Wicked Flames (Solsti Prophecy) (33 page)

“And I know Brooke.” Rosa released her hands. “You’ve been practicing.”

“H-How can you tell?”

“Child, traces of your energy linger in the air.” Rosa smiled. “I’m glad to see it. But you must keep working on it. Time is ticking.”

“Have you learned anything about Elegia?” Mathias asked.

Elegia. Why does that name sound familiar?

“Yes, Hunter. But first, let’s sit.” She shrugged out of her cloak, revealing a long-sleeved white peasant-style blouse, a full deep-blue skirt that reached her ankles, and white sandals. Silver jewelry adorned her wrists and neck. She shook her hair out over her shoulders. “Your peninsula is as warm as ever.”

Zinaya turned to her clansmen. “Oh, I can have Javon bring a table and—”

Rosa snapped her fingers and a cherry wood table appeared on the sand, complete with six chairs. She winked. “No need. But I would like some of your mango rum.”

Gin stared at the table.
Oh my God
. What else can she do? She wasn’t afraid of Rosa, just filled with the sense that the witch was not one to be crossed.

Rosa sat and patted the chair next to her. “Sit, Virginia.” She gestured to Mathias, Ria, D’Mari, and Zinaya to do the same.

“I’ve been monitoring the kidnappings going on around the realm. They’ve slowed, due to the Solsti Brooke eliminating one of the men responsible.”

Gin’s jaw dropped. “My sister?”

Mathias nudged her with his elbow. “I’ll tell you about it later. She kicked ass.”

“My own spies have confirmed that Elegia is behind the kidnappings. She’s at the top of the food chain, so to speak.”

“What kind of demon is she?” D’Mari asked.

Rosa shook her head. “She’s not a demon. She’s a vampire.”

“Vampire?” Zinaya’s eyes widened.

“How is a vampire leading a kidnapping operation?” Mathias said.

Gin sat stunned, still processing that Brooke had killed some kind of creature while she was here.
And now vampires exist too?
She took a deep breath.

“How can she control the creatures she captures? Some are vicious predators.” D’Mari said.

“I wish I had those answers,” Rosa said. “But Brooke’s dreams are prophetic, and she dreamed of being attacked by a blond vampire.”

“What?” Gin’s jaw dropped. “Her dreams are what? And…and she’s going to be attacked?” The thought of losing her sisters had her breath coming in shallow gasps. This was too much, too close.
 

Mathias draped an arm around her shoulders. “Kai knows about it. All the Watchers do. They won’t let a vampire near her. And even if that happened,” he cocked his head. “I’d put money on Brooke.”

Gin searched his face, wanting to believe him. “But her dreams?”

“One Solsti has foretelling dreams,” Rosa said. “But dreams aren’t always easy to decipher. So we put the pieces together as we get them.”

“Any idea where the prisoners are being held?” Mathias asked.

Rosa shook her head. “No. I believe she’s using a powerful spell to mask her portal activity. But I’ve got eyes and ears everywhere. She’ll have to slip up soon.”

Javon arrived with three bottles of rum and six glasses. He opened one bottle and filled Rosa’s glass, bowing.

“Thank you,” she murmured, and dismissed him with a flick of her wrist.

D’Mari reached for the bottle and filled everyone’s glasses. Gin raised hers and tossed it back, needing the smooth burn to combat her surreal new world.

Rosa took a sip of her drink. “Many have been reported missing. Hundreds of creatures, all different species. I have to assume she is using them to create an army, though I’m not sure how or why.”

“Yes, like D’Mari said, some are predatory species who dislike everyone else. Why would they work for her? She might be paying them, but then why work
with
species they hate?” Zinaya shook her head.

“There’s been an increase in portal activity on Earth, near Rilan and the Chicago Lash demons,” Mathias said. “When we went to investigate, there was a clear scent of troll and Deserati.”

“An odd combination.” D’Mari wrinkled his nose.

“The location was a water treatment plant. Much of the portal activity has been at similar sites. And at this one we found a patch of healthy green grass, which shouldn’t be able to grow in the dead of winter.” Mathias took a drink of his rum. “Rilan and Gin both analyzed the dirt. But we still don’t know what’s in it that enabled the grass to grow.”

“Do you have it here?” Rosa asked.

“No.” Mathias shook his head. “We left in a hurry.”

“Hmm.” Rosa nodded, then turned her crystal blue gaze on Gin. “I must confess I was surprised to see you here, Solsti.”

“It wasn’t on purpose.” Gin mumbled.

“She was kidnapped and taken through a portal.” Mathias explained.

The portal. Images flashed through Gin’s mind. The gas station. Xavier. Elegia.
Oh my God.
Was that why she’d been taken? To join the other victims from Torth? “He said he would make me his pet, unless his boss wanted me.”

Mathias growled next to her.

Gin couldn’t stop the flow of words, though they didn’t make a lot of sense to her. “He said his boss is a woman. And I think he called her Elegia.”

D’Mari and Mathias both cursed loudly.
 

“What was the name of the man who took you?” Ria asked.

“Xavier.” Gin shuddered. “He had horns and a tail, like the guys who showed up at my apartment.”

“Another Deserati,” Zinaya murmured.

“Why would he take me?” Gin whispered. She had thought the idea of Ria as a bodyguard was overkill. But now, the decision seemed startlingly necessary.

“Hard to say. He may have figured you’d work well in whatever Elegia’s plan entails.” D’mari drained his rum.

“Either way, it was too close.” Mathias’s voice dripped menace.

“Agreed, Hunter.” Rosa turned piercing blue eyes on Gin. “Child, you must continue to hone your skills. And this is an excellent place to do it. Tarsa is a close-knit community, isolated and well guarded, and doesn’t get a lot of visitors.”

Ria giggled. Mathias shot her a glare.

“What?” She twirled a blond curl around her blue-tipped finger. “The first guard we ran into was all ‘Tarsa doesn’t offer refuge.’”

“My lead guardsman was doing his job.” D’Mari grinned. “He’s known for his fighting, not his manners.”

“Anyway,” Zinaya pointedly interrupted. “We’re happy to have you three here for as long as you like.”

“But not too long. The supernatural activity on Earth concerns me.” A fly landed on Rosa’s hand and she shooed it away, the charms on one bracelet clinking against the table. “Elegia may be planning to harm humans. I would advise you stay no longer than a day.”

One day? Gin blinked. That wasn’t enough time to learn…well, shoot. She didn’t even know exactly what she was supposed to learn.

“Looks like we better get back to work.” Mathias skimmed a hand across her shoulders.

“Eat first.” Zinaya stood up. “Rosa, you mentioned shark. We have several nets full, caught this morning. Please stay for our meal.”

The witch smiled. “I’d love to. I’ve tried conjuring it, but it never tastes the same as it does here.”

Zinaya started to walk away, but D’Mari stopped her with a hand on her arm. Standing, he murmured, “Stay, Zini. I’ll tell the cooks. I’ll even gut the fish, if it hasn’t been completed.”

 
“Thanks, love.” She pressed a kiss to his lips and sat back down. “Gin, is there anything you need? Anything to help you…train?”

“Targets.” Mathias said.

“Like archery targets?” Zinaya smoothed her long braids.

“Wait, won’t I just burn them all? I don’t want to do that, and make more work for you,” Gin protested.

“Hmm.” Zinaya’s amber-colored eyes gazed at the sea and she tapped her slender fingers on the table. “You can go to Cormaros. There are natural rock formations there. All different shapes and sizes.”

“Perfect. Get ready for a boat ride after lunch.” Mathias sifted his fingers through her hair.

“What’s Cormaros?” Gin asked.

“One of our islands. We have several, and Cormaros is covered in volcanic rock formations.” Zinaya smiled. “There’s not much else there. You’ll probably have the place to yourselves.”

A tropical island with Mathias? Mmm. Her anger at him had melted away, replaced with the knowledge that this situation was bigger than her. That he was doing his job, protecting the realm and investigating this Elegia person. Maybe she’d been too hard on him the other day.

Her stomach rumbled, and everyone seemed to hear it.
How are they doing that?

“Lunch should be ready soon. Let’s head over to the eating area.” Mathias stood and pulled out her chair, then repeated the process for Rosa.

The witch got to her feet and linked her arm with Gin’s. “I’ll need one thing from you before I go.”

“What can I possibly give you?” Gin smiled, but what could she give to a witch who could conjure tables, chairs, and shark dinners?

“A lock of your hair.”

Gin stopped. So did the rest of the group, who walked behind them. “Why?”

“I need it for a spell.” The witch dropped her arm and turned to face Gin.

“Um…” Gin looked to Mathias and Ria, unsure of what to say.

“You asked Brooke for a lock of her hair too,” Mathias said to Rosa. His expression held questions checkered with respect. “Care to elaborate?”

Gin flicked a startled glance between Mathias and Rosa. Had he crossed a line? Rosa didn’t
look
angry, but what did Gin know?

“Yes, Hunter, I will elaborate. Whatever looms in our future is growing more powerful. We need to share information. Pool resources, so to speak.” Rosa sighed and fiddled with a silver pendant necklace. “I had a vision of myself entwining four locks of hair. Two light and two dark. I don’t know the reason why, but in the vision I was overwhelmed with the feeling that this action was necessary to save the life of one of the four.”

Gin’s heart beat double time. “The
life
? What does that mean?”

“I wish I knew. I don’t have visions often, but when I do, they’re powerful.” Rosa looked at Gin expectantly.

“You have Brooke and Nicole’s hair?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Then you can have mine.” Gin leaned forward so that her hair tumbled to the front of her shoulders. What could it hurt? Everyone seemed comfortable with Rosa, and she had been nice. Gin remained wary of the woman’s power, but she wasn’t afraid of her.

Rosa pulled a small silver pair of scissors from a pocket in her skirt and quickly snipped a lock of Gin’s dark tresses. She put the scissors away and produced a small box, which she opened and nestled the hair inside. “Thank you, child. Before I leave, I’ll give you a transportation amulet so you can get back home.”

“Thank you,” Gin murmured.
Home
. Would she ever look at it the same way again?

T
HE
T
HIEF

C
AINE
STALKED
OUT
A
SIDE
door of the burning mansion, thick smoke billowing around him. Mulvari’s pansy ass guards had whisked their boss to the edge of the property, for safety. Of course the weasel wouldn’t want to get too far away from his treasure trove of stolen shit.

Too bad there’s no way to prove it.

Caine had mentally recorded everything he saw and would compile a detailed report for Arawn when this assignment was done. But that explosion was no coincidence. It was planned. And done well. But who was behind it and why?

Spying a guard, Caine growled, “Leash your hounds!” The beasts were dumb and vicious. He could take on all four, but didn’t want to waste his time. Something nagged at him. Mulvari had a lot of enemies, but Caine hadn’t seen anyone ransacking the place. No hostages had been taken. Something else had gone down here. If this was a heist, it had been executed with surgical precision.

But by who?
He’d stared down every guest. No one had raised his internal alarm. That meant it was someone very, very good. Someone who looked innocuous, and not a newbie. They always gave off waves of nervousness.

The guard had the balls to object. “Mulvari hasn’t given the order ye—”

“Fuck Mulvari. He’s not here, and those animals are a pain in the ass.”

The guard blanched but called the hounds, then secured them with lengths of magically enhanced blue rope.

Caine walked around to the back of the mansion, drawn by a mix of scents that signaled trouble. Fae and hound. Blood and sweat. His mind flipped through each, cataloging and adding them to his visual account. Fae. Something was off about the scent. Not just any fae…he took a deep inhale, and every nerve stirred with awareness.

It was her. The tiny thing that he’d spotted in the jewel room, and who had dodged him in the chaos. Was she hiding here somewhere? His eyes swept every inch of the grounds, continuing as he reached the back.
No fae.

He stopped by the rear door of the home, near what looked to be the kitchen. Kneeling, he brushed a hand across the top edges of the manicured grass. He pulled his fingers back and stared as the night air chilled his now-wet skin. Blood.

Hers.
Her angelic face haunted his mind. She hadn’t been injured when he’d seen her.

He followed the trail to the back gate, the cocktail of smells both teasing and annoying his nose. The stink of hound mixed with the clear floral of the female. She had to be fae, as she was so damn tiny. But the fragrance that confounded and intrigued him right now didn’t match any sprites or nymphs he knew of. This was the intense, sweet scent of moonflowers. Unusual for a fae.

Stepping close to the gate, he ran his hand over the surface. Minute divots marked the wood. Higher up, a larger gouge. He turned the handle. Locked.

Fuck that. With a sharp twist, he broke the mechanism. Mulvari had enough money to buy himself another. And the scent wafting from the gate stirred Caine’s blood, urging him to find its owner.

He walked through the gate and crouched down on his haunches. Her scent was concentrated, clinging to an area of crushed grass. She had fallen. Hard.