Seared by Desire (21 page)

The woman in question smiled. “You remembered my lady.” She
curtsied graciously.

“
There’s no need to call me Lady, I’m just a simple sword
maker.”

“
I know,” Matthew squealed happily. “You’re the legendary
Quicksilver. When I grow up I’m going to make swords that are even
better than yours.”

“
Matthew hush,” Laura scolded before turning to Sara, clearly
embarrassed at her son’s words. “I apologise for Matthew, he really
admires your work. His father’s a blacksmith but after growing up
hearing everyone sing your praises, he aspires to be just like
you.”

“
It’s fine,” she reassured, standing up.

“
It’s because of him that I remembered to bring this.” She
reached behind her back to pull out a long wrapped object which
judging by the straining muscles in Laura's arms was very heavy. It
was so heavy that she couldn’t even lift it from the ground to give
to Sara instead having to pull it along the earth floor, creating a
dirt trail. The object passed between them quickly, Sara clearly
surprising Laura when she lifted the gift easily. Sara’s eyes
wandered between the wrapped parcel and Laura clearly trying to
debate just what it was she’d been given. “Go on,” she encouraged.
“Open it.”

Smiling hesitantly, Sara unwrapped the parcel her smile
becoming larger and more genuine as her unfinished sword came into
view. “My sword!” she cried excitedly, caressing the rough, as of
yet untempered metal. “How did you know to bring this?”

“
I saw you working on it in the old forge,” Matthew answered
proudly.

Laura ruffled Matthew’s head proudly, pulling him closer to
her body in a motherly embrace. “Lord Lucian said that the fire you
started would protect the manor in our absence, for that we’re all
eternally grateful. After you did that for us how could we do
nothing in return? Matthew and my husband both thought that as a
swordsmith you’d appreciate us bringing your work.”

“
I do!” she cried excitedly, holding the unfinished sword
tightly to her chest.
Now that I have
Seraphina I don’t need to have an actual forge to do my work. I
might even be able to finish Lucian's sword before we meet up with
the Malachites.
“Thank you so much Laura,
this means a lot to me. I really want to get this sword finished
for Lucian and then I can start working on the swords for the rest
of the army.” A strange look came over Laura’s face when she
mentioned Lucian's name and Sara found herself frowning in
confusion. “What is it Laura?”

“
It’s nothing my Lady.”

“
Go on,” Sara coaxed. “You can tell me.”

Laura sighed in resignation realising when a battle was lost.
“It’s Lord Lucian.”

Sara perked up, her interest piqued. “What about
Lucian?”

“
It’s that right there,” Laura crowed triumphantly. Sara was
confused and it showed clearly on her face. “He treats you
differently to everyone else. He acts differently around you. I’ve
served him my entire life and in all that time I’ve never heard him
laugh. If I didn’t know better,” she scoffed, “I’d think you were
his bride.”

“
Bride? As in wife?”

“
No, bride as in soul mate. Every vampire supposedly has one
though they are hard to find.”

Sara smiled at the idea of being so intimately and
permanently linked to Lucian before remembering exactly what it was
that Laura had said. “Why is it so unrealistic that I could be his
bride?”

Indignation and anger flowed through her veins heating her
skin as the fire within her began to seek an outlet.
Because it’s becoming increasingly obvious that
he’s mine.
The thought shocked her making
her stagger backwards. Was it possible? Could she be falling in
love with the distant vampire with a one-track mind? Was it even
possible to fall in love with someone she had known so
briefly?
Yes!!
her mind screamed.

Lucian was all that she had ever hoped to have for her own,
his mere presence making her feel safe, wanted…desired. He was an
honourable man; so very different to the men she had grown up with.
She had forced her way into his life, made him take care of her but
he’d never once complained, never once cursed her for her obvious
weaknesses. He tried to act cold and indifferent around her but she
knew he was anything but and teasing him had fast become her
favourite pastime. His smiles, rare as they were, made her heart
ache with the need to give him more. He drew her towards him, made
her want to know everything about him, all that he’d experienced in
his long centuries of life, understand what had moulded him into
the man he now was. She didn’t know much about him but she was
going to find out and as for love…she could feel the beginnings of
the emotion growing with every second that passed. She was falling
fast for her vampire but was he falling for her? The question of
his unknown bride floated to the front of her mind.

“
Why can’t I be his bride?” she demanded angrily.

Laura reached for her hand before snatching them back as the
heat radiating off Sara’s skin almost burned her. “It’s simple my
dear,” she began gently wary of angering her further. “You’re
mortal.” She said the words as though they explained everything,
which only served to anger Sara further.

“
What has that got to do with anything?”

“
Sara, Lord Lucian will only ever have one bride, one soul
mate. She’ll mean everything to him, how would he survive if
something were to happen to her? What would he do if she died? You
can’t be Lord Lucian's mate because you will die just like the rest
of us humans. His bride will be immortal like him, she will be with
him forever.”

And there it was, the simple truth and it was devastating to
Sara. Lucian seemed so normal, so human but he wasn’t. He was
immortal. She was going to die. She couldn’t be his bride.
Somewhere in the world there was a woman that was perfect for
Lucian, it just wasn’t her. She could practically feel her heart
breaking. Dazed, she stumbled away from Laura, ignoring her pleas
for her to come back. She walked to the exact location Lucian was
sleeping and collapsed. Her hands ran over the soil lovingly, her
mind pondering her future.

Will I just be in the way when Lucian finds her? I might be
falling for him but it doesn’t mean the same is true for him. He
lusts after me that’s all. I’m just a temporary stopgap until he
finds his bride.
The thought brought her
to the verge of tears.

Chaotic thoughts were flooding Lucian's mind, drawing him
from the peaceful respite true sleep offered. His mind was
stretching, rousing to full wakefulness as he sought out the source
of the problem. She wasn’t hard to find. His tempting little bride
was running amok in his head. Apparently he was just as susceptible
to her mind as she was to his. While young vampires could only
project their thoughts into the minds of others to make it easier
to feed, older vampires could hear their thoughts as well. It often
drove them to madness, their minds unable to cope with the
onslaught of other people’s thoughts. He had long since learned how
to block out the thoughts of others and maintain his sanity but it
appeared that Sara could break down his shields as though they had
never existed.

Sara, what’s wrong with you?
he
demanded, suddenly convinced that she had somehow been hurt while
he wasn’t able to protect her. Had the fire elementals found them
already?

Lucian?
she whispered
confused.

Yes it’s me. Now tell me what’s wrong with you.

Nothing.

You’re lying.

So what?
she snapped.
What do I matter? You have your precious bride to
look forward to.

Now it was his turn for his mind to panic. What did she know?
Who had told her? Why was she so upset about the idea of being his?
Had that morning meant nothing to her? Thoughts flooded his mind
thick and fast but he sounded as calm as he always did when he next
spoke.
Who told you about my
bride?

What does it matter? She’s your soul mate. I mean nothing to
you.

She doesn’t know, she doesn’t know it’s her.
He wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or upset by
the news.
That isn’t true Sara. You’re
important to me.

Not as important as her.

She may not even be alive. But you…you’re here, I want you to
stay with me Sara. Do you know what the odds are of a vampire
actually finding their mate is? I might never find her but I found
you. Heavens above Sara you drive me crazy haven’t I shown you what
you do to me?

Her mind was flooded with vivid images of them tangled in
each other’s naked limbs, thrusting wildly against each other,
hands desperate for contact, their lips meshed together so hard it
was difficult to tell where she started and he ended.
Lucian,
she groaned,
wishing she could touch him.

I have you. I’m not going to pine over what may never
be.

I…I’m sorry for doubting you Lucian.

As you should be.

His words about his bride had calmed her, bolstering her
flagging spirits. He wanted her. Her, the one her family had
disowned because of her weakness, Sara the unwanted one. Hope
swelled within her. They had a chance. Perhaps her burgeoning love
wasn’t one sided, maybe Lucian could love her. She might not be his
bride but she could still be his. She wanted to know more about
him. She wanted to know everything.
Lucian, how old are you?

The question struck him as being peculiar after what had
preceded it but he answered her regardless.
I’m over a millennia old.

So very, very, verrry old then.

Yes.

Do you have any family? You can’t have lived all that time
and been alone.
“Please,” she muttered
aloud. “Don’t let him have spent all that time alone. Please let
him have some family. No one could be alive all that time and not
have someone.” Her heart ached at the thought that it could have
been true.

I had family. A mother, a father and an older
brother.

Had?

Yes, they died. If they were still alive then I wouldn’t be
the oldest vampire now would I?

What happened?

My mother and father were overcome by the monster that grows
within every vampire and killed by their own kind and my brother
was the very thing I despise. He drank humans to death and they
slaughtered him while he was vulnerable after he’d gorged himself
on human flesh.
The true answer to her
question floated through his mind but he couldn’t bring himself to
project it into her mind.
Does it really
matter how they died? They’re dead now and after learning from
their mistakes I am not.

Have you been alone long?

Since I was three hundred years old.

“
Not anymore,” she grumbled, angry for the young man he’d once
been. “I’m with you now.” And just like that any indecision she
might have had faded. Lucian would never be alone again as long as
she lived. “I may be mortal and one day I’m going to die but when I
do I’m going to leave you with enough good memories to last a
lifetime. Love is like that, it lasts forever even after one person
has died.” Flattening her palm against the earth, she imagined
Lucian reaching out to do the same, only a thin layer of soil
separating them.

Sara’s silence was beginning to unnerve him.
What about you? You must have family.

Sort of.

How can you ‘sort of’ have family?

I have them in the sense that they’re alive but I don’t have
them in that they want nothing to do with me, they’ve disowned me
actually.

Her response
was cavalier but he
could sense the hurt in her words and his mind became clouded with
red, anger making his fangs lengthen, the sharp points wanting
desperately to hurt something even though his body was supposed to
be dormant beneath the soil.
Disowned
you,
he hissed.
Why?

They didn’t want to be associated with a weakling like myself
anymore. It’s actually the reason that I don’t have any brothers or
sisters either. After me my parents were afraid that all their
children would be weak, pathetic disgraces to the fire elementals
so they never had any more children. As soon as I was old enough
they made me leave, Lance was the only thing I could take with me.
He’s always been loyal to me, that’s why I love him so fiercely. I
don’t know what I’d do if something happened to him.

A ‘weak, pathetic disgrace to the fire elementals’?
The words were too specific for her to have made
them up on the spot, someone had repeated that phrase far too often
to his bride and they were going to be made to pay for it.
Once the war is over,
he
forced himself to qualify even though he wanted nothing better than
to burst from the earth and hunt them down right then.
Why would anyone say that about you? You’re the
strongest fire elemental I’ve ever heard of.