Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series) (8 page)

Nicole stared at her lap as she tried to
process the jumbled thoughts that were tumbling around in her head.  There was
no way that she was even considering the relationship Slade was pushing for. 
She knew her heart belonged to Luke even if she had never spoke the words.  She
missed him every second they were apart.  There was a deep void in her heart
that could only be filled by Luke.  “Slade,” she let her eyes meet his, “I’m
very grateful for everything you’ve done for me but I won’t pretend to be
interested in you just so you’ll keep helping me,” she watched as Slade’s eyes
took on a hard look.  Her heart jumped up in her throat causing her to swallow
hard, “I’d like to be able to call you my friend, Slade, but if that isn’t good
enough for you….I’ll leave.”

The creases around his eyes softened as
he studied her face, “No,” he shook his head slowly, flashing a small smile in
an attempt to hide some of his disappointment, “I don’t want you to leave.”  He
walked back to the door and stood staring out into the darkness, lost in his
thoughts, before he turned to face Nicole again.  “It’s killing me to think
you’re mad at me Nicole, so if friendship is all you will allow me to have….I
will take it,” he smiled softly at her.  “Good night, my love,” he winked as he
flicked the light-switch off then walked out of her room leaving her alone in
the dark.

Nicole flopped back onto her bed and
covered her face with a pillow, letting out a muffled, frustrated groan before
tossing the feather filled silencer roughly to the floor.  The sound of Slade’s
laughter drifted to her before he closed the doors to his room.  “Men,” she
sighed, settling under her covers and praying for sleep to take her.  This had
been the busiest day of her life and it was just her first day in Ireland.  She
was afraid to imagine what day two in this foreign land would hold for her.

**~***~**

The darkness of peaceful sleep drifted
away from her as a familiar and ancient graveyard began to take shape out of
the haze.  This place had become Nicole’s sanctuary where she could find
guidance and wisdom from a surprising source.  Queen Titania sat underneath the
sweeping limbs of a giant weeping willow that took precedence in the center of
the long forgotten resting place of the dead.  Her long white hair cascaded
around her lean, strong shoulders as her kind, pale blue eyes looked
expectantly at her granddaughter.  “Come my dear, sit with me and talk,” she
motioned for Nicole to sit beside her on the bed of green moss that covered the
ground around the base of the tree.

Nicole smiled softly at the beautiful
woman as she moved underneath the gently swaying limbs.  “I’ve missed you,
Grandmother.”

“And I have you too.  I feared the worse
when I no longer felt your power reaching out to me.  Where are you now my
child?” Queen Titania placed her hand over Nicole’s when she settled down into
a spot next to her.  Concern was written on the woman’s face as she waited for
Nicole to answer.

“I’m in Ireland.  You were right.  The
only way for me to save those I love is to fight so I’ve come to find Loch.”

“Yes, sadly this was the only right
choice and I’m proud of you for moving forward.  I was afraid,” her voice
trailed off as she studied Nicole closely.  “You are weak Nicole.  Even now I
can feel your spirit pulling away from me.  Where are your warriors?”

Nicole bit her lip nervously as she
thought about how to explain.  It would seem the spirit of her wise grandmother
had been shut out the past few days thanks to Slade’s power.  He must be able
to keep other peoples power from touching her as well as keeping her from using
her own gifts.  His powers acted as some sort of shield or a dome that was
covering her.  “I have no warriors,” she whispered.  “I released Luke of his
oath then trapped him, Rhys and Sage in a prison of wind so I could leave the
United States without them.” Nicole could see the anger building behind the
pale blue eyes of Queen Titania so she pressed on, “This is my battle and I
will not risk losing anyone I love.”

Softness replaced the hard lines
creasing the Queen’s forehead as she raised a hand to touch Nicole’s cheek, “I
know what it is like to lose someone you love, my dear.  I also know what it is
like to see the man you love risk his life for you,” she sighed as she brushed
the hair from Nicole’s face.  “Luke will not fail you.  Even after you sent him
away he still follows you, I can feel his presence very close to us.  He does
not do this because of an oath to me; he does this because he loves you.”

“You can’t know that for sure,” Nicole
rushed to say as her heart jumped in her chest.  The idea that Luke may
actually love her had her both happy and scared at the same time.  She knew
that she loved him, even if she had been too stubborn to admit it to him but
she had never dreamed that he would return her feelings.  After all, he was an
immortal warrior who had lived for hundreds of years, what could he really see
in her?

A small smile turned up the edge of her
grandmother’s lips as she studied Nicole’s eyes, “You are sitting on the edge
of a great war, one that has been building for generations, and your only fear
is love,” she chuckled creating a sound as magical as wind chimes singing in a
summer breeze.

“I guess you’re right,” sighed Nicole,
“It is a bit teen drama for…”  Her words were cut short as a gut wrenching pain
shot through her body.  The world around her began to spin as pain contorted
her face.

Queen Titania fought to steady Nicole by
the shoulders, “You're being forced away from me.  Who are you with?”

“He can’t help…this,” stammered Nicole
as she tried to think past the darkness that was closing in on her.

“Who, Nicole?  You must tell me who is
doing this to you,” the woman forced Nicole’s rolling eyes on her face,
searching desperately for the answer that was quickly slipping from her grasp.

Nicole began to fade from the magical
realm though she fought with all she had to not sink into the darkness that was
pulling her under like quicksand.  “A fae…named…Slade,” she watched the Queen’s
face twist into a shocked, wide eyed stare.  She could see the old woman’s lips
working frantically to form words that never sounded in her ears.  She awoke
with a gasp, struggling to fill her tight lungs with air as she sprung upright
in her bed.  The beads of sweat on her forehead caused goose bumps to rise on
her skin.  The cool night air danced in the room around her, sending a few
loose papers floating gracefully down to the floor.  The last of her power,
power that had summoned the protective wind to her, drifted away.  She leaned
back into her pillow as her heart beat slowed back into its normal, steady
rhythm, “Slade must be completely sober now,” she sighed.

**~***~**

Nicole sat on the patio outside of her
room with a large, black fleece throw wrapped around her.  The morning sun was
warm on her cheeks and the birds were singing in the trees of the beautiful
garden around her.  The flowers that surrounded her were truly something she
would have imagined seeing in the Garden of Eden.  All the blooms were picture
perfect with their vibrant red, pinks and violets, each giving off a unique
scent that mixed together to form a heavenly perfume.  “Slade does have a
beautiful place here,” Nicole admitted to herself aloud as she took in a deep
breath of the morning air.  She was trying hard to shake the visit from her
grandmother in her dreams.  Everything seemed to be fine until the end when she
was being forced out by Slade’s returning powers.  The queen’s face was seared
into her memory. 
Why did she get so upset at the mention of Slade’s name? 
Maybe she didn’t hear what I was saying, after all, I was being ripped back
into my world
, Nicole wondered to herself as she picked at the edge of the
blanket.

A soft knock sounded on the closed patio
door behind her.  She turned to see Slade standing on the other side of the
glass.  He opened the door slightly and stuck his head outside, “Do you mind if
I join you?”  His face twisted comically, as if he was waiting on Nicole to
throw something at him.

Nicole bit her lip trying to keep from
laughing at his pitiful display and motioned for him to join her.  She watched
a relieved smile stretch across his face as he moved towards the table where
she sat.  When he reached her side he knelt down beside her gently kissing her
cheek then placed a single white rose on the table in front of her, “I know
I’ve already apologized but it didn’t feel proper without a flower.”

Nicole tried to ignore that he had
managed to sneak another kiss as she looked down at the beautiful rose in full
bloom, “White?  Like your raising a truce flag,” she chuckled.

“Exactly.  Time for us to start over, a
new beginning where you don’t think I’m a jack ass.”  Slade sat in the chair
next to her with excitement radiating off him like a five year old on his
birthday.  “I’ve got a wonderful day planned for us.  First breakfast then I’ll
give you a tour of the gardens, followed by sightseeing around some of my
favorite spots in Dublin.”

Nicole felt her stomach start to churn
as she stared into Slade’s expecting face.  There was an unease tugging at her
mind but she wasn’t sure if it was real concern or her worry over what happened
with Queen Titania last night.  She knew that he was trying to make up for
yesterday but what was his reason for wanting to keep her so close to him?  Was
he really trying to be her friend and protect her until Loch shows his face? 
She sat up straight in her seat pulling the blanket tighter around her
shoulders, “Slade, I think my time should be spent working on a plan.  I’ve got
to figure out how to fight Loch.

“Nicole, we’ve already talked about...”

“No, you told me what you wanted me to
do but it’s not what I
need
to do.  I have a purpose in being here and
many people’s lives depend on me doing it,” she pleaded with her eyes for him
to understand.

“You don’t know what you’re walking
into!” Slade face twisted with anger as he stood up, towering over her.  “Loch
is powerful and he will get what he wants.”

“What are you trying to say, Slade? 
That I should sit here and do nothing at all?”  Anger was filling her voice as
she watched Slade move into a defiance stance.

“I’m saying you should stay with me. 
You take your rightful place as ruler of the fae kingdom with me by your side
as king.  Together no one will be able to touch us, not even Loch.  I can show
you a world you never dreamed of and with my powers you will get to live a
normal life for all of eternity.  I know that’s all you really want Nicole, to
be as normal as an immortal can pretend to be and I will let you have that.”

Nicole’s heart sunk at his words.  This
was his plan all along, to win her love so he could rule the fae kingdom.  He
never cared about helping her figure out how to stop Loch.  There was no
concern for the war that was building and the threat that was on her friends
and family’s head.  He wanted the one thing his bags of money and good looks
couldn’t give him
—
the fae kingdom.

Nicole stood and stepped forward until
she was staring up into Slade’s ice cold eyes, “I will not be used.”  She
pushed past him and walked back into her room.  She began to pull her clothes
out of the bureau and the closet, tossing everything onto the bed.  She dug
around under the bed, grabbing her backpack from where she had hid it.  When
she stood up Slade was standing behind her. He spun her around by the shoulder
and shoved her roughly onto the bed.

“I don’t think you understand what’s
happened.  You have two choices here,” he leaned down pointing a finger in her
face as he spoke, “You go be Loch’s lap dog, help him destroy all fae then when
he is done, he will destroy you.  Or you join me,” he grabbed her face between
his hands, as an evil, power hungry look filled his eyes and his lips curved
into a smile.  "We will rule together, side by side.  We will rid the
world of those low life warriors and the fae kingdom will be strong once
again.”

Nicole jerked her head away from his
hands then quickly backed off the bed so there was some distance between them
again, “That’s your big plan?  You’re no better than Loch,” she hissed taking a
step backwards, getting closer to the open patio doors.  “I will not be killing
anyone but Loch…and if you get in my way…I will kill you too.”

She turned to run out of the room but
Slade was already standing in front of her.  She gasped as he grabbed her by
the arms and pulled her hard against his chest.  She could feel the heat of his
breath blanketing her neck as she tried to break free from him.

“You know, that’s what really attracts
me to you Nicole
—
your spirit. 
You’re beauty is beyond any I’ve ever seen and you know what you want, just
like I know what I want but your spirit is unlike any I've encountered,” he let
his lips brush across her earlobe as he pulled her struggling body tighter
against him.  “Am I really that hard to love?”

“Love,” she hissed with wide eyes, “Do
you really think you can force me to love you?” she laughed as she leaned her
head back, putting some space between her face and his.  She was trying to come
up with a plan to get away from him but her anger was building inside of her
with each breath, making it hard to think past the moment.  “I will never love
a man like you,” she spit in Slade’s face.