Fireborn

CHAPTER 14

I drove past the locked gates that led into Hanging Rock Reserve, then came to a halt in the shadows of several eucalypts farther down the road and climbed out. Dusk was just beginning to weave red and gold fingers across the cloud-held sky, and the air had a charged, electric feel to it.

Or maybe that was just me.

Fire burned through my limbs, a force so eager to be used that sparks danced lightly across my fingertips every time I moved.

I clenched my hands and tried to control the fear that was leading to the fiery output. I might have serious doubts as to whether the sindicati would uphold their promises and let us go free, but I couldn’t walk into this meeting so obviously ready for trouble. Any show of force, however small and bright, might just turn things down the wrong path.

I raised my gaze and scanned the sky. Rory was up there somewhere, but it didn’t make me feel any safer. We might have set this meeting for a time convenient for us, but the cool-voiced vampire was one of the old ones, and dusk provided little impediment. And they’d had several hours to prepare their net—if indeed it was a net I was stepping into, and not just old fears and prejudices raising their ugly heads.

I blew out a breath, wished the nerves could so easily be released, then leaned back into the car and plucked the laptop—now safely secured in a backpack—off the backseat. After locking the car and shoving the keys under the rear wheel arch to ensure I didn’t lose them in whatever mayhem might happen over the next half hour, I walked through the scrub that divided the road from the fence and climbed into the reserve.

It took about ten minutes to walk to the main parking lot, and sunset had taken full hold by the time I arrived. The power of it sang through me, a fierce, warm energy that—in any other situation—would have had me dancing.

I paused on the edge of the tarmac. There were several cars present, but no sign of the occupants. Given the reserve was closed for the evening, they had to belong either to the rangers or to the sindicati themselves. But if it was the latter, where the hell were they?

My gaze jumped to the ancient rock formation that loomed above the parking lot, but I couldn’t see anyone there, either. Not that I would. I mean, we were talking about vampires, and those bastards were well able to conceal themselves in shadows. And even with dusk in its full glory there was still plenty of those lurking about.

I resolutely took four steps forward—and suddenly felt horribly exposed. Keeping my fingers clenched, I said, without raising my voice, “I know you’re here. Reveal yourselves.”

For several minutes there was no response. Sweat began to trickle down my spine, and my heart felt ready to tear itself out of my chest. Which, no doubt, was precisely what they wanted.

Then, directly opposite me, a long stick of a man shook free of the shadows lurking under the trees and stepped into the sunset-bathed parking space. He had dusty blond hair, a thick, handlebar mustache, and was dressed rather like an old-style cowboy—complete with boots and hat. The telling thing, however, was that he didn’t even flinch when the waning sunlight hit him. He was one of the old ones, and possibly had been a cowboy before he’d turned.

He was not, however, the man I’d been speaking to over the phone—the one who’d tasted me when I’d been held captive in that place of darkness. Why I was so certain I couldn’t really say, other than the fact that the same sense of menace wasn’t emanating from him.

Although that didn’t make him any less dangerous.

“You have the laptop?” His voice held the slightest hint of a drawl and none of the cool remoteness of the other vampire.

“I do, but I’m not about to risk handing it over to any old lackey. If the man I made the deal with isn’t here, then I walk away.”

“Such an action would only result in the Fae’s death.”

“Kill the Fae, and you kill any chance of getting the notes.” A flicker of gold caught my eye. I glanced up, saw a trail of fiery red-gold plunge from the streaked skies. Tension wound through me, and it was all I could do to remain where I was, to not step back to the shelter of the trees, where I was less of a target for a marksman. But I couldn’t help adding, “Kill me, and you won’t get the laptop’s password.”

His eyebrow raised almost imperceptibly. “That is hardly a consideration when we have more than enough resources to break whatever password you may have placed on the computer.”

“Perhaps.” My gaze swept the parking lot’s boundaries, sensing movement but not seeing it. “But if you shoot me, you risk damaging the computer itself in my fall. Isn’t it far easier for everyone involved if the man I made the deal with just stepped forward?”

“Why does it matter who you deal with?” the cowboy countered.

I smiled, but it was thin and forced. “Because my deal was made with him, not you. He gave me his word on our safety. You did not.”

“A small but important distinction, I agree,” a cool voice said to my left.

I jumped and half swung around as a shadow appeared out of the trees only yards from where I stood. God, I hadn’t even sensed him—how many damn others were nearby? More than even imagination could conjure, I’d wager.

I swallowed to ease the sudden dryness in my throat and watched him walk—although to be honest, gliding seemed a more apt description of his method of movement—into the middle of the parking lot, where he turned to face me. He had what could be described only as classic male features—a wide, angular jaw, a square chin, a prominent brow, and a strong—almost Roman—nose. Both his eyes and his hair were a steely gray, and he was rangier in build than his whip-thin compatriot.

“Now, the laptop. I wish to see it.”

“And I have the same desire to see Jackson Miller. You present your offering; then I’ll present mine.”

He sighed. “And still you don’t trust me. This aggrieves me greatly, I assure you.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive my mistrust,” I said. “After all, you are a rather high-ranking member of the sindicati. I would think mistrust comes with the territory.”

“That, unfortunately, is very true.” He paused, and a slight smile touched his lips. A chill ran across my skin, and I clenched my fists so hard against the surge of fire that my nails dug into my palms. “But also somewhat earned.”

He raised a hand and made a quick “come here” motion with two fingers. Out of the shadows behind him, two more vampires appeared, Jackson gripped between them as they dragged him forward. His clothes were torn and his body beaten and bloody; he looked every inch as bad as he’d sounded on the phone. But his gaze, when it met mine, was filled with pain, fury, and fire.

It was the fire that caught my attention. It burned deep in those green depths, and it suggested he was more than ready to wield flames should the slightest spark arise.

Had the drug worn off?

God, I hoped so. Even if he wasn’t at full strength physically, we had more of a chance of surviving this encounter if he at least had some fire capability. I returned my attention to the cool-voiced vampire.

“Your turn,” he said evenly.

I swung the backpack around and pulled out the laptop.

“Start it up. I want to check that the file has not been touched.” His sudden smile held a mocking edge. “I’m afraid the lack of trust goes both ways.”

“You’re welcome to check, but the laptop doesn’t leave my hands while it happens.” My gaze skated across the shadows haunting the tree-lined parking lot. The sense of movement was increasing, as was the sense of danger. I rolled my shoulders, trying to ease the tension, with little success. “But no tricks. I’m a lady of fire, remember, and flesh burns just as easily as trees.”

“Oh, we forget nothing.” It was a warning more than a statement, and it had my gaze darting across those shadows again. I had a bad, bad feeling that the “we” he was talking about was not those I could see or sense, but those I couldn’t.

Who was out there, watching the proceedings from the shadows? That silent stranger again? Or someone else? And did they intend to do anything more than just watch?

I hoped not.

The vampires already in the parking lot and those I could sense moving around were more than enough to contend with. I didn’t need any more shit added to an already overloaded plate.

A vampire came out of the trees to my left and walked toward me. I booted up the laptop, typed in the password, then held it up as the vamp stopped in front of me. He was tall and thin, as most tended to be, with thick brown hair, an aristocratic nose, and a mouth that seemed locked in a permanent sneer. He smelled of garlic and earth—an odd combination that didn’t do a whole lot for the tremulous state of my stomach.

His fingers flew over the keyboard, his touch so light I barely felt the movement. After a moment, he stepped back and glanced at his boss.

“The file has not been touched.”

“Excellent. Bring the laptop to me.”

“Not so fast.” I snatched the computer away from the grasp of the vamp. “An equal exchange, please. And you”—I added, glancing at garlic breath—“can go back to the shadows, if you don’t mind.”

The vamp glanced at his boss, then retreated as requested. It didn’t make me feel any safer. “Now release Jackson.”

The cool-voiced vampire waved those two fingers again. The vamps holding Jackson released him and stepped back. Jackson slapped to the ground like so much bloodied meat and, for several seconds, didn’t move. Then, with a hiss of air that spoke of extreme pain, he rolled onto his back.

“I’m afraid,” the cool-voiced vamp said casually, “that your friend has suffered a broken arm and leg. It is, unfortunately, a far easier way to manage captives than any regular means of restraint.”

I swore under my breath. I should have guessed the bastards would do something like that.

“Then you need to step back.” I shoved the laptop into the backpack and swung the pack onto my shoulder. “Once I have Jackson, you can have the pack.”

After that, I could only hope that they would uphold their end of the deal. But even if they didn’t, we had more of a chance against them if we could at least make a stand together.

The cool-voiced vampire raised his hands and all three stepped back to the edge of the trees. Their easy compliance only ratcheted the tension and the fire singing through me.

I studied the nearby tree line for several seconds, wishing I had the ability to look beyond the shadows, wishing I could see who was watching, who was waiting. But that was an ability—like the dreams—not often found in phoenixes. And I briefly wondered, if I’d dreamed that this would be the end result of saving Sam, whether I’d have actually saved him.

Yes, that insane bit of me whispered, you would have.

I took a deep, somewhat shuddery breath; then, my grip tight on one of the backpack’s straps, I walked toward Jackson.

His gaze met mine as I neared, and the fury was richer in his bright eyes. “Damn it, Em, you shouldn’t be here.”

“If I were the sensible type, I wouldn’t be.” I stopped beside him, swung the backpack off my shoulder, and carefully placed it on the asphalt. As I did so, I sent the flames that sparked across my fingertips onto the pack, where they shimmered and danced but didn’t burn. Not yet, anyway.

“Destroy that backpack,” the cool-voiced vampire commented, “and you destroy any agreement we had.”

“The flames won’t destroy the pack. Not unless you attack.” I squatted down, keeping my gaze on the vamp as I said to Jackson, “I’m going to need your help to get us out of here. You up for that?”

“You bet your sweet ass I am,” he muttered. And I knew he was referring more to fighting the vamps than any toll the mere act of moving would have on him. Fae were a damn tough lot. He added, “Haul me up on the left side. It ain’t broken.”

To haul him up, I’d have to turn my back on the vampires—not something I was overly keen on doing, but it wasn’t like I had a whole lot of choice. “Tell me if one of them moves or disappears.”

“I will.”

I changed position, then gripped his raised hand. My gaze met his again and he nodded, briefly. With very little ceremony—but a whole lot of effort—I hauled him upright onto his good leg. He gritted his teeth and hissed, the sound long and pain filled. Sweat broke out across his brow and his skin suddenly looked ashen—not a great look on a fire Fae. I quickly shoved my shoulder under his and took most of his weight as he wobbled about. I slipped my other arm around his body. His heart was beating so hard it felt like someone was thumping my hand, and he was trembling violently. How he was even conscious, I had no idea.

“Now,” I said, just as much to the vampires as to Jackson, “we get out of here.”

“And the flames on the backpack?” the cool-voiced vampire inquired.

“Will retreat when we’re safe, not before.”

“You have until the trees. Release it then, or we will attack.”

“And what happens after I release the pack? We’re hardly safe in the trees.”

He raised an eyebrow, his expression mocking. “Would it matter if I promise that neither I nor any of those I brought to this meeting will attack?”

“It probably wouldn’t, but I’d like to hear it, all the same.”

“Then I so promise. We will not attack you.”

The slight emphasis he placed on “we” had my gaze going to the trees again. The cool-voiced vampire and his cronies might not attack, but whoever was hiding in those shadows more than likely would.

Still, it was a risk we had no choice but to take.

I headed for the trees and tried not to jar Jackson’s broken limbs too much—an impossible task given that he was forced to hop. After several minutes of doing so, he began to swear vehemently. I stopped immediately—which only caused another round of swearing.

“Damn it,” he said, between gritted teeth. “Just keep going.”

I did, moving as slowly as I could, trying to keep an eye on the vamps behind us as the awareness of the threat still hiding in the trees grew. To make matters worse, the dusk was fading and darkness would soon be upon us.

And darkness was the vampires’ ally, not ours.

But I couldn’t go any faster. Jackson was a big man, and it was taking everything I had to keep him upright. Sweat dribbled down my face and back, and the scent stung the sweet evening air until all I could smell was it and fear.

We inched along, slowly drawing closer to the trees. I glanced at the skies and hoped like hell Rory was watching. That he’d be ready.

The shadows reached for us, though their grasp was anything but comforting. Those shadows held dangerous secrets, and I wasn’t looking forward to their revelation.

One problem at a time, I reminded myself fiercely. And that, right now, was the vampires at our backs.

I looked over my shoulder. The cool-voiced vampire remained in the middle of the clearing, his arms crossed and his expression sitting somewhere between amusement and contempt.

Something was very definitely about to happen—and it wasn’t us getting free.

“That is far enough, Emberly Pearson. If you do not release the backpack from its flames, we will unfortunately be forced to attack.”

“Don’t do it,” Jackson muttered. “They’ll attack the minute they have the laptop.”

“And they’ll attack if they don’t get it,” I murmured. “But never fear. I do have a trick or two up my sleeve.”

“I hope they’re damn good ones, because we’re not exactly in a great state here. Or at least, I’m not.”

“You do rather look like shit.” I came to a halt. Tension—or maybe it was pain—rippled through Jackson’s muscular frame. “But the big question is, are you shit that can use flame?”

His snort was one of amusement, but it quickly became a groan. “God, don’t make me do that. But yeah, I can.”

“Good, because there’s something in the trees and it’s getting ready to attack.” My gaze met the cool-voiced vampire’s again, and I raised my voice as I added, “Remember your promise, vampire.”

And with that, I waved a hand, the gesture grander than it needed to be, but I had to be sure Rory spotted it. The flames skittered away from the backpack and quickly faded into the ether of the evening.

The cowboy stepped forward, picked up the pack, and withdrew the laptop. The pack itself was contemptuously thrown to one side and skidded underneath one of the parked cars.

“Thank you for upholding your end of our deal. And now—”

I had no idea what else he said, because his words were lost in an explosion of flame. They sprang from the earth itself, a wild and tempestuous storm that burned with all the colors of creation.

Rory, connecting with the great mother to provide a barrier around the parking lot to keep the vampires contained.

“That,” Jackson said heavily, “is one hell of a trick to have up your sleeve.”

“Yeah, but it only accounts for one problem, not the other. Let’s get out of here while we still can.”

We moved on as quickly as Jackson was able. The power of the flames that danced at our backs rippled across my skin, drawing answering sparks that shot into the shadows like little tiny comets. Under normal circumstances, I would have tried to control the output, if only because such a show gave away our position. But it was pointless to do so here; whoever—whatever—was out there knew exactly where we were, sparkly show or not.

Besides, between the sparks and the fire at our backs, Jackson surely had enough fire to amplify and use.

Jackson’s breathing became more labored the farther we went into the trees. He didn’t say anything, but the trembling was far worse, and his body was drenched in sweat. I couldn’t see him making it to the car. And while I could drag him, I certainly wouldn’t be able to get him up and over the fence. And Rory needed all his strength to maintain that fire barrier.

“It’s not that far now,” I muttered. “You have to keep going, Jackson.”

“Don’t fucking worry about me.” The words were little more than short, sharp expulsions of air. “Worry about the things—”

Something hit us side-on, with such force it tore Jackson from my grasp and sent me stumbling into the trees. I crashed into the trunk of a tree and crumpled to a heap at its base, seeing stars and fighting for breath. Heat exploded across the air, accompanied by the sharp smell of eucalyptus as the trees around me burst into flame. I groaned, rolled onto my back, and forced my eyes open.

And saw, in the dancing gleam of fire, Jackson—on his back, flames shooting from both his good hand and his body as he fought to keep a snarling, writhing, red-cloaked figure away from his neck.

Red cloaks . . . Holy fuck, the red cloaks were working with the vampires.

The thought quickly died as several of them appeared in my line of vision. Their unscarred faces were twisted, their mouths open, as if screaming, though no sound came out. I swore and scrambled upright, backing away fast and calling to the fire within. I was halfway through the change when they hit me and sent me flying. I crashed to the ground with a grunt—a sound I repeated as the bastards flung themselves on top of me and began tearing at whatever remaining bit of flesh they could find with wickedly sharp nails and teeth. A scream tore up my throat, but it was lost to the roar of flames as I became full spirit. The red cloaks burned, but they didn’t seem to care, tearing and biting at flesh that no longer existed.

And they sure as hell weren’t burning fast enough for my liking.

My flames became incandescent. The red cloaks screamed then, but the sound was quickly cut off as their flesh cindered and their bones became little more than ash, which the force of my fires blew away. I flowed upright and arrowed toward Jackson. The red cloak he held was little more than a fleshy torch, but again the creature didn’t seem to care. Two others tore at Jackson’s legs, taking little notice of his efforts to kick them away or the flames that were searing their flesh. I flicked a ribbon of fire around their necks, drew the noose tight, then ripped them away from him, rising upward and dragging them with me, high into the treetops. They kicked and screamed and fought my rope, but there was only one way they were going to get free—and that was when my noose burned right through their flesh and separated their heads from their bodies. I lashed my fiery rope to the trunk of the tree, then swirled back down and grabbed the other red cloak. Him I simply flung at the nearest tree, then tied securely with another ribbon of fire.

More red cloaks came at us. I twisted away from them, the movement so swift my flames trailed behind me like a comet’s tail. I threw up a wall of fire between them and Jackson, then reached for the earth mother. Felt the trembling in the ground underneath me as she responded. Then her energy exploded through me, a wild force that this time would not be contained or in any way directed. But it wrapped almost lovingly around the five red cloaks and cindered them in an instant.

Then it retreated, leaving me shaken and back in flesh form. I scrubbed a trembling hand across my face, smearing wetness, then forced myself upright and staggered across to Jackson.

His arm was torn and bleeding, and there were chunks of flesh missing from his legs. But he forced himself upright with his one good arm and said, “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

“No,” I bit back, my gaze skating through the shadows. The red cloaks hadn’t finished with us yet; of that I was sure. “Not before you take my fire into yourself and burn the virus from your body.”

“Em, now is not—”

“You were bitten by red cloaks,” I reminded him fiercely. “And no one knows if the Fae are affected by it. The only thing I’m sure of is that I’m not. As a fire Fae, you should be capable of taking in the fires of a phoenix without being cindered.”

“I guess death by flame is a hell of a lot better than a descent into madness.” He hesitated. “Have you ever tried anything like this before? Heard of anything like this being tried before?”

“No and no.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.” He took a deep breath and released it. “You need to straighten my leg before we can attempt this. If I can chase the virus from my system through your flames, then I sure as hell can heal other wounds as well.”

I glanced at his leg. It was sitting at an odd angle, with a ragged piece of bone protruding through bloodied flesh. It wasn’t going to be easy to straighten it—for him or me.

But then, moving with it in this state couldn’t have been pleasant, either.

I turned, but moved too quickly and had to slam a hand down to stop my face from planting itself into the dirt. I waited till the slight bout of dizziness eased, then, a little more cautiously, moved to the other end of Jackson’s body.

“You ready?” I said as I gripped his foot.

He nodded, his expression grim. I didn’t give him any warning, just simply did it. It ripped a scream from his throat, and the sound echoed through the trees. Somewhere in the distance I thought I heard laughter and wondered if it was the cool-voiced vampire or someone else.

I flamed, felt Jackson latch on to my fires, on to me, drawing all that I was into him, through him. Fire and flesh become one, and then there was no flesh, no him, and no me, just one united being of flame. And while it wasn’t in any way sexual, it was nevertheless an incredible sensation.

Then the connection broke. The suddenness of it slammed me backward, and for several seconds it was all I could do to suck in air and remain conscious.

“Em?” Jackson’s voice was as weak as I felt. “You okay? I didn’t hurt you?”

“No.” I felt like hell, and there was little more than ash in the storage banks right now, but I was alive. “You?”

“Same.” He paused. “The leg and arm are only half-healed.”

“You’re lucky it did that.” I pushed upright. “Phoenixes generally aren’t capable of healing their wounds with fire. That’s why I still have scars on my back.”

“Yeah, but I’m Fae, and we can use our elements to heal.”

“I’m not an element. I’m a being.”

Behind me, to my left, a leaf snapped. I swung around, sparks halfheartedly dancing across my fingertips. Saw a ghostly, gray-cloaked figure watching me, the cowled hood deep enough to hide his face and yet, oddly, not his eyes. They glowed with an unearthly blue fire and were filled with such hate it shook me to the core.

“You,” he said, the words soft, yet carrying easily on the evening air, “will yet be mine.”

Then he was gone, leaving me not only shaking, but wondering what the hell was going on. Nothing we’d discovered so far was adding up, and the only thing we could really be certain about was that there was something a whole lot bigger than our investigation into the murders of the two scientists going on.

Something—if the stranger’s words were anything to go by—that would drag me far deeper into this whole mess.

Red cloaks appeared and charged as one. I raised my hands and backpedaled fast—only to trip over something and fall ass over tit. I landed on my back, had a glimpse of claws thicker than my arm, and quickly glanced up. It wasn’t trees that filled my vision; it was fire. Not mine, not Jackson’s, but Rory’s. I flung out a hand and added what little fire I had left to his. The red cloaks were hit by the joint wall and had little hope. In a very short time, they were ashen blobs on the forest floor—blobs that the wind picked through and scattered.

Silence returned to the forest.

For several minutes, I didn’t move. I could no longer hear the crackle of Rory’s containment circle, but I had no sense that anyone was near. Perhaps the cool-voiced vampire had indeed kept his word and retreated rather than attacked. But then, if he was working with whoever controlled the red cloaks—and I very much suspected that that person was the gray-cloaked figure I’d seen—he had no real need to attack. Not given that he obviously expected them to take us out.

I pushed to my feet, brushed sweaty strands of hair out of my eyes, and met Jackson’s gaze. “You up to getting out of here?”

“Yeah.” He raised his good arm, and I hauled him to his feet again. This time the effort left me panting.

“We’re a damn fine pair, aren’t we?” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and leaned on me heavily.

“Seems we’re perfectly matched when it comes to finding trouble,” I agreed. My gaze swept the trees around us. That gray-cowled figure was still out there somewhere; his presence was like a canker in the fast-fading light of the sunset.

You will yet be mine, he’d said.

A shiver ran down my spine. I had no idea who he was—or even what he was. I only knew he was someone better avoided.

And why the hell would he want me? It wasn’t like I had any special talent. Yes, I was a phoenix capable of taking several different forms, but that didn’t make me any more special than Jackson—or any other nonhuman, for that matter.

So why me?

I had no idea—but it was very obvious sometime in the near future I was going to find out.

Trepidation trembled through me, but I thrust it aside. One problem at a time, I reminded myself yet again.

And that, right now, was getting the hell out of this forest.