Kiss of Embers (The Dragon Lairds #5)

Chapter 15

Chapter

Fifteen

ZARA

I gripped the rope railings on either side of me and tried not to look down.

Not that there was anything to look at. The chasm beneath me was a cold, shapeless void. And even if I’d wanted to peer into the abyss, the wind made it nearly impossible.

I squinted into the distance, my chin high and my muscles permanently tensed against the screaming wind. Everything hurt. The wind was like sandpaper on my skin. Needle-sharp pains dotted my scalp where my hair threatened to rip from my head. My jaw ached from clamping my molars together. When I’d first set out across the chasm, the wind had blasted my face with enough force to pry my mouth open. If I let it happen again, I wasn’t sure I’d have the strength to close my jaw.

One foot in front of the other. That was all I had to do. That, and not get swept off the rope bridge and plummet to my death.

The ropes groaned like a wounded creature as I inched forward, my heart thumping so hard I felt lightheaded. Each step was a battle against the uncompromising wind, which clawed at my skin with icy fingers.

Other competitors occupied the bridges on either side of me. To my right, a large, bearded werewolf leaned into the deluge even as the wind ripped his T-shirt from his body, sending the tatters spiraling into the abyss like miniature flags. On my left, a vampire inched his way forward, his fangs bared and his eyes sheened with crimson. Long, silver hair whipped around his head as he released one side of his bridge and shook his fist at the sky.

Huh. Maybe I was approaching the obstacle all wrong. Instead of fighting the wind, maybe I should just tell it to go fuck itself.

A loud crack whipped my head around. The werewolf bellowed as his bridge’s supports ripped free of the cliff face ahead of us. The bridge undulated like a snake before swinging downward. The werewolf scrambled to hang on. But his foot slipped on the rope under his boot, and he pitched over the edge of the bridge.

“No!” I cried. Our gazes caught as he flailed in midair. His eyes rounded with horror, and his mouth stretched on a soundless scream.

Then he fell, tumbling into the chasm like a doll.

Shock held me immobile. The werewolf was gone , swallowed up by the void. His hopes and dreams had died with him. He’d had his own reasons for competing for the elixir. Now, whatever cause he’d championed would fail.

I could be next. Nausea seared my throat. I couldn’t channel out of danger like the vampires, or shift into smoke like Struan and Finn. If I fell, I was dead.

Terror gripped me, and my heart beat triple time. The wind stole my breath and clawed the moisture from my eyes. But I was alive. My heart raced, but it was still beating . As long as I breathed, I had opportunities. I wouldn’t waste them by standing still.

Determination coursed through me. I’d conquered three of the four elements. Why not this one? Gritting my teeth, I pushed forward. The wind whipped harder, the tempest raging up and down the chasm’s walls. I ignored it, my focus on the blurry shape of the cliff ahead of me.

One foot in front of the other. One step at a time. The wind howled more wildly, as if enraged by my defiance. With each agonizing step, the cliff grew larger. Less hazy. I was more than halfway across the abyss. A few more steps, and two tiny figures came into view. Side by side, they were unbowed by the wind.

Recognition thumped in my chest, each pulse synced with the beat of my heart. Struan and Finn waited for me. They’d completed the challenge. Instead of crossing the finish line, they’d returned.

For me.

Butterflies filled my stomach. Maybe , a little voice reminded me, they’re exactly what they say they are. My mates. Handpicked for me by fate.

The bridge shuddered under my feet. A series of cracks rang out. Then the world dropped from under me. I screamed, scrabbling for the rope. Fire streaked across my palms as I caught myself in the netting. Wind roared in my ears, and the world became a runaway roller coaster. The cliff face filled my vision. Another scream ripped from me as I slammed into the rock.

Pain exploded in my shoulder, and the breath punched from my lungs. For one terrifying second, the rope slipped from one of my hands, and I dangled one-handed, my body swinging away from the wall.

Dimly, I was aware of men’s shouts and movement above me.

“Zara! Hang on!”

Finn , I thought, my mind hazy. That sounded like Finn. Or maybe Struan. Would they be offended if I told them their accents made it difficult to tell them apart?

The world blurred. The pain flared—a hot, spiky menace that radiated up my neck to my head. Something hot trickled down my temple, but I was too tired to bother with it. Maybe if I just closed my eyes for a second…

“Zara!”

I blinked my eyes open. Someone was shouting, and I wished they would stop.

“Zara!” The deep, accented voice cursed viciously. “I’m fetching her.”

Protests flooded my mind. I didn’t need fetching! I just needed to sleep. Except my fucking shoulder was on fire. I shifted around, trying to find a more comfortable position.

“Stop!”

“Bloody hell, don’t move!”

I frowned, black dots swimming in my vision. Why was everyone so angry with me?

More shouting. Scuffling footsteps.

CRACK!

My eyes flew open. Consciousness roared back. I dangled from the broken rope bridge, my body suspended over the abyss. The only thing stopping me from plunging to my death was the rope tangled around my arm and shoulder. Worse, one of the last two anchors had ripped from the stone, leaving the bridge hanging from just one anchor. Pain stabbed at the side of my skull. The sharp scent of blood stung my nostrils.

“Zara!” Struan shouted above me. “We’re coming for you. Don’t move!”

“And don’t look down,” Finn added.

I angled my head down. The wind gusted, twisting the rope around my legs. Rock crumbled. A ripping sound floated above me. The bridge was tearing from its only remaining anchor. “Oh, gods,” I whimpered. My stomach pitched, saliva flooding my mouth.

“Dammit, woman, I said not to look!”

Wind screeched in my ears. A blast of it shoved me against the rock, jolting my injured shoulder. Blinding-hot pain stabbed deep, and I couldn’t hold back my scream. Nausea sloshed in my gut. I was going to be sick.

CRACK!

The bridge snapped. The cliff face fell away as I plunged. The world spun, flashing between brown rock and the pitch-black void.

Brown. Black. Brown. Black. Brown. Black.

Then, a flash of blue. It streaked past me—big and glittering. A second later, my back slammed into something hard. I slid, a scream in my throat, as a glittering blue wing filled my vision. Mustering the last of my strength, I flipped over, my cheek pressed to something rough and bumpy. Blue scales spread before me, their color a deep, mesmerizing sapphire. And so familiar.

Struan. He’d taken dragon form. Beige horns ran down his back, the bases as big around as my waist. More pale horns decorated his tail. Heat radiated off his gem-toned scales, making it seem like I sprawled atop an electric blanket.

A silver missile darted out of nowhere, and then a second dragon spun and spread its wings. Gunmetal gray, they glittered like they’d been sprinkled with diamonds. Horns marched down the dragon’s back. A pair of them sprouted from the beast’s head. Glossy and black as midnight, they were a striking contrast to the glittering gray.

Finn was beautiful. He flapped his wings, his long tail waving behind him. Struan’s muscles bunched beneath me. Then he launched us upward.

Just as quickly, we plunged back down. Struan grunted and then banked sharply, sending me sliding over his back. Alarm bolted through me as I grabbed at one of his horns. Wrapping my arms around it, I held on as he struggled against the wind.

But it didn’t work. Pressure built, and we continued to descend. Struan roared, flapping his wings. An answering roar echoed somewhere to my left. When I turned my head, Finn appeared to battle the same powerful current. And he was losing. Jaws stretching on another roar, he tossed his head. His wings beat the air, but he didn’t gain altitude.

Wind screamed. Struan wheeled in the air, his wings wide. Beneath me, his muscles bunched and strained as he fought the same invisible current.

My stomach pitched. Struan flapped his wings furiously, but he couldn’t seem to break free. We were going down, and it was all my fault. Now, I’d cost Struan and Finn their lives.

Finn roared as he went into a spiral, his tail whipping around and around. Struan’s answering roar was loud and anguished. His body lurched, and I slammed into a bone-colored horn. Pain exploded in my shoulder. My vision slid out of focus.

Just before the darkness swept me, I gave a broken sob. I’d only just met them. Had mere moments ago realized Finn and Struan were my destiny.

And now, our future was over before it had a chance to begin.

Everything was dark and quiet. If this was death, it wasn’t so bad. At least the wind was gone. Relief coursed through me, and I settled more deeply into the darkness that cradled me. Heat caressed my face. The moon. I’d know it anywhere.

Wait. If the moon was out there, I couldn’t be dead, right? The second the thought formed, pain shot through my skull. I winced, a strangled cry escaping me.

“Easy, lass,” a deep voice rumbled. “Try not to move.”

I tensed. Like the moon, that voice was familiar. I strained to hear it again, but other noises intruded. The soft chirp of insects. The distant trickle of water. Scents swirled too. Damp moss. Rich, wet earth.

And dark incense. Rich, fragrant pine. And over everything, the unmistakable bite of smoke.

I opened my eyes. Finn stared down at me, his brow furrowed. And I was definitely either dead or hallucinating because Struan’s head was attached to his shoulder.

“Weird,” I croaked.

Finn’s brow smoothed. “She’s talking. That’s good, right?”

Struan’s head sailed upward. As the world slid into focus, I realized his head was, in fact, still attached to his body. He’d simply knelt behind Finn, who was seated with me in his arms.

“It’s good,” Struan said, “but let’s get a look at her pupils.” He settled on one knee next to me, and he offered a reassuring smile as he slid a warm hand under my jaw. “Tilt your face toward me. There’s a good lass.” He pulled a smartphone from his pocket and thumbed the screen. Then he flipped the phone around and ran the beam of the flashlight across my field of vision.

My shoulder throbbed. More aches and pains joined the party, pain spreading through my body. I cleared my throat as Struan repeated the flashlight routine on my other eye. “We’re not dead.”

Finn’s chest rumbled against my side as he chuckled. “No. It takes a lot more than a tumble down a chasm to get rid of us, love.”

My cheeks heated at the endearment. He’d obviously meant it the same way he and Struan said lass , but his accent made everything sound intimate.

“No concussion,” Struan announced, flicking off his flashlight. “But that gash on her head isn’t healing fast enough for my liking.”

“Her shoulder is dislocated,” Finn said. “I’ll take care of it.”

What? I struggled in his arms, trying to sit up. “Which shoulder?” My question ended in a groan as pain knifed down my arm. Nausea rushed me, and I collapsed backward.

“ That one,” Finn said, giving me a stern look as he adjusted his arm behind me. “You wrenched it from the socket when you got tangled in the rope bridge. The pop was louder than the wind.”

Sweat beaded my forehead. If I’d had anything in my stomach, it would have decorated the jungle floor. “Okay,” I said weakly, memories of the chasm rushing back. I must have hit my head against the side of the cliff when the bridge fell.

Finn looked at Struan. “I’ll need your help for this.”

“Of course,” Struan said readily. He went to both knees, then reached a hand across me and grasped Finn’s shoulder. A hint of mischief danced in his blue eyes as he met my gaze. “Healing is a complicated gift. Finn and I are still a bit young to have mastered it. So we’ll combine our power. Like Captain Planet .”

Finn made a disgruntled sound. “No one knows what that is, Struan.”

“Yes, I do,” I breathed, my stomach fluttering as I held Struan’s stare. “I loved that cartoon.”

The mischief in his eyes grew. “They don’t make them like they used to.”

“No, they don’t.”

He grinned. “Captain Planet, he’s our hero?—”

“—gonna take pollution down to zero,” I finished. Struan’s grin widened, and together we singsonged, “Gooo, planet!”

Finn’s expression was a mixture of amusement and incredulity as he looked between us. “I think you both hit your heads.”

Struan sobered, and he leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Finn doesn’t care about the environment.”

“I care about it,” Finn said. “I just don’t—” He snapped his mouth shut. “I refuse to be baited.”

“ Or quality animation,” Struan added solemnly.

I couldn’t control my laughter. Unfortunately, it made my shoulders shake, and what started as a giggle ended in another groan.

Finn tsked. “Och, lass, let’s get you fixed up.” He held me close until I settled. Then he looked at Struan. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

For a minute, nothing happened. The three of us sat in the moonlight, the jungle’s sound swelling around us.

Then, something shifted. Tendrils of power crept over my skin, raising goosebumps and putting a hitch in my breath. Power built, and the air began to…sparkle.

Struan bowed his head, a look of intense concentration on his handsome features. Above me, Finn did the same, his long lashes sweeping his cheeks as he closed his eyes.

The insects fell silent. Even the moon seemed to pause, its light flickering as if someone powered a battery.

Lights danced before my eyes. The world was dipped in sugar, the leaves on the trees glinting like they’d been dusted with glitter. Finn’s forearm behind me heated up. So did his lap. Forget an electric blanket, he was hot . Too hot.

My heart raced. The power built. Just as I began to squirm, a diamond slid from the corner of Finn’s eye. Small and perfect, it was shaped like a teardrop. But there was no mistaking it for anything but a gemstone. Its facets sent light shooting in a dozen different directions. Tiny rainbows played over Finn’s cheek and the front of my shirt.

“There,” Struan said, satisfaction in his voice. Smiling, he caught the diamond on his fingertip and carried it to my lips.

I took it onto my tongue automatically. Instinctively. Fire crackled in my mind, and then rushed through my veins and into my lungs. It was hot— searing —but it didn’t burn. Nevertheless, it was all-consuming. Obliterating in the best way. The blaze frazzled through every part of me, knitting the torn ligaments in my shoulder and sealing the wound in my head. Bruises healed. Minor aches I hadn’t even been aware of resolved. My energy returned, every cell rejuvenated.

As quickly as the fire arrived, it fled, leaving me breathless but wholly healed.

“Whoa,” I said, sitting up. “I had no idea dragon tears were that potent.”

Struan smiled. “It’ll be our little secret.”

It was hardly a secret. And the dragons were damn lucky they occupied the top of the supernatural food chain. Otherwise, humans and immortals alike would have hunted them. Perhaps that explained some of the animosity they received from the other Firstborn Races.

Finn stood, depositing me on my feet. Hands on my shoulders, he gave me a searching look. “How do you feel?”

“Perfect. Like I slept a dozen hours and actually drank all the water I’m supposed to instead of just talking about it.”

His eyes crinkled at the corners. “I’m glad to hear it, lass.” He glanced at the trees around us, and the humor drained from his face. “We should get moving. I don’t like this place.”

I turned, scanning the jungle. Giant palms nestled against soaring rubber trees. Despite the moon’s silver glow, shadows lurked in the dense foliage. “Where are we, exactly?”

“Good question,” Struan said. “When Finn and I couldn’t fight the current, we let it push us down. It was a rough ride, but we ended up here.”

Finn scowled as he rubbed at his jaw. “Took for-fucking-ever. If I had to guess, I’d say we’re still inside the temple, and this is just part of the illusion the demons used to create the appearance of obstacles.”

I tilted my head back. The sky certainly didn’t look like an illusion. I looked at Finn. “What if you shifted and flew back up? Do you think we could reach the top of the cliff again?”

“It’s a good idea, lass, and we tried it while you were unconscious. Once we reach a certain altitude, the wind starts up again. In both beast and shadow form, it pushes us back down.”

Struan’s expression darkened. “Finn tried channeling, too. No luck. Whatever dumped us here wants us here.”

Anger rose like a noxious cloud. “It’s sabotage, and maybe not the first time.” I relayed all the suspicious things that had happened since I arrived at the Games, from the strange incident with Galen of House Baudelaire to Brader threatening me alone in my tent.

When I finished, Finn growled low in his throat. “I knew I should have relieved that fucker of his balls when I had the chance.”

“I can’t be positive Brader is behind this,” I said. “He definitely doesn’t have the magic for it. He’d have to be working with someone.”

Struan frowned. “Do you have any reason to believe Baudelaire would target you on his own?”

“Honestly, no.” I drew a deep breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you any of this before. I just…”

“You weren’t sure you could trust us,” Finn said.

I swallowed. “You need the elixir as much as I do.”

He stepped into me, tiny flames dancing in his gray eyes as he threaded his fingers through my hair and gently tipped my head back. “Aye, but we need you, too.”

My heart beat faster, and I heard the breathlessness in my voice as I said, “You might change your minds if saving me costs you the competition.”

“Not possible,” Struan said, moving behind me. He brushed my tattered ponytail aside and planted a soft kiss over my pulse. Despite the cloying humidity, I shivered.

Finn stroked my temples with his thumbs, smoothing the tiny hairs that had escaped my ponytail. “The three of us are in this together, Zara. Life and competition. The lines are blurred now, lass.”

Maybe. But the lines still existed. And now the three of us were stuck with no food or supplies—and no clear path out of whatever magical prison we’d been thrust into. The competition was important, but none of us could win it if we were dead.

Finn must have read the worries in my eyes, because he released me and stepped back. “The first step is to get out of this jungle. Illusions require a great deal of power. Few immortals, witches or otherwise, can sustain one over a large area. If we start walking, we’re bound to find the edge. Once we do, the whole thing should disintegrate.”

“From your lips to the gods’ ears,” Struan muttered. He glanced at the sky, then rolled his shoulders like he was working a kink from his neck.

Finn eyed him. “Is the moon getting to you?”

Struan stopped moving. “I’m fine.”

Finn looked skeptical, but he eventually nodded. “Right. Let’s go.”