Protector of the Flame (34 page)

Narrowing his eyes, he swallowed the food in his mouth. “Nakia lacks self-control. It’s a flagrant problem amongst our young females.”

Serenity’s stream churned at the dig meant for her. She could give just enough of an energy wave to knock Caelius out of his seat and onto his backside.

Cyrus squeezed her hand. “Please don’t,” he whispered.

She commanded her energy stream to settle. “It only would have been a tap.”

Although he smiled, he didn’t look the least bit pleased.

“One can’t master self-control without practicing in the presence of temptation,” Sothis said. “Perhaps young Nakia is failing to improve because your methods are counterproductive and archaic.”

Nakia’s eyes brightened. “I think she’s right. It could be a quick turn about the garden. And I promise no performances if you give me your undivided attention.”

As he finished the last of his meal, Caelius didn’t speak. He stood with his dishes, glaring at Sothis. “A quick turn then,” he said to his
kabashem
.

Nakia’s cheeks turned rosy and she looked as if she might bust from joy. She slid down the bench and hurried beside him.

Relieved to be out of their presence, Serenity ate a sporkful of mussels. “They’re very good,” she said to Sothis who met her gaze with a wink. A wink!

Maybe this catastrophe had a silver lining after all.

Cyrus and the other warriors discussed training and the new techniques they were learning. Sothis listened to the conversation, but said nothing.

Talus and Micah joined their table. Mesmerized by the marks on Serenity’s neck and exposed area of her chest, Talus stared until understanding dawned as to what caused them. A smile floated to her face.

When Sothis rose to leave, her pupils stood and bowed, including Spero and Elianus. She acknowledged them with a nod of her head.

“Wait,” Serenity called out. Sothis looked at her expectantly. “Neith wanted me to discuss something with you. It’s a time-sensitive issue if you could spare a moment.”

“I have a little time.”

Serenity got up and Cyrus stood as if to accompany them. “Neith wanted me to talk to her privately.”

“A tiger almost attacked us tonight. Nikos or any of the others that…wish us ill might use this opportunity to harm you.”

Sothis clasped a hand on Serenity’s shoulder as she helped her away from the bench. “No one here would harm her. Besides, I’m well equipped to handle a tiger, crazed monkey or band of Kindred that would seek to snuff out her flame. She’ll be safe with me and never out of my sight. I’ll even see her back to your room.”

Reluctantly, Cyrus sat.

Serenity hugged his shoulders and kissed him. “I’ll see you in the room.” She turned and walked away with her mother.

The looks she received this time didn’t bother her as much, except for one.

Adriel homed in on her gaze and held her attention with the twinkle in his eyes. His expression soured as his eyes fell from her face to her neck. His jaw tightened and his hands curled into fists. He glanced at Cyrus and then back at her.

Dread gnawed at her and she shook her head at him not to cause trouble.

“You would do best to look away from him. All eyes are upon you,” Sothis said casually, staring straight ahead.

Serenity broke the lock from his eyes and faced forward, quickening her pace, but her mother gently touched her forearm with two fingers, keeping her own stride steady. She slowed to meet her mother’s leisurely gait.

As her energy stream disconnected from Cyrus, she took a deep breath through the dizziness. Tendrils of her pool stretched behind her, demanding she return to him. Her core ached to reconnect to his until she could no longer sense him.

A breeze refreshed her, clearing her mind of fogginess.

Once in the garden, Serenity looked at her mother, prepared to beg for help, but Sothis said, “Not here.”

They cleared the garden, headed toward the shore. Passing a meadow of tall grass and cattails, they entered a thicket of trees so close to the water she could hear the waves rolling in.

“What did you need to discuss?” Sothis asked as they strayed from the path, weaving between the trees parallel to the shoreline.

“The link binding me to Adriel can’t be broken. Neith said you might be able to give advice on how to manage it.”

Sothis stopped and held her shoulders. Her hands were warm, her expression deepened into compassion. It was the closest thing to a hug she’d received. “Let him go.”

Didn’t her mother hear or understand what she’d said? She couldn’t let Adriel go any more than she could a fallen star soldered to her core, to the very essence of her being. “I wish it were that simple.”

“Our hearts are not as fragile as a human’s. We can endure unbearable pain and suffering. Adriel is a cancer eating away at your soul. Cut him out of your life. Scrape him from your heart.”

Her mother’s words were tainted by whatever knowledge she had of Adriel’s
kabashem
, Evane. Adriel could do great harm, but he wasn’t a cancer. He was good and kind and stuck in this too. A victim of his own gift, in a far worse position because he didn’t have the love of a mate to help him through it.

“I can’t. I don’t know how.” At least not while they were trapped on an island.

“Well then,” Sothis said, turning to walk, “adherence to a few simple rules should get you through. Whenever Adriel enters a room, never notice him. When engaged in conversation, don’t maintain eye contact with him for longer than two seconds, and if Cyrus is present, dote on your
kabashem’s
every word, not Adriel’s.”

Serenity listened intently, taking mental notes of the mistakes she’d already made.

“Show Cyrus affection in Adriel’s presence.” Serenity went to speak, but Sothis continued, “More affection than usual. We are a territorial species and your mate is overly protective of you, which brings me to the last rule that can never be broken.”

Her heart raced with anxiety.

“You can never let Adriel touch you.”

A nervous laugh grated her lips. “I thought you were going to say something outrageous. Trust me. I learned earlier today not to let him touch me.”

“Not even in private. Adriel likes to express his…fondness for you with physical affection that you enjoy. This will get him killed. When he touches you, it alters your scent. Even if Cyrus doesn’t see it, he’ll smell him on you.”

There was still much to learn about Kindred, but her misguided experiences with Adriel made her question the bit about her scent being altered.

Her mother’s head whipped sharply to the right. She stared into the darkness back toward the meadow. Sothis darted past the trees, disappearing in the night without a word or making a sound.

Footsteps, one person walked toward Serenity from the meadow. Carelessness in the weight of their step made the grass rustle, echoing in the air. A thud, as if someone hit the ground, followed by silence. A second later, Sothis emerged holding Adriel by the arm.

“What are you doing?” Serenity asked him.

“I had to see if you were all right.” His eyes lit up like stars.

Sothis glanced around. “I’ll give you a moment, but Serenity—” her mother gave her a sharp look, “—it would be wise not to linger too long.” Then she faded into the darkness.

“Did he hurt you?” Adriel reached out to touch her face.

Serenity stepped away. “No, I’m fine.”

Adriel drifted closer. “How dare he parade you around like this?” He tried to cup her cheek in his hands, but she backed up to a tree, using it as a barrier. “Why do you keep moving away from me?”

“You can’t touch me.” She lowered her gaze. “Your scent will alter mine.”

“Nonsense,” he said.

It might be nonsense, but it would keep them both safe. The degree of physical affection they’d already shared had created this mess. She’d been so blind regarding Adriel, but not anymore.

The susurrus of the wind combing the leaves carried with it a sense of foreboding, quickening her pulse. Branches and shrubs swayed in the breeze, and then the wind died as if caught in the eye of a storm. Grateful for the still moment to pick her words with care, the tide crashing on the beach behind them filled the night.

“Are you okay?” She leaned against the tree. “I was worried. You hit your head pretty hard.”

“I began to heal before I was off the floor. My cracked ribs have mended, but are still a little sore.” Inching toward her, he stared at her neck. “Does it hurt?”

“It looks worse than it is.” She searched his perfect face, his eyes brimming with love, his forehead riddled with worry. She suppressed her urge to comfort him. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I have since this started. I let us get too comfortable and…I may have given you the wrong impression.”

His shoulders stiffened and he squared his stance. “What impression would that be?”

“You’re a dear brother, but we can’t ever be anything more.” Pressing her palm into the ridged bark of the palm tree, she looked down. “I’m sorry if I led you to believe otherwise. Cyrus is—”

“Stop.” His voice was soft, yet resounded with a strength she’d never heard from him. When she glanced up, his gaze cut through her, peeling back the layers of her shallow defenses. “You’d never make a cuckold of Cyrus, nor would I ask you to.” He rested a forearm on the tree. “Once all of the record-keepers have returned, Neith plans to send them back out on a new assignment.”

She tensed at the news. “So soon? They won’t have time to spend with their families.”

“This is the first time she’s recalled all of them at once.”

A chill licked her skin. “What’s she planning?”

“I don’t know, but she asked me to leave with one of the teams.”

Trying to hide her panic and failing miserably as her heart imploded, she put her forehead against the bark. “Are you leaving?” Her voice was a whisper.

He closed the scant distance between them, testing boundaries. The heat from his body brushed her skin, his warm breath on her face titillated down to the core. Oh how she wished he could turn off the gut-wrenching draw that made being near him such exquisite torture.

“I overheard your conversation with Neith. Do you want me to go?”

She couldn’t bear to look at him. He was on her side in this insane struggle to survive. She needed to rally as many supporters as she could. There were only a few she trusted with her life and he was one of them. Perhaps it was the unnatural tether or genuine friendship, but she didn’t want him to leave.

Yet, there was no other way.

“It’d be best if you went with the others.” A fist squeezed her heart at speaking the words and if she dared look at him, she’d cave. This was her chance to let him go, to be free of Adriel.

“Best for whom?”

She met his eyes. “For all of us, but especially you. I want you to be safe, Adriel. You should leave while you can.”

His safety and well-being was only second to that of Cyrus.

He shook his head slowly, a rueful smile on his lips as though the response disappointed him. “Dark days are ahead. It would be best if you had the greatest healer that has ever lived at your side.”

“We have Carin.”

A brittle laugh echoed. “I won’t tire like she will and my ability far exceeds what she’s capable of. I can bring someone back from the very brink of death. I’d say that’s a useful skill for what you’re about to face, especially in your condition.”

Carin had saved her life when she almost bled out after being shot, but if there had been a minute delay, who was to say how it would’ve turned out.

“I’ll take my chances with Carin. I won’t risk your life for mine.” No matter how important everyone thought she was.

“What about Cyrus’s life?”

She pushed off the tree and held his gaze.

“Neith is preparing for a shitstorm to hit this island. If it does, many warriors will be hurt. Many will die, but I can help change that. Cyrus will fight with his last breath to protect you. If anything were to happen to him, I might be the only one who could save him.”

Goose bumps raised the hair on her arms, her stomach tangled into knots. She turned from him. She didn’t want to risk losing either of them, but she couldn’t endure the loss of Cyrus. She’d rather be dead without him.

Her vision swam in darkness and she reached out for the tree.

Everything Adriel said was true. He was the most powerful healer alive and the day might soon come when Cyrus needed him most of all.

Materializing from the shadows as though a part of the darkness, Sothis stood in front of them. “We should head back.” She turned to Adriel. “Wait here for ten minutes, and then go down to the beach.”

“We agree?” Adriel said. “I’m staying.”

Serenity gave an uncertain nod. “Keep your distance and tell your friends to back off.”

Satisfaction oozed in Adriel’s smile. The fool. This gamble could cost him his life. If she had been a stronger person, a better person, she would’ve begged him to leave.