Wicked Flames (Solsti Prophecy) (34 page)

Looking up, he studied each panel of rough untreated wood. That would be quite a drop for a little thing. How did she end up back here, tangling with hellhounds? A normal guest didn’t stage that kind of exit from a party. He’d bet his Watcher sword that this wasn’t her first time.
Fuck.

He stood, about to walk back inside, when a glint of pale gold caught his eye. High on the backside of the wooden gate, a few strands of short blond hair clung to a knotty rough patch.

He reached for them, but froze as the earth shook beneath his feet. Terrified screams carried from the front of the home. Another explosion? Possibly, if whoever had pulled off this stunt had wired the basement, because the tremor had come from the ground. Of that, Caine was certain.

Energy sparked up from the earth, raising the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck.
What the hell?
He didn’t recognize it. And this region didn’t usually experience earthquakes.

Something about this night was way off.

Caine plucked the blond hairs from the gate. Bringing them to his nose, he inhaled, but he already knew they were hers. Questions circled as his mind pulled up an image of her wide green eyes.
Why was she running? Who does she work for? And who is she?

C
HAPTER
32

A
FTER
A
DELICIOUS
MEAL
OF
grilled shark, fresh bread, and tropical fruit, Gin and the demons gathered to say goodbye to Rosa. Cooking fires still smoldered in the outdoor eating area, and the breeze had died down, allowing the air to saturate with the aromas of rum and lunch. Rosa made her way to a clear spot several yards away from the tables, and embraced Gin.

“Believe in yourself, Virginia.” She pulled back to meet Gin’s eyes. “Your compassionate heart is your key. Your power is not vicious, not something to be feared, because it’s part of you.”

Gin’s eyes filled with unexpected tears as she pulled Rosa close for another hug. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Rosa squeezed her tightly, then kissed her cheek. “Work hard, child.” She turned to Mathias and pressed an amulet into his hand. “I feel our paths will cross again soon, Hunter.”

He nodded. “I don’t doubt it.”

“Keep our Solsti safe. That’s an order from me, as well as from Arawn.”

“It’s my honor.” Mathias turned piercing eyes to Gin, and she sucked in a breath at the intensity there.

She didn’t doubt for one instant that he meant it.
Honor. Warrior. Hero.
 

Mine.

Wait.
She blinked rapidly.
Whoa, where the hell did that come from?
She only wanted him to train her. Her eyes darted to the departing witch, wanting to look anywhere but at him, and hoping she hadn’t revealed her wayward thoughts to his sharp perception.

Rosa said goodbye to D’Mari and Zinaya, and Ria, then pulled her cloak on. She murmured something in a language Gin didn’t understand, and in seconds was wrapped in a cocoon of black smoke. The air simmered with magic, and she was gone.

Ria walked over to Gin and Mathias and propped her hands on her hips. “A witch, and not just any witch.
Rosa
. Here on Tarsa. I gotta say, brother dear, working with you is one surprise after another.”

“Yeah, that was a surprise to me too. Rosa doesn’t come to people. They go to her. And she’s not always easy to find.” Mathias raked a hand through his hair. “You coming with us to Cormaros?”

“No. I’m going to train with Oberon and a few of the other warriors. You should’ve heard them at lunch.” She shook her blond curls. “They kept trying to top each other with their past feats. I decided I’m gonna show them a thing or two.”

“Now that would be fun to watch.” Mathias grinned.

“Yeah,” Gin chimed in, recalling the finesse and lethal speed of Ria’s moves during the parking lot battle. She’d love to see Ria spar with the Tarsa demons—but she didn’t need to see another real brawl.

“Maybe next time.” Ria winked at Gin. “You have some catching up to do.”

Mathias led Gin to a harbor which was wide but didn’t extend far from the land. Three large ships sat docked out in the bay, while at the shore smaller boats bobbed on tranquil water.

Mathias grabbed Gin’s hand and led her to one of the boats. She was surprised to see oars lying inside. On closer inspection, she didn’t see a motor.

“Is this a rowboat or a speedboat?” she asked. It was built from a reddish-brown wood and had four seats and a windshield.

He chuckled. “It can be either. These boats can also be powered by magic. Tarsa is sitting right on top of one of the biggest ley lines in the realm.” He helped her in.

“Ley lines?”

“They’re like magical power lines that crisscross the land. You have them on Earth too, but they aren’t as powerful as ours.” He opened a box near the front of the boat and retrieved a metal object, holding it up for her to see. “This is an amulet. It’s like a key. I just set it down in its sphere and voila.”

The boat began to glide forward silently.

“Wow.” Gin stood and reached for the side railing.

“Stay in the middle of the boat,” Mathias said over his shoulder. “Don’t look over the edge. These waters are full of nasty sea creatures. They eat most boats.”

“They
what
?” Gin’s jaw unhinged. “How are they not eating this one?”

“The wood that was used to make it is from Tarsa’s native cypress trees. The trees grow near the shore, soaking up the same water, so the marine life doesn’t attack it.”

“Okay.” Gin shook her head, remembering Ria had said the sea creatures ate metal
. How does their physiology and DNA allow them to digest non-organic material?
She was dying to peek overboard for a glimpse of these animals, but didn’t dare. “That’s crazy, but okay. How far is the island?”

“Close. You’ll see it as soon as we clear the south edge of the harbor.” Mathias steered straight out toward the open sea, then turned to the right. A small piece of land came into view.

One peak rose in the center, looming green against the blue sky. Palm trees dotted the beach. As they neared, she saw rocks protruding from the water. Silver fish jumped over them as if they were putting on a show. They looked a lot like the Asian carp that were spreading throughout rivers back home.
Have they found their way to Torth too?

“Look!” Gin pointed. “They’re so acrobatic.”

“Yeah.” He snorted. “And they have about a thousand teeth.” He navigated the rocks, bringing the boat right up onto the black-sand beach, and helped Gin out.

She gazed up and down the narrow beach. It was small, maybe a hundred feet long, though the green curve of the island continued on to melt into the waves at the horizon. Rocks of all sizes, from skipping stones to boulders, littered the sand. But what snagged her attention were white columns farther inland, barely visible between the trees. “So, do we use these rocks right here? Are there other targets?”

“The bigger ones shouldn’t be far. Zinaya said they’re just a short walk in from the sand.” He took her hand and led her across the rocky beach.

His hand was warm, the sun hot, and her belly full. Her muscles wanted to take a catnap, but her mind was wired, processing the day.
I just took a ride in a magic boat, across water full of rabid fish
. And now she was about to have a second practice session with a power she’d never wanted. No baby steps—she was jumping Olympic hurdles. She shook her head to clear it.

Plants grew sparsely among the rocks. They picked their way across and around, making their own path as none existed. In a minute the white columns came into full view, taller than the rocks around them.

“What are those?” Gin asked. They glittered as the sun’s rays hit them, giving off a regal air.

“Just more results of volcanic activity.” He shrugged.

“But they’re so perfectly formed. They look like a Greek ruin. Like a site meant to honor a goddess or something.” She stepped closer and ran her hand across the sun-warmed surface.

He propped a hand against the white rock above Gin’s head. “Maybe eons ago, there could’ve been a goddess here. But not lately, or Zinaya would’ve told us. And I know for a fact that Torth’s volcanos can produce all kinds of rocks. Different colors, shapes, you name it.”

“They’re beautiful. I’d love to study them.” She tilted her head to look up into his eyes. The column partially shielded his face from the sun. Half in shadow, half brightly lit, he was startlingly handsome. Light and dark. Noble yet down-and-dirty.
We all have our contradictions.

He reached for her hand. “I’ll bring you back here sometime.”

His words brought her back to the moment. She was here to practice. She took a breath and glanced at the white stone again. “I’d hate to hit these.”

He dropped his hand from the column and chuckled. “Fire away. They’re just rocks.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Fire away. Nice pun.”

“I aim to please.” He winked.

Too bad she knew exactly how pleasing he could be. Suppressing a shiver in the balmy air, she corralled her errant thoughts and glanced around.
 

The area was the size of a large suburban yard, with sparse grass and pebbles under the odd rock formations. They looked like stalagmites, but some had lost their pointed tips. Most were craggy, rough, and cracked—ranging in color from white to gray to black. Some leaned at angles and some stood up straight. A few were covered in green moss.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “So, what’s first?”

“How about I summon some demonfire and you toss it that way?” He nodded at the rough rock formations. “And we’ll go from there.”

She nodded and he held out his hand to produce a fireball. Brows pinched, she concentrated on moving it. She envisioned it floating away from his hand, going slowly. God help her if she hurt him. No matter that he had conjured it—her power could alter it into something hostile if she wasn’t careful.

After a few seconds, the fireball lifted from his hand. It hovered for a minute while she focused, building momentum as if she was winding a toy, then flung it at the nearest stalagmite.

It blasted against the base with a whoosh and a pop.

“I hit it!” It landed a little lower than she’d intended, but that didn’t dampen her mood.

He grinned. “Again.” He summoned another ball of fire. They repeated the process several more times, with her aim improving each time.

Next they moved on to the ring of fire she had created earlier on the beach. She directed the fiery ring toward one pointed rock and lowered it over the tip. Then she shrank the ring, closing in on the stone until it extinguished itself.

“Nice!” Mathias said.

“Nicole could probably move it farther, but it’s a start,” she said.

“Let’s try something else, kind of like a flamethrower.”

“What? No! I could burn you!” Balls of fire were one thing. But a jet of spewing flames? Trepidation flared in her belly.
 

“I’d step out of the way first.”

“Ha, ha.” She tilted her head from side to side with each word.

“I’m serious. Look, I’ll summon a fire ball. You lift it from my hand, then build it. Push it outward like a spray of fire. Or like a jet of water from a fire hose.”

“Oh. Okay.”
As long as you’re out of the way
. She realized that she’d done okay when not gripped with the fear of hurting him. Or anyone else. And in fear’s absence came a growing confidence.

He bounced a ball of fire in his hand. She picked it up and held it high as he stepped to her side. She expanded the fire, visualizing a torrent of flame shooting out from the original ball. It hissed and crackled in the humid air.

“Whoa!” Mathias stared up at what had turned into a cloud of fire. “You can scale it back a notch.”

She did. And at the same time moved the fiery cloud closer to the pillars of rock. She experimented with separating smaller bundles of flame from the cloud and dropping them onto the rocks. They didn’t always come out the size she’d expected, but her idea worked. Fire rained down on the rocks.

“Holy shit,” Mathias murmured. “Look at you go. You’re a natural.”

“A natural firestarter?” She extinguished her fiery cloud and turned to him.

“That’s not what I meant.” He stepped closer, and reached for her hand. “You and the fire, your power, were totally in sync. It didn’t do anything unexpected. You controlled it beautifully.”

“You’re right.” She took a deep breath and met his hazel eyes. Calm confidence surged through her. She was safer because of him. Everything that had happened since they’d danced had led her to this point, this new understanding of her ability and what she could do. He’d encouraged her, helped her. “I feel good about this. Thank you for helping me.”

“You’re welcome.” He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Again, I’m sorry about how this all played out.”

“It’s not ideal, but I understand. I didn’t make it easy.”

“Good thing I like a challenge.” His voice caressed her skin in a rough growl. The greens and browns of his eyes seemed to swirl and radiate with an inner light. “I like
you
. No matter what we’re doing.”

Her breath hitched as he leaned in closer, giving her every opportunity to push him away.

Not a chance
. She wanted him even closer. Pressing up on her toes, she met his soft lips. She sighed as he dropped her hands, only to circle her waist and pull her tightly against him.

All the craziness of the last few days seemed a million miles away, dissolved in the tenderness of his kiss. Her fear and anger at the truth of the situation died with the tug of his fingers in her hair, tilting her head back.

Slowly, deviously, he kissed a path down the column of her neck. She ran her hands up his arms, the pads of her fingers sensitive to every bulging muscle under his T-shirt
. God, his body is incredible.
She tangled her fingers in his dark hair, needing his lips back on her own.

He claimed her mouth, demanding this time. The tenderness was gone, and that was fine with her. His tongue plundered with an urgency she mirrored, building deep in her core. She was struck with how right this felt, to be here with him, both of them working together and using their powers.
A team.
Running away from it, from him, faded like remnants of a bad dream. Why had she fled?