Emma (Dark Fire) (26 page)

A breeze blew past, ruffling her hair. “Why aren’t the leaves moving?”

Tyler crouched lower, keeping her tucked-up close to his vibrating chest. He stayed in that tense position for several seconds. When he spoke, the words seemed pulled from him.
“The tree is part of the mirage. We must be dealing with a young wizard, one who doesn’t have the power or ability to animate his mirage spell.”

He angled his head toward the gaping rip in reality, or rather the rip in the wizard’s mirage
. “When I destroyed the spell’s lower anchor, the mirage became unstable. I can smell Lily inside.”
He paused, shaking his head.
“I can’t figure out why she’d trap herself inside such a small area. She’s not wér. There’s no way there is enough room for her to shift into dragon, not in a cave. She trapped herself.”

He reared back, spewing fire at the trees. The blue leaves didn’t catch fire. Instead, there was a soft popping sound and another portion of the mirage disappeared. Turning his head, he covered a wider area surrounding the cave. Two pops later, the cave entrance appeared.

Keeping his arm around her, he shifted into wér. “I’d rather you stayed up top while I hunt for Lily.” Before Emma had time to disagree, he added, “But with vampires and zombies roaming around, and Andrew unaccounted for, it’s not safe.”

“Good, because I’m not letting you go without me.”

He didn’t answer. A confused look entered his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just can’t understand what I keep smelling.” He shook his head. “Lily’s trail going into the cave smells several days old.”

“But you just said you smelled her in the cave.”

“Yeah, I can smell her scent coming from the cave, and it smells rank. But the trail she left going into the cave should be fresh, hours old.” He held her carefully, seeming unsure of his next move.

She turned in his arms and took in his fierce stance. She knew he had to be going through all kinds of torture. Finding out his sister was not only consorting with the enemy, but planning to kill his parents had to be horrible.

Standing on tiptoe, she kissed his scaled chin, offering what comfort she could.

With a final shake of his head, he turned his attention to her. Leaning close, he slid a warm finger down the side of her neck. “Are you okay with going in the cave?”

Even faced with a treacherous family member, his first thought was for her.

Unable to stop herself, she brushed her heated palm over his cheek, before sliding her hand upward into his thick mane of hair. She grabbed the base of his horn and tugged him closer.

His eyes widened in surprise.

“I go wherever you go. Period,” she said emphatically. Knowing his sharp teeth was a hair’s width from her tender skin, she touched her lips to his, showing him how much she trusted him.

A tremor ran through the length of his body. Exhaling a sigh, he curled both arms around her. “You know, touching a guy’s horns is a major come on.”

“Then you better not let anyone ever touch your horns. They’re mine,” she said possessively with a twinkle in her eye as he teased the flesh of her back with gentle strokes, moving from her waist, up to her neck, and finally trailing down her bare arm.

Without a hint of warning, fire scorched her. The skin of her arm burned, sharp and intense, blazing fire touched her upper arm and flowed down to her wrist.

Tyler clamped his hand around her burning flesh.

The blaze strengthened, burning with a brilliant intensity. She cried out. An instant later, the intense burning calmed into a tingle of warmth. She glanced down, but his black-scaled hands covered her arm.

He shifted into human, looking arrogantly pleased over something. His eyes glanced into hers then studied her arm, stroking it tenderly.

She shifted, looking down at her arm. There was a flame-shaped tattoo trailing down its length, curling around her wrist, and across her palm. As she watched, the grayish flames came to life, flickering blue, black and silver.

Tyler chuckled, hugging her tightly to him. His laugh ruffled her hair. “You carry my mark, the mark of a mated Tuathan.”

A purple flickering blaze appeared and just as quickly disappeared. The blue flames never paused in their dance.

“They change colors and move,” she whispered in fascination. “How do they move like that?” Talk about a wild tattoo. Uncle Keith would croak. Or perhaps not, he might already have a similar mark of fire.

“The flames of a mate mark are mostly blue, reflecting the dorcha energy in your blood. The occasional odd color is a reflection of my emotions,” he said, smiling at her.

She grinned, returning his smile. Her eyes searched the length of his body, checking out what bare skin she could see. She didn’t go far. Her eyes grew big as her gaze latched onto the skin of his throat. At the base of his neck, flowing upward from his right arm was a smattering of blue flames. As she watched, they grew larger and darker, trailing from the tip of his fingers on one hand, up his arm to the pulsing vein of his neck.

She touched his neck, feeling the warm, raised edge of the mate mark on his skin. The blue color was slightly warmer than his normal skin. Excitement and a burst of satisfaction filled her. She no longer needed to worry about some girl not realizing Tyler was hers.

The flames flickered with a ribbon of red, before returning to a spectrum of blues.

He chuckled. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” His body changed shaped, turning wér. Taking her hand in his, he headed toward the cave.

They entered cautiously, but nothing attacked them. Deeper in the cave something moved. She heard a moan then silence. Fear shivered up her spine.

Metal clinked.

He stopped moving. “It’s over, Lily. Give it up.”

“Ty?” Lily’s called, sounding hoarse. Chains clinked, rattling against each other. A dark head of hair appeared around a cluster of boulders. She crawled forward, stopping abruptly. “Is it really you?” A sob quivered through her voice.

The grime covered girl shuddered, and slumped forward in a dead faint.

Tyler bellowed in fury, jumping forward toward his sister who lay bound in chains.

“Lily?” he called softly, as if questioning what he was seeing. His hands trembled as he lifted the bedraggled girl in his arms.

“Um, Ty?” Emma asked, squatting beside him. Her world felt off kilter. Sure, it looked like the wizard turned on Lily, beating and then chaining her up. That didn’t change the facts. Lily had planned to kill his parents, Tyler, and Emma.

Tyler wasn’t acting like the person she knew. Made of steely willpower, he seemed more likely to hold a grudge for several centuries, not to forget his sister’s serious crimes in a matter of minutes. Chains or not, the girl was dangerous to everyone around her.

“This is my sister, Lily,” he said. Voice shaking, he tapped the girl’s face. The gentle touch didn’t wake the girl up.

“Yeah, I’m not dense. I’ve got a clear memory of her planning to kill all of us,” she reminded him none too gently, speaking in a voice rough with emotion.

He glanced up, holding her eyes. Pain filled his face. Emphasizing the first word, he said, “
This
is Lily. That other person looked like Lily, but she had to be a filthy witch.” His words ended with a curl of his lips.

Several things registered at once: the girl’s tattered dress, the metal collar around her neck, and the group’s discussion about wizards and witches. All of it crashed through her brain, making horrible sense.

Extending his claws, he reached for the mesh collar around Lily’s slender neck.

“Don’t,” she said urgently. Grabbing his arm, she stopped him from cutting the collar.

“Em, I swear to you, she’s innocent. She never tried to kill anyone.” Hurt eyes searched hers. “Alex is probably short for Alexandria. The witch must be Andrew’s mate. With his help, the witch must’ve captured Lily and collared her. The witch collar isn’t just sucking her life force to gain power, it is stealing Lily’s image. The witch is making everyone think she is my sister.”

Emma felt like a heel for hurting him even a little bit. “I get it. I really do.” Her hand tightened on his arm. “But if you cut that collar off, won’t the witch know it?”

“Yes,” he growled with satisfaction. “The spell is tied to the collar by the witch’s blood. She’ll instantly lose her ability to mimic Lily’s face and voice.” He sucked in a sharp hiss of anger, understanding. “And if the witch isn’t near anyone when the spell collapses she will escape. We’d never catch her.”

Chapter - Red Alert!

Less than an hour later, Emma held onto Tyler’s back as he descended from the sky in a burst of speed. Ignoring a shout of greeting as they sped through the sunny sky, a sky tinted with a deep purple haze, he aimed for Fortress.

Tyler landed on his private balcony, dropping to his knees.

Emma scrambled off his back, realizing she had somehow overcome her fear of falling in the last few days.

Several feet away, a gryphon dropped to the landing area. His golden mane shook, nearly throwing his cloaked rider off his broad shoulders.

A girl squealed, and the cape fell from Jenna’s head as she slid off Zach’s back in a hasty tumble.

Emma wondered why Jenna wasn’t flying under her own power. The girl was chimera. That meant she was half fury and had wings.

 Zach shifted, changing to his human form. He turned on the girl. “Next time you want my attention, say something, don’t kick me with those pointy boots of yours,” he said, snarling at her.

Emma turned away from the arguing teens just in time to watch Tyler shift. Bare chested, he stood with Lily curled in his arms. Before the flight to the castle, the girl had briefly stirred. Wild-eyed, terrified, she’d searched the area around them, and warned them of Andrew’s betrayal.

Tyler hurried past the stunned teens. “Zach, go get one of the enforcers, but don’t say anything about Lily,” he said, as he placed the bone-thin girl on his bed.

“What’s going on?” Jenna asked, confusion coloring her words. Reaching toward Lily, the girl saw the collar about the same time as Zach.

They growled in unison. Every hair on Emma’s body rose in warning.

“After last night’s attack on Scrimp Shaw, most of the enforcers have been reassigned to patrol. The balcony guards are gone and they have cadets on inside guard duty.” Zach took off, heading out of the bedroom.

“Witch,” Jenna snarled, eyes filling with angry tears. “A bloody witch had my best friend and I didn’t even know it.”

Zach closed the door behind a hard-eyed cadet wearing a royal blue sash. The cadet didn’t look much older than Emma was, but he had an edge of ruthlessness about him.

Tyler began explaining, laying out the facts in quick sequence. Before he could finish, the cadet raised a single hand. The teen’s pale blue eyes looked like ice, frigid and filled with fury. “Finish it later. She needs a healer.”

“Agreed.”

He nodded to Tyler. His words were blunt, nearly harsh. “Stay here. Don’t move.”

The broad shouldered teenager turned on his heel, returning to the gathering room. He left the doors between the rooms open.

“Red alert,” he snapped to the other cadets lining the huge outer room. Through the open door, Emma heard his rapid orders. “No one leaves. If anyone enters, detain them under armed guard. That includes any member of the family except Lord Aaron and Lady Valerie. Tucker and Martin, find the Wér-Dragon and Lady Valerie, get them here stat. Hendrix, get a healer, preferably a master. Beatrice, take four cadets from the hallway and find Lily and Andrew. When you do find them, do not approach them. Keep them under surveillance and send word.” He paused a split-second. “Move, people!”

He returned, walking with a lethal grace that spelled trouble. Anger rolled off him in waves.

Jenna broke the silence. “I’m not letting her lay there in those filthy rags.” She reached toward Lily.

The grim-faced cadet stepped forward, grabbing her wrist. A growl rumbled under his words. “She’s not leaving my sight.”

Jerking her wrist out of his grasp, Jenna turned on him. Baring her fangs, she hissed. “Lily’s my best friend. I would never hurt her!”

“Maverick, I agree with Jenna.” Tyler stepped forward, supporting his clan sister.

Maverick snorted, bending closer to the snarling girl. “You have a bloody chip on your shoulder. I wasn’t worried about you biting her you little vamp. I’m more concerned about that blasted collar she still has around her neck.” He touched the filthy skin just below the offensive piece of twisted metal. “Some collars are created to explode if anyone but its creator or wearer touches it.”

They were still absorbing his words when a woman, with midnight hair artfully piled on her head, rushed into the room. “Oh my God, Lily!”

Emma knew the woman had to be Tyler’s mom.

The woman’s mate, and Tyler’s dad, strode into the room moments later. Bigger than life, the man dominated the room. The moment his eyes landed on Lily, his roar of fury shook the walls.

Tyler, Emma, Zach, and Jenna eased back as her parents hovered over Lily, caressing her hair, holding her hand.

“Explain.” Lord Aaron’s single word demanded a full explanation. His voice shook with suppressed rage.

Tyler told him, not leaving anything out as they watched the healer rush in and begin work over Lily’s silent form.

A few minutes later, the healer stood from his bent position. “Has she opened her eyes or said anything at all?”

“Briefly,” Tyler said, worriedly glancing at the slender form of his sister.

The healer shook his head. “We need the collar off. I know, before everyone starts telling me no, that it is the only way to catch the witch, I’m telling you it must come off. From her unresponsive condition, the collar had to be linked to a be-spelled item wherever she was being held. The moment you moved her, the spell snapped, triggering an internal alarm of sorts. The collar is slowly killing her.”

The words barely left the man’s mouth when Lord Aaron shifted to wér, and slipped his claws under the collar, slicing the metal in several places. He removed the pieces, tossing them to the floor in a pile.