Evans, Gabrielle - Firestorm [Fatefully Yours 3] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) (2 page)

Chapter Two

Echo stood on the outside of the gathered circle as a ring of fire erupted around them, cutting them off from the rest of the world.

He’d had this dream twice before. Watching the beautiful woman in the middle of their circle, he knew the words she would speak before her lips began to move. He knew the slow, harsh cadence she would use, the look on her face, the reaction of the men who stood watching her.

Ignoring the Oracle as she began to speak, he studied his men. Like the other times, they weren’t looking at him, and he had the feeling they didn’t even know he was there. The first time he’d had this dream, he had no idea who the huge men were, but he’d felt drawn to seek them out. When he’d dreamt of the Oracle the second time, he’d felt like he was drowning, that something was pulling him to the depths of some invisible lake and seeking to keep him there forever.

As he stood on the outskirts of the gathering, Echo waited, wondering what the Oracle was trying to tell him this time. Not that it really mattered. This dream always came in riddles, and even the more palpable elements of it were strange and confusing. All he could do was listen and feel, and hope he’d be able to interpret the meaning this time.

“Each gift must be united, sealed together in eternal bond. The heart that beats between you will be your salvation, bringing you together in ways you have never known.”

That was him. Echo hadn’t understood it at first, and he still didn’t know exactly what that meant, but he did know that he was the heart. He was the one meant to unite them all in the war to come. Yeah, no pressure or anything.

He went back to ignoring the Oracle, watching and waiting for something to happen—some clue as to why he was having the dream again.

“Hades’ fire will rain upon the land. The sky shall split open, screaming in its fury.”

Here we go
, Echo thought to himself. That was the part he’d been waiting for. The next task set before them. Technically, he supposed it was Fiero’s battle, his test, but Echo had sworn to do all he could to help his lovers. Now, if something would just happen, maybe he could figure out how to do that.

“Your enemies shall seek out the heart, laying waste to the ones born of the first. Nurture and protect your sacred bond with your very lives.”

They were almost to the end of the prophecy and still nothing had happened. Echo looked across the circle, staring directly at Fiero, but the demon didn’t seem to notice him. He wasn’t staring blankly at the Oracle as the others were, though, and the look on his face made Echo’s heart gallop inside his chest. Fiero appeared afraid, a look that was so out of place on the warrior’s face, it nearly sent Echo into a full panic. If the usually self-assured and fearless Fiero had reason to look like that, then it didn’t bode well for the rest of them.

He tried to move, to go to his lover, but as in all the other dreams, he was trapped on the outside of their circle, unable to move. He called out, knowing it would be useless, but needing to try something. His voice sounded muffled, as if wrapped in wet gauze and stuffed inside a satchel. No way would it carry over the roaring of the flames surrounding them.

The Oracle turned her head fractionally, and without knowing how he understood it, Echo realized she was speaking to Fiero. He couldn’t hear her words any longer, though. That had never happened before, and he didn’t like it. Why show him the dream if she was going to keep things from him? Why bring him into this limbo when he could do nothing more than watch and listen?

Then her voice sounded inside his head, causing him to jump and his blood to run cold. “Be unafraid and turn away your doubts, or lose that which matters most.”

* * * *

Coming awake, Echo didn’t even have to wait for the usual disorientation to pass. He was immediately alert and frowning as he sat up in bed and found himself alone. The sun poured in through the window, and his ass ached pleasantly from his afternoon romp with Fiero and Hex. He knew they’d been there when he’d fallen asleep, so where the hell were they now?

He climbed out of bed and went to the door. He needed to find Fiero. Stepping out into the hallway, he traveled three doors down and rapped his knuckles against the door to Fiero’s room.

When he received no answer, he eased the door open and peeked inside, frowning again when he found the room empty. Closing the door, he continued to the stairs and hurried down them, the need to find his lover building and clawing inside him. The dream had left him thoroughly freaked out, and he had questions he needed answered.

He found the living room empty as well, but heard laughter and muffled voices coming from the direction of the kitchen. A wonderful smell wafted on the air, causing his stomach to gurgle and his mouth to water. Damn, he was famished.

Following his nose, he entered the kitchen, smiling softly when he found his men assembled around the table, all laughing and chattering as they dished up their plates.

“Good lord!” Syx exclaimed. “Don’t you own any clothes?”

Echo jerked around, biting his lip and blushing. He’d been in too big of a hurry to find Fiero to bother with getting dressed. “Oops.”

He expected everyone to chuckle, roll their eyes, or make some other kind of smart ass reply. What he didn’t expect were the fierce growls that went around the table. That is until he met Mac’s eyes.

Fuck!
He’d completely forgotten about the guests they had staying with them. Mac and Sony were grinning impishly while their mate, Gage, looked like his eyes were going to bug out of his head. Sony elbowed him in the ribs, pulling a grunt from Gage’s mouth and shaking him out of his stupor. “Sorry,” he murmured to his mate, bending forward and kissing his forehead.

Fiero jumped up from the table and whipped his shirt over his head as he marched over to Echo and shoved it into his hands. “Put it on,” he demanded. He stood between Echo and the other men in the room, shielding his body from view as Echo hurried to pull the shirt on over his head and slip his arms through the sleeves.

“Thanks.”

Fiero sighed and rolled his eyes as he looped his fingers around the back of Echo’s neck and pulled him into a soft kiss. “You need to be more careful. We like Gage, and I for one do not want to have to kill him. Got it?”

Grinning, Echo nodded. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

Fiero snorted and brushed his lips over Echo’s again. “And you’re a brat.”

Suddenly remembering the reason he’d showed up naked in the kitchen in the first place, Echo looked into Fiero’s eyes and reached forward, placing his hands flat against the warrior’s chest. “I need to talk to you,” he whispered.

Fiero glanced over his shoulder, then back to Echo. “Just me? Or everyone but Gage and his mates?” he asked quietly.

“Just you,” Echo responded. He knew they would eventually need to tell the others about his dream, but he needed to talk to Fiero first and find out what the man knew.

Nodding slowly, Fiero took Echo’s hand and led him to the living room where he sat down on the couch, pulling Echo to the cushion beside him. “Okay, what’s going on?”

“I had a dream.”

This caught Fiero’s attention immediately. His eyes narrowed and a scowl pulled at the corners of his lips. “About the Oracle, I’m guessing.”

“Yeah, it was the prophecy dream we’ve all been having, but this one was different. I mean even more different than the other ones. Nothing really happened, but the Oracle spoke directly to me, and you…well you looked really afraid of something.”

“I didn’t have this dream,” Fiero said slowly. “When you dreamed the last time, when it was about Eyce’s test, he had the dream as well. Why didn’t I have this dream?”

Echo shrugged. As much as he wished he had all the answers, he didn’t understand it either. “I mean obviously you weren’t sleeping. I just don’t understand why I would have the dream without you. Does that make sense?”

“Not in the least.” Fiero gave him a crooked smile. “I know what you’re saying, but you have to admit that none of this makes much sense.” He paused, and his eyes seemed to glaze over as if he were in deep thought. “What exactly did the Oracle say to you?”

The coldness seeped into his bones once more, and Echo shivered. “Something about turning away my doubts, or I would lose what matters most to me.” He crawled into Fiero’s lap and cuddled against his chest, seeking the man’s warmth. “I know what matters most, and I definitely don’t want to lose it.”

“And what exactly is that, baby?”

“You,” Echo whispered. “The others. All of you together are the most important thing in my life. I can’t lose you, and I have no idea what she meant. How can I protect you if I don’t know what to do?”

Fiero’s arms wound around him, holding him tightly as the demon rested his chin on the top of Echo’s head. “We’ll figure it out, Echo. No one is going anywhere, and you’re not going to lose us. We just have to think.”

Sighing heavily, Echo soaked up Fiero’s comfort just a moment longer, then pushed himself into a sitting position so he could look into Fiero’s eyes. “I guess we need to tell the others now.”

“Yeah, we do, baby. I’m glad you trusted me with this, though. I just wish you trusted me like you do Eyce and Hex.”

Echo’s mouth fell open, and he began shaking his head. “I do trust you. How could you doubt that? I don’t play favorites, Fiero. You are all equally important to me, and I know none of you would ever hurt me.”

Fiero gave him a tiny half-smile, not looking convinced in the least. Then he patted Echo’s hip and jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen. “We need to have a meeting. Syx and Vapre were just about to tell us what they found today.”

“Why didn’t anyone come get me?” Echo crawled down from Fiero’s lap and stood with his hands on his hips. “Are you keeping things from me again?”

Groaning, Fiero pushed to his feet and cuffed Echo in the back of the head. “Stop it. You looked tired, so we decided to let you sleep. I know how rough the last few days have been. We weren’t keeping anything from you. I was going to bring you a plate and go over what we talked about as soon as lunch was over.”

Echo wrinkled his nose as he felt his cheeks heat. He really needed to stop jumping to conclusions and being such a drama queen. “All right, I’m sorry. I was tired, so thank you for letting me sleep.” To his shock and confusion, Fiero thumped him in the back of the head again. “What the hell, Fiero?”

“You’re still being a brat. Now, c’mon, we need to talk.” He grabbed Echo’s wrist and started pulling him toward the kitchen. Then he stopped so abruptly that Echo ran right into his back. It didn’t even faze the big man. Fiero spun him around and pushed him toward the stairs again. “Go get dressed. I’ll wait.”