Seared by Desire (43 page)

“
And what if someone steals it from our chambers and decides
to use it for whatever purposes their minds can invent?”

“
I’ve already thought of that Lucian, this armour and sword
are useless to anyone but you. When I tempered the metal using my
flame I had only thoughts of you in mind. To anyone else the armour
is just armour, there’s nothing special about it.”

Lucian lifted the sword, examining the intricate hilt before
carefully placing the blade to one side and moving closer to Sara.
Cupping her face, he watched contentedly as she leaned into his
touch. “Thank you Sara. Thank you for caring enough about me to
make this but I want you to know that I intend to come home to you
with or without the armour.”

“
But –”

“
Of course I’ll wear it into battle, I just want you to know
that I’m determined that this is the last time William will
interfere in our lives. After this I’ll be King and you will be my
Queen and we’ll finally have peace. But I don’t want to talk of
this anymore. You promised me this night and I intend to hold you
to your word.” He leaned forward, lightly pressing his lips against
hers as he wrapped his arms carefully around her fragile
body.

The night passed too quickly, the time spent with their arms
wrapped around each other, softly spoken words filling the air and
all too brief, tender kisses. The day finally took its toll on
Sara, her eyes closing in weariness. Hugging her tightly a final
time, Lucian threw firewood into the flames to ensure she stayed
warm, placing a thick blanket over her sleeping form and a pillow
beneath her head.

“
I love you Sara,” he whispered against her ear before kissing
her temple lightly. “I’ll be home soon.” He threw a final glance
back over his shoulder, peace stealing through him at the sight of
her lying so serenely against the thick rug. They’d put it off for
long enough and even though his heart physically ached at the very
thought of leaving her again, he knew he had no choice. Closing the
door softly he walked into the corridor, prepared to ready his army
and defeat William for the future he so desperately wanted with
Sara.

Chapter
Twenty One – Homecoming

Sat at the edge of a large hole in the ground, Sara let her
feet dangle freely in the flames that filled the earthen fissure.
Her fingers toyed with the pebbles that ringed the fire carelessly
while her eyes watched Matthew’s attempts to strengthen his arms.
She smiled as a helpful maid approached her, throwing wood into the
flames to maintain the high temperature she needed to recover. The
smile wasn’t a genuine one because she wished for nothing else than
to be left alone in her room surrounded by things that reminded her
of Lucian. Her simple wish had been thwarted by the overzealous
caring of the estate’s residents who had refused to let her wallow
in grief, going so far as to construct the outdoor fire place so
that she had no reason to be alone.

The fire meant Sara could easily watch the flurry of activity
involved in the daily lives of those around her despite the fact
that her world felt as though it had stopped since Lucian had left.
She watched the few warriors left behind train eagerly in the
vampires’ absence, she watched as early summer crops were brought
in, clothes washed and animals tended to. From her seat at the back
of the crowded courtyard she watched life go on. Her eyes drifted
away from Matthew to watch her feet swing in the flames for a
moment before his curses brought her attention back to
him.

“
Damn it,” he swore.

She rolled her eyes in dismay. “Language Matthew. What would
your mother say if she heard you?”

“
I’m sure she’d understand. I don’t see why you can do this
and I can’t.” His small arms struggled once again to lift the heavy
broadsword from the ground, his muscles straining desperately
before he sighed giving up again.

A faint smile curved Sara’s lips as she watched Matthew’s
antics once again. In the last few days she’d spent a great deal of
time with the boy namely because he refused to leave her side. It
was rather endearing being someone’s role model and it gave her
moments where Lucian wasn’t the only thing she thought
about.

“
I’m special. My flames give me strength that’s why I can do
what I do.”
Seraphina is why I’ve been
able to craft swords despite my size. You wouldn’t want this burden
even if it did reward you with an incredible skill.
“There’s no need to worry Matthew, when you’re
older you’ll be very strong.”

“
As strong as Lord Lucian?” he asked hopefully.

Sara laughed, the sound flowing unhindered from her lips.
“Not that strong.”

He walked towards her taking a seat at her back to avoid the
heat of the fire. “I have to be strong Lady Sara otherwise how am I
meant to be a better swordsmith than you?”

She stroked the strands of his hair lightly in a motherly
sign of affection, turning to face him. “You don’t have to be
better than me Matthew, you just have to be yourself and enjoy
life. There’s no need to push yourself when you’re so young. Why
don’t you play with the other children rather than spending all
your time doing this?”

“
But…” he protested.

“
I promise when you’re older and stronger I’ll teach you
everything I know. I just want you to be happy.”
I want you to have a better childhood than the
one I had.

“
Can’t I do both?” he pouted.

Sara laughed again at his antics, the expression on his young
face priceless but then she heard a sound she had hoped never to
hear again.

“
Sara!!” Abigail’s loud war cry rang through the air and her
gaze was drawn inexorably towards the estate’s gates.

Her heart fell at the sight of so many fire elementals, their
fierce expressions making their intentions clear. They were here
for her and would take her no matter how dirty their hands became.
While Abigail was her friend, Sara was under no delusions that she
would spare her from the fate her people wished upon her. Abigail
was first and foremost a true fire elemental and she would
sacrifice her own mother if it meant achieving the objectives of
the mission she’d been set. It was with a heavy heart that she
watched Abigail approach the warriors who only moments ago had been
steadfastly training.

“
What are you doing here?” One of their number
demanded.

“
I’m here for Sara,” Abigail replied easily, her eyes scanning
the crowd before she scowled in frustration. Sara was a fire
elemental the extreme heat of her body should have been easily
identifiable amidst the many humans before her but she couldn’t
feel anything that would lead her to her friend. “Where is she? And
I know she’s here so there’s no point in denying it. Lying only
makes me angry.”

“
Do you mean Lady Sara?”

Abigail frowned, confused by the title affixed to Sara’s
name. Her friend wasn’t a Lady. “I want Sara, I don’t care what
you’re calling her now. Bring her to me.”

Hands fell to sword hilts as they finally became aware of the
danger the fire elementals posed. “Why?”

“
That’s none of your business. Now, you either bring her to me
this instant or we burn this place to the ground. The choice is
yours.”

“
You think we would surrender Lady Sara to you? Lord Lucian
would have our heads.”

The air grew warmer and fear filled Sara. Abigail would make
good on her words, she would kill every man, woman and child here
to find her.
They’ll never let her take me
if they know what she plans to do and Abigail and the others will
kill everyone if they try and help me.
She
sighed before throwing her hands skywards in resignation.
What the hell, it isn’t as though I’ll be of any
use to them as I am. I escaped once, I can do it again. I’ll do
whatever I have to to get back to Lucian's side.
“Matthew,” she whispered.

Her hushed tone instantly made the boy respond in kind. “Yes
Lady Sara?”

“
Will you help me up?”

He looked horrified by the very idea. “But Lady Sara, you
need to stay in the fire. If you leave it you’ll get sick again. I
don’t want you to get sick and Lord Lucian won’t be
happy.”

Lucian will never know.
I have to do
whatever I can to protect everyone here. I can’t repay your
kindness with death and destruction.
“I’ll
be fine,” she chuckled, waving off his concerns. “Do you see that
woman over there, the one with the short brown hair?” He nodded.
“That’s my best friend, she’s come to help me get better. I…I –”
The words got stuck in her throat, the lie unwilling to flow from
her lips. She forced herself to take a deep breath and plough
through the mire of unease that filled her. “I asked her to
come.”

“
She doesn’t look very happy to be here,” he commented
accurately.

“
That’s what most fire elementals look like Matthew, I’m an
exception. Now help me up please.”

“
Yes Lady Sara.”

With Matthew’s help, Sara made it to her feet, her body
swaying the instant she wasn’t in contact with the healing flames.
“Thank you Matthew.” She hugged him tightly, silently saying
goodbye. “Be good.”

His expression was confused as she pulled away but she forced
herself to ignore it and began walking towards the estate’s gates
where Abigail was in an increasingly heated argument with the
guards who were still denying her entrance. Her gait was slow as
she weaved seemingly drunkenly through the crowds but the people
quickly moved aside when they saw her moving. As she saw the
worried looks on the faces of those around her, the decision she’d
made when she saw Abigail was cemented in her mind. She’d come to
care for everyone here, she couldn’t let them be hurt simply
because she was there.

“
Sara!”

“
Lady Sara.”

Both Abigail and the guards called her name as soon as she
reached them, their expressions as different as night and day. The
guards looked anxious, their eyes constantly flickering between her
and the fire she should have been sitting beside while Abigail
looked excited, triumphant now that she had found the primary
objective of her mission. Sara forced her lips into a smile, trying
to make herself look excited to see Abigail when nothing could have
been further from the truth.

“
Hello Abi.”

Familiar arms were soon wrapped around her tightly, the hug
bittersweet. Despite all that Abigail had done and planned to do
she was still her best friend, the one that had helped her through
most of the difficult times in her life. It wasn’t her fault that
she had been raised to be a true fire elemental, vicious and
ruthless to the core. “I’ve missed you.” Sadly the same couldn’t be
said of Sara; Abigail had rarely crossed her mind while she’d been
with Lucian.

When Abigail pulled away, Sara fell to the ground her
strength drained. Guards rushed to surround her, quickly voicing
their concerns. “Lady Sara, what are you doing? Please go back to
the fire, we’ll deal with these intruders.”

“
I’m fine,” she protested. “And these aren’t intruders, this
is my friend Abi.”

“
Lady Sara, these people don’t have good intentions, we can
all see that.”

She struggled to her feet, using the arms offered to her for
support. “Like I told Matthew most fire elementals look dangerous
and are happy to look that way.”

“
They threatened to burn the estate down.”

“
It’s just her way of saying hello. Trust me, I’m
fine.”

“
Sara, what’s wrong with you? Why are you this weak? Why
couldn’t I feel the strength of your flame?”

“
Later Abi,” she said dismissively, knowing full well that she
had no intention of telling her anything. Sara turned back to the
guards that surrounded her, their concern for her well being
evident on their faces. Her cheeks ached from having to force
herself to smile when happiness was the furthest thing from her
mind but she made the corners of her lips rise seemingly
cheerfully. “I’m leaving today.”

“
What?” The guards around her immediately protested. “Lady
Sara, you can’t go. What will Lord Lucian say? He’ll bring the army
back today when he finds out you’ve gone.”

“
There’s no need to tell him anything,” she lied. “I’m just
going with my friend to visit my family who I haven’t seen in a
while. They’ll be able to take better care of me there and in a few
days I’ll come home fully recovered. It’s a surprise for Lucian.”
The guards didn’t look convinced by her words. “I’m just going back
to my people for a little while. There’s no need to look so
worried. Is there Abi?”

Abigail frowned at Sara’s words but when she saw the look in
her eyes realisation dawned. They had been friends so long that
sometimes words weren’t needed for them to communicate and this was
one of those times. “There’s nothing to worry about, we’ll be back
soon enough.”

“
See?”

“
Shall we have someone pack for you Lady Sara?” They conceded
reluctantly.

“
No, I have things where I’m going.” She studiously refused to
call the village where she’d grown up home. This was her home now
and she was only leaving to protect it.