Emma (Dark Fire) (21 page)

Okay, like that really helped, though, Celtic probably meant Europe. Hopefully, Truncatis was the Tuathan version of Africa. She had more than enough to wrap her mind around without adding giants to the ever growing list.

“Anyway, when they were finished excavating the land they built Fire Dam. It’s on the northeastern edge of the lake. Next time we go exploring, I’ll show it to you.”

“Okay,” she said, “but that doesn’t explain why the water is on fire. Not only that, but we had a lake in this same location. Beaver Lake was a lot smaller. What happened to all the cabins and people?” She swallowed, wondering if entire communities got crushed or flooded when Tuatha appeared on Earth.

“I don’t know about everyone, but we’ve found hundreds of people in and around Capital City. As far as the fire is concerned, there are a couple of large dorcha energy springs under the lake. When liquid energy and water mix, flames appear. The flames are nearly impossible to see during the day, but are vivid at night.”

“So that’s why the water is glowing? Is it safe to drink?”

“It’s safe, but the water isn’t glowing. The rocks are glowing.”
He nodded his serpentine head toward a large blue bolder submerged dozens of feet below the surface.
“The faerie rocks make the entire lake glow.”

She chuckled, aware other earthborn might not agree with her. “Blue flames and glowing rocks are way too cool for words.”

He flew lower, aiming toward a large group of lights that appeared on the approaching northern shoreline.

She figured they were nearly to Scrimp Shaw. She struggled with her decision to question him about Lily, but the problem with his sister wasn’t going to go away and she didn’t want to question him in front of his friends. “I was curious about something. Earlier, Jenna said Lily started acting odd while you all were on a camping trip. That’s when she started being rude to Jenna. Did she ever go hiking by herself or disappear for hours at a time?”

“Not really, if she wasn’t with one of us, she was with Andrew. She always had a soft spot for him.”

“They hiked by themselves?”

“Yeah, before she turned into a viper, she was always taking people under her wing. She felt Andrew was misunderstood. Why?”

“I’m not sure. It just seems important. Kind of like a pivotal point from good to bad,” she said, frustrated she couldn’t explain any better.

“Good to bad”
he grumbled.
“I hadn’t thought of her mood swing that way, but that’s exactly the way she’s acting. It’s like she’s two different people.”

“Ty, if something happened to you. Who would become your father’s heir?” she asked quietly, twisting her face in a grimace as her chest constricted. She knew her question had to hurt him.

“I see where you’re going, because I’d already thought about it after Lily told Andrew to kill you. Lily is a sky blue dragon, same as mom. She’s not a wér-dragon. Only a solid black wér-dragon, within the royal line, can lead the dragons.”

“But Andrew is your cousin and he’s a wér-dragon,” she said firmly. “Lydia said a dragon will do anything to please their mate. What if Andrew became Lily’s mate? Would she do whatever he told her to do?” she asked.

Tyler growled, low and deep. The furious rumble raised the hair on her arms.

Chapter - A Healer’s Touch

Keeping his arms curled protectively around Emma, Tyler landed, coming to a gentle stop on the wide cobblestone street.

It had been a perfect afternoon. He’d never felt so in tune with anyone in his entire life. What never ceased to amaze him was how calm his dragon felt when he had her in his arms.

He glanced around the deserted area, pleased as more faerie lights flickered on. He could see just fine in the dark, but he knew Emma couldn’t.

He hadn’t picked the Cantina just because they had incredible food. He picked the tavern because it was in Scrimp Shaw, a large town, north of Capital City.

He believed Emma would enjoy the unique resort town that was named after the lake’s freshwater shellfish. Excellent wines and exotic foods imported from both the West Coast chimera and the Celtic Nation druids made the town a popular destination year round.

The town square was quiet, not surprising since it was late evening. Most people were either home or visiting the numerous taverns situated along the docks.

Twisting his long neck around, he watched as she stretched her legs. Yearning hummed through his body. He wanted to curl around her, and never let her go.

“Mine,”
his contented dragon murmured in agreement.

“Thanks for the ride. It was awesome,” she gushed. Hugging his forearm, she dropped to the ground.

He changed into his human form.

“You’re more than welcome. I loved it,” he said warmly, meaning every word. Not wanting to be parted from her, he lightly touched her bare arm, hoping she’d see how much he cared for her.

He stifled a snort. Care was such a blah word. The generic emotion certainly didn’t reflect his true feelings. He loved her so much his soul ached when he wasn’t with her. He had loved her from the very first moment he saw her huddled in that tree. Mate or not, he had wanted to claim her as his. Being with her all day and getting to know her simply enforced that possessive thought.

At his touch, her face lit up with a beautiful smile.

She curled her hand firmly around his, entwining their fingers.

Unable to help himself, he grinned. No doubt, he looked like a five-year-old with a basket full of chocolates. He gently squeezed her fingers, tugging her toward the central fountain. “Let me show you more of my world.”

Walking across the courtyard, the paving stones began glowing shades of blue. The constantly changing colors picked up speed, quickly mimicking the burning flames of dark energy.

Emma gasped with delight.

“They’re called faerie stones,” he said, laughing as she released his hand and danced forward, each step lighting a series of stones in the intricate design. The design spread across the courtyard in the shape of a blazing fire, glowing and flickering with every shade of blue plus an occasional black and silver flame thrown into the mixture.

“Wow, it looks like flames licking across the stones.”

“It was created to mimic the dorcha flames on the lake.”

Her eyes never wavered from the sparkling light show. “I know you said the flames are made by mixing dorcha energy and water, but is the lake on fire or not?”

“The dorcha flames won’t burn if you touch them, but I’ve heard some faeries swim through the blue flames every night. They say touching the flames makes them stronger.” He shrugged. “It may be true, because the elders believe the eruptions of dorcha energy on the Gulf increases fertility.”

She chuckled. “Really? What’s it called, the Baby Boom Gulf?” she asked, looking up at him, her eyes sparkled with laughter in the flickering lights.

“Good guess. Most women who make the trip end up having twins. It’s actually the Gulf of Life because the gulf produces hundreds of dorcha vortex every year.”

“And the exploding vortex create faerie dust,” she said, repeating his earlier words.

 “Yes, there are several bodies of water around the world that produce vortex, but the gulf is the largest and the nearest. It’s only a few days flight south of here.”

“The Gulf of Life really sounds like it might be Earth’s Gulf of Mexico. I wonder if the vortex will appear now that Earth and Tuatha are one world.”

“I hope so. Every life on Tuatha depends on the faerie dust spread during the spring storms.”

^___________

Walking down the cobblestone street, Emma enjoyed the soft music dancing on the breeze. Her head felt like a Ping-Pong ball, bouncing right then left as she gawked at the oddities lining the street. Pointing at one thing and then another, asking him a dozen questions. She’d be forever glad there was no one, except Tyler, to watch her antics.

Her smile turned into a grin as she noticed laughter sparkling in his vivid blue eyes. She had to be nuts about him. He was laughing at her and she thought it was the greatest reaction in the world. His smile, as usual, did bad things to her stomach. The simple curve of his lips had her dancing on clouds, not that there was anything simple about him. His smile had a devastating effect on her mental state.

Tentatively, she reached for his hand and grinned with delight as he snuggly entwined his fingers with hers. The moment his hand touched her warm palm, the mate bond kicked into gear.

His pleasure expanded through her soul, causing her to shiver with pleasure. Another emotion overwhelmed the pleasure, an emotion so intense it took her breath away as it settled into the middle of her chest.

“Enjoying yourself, Chélah?” he asked quietly, calling her the Tuathan equivalent of beloved.

She tasted the depth of his feeling, shivering in hope and fear.

It was hard to tell where his emotions stopped and hers started.

Unsettled by the strength of his emotions, she pulled her gaze from his. “Yes, it’s all so strange. I mean, it’s a good strange, but so different.”

He paused in the middle of the street, pulling her to a halt. His intense look made her think he was about to kiss her.

“I understand you need more time to decide about accepting me as your mate, and I’m willing to wait as long as you need before you wear my sash, but you are my mate. That’s something I want the entire world to know.” His blue eyes gazed into hers. “On Tuatha, it is customary to move the two-way from the right to the left side when a dragon is ready to declare his non-dragon mate to the world.” Skimming his fingers down her cheek, he smiled.

With a gentle tug and a softly spoken word, he moved the two-way from her left side to her right side. His warm breath caressed her as his lips moved closer to hers. He didn’t give her time to respond. His lips covered hers. At first, he tentatively stroked and teased her lips.

Her lips tingled, catching fire with the first whisper of his touch. She leaned toward him, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, increasing his gentle pressure against her soft warmth.

Her pleasure, and his pleasure, bloomed through her head, combining the two until she couldn’t think straight. She gasped as exploding sparks of desire shot through every point of her body.

She snuggled closer, demanding his touch as he caressed her shoulders with gentle fingers.

He promptly gave her what she needed. One hand cradled the back of her head, as the other dipped lower along her back, sliding around the curve of her firm butt. Gently squeezing, he pulled her closer.

A shiver of delight rushed through her. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she stood on her tiptoes, molding her body perfectly against his.

Down the street, a door slammed, making her jump.

“I guess we need to go,” she said, not moving from his embrace.

“Yeah,” he agreed. Tightening his arms around her, he gave her a sweet lingering kiss.

She was breathing hard when he finally released her. To her delight, so was he.

Hand-in-hand they walked the deserted streets as Tyler showed her more of the town.

In Emma’s mind, walking through Scrimp Shaw was like getting dropped into a real life Disney set; it was completely unbelievable. Every ten or so feet, lights swung from poles, casting a bright glow across the stone street. The light bulbs (or whatever they were) looked like blown glass, and so delicate that they might break at the first touch. The lights came in every size and shape, from tiny clusters of grape-like fruit to long, curling spirals gently twisting in the breeze. They cast shadows and colorful patterns on the multiple buildings.

Wind chimes decorated the air with music.

He slowed to a stop. “Emma, if they’re home, there’s someone I want you to meet.”

She studied his frowning face, knowing something was up. “And?”

He shoved a rough hand through his hair. “Well, they’ve been at the faerie court so they might not even be there, but it’s only a few houses away and...”

She laid her hand on his chest, stopping his rambling words. “Spit it out.” She had a feeling she wasn’t going to like the answer.

He sighed, nodding his head. “Yeah, but the last time a healer was mentioned you reacted badly.”

She snorted. “That’s because I don’t like doctors and don’t need one poking around on me.”

“This healer won’t poke at you. He’s actually my family’s private healer in addition to sitting on the lower council as a representative of the Christian Church.”

“The Alliance combines religion and politics?” she asked, shock flavoring her voice.

“Of course, we do. God is in everything, why shouldn’t we seek guidance from one of His appointed servants? Anyway, Christianity isn’t the only religion represented. Each religious faith, those with the largest number of followers like Christians, Muslims, Tuatha Dé Naturalists and Buddhist, have a representative on the lower council.”

“Now,” he took her hand back into his and glanced into her face, “about meeting Pastor Jonathan. Before you say no, hear me out. Because of the mating, your body is obviously changing. You’re not Tuathan, who knows what your body is going through. We need a professional opinion.”

She hated him being right all the time, but he was. She sighed in defeat. “Oh, all right, already. Lead on. But, I’m warning you, if he starts poking at me, I’m going to make you pay for it.”

At her look of distaste, he chuckled and readily nodded his agreement. “I don’t doubt it.”

“If you can heal rapidly, why do Tuathans need healers?” she asked curiously.

“It’s true, we do heal fast, but not always fast enough especially young people, and something like broken bones always take longer to heal no matter a person’s age. A healer can kick-start the healing process.”

They turned down a smaller street. Each building had an arched entryway opening into a covered courtyard. Most of the courtyards had benches and flowerpots with an occasional small fountain. Colored lights highlighted the enclosed areas.