Retribution (22 page)

“Whenever you are.”

“Look up.”

She did, and he took several quick breaths before going rigid. Noticing his tension, Layla looked down as their fire exploded from his hands, blotting out the sun and casting a bloody hue across his closed lids and flexed face. The roaring flames expanded, sucking oxygen from the atmosphere, but Layla barely noticed as she shouted Quin’s name and slid down his body.

He went down with her, dropping to his knees in a river of melted snow, and Layla scrambled in front of him, her heart thundering as panic clutched it. Slumping to the ice, she frantically searched him with eyes and hands, looking for injuries, but she knew it was pointless. The pain was on the inside, not the outside, and she didn't have a damn clue how to heal internal injuries.

“Oh god, Quin,” she whispered, tears swelling over her lids. “What can I do? I don't know what to do.”

He popped his head up and opened his eyes. Then his hands were on her cheeks as his thumbs dried her tears. “I'm okay.”

“I know better,” she cried. “You're hurting.”

“Look at me, Layla.”

Her hands stilled as she met his stare, and he ran a thumb across her lips. “I’m okay. I can still feel the burn, but it's no longer unbearable. Now please calm down.”

She burst into sobs and collapsed into his arms. “I'm so sorry.”

“Hey,” he soothed, pulling her onto his lap and kissing away her tears. “It’s okay. Please don’t cry. That hurts far worse than the fire.”

She sucked in a choppy breath while trying to stem the tears and regret. “I'm so sorry.”

“Listen to me, Layla. Your fire didn't burn me. Mine did. You have nothing to be sorry about.”

“I'm sorry you're hurting.”

“I'm fine.” He lifted his hand and flexed his fingers. “I can barely feel it now.”

Their audience approached, most of them smiling and looking toward the sky, but a few watched Quin and Layla with concerned eyes.
 

“That was incredible,” Grant exclaimed, finally dropping his gaze, and his head bobbed when he found them sitting on the ice.

“Was it?” Quin asked. “We missed it.”

“Unbelievable,” several people mumbled.

Dallas shook his head as he glanced between Quin and the sky. “I've never seen anything like it.”
 

“And you won't ever see it again,” Layla added, her face buried in Quin’s neck.

“What's going on?” Cordelia asked.

“It burned me,” Quin answered.

Cordelia moved closer. “What do you mean?”
 

“When I added my fire to hers, it was too much. It burned my insides.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I immediately healed myself. I can barely feel it now.”

“And you'll never feel it again,” Layla interjected.

Quin gently pulled her from his neck and found her eyes. “Please don't say that, Layla. I love the way it feels when you summon your fire in me.”

“That's fine, and I'll do it again, but never like that. Never that much. We're never doing
that
again.”
 

Her voice rose as she expounded, so he tightened his hug and stroked her hair. “Okay, love. We won't summon that much again.”

“I know,” she shot back.

Brietta laughed and shook her head. “Considering all the things you’ve been through since you got here, Layla, I'm surprised you're freaking out about Quin feeling a little discomfort.”

Layla's gaze shot to her cousin. “I’d do it all again to keep him from burning his insides.”
 

She meant it, and Quin's jaw tensed as he tightened his hold on her and stood. “Let’s drop it. So the fire was impressive?”

“That's putting it mildly,” Kemble answered. “And you were right about having to repair the ice. That one spell melted about an eighth of an inch off the top, and it's a good thing you had us shielded, or we'd be missing our hair.”

“Sorry,” Quin returned. “I didn't have any control over where it went.” He dried Layla's cloak then scanned her body. “Still warm?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Everyone hover.”

The crowd obeyed, and the runoff that had melted into the lake flowed from its flooded banks, creeping back up the frozen slope until the glacier was fully repaired.

“Okay,” Quin said, lowering Layla's feet to the ground, “let's see what we can do on our own.” He paused, glancing at the others. “You might want to back up.”

They nodded their avid agreement then began working their way up the slippery slope. Before the explosion of heat, snow added traction to the glacier, now there was none. A few people floated to the top, but others had too much fun conquering the challenge to bypass it.

Once everyone was at a safe distance, Quin and Layla began testing their limits, which stunned the observers into awed silence. Even Layla was impressed with herself, particularly with the control she held over her spells once they were cast. She could summon a fireball and toss it any way she wanted, forming it into any shape she desired while changing its color. She could break a massive piece of earth from the mountainside then break it again and again before juggling the debris. And when she was done playing, she could put the jagged rocks back together and fit them into the mountain like a puzzle piece. She could lift the entire lake into the air then turn it into a cyclone or a sphere or a liquid beast. When she held it over everyone's heads and threatened to let the floating wave go, some of them actually believed her. Replacing the lake, she grabbed a gust of wind and changed its course, slowing it down and speeding it up. Then she tested her precision by sneakily lifting Brietta's skirt with a gentle breeze. After adjusting the garment three different times, Brietta finally caught on, and Layla laughed while lifting the skirt a little higher.

Brietta giggled and struggled against the summoned wind. “All right, Layla Love. Very clever.”

Kegan grinned and tilted his head, candidly admiring her legs. “I like that bit of magic.”
 

The wind finally died down, allowing Brietta to let go of her skirt, and she wrinkled her nose while punching Kegan’s bicep. “I bet you do.”

A cluster of auras appeared near the southern mountains, and everyone looked over as the hazes filled with Selena, Brayden, Alana, Banning, Skyla, Edana and Enid.
 

“Where's Drystan?” Selena asked, alighting with a kid on each hip.

Enid landed beside her and scanned the crowd. “Are they not back from finding Agro’s camp yet?”
 

“They should be,” Edana noted. “Devlin said he’d probably beat me here.”
 

Caitrin laid a hand on Edana's shoulder. “Don't worry, ladies. We don't expect them for another thirty minutes.”

They nodded, prepared to wait, but none of them relaxed.

Brayden wiggled from Selena's grip and hopped to the ice. Then he grinned at Quin, who was making his way up the slope. Without warning, Brayden sprinted forward then slid one foot ahead of the other, positioning himself to glide down the glacier.

Letting go of Layla’s hand, Quin quickly knelt and braced, catching Brayden before he could skate into the lake.

“That was fun,” Brayden exclaimed.

“It looked fun,” Quin returned, meeting his excited grin.

“Come on, sis,” Brayden called. “You try. Layla will catch you.”

Alana bounced as she looked at Selena. “May I, mom? Pwease.”

“Go for it,” Selena allowed, lowering Alana’s feet to the ice.
 

Alana's little legs immediately pushed her forward. Then she positioned her feet like her brother had and skated down the slope. Layla’s heart rate spiked as she knelt and used magic to stay planted. Then her pulse calmed as the toddler slid into her arms. “Wow, Alana! That was very graceful.”

Alana beamed as she clapped her hands together. “That was fun!”

Layla laughed and continued the climb toward the others, getting there as Caitrin finished the introductions between their guests and the new arrivals. After introducing Alana and Brayden, he looked at Layla. “Do you want a break?”

Layla shrugged. “I don't need one.”

Then Cecelia stepped forward and spoke. “I’d like to feel your fire, Layla. If you don't mind?”
 

“Of course not,” Layla agreed. “I’ll give all the newcomers a sample.” She kissed Alana’s curls before passing her to Morrigan. Then she gasped as Quin swept her off her feet.
 

“Ready?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

“For what?” she returned, but he didn't answer. He just took off running then slid down the glacier.

Squeaking her surprise, Layla’s eyes widened on the lake. The water quickly approached, and he wasn't slowing down. “Quin!”

She tightened her grip and sucked in air, tensing against the looming cold, and as they reached the water's edge, she squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the icy lake to engulf her. When the chill didn’t come, she peeked with one eye and found him floating over the lake, grinning at her.

“Did you really think I was going into the water?” he asked.
 

“Yes,” she answered, pinching his bicep. “You have a history of plunging me into cold water.”

“But I always fill you with heat first.”

“That's true.”

He nuzzled her curls and floated back to earth. “I like teasing you.”

The two of them spent the next few minutes sharing their fire with the guests. Then Catigern’s voice drifted from an empty spot behind the family. “Quinlan, Layla – release your spells.”

He sounded agitated, so Layla and Quin swept their hands through the air while taking flight toward the family. The seven men who'd been searching out Agro's camp appeared, and a glance at their auras suggested the trip hadn't gone smoothly.

“Did you not find it?” Quin asked.

“We found it,” Catigern answered. “We didn’t get a good look inside their land shield, but we got a glimpse when they opened it for incoming soldiers – a group of thirty, and there were many more within. We’re talking a hundred soldiers or better, Quinlan. He’s done with the chase and preparing for obliteration.”

Quin felt sick, and he couldn’t find the ability to hide it from Layla’s searching gaze – big, shiny green eyes looking for hope but finding a bloodless face.

“Maybe they're here for a different reason,” she suggested. “Maybe they're not part of his attack against us at all. Why would he think he needs that many soldiers? Surely it's for something else.”

“Not likely,” Serafin replied.

Layla huffed and looked over. “What makes you think that?”

“Agro has every intention of coming for you, dear, and he’s made it clear his next visit with us will be his last. He's either going to leave with you or he's going to wipe us out. To do that, he needs soldiers.”

“But he had them. Why would he think he needs more?”

“He's scared,” Serafin explained. “He knows there are three bonded couples and a bonded child in the community, and I'm sure he fears you. If there's one thing Agro does well, it's protect his own neck. If he thinks we have a chance, he'll arm himself with the only weapon he knows how to wield – subordinates.”

“But... That's... Maybe...”

Her nostrils flared as her jaw tightened, and Quin tried to pull her under his arm, but she couldn’t be comforted. Shoulders rigid, she walked away from him, turning her back on everyone as she stared across the glacier, her aura a sad swirl of dreary colors.

Quin didn’t know what she was thinking, but the possibilities tormented him. Maybe she was brainstorming ideas, maybe she was resigning herself to a life in hiding, or maybe she was looking out over the winter wonderland and thinking she’d never see such beauty again.

Her back shuddered with a shaky breath, her aura steadily growing darker as she raised a hand to her face. Then she turned and smiled at Alana. “Want to slide down the slope with me, angel?”

“Otay,” Alana agreed, unable to fully understand the terrifying situation.

Layla ignored everyone’s stares and approached Alana. “Do you want to hold hands? Or I could hold you in my arms like Quin held me.”

Alana eyed Layla’s aura, which had expanded to nearly twice its normal size, but the toddler seemed soothed by Layla’s plastered smile. “I bet we'd go weawy fast if you held me.”

“Hop up,” Layla instructed, opening her arms.

Alana flew into them, and Layla pulled her into a tight hug while burying her face in her hair. Quin sadly watched and waited, knowing Layla’s façade would soon shatter, leaving her disheartened and defeated.

Shifting Alana into a cradle hold, Layla smiled down at her. “Ready?”

“Yes!”

Layla took two long strides then slid her right foot forward, and Alana squealed all the way down the slope. Layla pulled the same trick Quin had, waiting until the last second before soaring over the lake. Then Alana clapped while Layla flew to the family, her face hidden in the toddler’s curls.
 

Kneeling to place Alana’s feet on the ground, Layla smiled and whispered. “That was fun.”