Scorched by Darkness

  “Finn?” she murmured, confusion tightening her features as her gaze moved toward the grayish mist that surrounded them. “What’s happened?”

  “After you were knocked unconscious by Micah, I grabbed you and escaped through one of the tunnels,” he said.

  She frowned at his deliberately vague explanation. “What about my family? Are they still in the cavern?”

  He grimaced. “The treasure they were so desperate to uncover turned out to be a very pissed-off dragon.”

  Adair’s mouth fell open; clearly she was wondering if he’d lost his mind.

  He didn’t blame her.

  It was the last thing any of them had expected.

  “Dragon?” she repeated in disbelief.

  “Yeah.” He wrinkled his nose. Even though he’d managed to flee the cavern before the dragon had attacked, he’d caught the scent of charred flesh. Even after the weird ice had turned to fog, he’d been certain the stench was following him.

  “It wasn’t good,” he muttered.

  “Are they…” Her voice trailed away, as if she couldn’t even say the words.

  “I don’t know, but it’s doubtful they could have survived,” he reluctantly confessed, unwilling to give her false hope.

  He instantly regretted his decision as tears filled her eyes before sliding down her face.

  “I knew their greed would eventually destroy them,” she said, her voice unsteady.

  Finn brushed his lips over her forehead, careful to avoid her healing bruises.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

  No doubt sensing that he regretted her pain, not so much the death of the other Sylvermyst, she heaved a small sigh.

  “I know they weren’t much of a family, but they were all I had.”

  Finn allowed his lips to brush down the narrow line of her nose, relishing the earthy scent of rosemary that filled the air at his light caress.

  “That’s not true,” he assured her. “You have me.”

  She stiffened. Almost as if she was frightened by his words.

  “You?”

  Lifting his head, Finn studied her wary expression. Was he pushing her too quickly?

  He grimaced. Of course he was.

  She’d just lost her family. Even if they were a bunch of bastards, it would take time for her to heal.

  With an effort he forced a smile to his lips. “Well, I’ll admit I’m not much at the moment,” he teased lightly. “I’m weary, hungry, and in dire need of a hot bath, but I promise you’ll never be enslaved or forced to do anything that doesn’t make you happy.”

  Her gaze skimmed over his face, as if searching for some hidden truth.

  “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

  “I’m saying you have a home with me.”

  “But…” She slowly shook her head. “You’re a prince.”

  He allowed his fingers to thread through her silky hair. “I don’t think you should hold that against me.”

  She continued to study him with a heartbreaking vulnerability. Like a puppy expecting to be kicked even as she desperately hoped for a pat on the head.

  Anger clenched Finn’s heart. It was no doubt a good thing her family was already dead.

  It would save him the effort of killing them himself.

  “I’m a Sylvermyst,” she abruptly blurted out.

  His lips twisted. “Yeah, I figured that out.”

  “I helped my family kidnap your people,” she pressed, as if she thought he might have forgotten.

  He tugged her silky curl. “That’s in the past.”

  Her chin jutted to a surprisingly stubborn angle. “They’ll never forgive me.”

  He shrugged, even as he inwardly acknowledged that her arrival among his tribe wouldn’t be without difficulties. But he had no intention of allowing that to stop him. Not when everything within him was convinced she belonged with him.

  Forever.

  “Who helped them escape?” he instead demanded.

  She hunched her shoulder, wiggling in his lap. Finn swallowed a groan of pleasure.

  They were stuck in the strange labyrinth, with an angry dragon on the rampage, not to mention the fact that Adair was healing from wounds caused by her recently dead brother, and suddenly all he could think about was getting her into his bed.

  ASAP.

  “I only opened the portal,” she muttered.

  Finn tried to control his stubborn cock that was determined to harden and press against her deliciously soft ass.

  “Which I believe is the very definition of helping them escape,” he told her, keeping his tone light.

  Unable to convince him that she was unsuitable for his charity, she turned her attention to her next worry.

  “You said you wanted me in your home.” Her lashes lowered, hiding her expressive eyes. “What does that mean?”

  Finn hooked a finger beneath her chin and tilted her head back.

  “Look at me, Adair,” he commanded in soft tones. He waited for her to grudgingly meet his gaze. “There you are.”

  Color touched her cheeks. Could she sense his hunger?

  “Finn,” she breathed.

  “I’m not asking anything of you,” he assured her in fierce tones. She’d already been at the mercy of her worthless family. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel indebted to him. “I merely want you to know that you are welcome to join my tribe.”

  “And that’s all?”

  He shrugged. “I would only ask that you be my friend.”

  “Friend?” Something that might have been disappointment flittered over her face. Had she hoped he would demand more? “I see.” She pasted her lips into a smile. “Thank you. You’re more forgiving than I deserve.”

  Finn cupped her face with his hand, brushing her lower lip with his thumb.

  “And once you have become settled and no longer feel a sense of obligation toward me, then we can discuss if you might be interested in…”

  Her eyes darkened as he deliberately allowed his words to trail away.

  Either she would try to divert him, or she would offer him the encouragement he so desperately desired.

  “In?” she breathed softly.

  He smiled. Oh yeah. She tried to hide her response, but she was as acutely aware of their deepening bond as he was.

  “More,” he whispered, dipping his head down to claim her lips in a soft kiss that made no demands.

  Until she was fully convinced that she had a home with his tribe that didn’t depend on his generosity, he wasn’t going to press for more.

  He was just lifting his head when he caught the scent of orchids. At the same time the sound of clapping broke the silence.

  Already suspecting who had appeared out of the mist, Finn turned his head to watch the slender female wearing a scarlet silk robe strolling toward them.

  Kai.

  He took a swift inventory, reassuring himself she was unharmed.

  She looked exactly like she did when she’d disappeared from his home in Iceland. Her pale face was perfectly composed, her long black hair was pulled into a complicated braid, and her dark eyes were glowing like polished ebony.

  A surge of relief raced through him. Thank the goddess. Not only had the Shinto female worked tirelessly to try and help him locate his people, but Rya would be devastated if anything happened to her mother.

  “Very charming,” Kai murmured, glancing down at Adair. “My dear, I don’t mean to tell you what to do. After all, a female must follow her own heart.” She waved a slender hand toward Finn. “But I do believe he is a keeper.”

  Finn grinned, enjoying the flustered expression that skimmed over Adair’s face. Then, with an effort, he turned his attention to their newest companion.

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” he told her. “I feared the worst when I couldn’t sense you.”

  Kai shrugged. As always, she appeared totally calm. Finn wasn’t sure what it would take to ruffle the older woman, but he was pretty sure he d
idn’t want to be around when it happened.

  “After I was pulled through the portal I managed to disguise my presence so I could stay hidden from our captors,” she murmured.

  Adair made a small sound of distress, still punishing herself for her family’s sin.

  “Forgive me,” she rasped.

  “Never mind, my dear.” Kai offered a faint smile. “It was fate.”

  Finn sent her a hopeful glance. “I don’t suppose you’ve had a glimpse of the future that includes our rescue?”

  Kai shook her head, her smile fading. “No, but I did sense that we need to move to the center of this space.”

  Finn’s muscles tensed. “Why?”

  “Without the dragon to maintain the magic, the”—she glanced toward the mist that surrounded them—“bubble she created between dimensions is beginning to shrink. In time it will vanish altogether.” She paused, as if listening to something Finn couldn’t hear. “If it doesn’t collapse first.”

  Adair gasped as Finn muttered a curse.

  Of course the damned place was going to collapse.

  As if it wasn’t enough he’d spent the past days desperately searching for his people, only to be sucked into this hellhole, tortured by a Sylvermyst, and then nearly toasted by a dragon.

  “Perfect.” Cradling Adair in his arms, he rose to his feet. Briefly he closed his eyes, concentrating on the magic that coursed through his blood. There was a brief sizzle of frost in the air before it was smothered by the thickening air. “I can’t create a portal.” He glanced down at Adair. “What about you?”

  She sucked in a deep breath, her face tensing as she struggled to use her powers. At last she gave a frustrated shake of her head.

  “No. I’m sorry,” she uttered in a weary voice. “Maybe if I have time to recover my strength.”

  “It’s okay.” Finn brushed his lips over her damp brow. “We’ll find a way to get out.”

  There was a shudder beneath their feet. As if the floor was about to buckle.

  “We need to move,” Kai warned, smoothly leading them into the silvery mist.

  “We’re going to be fine,” Finn assured the woman shivering in his arms as they followed behind the Shinto.

  He hoped like hell he wasn’t lying.

  ***

  Rya headed for the mosaic-tiled baths the minute she returned to her rooms in the harem at the far edge of her father’s lair. She was in dire need of hot water and plenty of soap after being held captive for what felt like an eternity. And, just as importantly, she needed a private place to sob like a baby.

  Not that she was willing to spend much time trying to decide why she was crying as she soaked in the scented water. She told herself it was concern for her mother, who was still lost, that caused her heavy sadness, but she wasn’t convinced.

  After all, she had no doubt Kai was going to be rescued.

  She’d not only requested one of her father’s servants to contact her the minute the gathered fey managed to open a portal, but she’d asked Levet to use his numerous contacts in the demon world to help. She’d even contacted her mother’s family in Hong Kong.

  It was only a matter of time.

  And if she was being entirely honest, it wasn’t the image of her mother that was making her heart ache.

  No. It was the lingering memory of Torque that she couldn’t banish no matter how hard she tried.

  Who could have imagined that their mating could be ended before it ever began?

  She’d gone from being resigned at the knowledge she was fated to become Torque’s mate, to being filled with a glorious sense of anticipation.

  And now…

  Now she felt as if someone had sucker-punched her at the realization that it was over.

  The treasure had been found, and Torque had been released from his duty. And she was back in the harem, in her rooms that had never felt so lonely.

  As the last tear fell, Rya stepped out of the baths and wrapped a terrycloth towel around her naked body. Then, heading into her bedchamber, she considered whether or not she could force herself to eat.

  She wasn’t hungry despite the hours since her last meal, but she knew she had to keep her strength up if she wanted to join the mission to rescue her mother.

  Still undecided, she stepped into the large room that was designed in a traditional Chinese style. The doors and windows were decorated with golden latticework motifs, each of them reflecting harmony between man and nature. There were several crimson-painted pillars and a door that led to an inner courtyard decorated with carved dragons and a koi pond with a tiny bridge built across it.

  And in the center of the room was a large lacquer bed with a crimson satin cover and a matching armoire.

  Lost in her thoughts, it took a second for Rya to recognize the heat that was pulsing through the air. With a frown she turned her head, her heart coming to a painful halt at the sight of Torque standing just a few feet away.

  Dear goddess.

  He was so gorgeous.

  Not handsome like Baine, but his sternly chiseled features and brilliant sapphire eyes were so strikingly perfect Rya found that she couldn’t look away.

  Or maybe it was just the fact that she’d assumed she would never see him again.

  Licking her dry lips, she was jerked out of her dazed sense of disbelief as he broke the silence.

  “Hello, Rya,” he drawled, strolling forward. Like her, he’d recently bathed. She could catch the scent of soap on his warm skin. And he’d changed into a pair of jeans and soft blue sweater that matched his eyes. “Did you think you could hide from me?” he demanded as he came to a halt directly in front of her.

  “Torque.” She was forced to clear her throat. “How did you get in here?”

  His lips twisted. “I threatened to have Baine turn this place into a barbeque joint if I wasn’t allowed to speak with my betrothed.”

  She shook her head. Although the harem wasn’t as fiercely protected as her father’s inner lair, Torque must have terrified the guards to let him past the front doors.

  “We’re no longer betrothed,” she reminded him in stiff tones.

  Without warning he was prowling around her, his fingers lightly brushing over the tattoo that was exposed on her upper back.

  “This marking says differently,” he murmured.

  She hissed, caught off guard by the shocking pleasure that jolted through her.

  His touch wasn’t supposed to make her gut clench or her pulse race. Not anymore.

  “You heard my father,” she muttered.

  His fingers trailed over her shoulder as he continued to circle around her. Sparks and smoke rose from her bare skin, revealing her intense response to his touch.

  “I did,” he admitted.

  She shivered, longing and pain churning through her. Why was he doing this to her?

  “He’s convinced that the treasure we were fated to discover has been found,” she reminded him, as if he could have forgotten the staggering revelation. “You’re free.”

  He stood in front of her once again, his fingers tracing the top edge of her towel.

  “Good,” he murmured.

  The soft word felt like another sucker punch.

  Rya clenched her teeth, wondering how her toes could be curling in bliss at the same time that her heart was breaking.

  “Yes, it is good.” She swatted away his hand. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get dressed.”

  His gaze lowered to the soft swell of her upper breasts that were revealed by the towel. Heat crackled through the air, sizzling over Rya’s skin even as her inner dragon purred in anticipation.

  A slow, wicked smile curved his lips, then at blinding speed, he bent down and swept her off her feet.

  Rya made a choked sound of astonishment.

  How had she once thought this male incapable of emotion?

  Right now the entire room shuddered with the force of his desire.

  “Torque, what are you doing?” she bre
athed.

  Holding her wary gaze, he cradled her against his chest.

  “Don’t you want to know why I’m happy Synge decided my father’s debt is paid?” he demanded.

  She ignored the voice in the back of her head that warned she should struggle against his possessive hold. He didn’t have the right to touch her as if she was his mate.

  She didn’t want to be released.

  Not when her heart was thudding and her entire body was zinging with excitement at the feel of being wrapped so tightly in his arms.

  Desire, white-hot and intoxicating, flowed like lava through her veins.

  “You don’t need to. You never wanted to mate with me,” she forced herself to mutter. “Now you can return to your life as a warrior and I don’t have to worry about being a burden—”

  Her words were cut short as he lowered his head to press a silencing kiss to her lips.

  “Hush,” he commanded against her mouth.

  She stiffened. Okay, Torque might be surprisingly good at sweeping a female off her feet, but that didn’t give him the right to interrupt her. “Hey.”

  He nibbled at the corner of her mouth before brushing feather-light kisses over her cheek.

  “I’m happy because I want it to be crystal clear that our mating has nothing to do with visions,” he murmured, his lips tracing the line of her jaw. “Or obligations.” He once again found her mouth, kissing her with a tender yearning that she felt to her very soul. “Or duty.”

  She tilted back her head, groaning when his lips took advantage of the new angle to skim down her throat.

  “There is no mating,” she reminded him.

  Or maybe she was trying to remind herself.

  With a slow movement, Torque lifted his head, his dragon smoldering in his eyes as he gazed down at her.

  “Is that what you want?” he asked. “Would you like the betrothal to be broken?”

  “I—” The words stuck in her throat.

  He studied her with a brooding intensity. “I’ll accept what makes you happy, Rya, but I hope very much you’ll give me the opportunity to prove that I can be the sort of consort you desire.”

  Rya’s breath caught in her throat. Was he saying that he actually wanted to be her mate?

  “You do?”

  “Yes,” he said, a rueful smile curving his lips at her disbelieving tone. “I do.”