Kira rolled her eyes. “You think I’m a grom or something?”
Brandon laughed at the idea of anyone considering her a beginner. He knotted her towel around his waist and slipped out of his shorts, pulling up the wet suit. It fit like it was made for him. He supposed that was because it had been. He peeled off the towel and tugged the wet suit over his shoulders, reaching back to pull up the zipper.
“Perfect,” he said, flexing and stretching. He bent and turned, feeling no restriction at all. It was like a second skin; he was amazed at how well it fit. Two women hung out the windows of a passing car and wolf-whistled at him.
Kira sighed with an admiration that wasn’t completely a joke. “Oh yeah.”
“Thanks, Kira. I’ll try to do you proud.” Brandon changed back out of the suit, then gave her a quick hug. “Have you seen Matt and Dylan?”
Kira pointed down the road. “They headed for ‘Ehukai Beach. You want a ride?”
The temptation was too much. “Will you stop at my place so I can grab a board from my quiver?” There was always a chance that the surf might become better and he could train.
“Optimist!” she accused, and he grinned.
“Gotta be sure I win in my new suit.”
But the truth was that Brandon needed every possible moment to get control over his dragon again. After all, everything was at stake.
Liz wasn’t exactly calm as she drove through the tunnel toward Honolulu.
She didn’t want to hear any whispers or see any auras, and she was worried about what might happen after that. Her knuckles were white on the steering wheel as the shadow of the tunnel entry fell over the car.
She felt swallowed in darkness.
It took only a moment for her awareness of the power surrounding her to become sharper and clearer. She sensed the rhythm of the earth, the slow erosion of rock, the creeping movement of tectonic plates beneath the island. The shadows were filled with possibilities, but Liz kept her gaze locked on the road ahead. The molten core of the Earth was close here, which must be at least part of the reason her powers had been reawakened.
She was not going to think about consequences.
Liz stared at the bright light that indicated the exit from the tunnel, wishing for the moments to hurry. She was almost there. She could ignore the prickling of her skin, the feeling of electricity all around her, and the vibration of the Earth’s forces.
The brilliant flash of blue-green light within the car made her gasp.
It was gone as quickly as it had appeared, making her hope that she had imagined it.
But she wasn’t imagining the burning sensation on her right arm.
Liz glanced down and stared in horror. There was a mark on the back of her right forearm. It was a symbol, an ancient symbol, emblazoned on her skin like a brand. It glowed briefly with that faint blue-green light, then became as mundane as a black-ink tattoo.
Liz shuddered and swallowed, her panic rising. She knew it wouldn’t scrub off or disappear. The symbol was a warning to prepare herself, that her time of trial was coming soon.
One more time, Liz wished she’d learned more from her mother while she’d had the chance. It wasn’t very reassuring that her mother had known so much more than Liz and she had still failed the test.
Liz took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel, reminding herself that she’d been acing exams for years.
Even if the stakes hadn’t been quite so high.
Chen crawled through a deadened fissure of lava in his salamander form, too tired to hurry toward the surface. He acknowledged that there were successes and failures thus far in his plan. He’d really made his mark on O‘ahu with the earthquake he’d summoned. He felt a measure of pride in the havoc that he’d wreaked on the pitiful human population.
They had no idea how much worse it would be.
He’d been deep in the earth, singing songs of power to awaken the old volcano Ko‘olau. She was stirring, responding to his chants, awakening. The earthquake had been a bonus, an extra reaction to his chant while Ko‘olau seethed.
Even in triumph, though, Chen was exhausted. He had to take a break to restore himself; then he would continue to coax Ko‘olau’s anger. He smiled, anticipating the terror that a massive eruption of this volcano would create, since most assumed it to be extinct.
He also liked that it was unclear even to him where the eruption would be. The Ko‘olau range ran down the northeastern edge of the island, the original crater long since destroyed by erosion. There were tens of thousands of ancient cracks and fissures, all closed over on the surface. When the molten lava rose hot and fast within the volcano, the weakest barriers would collapse first. The eruption could occur anywhere from Hale‘iwa to Diamond Head, and, with any luck, it would be simultaneous at several locations. Chen enjoyed the element of surprise in his plan, and hoped for the worst.
On a more personal level, he also was encouraged by the way that the earthquake had compelled Brandon to shift shape. He’d felt the young Pyr’s involuntary transformation as surely as if the boy had been standing beside him, the abrupt change giving Chen a little surge of power even on the other side of the island.
The young Pyr was nearly in his thrall. The promise of completely claiming the dragon shifter delighted him with its possibilities. Not only would he claim Brandon’s power and affinities, but he’d be able to command him like a slave for as long as he survived.
One more scale would do it. The number four was potent in Chen’s dragon magic. Four elements. Four cardinal directions. Four scales.
It would be ideal if Brandon’s capitulation was what made Ko‘olau’s eruption inevitable; Brandon’s affinity was with the earth, after all. What if Chen could command him to participate in the song to rile Ko‘olau? Chen loved that idea as soon as he’d had it. As a coup de grâce, he’d be able to ensure the young Pyr’s complete loss of spirit if Brandon believed himself and his dragon responsible for destroying O‘ahu—the island he loved—forever.
If the Pyr killed himself out of remorse or died of anguish, Chen would be able to replenish his supply of Dragon Bone Powder.
It was win-win.
Chen didn’t trust the darkfire, however. That strange blue-green flame had flickered in Chen’s thoughts when Brandon’s firestorm sparked, almost as if it was a trick of the light caused by the eclipse. Chen knew better. The darkfire was going to mess with Chen’s plans. He expected that Erik Sorensson and the other Pyr would try to mess with his plans, on top of it all.
He doubted, after all, that he was the only one to have felt Brandon’s firestorm and involuntary shift. No. Erik Sorensson would meddle.
Chen would have to be vigilant to succeed.
Victory was so very close.
It was early afternoon by the time Chen shifted shape deep in the central valley of O‘ahu. Unfortunately, the fissure he’d chosen had led him to the surface farther away from Hale‘iwa than he’d hoped. He blamed his exhaustion for his mistake. Once again he took the form of an elderly Chinese man, but he was tired enough that he didn’t have to pretend to lean heavily on his cane. He began to walk down the road to Hale‘iwa, where he was sure he would find Brandon again.
When the old turquoise Mercedes pulled over and the young woman at the wheel offered him a ride, Chen’s heart leapt with delight. It hadn’t been his exhaustion that had led him to this place.
It had been destiny.
Because this woman was none other than Brandon’s human mate.
Chen was so delighted that he even let her help him into the front passenger’s seat.
That was when he realized that she was no ordinary mortal. As soon as she touched his arm, he felt the power of her sorcery. A Firedaughter! He had not met one in centuries. This was the curse of the darkfire; this was the challenge it had cast his way.
But did she understand her gifts? Was she in command of them? She had not cloaked herself in a web of protective spells, which gave Chen hope. He settled into
the car and closed his eyes, the better to assess her powers.
The fact was that if he seized a Pyr and a Firedaughter, claiming the powers of both, he would be invincible.
On one hand, Liz was glad that she’d stopped for the old Chinese man. She wasn’t sure how he would have made it anywhere, since he appeared to be so frail. He was visibly relieved once she got him into the car. It wouldn’t hurt to have some human company, not with her thoughts racing.
And that mark on her arm.
On the other hand, there was something about the old man that gave her the creeps. He didn’t have an aura, which should have reassured her, but instead it troubled her. She had a strange sense that he wasn’t what he seemed, except she couldn’t figure out what else he could be other than a frail elderly man.
So she wasn’t very disappointed when he dozed off as soon as he got into the car. Liz focused on reality and the beautiful scenery. The road was pretty much empty, mountains rising on the right. She’d passed the Dole pineapple plantation and could still see fields of pineapples on either side of the road. The Mercedes didn’t have air-conditioning, but they didn’t need it. Liz just rolled down all the windows, letting the wind blow through the car.
She drove and listened to the old man snoring gently. She felt the tension ease out of her. Maybe she’d take the long way back to Kane‘ohe. Maybe everything would be just fine.
Her companion stirred after a few minutes and rolled up his window. She turned to find him smiling at her.
“Better?”
“Much better.” He bowed his head formally. “I thank you.”
Liz couldn’t understand why he’d been walking in a comparatively remote area. Where had he come from? “Do you live here? Or in Hale‘iwa?”
“I visit Hale‘iwa,” he said, speaking carefully as if English wasn’t his first language. “I come from my home.”
“Around here?”
He shook his head. “Far away. Asia.”
“So you don’t live on the island.” Liz smiled. Nice, polite chitchat suited her perfectly. “I don’t, either.”
“Ah.” His eyes lit. “Do you come for the dragon, too?”
Liz was so surprised that the car swerved. “Dragon?”
The old man nodded. “I come for the dragon.” He spoke with such conviction that Liz felt a shudder run down her spine. There was a darkness underlying his words.
A threat. As if he hunted the dragon.
This old man? Liz forced herself to be practical. “You’ve seen a dragon here?” she asked lightly. “You mean like an iguana? A dragon lizard?”
He cast her a sly glance, one that chilled her blood. “A real dragon. He lives here, makes fire and smoke.” He nodded. “In my country, dragons make rain. They make earthquakes. They respond in anger when we do not make offerings.” He tapped on his knee. “I think it is the same here.”
Liz couldn’t deny her sense that he was lying to her—and maybe even toying with her. But why? Who was he, really?
“Have you actually seen a dragon here?”
He grinned, then held up a crooked finger. “There is just one. Black, black as night, with eyes of red. Like lava.” He nodded. “Very powerful dragon.”
Liz’s bad feeling multiplied a hundred times. This old man had no good plans for the dragon—and if the dragon was the good guy, this must be the bad guy. Her instincts were screaming at her to run away from this old man, which logically made no sense. She could beat him in a fight, easily.
Even without using her powers.
She kept her tone light. “Where do you see this dragon?”
“I see him when he chooses to let me see him.” The old man turned to face her, his expression intent. “You understand that this is a magical beast. He is sometimes a dragon, sometimes a man.”
He sounded so much like her mother that Liz was surprised. “A Pyr,” she whispered, without meaning to do so.
The old man shrugged, apparently not recognizing the word. “The people here, they call him a kupua. Son of a goddess, so he can become something other than a man. As a man, he is handsome and strong, young. As a dragon, he breathes the fire of his mother and has her temper.”
Liz’s heart leapt to her throat. “What goddess?”
The old man smiled. “Pele,” he said, gesturing to the hills. “She who made these lands.”
Pele, Liz knew, was the goddess of the volcanoes, a deity responsible for lava and eruptions, who had a temper to match the volatility of her creations.
The old man’s eyes glittered as he looked at her, and Liz felt exposed. “Pele has dragon sons and Firedaughters.” As Liz stared at him in shock, he laughed.
He couldn’t really know what she was, could he?
Liz pretended not to understand and talked about the dragon. “Do you know where to find this kupua dragon?”
“I have seen him in Hale‘iwa, so I wait there. I come to pay homage to him, to make offerings, as people here do not.” He shook his head. “But this time, I came too late. The dragon is angry.”
Liz fixed her gaze on the road ahead. “You think this dragon caused the earthquake.”
“It is what dragons do. They have power and they use it.” He leaned toward Liz, his gaze bright. “They teach us with their lessons.” He hissed the last word with unexpected force.
Lessons like earthquakes?
“That’s a pretty hard lesson.”
The old man shrugged. “And yet people never change. So there will be more lessons. The dragon does not relent in his teaching, whether we listen or not. This one, he could call to his mother, who could do more than make the earth shake.”
Volcanic eruptions? Liz glanced at the mountains. She was sure she’d read that the volcanoes on O‘ahu were extinct.
Liz frowned, unable to accept that even if Brandon was a dragon shape shifter, he’d been responsible for the damage of this morning. It wasn’t in his character—or in his aura—to willfully hurt anyone.
Liz slanted a glance at her companion and trusted her instinct to not tell him that she’d seen a dragon, too. There was something that made her wary, maybe his apparent conviction that people deserved to experience the earthquake. He seemed oddly satisfied with the dragon’s act of retaliation.
Still, he might know more that was useful.
“So, what are the offerings a dragon wants?” she asked, as if indulging him.
“You must offer to the dragon whatever is most precious to you. He will know if you lie. Dragons know all.” He tapped his chest. “They see to the heart. This is what makes them powerful—and dangerous.”
Had Brandon seen to her heart? Liz had a feeling that he had.
Maybe he had recognized that they both had secrets and burdens to bear.
She concentrated on her driving for a few minutes. As they got closer to the coast, there was more traffic, as well as more cars parked on the shoulder. She followed the old man’s directions into the town of Hale‘iwa and was charmed by its easy atmosphere.
“I stay there,” the old man said, indicating where she could let him out. There were a number of houses clustered behind the clothing stores and galleries. Liz noticed a grocery store and made note of a gas station down the way. She might need to fill up before she headed back. There were also a lot of cars parallel parked along the road.
Most of the cars had roof racks with surfboards, and there were surfboards leaning against railings on porches. There was no parking available near the spot the old man wanted to stop, so Liz simply stopped and put on her hazard lights. He didn’t look as if he could walk much farther. She had to hope that the town was quiet enough that she wouldn’t get rear-ended. She got out and went around the car to help the older man. She was her mother’s daughter, as much as she might have liked to change that.
“Where do you find the dragon?” she asked again when he was on his feet, and he smiled up at her. Again she felt conflicted by her reaction. He appeared to be so benign, but she wanted to run away
from him as quickly as possible.
Where was his aura?
Was he a ghost? One of the spirits from other realms? According to locals, Hawai‘i was rumored to be filled with ghosts.
“You do not.” He touched his chest. “You wish to see him. You make him offerings. And if you are lucky, the dragon will hear the secret of your heart and find you.” He smiled, then bowed formally before her, bracing himself on his cane. “I thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Are you okay from here?”
“I am strong,” he said, then leaned on his cane so heavily that he undermined his own assertion. Liz watched him go a little way, not at all sure that he could manage on his own. She felt both protective of this older man and deeply suspicious of him. Which impulse was the right one?
He pivoted and glanced back at her just then, his expression so mischievous that Liz halfway imagined he’d heard her thoughts. Was he laughing at her? “But today, if I wished to find the dragon, I would look on ‘Ehukai Beach.”
“‘Ehukai Beach,” Liz echoed.
The old man nodded and turned his back on her. Liz watched him hobble away, humming quietly. He seemed oddly satisfied with himself, although she couldn’t imagine why. Maybe he was just glad to be close to his accommodation.
Okay, ‘Ehukai Beach. She got back into the car and pulled up her map. It was only a couple of miles away. When she glanced at the street, there was no sign of the older man.
Funny that he had disappeared just the way the dragon had.
Maybe he was stronger than he’d looked.
Brandon wasn’t as reassured by watching the ocean waves as he’d expected to be.
Usually the sight of the ocean’s power soothed his dragon, just as riding the waves kept him focused on his human side. It was as if the rhythm of the rolling waves lulled his dragon to sleep.
Today was exactly the opposite. The waves were wild, rising high and crashing hard on the coral reef. To Brandon’s dismay, his dragon seemed to feed on that energy. He felt an exhilaration, a gleeful joy in the violence of the sea, and that jubilation wasn’t a part of his human nature.
What was different? Was it because the turmoil in the sea had been caused by the earthquake? Or was this just a sign that his dragon was less under his control?