Fire Dancer (Spellbound in Sedona #2)

Chapter Ten

PIPPA

“And then he said, ‘How long have you two been together?’” Erin’s father hooted as he delivered the punch line to his story.

We’d been around the bonfire for several hours by then, all full from a delicious dinner, and Mike was telling us about the time he and my dad had taken Claire to town for ice cream. A friendly cashier, hearing them go by Grandpa and Grandpa, had assumed they were a couple.

“I just about died,” my dad admitted.

Mike leaned over and planted a loud smooch on his cheek. “Happy couple. That’s us, baby.”

My dad rolled his eyes. “One inch closer and you’re toast, buddy.”

Ah, pyromancer humor.

“I mean, really,” my dad huffed. “I would have much better taste than this yo-yo.”

Mike hit back with weathermonger humor — making play-thunder rumble in the distance.

I stood, clearing the last of the barbecue utensils away. “Marshmallows, anyone?”

“Me! Me!” Claire hopped up and down. “And then story time!”

Bonfire story time was a tradition handed down from my dad’s side of the family. A tradition he continued when he visited Arizona — ostensibly for Claire, but really, for all of us.

My dad rubbed his hands eagerly. “Definitely story time. Right after those marshmallows.”

The timing was perfect, because the sun was setting, and by the time we finished marshmallows, stars dotted the spring sky. Mike looked up, then shot a smug glance at Nash.

Most of us were in jackets or wrapped in blankets by then, though the fire kept us warm.

Ingo, who knew what to expect, gestured for Nash to scooch back.

“For story time?” Nash asked.

“You’ll see,” Ingo murmured.

Smart man, because story time with a pyromancer was truly something to behold.

Claire sat nestled in Mike’s lap, right beside my father, who turned to her.

“All right, young lady. Where does the story begin?”

“On Painted Rock Ranch,” Claire said immediately.

I grinned. All of Claire’s stories started on the ranch, but my dad had a way of thinking big.

He thought for a moment, then pulled back his sleeves, raised his hands, and started.

“Once upon a time, there was a girl named Claire…”

Mike patted her on the head, and she grinned.

“Claire lived on Painted Rock Ranch with the best mom in the world…”

Abby’s eyes danced. She hadn’t had a lot of positive feedback as a kid, but my father and Erin’s did their best to make up for that. And, hey. Dad was right. Abby might have some issues, but she was a doting, loving mother to a great kid.

“Claire had a dog named Roscoe, two supersmart aunts, and the world’s best grandpas…” my father continued.

“And a new uncle,” Claire threw in. “Nash.”

Nash grinned, as did Erin. Mike fought to maintain a neutral expression.

“And an uncle and lots of horses and other great things,” my father continued. “But there was one thing Claire didn’t have, so one day, she galloped off on her horse, Star, to find it.”

Up until that point, the bonfire had been snapping and crackling in the usual way, with a thick, central blaze and smaller flames swirling up toward the stars from there. But then…

My father wiggled his fingers. “Claire galloped fast and far, following the creek for miles and miles…”

The fire burned lower and wider, and a meandering shape formed in the center. A river of flames, you could say, snaking this way and that.

“She galloped over the desert and into the mountains…”

The flames bunched and reformed, throwing up flat-topped mesas and jagged peaks.

“She galloped so fast and so far, she ended up in medieval times…”

I chuckled. A slight jump in logic, but hey. Pyromancers had a way of getting away with whatever ignited their fancy.

One side of the fire flared, forming a castle — an entire castle, right down to tiny flaming flags that danced at the corners of the towers.

Claire clapped, while my sisters and I oohed and aahed. Nash’s jaw hung open.

“Show-off,” Mike grumbled.

Any pyromancer could control fire, but only the most skilled could do so with such precision. So skilled, there was a special name for them: Fire Dancer.

“Oh, hush. You’ll get your part soon,” my dad stage-whispered, then went back to his story. “Now, where was I? Oh, yes. As it turns out, Claire was a princess in medieval times. A princess and a brave knight, all in one.”

The flames died down briefly, then reformed.

“Whoa,” Nash murmured as a ghostly horse and rider galloped through the heart of the blaze, kicking up a wake of swirling flames.

“Claire traveled far and wide, looking for the one thing she lacked. But she and Star faced some hardships too. A snowstorm…”

My father nudged Mike, who grumbled, “Finally,” and clasped Claire’s hands, moving them in tandem with his.

Something cold and damp hit my ear, then my nose.

Ingo chuckled, cupping his hands to catch the snowflakes that wafted by.

“Then a windstorm…”

Mike nodded at Erin, who held her palm up and puffed gently.

My hair blew from over my shoulder to my chest, and a tumbleweed rolled by.

Abby clapped in delight. Erin looked just as happy. She hadn’t been able to command magic until recently, when true love and a deadly threat had combined to bring her powers she never knew she had. Every time Mike visited, he taught her a few new tricks.

I held up my hands in silent applause. Erin blushed proudly.

Maybe too soon, because the dust blew harder, making the fire blaze.

“Whoa, there.” Mike made a catching motion, snuffing the storm out.

Oops, Erin’s expression lamented.

My father went on, barely noticing. “Claire and Star galloped from town to town, scaring away bad guys along the way…”

At a flick of his fingers, swords flashed and fiery arrows shot through the flames.

Ingo leaned forward like this was his favorite part. Hell, it probably was. He knew my father that well, and my father loved him like a son.

I sighed. If I ever succeeded in finding a man to share my life with, Ingo would still be a part of it. Talk about awkward.

Almost as awkward as the thought of sharing my life with anyone but Ingo.

But seeing him beside my father reminded me of all the reasons we couldn’t be together. All the nights I’d stayed up worrying… All the nightmares… All the interrupted holidays…

Heroes were…well, heroic, and I revered every one. But the idea of a nice, normal guy who worked a safe job and spent weekends on comparatively selfish hobbies had a lot of appeal.

Except it didn’t, because I still loved Ingo.

I hugged my knees and stared into the fire.

Meanwhile, my father continued his story.

“Claire banished an ogre and a nasty squirrel shifter and a rampaging boar…”

The fire morphed, taking the shape of each beast.

Habit had me subtly mimicking my father’s gestures. As a kid, I thought I could control fire. It wasn’t until later that I’d accepted the bitter truth. Anything other than the most elementary tricks were beyond my meager abilities. But it was still fun to play along with him.

“Then along came a griffin and a two-headed serpent…” My dad continued his parade of medieval monsters.

The only creatures he didn’t mention were dragons. No need to remind Claire of her conspicuously absent grandmother on this one big happy family occasion.

“One day, Claire heard cries for help, and she raced to the local castle to see what was going on. There, she found a dastardly prince who was claiming the most beautiful horse in the land for himself. Claire tried to stop him, but the dastardly prince had dozens of troops, and before long, Claire was surrounded.”

“Uh-oh,” Mike said, hugging her tightly.

She patted his hands. “It’s okay, Grandpa. My magic friend will help me.” She looked at my father as if to cue him.

The thing was, Dad looked a little blank. Claire had gone through a long string of imaginary friends, and it was hard to keep track.

“Right,” my dad bluffed, then threw both hands wide.

I mimicked the gesture, trying to send him a hint.

A unicorn appeared in the fire, tossing its mane and a spiraling, ivory horn.

Close, but no cigar, I wanted to hiss.

Claire shook her head. “Not that one.”

I changed the shape of my hands, trying to signal him, but Dad didn’t see.

“Oh, sorry,” he murmured. “ This magic friend.”

Whoosh! A tornado whirled in the heart of the fire, and Diana, goddess of the hunt, appeared at its core. An old friend from Claire’s Greek mythology stage.

“No, not that one.” Claire chuckled as if he was deliberately teasing her.

Oblivious to my hints, my dad tried an elf, a mermaid, and a phoenix — all recent visitors to Claire’s imagination. But not the one she’d been obsessed with for the past few weeks.

I motioned even more vigorously, demanding his attention while my own mind jumped to Stacy, with that pretty pendant she wore next to that awful blood vial.

“That one!” Claire cheered, pointing into the fire.

A smoky horse galloped through the flames, coming right at us. But instead of disappearing at the edge of the fire or plowing right through us, it leaped into the air on huge, fire-laced wings.

“Pegasus!” Claire clapped.

Everyone watched in awe as the pegasus reared and snorted. Then, with a mighty heave of its feathered wings, it thundered toward the stars. The fire blazed as high as the house, following it. Then, bit by bit, the pegasus faded, though brilliant orange embers marked its outline against the indigo sky. Then they, too, extinguished, and the pegasus became one with the stars.

Claire clapped, thrilled. So did the others, and everyone looked stunned…including my father.

I stared at my hands. They were pointed at the sky, and little sparks played around them. In a flash, I dropped them to my lap and shook them out.

“Wow, Greg,” Abby breathed. “That was your best show ever.”

My father looked at his hands, puzzled. He shot Mike a quick look, but Mike appeared just as surprised as the others.

Me too. Super surprised, and a little frightened. What had just happened?

I flicked my fingers a few times, trying to get rid of that odd tingle.

And, oops. A trio of tiny sparks rose into the air before I clamped my hands into fists.

Ingo’s midnight eyes locked on mine, and he cocked his head.

I gulped. Um, fireflies, maybe?

“Wow. That really was amazing,” Erin agreed.

My father shot me a side-eyed look. I kept my eyes down and my fingers folded tightly.

Dad cleared his throat and replied very quietly, “Sometimes, I even surprise myself.”

Again, his eyes sought mine. Again, I avoided them. Because, whoa. The tingling went from my fingers to my lungs, and my body felt lighter, as if part of it had galloped into the sky with that pegasus.

“Fire Dancer…” Nash whispered in awe.

And, shoot. Now Ingo was really staring at me.

“Keep going, keep going!” Claire begged.

I kept my fingers tightly folded.

My father cleared his throat. “Actually, that’s the end of the story. Thanks to the pegasus, Claire was able to save the beautiful horse and take it home with her. And when the pegasus flew to the stars afterward, he wasn’t flying away. He was flying across time, all the way to Arizona, where he joined Claire on the ranch and they all lived happily ever after.”

I swear Claire would have taken off to check the stables if Mike hadn’t been hugging her.

Abby and Erin clapped, helping wrap up the story. I joined in a split second later, though my heart was still hammering.

“Lucky girl,” Erin told Claire. “You get the best stories.”

Abby stood and tousled Claire’s golden hair. “I know Grandpa could hug you forever, but now, it really is bedtime.”

“No!” Claire retreated into Mike’s powerful arms.

“I’m afraid so, sweetheart.” Graceful as a cat, he got to his feet, still holding Claire. Then he set her down and sent her off with a pat on the back. “But I’ll tell you what. If you get yourself ready and tucked in quickly, I’ll come up and read you one last bedtime story.”

“You’re not leaving tonight, are you?” Claire latched on to his leg and looked up with big, irresistible eyes.

And just like that, the big, tough, leather-clad motorcycle rider melted.

“I can stay tonight and tomorrow — if you’re good, and if your mom and aunts say so.”

Erin gave a thumbs-up, and Abby grinned. Nash stuck on a stiff smile.

“Of course you can stay,” Abby said.

“Yay! Can I ride Grandpa’s motorcycle tomorrow?”

Ha. That Claire. The world’s cutest, sweetest opportunist.

“We’ll discuss that tomorrow,” Abby announced firmly. “Now, off to bed. Then Grandpa can read you that new book Auntie Pippa got you.”

“Let me guess. The one about a pegasus.” Ingo pinned me with a hard look.

As a matter of fact, it was. But I kept my lips sealed.