Stroke of Fire

by Kira Nyte

  It wasn’t until he caught the first signs of the approaching dawn as the sky outside the window began to lighten that Briella sighed, dropping her brush into the cup of water, and resting her palette on the narrow shelf beneath the canvas. Paint covered her fingers and hands as she used the back of her wrist to brush hair from her face.

  She turned to the bed, her face sallow with exhaustion. Dark circles surrounded her eyes as her gaze landed on him. Shock rippled through her expression, but quickly disappeared behind her fatigue.

  “How long have you been awake?” she asked, voice thick.

  “Long enough to watch you work.”

  “I didn’t hear you move.”

  He shrugged. “I haven’t moved. I’ve been captivated by how you paint. Your muse possesses you.”

  Briella nodded once, stifling a yawn behind her forearm. “Let me wash my hands.”

  She rounded his side of the bed and went into the bathroom. The water turned on. He sat up in bed and dropped his feet to the floor, focused on the painting. From the little bits and pieces he’d gleaned from her thoughts, he knew what inspired her in the deep hours of morning. Although far from complete, there was no doubting what, or rather who, he stared at.

  The eyes of the mysterious Baroqueth woman drew him more than anything else. Briella captured the phantom bottomless pits of darkness exceedingly well, and a chill fluttered along his skin at the essence of that woman staring back at him.

  “I usually don’t like people watching me work.”

  Syn tipped his head enough to catch sight of Briella approaching the bed behind him. “My apologies. I couldn’t help myself.”

  Briella climbed into bed and walked on her knees until she settled behind him, arms draped over his shoulders. She rested her chin on her arm. “She’s haunting. Beautiful in a lethal way. I haven’t been able to shake her image. Painting has always helped. She’s the second person I’ve painted who hasn’t been a mere essence of thoughts and emotions.”

  Syn wrapped his hands around hers and nuzzled his nose against her temple. “Who’s the first?”

  “You.”

  “Ahh.”

  She leaned into his chaste kiss to her cheek. “I’ve worked so hard and for so long for this debut. Are you sure this is going to work?”

  “I can’t promise anything. There are too many variables that we just don’t know. If it were up to me, you know I’d say to forego this event, but I understand what it means to you. We all do.”

  Their meeting had revolved around plans and strategies to keep Briella safe during her show, since the Baroqueth more than likely were brewing up a plan of sabotage and ambush. It took a hell of a lot of convincing for Cade to actually give his approval, as begrudging as it was.

  In the end, they would do whatever it took to protect Briella.

  His lifemate sighed, turning her head into the crook of his neck. “You’ve thrown my world into a shitstorm, you know that?”

  “I take the blame. For some of it.”

  To his surprise, and delight, Briella climbed around him to straddle his lap. Her palms pressed over his cheeks, her fingers tracing his brows.

  “I’m exhausted,” she said softly, pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I’m going to sleep late.”

  He tried to capture her mouth on her next chaste kiss to the opposite side of his mouth, craving more than her taunting brush, but she leaned back too fast. When he started to slip his hands beneath the hem of her shirt, she skimmed off the item with one quick, fluid motion. His hunger erupted like a blast of lava. The growl that bubbled up from his chest couldn’t sound more feral than if he were a mindless beast.

  “Stay with me?” she whispered, the heat of her skin unleashing the dragon. Through the thermal lenses of his beast, he watched her body heat as he drew his talons gently up her back. The fierce shudder and the delightful whimper that followed had him flipping her over, tucking her beneath him, and settling in the cradle of her thighs.

  “Anything for you, love.”

  * * *

  Syn didn’t sleep. He couldn’t. Not when he held his world in his arms, bed mussed and sexy as hell, and each day dished up a new challenge to keeping her safe. Her lips, slightly parted in sleep, were swollen from their kisses, and he had no regrets over the fierceness of their claiming.

  She barely moved until it was closing in on noon. Her fingers splayed over his chest and the leg curled over his waist slipped down against his leg. A breathy moan fled her lips before her thick lashes fluttered briefly and her eyes opened.

  “What a perfect sight,” she said, voice thick and husky with sleep.

  “I’ve had one for hours now.” He brushed a few strands of hair away from her mouth and kissed her forehead. “How are you feeling this afternoon?”

  The satisfied smile that crossed her mouth as she stretched—sweet Goddess, he didn’t need any more temptation—spoke of her delight. As did the twinkle in her eyes and the flush on her cheeks.

  “Never better.” She cupped the side of his face. “Think we’re missed?”

  Syn chuckled. The last thing he wanted to do was move, but there would be time for lounging in bed after many magnificent nights when Briella’s debut was done. For now, he regretfully sat up and stretched his arms over his head.

  Damn the woman for snaking her lithe body around his and coming up in front of him to place a delicious kiss on his lips.

  “I think the guys know exactly what’s going on,” he said.

  “Not much privacy when it comes to what happens behind closed doors.” She rolled her eyes as she shifted over his lap and climbed off the bed. He grappled for the T-shirt she had shed earlier and left at the foot of the bed, and tossed it to her. She laughed. “What? You’ve seen me naked.”

  “Good gods, woman. Put the damn shirt on before I pull you back in this bed and refuse to let you go until tomorrow.” The dragon made himself known in the rumble of his voice. Briella’s pupils dilated. She took her sweet time pulling it right-side out and unfolding the hem. “Briella. It’s your exhibit we need to work on. I’m perfectly okay with blowing the entire thing off.”

  Briella finally pulled the shirt on. “Can I say something?”

  “You’ve never refrained in the past.”

  She turned to him as he shifted to the edge of the bed, keeping the sheet around his waist for Briella’s sake. She watched him for a long, haunting moment until he stood in front of her, sheet fisted in his hand.

  “What is it, sweet?”

  She chewed her lower lip. He gently pressed his thumb to her chin and she stopped. His eyes narrowed.

  “Briella?”

  She laughed. “You know what? I’m going to let you simmer in curiosity for a while. I should jump in the shower and get ready for what’s left of the day. I want to stop by the gallery real fast before it closes.”

  Syn stewed, thinking of any and every way to get her to spill what she was keeping secret. If the vulnerable glow of her eyes had anything to do with it, he wanted to know sooner rather than later.

  He’d just pulled his jeans up to his waist when there was a brisk knock on the door.

  “Syn.”

  Syn crossed the room at Taryn’s urgent tone and pulled open the door. Taryn gave his poorly presentable self a quick glance, a quirked brow, and a hint of a knowing grin.

  “Where’s Briella?”

  He hitched his thumb toward the bathroom. “Finishing up in the shower. What’s going on?”

  Taryn’s eyes narrowed on something behind Syn’s shoulder.

  “When did she paint that?”

  Syn followed his gaze. “During the night.”

  “You realize we have no photographs or sketches of the Baroqueth, right? That Brie was able to capture this with such detail, the female Baroqueth… I’ve gotta get in touch with Cade. He needs to see this.”

  “Ask Briella first, but the painting isn’t what’s got you in a knot.”

  “No knot. I
’ve been entertaining Emma downstairs for the last hour in hopes you two might crawl out of bed sometime today. She wanted to have lunch with Brie.”

  Syn folded his arms over his chest and stared at his friend. “Don’t even think about working your charms on Briella’s friend.”

  Taryn threw up his hands. “No charm, but I enjoy her company, which says a bit. It’s been a long while since I’ve enjoyed a woman for her personality over other skills. I think we might become friends.”

  Syn was skeptical. “Do you even know the difference between friend and bedmate?”

  Taryn winked. “We’ll see. So, you think you two would be up for a late lunch? You should probably replenish your woman’s strength after spending most of the night depleting it.”

  “Taryn.”

  He shrugged. “Hey, I warned you it would be explosive.”

  “What would be explosive?” Briella asked, stepping out of the bathroom. Syn was glad she’d had the foresight to bring a change of clothing into the bathroom. Briella, fully clothed, roughly scrubbed a towel over her damp hair. “Hey, Taryn.”

  “You look quite magnificent today.” Taryn dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. “Emma’s downstairs asking to take you to lunch.”

  “She’d like all four of us to go,” Syn corrected, catching the gleam of joy in Briella’s eyes.

  “That would be wonderful. It shouldn’t take me long to get ready. Has she been here a while?”

  “Not long,” Taryn lied.

  “An hour,” Syn said.

  Taryn scowled before it melted into his signature smile. Syn shrugged.

  “I should hurry up.” Briella nudged his arm. “You, too.”

  “You heard the boss,” Taryn said. Mimicking Briella, he nudged Syn’s shoulder before he turned and hurried out of the room.

  Syn ran a hand over his face.

  “Hey, he’s not going to do anything with Emma.” Briella gave his shoulder a squeeze before taking up a spot in front of the dresser. She started to brush out her damp hair. Syn moved to her side and she smiled at him in the mirror. “Trust me.”

  “By the looks of your friend, she’s pretty enamored. I just don’t want something that happens with them to cause problems between you and your friend.”

  “Nothing will happen. I’ve seen it.”

  He quirked a brow. “Ah, Saralyn’s convenient gift of sight.”

  “Yep. Beside which, I thought the plan was to return to your homeland.”

  Syn stared at her in the mirror, observing the lovely gray of her eyes threaded with ribbons of steely blue. A flicker of excitement slipped into them.

  “You’re scrutinizing me.”

  He stole a glance at his own expression to find his eyes narrowed and his head tilted in a curious manner. “I might have been.” He gently relieved her of the brush to take over the task of brushing her hair. “Why does it sound like you’re contemplating a change of heart?”

  He took care with the knots in her hair, easing them loose until the brush made its way through each parted lock without difficulty as he waited for Briella’s answer. A shadow of pleasure moved over her face and the hint of a grin curled her lips. Her eyelids lowered.

  “I like you brushing my hair.”

  “I see that.” He dropped a kiss against her temple. “But you still haven’t answered me.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t want you to leave me, and I don’t want to be separated from you. So if you plan on going back to your world, maybe… I don’t know. Maybe I can still do my painting there? After all, it’s part of me.”

  Syn’s hand paused, the bristles of the brush lodged in her hair. “You’d be willing to give this up, all of your hopes and dreams, to come with me?”

  A blush touched her cheeks. “Maybe.”

  “What brought this on?”

  She caught his gaze in the mirror without a speck of hesitation. “You’d be willing to give up everything to make me happy.” She reached back and clasped the hand he’d rested on her shoulder. “I want you to be happy, too.”

  Syn set the brush on the dresser and turned Briella to face him. He cupped her face and kissed her forehead. “This, Briella, makes me happy. Having you accept me.”

  “You’re going to make me all sappy and emotional,” she joked with a strained laugh. When Syn leaned back, he saw her eyes were glistening. She wiped a finger beneath her lashes. “Damn you.”

  “I’ll take that as a high compliment.” He brushed his thumb over her lips before taking a step back. “I should start getting ready and leave you to finish, sans the sappy and emotional part.”

  He chuckled when she shoved his shoulder playfully. “Go, you torturous beast.”

  Oh, he had a comeback for that one, but decided it was best to keep that to himself. The feel of her eyes on him as he went into the bathroom set his skin on fire and taunted his insatiable dragon. There would be plenty of time for them once this debut was through.

  That couldn’t happen soon enough.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Tonight.

  It’s here.

  And it could all go to hell at the hand of orb-wielding maniacs.

  Briella took one final look at herself in the full-length mirror. Her nerves were on edge. She couldn’t believe the clock counted down to her debut. A lifetime of dreaming of this moment for it to finally manifest before her eyes.

  The last week had been intense, between promoting her show and tweaking plans to make sure she had the opportunity to enjoy the thrill of the evening without the interruption of crazy sorcerers who held grudges longer than a bitter ex. Now, as Emery, Gabe, and a dragon she had yet to meet by the name of Tajan set up a security perimeter around the gallery, and her father finalized their plans in the library with Syn, Taryn, and Cade, Briella worked to shed the excited tremors that coasted over her from head to toe.

  “Oh, sweetheart.”

  Saralyn stood in the doorway, hands over her mouth and tears shimmering in her eyes.

  “Mom, don’t start with the tears. My makeup’s on,” Briella said, her voice faint. She pulled the lacy silver and black skirt from her legs. “It’s not too much?”

  Saralyn crossed the room and took her by the shoulders. Her gaze was firm. “Nothing could ever be too much for my little girl.”

  She pointed to the door. “Have you seen Syn?”

  They shared their laughter as Saralyn fiddled with the single shoulder strap of Briella’s dress, then the thick, flouncy curls in her hair. She readjusted one of the two diamond-studded barrettes on the right side of Briella’s head. Syn had gifted her with the beautiful accents earlier that day.

  Saralyn let out a sigh. “You are a sight, Briella. You are everything I’ve ever hoped and wished for. Everything your father and I could ever dream of. I cannot tell you how proud we are of you.”

  “Ma, no tears.” The back of her throat tightened. “Later, all the tears you want, but not now.”

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Saralyn sniffled and pressed two fingers to her lips. Briella kissed her mother’s forehead.

  “Cade’s driving us over, right?”

  Saralyn nodded once, sucked in a sharp breath, and tipped her chin as if determined to put aside her weepiness. She put on one of her signature smiles. “Yes. I believe he’s downstairs.”

  “Well, then. Let’s not keep him waiting.”

  Briella and her mother made it out of the house without a hitch, which meant Syn and her father remained crammed up in the library with Taryn. Cade, the perfect gentleman beneath an extremely intimidating shell, walked the women to their waiting ride—a rented Range Rover capable of fitting Cade inside. He looked pretty close to human in his dress pants and button-down shirt, though his bulk seemed to threaten the seams along his shoulders and biceps. Even his dark red hair had been semi-tamed, pulled back in a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck. Briella thought his beard appeared to be shorter, completing his transformation.

  “You ladies look
lovely this evening. You’ve remembered a change of shoes in case of an ambush, correct?”

  Briella lifted her oversized crossover bag and nodded. “Good old running sneakers for us both.”

  Cade chuckled, his amusement a deep, dragony sound. “Good. Hopefully we won’t have to worry about those, but with Baroqueth, anything is possible. I’ll escort you ladies into the gallery and keep out of the way. Emery, Gabe, and Taj are in place. Your father will come with Taryn. Syn will arrive separately. For better visual coverage.”

  “You have the jewel?” Saralyn asked Briella, twisting in the passenger seat to look at Briella in the back. Briella’s lips tightened and she nodded once. She didn’t like the idea of carrying Syn’s dragonstone with her, but they had discussed over and over that it would be safer with her than left at Taryn’s house. It also put the dragonstone in near proximity to the dragons protecting her, who would protect the jewel. “You’ll be safe, dear.”

  “I don’t doubt that.”

  She didn’t, if the two times she witnessed Syn and Taryn battling their ancient enemies said anything about their capabilities, magic or not. None of the dragons had survived centuries on their good looks alone, although if someone were to suggest such a thing, Briella might be apt to believe them.

  Cade found a parking spot and cut the engine. He turned in his seat and split a glance between Briella and her mother. “When we get out, don’t make an effort to find the others. If the Baroqueth plan on attacking tonight, they’ll most likely suspect we’re aware of their plan. Don’t for one second believe that a public event like this will keep them from spilling blood if the opportunity presents itself.”

  That left a bitter taste in Briella’s mouth. Her paintings might lean heavily on the dark and mysterious side, but she didn’t need a nightmare to come alive during her debut.

  “Got it,” she said.

  Briella took her cue to leave the car when Cade walked around the vehicle to open the passenger doors and hand the women out. The three of them walked along the sidewalk, tension high despite the lighthearted conversation they fronted. Cade wore sunglasses, and from behind the lenses, Briella saw him ever on guard, scanning their surroundings. As frightening as he appeared, there was an utterly masculine handsomeness to him she hadn’t noticed before.