by Siren Allen
“I can too,” her mate told her, eyes on her but hands on Lee’s shoulders.
Sin’s eyes automatically dropped to her friend’s shoulders. Jealousy snaked through her unexpectedly. She returned her gaze to Kaede and glared at him. He immediately removed his hands from Lee’s shoulders and stepped away from her. Rhen chuckled.
Kaede shoved his hands into his pockets and said, “The energy in here is different. Even my dragon feels it. I can feel my mate’s fire. I can also feel another source of fire and it’s coming from Nachik.”
“You feel it too?” Sin asked.
Kaede nodded and stepped closer to the bed on his side. He stared down at Nachik. “I don’t know what he is, but it’s fire-related. He’s not convulsing as violently anymore. Your touch isn’t hurting him. It’s helping.”
“His heart rate isn’t as slow as it was earlier,” Zelna said, staring at a monitor hooked up to Nachik.
“Is that good?” Lee asked. Zelna nodded. Lee turned hopeful eyes to Sin. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “For not...”
“It’s nothing,” Sin told her. “But, I think just touching him isn’t going to help. I think he needs actual fire.”
Lee shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Let me try something?” Sin asked.
Tears streaming down her face, Lee nodded.
Sin looked to Kaede, “Can you hold him. Don’t pin him down, just make sure he doesn’t come up off the table.”
Kaede did as she asked. Sin raised her hands and called forth her fire. She didn’t touch Nachik with it, she simply brought it closer to him. His body lurched. Lee screamed.
“He’s trying to get to the fire,” Kaede told her.
“You sure?” Lee asked.
“I think so too,” Rhen replied.
Sin lowered her hands closer to him. His body lurched again. She looked to Kaede. He nodded, seeming to understand her thoughts. She didn’t look to Lee. Lee was a grieving mate. Right now, Sin had to follow her gut.
With a prayer for help, Sin placed her blazing hands on Nachik’s body and whispered a spell to keep the fire contained. Nothing else would burn. Except the sheet covering him that went up in flames quickly.
Kaede put it out. Zelna held a screaming Lee back. Rhen held the door close when someone tried to enter. Sin tried not to focus on what was going on around her. If she did, she’d lose her nerve to do what she was doing.
“Keep going,” Kaede whispered to her. “It’s working. I can feel something inside him awakening.”
“Me too. I don’t think my fire is strong enough.” Her hands trembled. Her head ached. She raised her gaze to Kaede’s. “Help me, please.”
Her whispered words sent him into action. Fire erupted from his hands. Flames brighter, hotter, stronger than hers. Her dragon’s heat was just what she needed to help heal Nachik. Together, they could help him. Kaede lowered his hands to Nachik’s shoulders. The blaze spread over the male’s entire body. Sin began chanting to keep the fire from spreading. She nearly jumped when something bumped her.
“It’s just me,” Lee told her. “I know this chant.” Lee placed her hand on Sin’s shoulder and began to chant also.
Their voices together were like a melody. Their magic weaved together, strengthening the spell while Kaede’s fire and hers melded together and pulled at the dormant creature inside of Nachik.
His body lurched again. Lee flinched, but she didn’t stop chanting. Guardians never quit. They fought for their charges to the end. They fought even harder when it was family. Nachik was Lee’s mate. That made him family.
“I think he’s trying to shift,” Kaede called out. “Everyone stand back. Not you mate,” His eyes met with hers. “You can stay. You can handle my fire.”
Don’t think naughty thoughts at a time like this, she told herself. Focus. “What are you about to do?”
“Flame up. He needs more fire.”
“If you do that, you’ll set the room on fire. If I touch you while I chant, I can help contain it.” He nodded. She turned to Lee. “You have to stand back. But continue chanting.”
Nodding, Lee backed away, lips still moving as she repeated the containment spell over and over. Sin raised her hands from Nachik and doused her flames before joining Kaede on the other side of the bed. She bit her lips, nervous.
“You got this,” he told her, picking up on what she was feeling. “You’re strong. You’re powerful.”
You’re winning me over, she thought. Sin placed her hands on his arm and continued chanting. When he flamed up, his fire consumed not only her but Nachik and the bed also. Lee chanted louder. So did Sin as she poured more energy into her words. Thankfully, the room didn’t go up in flames. The fire was contained.
Kaede stared down at her. “Don’t be nervous. We got this,” he told her.
That’s when she realized her hands were trembling. She couldn’t help but feel nervous. She’d never done anything like this before.
“I’m going to raise it up a notch, okay?” He told her.
“Not yet. Do it when I nod.”
“You’re in charge, mate.”
She gave him a nervous smile which brought a smile to his face. Sin closed her eyes and called on her ancestors for help. She was on a different plane of existence. She didn’t know if they’d help here.
Her mother always told her they’d be there when she needed them. Sin prayed they were there with her now, in spirit. She nodded to Kaede and didn’t open her eyes until she felt the heat of his fire increase.
Sin stared around her. The fire wasn’t spreading. It was still contained. She looked up. His flames were licking the ceiling but the ceiling wasn’t catching fire. They were doing it. They were really doing it.
“I told you we could do this.”
Her mate’s words drew her gaze to him. The look of adoration in his gaze nearly stopped her heart. Or maybe it was starting her heart. She’d never experienced true love outside of familial love and the bond of friendship.
It wasn’t that she didn’t believe in it. She just never thought it would happen to her. The kind of love her parents had was rare. Most people just settled down with people they were compatible with.
Some didn’t even marry for love, they married for financial gain or other reasons that didn’t involve the L word. Sin never planned to marry because she never planned to settle for a half-ass romance.
Staring into Kaede’s eyes right now, she knew he was a creature who never did anything half-ass. Was she really considering forgiving him and taking a chance on the L-word?
“Hey love birds,” Rhen shouted. “Stop gazing into each other’s eyes and look at your patient.”
“Oh my gosh,” Lee whispered.
Sin and Kaede both looked to Nachik. He was shifting into... into... what was it? His back bowed off the cot. Red and gold wings sprouted from his back. Right before their eyes, Nachik disappeared and a phoenix rose from the flames.
Sin tilted her head back to watch the large bird that was now flapping its wings and hovering over the cot. Kaede flamed down after absorbing the fire that had engulfed her and the cot.
She ignored the chill that crept over her the minute she was no longer cocooned in his blaze. A phoenix. Nachik was a phoenix. He needed fire to transform. He needed fire to rise from Nachik and heal.
Wow. She never thought she’d see a creature like this before. The phoenix took flight and landed at Lee’s feet. As tears streamed down Lee’s face, the bird bowed to her. How freaking romantic. It was like she was watching a paranormal romance.
“Oh my gosh, Nach,” Lee cried. “You’re a phoenix. And you’re beautiful.”
The bird wiggled its feathers. Sin chuckled. It was a beautiful creature. A beautiful creature that was starting to shift back into a man.
“Get a sheet for him,” Kaede called out.
“On it,” Rhen replied.
Once Nach was back in his human form, Lee took the sheet from Rhen and draped it ove
r her mate’s shoulders. He looked totally different now. His skin was no longer pale. It was a golden caramel complexion.
His shoulder-length black hair no longer looked dull and stringy. His lips, that were now pressed against Lee’s who was kneeling next to him, no longer had a bluish tint. He was the epitome of health.
“He’s better because of you,” a deep voice whispered in her ear.
She stared back at Kaede only to realize her hands were still on his arm. Blushing, she quickly removed them. Ugh, why was she blushing? She wasn’t even the blushing type. Fuck it. Her mind, body, and heart had already decided this dragon was a keeper.
There was no need for her to keep pretending he wasn’t. Reaching for his hand, she intertwined her fingers with his. She didn’t miss the sharp intake of breath her actions drew from him.
“He’s better because of us,” she corrected him. “We made a Christmas miracle. You and I. Together.” This was neither the time nor place for the darkness that now consumed his gaze. “Later,” she whispered.
“Later, what?”
Sin tapped her nose. “The nose never lies.”
For a second he looked confused then a growl rumbled through his chest. One that everyone in the room heard.
“Can you two stop being nasty for a moment and focus on the bird,” Rhen shouted.
“I’m not a bird,” Nach grumbled as Lee helped him to his feet then to the cot where he sat down. “I’m a phoenix. I can’t believe it but I’m a phoenix.”
“How do you feel?” Lee asked.
“One hundred percent better now that I can hold you again.” He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. “There’s something I need to tell everyone. Something I overheard the wolves who attacked me say before the ran off when Deacon and Coop showed up.”
“What is it?” Kaede asked.
“They said...” A cough wracked his body.
“I’ll get him some water,” Zelna volunteered.
“They said...”
“It can wait,” Lee told him.
“It can’t wait. I have to say it now.” Another round of coughs consumed him. Zelna placed the small white cup of water in his hand. He drank it down quickly then handed the cup back to her. “The Deciders... their tasks plan for freedom...” He coughed again. “It’s a lie. All of it is a lie.”
Still holding Kaede’s hand, she felt him tense.
“Why do you say that?” Kaede asked.
“One of the wolves, he was lower level. He told the other not to fight me too hard. Not to wound himself in the battle. They didn’t want to complete the task. They wanted to fail. A try and fail means you get another chance. But if you completely avoid a task or decide not to finish it like I did, that’s when they come after you.”
Nach stopped to cough. Lee patted his back. He smiled up at her before finishing his story. “The older wolf told the younger wolf that he knew two shifters who completed their tasks. Them, their mates and their children were granted freedom. But this wolf’s mate is a shifter. And the night they were supposedly granted freedom, she had a vision of the entire family being locked up in chains. They had tubes coming out of their bodies. Their blood was draining from those tubes.” More coughing took over him.
“Do you need more water?”
He nodded. “My throat is dry. I think it’s from the heat and the shift. Other than that, I feel great.”
They waited while water was poured for him and he drank it down.
“Where was I? Oh, yeah. The older wolf told the younger one there was no point in killing me and tainting their souls. So, they toyed around with me and made lots of noise knowing someone from the compound would eventually hear. I should’ve known something was up when they chased me all the way here and didn’t attack until we were close. If it wasn’t for the younger one being diseased, I would’ve healed by now. They weren’t trying to kill me. They were trying to do their job well enough that The Deciders didn’t hire someone to come after them.”
From the way Kaede was squeezing her hand, she knew he didn’t like this news. She’d tried telling him. Then again, she’d also been in the process of attempting to torture him at the time.
Now that he was hearing it from a friend instead of someone who wanted to bring him pain, it was finally sinking in. And she was pretty sure there was guilt accompanying it. His eyes darted to her then away.
Kaede cleared his throat. “We’ll let Zelna check your vitals then you should rest. We’ll talk later.”
Nach cast his dark eyes Kaede’s way. “I can’t rest K. They’ll send someone else. Then someone else. They won’t rest until I’m dead.”
“I know. Trust me, I know. They’ll be after both of us soon.”
“Why? Did you not complete your task?” Nach looked to Sin.
Sin smiled.
“She’s my mate.”
“Thank God you didn’t kill her,” Nach said. “Hi, Kaede’s mate.”
“My name is Sin. Sinclair Rose.”
“Sinclair Rose...” Nach looked to Lee. “You have a friend...”
Lee nodded. “That is her. We’ll discuss all of that later. K’s right, we need to check your vitals and you need to rest.” Lee helped Nach lay down as Zelna ushered them out of the room.
“Thanks,” Lee called out. “Thank you all. Thank you Sin and K. Without you two...”
Sin glanced over her shoulder at her friend. “We’re family. This is what family does. Get some rest, both of you.” That said, she allowed Kaede to usher her out of the room. Yet, she didn’t miss the sad expression on her mate’s face.
They needed to have a conversation.
Chapter Twenty-One
HOME. FINALLY.
It took them an hour to make it back to their cabin. Why? Because nearly the whole damn compound had gathered in the hall outside of Nach’s room in the med bay when they heard all the ruckus going on inside.
They were all shocked to see Nachik awake. They were even more shocked to learn that Kaede’s new mate, Sinclair, was responsible for his miraculous recover. Sin tried telling them it was a group effort, but the group she was trying to give credit to, kept switching the praise over to her.
Finally, she just started to smile and wave. She fake-smiled so hard that her cheeks started to hurt. She was tired and more than anything, she just wanted to return to her cabin so she could relax and have a long talk with her dragon.
She hadn’t been in the mood to be introduced to everyone and their mama. Literally. She especially hadn’t been in the mood to be introduced to the leader of the compound. Heath, the leader, was a big burly bear shifter who liked to hug.
His hug was what put an end to all the fake smiling. As soon as the leader wrapped his arms around her, Kaede intervened. No, he didn’t just intervene, he shoved the man so hard, he slammed into the wall, creating a huge hole in the wall.
Everyone was stunned silent for split second. Then they all started laughing and cheering. Including the leader, who climbed up out the hole, clapping his hands and smiling at Kaede.
That was not what she’d expected. Sin had expected a fight to ensue. She expected creatures to start shifting and all that. She even jumped in front of Kaede to prevent him from being attacked.
What she hadn’t expected was for everyone present to laugh and start patting Kaede on his back telling him he was a great protector and lucky to have found such a brave mate. Everyone wanted to shake her hand.
Finally, Kaede had told them enough. He grabbed Sin’s hand and pulled her away from the throng of eager creatures who couldn’t wait to tell her how excited they were that Kaede found his mate and broke the curse.
At least, she was able to learn why he’d been unable to talk before. Apparently, he was cursed to never speak again until he met his mate. Further proof that she was his mate. Not that she needed further proof.
As they worked together to save Nachik, she’d felt the connection. As their fires blended together, she’d experienced a type
of connection she’d never felt before. Different than the familial bond.
Different than the bond of friendship or sisterhood. When he told her that she was doing a good job, it felt better than all the times she’d been told she was cute or pretty... for a big girl.
Some people liked adding that when they complimented plus size divas. When he told her that she was strong and powerful, it made her feel strong and powerful. Not because she needed his validation.
But because he offered it up during a time of chaos when she really needed to hear it. Instead of yelling for her to do this or that and trying to take over like some men often did, he told her she was powerful.
He told her he believed in her. He told her she was in charge. That level of trust made her feel special. She’d never been into roses and candle-lit dinner. She’d always thought she was abnormal because she didn’t like receiving jewelry and flowery compliments.
Because of her dragon, she realized she wasn’t abnormal. Those men just hadn’t been the men for her. Her man would know what she needed when she needed it. She just had to be patient and wait for him and try not to piece him together or look for him in other men.
It’s crazy that it took a moment of chaos to make her realize that she and the mate the Fates gifted her with, were actually suited for one another. Like a phoenix emerges from fire, so can a relationship.
Forged in fire, that perfectly described her and her dragon. A dragon that was pulling her down the cobblestone sidewalk toward their cottage. A dragon that was ignoring passer-byers who tried to talk to them.
He didn’t release her hand until they were enclosed within the four walls of their cabin. Then he dropped her hand like she was the carrier of a plague. He stopped in the center of the living room, tilted his head back and rubbed his hands over his face.
Poor thing. He looked tired. The sun was starting to go down. Daylight on this plane only lasted a few hours. Then they were plunged back into darkness for the most part of what still was considered daytime.
Here, there was daylight or day time. Then daynight, or the dark hours of the day time. Then there was night, which was the regular night time hours. Weird, but she didn’t make the rules or make up the names.