Sapphire Flame: A Paranormal Romance (The Flame Series Book 7)

by Caris Roane

  As Landris set the last of the branches in place, Grant felt a column of power flow from beneath his feet and up through his body, as well as Natalie’s.

  “Do you feel that?” she asked quietly.

  “Yes. My God.”

  “Do you feel the wolves now?” Landris asked.

  “Yes, as though they are crying out in agony.”

  “The eucalyptus has culled their memories and with it their combined power. The first alter wolves were wild and uncontrollable. They were savage, brutal, killing without mercy.”

  “So, I’ve heard.”

  “But so were all the species at that time. Five Bridges was a new world. We were all so angry at what had happened to us. We are more civilized today because much of the darkness has been driven underground. It lives in places throughout the five territories that most alter species know nothing about. Kryder is one of the rulers of this underground. The depredations he commits on your pack is but a small sampling of the atrocities he perpetrates at his end of the Dark Corridor. I haven’t seen it for myself, but he built a belowground club which he keeps invisible.”

  Grant experienced a sinking sensation in his gut. Here it was again. Kryder’s special project. “We recently learned Kryder owns a place called The Sapphire Club. Is that the one?”

  “Yes. Kryder paid several hundred grand for the spell and he continues to pay installments to keep it in place.” He glanced from one to the other. “I agreed to help you because Neil believes in you both and because you have a chance to act against an enemy that I cannot. Kryder operates in Savage exclusively. I don’t go there since I’m keeping my identity a secret.”

  “Are you suggesting we search out this club?”

  Landris shook his head. “I want you forewarned, that’s all. My guess is that if you seek Kryder out, for whatever reason, you will eventually land at The Sapphire Club. It’s a fortress and heavily guarded. Once there, you must be invisible if you want to survive. But I’ll remind you of what I said earlier, that your chances of survival are slim. Now might be the time to reconsider, maybe give yourselves another year to explore and enhance your abilities.”

  Grant hesitated, but Natalie said, “Now is the time. I’m certain of it. If death comes, so be it. The lives we live here in the alter world are mere shadows of human life. Now that I know that Kryder, himself, turned me into an alter fae, I’ll risk death at this point. I don’t pretend to have the answers. The best I can do is assess and move on. Right now, I’m prepared to take my chances with the invisibility spell and with Grant against Kryder.”

  She then turned to Grant, her complexion high. “But what do you want here, Grant? I won’t speak for both of us. If you want to walk away, you know I’m fine with that.”

  Grant felt his lips quirk. “Yeah, except for one thing. You’d continue on without me, wouldn’t you?”

  “You know I would.”

  He chuckled. “Fifteen percent sounds damn good to me.”

  “We can be careful, too,” Natalie added. “I’m not a hothead and you have a scientific mind. We can calculate, we can use your dreamglide and my futurism. My wolf has already proven to be a guard-wolf.” She then smiled. “What more do we need?”

  “A shitload of luck,” Landris interjected.

  “So be it.” Natalie responded.

  Grant shifted in the wizard’s direction. “Load us up, Landris. Seems we’re ready.”

  “As you wish.” He seemed neither pleased nor distressed by their decision. He’d no doubt seen everything during his three long decades in Five Bridges.

  Landris took off his shoes and walked on the eucalyptus. Grant recalled something he’d heard about Elegance warlocks and wizards, that most of them connected with a primal element. From that element, their spells emerged. Grant would lay odds Neil’s element was stone and that Landris’s was botany.

  Right here, with Landris moving around them slowly, he could feel the way Landris drew power from the branches. The column of energy moved with Landris, twisting into an upward funnel that soon lifted him and Natalie off their feet. They began to spin very slowly.

  Natalie turned toward him and gripped his arm. The power became stronger. He shifted to face her as well until they’d locked forearms.

  “Good! That’s it!” Landris shouted. “I can feel it now, what Neil said about you both. You are stronger together. Much stronger. Powerful. You give me hope.”

  Grant couldn’t respond. The spell held him tight now, as it held Natalie. He felt as though every molecule of his body was being affected, changed.

  Natalie’s voice entered his mind. The sensation is like falling into ice water. I’m tingling all over and I’m shaking.

  Same here.

  From the corner of his eye, Grant watched Landris running faster now. He could hear the wizard speaking but couldn’t make out the words.

  Suddenly, Landris flew high into the air, almost as high as the metal railing above the pit. He brought his hands together and clapped once. “Rain!” he shouted.

  The powerful column turned into a shower-like torrent of the same energy that disappeared the way it had come.

  Grant was left still levitating and holding arms with Natalie, but in a place so quiet, he could hear the soft thuds of his heart.

  He released her slowly. Together, they turned to watch Landris drift back to the sand. They followed him, landing in the center of the eucalyptus.

  “I can’t see either of you,” Landris said. “Where are you?”

  “Back in the leaves.”

  Landris nodded. “Are you still connected physically?”

  “No.” Grant replied.

  “Good. But I can hear you plain enough, so remember that. You are invisible, but your movements, your voices can be heard. This is critical.”

  “I understand,” Natalie responded.

  Grant drew a long difficult breath. “Agreed.” The experience had shaken him.

  Landris approached the outer perimeter of the eucalyptus branches. “You need to practice leaving and invoking the spell. I prefer the commands ‘begin’ and ‘end’.”

  “You used them with the confusion spell,” Natalie said.

  “Yes. And that’s exactly the right definition for that spell, the one that prevented you from experiencing the path here.”

  Grant glanced around. “I can see that everything has a soft glow.”

  “Perfect.” Landris stated. “It’s as it should be. That glow tells you you’re inside the spell and invisible.”

  “So how do we do this?” Natalie asked.

  “First, you must take turns issuing the commands so that you are both good at it. This spell can work for you individually or together. If you want to invoke for both of you, use the words ‘begin both’. Otherwise, use your name, or the other’s name.”

  “We just say the word?” Natalie sounded doubtful. “Nothing more?”

  “Form a picture of it in your mind. That should be enough. Natalie, why don’t you start. Make only yourself visible.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “I have no idea what I’m doing, but here goes.” Natalie formed a picture in her mind of shedding the spell like stepping out from under the shower that had covered them at the end of Landris’s spell-making. “Natalie, end.”

  The soft glow Grant had described disappeared as did Grant. Landris proved her visibility by meeting her gaze straight-on. “Damn, that was fast, woman.”

  She couldn’t help smiling at his praise. “I did what you said, that’s all.”

  “Now go back.”

  She turned first to see if she could see or otherwise detect Grant’s presence, but it was as if nothing was there, not even right next to her.

  She used telepathy. You’re invisible, even to me.

  She reached out with her hands knowing he had to be there and of course bumped his arms. She chuckled. “Right. You’re still there.”

  I’m here.

  Landris said. “Reverse the process, Natalie
. Do it now. Let’s get some work done here as fast as we can. I want each of you to master the spell in the next few minutes because afterward, we face the harder stuff.”

  Natalie took him at his word. Still facing an invisible Grant, she formed the picture in her mind of disappearing to the world. “Natalie, begin.” The power flowed up this time. Grant came into view and the world softened all around them.

  Grant dipped his chin. “Good job. My turn.” She watched him draw a deep breath and she could feel him relax. “Myself only. End.”

  She could still see him, but now he had a soft glow because he was no longer invisible and was levitating outside the spell.

  He didn’t pause as she had. He said. “Myself. Begin.” She could feel the shared spell reverse itself. It was as though he stepped into her space but without moving.

  Landris called to them. “Now take turns moving each other from an invisible state to visible. You’ll want to understand the limits of the spell.”

  Grant nodded for her to start. She practiced as Landris had commanded and found it was remarkably simple if she focused. She only had to repeat the process a couple of times.

  Grant did the same until they’d mastered the simple begin-end command for each other.

  When they were both visible to Landris, he levitated close once more, then planted his feet in the sand. “All right. The easy part is done. What becomes much more complicated is the use of futurism in conjunction with the spell.”

  Landris shifted to address himself solely to her. “Until mastered, you will find it extremely difficult to access the future and sustain your invisibility at the same time. I don’t know the reason for it, but this is where the real work must take place. Kryder operates with a powerful female fae he’s had enslaved for at least three years. But I’m sure you already know this or at least you’ve probably suspected it.”

  Natalie nodded. “That’s my sense of it, though I didn’t know her relationship to him was as a slave. I’m not surprised, though. But what about the wizard who sold him the invisibility spell in the first place? Will we be facing him, too?”

  “My guess is he won’t be a critical player in your battle with Kryder. He sold the spell to Kryder and continues to add up-charges to keep it viable. But I’d be surprised if he was an ally beyond the spell itself. So, let’s focus on your skillset.”

  Natalie tried to remain calm, but she knew what was ahead of her in terms of accessing the future. She wished this was simpler for her, less painful.

  “Try to relax.”

  Easy for Landris to say.

  Natalie saw the amused twist to his lips. She knew then she was in for it. Even though her stomach churned, she lifted her chin.

  “I suppose I should warn you,” Landris said. “Every time you lose your spell while accessing the future, I’m going to shower you with electric sparks. It’s one of my more creative teaching tools.”

  Grant stepped onto the leaves as he drew closer to him. Natalie saw the fur rise on his cheeks. “What the fuck, Landris? She doesn’t need this.”

  “She does, if she wants to live.” He slid his hard gaze back to Natalie.

  She’d had a quip at the end of her tongue, but she let it go. “You’re right. I do want to live. Give me your worst, Wizard.”

  He turned briefly to Grant once more. “Again, if you don’t want this fae-wolf—”

  This was the wrong thing to say, even if he was just trying to rile Grant up. Grant closed the gap between them intending to get right into Landris’s face.

  But Natalie was quick as well and slid her body between the men. She faced Grant and using her palms, pushed him backward or tried to.

  Stop letting him get to you! She shouted telepathically.

  He met her gaze, then gave way and backed off. She followed with him making sure he moved away from the more powerful man. He could have easily held his ground, which of course wouldn’t have been smart since Landris hadn’t budged. For a split-second, she’d been sandwiched between the men. If they’d battled, she would have gotten hurt.

  Grant moved in a circle within the center of the eucalyptus branches once more as he worked to calm himself down.

  She pivoted to face the wizard. “Where do I start? I mean what is the best way to manage this?”

  Landris narrowed his eyes. “Invoke the spell, then focus on something inane where the future is concerned. Not this space. That would become too confusing. Also, you don’t need to remain in the circle of the leaves. That part is concluded, FYI.”

  “Good to know. How about I focus on my studio? No one is there right now.”

  “That should work.” His smile returned, a devilish expression that might have turned her head if a certain wolf hadn’t already done so. These men of Five Bridges. She wondered suddenly why she’d never really seen them before or how attractive she found them.

  Stop staring at him. Grant moved in behind her and slid his arms around her waist. Please. The soft growl next to her ear sent shivers down her neck and side.

  Sorry.

  He released her and moved away several feet leaving the circle. She glanced at him, her anxiety rising all over again. Her heartrate kicked up.

  You can do this. The deep tenor of his voice, even inside her mind, strengthened her resolve.

  She turned away from Landris and invoked the invisibility spell.

  “Good.” The wizard said. “You’ve got the spell down perfectly. Now, as you access the future, keep part of your mind fixed on the spell.”

  She nodded, though the soft glow told her he couldn’t see her. If he was serious about showering her with an electrical charge, she wasn’t going to make it easy for him. She levitated twenty feet away. Looking back, she could see he hadn’t moved and kept his gaze where she’d last seen him.

  She watched him as she began to open the gate to the future. She struggled to hold the spell, but it slipped away from her the moment the back-cramping began and the future opened. She could see the clock on the shelves behind the tall client chair of her studio.

  The next moment, she was hit hard and landed face down in the sand. Painful shards of electricity bit into her skin. Somebody was shouting.

  She drew up enough to lean back on her knees then realized Grant was trying to punch Landris.

  “You hurt her. You bastard.”

  “She’s not hurt. Stunned, maybe. But you don’t have a lot of time. She’s got to learn this, and pain is great teacher.”

  As the shouting continued, Natalie chose to remain where she was. She could have intervened, but decided Grant was going to have to deal with his own feelings this time. She had to figure this out and fast.

  With her palms on her thighs, she closed her eyes and reviewed what had happened. Landris had been right about one thing. Holding onto the spell while opening her futurism seemed impossible.

  She accessed her invisibility and allowed herself a moment to feel the spell. She created a box within her mind and settled the spell within. Her wolf began to stir. She’d almost forgotten about this aspect of her new gifts and allowed her to come forward.

  Though her eyes were still closed, she could now feel the iridescent wolf running along the backs of her hands. Holding the spell within the box, she let her wolf fill her body. She suspected she would need this kind of amplification to accomplish a lot of things over the coming nights.

  With her wolf part of her, she slowly approached the future.

  The moment she began to access it, however, her wolf yipped, the spell slipped out of her mental box and a shower of electrical fire rained down on her.

  She went invisible immediately and levitated off the sand and away from Landris’s punishment.

  At a considerable distance and still invisible, she settled onto the sand once more. She rubbed her arms, face, neck and legs to get rid of the charged sensation. It hurt, but it only made her want to figure things out faster.

  When she was back to herself, she could feel her wolf diminish.
She chuckled. Her wolf did not like the electricity either.

  But what did she do wrong? She focused on both her wolf and her mental spell-box. She edged sideways toward her futurism.

  Her wolf growled, and she pulled back.

  Her heart slammed in her chest. She knew she didn’t have a handle on what she had to do, and she did not want to experience the electrical fire again.

  “Landris? We need to talk because I need more information. I’m going to leave the spell, so don’t hit me with those firecrackers again.”

  “Done.”

  Natalie didn’t even speak the word ‘end’ aloud. She thought it and became visible. She glided through the air back to Landris. He had a red mark on one cheek and Grant was rubbing his jaw.

  Grant scowled. “Are you all right?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You can keep fighting with Landris if you want, but I wish you’d stop. I don’t want your protection, at least not in this situation. The fiery electrical rain hurts, but I need it. Okay? So, let it go.”

  “Are you sure? Because we can stop this now.”

  “Like hell we’re going to do that. Besides, if you think this little bit of discomfort is anything, I suspect Kryder will throw a lot worse at us. What I don’t need is you losing your cool every time I get hurt. Got it?”

  “Shit. You’re right. I apologize, but my wolf thinks its sacrilege for you to be in any kind of pain.”

  Natalie finally understood the real dilemma. “Because I’m your woman.”

  “Yes. It’s an overwhelming instinct, at least where you’re concerned. This is Natalie-specific.”

  Because she’d already accessed her wolf, she was feeling the depth of emotion and suffering behind his words. “Thanks for sharing that. I’ll try to keep it in mind. This isn’t simple on any level.”

  His lips turned down. He looked grim. “No. It’s not.”

  “Then I apologize for not understanding your wolf right now. I’ll try to do better.” Tendrils of his hair had come loose because of grappling with Landris. For a moment, all she wanted to do was smooth his hair back in place, maybe take hold of his long wolf braid and never let go.