of supernatural power, we could all pass for human. But I knew my own kind. They’d been lulled into the same dream-state stupor that I had, judging from our matching plain tunics, and no one acknowledged me. Not the wolf, the shade, or the dragon. It was better than the usual snub I received from this crowd. At least this time they had an excuse.

  The power strengthened to the point that it was overwhelming. Two figures emerged, a man and a woman I thought I’d never see in person. Allendra and Zaan, magic users whose stories were immortalized in the pages of books, and passed down from mother to child in the form of extraordinary legend. I’d never been in such awe of anyone before.

  At least the wine hadn’t given me nightmares.

  Zaan loved Allendra, whether he’d ever admitted to anyone but himself or not, it was obvious. I swallowed the jealousy, wishing my King would do the same for me—protect me from harm. Wordlessly claim me in front of an entire room.

  Teal and Penelope’s voices echoed in my head. Ugh. If it was meant to be…sometimes fate needed a swift kick in the ass.

  “Welcome, children,” Allendra addressed the room. No one could tear their gaze away from her. She commanded attention. This woman was a living, breathing checklist of all the things I should’ve been during my reign. If I ever got another chance, I’d get it right the next time.

  “You are here because I willed it so. Your bodies remain safe wherever you went to sleep, but I gathered your minds in this place so I may speak to you.” She gave us a moment to let that trippy information set in. I wondered if this would be happening if I’d gone to sleep sober. “I am she who created all your breeds,” she added, like she needed introduction.

  Zaan took exception to that statement. This couldn’t be real, it was merely a lesson my subconscious was giving me in how to win back my Bay, my title, and my King.

  “And I am the one who helped fashion your ancestors,” Zaan declared. Allendra was not amused, but I was glad he spoke up for himself.

  An argument broke out, and I tried to figure out who these creatures were. Where they came from, and if they had any power in their homelands, or if they’d been disgraced like me. What it meant that we’d all been gathered together. It gave me hope, that I had an audience with my creator. I had a future, even if it was only a dream.

  Allendra had enough of the foolishness. “No more. I should have acted a long time ago, but I will not delay any longer. It ends now.”

  Zaan looked horrified. This was more than just a dream, and there was nothing any of us could do to stop it. More arguing broke out, just in case there was anything that could be said to change her mind. Problem was, I wasn’t sure what we were fighting for.

  “I chose each of you to be a representative and champion for your people. And I chose each of you for a simple reason: none of you has found a lifemate yet. Though you may have had lovers or companions, you have yet to recognize the one true love of your life, the person who is destined by Fate to be your match, to fit into your heart and body like a key and its lock, the person who has the potential of making you happier than anyone else on this Earth or beyond could. All of you either already know this person or will meet them within the next month, before the Blood Moon. And all of you will come to realize that you’re not supposed to be with him or her. They may be the enemy of your family, or someone who despises you personally. They may be human or from a different breed, someone you were taught you should not associate with. They may have inflicted great harm on you and yours, or you on them. They may seem wrong for you, or you for them, in every single way. But forbidden or not, wrong or not, they are still your destined mate, if you choose to go against your very nature for the sake of love.”

  Asher flickered in my vision, but he disappeared in the flames.

  “You have four weeks to find your destined mate and form a lifebond with them. For some of you, it’ll mean mating in a very primal way, and maybe sharing blood or bites. Others will exchange mere words, maybe rings, but form just as strong a bond. If all of you who are here today accomplish this task before the Blood Moon rises, then I will forego my plans and leave you and yours in peace. But should one of you fail, you will all have failed my test.”

  Great. I considered the circle, unable to decide who was the weakest link, all too aware of what that meant. I’d already failed my people…

  Someone across from me huffed. “If I’m supposed to go through the list of my enemies, it’s g
oing to take longer than a month.”

  Laughter broke out in the room. Maybe I was in good company after all.

  Allendra was not amused. “Because the Blood Moon will be upon us fast, I will grant each of you a clue.”

  A ball of energy formed in her open palm. It bathed the circle in warm, hopeful light, like the group of us were stronger than the sum of our parts. We could do this. I floated away from the circle as the light expanded like tentacles from an octopus. It burned my skin on contact.

  “You will all form a bond with the person indicated by your mark, or you will all become humans at the moment the Blood Moon rises.” That was all the explanation Allendra thought was necessary.

  More opposition broke out in the circle, but I continued to float, concentrating on the pain in my wrist. I needed to pay attention, in case she gave us another clue, but all the voices were drowned out by the sound of the empty wine bottle rolling back and forth on my bedroom floor.

  Chapter Six

  I was never drinking again.

  Every part of me throbbed, especially my wrist. I must’ve slept on it wrong. I’d passed out at the wrong end of my bed and was still groggy from wine and the most realistic dream I’d ever had.

  I screamed when I looked at my wrist. Just as vivid as the dream were the colors that swirled under my skin. Reds and oranges tipped in yellow. Flames.

  “Avila, what’s wrong?” Teal barged into my room, her hair still post-sex crazy from the night before. I didn’t know what the fuck to say to her. I’d lost my ever loving mind, and I had a souvenir to prove it. She pried my fingers away from my wrist. “What the hell did you do?”

  “Nothing!” I said too loudly. Activate panic mode. “Nothing. I passed out after getting to the bottom of that bottle—” it had settled between my bed and my nightstand, “—and had this crazy dream. What did you do last night?”

  Maybe my friends wound up in another group that had been brought into Allendra’s castle and given an ultimatum. A ticking time bomb.

  “We snuck into Chronopolis. Asher’s guards suck. He needs a top to bottom overhaul if anyone’s ever going to take him seriously. There was this speakeasy type bar. We needed a password to enter.” Teal rolled her eyes. “Penelope batted her eyelashes and we were in. Asher’s problems are more serious than he’s owning up to. There’s talk of anarchy. They weren’t even trying to keep it hush-hush. The leaders were cocky as hell. So we decided we’d take one for the team, and stick up for your boy.”

  Asher knew that was happening, but things were worse than I realized. “What did you do?”

  The smile that spread across her face said nothing but seduction and sin. “We took care of the problem. The opposition needs to find two new leaders. You’re welcome, Asher.”

  “Did you see Allendra or Zaan anywhere?” I asked, holding on to the last of my sanity by a shred.

  “Are you still drunk?” Teal’s laughter didn’t last long when I didn’t join in. “Come on, you’re asking me if I casually ran into fairy tale legends at the bar? No, of course I didn’t. And please tell me that thing isn’t permanent.”

  I rubbed at the tattoo that had appeared on my wrist, in the very spot that the tendril of energy had wrapped itself around in my dream. “Ow.” It hurt like a bitch, or more like the open wound it was. “I had this dream—“

  “Just own up to what you did. We’ve all gotten drunk and done stupid shit. Of course, most of us don’t make it permanent.”

  “I’m not lying. Listen to me. I knew I was dreaming, but I couldn’t wake up. Allendra gave us an ultimatum before her energy branded all of us.”

  “Who is us?” I hadn’t noticed Penelope come into my bedroom until she spoke. She picked up my wrist. “You’re lucky. The artwork is decent. Some of the guys I’ve been with have pretty unfortunate ink. They had to have been drunk when they got it. There’s no other justification for it. I don’t know what part of permanent they didn’t understand.”

  I squeezed my eyes closed, but all I could concentrate on was the throbbing between my eyes and the burn on my wrist. My memory became fuzzier with every passing minute. “Everyone was supernatural.” I remembered that much. “She said we had to find our mates by the Blood Moon. Or we turn human.”

  Teal wrinkled her nose. “That’s even worse than turning to stone.” She sat beside me on my bed and examined the tattoo. “I think it’s your subconscious telling you that you miss Asher. You should’ve come out with us last night.”

  “Then how do you explain the tattoo?” Finally, neither of them had an answer. There was something satisfying about that. “I miss Asher terribly. But I’m not stupid enough to get some stalker-looking brand. I hoped that maybe one of you had the same dream. I know there were shifters there, and some other funky beings, but that’s it. I’m not sure if I’m looking for someone with the same tattoo, or if I’m magically supposed to know who my mate is. If I fuck it up…”

  I sighed.

  “I think everyone with the brand becomes human. I don’t know if it’s everyone who was created by Allendra and Zaan, or just the ones who were at the gathering.”

  That got my friends’ attention. If there was ever a time for a FAQ page, this was it. I had no idea why I was the only one summoned to the meeting, why Asher wasn’t there if he was my lifemate, or why Penelope and Teal had been spared from this challenge. And no way to ask anyone for answers.

  “What if you’re wrong?” Penelope asked quietly, no longer giving me shit.

  “About it being Asher?”

  She nodded.

  “Who else could it be?”

  “You could be wrong about the whole thing.” Teal retrieved the empty wine bottle from between my nightstand and my bed and tapped it against her open palm. “You never drink, and don’t mind me saying so, but it’s just too perfect.”

  I buried my face in my pillow. I was not ready for this. “What’s perfect about it? I have to convince Asher that I’m his mate or we all turn human? While he’s having a public contest looking for a wife who isn’t me? There’s no outside chance this tattoo has nothing to do with him. What other beings are associated with fire?”

  Teal and Penelope looked at each other and shrugged.

  For the first time ever, I hated their silence.

  “We have to take this seriously.” The more I talked about the dream, the crazier it felt. But it never felt less real. In fact, it was just the opposite. The details, the way Allendra’s melodic voice vibrated inside me…I understood how some could be lured to another being. Problem was, I didn’t know how to replicate that sensation. And to hook Asher, I needed to figure it out in twenty-eight days or less. “Do you think you can get me into Chronopolis?”

  Teal chuckled. “If the same guards are on duty, it’s a done deal.”

  We didn’t have room for if. “Doesn’t matter if they are or not. They have revolution bubbling in their veins. All of His Majesty’s subjects are looking for any passive aggressive way to spite their King, until someone steps up with the brass balls to say all those things to his face. So I’m pretty sure we don’t need a secret knock.”

  Asher had bigger problems than me to deal with. I hadn’t been able to save my own Queendom. I liked to think being overthrown made me wiser, but instead, it made me doubt my abilities. If I could fight for what was important. And win.

  Another thing Asher and I had in common. The same weakness.

  Teal hopped up off the bed. She didn’t have much room to pace in my tiny bedroom. “We go tonight. That should give you enough time to get over your hangover. And find a big enough bracelet to cover that atrocity. We’ll ask the guards to give us information on Asher.”

  “They won’t do that.” I hoped.

  Penelope shrugged, and the corners of her lips quivered like she didn’t want to gloat, but I knew better. “They’re powerless against us. When has a man ever said no to you?”

  Teal glared at her.

  Penelope sighed. “Besides
him. And there’s only so long he can hold out.”

  “Hopefully not longer than a month.” Once inside Chronopolis, I didn’t have a plan, yet, anyway. For now, I’d go along with my bandmates. I was foolish to expect I’d be able to waltz into his castle and poof get everything I wanted. But I was a siren. No wasn’t in my vocabulary, and I refused to grow accustomed to the concept. “Let’s do it.”

  I followed Teal and Penelope to the living area. I needed something to make this headache go away. Teal stopped, blocking me from the coffee maker. “I still want to know how you really got that thing.”

  Chapter Seven

  I couldn’t remember the last time I was inside the walls of Chronopolis. I’d either become mortal or turn to stone waiting for my engraved invitation. Sometimes, a woman and her best friends had to take matters into their own hands. And in this case, it involved mesmerizing a couple of guards and waltzing on through the gates like we owned the place.

  Go Team Siren.

  The buttresses of the castle loomed over the city. It had a pulse, like it was a living, breathing thing that watched over all of us. It probably offered comfort to many of the Kingdom’s residents, but as an outsider, it reminded me how different things were on the other side of the wall.

  Maybe I wouldn’t make a good Queen for Asher, I thought as I followed Penelope and Teal along the cobbled street. I had to watch where I was going, the stones were jagged and the crowded sidewalks were in need of repair.

  Asher was hiding something from me. He owed me nothing, but thinking back to when he’d talk about Chronopolis, his hopes and dreams for its people, there’d been a sadness in his eyes. He knew he was losing his city. At the time, I’d recognized it as vulnerability and an advantage. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter, because all I wanted was his lips against my bare skin, and the ash that sifted through my fingers after we’d brought each other to climax.