Singed Read online

No answer. I waited for another second, but nothing else came. Shit.

  “It’s my sister,” I explained. I grabbed my robe from a nearby armchair and quickly put it on, not really caring that it was skimpy or how decent I looked. “I don’t know what’s happening, but she needs help.”

  Trey and Jackson rushed around to find their own clothes, but I didn’t wait for them. Instead, I flew down the hallway toward the guest wing of Ethan’s villa, my bare feet slapping against the dark wooden floors as I hurried to reach my sister.

  2

  Lyssa

  Amelie struggled to sit up in bed as soon as I burst into her room. Sweat glistened upon her brow and her face was deathly pale. Her normally healthy, shiny blonde hair hung limply around her face.

  Oh goddess. This was bad.

  “What’s wrong?” I said, sitting on the edge of the bed and grabbing her hand, helping her to lean against the pillows.

  Confusion washed across the features of my sister’s face. “Lyssa?” Her voice, faint and tentative, sounded so unlike the confident dragoness I’d grown up with. She peered at me in the darkness.

  “It’s me. I came as soon as you called.” I flicked on the table lamp, not bothering to rise to open the curtains to allow the morning light in. Amelie blinked at me, her eyes unfocused.

  A wave of panic burbled up inside me. I fought to keep calm, vowing I’d be strong for my sister. The dark magick she’d been practicing the previous week in an attempt to heal the fertility stone had sucked her in and taken a toll on her, but I’d yet to see her like this.

  Always so cool, so composed, so strong—the complete epitome of a Blackfire clan leader.

  Yet now my sister lay ill in bed, and I’d never seen her this sick before. I had planned to fly out for Sedona tomorrow morning to seek the Dragon Oracle’s help, but how could I leave her in this condition?

  “I—” she started, then paused, as if it pained her to make out the words. “I had…a dream. A nightmare.”

  “Okay. What happened in the nightmare?” I searched my sister’s face for answers, noticing her sallow skin and prominent cheekbones. She’d lost so much weight in just a few days.

  “It was so vivid, but now I can’t…really remember.” She shook her head. “There was dark. And there was light. You were there with me. I held the fertility stone in my hands, up to the bright, burning fire. And then there was pain. Almost like it was…calling to me.”

  “What was? The pain?”

  “The darkness.”

  She closed her eyes, her breathing slow and ragged.

  Oh, fuckity fuck.

  I hugged her close to me, holding her frail form in my arms. Whatever dream she’d had, it had put her through the wringer. Gods damn it, this fucking darkness. I wanted to kick it right in the ass.

  “You don’t remember anything else?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she whispered, her eyes widening for a moment. “There was a—” she began, but then her attention flicked away from me as we both heard a knock at the door.

  “Come in,” Amelie called out weakly, and Trey and Jackson entered the room. Trey stayed by the door, but Jackson immediately pulled a chair to the bed.

  “A what?” I asked quietly, releasing her from the hug.

  Ignoring my question, she smiled up at Jackson. “I’m fine, Jackson. You don’t need to fuss over me.”

  “No, you’re not,” I pointed out. “Let him do his Healer dragon juju on you.”

  She pursed her lips, but allowed Jackson to do a quick examination. He handed her a glass of water already sitting by her bedside table.

  “No fever,” said Jackson. “Heart rate is normal. Just symptoms of exhaustion. Amelie, can you tell me what’s going on?”

  “Only a bad dream,” my sister whispered, after taking a long drink. “I’ll be all right. Really, there’s nothing to worry about.”

  She took in a deep breath and then focused her gray eyes on me. “Lyssa, you must promise me that you’ll do everything you can to find the Dragon Oracle. It’s our only hope to heal the orestaia and to restore its energy.”

  I shook my head. “Amelie, there’s no way I’m leaving you right now. Shay’s fully capable of going on her own.”

  My cousin wouldn’t be happy about going solo, of course, but I couldn’t think of any other way. Amelie’s two husbands and kids were in Switzerland, which left me as her closest family. I needed to take care of her.

  “No, you must go right away,” Amelie urged. “This dream relayed a message of sorts—a powerful message. I don’t know what it means, but the Oracle will help us. Shay is wonderful and beautiful, but Lyssa—you are the one that needs to go. Shay doesn’t have the strength that you do.”

  A lump formed in my throat. Crap. Nothing like a little pressure. And hell, I really didn’t want to leave my sister. “Seriously, I should stay with you.”

  Amelie was silent for a moment. “I’m just afraid…Shay won’t be able to complete the quest.”

  “Why not?”

  “Do you think she’ll be able to?”

  Oh. Well…I guess I didn’t know. I pondered this for a moment. “Um…probably?” I ventured.

  Shay was fun and compassionate and an amazing person all around. I knew I could count on her to always be there for me. But truly—how would she do on her own?

  My sister gazed at me steadily while thoughts ran rampant through my head.

  Would my cousin get lost in a shoe shop? End up at a posh resort with a pool and a slew of sexy dudes? Maybe even decide to wear inappropriate footwear out on the trail and break an ankle? Shay had a million fabulous qualities, but common sense wasn’t one of them.

  Shit. Shit. Shit. Now I wasn’t so sure.

  An inactive fertility stone meant no dragons could breed. And if I sent Shay and she failed the quest to heal the orestaia…could I risk dooming the future of the dragons?

  “Why not have Shay stay here with me?” Amelie said quietly. “She’ll be a lovely companion. And Dr. Bronson has been taking wonderful care of me.”

  Ugh. My sister had a point. Actually, all her points were on the mark. I didn’t want to leave her, but…who else would go? The Dragon Oracle didn’t like males, so none of the guys could do it. And sending Shay might be like letting a T-rex loose in an antique shop.

  “Please, Lyssa. I’m begging you. As Guardian of the stone, my job is to protect the orestaia. However, I’ve done the opposite—I’ve failed completely. I need your help more than ever now. Will you promise you’ll do this for me?”

  I blew out a big breath. I gazed at my sister’s desperate face.

  Dammit. How could I say no?

  I wracked my brain for any last possible alternative solution—anything, really!—but I knew it didn’t exist. This was all on me. I couldn’t get out of it.

  Finally, I nodded. “Okay. Yes. I promise.”

  The look of relief on Amelie’s face made me feel a little better. “Thank you,” she said, squeezing my hand. She gave me a weak smile. “And please, before you go…”

  She opened the drawer to the bedside table and took out a small black jewelry box.

  I recognized it immediately. Nooo…not the golden bracelet again! I felt like a huge pink happy balloon suddenly popped within me, its gross deflating sound rattling my insides. Weren’t we done with this?

  “Amelie, I’m not wearing that thing anymore,” I told her. “I don’t want to be disrespectful, and thank you for gifting it to me, but really—I think it belongs with you.”

  I’d given it back to her for a few reasons. Mostly because it was bossy and wielded way too much power for its own good. Most jewelry didn’t tell its wearer what to do, but this one did, and I couldn’t say I liked it much.

  “I know you said you didn’t want to wear it again, but will you please reconsider?” Amelie asked. “It’s a powerful ancient artifact. It’s helped you before—perhaps it will do so again?”

  My sister spoke the truth, of course—it had help
ed me. But I didn’t need it. Didn’t want it.

  Dragon magick in general just wasn’t my thing, especially after seeing firsthand how it had affected my sister. I could only deal with so much dragon fuckery, and the bracelet simply crossed the line.

  Amelie held out the box, her hand trembling. I plucked it out of her hands and returned it to the table.

  “I’m going on the trip. But I’m not taking the mind-fuck bracelet. I’m not using magick,” I said firmly. I’d made my decision, and I didn’t plan on backing down.

  “Very well. That is your choice.” Amelie eased her head onto the pillows and closed her eyes.

  After a moment, I sighed and grabbed the box off the table. I tucked it into the side pocket of my robe—quite honestly surprised that it even had a pocket, since there was so little material to begin with. I figured I’d just give the box to Ethan before I left for Sedona, sure that he could add it to his collection of treasure down in the vault.

  “She needs rest,” Jackson said, scooting closer to the bed to massage her temples. Tension immediately dissolved on my sister’s face. Thank fuck for green dragon healing skills.

  “But—” I started, then shut my mouth when Jackson shot me a glance.

  “I’m going to help her get back to sleep,” he added, “and in a little while I’ll send up some tea for her and a light breakfast. I’ll also call Dr. Bronson to have him check on her later.”

  That was Jackson’s gentle hint for Trey and me to scoot the hell out of there, but I sat still for a moment, reluctant to leave.

  I didn’t feel like I’d finished the conversation with her—what else had she seen in the dream? Something that had freaked her out for sure, maybe so much that she hadn’t wanted to talk about it with Trey and Jackson in the room. Whatever it was, I felt like it held an important clue in our mission. I knew she needed to rest…

  But patience wasn’t my virtue. Ugh. I wanted to know—now.

  Amelie? I pushed out to her tentatively, hoping she’d be willing to talk just the two of us. I waited for a second, but no answer. I sighed. Her face remained peaceful and I figured she’d fallen asleep, but dammit, the selfish side of me wanted answers.

  Trey shifted his weight, still leaning against the doorframe. “Come on, let’s go downstairs and get some breakfast.”

  * * *

  A few minutes later, Trey and I sat upon tall stools at the spacious granite kitchen countertop, mugs of coffee in our hands.

  We sipped our coffee without talking for a few minutes. To be honest, I was annoyed at myself. If only I had realized Amelie had been practicing dark magick sooner, all this shit would never have happened. I could have stopped her. She’d been doing what she thought was best to heal the stone, but now—could we figure out how to heal her as well? Unfortunately, I didn’t have a clue what to do.

  “You’ve got the pouty look going on,” Trey said, a hint of a smile on his normally stoic, unreadable face. “Want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

  I laughed, trying to shake off my dark mood. I swiveled my stool to face him and nudged him flirtatiously with my foot. “Nope. I want you to tell me what you’re thinking about,” I teased. “Maybe your new stash of dragon treasure? Or some delicious virgins you’re planning on ravaging?”

  He chuckled, something I rarely saw him do. “Ethan’s the one with all the treasure, not me. And I haven’t had a virgin in a long time, although I can’t deny I’ve found it pleasurable in the past. Definitely one of my favorite activities during the Middle Ages.”

  I snorted and punched him playfully on the shoulder. “I bet.” Dragons had incredible longevity, but I knew Trey hadn’t been around for that long—he’d told me just the other day he recently celebrated his one hundred and fifth birthday, although he didn’t look a day over thirty.

  “Virgins are a scarce commodity these days,” he said, doing an amazing job at keeping a straight face. “It’s a lot harder to keep up the hobby for those of us that are into it.”

  I burst into laughter again, this time almost spewing my coffee. I wiped my mouth and grinned at him, pleased with our current silly banter. This was the Trey that I loved—the one who didn’t insist on hiding behind walls he built around himself. Who let down his guard for me. It wasn’t much, but definitely a start.

  I’d take it. Baby steps. I could handle that.

  “I’m trying not to think about it too much right now,” I said to him, shrugging, while in reality, my mind was going a mile a minute with crap overload.

  Trey nodded. He gazed at me for a few seconds before slipping his hand into mine. “I get it. Don’t worry…your sister will be fine. Everything will work out. I know you feel like you need to take the burden of this situation onto your own shoulders, but you don’t need to. I’m here—all of us are.”

  “I know. But don’t you need to be getting back to work at some point?” I held my breath, not sure I wanted to hear his answer. Would he be returning soon to Norway to his job at his uncle’s biotech company? The thought of being absent from him, even though we’d just barely started getting to know each other, made my stomach tie into a knot.

  Fuck. The thought of being away from any of my scrumptious dragons made me feel ill.

  “My uncle thinks I’m here doing research, so he’s not expecting me back any time soon. I’m free to help with anything.”

  But then what? I couldn’t bring myself to ask. If he planned on going home to Norway afterward, I sure as hell didn’t want to know about it now. I had no idea how I’d work the fact that all my dragons lived in different locations, and when…or if…we healed the orestaia, we’d need to figure all of that out.

  How would we all stay together if we had no home base? We certainly couldn’t all stay in Ethan’s villa, even though we’d been there since the Dragon Gathering less than two weeks earlier. Or could we? Somehow it didn’t feel like home.

  Trey studied my face for a long moment as if he could see right into the depths of my soul. Then he leaned over to kiss me. I melted into him, enjoying this sensitive side of him, this connection to my mate. Moisture pooled between my legs while his tongue explored my mouth, and I cupped his face to feel the roughness of his beard.

  After a few minutes we pulled away, and his gaze flicked toward my chest. I glanced downward to discover that my flimsy robe had come open to reveal my girls. My nipples had both beaded to taut peaks.

  “Interesting,” Trey said as he slowly stroked his finger down a breast, lingering on the tiny pink nub. He traced a circle around my nipple, and it tightened even further, aching with desire. “I think someone’s ready to play.”

  Hell yes I was. And so was he, by the looks of the bulge in his jeans. I reached over to stroke him teasingly over the denim fabric.

  Unfortunately, Mrs. Bauer chose that moment to walk into the kitchen, and I immediately sat up straight, tugging my robe closed.

  “Good morning!” the housekeeper announced cheerfully, beaming at us over her glasses.

  “Good morning,” I murmured while warmth flooded into my face.

  “Can I get the two of you anything for breakfast?” She glanced from me to Trey, her eyebrows raised with encouragement.

  “I’m fine with coffee,” I said. My stomach was still tied up in a knot and I didn’t have an appetite at all. Not for food at least, as I hungrily eyed Trey’s package. “Thank you, though, Mrs. Bauer.”

  Trey shot me a look. “You need to eat.”

  “Maybe some eggs?” suggested Mrs. Bauer. “Some toast? Or I can make you a green smoothie. Ethan loves those so much. He drinks them every morning after his workout.”

  I grimaced. Ew. The thought of drinking green stuff made my stomach roil.

  “I would love some scrambled eggs, please,” said Trey.

  “I’ll have some, too. But I can make them myself, for both me and Trey.” I hopped off the stool, ignoring the throbbing between my legs, and headed over to the refrigerator to gather ingredients. The idea of a h
ousekeeper was foreign to me and I felt a little uncomfortable with having Mrs. Bauer cooking for me all the time.

  “Nonsense!” Mrs. Bauer said. She grabbed me firmly by the shoulders and turned me around, guiding me back to my seat. “It’s my pleasure. You just relax.”

  “Okay. Thank you.” I smiled at her as my stomach rumbled. Damn. I was hungrier than I thought.

  Mrs. Bauer began to bustle about the kitchen, preparing our breakfast. When she ducked into the walk-in pantry, Trey took the opportunity to dip his hands under my robe again. He cupped both of my breasts, then pushed aside the thin white material to close his mouth over my right nipple.

  “Oh!” I gasped. He laved his tongue in hot circles around the stiff peak, sending naughty tendrils of heat sizzling across my skin.

  He pulled away, the hint of a wicked smile upon his lips, just as Mrs. Bauer emerged from the pantry with a loaf of bread. I quickly tugged my robe closed again, desire surging through my body like a herd of rampaging buffalo.

  The housekeeper gave me a strange look before turning her back to us to pop bread into the toaster oven and place a pan upon the stove. Trey eased his hand deviously beneath my hem, and brushed his skilled fingers lightly across my slick folds. Holy fuck! He trailed them down the inside of my thigh.

  I stifled a moan, my hips bucking automatically against the upholstery of the stool. My pussy ached with need already. “Stop that!” I said, laughing, and it came out louder than I expected while I battled between lust and propriety in the kitchen.

  “Stop what?” asked Ethan, striding into the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed.

  He glanced at my hastily put together ensemble, his gaze lingering on my hair. I quickly brushed my hands through it.

  Yup. A wild mass of curls.

  “My hair’s out of control, isn’t it?”

  Ethan nodded and eased himself into the seat next to me. He swiveled my stool around to face him and tangled his hands into my mane. “Yeah, but I like it.” He pulled me close to him for a kiss. “And I like this even better,” he added, tugging on my robe.