Freed by Fire (Dragonkeepers Book 5)

by Kimber White

  “Kian,” I whispered. “You have to let me in. We need to talk.”

  He still didn’t answer. My terror rose. I left all social boundaries behind and opened the door. My heart dropped at what I saw. The room was empty. The sheets stripped and neatly folded on the edge of the bed. There was no trace of Kian or anyone else having been there.

  Kian was gone.

  “Calla?” Owen’s voice at my back startled me. I sucked in a breath and turned to him.

  “Have you seen…”

  Owen shook his head. “No. That’s what I was going to tell you. Your friend took off last night. Disappeared. He left right after Bobby did.”

  The accusation in Owen’s eyes was clear. Of course he’d told the same thing to Sheriff Baines. Bobby Kirkland was dead, and I had no doubt that Kian was the prime suspect.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kian

  The dragon won. The hunger inside me became something corporeal. It devoured. Destroyed. Decimated. God. It felt so good to just give in to the fire. I’d been so wrong. I thought I needed to feel and think. I was afraid to be alone. Now, it made me whole.

  The jagged Chicago skyline revealed itself through the clouds. One breath. I drew up, clawing at the air. One blast of fire laid it all to waste. Metal twisted and crunched then turned molten. It was so easy. I was free.

  I blinked. The small boats dotting the pier pitched and rolled with the tsunami my fire wrought. Chicago was gone. This was Shadow Point. The stoic blue heron statue perched on the roof buckled as my fire melted it.

  “No!”

  I screamed as I woke. It was pitch dark. Sweat poured down my back. Was it only sweat? I smelled blood again.

  “God,” I gasped. “No!”

  I was in the woods. I heard laughter in the distance. Twinkling lights poked through the gap in the tree line.

  Shadow Point. It was there. I hadn’t burned it to the ground. It had all been a dream. I checked my limbs, stretched my fingers and toes, counting them. It wasn’t blood after all. Except, I could smell the smoke. Charred flesh. When I closed my eyes, I saw Adam Webster’s lifeless face staring up at me.

  I got to my feet. Was it early morning or dead of night? I had no earthly clue how I got here or how long I’d been away. It felt like days. I tried to remember the last lucid memory I had.

  Calla.

  She was angry with me. Her fingers trailed over my back. She challenged me with her touch and her eyes. I wanted to devour her. Own her. Make her see the truth. It was so hard to breathe. The laughter grew louder.

  I was standing on a winding path. Up ahead, the trees broke and I could finally see where I was. Shadow Point had a nature trail through the woods. It was lined with lampposts and rows of wooden park benches. A couple walked toward me, laughing. She had her head against her lover’s shoulder. He kissed her.

  They saw me.

  “Hi there,” the man said. He was young. I blinked hard. One moment he was Adam Webster. Then, he was a stranger. “You okay, buddy?”

  I shook my head. “I…”

  “Are you lost?” she asked. Her companion pulled her closer.

  “No,” I managed. “I’m just heading home.”

  When they passed me by, I stepped out on the trail and under the full light. My skin was pale, but it was skin. My shirt was ripped at the sleeve, but at least I was still wearing one. These were different clothes than the ones I had on back at the bar with Calla. I had no memory of changing or what happened after she left.

  Fear flared in my heart. Had I hurt her? Was she safe?

  I shoved my hands in my pockets and put my head down. There were more people walking toward me on the path. At least I knew where I was. The Blue Heron was only a ten-minute walk from here if I stayed on the path. It was evening. Dinnertime, maybe. Calla would be working behind the bar.

  I quickened my step and managed a polite smile at the next group of people who came toward me on the path. It didn’t stop the slight look of fear I got from the women in the group. God, what did I look like? I smoothed my hair back. I was sweating, still, but felt more or less human for now. With each step I took toward the bar, I came more into myself.

  It was Calla. She drew me. I couldn’t explain it.

  As I rounded the corner, I could see the lights from the bar. That ridiculous heron statue seemed to stare at me with one great, black eye. It stood with a knee bent at an angle, making a number four with its legs. The woods thinned. Instinct fueled me. There was something wrong about the trees. About the path. I realized almost too late that there were no smaller animals around. No squirrels or birds.

  Just before I veered off the path, I heard a low, threatening rumble that made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Pairs of yellow eyes floated in the thickness of the trees.

  Wolves. An entire pack.

  I curled my fists and straightened my back. They’d surrounded me. I could fight them. Or, I could shift and take flight. They wouldn’t be able to see past my cloaking spell. But, the memory of my dream ripped through me. I didn’t trust that I was in control enough not to let the fire out.

  “Well,” I said. “You’ve got me cornered. Might as well come out and tell me what the hell you want.”

  The leaves rustled. All those yellow eyes stayed trained on me. But, two men emerged from behind one of the trees. The Alpha and his second.

  He was tall and thick-haired like wolves are. I think I’d seen these two at the bar my first night in town They had their eyes on Calla when she served me.

  The Alpha came to me, all swagger and flashing eyes. He had no fear. He didn’t understand what I was. With any luck, he wouldn’t.

  “Kian,” he said. “She calls you Kian.”

  White rage set fire to my insides. She. He meant Calla. Just the thought that he knew her stirred my animal.

  “That’s my name,” I said, not seeing the point in denying it now. It would be so easy to kill this wolf and all the others. One blast of fire and I could turn them to ash. It would feel so good.

  “So that’s who you are,” the wolf said. “Now I want to know what you are.”

  “You can stand down, wolf,” I said. “I don’t give two shits about your territory or your mates. But, the last time I checked, you’re far from both. Shadow Point is a neutral zone.”

  I didn’t know that for sure, but it was the only thing that made any sense. Bears and wolves generally stayed far away from each other when they could help it.

  “I asked you a question,” the wolf said. His eyes glowed yellow like the others. I could feel the tension running through them. They were waiting for their leader to give the go-ahead. I could taste their bloodlust. It matched my own.

  I let out a hiss through clenched teeth. This wolf had no idea what I could do to him or how good it might feel.

  “I saw you,” he said. “The other night. When you came into the bar. There’s something wrong with you.”

  “Then you best stay far away from me,” I said. It was so tempting to show him a little of my fire. Just a touch. My mother’s words and warnings played in my mind. Shifters sensed things about us when they got too close. They were the reason my kind was almost extinct. If this pack knew what I was, they would hunt me for my blood. At that moment, as I squared off with the Alpha, I so desperately wanted him to try.

  One of the wolves in the woods broke ranks. He lunged at me, his jaws snapping. He was quick. I was quicker. I ducked, rolling to the side. His claws just grazed my shoulder. So stupid. So close. If he broke the skin, it would tell him more than I wanted. This was all kinds of bad, and yet I couldn’t break away. I wanted the fight.

  The Alpha was on me. He stayed human, but just barely. I could see his wolf in his eyes. He was big, all right. I was bigger. He had shiny silver and black fur. Siberian, maybe. He was far away from his pack lands.

  He took a swing at me. I dodged it. He sent out a silent order to the rest of his pack. They closed in but stayed just far enough away. He pr
obably told them I was his kill tonight.

  “What are you?” he asked. “You smell wrong.”

  I raised a brow. “You want to compare smells, dog?”

  “I don’t like you,” he said.

  “I don’t care,” I countered. He circled me. I held my ground. From the corner of my eye, I watched the pack. The Alpha was starting to realize his miscalculation. He’d probably never encountered another being who stood his ground against him like this. Not with his entire pack circling.

  He took one more swing and this time I let the blow land. Let him fully understand what I was made of.

  His knuckles came back bloody and his eyes widened. If he wanted to win this fight, it would take all eight of them to leave so much as a scratch on me. There was murder in his eyes and I wondered. Had Adam Webster been his kill after all?

  “Mason, stop!”

  She was everywhere. Calla’s voice echoed through the woods. Thunder cracked. My heart stopped for a moment.

  Mason. The Alpha turned his back to me.

  “Don’t you move!” Calla stepped out of the shadows. She was out of breath from running. She pointed a finger straight at me. My blood raced through my veins. She was too close. Mason growled at her and my vision went white.

  “Stop,” she said again. “Mason, you’re not helping. This isn’t a fight you want to wage right now. Take your pack and leave. Go home.”

  “Home?” he said. “Calla...you’re forgetting who I am.”

  “No,” she said. He was too damn close to her. I would rip his fucking arms out of their sockets if he so much as breathed on her. “You’re forgetting who I am. Dammit, Mason, we can’t have this. This isn’t you. Were you really planning to go after him eight against one?”

  Mason blinked. The color drained from his face. When he looked back at me, he seemed...embarrassed. What the ever-loving hell had Calla done to him? I could feel it. She was throwing off some kind of magic. It was intoxicating, calming. I swayed on my feet feeling drowsy. It was the same with Mason and the pack. I felt his aggression melting off of him.

  “He’s not right, Calla,” Mason said. “He doesn’t belong here.”

  Calla locked eyes with me. Her unspoken message was clear. She didn’t want me to move a muscle or say a word. With just her presence, she managed to defuse the bomb that was Mason and his pack. But only just.

  “He’s not hurting anyone,” Calla said. “And he’s not going to stay. Tensions are high. I get that. But we’ve got something kind of great in Shadow Point. I’d like to keep it that way. This is bad for business, Mason.”

  Mason let out a sigh. He whistled and made a circular gesture with his finger. His pack retreated into the woods. One of them let out a howl as he fled.

  “Go,” Calla said. She put a hand on Mason’s shoulder. I clenched my fists. I would kill him where he stood if he moved. He didn’t.

  Mason shook his head. “One of these days, you’re going to trust the wrong person,” he said. He turned to me. “And you. She better be right. You shouldn’t stay.”

  I curled my lips, ready to tell him where to shove his advice. A quick look from Calla silenced me. Then, incredibly, Mason shifted into his wolf and bounded after his pack.

  Calla let out a sigh and doubled over in a sort of plane crash position. She seemed so calm and in control a second ago. She wasn’t. Now that Mason and the pack were gone, I could sense Calla’s pulse more clearly. Hers was nearly pounding out of her skin. She was terrified.

  “Calla,” I said, going to her. I slid my arms around her waist as her legs buckled. She was so hot to the touch. The craving in me rose. I burned for her.

  “Kian,” she said. “Where have you been?”

  “I...I don’t know.” I gave her an honest answer. “I don’t even know how long I’ve been gone.”

  She recovered, straightening. Calla’s eyes searched my face. “Kian, I haven’t seen you for almost a week. I thought…”

  I wanted to apologize to her. There was real fear in her eyes. “Did something happen?” I asked, afraid to hear the answer.

  She swallowed hard. “Kian...I have to get you out of here. Mason will come back. He won’t be able to help himself. Will you trust me?”

  Trust.

  Her magic swirled around her. I believed in my heart it might be invisible to anyone but me. She wasn’t in control of it just then.

  “Come on,” she said. “We’re running out of time.” She took my hand and led me away from the woods.

  Chapter Twelve

  Calla

  Promises. Lies. I was a fool. My rage was power. It swirled around me. I couldn’t contain it. For once, I didn’t want to. Kian came willingly. If he hadn’t, I might have tried to throw him over my shoulder and shove him through the cave entrance.

  It was a secret place. There was magic here. The kind that repelled shifters. Astor had set it up. He did this everywhere we went, just in case we might need somewhere to hide.

  “What is this place?” Kian asked. We stood at the mouth of the cave. It was nearly dawn. This was the thickest part of the woods at the edge of the Tiger Mountain Forest. There were no trails here. No markers. Still, Kian sensed the magic. It made his skin prickle. If I’d ever doubted his “otherness” I could see it plainly now. His skin rippled and I could hear a catch in his breath.

  “Move,” I said. “Keep going until I tell you to stop.”

  Part of me wanted him to test me. Had he played me for a fool this whole time? For the first time in my life, I wanted to scream at my long-dead mother. She wrote that I’d know “the one” when the time was right. Was I losing my damn mind thinking there was something different about Kian?

  He regarded me with a stony look, but didn’t fight. He turned his back on me in an act of trust as he walked into the darkness. He went back as far as he could until he met the cave’s inner wall. A rocky ledge formed a sort of natural bench. Kian turned and sat. His dark eyes flashed as I flicked on an LED lamp I kept here along with a pack of supplies.

  “Let me see your hands,” I commanded.

  Kian raised a curious brow, but did what I asked. If anything, he seemed amused by me. It was infuriating. Two men were dead. Enough people believed he had something to do with it.

  Kian held his hands in front of him, palms up. I wasted no time. I reached for a length of chain in my pack and bound his wrists together.

  “What the hell are you doing?” he asked, but still he didn’t fight me. He underestimated me. I was just a human, after all, as far as he was concerned. He wasn’t scared. In a moment, I knew he would be. When he tested the chain and realized not even the strongest of shifters could break through it.

  I took the end of the chain and looped it through a metal ring I’d driven into the stone. I stepped back.

  “What the hell is this?” Kian asked, the first signs of panic in his voice.

  “It’s dragonsteel,” I said. “Don’t bother trying to break it. You can’t.”

  “How the hell did you get dragonsteel?” he asked. Rage came into his eyes as he realized he was wrong to trust me. I’d let him get cocky and used it to my advantage.

  “Where have you been?” I asked. “You disappeared for a week, Kian. The whole town’s been looking for you.”

  “The whole town,” he said through gritted teeth, “or just you?”

  “Two men are dead,” I said. “Adam and my friend Bobby. He was the waiter at the Blue Heron. They were murdered by a shifter. I need the truth. Was it you?”

  Kian’s eyes widened. Either he was a good actor, or the news of Bobby’s death really was a surprise.

  “Where have you been?” I asked, getting in his space. “Don’t lie to me. I’ll know it.”

  “You think I killed your friends?” He leaned forward. We were nose to nose. The heat coming off of him was intense. Sweat broke out along his brow.

  I grabbed a flashlight from the pack and shined it in his face. Kian squinted and recoiled. I went to him
. If he tried anything, I knew I was fast enough to dodge it.

  “Hold still,” I said. I trained the light on his chest, his hands. Reaching for him, I ripped open his shirt. A thin sheen of sweat made his muscles glisten. Kian’s breath was hot against my cheek as I got close enough to see all the tiny hairs over his pecs.

  His skin was tanned, but unmarred. There were no new scratches or bites like I’d seen before. If he’d had a run-in with another shifter, there was no evidence of it now. But, it proved nothing. Bobby would have been no match for Kian no matter what kind of power he had.

  “The police have been looking for you,” I said. “You disappeared after Bobby’s body was found. Tell me where you’ve been.”

  Kian’s nostrils flared. “You’d be better off staying far away from me. I told you before, I never asked for your help.”

  I lunged at him. I grabbed Kian’s chin and forced his head back. He snarled but sat frozen. Power came off him in waves. It was strong and hot. Oh, he had a beast inside of him, all right. Now, it was time for me to see what it was.

  The dragonsteel would hold him. Even without it, he’d never be strong enough or fast enough to hurt me. There was only one way I knew to drive his beast to the surface. I drew back a fist and hit him square in the jaw.

  Kian’s head whipped back. He let out a growl but shook off my blow like it was nothing. His eyes flashed.

  “There you are,” I whispered.

  “Stay away from me, Calla,” he said.

  “Did you kill Adam and Bobby?”

  He didn’t answer. I grabbed his face again. We were so close. Nose to nose. I could feel him struggle to keep his beast at bay. God. He was strong. So much raw power and heat. I fed off it. My knees shook and an answering heat rose in me. It took my breath away.