Charred by Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  Levet considered her words. He had no love for the dragons. Indeed, he found them almost as annoying as the vampires. An amazing feat.

  But he couldn’t believe that Char would betray Baine.

  Besides, the half-breed didn’t have the skills necessary to whisk Blayze away.

  “Non, he can only slow time,” he reminded his companion. “He could not physically transport himself into the past.”

  A portion of Tayla’s tension eased, although her expression remained worried. Until Blayze was returned, the looming war between dragons and vampires remained a very real possibility.

  “Then what other explanation is there?” she asked.

  Levet furrowed his brow. He didn’t know any demons capable of sneaking into a dragon’s lair and then traveling through time. It would have taken an enormous amount of power.

  The kind of power only a dragon possessed.

  “What is Blayze’s magic?”

  Tayla blinked, clearly caught off guard by his question. “I don’t know.”

  Levet gave a lift of his hands, knowing that he was grasping at…hmm…what was it? Hay? Grass?

  Straw.

  Grasping at straws.

  Still, he had no other theory.

  “If she has the ability to travel through time, she might have decided to go into the past,” he said.

  Tayla stiffened, as if she was offended by his words. “Why would she want to leave? She just came home.”

  Ah. She thought he was implying that Blayze was attempting to flee from her family, including Tayla’s mate, Baine.

  “It would be the only way to escape her curse,” he pointed out in gentle tones.

  “Oh.” Tayla caught her bottom lip between her teeth, considering Levet’s words. “And if we force her to return?”

  Levet grimaced. The more he considered his wild theory, the more likely it seemed to be. After all, Blayze was already in the lair, which would answer the question of why Levet had not been able to detect the scent of an intruder.

  Of course, he didn’t know why she would take Char with her, unless his magic remained tangled with her and it had been an accident.

  Oui. That made sense.

  Satisfied with the explanation, he turned his thoughts to solving the puzzle of what would happen if Vex could manage to grasp onto the dragon’s mind and pull her back through time.

  His wings drooped, his stomach suddenly feeling icky. “Then it is quite likely the curse will return.”

  Tayla gave a soft gasp, but before she could speak, Vex was calling out in satisfaction.

  “I think I have her.”

  “Vex.” Levet waddled forward, his tail stuck straight out behind him. “Wait.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Blayze roared. Her hulking size was a stupendous benefit when a dragon was soaring through open skies or fighting armies spread across a battlefield.

  Not so great in the cramped confines of the lair.

  Awkwardly turning toward the room, she watched as the vampire skidded to a halt near the back wall. He was just realizing that he’d managed to trap himself.

  With a sizzle of magic, Blayze returned to her human form. She didn’t have the same power, but she was far more agile. Something that seemed important as Flynn lifted his hand to reveal a small, ceramic pot.

  The curse.

  “No, stay back,” Flynn warned.

  “Blayze, be careful,” Bolt said as he stepped through the rubble that had once been the doorway.

  The vampire glared at the male dragon. “Why did you deceive me?”

  It was Blayze who answered. “Because you intend to betray your master.”

  The vampire glared at them, his arrogant expression not entirely capable of hiding his fear as his eyes darted from side to side.

  He knew he was cornered. Which only made him more dangerous.

  “A lie,” he hissed, curling back his lips to reveal his massive fangs.

  Blayze ignored his pointy teeth. They couldn’t hurt her. The only thing she feared was the vessel he had clenched in his hand.

  Bolt eased his way along the wall, moving slowly enough he didn’t startle the vampire.

  “We already know that you are scheming with Magma to destroy Synge,” Bolt said.

  “A dangerous accusation,” the vampire snapped.

  “Yes, very dangerous. I can assure you that he will destroy you once he discovers what you have been plotting,” Bolt drawled, continuing to circle the room.

  Realizing that Bolt was hoping to get close enough to grab the clay pot, Blayze stepped forward, drawing the vampire’s attention in her direction.

  “Actually, it’s much more likely he’ll be kept alive so Synge can torture him,” she said in musing tones. “He is a dragon who loves to cause pain to those who dare betray him.”

  The vampire lost a hint of his arrogance, his expression hard as he considered the best way to survive the next few minutes. “What do you want?” he finally asked.

  “Why would you betray your master?” Blayze demanded, still trying to keep Flynn focused on her.

  The vampire narrowed his gaze, an ugly expression settling on his pale face. “Dragons are not the only demons with ambition.”

  “You wanted a promotion?” she scoffed.

  The vampire looked confused, unfamiliar with the term. “I desired my freedom.”

  Blayze rolled her eyes. Was the vampire stupid?

  “And you believe Magma would have released you from your service?” she asked. “He is a dragon without honor.”

  Flynn shrugged. “He would have no choice. If I revealed what he had done, he would be destroyed by the other Council members.”

  Blayze gave a slow shake of her head. The vampire obviously had more ambition than brains. Magma would turn him into a pile of ash the second he’d served his purpose.

  But before she could tell Flynn he was an idiot, she was distracted as the strange tingles returned.

  What the hell was going on?

  She shivered, trying to resist the urge to look over her shoulder. It could be a trick. Perhaps a servant loyal to Magma was lurking nearby just trying to confuse her.

  Unfortunately, she must have given some hint that her attention had wavered. Or maybe Flynn belatedly realized that Bolt was getting close enough to rip off his head—one certain way to kill a vampire.

  Whichever spooked him, the vampire lifted the clay pot and with one mighty heave was tossing it directly at Blayze.

  Three things happened all at once.

  Blayze instinctively ducked as the vessel sailed across the room. Bolt leaped forward to place his large body between her and the incoming curse. And a strangely erotic blast of magic filled the air.

  Knocked off balance, Blayze tumbled backward, smacking her head against the floor. Bolt, however, stayed standing directly in the path of the curse.

  “Bolt, no,” she cried out, watching in horror as he remained in front of her, clearly determined to play the hero.

  But even as she tried to scramble upright, the unknown magic gave a violent pulse, and in the blink of an eye, Bolt was gone.

  Just like that.

  At the same time, the vessel flew over her head and hit the wall behind her. The fragile ceramic smashed on impact, releasing the curse harmlessly into the air.

  Shocked silence briefly paralyzed Blayze as she tried to sort through what had just happened. The sight of Flynn tossing the curse. Bolt dashing to stand in front of her.

  And then…

  Poof. He was gone.

  Had Flynn done something? No. That was impossible. Vampires didn’t have the ability to create magic.

  So had it been a portal? Or did Bolt possess some strange power that allowed him to simply disappear?

  Dazed, she slowly rose to her feet, giving a small shake of her head.

  She was still struggling to clear her brain when there was a blur of motion. Damn. Flynn was trying to escape.

  Fury boiled through
her. A white-hot, ancient anger that carried the force of a volcano.

  This was the evil monster who’d cursed her.

  He was going to pay.

  With a low growl, she lunged toward his fleeing form, knocking him to the ground before he ever made it out of the room. Then, forgetting the centuries she’d devoted to imagining the various tortures she intended to inflict on the creature responsible for her misery, she allowed her fingers to shift into massive claws.

  “Save a place for Magma in the underworld,” she hissed before she was swiping her claws across his throat, easily slicing off his head.

  She was turning away from Flynn as a dark burst of energy surrounded his body and it began to disintegrate into a pile of ash.

  She no longer had an interest in the vampire who’d destroyed her life. Coming back in time meant that she now had a chance for a future. That was all that mattered.

  Oh, and Char. He mattered most of all.

  About to head out through the destroyed wall, Blayze felt the strange magic brush against her skin.

  She frowned, instinctively reaching out with her powers.

  Immediately she realized that it hadn’t come from a dragon. Which meant that Bolt wasn’t responsible for his own disappearance.

  Her heart missed a sudden beat.

  If someone else had created the portal, then that meant…

  Hope.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Char pressed his back against the wall, gritting his teeth as he struggled to remain upright. A task that would be a lot easier if the furious dragon would stop fighting against the spell that was holding him mid-shift.

  The effort to maintain his magic was not only taking its toll on his body, but it was also making it impossible for Char to concentrate on what he intended to do next.

  He really, really needed a Plan B.

  One that didn’t include being melted by dragon flames.

  “Release me,” Magma commanded, his voice oddly distorted by the spell.

  The fact he could speak at all, however, meant that Char was barely keeping him restrained.

  “A hard pass on that,” Char muttered.

  The shimmer around the dragon pulsed as he continued to struggle to get free. “Did you hear me?” The words were less distorted, and louder. They echoed down the corridor.

  “I think the entire lair heard you.” Sweat trickled down Char’s face, his lungs burning. Was it the heat from Magma, or the strain of trying to maintain his spell? It didn’t really matter. “Including Synge, who’s going to be very interested in why you were in this area of his home,” he told the dragon, hoping it would stop the male from fighting against the magic.

  It didn’t.

  Hell, it only increased his efforts.

  “I will destroy you,” the male growled.

  Char clicked his tongue. “Now is that any way to get me to release you?” he mocked.

  Magma grunted, the heat in the air making the stone glow red-hot. “Your magic is weakening.”

  Char had no witty comeback. His magic wasn’t just weakening. It was on the verge of complete collapse.

  Then, he was suddenly jerking his head to the side as he belatedly realized that the heat wasn’t just coming from Magma. There was another dragon nearby.

  One who was becoming intimately familiar to him.

  “Blayze,” he breathed, watching as she hurried around the curve of the corridor. He swept his gaze over her, a sharp relief twisting his heart. She looked pale and disheveled, but she was alive and seemingly unharmed. Then he felt the heavy power of Magma pressing against his magic and his relief transformed to fear. “Dammit. What are you doing here?”

  She ignored the dragon who was surrounded by the shimmer of Char’s spell. Almost as if she didn’t even notice he was there. Instead, she sent Char a tight smile.

  “I think I have a way for us to return to our time.”

  He studied her in confusion. “How?”

  She waved a hand, urging him to follow her. “Come with me.”

  He frowned, struggling to accept what she was saying. He’d already resigned himself to dying in this corridor. Now she was saying she could take them home?

  “What about Flynn?” he demanded, glancing over her shoulder.

  She shrugged. “I killed him.”

  “And the curse?”

  “Gone.”

  A slow smile curled his lips. He didn’t know what he loved more about this female. The fact that she could so easily kick ass, or the fact that she didn’t even realize how spectacular she was.

  “Good girl,” he told her.

  The dragon next to them wasn’t nearly so impressed with her splendid ability to destroy her enemies. His distorted roar rattled through the corridor, making the floor shake and dust filter from the ceiling.

  “What do you want to do with him?” he asked his companion.

  Her features hardened as she glanced toward Magma. She seemed to consider her options before giving a reluctant shake of her head.

  “I can’t risk depleting my power,” she admitted, genuine regret threaded through her voice. “How much longer will your magic hold him?”

  He grimaced. “Not more than a few minutes.”

  “Long enough,” she assured him.

  Frustration coiled through Char. He wanted to destroy Magma. He wanted to physically pummel the bastard for the pain he’d forced Blayze to endure.

  But she was right.

  He could barely stand. He certainly didn’t have the strength to kill a pureblood dragon. Even if the beast was trapped in his spell.

  Still, he couldn’t resist a parting farewell to the bastard.

  Leaning forward, he spoke in a low voice. “It’s possible that you will escape death today, unless Synge can figure out what’s going on before you escape,” he said. “But I promise that I will hunt you down in the future. And I will annihilate you.”

  Magma released another roar, making Char smile in satisfaction. But before he could continue his smack talk, Blayze was grasping his arm and tugging him away.

  “Char, let’s go,” she commanded.

  He allowed himself to be pulled around the curve of the corridor. Okay, it wasn’t so much that he allowed himself to be led. He was simply incapable of doing anything but stumbling behind Blayze as he struggled to stay upright.

  Thankfully, they didn’t seem to have far to go as she headed directly toward the ragged hole in the nearby wall.

  She stepped over the rubble that filled the corridor. It looked like someone had blasted open the door with a tank. Or a large dragon had gone through it.

  “Where’s Bolt?” he asked, surprised he couldn’t sense the male.

  They entered the room where they’d originally arrived in the lair. His eyes widened. It looked decidedly worse for wear. The furniture that had been carefully stacked against the walls was toppled, and a few pieces were completely smashed. Plus the far wall was covered in some nasty goo. The curse?

  “He disappeared.”

  Char came to a startled halt. He couldn’t have heard her right. “What did you say?”

  She moved to stand only inches from the wall. “He darted in front of me to protect me from the curse,” she said. As if that explained everything.

  His brows drew together in confusion. “Was he hit with the spell?” he demanded.

  She shook her head, walking in a circle with her hand held out in front of her.

  “No. Like I said, he disappeared, before the curse reached him.”

  He felt a stab of concern. Had something happened that had rattled Blayze’s senses? She was wandering around in a circle, babbling nonsense, as far as he could tell.

  That would explain why she suddenly thought she could get them back home.

  “Dragons don’t just disappear,” he reminded her in a gentle tone.

  “Not without help,” she said, coming to a sudden halt. “Here.”

  He moved toward her, intending to pull her out
of the room. In a minute, maybe two, his spell holding Magma was going to fail. And when it did, all hell was going to break loose.

  They needed to get back to the throne room and hope they could convince Synge to destroy the other dragon.

  But even as he reached to grasp her arm, he caught an unexpected scent that lingered in the air. He frowned, sucking in a deep breath.

  “It smells like…”

  “What?” she demanded as his words trailed away.

  It took a second for him to place the evocative odor. “Succubus,” he finally announced.

  She sent him a startled glance. “Odd. They don’t have the power to create portals, do they?”

  Like most demons, Char’s knowledge of succubi was extremely limited. They tended to remain hidden from the world, appearing to feed off humans before returning to their secluded nests.

  “They’re a secretive species,” he said with a shrug. “I’m not sure what their powers are, beyond being capable of feeding off sexual energy.”

  Blayze studied him with a searching gaze. “Hmm.”

  Char blinked, not sure why she was looking at him as if he had a smudge on his face. Then he abruptly realized she thought he’d had a sampling of the succubi’s “sexual energy.”

  He held up a slender hand. “I’m just telling you what I’ve heard. I don’t have any personal experience with a succubus.”

  Her lips twitched as she returned her attention to a spot directly in front of her. Was she using her magic?

  “Perhaps my father commanded her to try and locate me,” she said. “He couldn’t have known we traveled back in time.”

  Synge? And a succubus?

  This truly was madness.

  He lightly touched her shoulder. “What’s going on, Blayze?”

  “Someone managed to grab Bolt and suck him into…” She gave a small shrug. “Not a portal, precisely. But through a narrow split in time and space.” Her features settled into a determined expression. “I can feel the spell that she used. Which means I can grab onto the magic and take us out of here.”

  There was a tingle in the air, and the speckles of color in Blayze’s pale eyes flared with power.

  Char hissed in shock. “Wait, Blayze.”