The First Dawn (Daughter of the Phoenix Book Three)

by Victoria J. Price

  Alexander wrapped his wings around her, nudging her closer until their bodies were almost touching. She resisted the urge to step away. You could hurt him. You could seriously wound him.

  “So do you.” His hands wrapped around her waist, his thumbs tracing light circles over the small of her back. She thought of twirling her fingers through the waves in his hair but hesitated. His gaze lowered for a moment, and she bit her lip. You could hurt him.

  The scents of the forest drifted from Alexander. Pine and earth and jasmine and cinnamon—the forest back in Ohinyan that sat parallel to London. She breathed him in as he narrowed the distance between them, his hands easing her closer just a fraction. The small space between their bodies became even smaller, but he didn’t press her further, as if he could sense her hesitation.

  Maybe he thinks you’ll burn him too. “Did you know?” she asked quietly. “About my magic?”

  His eyebrows scrunched and he frowned as he said, “I had no idea.”

  “And you’re not…” Fia didn’t know if she could bring herself to say it. “You’re not afraid of me?”

  He closed the space between them, pressing her close, his hands knotting in her hair. “How could I ever be afraid of you?” he whispered. Her face was against his chest, his heartbeat matching her own. His magic hummed against hers, soothing, easing her. “Nothing you do could ever make me fear you. I love you.” His face nuzzled into her hair, and this time when he trembled, she knew it wasn’t his magic.

  A hot tear pooled between her cheek and Alexander’s chest and he brought his hands to her face. “I love you,” he said again. It wasn’t a demand or a request; it was pure emotion, and it was written all over his face.

  Fia reached her hands up into his hair as his lips brushed against hers. “I never thought—” he began.

  “I know,” she breathed. “He told me you were dead, but I knew. I knew you couldn’t be.” She held his gaze, overcome by the emotion pouring from him.

  Alexander pressed his lips to hers in response. Softly at first, so painfully gently Fia wondered if he thought she might break if he kissed her too hard. Her fingers curled in his hair, one hand tracing the muscles along his shoulders. The air hummed with their magic and she gasped as she remembered it had been this way since the first time they’d been close to each other. It was their magic, all along. Like calling to like. He caught her bottom lip between his as her lips parted and then his tongue was against hers, deepening their kiss.

  Fia forgot the world. Forgot that one was ending. Forgot that so much relied on her actions. All that mattered was here, now, with him and she kissed him back just as fiercely until he pulled back for them to catch a breath.

  “I heard every word.” He traced a thumb across her cheek. “Every message.” His face darkened. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there in time. I saw him take you, that day in Djira. I saw how close he was to you, touching you.” Alexander swallowed. “Did he hurt you?”

  “No.” She kissed him again. “I don’t want to think about Erebus. Not now.” She swallowed. “My magic, it’s… I’ve done things. Things that I’m not… I’m not proud of.”

  Alexander caught a loose strand of hair between his fingers, rolling it between finger and thumb. He pressed his forehead gently to hers. “Nothing you have done, nothing you do, will make me fear you. Will make me think any less of you.” He cleared his throat. “I’ve had to…” He shook his head. “I understand. The magic. It changes things.”

  She looked up at him. His eyes were full of sadness. He’d changed since the last time they were together. So had she. But that thought didn’t frighten her. All she saw in his expression was understanding. All she felt in the hum around them was someone who saw her, who knew her. Who wasn’t going to run from who she was. “It does,” she whispered.

  Alexander unfolded his wings and Fia blinked back at the sudden intrusion of candlelight from the tent, even though it was soft. He took her hand and tugged her gently towards the bed to sit beside him. She moved tentatively, putting physical space between them as she sat.

  The corner of Alexander’s mouth twitched. “You can’t hurt me, you know.” A wing shifted her closer, and a cool breeze kissed her cheek. He hadn’t let go of her hand, and he rubbed his thumb over hers. “I know you never would.”

  Fia wiped at another tear and nodded. But what if she did hurt him? What if something happened? She’d never forgive herself. He’d never love her if he knew all of it, would he?

  He reached for something, and when he leaned back, he held the golden cuff he’d given her back on Earth in his hand. “I kept this for you,” he said. His voice was quiet, barely a whisper.

  Fia held out her wrist for him and Alexander placed the cuff over it gently. Their eyes met, and Fia thought of all the things she wanted to say. What it meant that he’d waited to return the cuff to her. What he meant to her. She reached for his face and ran her fingers along the stubble of his jaw, and he pressed his face into her hand. “Thank you,” she managed to say, fighting back more tears that threatened to spill over.

  Alexander kissed her hand, softly. And then her wrist. And again. Each movement was so soft, so gentle, so considered. Until he seemed to forget his control and pulled her into his lap, his mouth on hers again, his wings wrapped tightly around her. Fia lost her hands in his hair, tugging him closer. She was vaguely aware of the breeze stirring the room around them, of the candle flickering on the table. Of how the air hummed around them.

  She ran a hand down the taut muscles of Alexander’s stomach, and he let out a quiet groan in reply. She stilled, worried she’d hurt him, worried a spark had flown from her fingertips as her concentration fell away in tatters.

  “Fia,” Alexander breathed. “It’s okay. You’re not going to hurt me.” He had a hand wrapped around her knee, and heat bloomed beneath his touch. He followed her gaze to his hand, stroking above her knee, along the inside of her leg and brushed his fingers up the length of her thigh until her back arched in response and he kissed her again.

  A breeze rustled her hair and Alexander pulled away, just enough to look down at her in his arms. “You’re so beautiful.” His blue eyes had darkened but not in the way they had before. Fia shivered as his hand traced further up her leg and she pulled him back down, not wanting to waste a moment of time with him. There was so much to say, but right now she just needed this, him.

  Something clicked in the tent behind them, and Fia froze in Alexander’s arms. No. She pulled back, twisting away from him, ice wrapping its way around her spine to see…

  “Well, don’t stop on my behalf. I was rather enjoying the show.” Erebus winked as he leaned against the tent’s centre pole, his arms folded across his chest.

  Alexander was on his feet beside Fia, a wing positioned defensively around her as the air in the tent began to spiral.

  She couldn’t use her flames, not so close to Alexander. She couldn’t risk it. “How did you find me?”

  “Fia, dear, when will you learn that I can find you anywhere?” A smug expression settled across Erebus’s face.

  The air crackled. It was Alexander’s magic; she could feel it intensifying even as he maintained his posture.

  Erebus clicked his tongue again. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Alex. Fia and I are going to leave. And you’re going to let us. Or this will get…” he eyed the debris spiralling in the room around them. “Interesting.”

  A sword shot through the air like a javelin, and Erebus swatted it away with his shadows. Alexander pushed Fia back as he dove for it, swiping at Erebus’s chest. But Erebus had already fallen into his shadow form.

  Alexander didn’t stop though, he slashed at the shadows, spiralled the air to try and disperse Erebus into pieces, but nothing worked.

  Erebus laughed and fell back into his angel form, his shadows ripping the sword from Alexander’s hand. “You won’t pull the air from my lungs quite so easily, leader of angels.”

  Alexander backed up to he
r again, inserting himself as a shield between her and Erebus. If she could just get outside. Away from Alexander’s feathers. Away from the tents. She stepped forwards, but Alexander gently caught her wrist, his fingers brushing against the golden cuff. “It’s going to be okay,” she said. She forced a smile but knew it was more of a grimace as she shrugged his hand away.

  Erebus had straightened, inspecting his fingernails. “There, there. Listen to your beloved, Alexander. Shall we?” He reached a hand to Fia, exposing the black veins that still spread across his chest.

  She sidestepped Erebus and walked out of the tent into the night air. The camp was quiet. Too quiet. But she still had to lure him away, away from the tents, away from her friends, wherever he had led them. She made it to the perimeter of the camp before Erebus appeared before her. She stopped and felt Alexander’s body press against her back. “Please,” she whispered to him. “Please step back.” She brought her hands up, sparks of blue igniting in her palms. Alexander’s eyes widened as she glanced up at him.

  “I wouldn’t do that.” Erebus clicked his tongue again.

  Fia didn’t wait for him to say anything else. She threw a fireball at him, and another, and another. In a flash of black shadows, he sidestepped them all.

  “Do not provoke me,” Erebus hissed. “You will not find the consequences agreeable.”

  Fia threw another fireball, a gust of wind carrying it and accelerating it into a jet of flames, a roaring explosion of blue. She looked to Alexander beside her and he nodded, his mouth a firm line. He’d done that, with his magic. Fuelled her fire, but she couldn’t read his expression.

  She released more flames and he did it again, their magic working together to release an inferno wherever Erebus moved until there were small fires scattered all around them. Alexander drew the air from the worst of them and somehow rushed them towards Erebus in a burst of blue flame.

  “Enough!” Erebus remained in his ethereal form, the flames passing right through him. A snake of black shadows shot from Erebus, and Alexander made a choking sound behind Fia. She spun around; her flames forgotten. Alexander had his hands at his throat, clawing at the darkness squeezing around it. No. All the fight fell away from her, fear taking its place.

  “Stop it,” she pleaded. “Stop it, please. You’ll kill him.” She turned to face Erebus, an angel again, one arm outstretched to hold his power around Alexander, the other reaching—for her. Alexander made a pained sound as Erebus squeezed tighter.

  Fia looked back at him, at the fear in his eyes that told her he knew what she was about to do. But she couldn’t let him die. “I love you,” she breathed. And then the darkness descended.

  Chapter Twenty–One

  Alexander

  F ia was gone.

  Alexander’s head was pounding. I love you. Her words and the look on her face as she went with Erebus echoed in his ears and danced like a shadow before his eyes.

  Noor had appeared moments after Fia and Erebus had vanished, springing into action to put out Fia’s fires. As soon as Alexander’s senses returned to him, he reached for the air fuelling the remaining flames and tugged at it, extinguishing the blue to nothing but smoke.

  Fia hadn’t caused much damage, and he had already ensured the worst of it was under control. They were far from the rest of the camp here, but angels had come from their tents to see what all the commotion was about. Erebus would have taken her back to Ohinyan, Alexander was certain of it. He had to leave, had to return to the gate.

  “Alexander?” Noor was beside him. “We’ll get her back,” the witch said softly.

  Maab and the others appeared from the forest, along with three angels and a young woman in a hooded dress who held herself like she was royalty. Noor gestured to them. “These are friends of Fia’s, and you’re going to want to hear what they have to say before we make our next move.”

  “I’ll speak with the soldiers,” the female angel said, marching away before anyone had the chance to protest. She wore the same uniform as the rest, as did the two males.

  Alexander gestured to his tent. “Let’s talk inside.” He didn’t wait for the others to follow; he just needed a moment to gather his thoughts. As he stepped inside, his gaze flickered to the bed where he had sat with Fia in his arms just moments before, the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes upon. Then she had unleashed her blue flame upon Erebus, and in Alexander’s eyes that only made her even more incredible.

  Noor made the introductions. “This is Rainn and Jax,” she said, waving a hand at the two angels. Rainn seemed to hold authority over the other two and was most protective over the young woman standing beside him. “That was Aura, who just left. And this,” Noor continued, “is their queen, Evina.”

  Queen. The young woman nodded but said nothing, instead she looked to Rainn. “Her Majesty cannot use her voice at present. I will answer any questions on her behalf,” the angel said, staring at them all with his mismatched eyes as if daring them to disagree. He hadn’t left Evina’s side, and Alexander wondered if he should have offered her a seat. With the other two angels acting as her chaperones, he was sure if she wanted a seat, they’d have brought her one by now. But Evina didn’t strike Alexander as a demanding queen.

  Alexander introduced Maab and Osara, the only two Nords who had followed them into the tent. The queen’s gaze lingered on Osara for a heartbeat longer than necessary, and when she looked away, Evina caught Alexander watching her. “My name is Alexander.”

  “Leader of angels in our world,” Maab added. A strategic move, no doubt, to test where the angels’ loyalties lay. Alexander would have opted to reveal that information later. Pulling rank made little difference to those truly intent on causing harm. But these angels, like the others that had welcomed them to the camp, didn’t seem the type to serve a power-hungry king. In the day Alexander and the others had spent in the camp, they’d been made welcome, shown maps of the area to plan their routes, and given supplies, but the angels had revealed little about the affairs of their world, or of their king. And still, Rainn’s piercing gaze seemed to bore into Maab as the Nord held his position beside the opening of the tent.

  “Perhaps you’d be so kind as to explain why there seems to be a war in the name of the king and queen, yet you seem to be loyal to both?” Alexander noted their attire; it was exactly the same as the other soldiers. He wondered if these angels felt the cold; if their skin could be so easily pierced that they’d need armour to protect it; thin, flexible armour, but armour, nonetheless.

  The other male, Jax, made a guttural sound but said nothing. “Angels do not serve the king by choice. He is nothing but a cheat and a thief who stole the throne from Her Majesty, with Erebus’s help,” Rainn explained.

  Alexander had to will his magic not to stir at Erebus’s name. He would tear down this entire world to find Fia if it came to it. “How exactly, did Erebus assist him?”

  “Randin fled Ohinyan when Her Majesty’s sister foiled his plans there, ceasing the war in your lands. Erebus struck a bargain with him; one that would weaken the wards on his prison,” Rainn explained.

  Alexander’s head spun. Randin, King of Himera. He’d disappeared after a brutal war that he’d started and could not win. A war that was not without heavy casualties. But none of that changed the fact that Ohinyan’s sun was dying. That Fia was missing, again. “I’m sorry that one world wasn’t enough for them both, that they had to take another in their wake. But there is still hope for your world. Ohinyan is on the brink of death, and only Fia can help us to save it.”

  “And Lorn, it would seem.” Rainn pulled aside a seat for Evina, but she politely waved him away. “Erebus has a fascination with both of them. He doesn’t know which of them is your fire mother. We think he’s taken them both back to Ohinyan, and we’d like to accompany you. He has something of Her Majesty’s, something that will help us rid the throne of Randin.”

  “And what is that, exactly?” Osara asked. She’d been quiet, as she usually
was, but her eyes had seemed to light up at the mention of Randin’s name. Alexander supposed she might have been a young soldier in the war, as he was at fourteen when Randin’s armies swept across Ohinyan. But he didn’t linger on the thought, instead, he dissected what Rainn had said about Lorn and the fire mother. Fia had mentioned something about tests in Erebus’s prison, but the message had broken off.

  It was Noor who answered. “Evina’s voice. And with it, I assume, some magic?” The queen’s attention fixed on Noor, silently assessing.

  “That’s correct,” Rainn said. “Her Majesty must get it back, and with it, she can remove Randin from the throne, free the angels from his hold, and put an end to the war that he has brought to our world.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” Osara asked, “I will scout a path back to the gate.” She made to leave, but Noor caught her wrist.

  “Patience,” Noor said. “A few wise words might save hours of unnecessary flight.”

  Noor was right, of course, but again Alexander caught the way Evina watched the witch—or Osara—Alexander couldn’t be sure.

  “Our arrival here did not go as we’d have liked,” Alexander explained. “Three Tahjiik were waiting at the gate and told us angels were not welcome here. They fought with a small group of soldiers who attacked in your name.” He looked at Evina as he spoke. She must have hated how Randin had manipulated the situation; a civil war where they were all fighting for their queen, but against each other. It was something only a mad man would dream up. “If there are more of them, the gate will most likely be guarded.”

  Evina stepped forwards, holding her hand out to him as if waiting for him to take it. She smiled reassuringly, and as he took her hand, the tent turned into something else entirely. Black smoke swirled around them, and something told Alexander that this was a space entirely of Evina’s making.