Forged of Fire (14 page)

“Listen feathers!” Ash pushed him off. “I don’t know what sort of plush existence you enjoy but in my upbringing we were taught how to stay alive and that meant thinking on your feet. Pain is inevitable! It is the best teacher we have!”

He was fucking right but the matter-of-fact delivery only served to piss Stefen off more. “You’re going to make a horrible mate!”

“You are probably right.” Ash smoothed his wrinkled shirt. “But I will keep her alive!”

Stefen wanted to throat punch him. Ash was as stubborn as his brother. “And just how do you…” The speedy movement of a Gilcolm further down the hall caught both their attention at the same time. “Something is wrong.”

“Agree.” Ash concurred.

Topic dropped, both males headed for the study the servant just ran into. They entered as the servant dropped into a whisper beside the Air King, Marcus, and handed him a phone. The normally jovial bender’s complexion paled as his eyes scanned the device. "They are on to us!” He looked up. There has been an attack on my headquarters in New Zealand.”

Bane was on his feet at once joined by Skyler and Kizer. “What did they say? How bad is it?”

“I don’t know. The message was sent by one of my trainees that managed to escape.” Marcus looked back at his phone. “It just says that the compound was under attack by Dante’s army. If he was able to escape into the mountains, he would be without cellular service until he made it to the next village. Which is unfortunately at least a four hour hike without injuries.”

“So there is no way to tell exactly what time the attack occurred.” Marsala said. “Sometime in the last seven hours possibly.”

Marcus had the phone back up to his ear. “Damn it! It’s not connecting. I have to go!”

“You can’t go,” Alaric said. “Not without knowing more details. You could be walking into a trap.”

“He is right,” Ash spoke up beside Stefen. “If Dante wanted everyone dead there would not be a trainee alive to message you.”

“We need to check the other headquarters.” Bane opened a tablet and began typing.

“I am terribly sorry for this loss,” Stefen said. “Were all of your people at that one location?”

“No, thank God.” Marcus was entering a message into his own device. “A little over half, the more advanced benders are on a training mission in the Swiss Alps. I have to reach them.” He stopped typing and waited. “Ok. Cannon has been informed and is killing the mission. He is awaiting my instruction.”

“Which is what?” Kizer asked.

“The other headquarters are safe.” Bane looked up. “We have to unite the districts. We don’t stand a chance divided up across the globe now that Dante is wise to us.”

“Dax’s compound is nearly complete and large enough to hold everyone.” Skyler offered.

“Agree.” Bane continued typing. “I am informing him and sending word for my people to relocate effective immediately to Tennessee.”

“I suppose this is where you are waiting on me?” Alaric spoke up and all heads swiveled to him. “Have the treaties sent over.” He instructed his special agent in charge, Dareious, before looking to Ash. “You will marry the girl tomorrow, here, in front of us, then take her to your home in Italy. After you turn her and consummate the marriage you will continue to train her while awaiting further instruction. Understood?”

The room grew silent, all waiting to hear Ash’s response. “I will agree to all of this but I will not agree to live under your rule.”

“I am not asking you to.” Alaric replied. “You will all be sworn in as recognized leaders in your own right with my acknowledgment tomorrow, thus binding the treaties and joining us as allies. But, I am sure you are well aware that while you have protected the art of being a lone wolf over the centuries, I have perfected the knack for ruling an empire. You would be wise to allow me to lead this war against Dante’s army.”

Stefen watched Ash mentally weigh the statement. His brother was correct he just hoped the Fire-bender could swallow enough pride to admit it. Ash finally nodded his consent. “Then I agree.”

“Would they not be safer with the rest of the benders?” Kizer asked.

“There is safety in numbers when fighting a war, but it’s also the worst place to hide your key players,” Stefen answered the naive question. “Since it is after all, a war.”

“Exactly!” His brother agreed. “Until Kielyn is strong enough to fight and only after she has birthed the chosen child should she be involved. There is only one of us that has mastered the art of flying under Dante’s radar all these centuries.” Alaric looked back to Ash. “You have the biggest part to play in all of this.”

“I will also be with them to help.” Marsala piped up.

“About that,” Marcus said. “I could really use your help training our people. There are only two others as old as we are and that were also turned by an Original.”

Marsala’s eyes darted to Ash worriedly. “He is right.” Ash concurred but his tone was reluctant. Stefen could sense that Marsala was like a sibling to the Fire-King. There was a strong bond between the two benders who had traveled most of their lives together. While the connection was obvious, no physical attraction was shared. Stefen immediately took comfort in that for it to bode well for Kielyn. If Ash had looked after and cared for the Air-bender all these years it was proof the fucker had a heart. “Besides, if less is more in terms of secrecy it will be best if it is just the two of us.” He smiled towards her. “It’s time we both stopped ignoring our destiny and fought for the better good of our people.”

“Have no fear Marsala.” Alaric added. “They will be accompanied by one of the best warriors I have ever seen.” Stefen’s head snapped to his brother who just raised an amused brow and grinned. “My kid brother will go with them.”

****

Marry her tomorrow
…Sure, he could force her. He could easily turn her against her will, same as had been done to him and so many others. And while rape was not his style, it was a husband’s right to take what was his. Ash looked down at Kielyn’s sleeping form from where he stood at the bed post. Hell, who was he kidding, even in the days when marriages happened as such all the time, Ash never was one to agree with the tradition. Probably because his father and mother had ruled equally. There was no superior notion that one outranked the other.

But, Ash was not his father. While he believed in equality of genders, Ash also knew himself well. He was a male that needed order and discipline. His eyes drank in the innocent mortal before him. Something screamed at him that she would challenge him daily in this regard. He flicked on a low wattage standing lamp to the right of Kielyn’s bed with just a thought. She shifted away from the light’s intrusion, her round ass lifting the sheets to mold perfectly to her luscious form. His palm twitched. Yes, he could very much see taking her over his knee in the near future.

Ash walked closer and reached down, his hand suspended mere inches above her warm cheek. No, he would not force her into anything against her will. He would convince her. He gently ran his knuckles over her soft skin. Kielyn’s eyelashes fluttered against her snowy white cheeks and a wisp of a smile graced her lips. “Kielyn.” He whispered. “Wake up.” She stretched in her sleep and rolled her head into the palm of his open hand.
God, she was torture made of flesh. Madness, explained logically. Both Water and Fire…
If Ash was capable of love, this woman would be easy to cherish. She was lovely in a simple way that most females lacked. There was zero hesitation in her and that honesty was powerful. She was also extremely dangerous, for to fall under the spell of a woman such as this would be to sacrifice one’s soul. Ash sighed and leaned in. “Please wake up, beautiful.”

Just as Ash was second guessing the endearment her eyes opened and she jerked up and away. “What…”

“It’s ok. I just needed to talk.” He said.

Her violet eyes worked to adjust to the light. “You want to talk.” Her head looked to the clock at her nightstand and she squinted. “At three A.M. in the morning?”

“Some events have occurred that will affect all of us and I need to make sure you fully understand your role in all of it.”

“My role?” She sat up revealing a white tank top that clung to her like a transparent glove. Ash groaned inwardly as he fought to keep his eyes on her face. “What events?”

“I know Bane has told you of Dante and his army. Of what a monster he is and how dangerous he is to other supernaturals.” Ash continued.

“Yes, I know he is as bad, if not worse, than the human depiction of the fabled Lucifer from The Bible.”

“Those stories were children’s books compared to the real Dante. The Vampire is a sociopath.” Ash sat down on the edge of the bed. “I wish there was some better way to say what I must but there is not enough time to drag this out after what he did earlier tonight.”

“What did he do?” Kielyn cut him off.

“He had his army attack Marcus’s headquarters. They slaughtered everyone.”

“No!” She gasped, her hand going to her mouth.

“Marcus is relocating the survivors that were lucky enough to be away training to Dax’s headquarters. All the benders are joining forces there with the backing of Alaric’s army.”

She threw back the covers, completely unfazed that she was only wearing cotton panties. “When are we leaving? Now?”

She strove to push her long legs over the edge of the bed. Ash blocked her retreat with his arm and pulled the covers back over her. Never in his whole life had he attempted to stop a woman from exposing her body to him but he needed to stay focused. Even if his cock was adamantly disagreeing. “Not now. Just listen.” He withdrew his hand that barred her escape. “Under the warmth of the covers. Please.”

Either the look in his eyes or the sudden realization that she was practically naked in front of him caused her cheeks to redden. She pulled the duvet up to her chest. "You said I had a role to play? Am I to help fight?”

“No!” The word snapped out of his mouth and she blinked. “Not that sort of role, I mean,” he clarified, more calmly. “I have been chosen,” He felt his eyes roll. “By entities, beyond my own understanding, so please don’t ask. To…” The words sounded preposterous even to his own ears, now that he was saying them out loud. “To father a child that will serve as a practical ruler over everyone. A child that will unite every supernatural. You have been chosen to be my mate that will give birth to this child.”

She stared at him for a long moment. “Chosen? To be your mate? By who?”

“Mainly an Oracle and an ancient myth.”
He might as well have said a dancing clown and talking rock
.

“I see.” She adjusted her position in the bed, providing a greater gap between them.

“Look, up until tonight I would not have believed it either but after what occurred in the dining hall, I can’t deny that there are stronger forces at hand than what we know and understand.”

“So what is next?” She said.

Ash was shocked nearly speechless. He expected tears, tantrums, five hundred unanswerable questions, protest, and of course conditions, anything but what had just come from Kielyn’s mouth. “The only way Alaric will sign the treaties and provide his help is if you and I are wed today.”

“Then are we to follow the others to Dax’s headquarters?”

“No, they want to keep you separated until the baby is born.” He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Ash had never envisioned being married and he sure as hell would have never thought that this would be his way of proposal.
Marry me because it is foretold, become an immortal, have my child… The child that will rule all. No pressure!
It was like an ill prepared business merger. “I know this is a lot to process. You will also have to consent to being turned.”

“Into a Vampire?” She tensed.

Finally.
An emotion that was expected.
“Yes. You would die in childbirth otherwise.”