Destiny's Fire (6 page)

“You know,” I said, coming up beside them, “if we were really attacked, you wouldn’t have time to stretch your muscles.” I lowered my nose at Nick and Jace.

“True, but…” Jace began, but his words trailed off. His illuminated blue eyes flicked down my body. He cleared his throat and looked away. “But it wouldn’t do us any good to get hurt
now
would it?” He raised his arms over his head, bending from the side. “Nice outfit, by the way. Will you be going for the diversion tactic with the Narcos?” He asked with a smirk.

I smiled at him, envisioning how I was going to punch that cocky grin right off his face. After the stunt he pulled last night, I definitely had to show him up today.

Nick and Lana sparred first. No weapons. Just hand-to-hand combat since we couldn’t carry any at the Academy. I sat next to Jace, cross-legged in the pine straw, discussing which tactics we
should
take with the Narcos.

“Their power is Flame,” Jace said, tearing pieces of straw apart. “The stronger the Narcolym, the farther his Flame can reach.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “But I thought it was like magic fire, not real flames. I don’t understand what kind of damage it would inflict.”

Jace drew a deep breath. “Flame
is
magic, but it burns just the same. And because we’re creatures of myth”—he gave me a lame smile—“we suffer the effects of their Flame the worst.” He paused, going into deep thought. “The Academy will explain it a little more in-depth. Like all scientific and stuff. We just have to know how to counter it with our Charge.” He avoided my eyes.

I didn’t want to go to war. But it was a possibility. The Narcos outnumbered us. My stomach clenched. Fighting Jace, Nick, or Lana, or even that stupid Reese at Cogs, was different than the full scale bloodbath that war would bring. We’d all heard the horror stories. The visions of them swam in my head, making me feel ill until Jace pulled me from my thoughts.

“We’re up, Rug Rat,” he said, using his old nickname for me and extending his hand after he stood. “Don’t you owe me a mark?” His voice was playful, but the look in his eyes made me shiver.

I couldn’t imagine actually putting my lips to his neck, although I knew I had to practice. Our power source was in the ink gifted to us by the ancient sorcerers. I had to learn to protect my future power source, as well as take it from my enemy. But after the change, if I became more Narco than Shythe, how would I feel? I shook the thought from my head.

Lana and Nick plunked down in our spots, breathing heavily. I gave Lana a knuckle bump for beating Nick. “She’s beaten you almost every time this month. What’s up, Nick?”

He scowled at me. “I’m reserving my energy to take on Jace.” He flung himself hard on the ground, pouting.

Squatting down in a defensive stance, I stared at Jace as he circled the clearing, studying me. He circled me once more, then turned toward Nick. “Hey, you haven’t fought Dez in a while. I think she should have a go at you this time.”

“What?” I straightened up and squinted at him. “But he’s whipped from taking on Lane. Look at him.”

Nick sat up. “I have to concur with her on that one. And besides, I thought it was agreed that she had to beat you first. She’s kicked our asses, already. You’re the only one left she has to beat.” He gave Jace a playful frown. “Those are the rules, oh great master.”

Jace exhaled audibly. He turned back toward me and made a bring-it-on gesture with his hands. “Fine.”

“What the hell, Jace.” I threw my hands in the air. “What’s your problem with me?”

He gave my attire an apparent once over and sighed. “Nothing. Let’s go.” He lunged at me before I could counter his attack.

He grabbed me around my waist and lifted me off the ground. I hated when he did that. He knew I couldn’t get traction from the ground to get out of his hold. He did it just to piss me off. My arms were pinned by my side, but instead of letting him squeeze me to death, or burn me up, the way a Narco would if I’d been fighting one, I wrapped my legs around his midsection and tightened with all my strength. His eyes widened, and I grinned.

He released an exasperated grunt, and his arms loosened. I wiggled one arm free and jabbed him in the ribcage. He dropped me to the ground, and I scrambled to my feet. Before he regained his attack position, I kicked his legs from under him. I immediately went for my Charge Dagger, which wasn’t strapped to my leg, and cursed.

Jace flipped onto his stomach and was almost to his feet by the time I realized I didn’t have my weapon. Without another thought, I jumped onto his back. He was stronger than me. I wouldn’t hold him for long, but it was enough of a blow to knock him down again.

Wrestling his arms behind his back, I told him, “I’m using Charge, by the way. You’d at least be stunned for a minute, don’t you think?”

He let out a breathless laugh. “For a minute, but then I’d do this—” He jerked his arms out of my grip, pushed them under his chest, and rolled over beneath me. I tried to grab his hands, but they latched onto my thighs and he flipped me onto my back. I expected him to go straight for my arms and pin me the way he normally did. But his hands lingered on my thighs as he bit his lip and stared down at me.

For a moment, I was shocked—unable to move. His touch sent shivers rippling over my skin as his eyes held mine. His weight bearing down on me felt intimate. His face hovered above mine, but then he moved in, lowering, and I remembered him marking me. His lips parted as he slowly dipped his head. Panicking, I backhanded him across the face, and he flew off me in a slur of profanity.

Before he could regain composure, I jumped on top of him and pinned his arms above his head. I sank down, burying my head into his neck. My insides tingled as my tongue grazed his skin. He tasted salty and a bit sweet at the same time. Forcing myself to remember what I was doing, I bit down.

“Dammit, Dez. I think you got me,” he shouted, half-laughing.

I sat up and stared down at him. His features held a mix of excitement and awe over my victory. Heat rushed my cheeks as I checked out the imprint of my teeth on his neck. I quickly stood.

Lana ran up to us. “Oh, my God, Jace. She totally kicked your ass!”

“Dude,” Nick said, walking up and extending a hand to Jace. “What was that?”

Jace allowed Nick to help him up. He glared at me for a moment, then turned toward Nick. “Unfair advantage,” he said. “That’s what that was.”

I looked around, perplexed. Anger welled in my chest. He wasn’t going to admit I’d beat him fairly. “What are you talking about? I won, Jace. How was there an unfair advantage?”

He looked me up and down, but then he glanced down at the pine straw. “Terrain. I guess you’re just an outside fighter. I didn’t take into account the slick pine straw.”

I blew my bangs off my forehead. “Whatever. I kicked your butt, and now you’re the one sporting the nice hickey.”

“What hickey?” Jace said. “You bit the hell out of me. At least I was nice enough to…” But he didn’t finish, and his face turned bright red. He was blushing again, and it made me uncomfortable with Nick and Lana there.

I covered for him. His embarrassment was mine, also. “Well, I wasn’t going to suck your neck. That’s not how it’s done at war, is it?”

“Touché.” Jace gave me a side-grin, making my insides squirm. “I’ll remember that next time.”

Glad the awkward moment was over, I headed to where we’d set our water bottles. Now that I’d finally beaten Jace, I could fight Lana or Nick again. I was relieved and a little down about that fact. Jace was the best fighter. Going against him had made me better, and I wanted to be at my best if I ever had to go up against a Narco.

I reached down to grab my bottle and swore as something moved in the brush. I paused, holding as still as I could—not breathing. I waited to see a rabbit or deer move. Nothing. There was nothing there.
Maybe just a squirrel or another small animal
. But for a moment, I had the strangest feeling that something was watching me.

I took a sip and walked back to the clearing, joining the others. But the eerie feeling stayed with me.

Chapter Five

I F
OLLOWED
L
ANA
U
P
the stairs to her room. “I really need to bathe,” I said, sniffing her tank. “I’m pretty ripe.”

Lana glanced over her shoulder as she opened the door. “Yeah, but it’s totally worth it. You got Jace good today.”

I beamed. Even if I
had
won by an “unfair advantage” according to Jace, I was stoked.

Lana pulled the chain next to her bed, and the gas lamps brightened, slowly revealing her black walls and chrome furniture. She had very eclectic taste. I loved her room. I spent more time here than I did in my own house.

I fell against her soft down comforter, burying my face in the cool material. I wanted to enjoy the feel of everything around me as much as I could. In a couple of days, my birthday would be here, and I had no idea how long I’d go through the change. Fear crept over me, tugging at my high mood, but I pushed it away. I reveled in my victory for a moment longer before prying myself from the luxury of her bed, and headed toward the shower.

I turned the dial, and water flowed out in a wide spray from the copper fixture. I quickly tossed Lana’s clothes in the basket beside the claw-foot tub and climbed into the warmth. It was like being under a small waterfall. Another reason why I loved her house. I ran my hands through my hair, un-kinking the tangles as I lathered the liquid soap. My mind drifted, and Reese’s glowing red eyes stared at me from the backs of my lids.

My eyes shot open. I spun the dial on the tiled wall, shutting off the water, and stepped out of the tub. I closed the curtain behind me and slipped into Lana’s bathrobe. I began towel drying my hair, but paused, straining to hear the voices coming from Lana’s room.

Cracking the door, I peeked out to see Jace and Nick sitting on the floor. “What’s up?” I asked, pushing the door all the way open.

Jace glanced up, his eyes scanning my robe before he quickly looked away. “We’re talking about what to—”

“Do for your birthday!” Lana interrupted and squealed.

“Lana!” Nick scolded. “You weren’t supposed to say anything yet.” He shook his head.

My eyes grew wide. “But it’s not my birthday.” I walked across the room and grabbed my bag.

Jace cleared his throat. “Yeah, but you’ll be kind of busy on that day. So we figured tonight would be a good night to celebrate.”

“Thanks. But, I didn’t really bring anything celebrate-y to wear.” I frowned.

“Whatever,” Lana said. “You can borrow something of mine.” She bobbed her head toward her closet.

“Oh, right.” I hooked my arm through my bag. “Because I just loved my barely there ensemble earlier.”

“Jace,” Lana whined. “Tell her she looked good. You know she did.”

Jace bowed his head, pressing his lips into a hard line. I felt my face flush and headed back toward the bathroom to change into my clothes from that morning. But Lana stood and blocked my retreat.

“No,” she said, cupping my shoulders and spinning me around. “I’ll pick something out. I promise it won’t be like those little shorts. That’s just all I had with me.” She guided me to her closet.

She picked out a pair of dark brown leather pants—which I didn’t mind—and a pale pink and cream lace corset. I swear, the girl owned every corset ever made. It was the style, but she loved them more than anything. This one wasn’t as short as her others, so I didn’t argue and went to the bathroom to change.

After I was dressed, I ran my fingers through my damp hair and added some of Lana’s makeup—rimming my eyes with kohl and smearing gloss across my lips. I was relieved to see the hickey had faded and I didn’t have to cover it. Being Kythan had its advantages, I thought, as I shrugged in the mirror. I actually looked pretty good.

When I emerged, they were discussing where to go. “I think we should go to Cogs,” Lana said.

Nick craned an eyebrow. “Are you mad? You know those Narcos will be there looking for trouble. You just want to see your boyfriend.”

“So,” she said. “We can ignore them. I told Devon we’d be there.” She pouted, pursing her lips. I honestly felt bad for her. Then something hit me.

At the Chowhound, Jace had made a comment that didn’t resonate with me until now. I waved my hand, gaining their attention. “Jace, you said before that you thought the Narcos wanted to try and harness our power for their own use.”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “Yeah? What are you getting at?”

“Cogs.” I sat down beside him. “They’re hanging out at Cogs.” I opened my eyes wide.

“Crap,” he breathed.

“Exactly.” I looked over to Lana and Nick. “Devon infuses crystals with Charge. Like the one on the hilt of my Charge Dagger. They aren’t displayed where everyone can see them, but I’m sure the Narcos will become curious after a while, wondering how he’s able to distort the sound of instruments and the light show.”

Nick cursed. “We can’t let them find out. We have to warn Devon.”