Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series) (20 page)

"Yes, you have and thank you,"
she said as she sat down and looked out across the water.

"The truth is I'm really not sure
where the Queen's loyalty lies.  She has taken running the kingdom very
seriously after the passing of your grandmother; always looking out for the
best interest of the fae but..." he paused sliding a hand through his
light blond hair as he let out a sigh.  "I'm beginning to think she is
jealous of you."

Nicole turned her eyes on Slade,
"Jealous of me?  But why?"

Slade shrugged his shoulders, "I'm
sure it's because by all rights the throne is yours, not hers.  This whole
kingdom," he glanced around at all the beauty that surrounded them, "It
belongs to you and you’re the only person who holds the power to rule it; a
power much greater than any King or Queen before you.  I'm sure that scares the
hell out of Teya." He chuckled as he took in Nicole's bewildered
expression.  "Don't you see?  That's why your Grandmother's love for her
warrior caused such an outpouring of hate from a few.  They all feared the
power that the child created with both fae and warrior blood would hold."

"I'm not sure that matters now. 
What's done is done and I'm here now.  I don't want the throne.  I just want to
stop this war and leave my people to live in peace," Nicole crossed her
arms across her chest as a slight chill raised goose bumps on her bare arms.

Slade reached out and rubbed his hands
across her arms when he noticed her discomfort.  "Here," he pulled
her to his side placing his arms around her, "It's a bit cold but this
should help."

Apprehension knotted in Nicole's stomach
when Slade pulled her tight to him but the warmth radiating from his body
quickly chased away the anxiety and had her forgetting about the cold nipping
at her skin. "Thank you," she whispered as a new warmth started to
form in her belly.  Slade's masculine scent drew Nicole in as she sat wrapped
in his arms.  She felt the pull to lay her head against his chest and let
herself enjoy the closeness and security of his arms but a tugging in her heart
made her keep her distance.

Slade traced small circles on her arm
with his thumb as he held her, "Can I ask you something?"

Nicole nodded but kept her eyes on the
glowing night sky as she waited, afraid that looking into his ghostly blue eyes
would be too much for her.

"When you say 'your people' do you
mean the fae?"

The caress of his breath on her neck
sent a new course of chills down her body but she tried keep it from showing,
"Both fae and warriors of course."  She could feel his body stiffen
slightly when she spoke so she turned to look at him, "Slade, I'm both so
you cannot expect me to turn my back on one."

Slade weighed his words before he spoke
as he looking into her eyes, "You can't save both, love.  This war runs
too deep so there's no way of knowing who the good guys among the warriors
truly are."

Nicole's brows crumpled together as she
processed his words, "Are you saying I should wipe out the entire warrior
race just because of a few bad seeds?"  She pulled away from his embrace
and stood up.  "That is the craziest thing I've ever heard."

"Nicole, it simply can't be done. 
Look at your warriors.  They are hot tempered and violent where the fae race is
a peaceful one unless they are pushed into fighting.  Why would you want to let
a bloodline like that continue to haunt this world," he stood with his
arms wide and his eyes cold and hard on her.  "Would you think about all
that Loch has done to you and your family for just a moment," he pleaded
as he grabbed her face and forced her to look him in the eyes.  "Do you
want your father hurt again?  How about your friend Kat?"

Nicole jerked her face from his hands
and took a step back from him, "That's the work of one man, Slade, not all
warriors," she hissed.  She could feel her body start to shake as the
anger replaced the warmth for the man standing in front of her.  "Just
when I think you're a great guy you go and show your true side," she said
throwing up her hands.

Slade let out a deep laugh, "I am a
good guy, Nicole.  I'm just trying to help you see the light in this dark
world.  Everything isn't as simple as you have it laid out in your head,
love."  He reached out and stopped her from backing away from him.  He
pulled her hands up to his chest and wrapped his arm around her small waist,
"I'm being the man you need, the one who will be honest and help guide you
in a realm you know nothing about.  You are just too damn pigheaded to see
what's best for you."

Nicole pushed against his chest trying
to free herself from his grasp but before she could escape his full lips
crushed down on hers, fervor and desire radiating from every press of his
mouth.  Nicole struggled to pull from his embrace as he tried to deepen the
kiss.  She could feel her body starting to warm to him.  Her passion was
building inside and a fire igniting though she tried to fight it.  She began to
panic; she was torn between the man she had glimpsed in Slade and the warrior
she carried in her heart.  Her hands ignited in a red glow as her panic
overflowed and she shoved again sending Slade staggering backwards as she gasped
for breath.  "Don't ever touch me again!"

Suddenly a pull she knew without doubt
tugged at her senses and she turned to see Luke barreling forward.  He tackled
the stunned Slade to the ground and they went rolling.  Thumping of fists and
grunts sounded as the two men tore into each other.  Slade flipped Luke off of
him and gained his footing just as Luke dove for him again.

"Stop this," shouted Nicole
but the two men continued to bash into each other.  Luke grabbed Slade around
the waist and with a twist of his body he threw him into a tree thirty feet
away causing leaves to rain down in twinkles of green light.

"It's time you learn to keep your
hands off Nicole.  She has made it quite clear that she doesn't want you!"

Slade stood up slowly dusting the dirt
from his clothes, "Why? Because you think she will choose you," he
laughed darkly.  "She can see what a violent man you are," he looked
past Luke to Nicole with a nod.  "All warriors are like this Nicole,"
he pleaded with coldness in his eyes.

"I'm doing what needs to be done to
protect her from people like you,"  Luke darted forward in a blur to where
Slade was standing near the shaking tree but before he could touch him a wall
of raging wind swept in between the two men.  Luke skidded to a halt as Slade
was blocked from his view.

"Stop this right now," shouted
Nicole as she held her hands out in front of her.  "I won't be fought
over."  Her heart was pounding in her chest as she struggled to keep her
composure.  She was worried about Slade, though he was trying hard to hold his
own in the fight he was without his powers so he was much weaker than Luke. 
She felt the presence of eyes on her so she was sure the thundering booms of
Luke's power had drawn a crowd behind her.  "Luke," she demanded,
"I want you here beside me right now."

Luke didn't hesitate.  He turned on his
heels and darted to Nicole in a flash.  His chest was heaving from the fight
and he had dried blood on his cheek from where a wound had been only moments
ago.  He nodded to Nicole as he took his place beside her, "As you
wish."

With a deep sigh she let her wall down
revealing a smug Slade with his arms crossed over his chest, "So this is
your choice?" he nodded toward Luke standing at her side.

Nicole took a step forward with her head
held high, "Don't you see, Slade?  There doesn't have to be a choice.  I
can save both," she pleaded for him to understand.  "It's not a
choice between fae and warriors that I'm here to make nor does it boil down to
a choice between having you or Luke fighting beside me.  I need you both with
me to make this work."

Slade's hard face softened slightly as
he listened to her words then abruptly, his attention was drawn to the crowd. 
He nodded as if someone had spoken to him then turned away from Nicole giving
one last cold glance to Luke before he disappeared into the garden.

Nicole watched him leave.  She wanted to
run to him and stop him from going but a familiar voice froze her.
"Dad," she whispered desperately.  She turned her eyes on the group
of people murmuring behind her for the first time.  Queen Teya and General
Moyer stood in the front looking down at her but they quickly faded into the
background when James' familiar, lined face and salt and pepper colored hair
stepped out from the crowd.  He looked thin and pail compared to the man she
remembered leaving behind in Alabama.  His polo shirt hung loose from his frame
as he moved but his body language was still that of a strong man half his age
as he smiled at her shocked face.

"Hey baby," he took his daughter
into his arms hugging her tightly. "I've been so worried about you,"
he whispered into her hair as he kissed the top of her head.

Nicole looked up into his face with
tears in her eyes, "How did you get here?"

James nodded toward Luke, "Luke
came for us.  He said you were having a hard time being separated from your
family and thought us being here with you would help you figure out what you
needed to do."  He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I think he's
worried about you."

Nicole smiled at her dad, "You have
always been on his side."  She rolled her eyes when her dad gave her a sly
wink, just as he always did when he brought up Luke.  James was never shy about
telling Nicole she should give Luke a chance, even before anyone knew that Luke
was a warrior.  He had said that Luke was the catch that she shouldn't let get
away.

Nicole glanced to the side taking in
Luke's poorly concealed smile as he stared at the ground around his feet.  She
knew he was hearing everything her dad whispered and loved the way it was
making her squirm.  This had been a fun game that he and James liked to play as
they tried to wear Nicole's emotional walls down.

"Wait," Nicole looked back
into her dad's face, "You said 'we' didn't you?" Does that mean
−
" Before
she could finish she was wrapped in another pair of long, thin arms as a squeal
pierced her eardrums.

"Nicole!  I've been so damn worried
about you."

Nicole let loose of her dad to hug her
best friend as tears streamed down her face, "I've missed you too,
Kat."  She embraced her friend then stepped back.  Kat's long black hair
was just as lustrous as she remembered and her model thin frame was covered in
a white Chanel dress with knee length, black leather boots.  The height of
fashion as always but when Nicole took in her friend's large brown eyes
something was different.  A bit of the fire that had always kept Kat listed as
Nicole's wild and fun loving friend was gone.  "How have you been?"

"I'm good now, thanks to you.  You
saved me that day and never gave me the chance to tell you how grateful I
am."  She hugged Nicole again.

Nicole remembered that day like no other
in her life.  Kat had been kidnapped by a sadistic detective and held as bait
to draw Nicole to Loch.  Kat had been drugged, beaten for days, along with
other forms of torture that broke Nicole's heart to even imagine. Then in a
stand-off at the airfield she was shot by the detective.  Nicole was able to
use her powers to heal the physical wounds and save her friend's life but she
could tell the scars ran deep into her Kat's soul, changing her forever and
robbing her of the spark for life she once had.  She hugged Kat tight then
stepped back wiping the tears away with her fingers, "I'm so happy to see
you both."

"Hey, what aboot me?" came a
thick Irish accent from behind Nicole.

Rhys picked Nicole up in a hug,
squeezing her tightly against his bare chest with a laugh.  Nicole giggled as
he placed her back on her feet.  Though he was without a shirt and bare footed
he was wearing black designer slacks instead of his usual kilt.  Nicole studied
his smiling face as she regained her balance, "I'm glad to see you too
Rhys."

"Ah, I knew the princess would be
missing me," he beamed with a sexy wink then, to Nicole's surprise, he
wrapped his arms around Kat's waist and she melted back against him.

Nicole's eyebrows shot up into her hair
line, "Seems we have a lot of catching up to do, Kat."

Kat nodded as she tenderly patted Rhys'
arms, "Yes we do," she laughed.