Forged in Flames

by Harper Wylde

  Reaching for my cuppa, I sipped from the kraken mug sitting on my desk, grimacing at the unpleasantness of swallowing down cold coffee.

  “Please tell me that’s not the same cup from this morning?” Damien entered the room like an avenging, coffee wielding angel.

  “Sadly, it is.” I pushed the old mug away from me, spun my chair toward the door, and held out my hand. “I hope that’s for me.” The look I sent Damien was pleadingly optimistic.

  Damien rolled his eyes and held out a new, steaming mug. “I’d like to point out that none of you would survive without me.” The scent of strong coffee wafted toward me and I took a drink, sighing in happiness as the flavors hit my tongue.

  “You’re probably right. We’d all starve.”

  “Damn right. Or you’d have to live off of campus food.” The way he wrinkled his nose at the thought was amusing. I was sure that the cafes and cafeterias on campus weren’t half bad, but we rarely ever ate there. There was no denying that Damien’s skills in the kitchen far outweighed anything we could get elsewhere, anyway. We ate like kings, and you’d never find me complaining. Changing the subject, Damien nodded toward my copious notes and vials of Nix’s blood sitting on my desk. “How’s the research going?” he asked, interest alight in his gaze.

  “I’m just at the beginning of my research, but so far my hypothesis has been correct. Preliminary tests with Nix’s blood do show a mild reaction, but it was honestly easy to miss. All my research so far had concluded that phoenix blood does contain powers, just as we thought. Skin to skin contact with her blood didn’t cause a reaction until I began to channel my powers. Even then, the only side effects I could sort out were extra energy and strength. They were there, but they were not drastic.” I tapped my pen on the notebook before me.

  “It makes sense. We’ve been in contact with her blood before and none of us noticed a change,” Damien mused, moving closer to glance over my shoulder at my nearly indiscernible notes. I had what I liked to call ‘doctor’s writing’ when I was in the zone. I was one of the only people who could decipher what it said to transcribe it into legible, typed notes later on.

  “Ingesting it, on the other hand, made a difference.” I didn’t look up at Damien. I could all but feel him stiffen behind me.

  “You drank her blood?” Surprisingly, his voice didn’t sound as disgusted as I’d expected.

  “For scientific purposes, yes. You make me sound like a vampire.” A hint of mirth slipped into my tone, and I peered up at the Gargoyle who only blinked at me in response.

  He took a deep breath through his nose and I noted that his eyes were slightly dilated.

  Interesting. I wondered if the thought of tasting Nix’s blood appealed to his alter somehow. I filed the thought away for later inspection. Snapping out of whatever trance he’d been in, he shook his head and cleared his throat. “Alright, then. Going to share your findings?”

  “The effects were more noticeable. Even in my human form, I could feel the extra dose of magic her blood provided.”

  “Feel it?” Damien echoed, shaking his head slightly as though trying to process it.

  I chuckled, taking another gulp of the caffeine I desperately craved. “Think of it like a giant caffeine buzz. It’s like it escalated and enhanced the powers I'd already been naturally gifted with. The urge to use my powers and the need to shift were stronger as well.” I tapped my hand on the arm of my computer chair, watching Damien process the information.

  “But no new powers like what Ryder experienced on the island…” Damien pursed his lips as he spoke, phrasing his words like a statement rather than a question.

  “Correct.”

  “What’s next?” he inquired, walking to the wall that my computer sat on, and leaning against it as he tucked his hands into his pockets. “We need to keep going.”

  I scoffed. “As if I’d stop my research there. I need more time and testing before I can come to any final conclusions.”

  He nodded once, sharply. “Good.”

  “This is where it gets more difficult.” I scrubbed a hand across the back of my neck, leaning back in my chair and swiveling it until I faced Damien fully. “I don’t think I can continue the testing on my own. I hate to ask for help, but I admit that I may not be the best test subject within our group.” Without speaking further, I opened my mind to D, pushing my thoughts and memories his way. I let him feel the itch to shift and the bulk that had pressed under my skin from my Kraken after my last test with Nix’s blood. While I could manage the amount of strength the blood had enhanced, I wasn’t about to chance shifting into my Kraken form on dry land. I worried that taking my testing to the next level was too much of a risk. Not only was it dangerous for me and my alter, but I wouldn’t allow anything to draw attention to us or bring the Council down on our heads. Especially after our meeting with Ciarán yesterday and the rebellion hanging in the air.

  A giant Kraken in the middle of Anchorage in some college student’s backyard was bound to be noticed if my testing went awry, no matter how strong the wards around our property were.

  Damien nodded, all business, which I appreciated. He knew how I felt about the weaknesses my Kraken presented. At that thought, my alter roared a protest in my head. He hated being thought of as weak, and I soothed him. It wasn’t that he himself was weak, but that having such a large alternate form created… challenges. Unless we were in open water far enough away from civilization, I couldn’t let him out.

  “Who do you have in mind?” Damien brought my focus back to the topic at hand.

  “You or Hiro are probably our best options,” I speculated. “Killian’s Puca can be unpredictable, even without the power boost, and after Ryder’s experience on the island with his magic, I’m counting him out for now as well. Taking myself out of the picture, that just leaves you two. You both have good control over your alters and neither of you are particularly large when shifted. We can easily hide your alters indoors if it becomes necessary.”

  “I’m completely open to helping, but it’s only fair that we include Hiro in the conversation as well. He’s pulling his R.A. shift at the dorms today, but he should be home this evening.”

  “Good. Maybe you can open a conversation between the three of us when he gets back.” With a plan in place, we chatted a little longer until we heard the front door open and close downstairs.

  “Honeys, I’m home!” Nix’s sweet, melodic voice carried up the stairs, followed by her snicker of laughter. Just having her nearby made my heart lighter, and I willingly tossed my pen aside, stretched, grabbed the bag I needed, and followed Damien out into the hall.

  What’s that? Damien pressed into my mind, eyeing my bag with a backward glance as he descended the stairs.

  My medical bag. Now that Nix is home, I need a few more samples for our extended testing. Besides, I'll have to start the testing over on whichever of you decides to help me if I want to be accurate in my case study. I informed him with an edge of excitement, while I jogged downstairs behind him.

  Damien’s chuckle echoed in my mind. At least give the girl a chance to get through the front door first and settle in. She’s probably hungry.

  I shot Damien a sheepish look as we reached the first floor, and walked with him toward the kitchen where a perfect view of Nix’s ass greeted us.

  Damn, she’s beautiful. Damien grinned at the sight.

  I didn’t disagree. She was.

  Bent over at the waist, Nix rummaged through the fridge before straightening. Humming to herself, she spun around and jumped at the sight of us.

  “Shit!” Clutching the sandwich fixings she held in her hands to her chest, she playfully scolded, “You scared me!”

  “Sorry, sweetheart.” Damien sauntered into the kitchen and leaned forward to give her a kiss, sneakily stealing the supplies from her hands as he distracted her. “I got this, go sit down,” he murmured as he pulled back.

  “I’m capable of making a sandwich.” Nix arched an eyebro
w and propped her hands on her hips. “In fact, I’m capable of cooking complete, delicious meals.”

  “I know.” Damien didn’t turn around as he got to work making us all lunch.

  “Men.” Nix threw her hands up in the air, capitulating, and exited the kitchen, but I didn’t miss the smile playing over her beautiful lips.

  After all of the stress of the last few days, it was nice to witness this little slice of normalcy.

  Walking over to me, she wrapped her arms around my waist, and I hugged her against my body. “Did James escort you today?” I felt guilty for forgetting whose scheduled day it was to accompany Nix around campus, but I assumed since none of my brothers had walked through the door with her that our friend James had been her bodyguard.

  “He did,” she answered with a sigh.

  I pulled back just enough to see her face and read her expression. “What’s wrong?” I knew that look on her face. Something was bothering her, but just as quickly as it had appeared it vanished, as she pasted on a smile that I could easily see through.

  “Nothing.” She shook her head and drew closer again, leaning her head on my chest. “I’ve just got a lot of classwork.” I could understand that. It was unfortunate that so much had been going on lately. We’d all missed numerous days of classes and our coursework was piling up faster than we could get through it. Each of us had been lost in our own heads about the Gala, the rebellion, and island, and with the studying we needed to accomplish, it felt like all we did was work and stress.

  “Come here.” I disengaged from Nix and took her hand, leading her over to a chair at the dining room table while Damien clattered around the kitchen, whipping up elaborate sandwiches. “I know everything has been difficult lately. None of us have gotten to spend much time together and our responsibilities are adding up.” I got Nix settled where I wanted her and slipped behind her chair. “I can feel your tension.” I worked my thumbs into the tightness of her shoulders, rubbing circles into her taut muscles.

  She moaned gratefully, and the sound slid straight through my body and down my spine. If I’d realized a simple massage would have produced such a response, I would have done this a long time ago. “Holy shit, that feels so good.” She dropped her head forward, relaxing into my touch as I continued to knead her shoulders, back, and neck. “I’ve missed this,” she murmured, just for my ears.

  “Missed what?” I added more pressure and smiled when she groaned.

  “Your hands on my body.” Her soft, lilting voice was barely audible, but I heard it nonetheless.

  “I miss it too.” I leaned forward, letting my mouth graze her ear as I whispered, “I miss my mouth on your body as well.”

  Nix drew a breathy inhale into her lungs and I saw a rosy hue stain her cheeks. A hint of her arousal made its way into the air around us, and I breathed it in deeply. My Kraken roared in my head, reacting to the heady scent of our mate. He missed her and wanted more time with her, and I mirrored his desires.

  The appearance of white plates filled with food clanking against the table shattered the intimate moment. Before pulling away, I let my nose skim against the outside of Nix’s ear. “Soon.” The word was huskier than I had meant it to be, but my Kraken was close to the surface, deepening my voice.

  Nix must have picked up on my tone, because she angled her head toward mine and reached behind her to cup the side of my face with the softness of her palm. “My Phoenix misses him too.”

  Pressing myself against the back of the chair, I angled myself toward Nix and let my mouth graze over her lips, sealing an unspoken promise that we’d find the time to spend together as soon as we could.

  It occurred to me as I pulled away that it was a promise we’d all need to make to each other. Time to spend with Nix and as a family was becoming a precious commodity, and if we didn’t carve out the time we needed, life could easily run away with us and weaken the strength we had together. I wouldn’t let that happen.

  “You two sure are cozy over here.” Damien smiled at us, and I looked at him from behind the rim of my glasses, searching his face for any sign of jealousy. When none turned up, I smiled in relief and navigated to the place setting he’d set out for me, taking my seat.

  Nix’s cheeks just blushed more as she dared a glance at Damien and then me, as if she was looking for the same signs of jealousy I’d just inspected D for.

  “You all make it hard on a girl,” she lamented in exasperation, and reached for a chip, popping it into her mouth with a crunch.

  “Why’s that?” Damien’s eyes sparkled as he joined us at the table, setting a pitcher of lemonade in the center.

  “It’s hard not to be affectionate with you.” She stared at her plate.

  Damien angled toward her and lightly gripped her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. “That’s a good thing, sweetheart. You should want to be physically affectionate with your mates. I’d be worried if you didn’t want to be close to us.”

  “I’m just always worried the other shoe is going to drop and I’m going to make someone upset,” Nix stated honestly, her voice wavering as she finished the words.

  “It may be challenging at times for us, Nix. I can’t say that we will never encounter any problems, but we’re a family. A unit. We work together.” I reached over and took Nix’s hand in mine, offering it a light, reassuring squeeze. “If any issues arise, we’ll deal with them. However, I think we’ve all been doing a pretty great job at sharing and I’ve yet to see any problems occur. You don’t need to worry. Have faith in us as your mates and follow your heart. I’ve learned it very rarely leads you astray.”

  The soft smile that curved her lips made my heart swell, and I realized just how gone I was for this girl. My mate. My Kraken roared his agreement in my head. The urge to mate with her washed over me, and I ran a hand down my thigh as I shifted in my seat, trying to tame the growing hardness in my jeans. I’d been trying to keep myself controlled from the moment I touched her, but my mate didn’t make that an easy task.

  Our conversation moved on to easier topics while we ate, until Nix’s eyes landed on my medical bag stashed below the table near my seat.

  “What’s your medical bag doing down here?” She looked to me as she finished off her sandwich.

  I felt heat crawl up my neck at having to ask her for more blood, but I forged forward anyway. “I need more samples, if that’s alright.”

  Nix bit her lower lip and eyed the bag but nodded. I knew she wasn’t a huge fan of needles, but she’d been a good sport every time I’d needed to draw her blood.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with this Nix? Just say the word and we’ll drop it,” Damien told her, double-checking, and I felt his mind prodding against mine. My best guess was that he’d done the same with Nix, trying to gauge all of our true thoughts and feelings on the topic.

  “D is right. I know doing all these experiments with your blood might seem invasive, and the last thing I want to do was is make you feel uncomfortable.” I shifted nervously in my chair, tapping my fingers in a steady rhythm against my thigh.

  Nix’s steady gaze landed on me and she shook her head. “No. It’s important to see what your research shows. Michael wanted me for my blood. I know your theory behind Ryder’s new power. We need to do this.” She rolled up her sleeve and laid her arm on the table.

  “That’s my strong girl.” The look Damien sent Nix was full of fire and radiating proudness. I felt the same way.

  “I just need a little from your human side,” I got my supplies together, but flicked my gaze to Nix as I delivered the rest of what I’d need. “Then I’m hoping to gather some blood from your Phoenix.”

  Nix looked up and took a deep breath, but then nodded her agreement.

  I quickly filled two small vials and then disengaged the needle, pressing gauze to the small wound on Nix’s inner elbow.

  I took my time labeling everything properly and storing the blood before standing.

  The wind whipped against the glass
as I joined Nix and Damien at the back door.

  “Fuck, it’s cold.” Nix winced as she peered out the glass and into the yard beyond. “I love the snow, but I’m still getting used to the drastic temperature change.”

  Damien snickered. “You can’t really have one without the other, babe.” His hand landed on the handle of the door, ready to pry it open, when Nix covered it with hers.

  “What are you doing?” She looked pointedly toward his jacket, which hung just a few feet away.

  “Going outside?” He looked at her quizzically.

  “Without your jacket?” She arched a brow at Damien.

  “Nix, we’re making you go outside, strip, and shift for us.” Damien’s eyebrows rose. “I don’t feel the cold all that much thanks to my Gargoyle’s skin. I think I can survive the small chill I’ll feel in solidarity.”

  “That’s just dumb.” Nix rolled her eyes and then arched a brow, propping her hands on her luscious hips, waiting for Damien to comply with her wishes.

  With a grumble, Damien donned the jacket, zipped it up, and gestured his hands toward his attire. “Happy now, mate?” Nix blushed a deep, satisfying color at the claiming word.

  She let her gaze drop down his body in sheer appreciation before her eyes returned to his face. “Very.”

  “Your turn.” He smirked back at her, tucking his hands into the pockets of his coat.

  “I don’t think phoenix wear jackets when they fly. Besides, I happen to have a little trick, remember?” She held up her hand and let her power surge forth, making flames erupt from the ends of her fingertips. Just as quickly, she shook her hand and they disappeared. “I'm hot… I mean… you know… fire?” The smirk that curved her lips was full of confidence. Nix bounced on her toes, clearly enjoying her logic, and claiming a win against Damien.

  “What about Theo?” The grin slipped from D’s face as he tried to find a foothold and one up Nix.

  “Hello… Kraken?” Nix smiled sweetly. “I’m convinced that big lug doesn’t feel the cold at all.”