Seared by Desire (44 page)

“
Shall we have Lance saddled my Lady?”

At least I won’t be walking into the lion’s den alone.
“Yes please.” She swayed on her feet again but
managed to remain upright mainly because of the crush of bodies
around her that prevented her from falling.

One of the guards turned to Abigail, frowning intently before
he spoke, clearly unwilling to communicate with the woman who was
taking their Lady away from them. “Lady Sara is sick, I presume you
know how to care for her.”

“
Sick with what?”

“
We don’t know. We thought it was an illness only fire
elementals could get. She must be near fire at all times. Please
take care of her.”

“
Sara, is this true?”

There was no point in denying it and if Abigail insisted on
taking her away from the estate then she would have to know at some
point or Sara would die and she couldn’t afford to die. Lucian
needed her. “Yes.”

“
Why didn’t you say so?” Abigail scolded softly. Fire covered
the skin of her hand and she pressed her palm to the bare skin of
Sara’s arm immediately noting the colour returning to her friend’s
skin.

Strength immediately returned to Sara’s limbs as the heat of
Abigail’s flame seeped into her, the fire so much more potent than
the one’s she’d been sitting in over the last few days. Her body
instinctively moved closer to Abigail’s trying to stay near the
source of her new strength.

“
My Lady?” Sara turned to the voice, the first genuine smile
of the day creeping over her face when she saw Lance in front of
her. “My Lady would you like some of us to escort you?”

Yes!
Her mind screamed but she kept
the words to herself as she climbed into Lance’s saddle. “No, I’ll
be fine by myself. Most fire elementals don’t appreciate the
presence of outsiders, I wouldn’t want anyone to be uncomfortable.
I have Abigail with me, I’ll be fine.”

“
As you wish Lady Sara but what should we do if Lord Lucian
returns before you?”

Lucian…
Her heart clenched painfully
at the reminder that she was leaving him and there was a
possibility that she wouldn’t be able to return to his side. Her
grip on the reins faltered and she almost slid from her perch.
Abigail moved quickly, leaping into the saddle behind her and
letting her flame strengthen her again. Sara’s eyes closed, the
lids preventing those around her from seeing the emotional turmoil
she was going through.
I have to do this.
I have to protect Lucian's people because they’re my people
too.
She clenched the reins so tightly
that her knuckles became white and smiled widely. “If Lucian comes
home before me.”
Which in all likelihood
he will.
“I want you to tell him this
exactly, word for word.”

“
Of course my Lady.”

“
I want you to tell him to rest first and foremost, to make
sure that he recovers from any injuries he may have gotten in
battle. Don’t give him the second half of the message unless he’s
well.” The guards nodded eagerly and she could almost see the
wheels in their heads turning as they sought to memorise her words.
“When he’s well I want you to tell him that I’ve gone to Shoreditch
and if he wants to come and see me he’s more than welcome. Finally,
I want you to tell him that I love him. I love him more than
anything and that I had to go. Is that all right? Will you tell him
for me?”

“
Of course Lady Sara,” the guards responded
eagerly.

Noting that the fire elementals at the gates were shifting
restlessly in their saddles, Sara decided it was time to leave. Her
people’s reputation for violence was well deserved and she had
often been on the receiving end of aggression when those around her
became bored.

“
Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

“
It is an honour to serve the Lady of Light. We’ll see you in
a few days.”

She choked back a sob. “Of course.” Smiling, she urged Lance
into a trot; her head held high as she bravely went to face her
fate.

“
Lady Sara!” Matthew called frantically as he ran after her
horse. “Lady Sara, where are you going?”

Sara didn’t allow Lance to slow, forcing him to maintain
their speed despite Matthew’s desperate attempt to reach her. If
she slowed down she wasn’t sure she would be able to leave. “I’m
going back to the fire elementals!” she shouted. A single tear
rolled down her face as they crossed the estate’s threshold. “I’ll
be back in a few days,” she lied. Digging her heels into Lance’s
side made the horse’s trot transform into a wild gallop, the
distance between Sara and her new home increasing as her tears
flowed unhindered down her cheeks now that no one could comment on
them.

Taking the reins from Sara’s limp fingers, Abigail directed
Lance in the correct direction, the estate quickly fading out of
sight. “You lied to them Sara, you’re not going to be back in a few
days. If what the oracle said is true then you’re probably not
going to survive after you’ve destroyed our enemies and even if you
do manage it Elder Geoffrey says you’ll never return here or go
anywhere unescorted. You’re too valuable to us now.”

“
I know that,” she sobbed, her vision becoming blurry as tears
filled her eyes.

“
So why did you lie Sara? You didn’t used to lie. You’re the
most honest person I know. Has living with them changed you that
much?”

“
Living with them
has
changed me Abigail but that isn’t why I
lied.”

“
Tell me,” she pleaded.

“
I lied because I didn’t want them to worry. I didn’t want
them to sacrifice themselves trying to save me because you would
have killed them if they’d tried to protect me wouldn’t
you?”

“
Of course. I do whatever I have to to complete my mission.
That’s why I’m the best at what I do.”

“
And that’s exactly why I did it.”

“
Are they that important to you? I couldn’t sense your heat
Sara, you could have escaped.”

“
What’s important to Lucian is important to me.”

“
More important than your life?”

“
Of course.”

Abigail’s eyes narrowed as realisation dawned upon her. “By
Lucian, do you mean Lord Lucian of the vampires?”

“
Yes.”

“
What has he got to do with anything? We knew that you’d taken
shelter with the vampires but I thought you’d just made friends
with one of them and she was hiding you.”

“
Lucian isn’t just a Lord, he’s going to be King any day now
and he’s the only person who can save my life. It’s only because of
him that I’m even alive right now. He’s the one the oracle was
talking about, the one who can cool the flame. And despite the fact
you claim to be my friend you’re taking me away from him and
killing me in the process.”

Abigail’s grip on the reins faltered for a moment at Sara’s
words. “Sara, I’d never hurt you.”

“
Then what do you call this then?” she shouted, lashing out in
anger. “You may not be the one that takes my head but you might as
well be. Why couldn’t you just leave me alone? I was happy with
Lucian…more than happy. I’ve never felt such joy in my life
Abigail! I love him dammit, I love him and you’re taking me away
from him to die.”

“
Sara, if there was any other way….”

“
You’d what? Let me go? Don’t lie to me and don’t you dare try
and lie to yourself to make yourself feel better about what you’re
doing. Yes, you were raised to put the mission before all else but
I was raised to think I was nothing, less than nothing and I’ve
changed why can’t you?”

“
Sara…” she groaned, unsure of how to defend herself against
such harsh but truthful words.

“
Don’t say anything Abigail, unless you plan to let me go then
I’d rather not hear anything. Just leave me alone.”

Hours passed without a word passing between the two, Lance’s
hooves easily eating up the distance between the Whitechapel estate
and Sara’s former home. The terrain became increasingly familiar
and Sara realised that she was closer to her people than she had
ever realised.

“
What’s he like?” Abigail asked, tired of the silence that
filled the air. Whenever she and Sara were together normally there
wasn’t a moment of silence, they talked constantly and the strained
quiet between them was grating on her nerves.

“
What’s who like?”

“
Lord Lucian.”

Though her heart ached at the idea of leaving him behind it
still soared at the sound of his name. “Lucian is everything I ever
wanted and more. When I’m with him my heart beats so fast that I’m
not sure my chest can contain it. And even when I’m not I still
feel protected, cared for and loved.”

“
I’ve heard of the vampire Lord, he’s very strong it’s no
wonder that you want him.”

Sara groaned, rolling her eyes in frustration. She had
forgotten how fixated her people were on strength. “My feelings for
him have nothing to do with how strong he is Abigail. Do you
remember your wedding day?”

“
How could I forget?” she scoffed dismissively.

“
I thought I was destined to be alone forever, that I’d never
find someone who wasn’t disgusted by the very idea of me let alone
find someone willing to marry me. Lucian has changed all of that.
We’re engaged to be married Abigail as soon as his war is over
we’re meant to be wed. I love him Abigail, I love him more than
anything in the world and that wouldn’t change even if he were
weak. My feelings for him would still be the same if he were a
fisherman. That’s what it means to really love someone and to want
to spend the rest of your life with them.”

Abigail winced, shifting uncomfortably in the saddle. “That’s
going to be difficult if not impossible Sara. Elder Geoffrey won’t
let you leave if you survive and I’ve heard talk that he wants you
and his son to marry. I think he wants to breed your strength into
his bloodline.”

It took a few seconds for the words to sink in but when they
did Sara tossed back her head and laughed loudly. “He can’t stand
the sight of me and yet he wants us to become family? Not that it’s
much different to how things are with my actual family but it’s
never going to happen. I’m
not
going to marry anyone but Lucian. Elder Geoffrey
can take a long walk off a very, very short cliff. Look at me
Abigail; I’m so weak that I can’t even stand by myself. Seraphina
is gone. Her fire burned out but because Lucian was there I
survived. I’ve gone back to exactly what I was before and Seraphina
has gone back to wherever she came from.”
A very believable lie if I do say so myself,
she praised, surprised that she’d managed to
invent such a plausible lie with no forward planning.

“
What have they done to you Sara? You keep lying and don’t try
to deny it. Even if I weren’t your best friend and couldn’t tell by
the slight quiver in your voice that you were telling lies, Elder
Geoffrey briefed me fully about Seraphina before I embarked on this
mission. You can never be free of Seraphina Sara. You’re the child
of flame, the physical embodiment of fire, you were born that way
and you’ll die that way. Your entire life has been built on her.
You could never manipulate fire properly like everyone else because
Seraphina hadn’t awoken but the flames of others never once hurt
you. Even your ability to make swords is because of her Sara. You
couldn’t protect yourself using fire but you could absorb the
strength of the flame and put it to good use. Seraphina is alive
and well because you’re alive and well. The only way to be rid of
her is for you to die.”

Despite the warmth that Abigail was feeding directly into her
skin, a chill rushed through Sara as they crossed the threshold
into fire elemental territory. Eyes that had once looked at her
with disgust now regarded her in awe as the horses trotted calmly
through the crowds. Spontaneous applause ripped through the air
when they stopped in front of the everfire at the village’s
centre.

Though she already knew the answer, Sara turned her head
slightly, whispering desperately to Abigail. “Let me go. Let me go
home…to Lucian.”

Dismounting easily, she held out a flaming hand to Sara. “I
can’t. You know I can’t.”

Eyes narrowed in disgust, Sara’s friendship died as she
refused the hand offered to her and dismounted Lance unaided. “I
know that you won’t. I also know that this friendship is over.
Clearly I’m the only one that considers the other enough of a
friend to fight for their life and happiness.” The words left her
mouth on a pained sigh and she backed away from Abigail using
Lance’s bulk for support.

“
Sara!” Geoffrey crowed happily, rushing forward his hands
open wide as though he intended to embrace her. “Sara, we’re so
glad you’ve returned.”

Returned? Does the man have no shame? And why is he talking
to me like that? As though he’s genuinely missed me and cared for
me before I left. Does he really plan to hug me?
He continued his approach unaware of her inner
turmoil.
The bastard really plans to hug
me!
“Don’t come any closer!” she shrieked,
righteous indignation giving her courage. “I haven’t returned of my
own free will. Make no mistake; I don’t want to be here. I want to
go home.”