Scorched by Darkness

  And no doubt become trapped.

  “You have to close it,” he commanded in urgent tones, his words falling on deaf ears as a flurry of sparkles surrounded the small demon.

  Finn squeezed shut his eyes, nearly blinded as the light bounced off the ice. When he at last dared to open them again he discovered that Levet was already turned to stone.

  “Shit,” he breathed.

  Feeling oddly abandoned by his companion, Finn turned to walk back to the wall, placing his hand against the ice. If there was a way into the frozen prison, there had to be a way out.

  Right?

  Especially if the gargoyle truly had managed to keep the portal open with his magic.

  Calling on his powers, he released a series of pulses that made the ice hum at a low frequency. The vibrations would reveal any hidden openings. If nothing else, the pulses might eventually weaken the ice and cause cracks that he could use to bust his way out.

  Refusing to consider the knowledge it might take days, if not weeks, to do any true damage to his prison, Finn concentrated on his task.

  Over and over he released his magic, moving from one wall to another until he was distracted by the sound of crackling. Like water being poured on water.

  Was a portal opening?

  Hurrying to stare at the place where the murky density of the wall was beginning to clear, Finn instinctively held out his hand. A cloud of mist swirled around his fingers, the ice droplets hardening until they formed a perfect dagger.

  It looked harmless, but his enemies swiftly learned that it was sharper than any metal blade.

  Usually when it was slicing through their flesh.

  The murkiness continued to dissipate, until it was as clear as glass despite the fact it was several feet thick. Finn frowned. A shadowed form was approaching from the other side of the wall.

  A female form.

  Fury exploded through him, along with something else. Something that made him gawk at his captor with a fascination that was entirely unacceptable.

  She was fey. He could tell that much by the provocative beauty of her heart-shaped face and the delicate lines of her slender body. But he’d never before seen eyes that looked as if they were made from pure platinum, or hair that was threaded with the colors of autumn. The long tresses tumbled over her shoulders in a cascade of gold and red with copper highlights.

  She was wearing a white robe that blended into the tunnel of ice behind her, but that did nothing to diminish her stunning beauty.

  Trying to banish his odd response to her, he placed his hand against the ice. Her exquisite eyes widened as he unconsciously allowed his magic to continue to pulse, sending vibrations through the air.

  “You must stop,” she said, her voice throaty. She glanced over her shoulder before returning her attention to him. “If you keep trying to escape they’ll hurt you.”

  Finn lowered his hand, startled by the fact that he could hear her as clearly as if she was standing next to him. It had to be magic. Perhaps a miniscule portal that she could speak through?

  The thought sent a jolt of hope through him.

  If she could create a small portal to talk through, there was no reason she couldn’t create a bigger one that would allow him to escape.

  Hiding the dagger behind his back, he offered her a charming smile. At least he hoped it was charming. It felt remarkably close to a grimace.

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  “Adair,” she murmured, her husky voice sending zings of pleasure through Finn.

  “Adair.” His smile widened. “A fascinating name for a fascinating female.”

  She blinked, as if caught off guard by his blatant flirtation.

  “It’s very common among my people.”

  “You’re a Sylvermyst,” he breathed, his gaze skimming over the pure ivory of her skin before lingering on the lush curve of her lips.

  The sort of lips that could send a male to paradise.

  Hastily he squashed the renegade thoughts.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “I’ve never met one in person.” He stepped forward, his nose nearly pressed against the ice wall. “Are they all so lovely?”

  Her long lashes fluttered, the scent of rosemary filling the air.

  “I…I must go.”

  “Wait.” He tried to look entreating. It felt weird on his face. He was a male who demanded, not pleaded. “Can you tell me where I am?”

  She shook her head. “Don’t ask.”

  “Why not?” he pressed. “Is it your secret lair?”

  She hesitated, the scent of rosemary deepening. At last her hand fluttered toward her throat, as if she was afraid.

  “Dragon dreams,” she whispered.

  “Dragon dreams?” Finn stilled, his brows drawing together in confusion. “What does that mean?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

  He bit back his curse. For now it didn’t matter where he was. Or what the hell ‘dragon dreams’ might mean.

  “Tell me why I’m here,” he instead demanded.

  “My family has need of you,” she said.

  “What do they need me for?” he asked.

  “I can’t tell you. Just do as they ask. Otherwise…” She allowed her words to trail away, a shudder shaking through her body.

  “Otherwise?” he prompted.

  “They’ll kill you.” She shuddered. “They’ll kill both of us.”

  Finn fought his primal response to the fear that flared through the platinum eyes. This female didn’t need his protection, he fiercely reminded himself. She was the enemy. Which meant she was quite likely trying to earn his trust so she could…

  Well, he didn’t know what she wanted, but he wasn’t going to be bewitched into forgetting she was the bad guy. Or bad female.

  Bad, sexy, delectable female.

  Abruptly as furious with himself as the Sylvermyst who’d taken him captive, he allowed his smile to fade.

  “Where are my people?” he snapped.

  She flinched. “They’re safe.”

  Finn slammed his hand against the ice. “Where?”

  “Shh.” She glanced over her shoulder, pretending she was terrified of some unseen enemy lurking behind her. “I told you—”

  “Don’t screw with me,” he interrupted, his anger sending plumes of frost through the air. “I want to be taken to them.”

  She jerked her head around to send him a horrified glance. “No. That’s impossible.”

  Finn narrowed his eyes even as he tried to reassure himself with the knowledge that his people must be near.

  “Why?”

  She reached out to lightly touch the wall that stood between them.

  “The labyrinth is preparing to change. It won’t be safe to try and open a portal until after it settles.”

  Finn made a sound of impatience. What labyrinth? And why would it change?

  Giving a shake of his head, he glared at the female who regarded him with a tragic expression. As if he was stupid enough to believe she was actually disturbed by his fury. “I’m willing to take the risk.”

  She shook her head, taking a step backward. “They’re calling for me.” She sent him a warning frown. “You must be quiet. The next time, it will be one of my siblings who will come.” She bit her bottom lip. “Trust me. You don’t want them angry.”

  Panic flared through him as she continued to back away. “Will you return?” he demanded.

  She shook her head. “I don’t dare.”

  “Please.”

  “I have to go.” The ice began to cloud, turning her slender form into a shadowed silhouette.

  “Adair.” He pounded his hand against the wall. “Don’t go.”

  She disappeared as the scent of rosemary began to fade. Finn clenched his jaw, refusing to give in to defeat.

  His position as prince wasn’t an honorary title. He had actual royal blood running through his veins. Which gave him gifts few other fey could claim.

&
nbsp; The only problem was that using them meant he would be dangerously weakened.

  At the moment, however, it didn’t seem he had much choice. He couldn’t wait in the cell. Not when his people needed him.

  Laying his hands flat on the wall, Finn emptied his mind of everything but the ice beneath his palms.

  His magic shimmered around him. It didn’t try to bang against the barrier. He’d already discovered that was a losing battle. Instead, he called his most ancient powers to alter his body, allowing him to change his very cellular structure.

  Slowly and surely, he sank into the wall, becoming one with the ice.

  ***

  Torque ignored the painful cold as he sat on the floor of their frozen prison.

  Any other time he would be furious.

  Not only had they walked directly into a trap, but his most powerful weapons were ineffective in breaking through the thick ice walls that surrounded him.

  But at the moment nothing mattered but the slender woman he had cradled in his lap.

  Gently his fingers slid over her cheek, testing the warmth of her golden skin.

  She’d been struck unconscious only seconds after entering the portal behind him. He’d assumed it was caused by the sudden wrench as they’d stepped between dimensions. With a low hiss, he’d managed to turn and scoop her in his arms before she could fall and hurt herself.

  As a guard for Baine, he’d trained to endure the backlash of magic that could happen when forced through a portal. Finn and Levet had clearly been sucked inside by an unknown enemy and the potent vacuum had remained when they’d entered.

  Thankfully he’d recognized the familiar dizziness as they were jerked through the void and he’d managed to brace himself. Rya, however, hadn’t been expecting the recoil. Which meant she was susceptible to the disorienting sensations.

  But even knowing why she was lying unconscious in his lap didn’t ease the fear that was twisting his stomach into a tight knot.

  He didn’t understand his intense reaction.

  He’d never worried about Rya before she’d left the harem. Of course, there was no safer place in the world than a dragon’s lair, a voice whispered in the back of his mind.

  But now…

  Shit. He was suddenly terrified that something might happen to her.

  Instinctively his arms tightened around her delicate form, his gaze locked on the steady pulse that beat at the base of her throat.

  Her warm, exotic scent teased at his nose, stirring something deep inside him.

  Not lust. Or at least not entirely. It was raw and profound and unnamed.

  Keeping them both wrapped in a bubble of heat, he grimly waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  Just when he feared his dragon might go apeshit crazy and do something desperate to try and get them out of the prison, Rya softly stirred against him.

  “Torque?” she breathed.

  “I have you.” His hand gently cupped her cheek. “Are you hurt?”

  Her lashes fluttered upward, her amber eyes still dazed as she tried to make sense of where she was.

  “No, I’m fine.” Her brows tugged together. “There must have been something in the portal that made me pass out.” She studied his concerned expression. “It didn’t affect you?”

  Torque shook his head. “I’ve traveled through a void before.”

  “Void?” She blinked in confusion. “What does that mean?”

  “It’s a portal used during battle,” he explained. “When it opens it sucks in any creature who happens to be in its path.”

  “Oh.” Her gaze flicked toward the towering ice walls that surrounded them. “Where are we?”

  He grimaced. That was a question he’d been trying to answer since he stepped out of the portal.

  Even without being able to see anything beyond their frozen prison, he could sense the flux beneath his feet. It was like standing on quicksand that was threatening to suck them under at any moment.

  “I would guess that we’re somewhere between worlds,” he admitted. “Our surroundings feel fluid. As if it’s moving around us.”

  “Yeah, I can feel it.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s weird.”

  “More than weird,” he muttered.

  “What do you mean?”

  He grimaced. “We’re trapped.”

  Without warning she was wiggling out of his grip so she could scramble to her feet. Instantly his arms felt empty. As if he missed the sensation of her slender curves snuggled against him.

  The knowledge had him slowly rising, his hands clenching to keep from reaching out and jerking her back into his embrace.

  What the hell was wrong with him?

  She was standing fewer than three feet away. How could he possibly be convinced that she was in danger if he wasn’t physically holding her?

  It was ridiculous.

  Still, he couldn’t halt his need to follow her as she moved to place her palm flat against the frozen wall.

  “This is ice.” She turned her head to send him a puzzled frown. “Can’t you use your dragon-fire?”

  Standing at her side, he reached to place his hand next to hers on the wall.

  “I tried, but the walls must be spelled,” he told her. “As soon as it starts to melt, it refreezes.”

  He released a burst of fire, allowing her to watch as the heat seared through the first layers of ice before it was rapidly re-forming.

  Her eyes widened. Dragon-fire could melt through pure steel. The fact that it couldn’t dissolve the ice meant it had to be protected by a powerful magic.

  “Amazing,” she breathed.

  “That’s not the word I’d use.”

  Lowering her arm, she turned to inspect their cramped cell.

  “I don’t understand.” She shivered at the brutal chill in the air. “The portal should have taken us to Finn and your gargoyle.”

  “Levet is not my gargoyle.” Torque protested any connection to the aggravating pest, releasing enough heat to keep her warm.

  Despite having Synge as her father, it was growingly obvious she’d inherited far more of her mother’s fey blood. Which meant she was more fragile than most dragon half-breeds.

  He would have to take great care to ensure that the unnatural cold didn’t cause her harm.

  She moved around the cramped space before turning back to face him. “Did you try to contact him?”

  “I haven’t been able to contact anyone,” he said, not about to admit he’d made no effort to locate the missing gargoyle. Instead he’d reached out to try and link his mind with Baine.

  When that had failed, he’d tried to contact his father. Their shared blood and magic meant that nothing should be able to block their connection.

  But he’d been unable to reach out telepathically.

  He didn’t know if there was some sort of buffering spell around their cell. Or if the instability of the space around them was interfering.

  She bit her lower lip, slowly beginning to realize they were truly stuck.

  “What about another portal?” she demanded.

  He shrugged. “Whoever constructed the cell made sure one couldn’t be formed to get out of here.”

  Of course she couldn’t simply accept his word. She lifted her hand, her magic prickling through the air. The rich scent of lotus blossoms teased at his nose, making his inner beast rumble in pleasure.

  A few minutes later she muttered a curse and allowed her hand to drop.

  Torque wisely resisted the urge to point out that he’d told her it couldn’t be done. He even managed to watch her pace the icy floor without giving in to the impulse to scoop her off her feet to make certain she wouldn’t fall.

  See. Old dragons could learn new tricks.

  “There has to be some way out,” she muttered.

  He stood near the wall as she moved from one end of the cell to the other, fascinated by the soft glow of light that shimmered over the glossy ebony of her hair and added
a hint of honey to her skin.

  She was exquisite.

  Desire coursed through his body, the pulses of heat filling the cell with enough warmth to create a mist in the air.

  “None that I could discover,” he managed to mutter.

  Time passed, but Torque was too distracted by his companion’s graceful movements and the lingering scent of lotus blossoms to realize the looming danger.

  Not until Rya abruptly lowered herself to sit cross-legged on the icy floor, her expression determined. “Perhaps I can find something.”

  With a sharp motion, Torque was at her side, glaring down at her with concern.

  “Wait,” he commanded. “What do you intend to do?”

  She laid her hands on her upper thighs, her palms turned up.

  “I can use my shadow to search for someone to help us.”

  He scowled. “What does that mean?”

  “I’ve inherited a few Shinto talents,” she said, her voice edged with impatience. “I can create a shadow.”

  “Like the one your mother used before she went missing?” he demanded.

  She shrugged. “No one is sure what happened. The sprite who was with her disappeared at the same time.”

  He made a sound of disbelief. “And now you want to repeat her mistake?”

  “We don’t know if it was a mistake—” She bit off her words, giving a shake of her head. “We have to try something.”

  Torque narrowed his gaze. “Explain what happens when you create a shadow.”

  “It’s actually a part of my essence that I release to travel through space and—”

  “No,” Torque snapped.

  He’d heard enough.

  There was no part of her…essence that was going anywhere.

  Not without him.

  She scowled. “Is no your favorite word?”

  Squatting down, he leaned forward until their noses were nearly touching.

  “I spent the past hour holding you in my arms, unable to wake you,” he growled. “At least give me a few minutes to recover before you try to get yourself killed again.”

  Her eyes widened, as if shocked by his accusation. “I’m not trying to get myself killed.”

  His gut twisted with…

  He didn’t know exactly what it was.