Awakening the Beast (9 page)

“Sorry,” she muttered. “The fire elemental insinuated you were a shifter, so could you shift back please? It’ll help me to heal you and expend less energy.”

“Demanding, aren’t you?”

“If you want to get out of here, you’ll stop with the attitude and help me out.”

“I’m a prince among my people. I don’t take orders from servants.”

She used the wall to hold her up and made her way back around to face him. Illiana counted to three, feeling the fire element ignite inside of her because of his arrogance. Her anger fueled her inner tempest. Now was not a good time to lose control. “I don’t care if you were the king of your people. Shift or not. Stay when the volcano blows. I have other things to do.”

“And yet you come here.”

“I heard singing. This melody has been in my dreams. I thought it was the fire spirit, but he said it was you.”

“Impossible.”

“I’m an elemental healer. I can control and talk to the nature spirits. So if you want my help, stop being a pompous ass.”

“Fine.”

The beast shrank until what lay before her was a man taller than any she had seen before and well-muscled. At first she thought it was a trick of the light, his flesh was the same color as his scales, midnight black. His amethyst eyes held her captive for a moment until she regained her composure.

“Whoa,” she uttered. He was a magnificent specimen. Now he was back in his human form, she could see the extent of his injuries. His left leg was crushed. A bone protruded from his flesh right below his knee. She sank down next to his leg and ignored the pain she felt. Illiana placed her hands on his skin. Once the fire element in her flared into her hands and connected with him, he hissed in a breath.

“Damn you. You know where it hurts.”

Illiana ignored his comment and concentrated on the elements that made him up. Fire was the first thing that hit her. But earth and water were the ones most out of balance. She took a deep breath and called on her strength. The bones were earth, the blood and flesh were water. He squirmed trying to pull his leg from her grasp, but she held him fast. Illiana closed her eyes and saw the bones in her mind, scattered pieces of rock a puzzle that needed to be put back together. When she moved her hands over his flesh she saw the water flowing back into place. He screamed. Once the bones were reset and the flesh healed, she moved the fire from her hands into his bones, and fused them together. The flesh healed completely after that and the rest of him only had minor injuries that were easy to heal. He stopped moving when the fire died in her hands. She felt the beast within him and it was massive. So was the fire element inside him. It bathed his essence as though it was a living, breathing thing.

She opened her eyes and felt her foot was a little better as well, but it was not completely healed.

“You really are a healer. Impressive.” He ran his fingers over his seamless calf. “I’m in your debt. You saved my life.”

Illiana nodded. The exertion healing his body was leading her toward the darkness of unconsciousness. With her pain and the air getting thicker from the noxious gasses of the volcano, she was at her limit. “Great. I saved your life. Now we can both leave here. You can go back to your village and I can go back to my mates because I’m sure they’re worried about me. First, tell the fire elemental that you are free so he can reason with the earth.”

The man placed his hand on the ground. It rumbled, but then all went silent. The earth settled and something inside her was put at ease. He turned his gaze to her, smiled, and knelt down next to her. He trailed his finger over her foot and she shivered from the light touch. “You are hurt.”

“Yes. When the rock moved above, it hit my foot and broke one of the bones.” Illiana trailed the line over her big toe and down to her ankle, struggling to stay awake.

“Can you walk?” he asked.

She tested her weight, but a bolt of pain seared along her calf and up her leg. “No. Flying yes, but landing would be difficult.”

“Let me help you, then.”

“You want to be helpful and not sarcastic?” she asked.

“I’m sorry about that, but I’ve been here for a while, sleeping. The rumbling of the volcano woke me up. I’m not very friendly when I wake up, and of course, I was hurt.”

“If you can help me outside, I’d appreciate it. From there, we go our separate ways.”

Before she could say anything, he scooped her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned against him. Even in his arms she felt small. He walked out of the cave and returned to the bubbling lava. He did not seem to be fazed as he walked through the melted rock. Once outside, the fresh air revived her. It was easier to breathe and the darkness Illiana had been fighting retreated.

“What’s your name?”

He chuckled. “It’s Daruk.”

“And you can walk through molten rock?”

“You never told me what your name was. And yes, we can walk through some fire, but it doesn’t mean we can bathe in it. Only when we’re in our dragon form.”

“You’re a dra-agon.” Illiana tried to say the word correctly, but it stumbled off her tongue. “My name’s Illiana. I’m from one of the two-natured tribes that share territory along these mountains and the desert.”

“Illiana’s a lovely name for such a beautiful woman. And you’re strong, too. Quite a healer you are. I can feel your struggle with the elements inside of you. Where’s your village?”

Illiana found the mountain where her village sat in its shadow and saw the glistening lake on the horizon. “The mountain closest to the Great Lake.”

“You certainly can’t walk all the way back there and you said landing would be difficult. I guess I’m going to have to carry you.”

She chuckled. “Carry me. Walking all that way wouldn’t do you any good either.”

Daruk set her down and rolled his shoulders. Several of his bones cracked. He grinned as his skin turned into scales and massive wings sprouted out of his back. Before her was, once again, the massive animal she had seen before. In the light, she saw how massive he truly was. He was over twenty feet long and when he spread his wings they had over a thirty foot wingspan. The ledge barely held his great form. He angled his wing down and leaned close so she could crawl onto his back and nestle into the crook of his neck.

He craned his head around and showed her his sharp teeth. “Hang on.”

Illiana found the small horns on his neck and took hold of them. He lifted up into the sky pumped his massive wings. It was easy to see how he could cross great distances in a little amount of time. They flew and the great swoosh of his wings was rather soothing. The sun was high in the sky. She had been gone for several hours and her mates would be looking for her.

“Where do you live exactly?”

“In the valley, at the base of the mountain, by the tree line.”

They had covered the distance in a matter of minutes. Illiana looked down and saw they had flown over the village. People came running out of their homes and others were pointed up at them. Some were screaming.

“It doesn’t appear that your people know who I am.”

“It’d be best to land so they don’t think you’re going to eat them or rain destruction from the sky.”

Daruk circled lower until they landed in a clearing near her house. People gathered around them, but kept their distance. The commotion made her head hurt, but she did realize that she was also naked before the rest of the village and felt a bit awkward. Illiana completely understood their fear. She saw her mates and her mother rushing toward them. Carefully she removed herself from the dragon, and leaned on him for support.

“Illiana, you’re okay.” Belik took her in his arms. She hugged him close and was glad to feel his arms around her. Ohanzee came to her as well. She went to him next, felt the strength in him, and that gave her more courage to face the village.

“We were worried when we didn’t find you in bed with us. Where did you go?” Ohanzee asked.

“Long story.”

“Since you have no clothes on I assumed that you shifted.”

“So these are the men who are mated to my healer?” Daruk had shifted back to his human form and swaggered over to them, ignoring the people who had gathered. The dragon shifter towered over both of her mates.

Ranolo pushed through the gathered villagers. His gaze darted between her and the new addition. “Hello. Are you the large beast with wings we saw flying overhead?”

Daruk glanced at Illiana. “This is your leader?”

“He’s my father, leader and shaman of the village. Ranolo this is Daruk. He is…well, he was in the smoking mountain. I found a cavern with lava inside it. It told me that it wouldn’t devastate the village, but it asked me to help his friend. When I saw him curled up in the cavern, I wasn’t sure what I would do, but he needed to be healed. Here we are.”

The dragon bowed to Ranolo. “Forgive my sudden appearance and my nakedness. If you have some clothes, I would greatly appreciate it.”

“What are you?” someone asked.

Daruk turned and address the other villagers. “Forgive the intrusion everyone. I didn’t mean to frighten you. I promise I’m not going to harm anyone.” He turned back toward Ranolo. “Maybe we can talk and discuss this more.”

The leader nodded. “Good idea. Everyone let me talk to our new visitor and I’ll come back with the news.”

People started to disperse. A wave of exhaustion washed over her. She leaned more on her mates and watched her father and Daruk head back to his hut. As she hobbled in, her mother fussed over her.

“What happened?” Lelana asked.

“A few stones fell from the cavern ceiling when I was helping Daruk. They landed on my foot. It’s not bad.”

“It’s bad enough you can’t walk,” her mother chided her.

She sighed. “I know. I can fly, but yeah, I know what it means.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Ohanzee said from the side of the room.

Illiana nodded in agreement and felt a sense of disappointment roll through her. “We’ll figure it out. Somehow.”

Chapter Seven

Lelana wrapped Illiana’s foot in a tight binding. When Illiana stood, she tested her weight on it, but it was clear that she was in pain when she walked. The next morning their visitor had not returned from Ranolo’s so he assumed Daruk had spent the night at the leader’s house. It was apparent that his mate was interested in him, but Belik wondered exactly how fascinated.

The last time Illiana had shown interest in another man it had led to Ohanzee sharing their bed. She still loved Christopher and with their journey home looming before them, he assumed the wolf would once again be part of their lives. Ohanzee didn’t seem to mind this when he told him of his concerns. He accepted Illiana loved another and was willing to share her. How would he feel if their newcomer tried to worm his way into their lives and into Illiana’s bed?

The newcomer was a massive beast and Belik hated to admit he was intimidated by him. Belik could not predict anything until he heard from Illiana. He was worried about them traveling because of her foot. If she could not walk, she could fly until her bones healed, but she did not want to burden them. When he had broken his arm a year ago he had felt useless. Thankfully it had healed well and he retained full range of motion so he could weave. If he could not do that, he was not sure what direction his life would have taken. It was as much a part of him as Ohanzee’s carving and Illiana’s ability to speak to the elements. Now he was one of the weavers within the village and gaining more respect the longer they were there. It was nice to know he and Illiana were part of the community.

The village elders had accepted his mate as Ranolo’s apprentice. Some thought she was the chief’s lover. Others speculated she was his daughter, but the people never made any straight accusations about his mate spending so much time with the shaman. There was no point to fueling a fire that did not need to be ignited. It was better to let the villagers think what they would and stick with the story she was a visiting priestess and learning with Ranolo, who had found another mate among them. It was partially true. He prayed that she would not dedicate herself to the priesthood the way her aunt had because it would take Illiana away from him. His father was a priest to the Corvi people, but after his mother had died, he had rededicated himself to the spirits with a ferocity that left Belik trapped in a strict household, in a dogma he did not believe in.

“Are you okay?” Illiana asked.

He glanced up and smiled. Seeing her with her hair unbound except with their feathers braided into the strands made his heart ache at how much he loved her. What would he ever do if he lost her? “Sorry. I was thinking about my father. I don’t even know if he’s still alive.”

Illiana trailed her finger down his cheek. Belik closed his eyes at the sheer pleasure of the simple gesture. “I know how hard he made it for you because you chose me.”

“He talked a lot about you after you left, Belik. He’d join me for meals and we discussed how things might have gone differently if we had both agreed to your joint mating with Christopher. Maybe then you never would’ve left and we never would’ve lost the forest,” Lelana added.

“Things happen the way they are meant to. That’s what I believe and have been taught. If it was not, then I never would’ve been awoken by such a beautiful woman.”

They looked over to the door and saw the shaman and Daruk standing in the doorway. The large man’s head brushed the top of the door. He was bald and his skin was midnight black. He was dressed in Ranolo’s clothes, a white shirt and loose black pants that were too short for him.

Illiana blushed at the shifter’s compliment. A sudden surge of rage gripped Belik, but he held it in check.
What role will this man play in our lives? Will he make a move on the woman we love?

“Thank you, but I don’t deserve the accolades. I never would’ve known you were there if you hadn’t been singing or if the lava elemental hadn’t told me you were there.”

“What do you mean about destiny?” Lelana inquired.

“May we come in and sit down?” Ranolo waited for them to be invited in.