Prince's Fire (8 page)

“I assume Mother was not too pleased when she discovered the ruse?”

Dar laughed and shook his head. “That is putting it mildly.” He looked over at Gitana and his cock hardened remembering how she felt around him. He couldn’t wait to make her officially his.

* * * * *

She looked away but saw the twinkle in Shana’s eyes. Fiona cleared her throat and stood from the leather seating.

After trudging through the corridors below Paradise, she had been unprepared for the beauty. The normalcy of the décor and furniture surprised her the most. Even though the seating in this meeting chamber was covered with a very soft, pliant material she had never seen before, it still reminded her of a chaise on Earth.

The dresses they wore definitely made it to the top list of interesting things.

Ornamented with a rich indigo color, the material clung to her body in a way so comfortable she almost forgot she wore it. Her sister’s bright yellow attire showed the diversity of hues available.

She wanted to ask Shana about Lucian but knew it would have to wait until they had a moment alone. The way Lucian, Val, and his brothers stood in a circle around the room gave the distinct impression they were guarding it. Sure, they were against the walls or on the soft, sofalike seating, but she could tell they were leery.

Prince’s Fire

55

She stood and walked over to where Val, Dar, and Lucian were and smiled at Lucian politely. “I hope you are treating my sister well, warrior, because I will kill you if you ever hurt her.” She looked over at Val and saw the smile on his face, hearing Cal laugh behind her.

“Damn, I want to see you kicking Luc’s ass so bad. Oh, I would so have to holograph that so we can watch it over and over again on a loop. Wouldn’t that be fun, Val?”

The low growl from Lucian was barely audible, but the laughter from the other brothers as they joined in the banter filled the room.

“Oh yes, I’m sure Gitana could really do some damage to Luc. It would give us all a good opportunity to see her powers at work since we need to make sure she has properly adapted to them all.” Gitana looked over at Shana and saw her smile at Lucian.

The way the expression on his face softened made her think he truly cared for her sister. Perhaps the warrior had some good qualities after all. Shana certainly seemed happy, and the way she blushed just talking about him made her realize there was more to their relationship than the casual fling Gitana had expected.

When her sister had told her they had mated, the urge to kill the warrior found its way to the forefront of her mind. That was before he had arrived and she heard the love in her sister’s voice when she spoke to him. Or seen the way they teased each other so easily, like they were totally comfortable with one another in every way possible.

“So you want me to be the guinea pig?” Lucian asked. “I thought that would be the best position for you, Val, since you are her mate.”

Val’s twin walked into the room, his disdain for her obvious on his face. He made no qualms about disliking her, and she found herself thinking the exact same thing about him.

How could someone who looked exactly like Val be so different?

Whatever issues he had, it was clear he intended to take them out on her. The thought of demonstrating her abilities in front of him made her very uneasy.

56 Cara Carnes

“I never agreed to using my powers in front of all of you. Only Shana has seen me use them extensively. Her I trust.” Fists curled at her side, she looked Van directly in the eye.

“And if you do not stop glaring at me, you will find out firsthand what it feels like to be on my bad side.”

Van came over to her, the sneer still on his face, and laughed. “Princess, there is nothing you could do that would surprise me.”

“Oh, I bet you are wrong there.”

“Such a shame to have so many powers you can’t control properly. The gods should have given them to someone more deserving.”

“Do not make me get between you two because you might not like the choice I make,”

Val barked before wrapping his arm around her. She saw Shana move, then sit back down when Fiona motioned.

“It is difficult to deal with powers that were not meant to be yours.” Val gave her a shy smile, like he wanted her to know he was on her side. It made her feel better about the situation. “There is no shame if you cannot wield them properly. We only want to help you hone them in case you ever need to use them against the D’kalhiks.”

“D’kalhiks? I have powers I am not meant to yield?”

“Do you remember the story your Nana told you about the night your parents died?”

Val’s soft voice cut through the rush of emotions. She had thought the story of a faceless enemy slaughtering young girls had been a horror story meant to keep her from misbehaving. The fact that her parents had died protecting her had been Nana’s way of telling her that she was loved.

“Yes. My parents called upon the final judgment when they realized they were going to die. They each had one request for the gods. One was for me to be taken to safety, and the other was for me to inherit their powers.”

Prince’s Fire

57

“Exactly. You were only meant to yield powers associated with fire, and your parents had powers of the earth and the air. At least that is what we are assuming based on what Shana has told us. Fiona has been doing some familial history research on you for the past few days apparently.”

“So my parents really died protecting me?” She looked away, feeling tears sliding down her cheeks. Wiping them quickly, she inhaled slowly. It didn’t do any good to get upset about something that happened so long ago, but she couldn’t help herself. Knowing she had parents that really cared about her meant so much. She’d never really understood that fully until just now. Nana had made a halfhearted effort to provide for her and Shana, but love was never an emotion displayed. That had left her dreaming about her family, wondering if she really had any.

“I want to learn more about them. Do you have something that would show me what type of people they were?” She turned, intent on talking to Val about her parents, but he pulled her into his tight embrace.

“Fiona has been working very hard on that and will continue to do so.”

Gitana looked over at the young woman with jet-black hair. Unused to generosity from a stranger, she found herself at a loss of what to say or how to act. She had grown accustomed to being ignored because of her decision to isolate her and her sister. But that had been the safest solution since she was different from everyone else.

“Thank you so much.” The words meant so little in comparison to the gift, but it was all she had to offer. Rage over the death and destruction building in her. “Have the D’kalhiks been destroyed?”

Jax laughed. “Son of a bitch, your woman has a fucking bloodthirsty way about her.

That’s hot, man.” She cringed at Jax’s words. He seemed to have the same sense of humor as Cal did, though his language left a lot to be desired.

58 Cara Carnes

“They are still a serious problem for us. Your presence here is bound to cause quite a stir among them. The attack when you were an infant was their attempt at preventing the prophecy.” Val’s words brought back memories of Nana’s lessons.

Never show fear.

Never appear weak.

Trust no one.

Reve

r

al you powers to no one.

Never take your powers for granted.

Always be prepared for battle.

“So they thought to prevent your ascension to your thrones by killing your mates while they were young, and if they know I am still alive, they will come after me again?” If the stories she had been told by Nana were to be believed, the D’kalhiks were evil monsters. Not that she had put much merit into all her tall tales of heroism in the face of devastation. She was ready. She had practiced her powers, honed her fighting skills, and learned as much as she could from the old woman. They deserved to die for the destruction they had done.

“It would be much harder to kill you now that you are essentially immortal,” Dar said.

“Immortal? Excuse me?” Surely their definition differed from the could-not-die one she was used to.

Dar nodded his head. “By the age of ten, our people begin to mature. By the time we reach that state we are very hard to kill.” The idea that someone could intentionally target the young and innocent sickened her and made her want to destroy them even more.

“Then I will make an excellent draw for them, and we can get this son of a bitch that tried to kill my sister.”

Lucian’s jaw twitched. “I’ve already shredded that bastard myself.”

Prince’s Fire

59

Admiration filled her. “I’m pleased to know my sister has found a man so capable of protecting her when it is called for but lets her be free otherwise. I want the other bastard that is helping them.”

Val chucked and drew her to him. “I can smell my mate’s bloodlust, and it pleases me greatly to know you will make such an excellent queen. Our people need a warrioress not afraid to lead us into battle if the need arises. I thought the three of you were whispering sexual fantasies or exchanging ideas, but clearly you all were talking like warriors.”

Gitana move away from him, unsure of whether he was trying to censure her activities.

“Do you have a problem with that?”

He grinned. “Not at all, but I am not going to have you be bait for any plan, v’amarita. I waited far too long to mate with you. I won’t have you to see you risk this beautiful neck of yours or any other part, for that matter.”

All this had managed to get way out of control. Gitana couldn’t breathe with everyone encroaching on her space, and the thought that they were supposed to be her family now and she had a mate too? “Val…”

“She’s not ready to accept that she is my mate yet, but I will break her resistance down soon enough.”

“We seem to have gotten a reprieve from this forced meal. Why don’t we all head toward the training field outside and see what you can do, Gitana? You get your choice of sparring partners,” Dar said.

She looked around at all of the men gathered beside her. A sense of unease crept through her nauseous stomach at the idea of them seeing her wield her powers. Her pulse leaped its paranoia. What if she couldn’t do anything? Who would be the best one to go up against?

Shana pushed her way through the men. “I’ll go with you, and Fiona will too.”

60 Cara Carnes

Fiona nodded her head. “And since my brothers are being tight-lipped, I’ll tell you who does what. Val controls the elements of water, as you probably already know. Dar does as well. Dax and Van control fire, Cal and Jax earth, and Cam and Jad the air. Whose ass do you want to kick first?”

Gitana laughed at the slip of a woman with the amused grin on her face. Her gaze lit on Van, and she saw the smug look of satisfaction on his face. “I’d be honored, princess.”

The way he flung the title out like a condemnation made her blood boil. She had done nothing to this man, yet he hated her with a depth she couldn’t comprehend. “Let’s do it then. I’ve never had the pleasure of a sparring partner. This will be interesting.”

The men nodded and turned to leave. She saw Val pull his twin aside but could not hear the conversation between them. “It is difficult for Val -- being between the two of you,”

Fiona said as she guided the two of them through the long corridor. “I’m not sure why Van is behaving this way. He has had problems since returning from captivity.”

“I’m sure having a woman show up out of nowhere and get between him and his

closest companion is hard to deal with -- on top of everything else -- but I have done nothing to justify his treatment of me.”

“What happened to him?” Gitana asked.

“You’ll have to ask Van or Val. I’ve learned not to discuss that with anyone. Van’s a bit touchy about it.”

Gitana understood the desire for privacy.

The walls of the palace glistened with jewels embedded in elaborate wall coverings.

Servants kneeled as they walked past, their eyes widening. Fiona laughed. “Everyone is trying to figure out who you are. They did the same thing with Shana, but then lost interest when she mated with Lucian. You now have them totally perplexed.”

“He seems to be good for her.”

Fiona nodded. “He is. I see many wonderful things in their future.”

Prince’s Fire

61

She jumped when the doors opened, the bright bursts of sunshine pouring down on her. The sun appeared to be a similar hue as Earth’s but more translucent in color. The field they walked onto was substantial with many large boulders and other hiding places strategically placed.

Her pulse raced. Shana’s reassuring smile helped ease her nerves. She could barely tell Val and Van apart at this distance, but the scowl clued her in on who would be her sparring partner. “Any rules here?”

Cal laughed and stepped over to her, patting her on the back. “Not really. Just stay alive and in one piece because none of us want to deal with Val if you don’t.”

That was reassuring. What sort of practice was this anyway?

Van stepped forward and planted his feet wide apart, as if intending not to move from the spot. “Let’s get started then, princess. Don’t think I’m going to take it easy on you just because you spread your legs for my brother.”

She flung a stream of fire toward him, but it missed its mark and fell short. He laughed and stepped closer. “Rule one. Know where your target is first then fire.”

She had no warning he intended to direct the fiery barrage that burst forth from his hands at her until it had already found its mark. She grimaced and absorbed the heat inside of herself, the desire to never have it happen again renewing her determination.

“I’ll make sure to remember that,” she said, shooting another flame toward him before ducking behind the nearest rock. The obnoxious snort told her she had missed yet again.

“Teach your woman how to shoot, or this will be a very long day,” Van demanded.