Licked by the Flame (12 page)

He couldn’t let fear cloud his senses. He would single out any anomaly and trace it to its source, or its destination. The equipment shed…he sensed this magic would lead him that way. Yes, something had happened there. Magic left footprints, and he was an indomitable tracker.

K
yne kept Raea safely behind him as he peered through the darkness. As they’d guessed, the man they had seen left that broken sensor and was driving toward the equipment shed they’d also broken. He was tracing their actions—somehow he knew where they’d been. If only they’d been able to get close enough to him to really see what he was up to. Raea had sworn he’d been talking to someone, but even with invisibility, Kyne had insisted they observe him only from a safe distance.

Now, however, it was obvious they needed to know more. This man had magic. They had felt it all over him. When he used that magic to reach into the darkness and detect them, they’d taken off in a hurry. He hadn’t followed them, though. He’d gotten back into his vehicle and gone straight for the equipment shed.

“Here he comes,” Raea said, pressing her body closer to Kyne’s as they hid in a shadow in the rocky face of the mountain overlooking the shed.

“Just stay calm,” Kyne advised. “He can’t see us, and he couldn’t track us, so we will be safe. We will watch what he does and learn what we can, then leave before he detects us again.”

“Okay. He has strange magic, though, Kyne. How can a human possess that?”

“I don’t know. That’s what we need to understand.”

The approaching vehicle slowed, then came to a stop very near the small building. Raea trembled beside him, but she made no sound. Their invisibility was still strong and he assured himself they were safe here. The human would not find them.

He got out of his vehicle. The man was tall, and everything about him exuded confidence and power. Even Kyne had to admit this human commanded respect. In fact…he was not quite human, was he?

He could feel that strange, ancient magic that tainted the air. The man wore it like a dark cloak. He was imposing, even by human standards—broad, solid, and dangerous—but he was
not
human. Kyne understood why his magic felt strange.

It wasn’t like fairy magic, a light, airy magic of the skies. No, the magic that radiated like heat from the man they were watching was more fundamental. This creature carried the same magic that had built the foundations of the earth, that forged the very rocks of the ground all around them. This was a magic that sprang from fire, from the very flames of creation.

The Veil contained only one source for magic like this. Kyne had never actually encountered it before, but it made perfect sense that he should encounter it here, stalking the terrain of a weathered volcano. There could be no better place for a creature like this than such a volatile wilderness. Kyne had no doubt what he truly was.

Raea must have suspected it, too. He heard her catch her breath as the feel of ancient magic flowed over them. He wished he could pull her tight and reassure her that they would be fine, that there was nothing to fear, but he could not lie to her. His kind may exist behind the Veil just the same as fairies did, but no one knew or understood their mysterious ways. By all rights, this fellow Veiled creature should be considered an ally, but no one knew better than Kyne that things weren’t quite right.

“He’s not human,” Raea breathed behind him. “He’s trying to appear so, but he isn’t.”

“No. He’s not human.”

“But I don’t understand. He can’t be a…?”

“He is.”

“But we haven’t seen his kind in centuries.”

“No, we haven’t. They’ve closed themselves off and gone dormant in the deepest recesses of the earth.”

“But you’re sure he’s a
real
one?”

“I’m sure. He’s a dragon.”

He felt the shudder that ran through her, and she pressed herself against him.

“A
dragon
,” she murmured. “But what’s he doing here? Do you think he’s involved in whatever has been going on?”

“He must be. Why else would he be here right now?”

There wasn’t any sort of answer for that, so they were both silent. The foreboding creature was closer to them now, inspecting the little equipment shed that they’d taken shelter behind. Kyne could only hope the dragon didn’t detect them. A strangely magical human would be one thing to escape from, but a
dragon
? There was no telling whether or not the Invisibility Wish they’d made with Raea’s Fairy Dust was strong enough to hide them from dragon magic.

All they could do was duck deeper into the shadows and hope for the best. Fortunately, the dragon seemed content to concentrate on the building. The sound of keys rattling against a lock chained to the door around the front was more than reassuring. Despite possessing magic of epic proportions, this creature was fumbling at a lock as any mundane human might. He cursed like a human, too, when the lock appeared to hamper his progress.

Human curses turned rapidly to a more dragon-like rage. From their position they could not see exactly what was going on, but the dragon made no effort to keep quiet. He must have abandoned his key and resorted to ripping the lock fully off the door. There was a furious wrenching sound and the shed violently shook. The door banged against the building as the dragon obviously threw it open and gained entrance.

“This might be a really good time to leave,” Raea whispered.

“You should go. Get somewhere safe and I’ll follow.”

He hadn’t really expected her to agree. She didn’t.

“Of course I’m not leaving without you.”

“I have to stay. We need to know what he’s up to.”

“He’s fixing the machinery,” she whispered in his ear. “You know what will happen to us if we’re still here and it starts running again.”

“We’re fine as long as our invisibility holds out.”

“But what if—”

More angry cursing from inside the shed interrupted them. Had they been careless? Did the dragon hear their whispers, sense them hiding in the rocks? Kyne held his breath, mentally devising a plan to distract the damn dragon if he came charging around the side of the building. Kyne would attack, fend him off long enough to let Raea get away.

He was tensing his muscles, getting into position when they heard the door on the other side of the shed slam shut. The furious dragon did indeed storm back into view, but he was not moving their way. He went straight for his vehicle, curses still trailing from him and scorching the cold air around them.

“Thank the Clouds. He’s leaving.” Raea sighed.

“It looks that way.”

The vehicle ground into gear and its tires spit bits of rock and earth up into the empty night. Beams from the headlights swept over the landscape as the dragon set his course toward the other side of the mountain. Whatever he planned to do now, he intended to do it without delay.

“I guess he couldn’t fix the machinery,” Raea said. “That must be what made him so upset.”

That certainly did seem to be the case. It was obvious all the banging around they’d heard inside the shed hadn’t accomplished anything. There was no humming drone of equipment, no lust-inducing side effects fogging Kyne’s mind. It appeared the machines were still inoperative and he and Raea were safe—for the moment.

The red glow of taillights faded in the distance as Kyne inched his way out of their hiding spot and down toward the shed. They were still invisible, and there was no indication of anyone nearby to discover them, but it couldn’t hurt to be extra cautious. He held Raea’s hand to keep her close to him, and peered around the corner of the small building. The dragon had left the shed door hanging open.

He’d practically ripped the door completely off its hinges, as a matter of fact. Fortunately for them, this meant they’d have access to the equipment inside. Baylor would want a detailed description, no doubt, and the dragon had just made that easy for them.

Until Kyne slipped past the skewed door and into the near darkness of the shed’s interior. Raea padded softly up behind him, then uttered a hushed expletive that was far milder than the one Kyne would have used.

“He destroyed the machine!” she exclaimed after taking in the scene before them.

The moonlight outside spilled through the open doorway. There was no doubt what they were looking at. Whatever this equipment had been created to do, it would never serve that purpose again. It was broken, smashed and dismantled beyond what could have possibly happened when it overloaded due to their passion.

“Maybe he knew we would find it,” she suggested. “Maybe he trashed it all so we couldn’t figure out what it did, how it was supposed to work.”

“No, if he wanted to hide it entirely, he could have simply incinerated it. I think he just wanted to make sure no one could set it up running again.”

“But why? If he is working with them, wouldn’t he want the machine to work properly?”

“I don’t know. I can’t make any sense of it.”

“Unless…maybe he isn’t working with them. He certainly did sound angry when he came in here,” Raea noted. “Maybe he didn’t realize this was here.”

“He drove right to this spot,” Kyne pointed out. “He must have known it was here.”

“He probably sensed the magic.” She squeezed his hand. “Or maybe he senses us! We should leave, go back to your father now and tell him about this.”

“We still don’t have a clue what’s going on. We found a dragon beside a volcano with some broken equipment, but all that gives us is more questions.”

He could feel the fear clutching Raea. Even without seeing her, he knew how she felt. By the Skies, he should probably listen to her. It was time they went back to that cabin where she would be safe. Unfortunately, he’d already made his case for staying.

“You’re right,” she said. “We need to find more information. Where do you think the dragon is going next?”

Kyne peeked out of the shed and squinted into the distance. He could just barely make out the slight glow of taillights still jouncing over the terrain. “Looks like he’s going around to the far side of the mountain.”

“And…I think I noticed something,” Raea said slowly.

“What was it?”

“I’m pretty sure he’s not alone.”

If he could have shown her his expression, she would have seen he was frowning. “Someone was with him?”

“I think so,” Raea replied. “I got a glimpse of someone in the vehicle as he was driving away.”

“Another dragon?”

“No. A human. He had a human woman in the vehicle with him. She wasn’t moving, either.”

“You didn’t mention this to me?”

“I was afraid if I did, you’d go tearing off after him on some kind of rescue mission.”

“So a raging dragon is carting an unconscious woman off to his lair. That sounds a little medieval, don’t you think?”

“Yes, and from what I recall from history lessons, the last time things like that went on, humans tried to exterminate magical creatures.”

“Maybe that’s what’s happening again. It would actually explain things, if humans found a way to harness our magic and use it against us.”

“Unless it’s the opposite, and dragons are trying to take over humanity, using their dark magic to control them.”

“Yeah, I guess it could be something like that, too.”

“What do we do? Should we try to go save that woman?”

“It’s probably too late for her, sorry to say,” he had to admit. “If a dragon has her in his sway, there’s not much we can do. Besides, look at those clouds in the distance. There’s a storm blowing in. We’d probably be better off to get back to Baylor. The more we’re finding out, the worse this is getting.”

“I know…but I wish we could help her.”

She pulled her hand away from his, and the air beside him slowly began to sparkle. He could see her pink aura forming, large and nebulous at first, then shrinking and concentrating in density. A moment later, Raea was fully visible, her body returned to its tiny form and her wings fluttering to keep her aloft.

“Sorry. I didn’t use much dust since I don’t know how much we’ll need to get home,” she said with a sheepish smile.

“It’s okay. I’ll be visible in a little while, too. Why don’t we look over this machine and figure out a few key components to take back to Baylor? He might be able to understand it then. If you still have some Sizing Dust, we can shrink the parts and carry them with us.”

“That’s a really good idea, Kyne. I just wish…” she said, hovering near the doorway and glancing out after the disappearing vehicle. “I just wish we understood what he was up to.”

He let go of his physical form, shaking off the lingering effects of their Fairy Dust. Soon his body was shrinking, shimmering into view, much as hers had moments ago. He smiled and moved toward her, pulling her into his arms. No secret machinery directed him now, only his sheer passion for Raea.

“He is a dragon,” he said. “They do as they please. I doubt anyone understands them.”

“The poor woman. I wish we could help her. I hate to think what that dragon might do to her.”

“Be careful, my dear. You’re starting to sound like quite the lover of humans.”

She gave up her worry and melted into his kiss.

“No,” she replied. “I’m simply a lover of one very specific half human.”

L
ianne realized she’d been sleeping again. What was wrong with her? She hadn’t known she was this tired, yet here she was, blinking into the dark and trying to shake the fog from her brain.

Where were they? Still out on the mountain, by the looks of things. Once more, the vehicle was parked and Nic was nowhere to be seen. How long had she dozed off this time? Where was he? The dark sky was still dotted with a myriad of stars; clearly, dawn was a couple of hours away. She must not have been asleep long. That meant Nic was, no doubt, somewhere nearby.

She unfastened her seat belt and opened the door. Cold wind rushed in immediately, helping to chase the fog from her brain. Good. She needed the wake-up. She pulled her coat more tightly around her and stepped out into the wide-open wasteland.

The mountain rose up on one side; jagged rocks surrounded the narrow valley that had served as their road. The huge glacier reflected moonlight in the distance as it wrapped its way around the mountain and scraped and gouged its way through the valley on the far side. Overhead, the stars crowded the dark canvas, glittering against the glow of northern lights and distant, gathering clouds.

It was like standing on an alien planet. She spun around and scanned for Nic, but there was no sign of him. Where could he be? He came out here to show her the remote sensors, yet he kept going off without her. What was he really up to?

Surely when the equipment had been placed here it had been somewhere accessible. It wasn’t as if there were many hiding places, just crags and corners of rock, and who would put a sensor in such an out-of-the-way place? Nic had just vanished. Why couldn’t she see him?

Her coat was secure, and she’d bought it specifically for her trip here, but still the wind cut right through it. No, not the wind…something else. Cold reached inside of her and wrapped itself around her bones, making her shiver. It was an unfamiliar cold, though. It didn’t seem to come from the wind, but from something in the wind. It was a cold that felt…dark.

She shuddered. Maybe she was just imagining things; maybe little bits of sleep still clung to her mind. Maybe it was the tumor. Or maybe it was nothing more than being alone in such a strange, foreign landscape. She’d never truly been this alone in her life, this close to the endless breadth of forever.

She would find Nic. As cold and conceited as he was, she’d no doubt feel considerably warmer if he were here. And not just because of the heat he generated within her body at the thought of his touch, either. She simply needed to know she was not the only human on this mountain. At least, that’s what she decided to tell herself.

The black, ominous form loomed over her. Beyond, the stretch of wasteland was empty and unwelcoming. She glanced up at the stars, hoping the sight of familiar constellations might make her feel as if somehow she belonged here, but the friendly stars were beginning to disappear. The clouds were shifting, evolving. Right before her eyes a bank of dark, roiling cumulonimbus flowed toward her, blocking the sky.

Lightning flashed in the distance, making the clouds flicker and glow as if they were alive. How on earth had a storm come up so suddenly? And where was Nic with this thing bearing down on them?

She opened her lips to call out his name, but a gust of glacial wind took her breath away. No word came out. A low moan sounded all around her, the echo of the wind whisking over the rocks, humming with force and with fury. Thunder rolled overhead, surrounding her.

Where was Nic? He was going to be caught in this. They both were. Instinctively she turned back for the vehicle, put her hand to open the door and find shelter from the increasing wind, but she paused. What if something was wrong?

What if Nic had fallen into one of the many cracks and fissures? He could have slipped on the rugged terrain, could have knocked himself unconscious. He could be out there now, dying. She had to go find him.

Again she tried to call out, but the wind howled and drowned out any sound she could make. She had no idea where the RGS was that they’d come to investigate, but it seemed logical that it wouldn’t be too far from the vehicle. Nic had driven them to the edge of a flat plane, boulders and rocks jutted up from here, creating the base of the mountain. They were probably right at the edge of the area allowed by their permit, so the equipment could not have been placed too far away.

Unless Nic hadn’t been entirely in compliance with their permits. He’d already admitted to coming out here without proper authorization. Nothing about him led her to believe he was much of a rule follower. Hell, there were probably sensors placed all over this mountain, beyond their official zone. No wonder her official data was so confusing. Damn him, he was probably up there, in the shadows on the mountain itself, just out of sight. She had to go look.

Bracing herself, she picked her way over the bumpy ground. The clouds were rapidly obscuring the moon, making things even darker and more terrifying than before. She just couldn’t rid her mind of that image of Nic lying helpless and broken, trapped in some volcanic crevasse. Damn it, she knew her time on earth was getting more limited as every hour ticked by, but she never expected she’d freeze to death in some freak storm on a mountain in Iceland.

“Nic! Where the hell are you?” she called out, useless in the rumble and shriek of the storm.

He didn’t answer, of course, so she moved farther upward, heading for the darkest, most forbidding area she could see. It was probably well out of their permit zone, but to hell with that. If something bad had happened out here, the shadowy, rocky cleft appeared to be the prime place for it. She’d start hunting him there.

Fairies
. He knew there were fairies around here…somewhere. Eubryd had been right. Nic could feel them, feel their glittery, cheerful magic filtering through the air, even in the dead chill of the night. A breeze was whipping up, but he could still feel the magic. Damn, but he couldn’t quite locate the source of it.

Where were they? Perhaps an even better question might be, what in the hell were they doing out here? Obviously tonight wasn’t the first time they’d been here. The modifications on the RGSs showed signs of weathering, though he still didn’t know what had caused the readings that set off the alarm. Obviously the little schemers had something to do with it. Nic just had to find out what that was.

He thought he’d found them when he sensed something odd at that equipment shed. By the Fires, he hadn’t found fairies inside that, though. The shed had not been built by the team from Geo-Diagnostics. It had been put in more recently, and the machinery he’d found inside it infuriated him.

Human technology coupled with magic. Who was responsible for such a thing? The machinery he found inside that shed could have easily controlled a myriad of those small devices like the one he’d seen attached to that broken sensor. It was not a part of the Geo-Diagnostics network, yet it was clearly hacked into that system. Someone would have to have intimate knowledge of the network to make that happen. Clearly someone on their jobsite was not who they pretended to be.

Even more than this unexpected scheme, though, what really caused Nic’s blood to boil was the power source for that machinery. The equipment was built to draw magic directly from its surroundings, in this case the mountain, and use that magic to power itself as well as the small add-on devices attached to the RGSs he’d found. Technology like this could be immeasurably dangerous, and he was seriously pissed that he had never even heard of such a thing.

Now here it was, trying to take over
his
mountain.

The equipment was not functioning when he’d found it, which was strange considering that he’d been drawn to it by a powerful surge of magic. He’d been quick to destroy it once he found it, of course, but until he knew how to find his enemy, that would barely slow them down. He had to find out if the clutch was in danger. If, as Eubryd seemed to worry, fairies were out here watching him, entering the mountain would be risky. He could lead his adversaries right to their goal. If they hadn’t already breached his safeguards and gotten inside.

From all appearances, the rocks around him looked as dark and as dead as ever. He knew fairies possessed magic enough for simple tricks to hide them from view, but his ancient dragon senses ought to be more than adequate to penetrate that. If these fairies were hidden from him tonight, he was going to find them. If he could not, that could only mean something darker and more ancient than fairy magic was at play. And
that
meant he could be facing his equal out here.

The wind was getting increasingly stronger, catching him off guard. His hair blew into his face and he stumbled over a loose rock. The mountain was jagged and steep. He was forced to claw at it with his hands to keep his footing. Damn, but where had this storm come from? He glared at the clouds as they encroached on the sky.

It wasn’t an ordinary storm. He paused, shutting his eyes to reach out into the wind with his senses. He’d been so focused on hunting those fairies that he hadn’t paid attention to the weather. How had he not noticed the change in air pressure, the bone-jarring cold that came blowing in from the fjords? He should have felt it approaching, recognized the heavy feel of magic inside it.

It prickled inside him with malice and danger. He was instantly on high alert. No, this wasn’t just any ordinary storm. This storm was being used for a purpose—a purpose that targeted him. And Lianne.

By the Fires, he’d left her alone!
And now he’d become so distracted that he’d let his mind lose his hold over her. He had to send his senses back out into the night to search for her—but she was not where he’d left her. Damn! This storm was bearing down on them and he had no idea where Lianne was. He ignored everything else but the need to find her. Immediately.

Thunder rolled and lightning flashed, lighting up the clouds from the inside out. Still, they brought thick, impenetrable darkness as they roiled closer and closer. Nic cursed his clumsy human feet. He needed to move, to cover more ground, but this fragile form was unable.

It was forbidden, of course. He must never reveal his true form in the presence of a human, but he didn’t care. Lianne was in danger. He had to get to her
now
or it would be too late. He could feel the storm building in strength, focusing energy on the mountain, on the area where Lianne had been. There was only one thing he could do.

A crack of lightning ripped through the sky above him. His body responded to the surge of electrified air. With a deep breath and a roar that erupted from deep within him, Nic let go the last of his ragged restraint and gave rein to parts of himself that had been tethered for so very long. The storm hit with full force, blasting him with gusts that literally blew him off the rocks he’d been clinging to. He embraced the wind, welcoming it and sucking it into his lungs.

His body unfurled as his nature burst forth with all the power and urgency he contained. His muscles, his limbs, his sinews…every part of him extended and expanded. The creature inside him lurched into being, the feel of it after all of these years incredible. He spread his wings wide in the wind, catching it and commanding it as he soared up into the night, using the storm to propel him almost instantly toward the spot on the other side of the mountain where he had left Lianne.

He could feel her now. Yes, she was awake, thinking of him and worrying in the storm. There was so much magic in the air, no wonder he hadn’t been able to feel her before. He felt her now, though. She was nearby.

He swung around the mountain, his huge dragon wings beating through the pelting rain, and the fresh scales on his back enjoying the feel of it all. For so long he’d been pent up in that tiny human form, it had almost begun to feel normal. But now…now he was back. This is what he was bred to be: huge, powerful, all dragon.

His clothing had shredded off him in the change, but the weather did not bother him. It would take more than a few gusts of wind and some raindrops to penetrate the steel-like skin of a dragon. He would find Lianne and protect her.

But the storm did have some effect on him, after all. Not the wind or the elements, but something else. The darkness, the evil he’d felt inside it…that was clouding his senses, blocking him from finding her. He could feel her fear, he knew she was close, but where? He had to find her quickly.

The vehicle
. There, he could see it now. He’d left her sleeping in it; safe, he had thought, from the chill of the night and securely under his influence. He reached with his senses for her; yes, she was very near. Probably inside the vehicle, in fact. Surely she’d taken shelter there when this storm came up. He would go to her, get her off this mountain and away from whatever darkness was targeting them.

But the fury inside the storm churned itself up. The force of the wind increased, throwing him off course and slamming him into the side of the mountain. He regained his course, but not before thunder cracked with a deafening boom and lightning shot past him. For a moment he felt a smug satisfaction that the fury had missed its mark, jolted past him to strike harmlessly on the vacant landscape below. In an instant, though, his gut contracted and another furious roar escaped him. The lightning did
not
strike harmlessly.

The bolt hit its mark, slicing into the vehicle parked down there in the open. It exploded with a shower of sparks that rained over the mountainside. The pungent smell of burnt air and melted plastic filled the icy wind as the glow of flame licked at the underside of the vehicle. Lianne would be trapped in the inferno!

He swooped low, barely dodging another sizzling bolt as it shot past. He reached the vehicle and covered it, his huge scaly body offering protection from the onslaught above, but he could do little to douse the fire that already burned. He clawed at the door handle, finding it fused. The heat and electricity from the lightning had melted the latch! He’d have to rip the vehicle apart to get Lianne to safety.